We were looking for a place to stop for lunch before leaving the area and found this place. This appears to be a relatively new restaurant and I really liked the atmosphere inside and out (modern, clean and open) – and the food quality was excellent!
For my main course, I ordered the Power Bowl with Grilled Chicken (see picture) and my wife ordered the Beef & Broccoli (see picture). As we always do, we shared tastes of each others dishes and found both of them to be quite delicious – so I’d highly recommend either if you are visiting. The quinoa was so tasty and the grilled chicken was done well – with a good amount of moisture intact. The Beef & Broccoli was a bit salty to our tastes (probably from the soy sauce), but still very tasty.
I would highly recommend this place – while the value is a bit on the pricey side, if you can get past that – you will thoroughly enjoy a stop here.
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What a fantastic stop to serve my voracious sweet tooth on our last day before leaving the area! We took a stroll down the street and as the saying goes…I’ve never met a sweets shop that I don’t like. Everything about this place from the exterior to the interior decor and all the fantastic dessert creations inside the displays screams high-end, Paris-like quality.
We were in need of some additional caffeine to go along with the sweets, so ordered 3 Gibraltars and an Iced Caramel Latte – all of which were delicious. For our desserts, we shared a Little Tahini vanilla dessert (see picture) and an Opera chocolate dessert (see picture). Believe me…both were every bit as good as their near-perfect appearance and warrant serious consideration to try during your next stop.
If you like high-end, delicious desserts as much as I do, you really need to stop by and try a few of these luscious treats!
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Stopped here while walking the street with friends after a visit to a winery…drawn in by the lively atmosphere and friendly people at the door. We had reservations for dinner later, so limited ourselves to drinks and an appetizer.
I ordered a Raspberry Lemon Drop (see picture) based on the bartender Lani’s recommendation and really enjoyed it – she was right in saying that it was delicious! We also enjoyed a Mango Cosmo and some Bombay Sapphire martinis – all served happily by our fantastic bartender. For an appetizer, we ordered a Side of Fried (Feta Garlic) and other than being a little messy…they tasted fantastic.
You won’t go wrong with a stop here for great food and drinks!
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Our friends took us here during our visit to the San Jose area and it just might be my favorite Mexican restaurant. Other than it being a little pricey – everything was some of the best we’ve experienced at a Mexican restaurant. It was so good, that we ended up shutting the place down – we were the last patrons to leave and they had already started the cleaning process.
We love mezcal palomas (see picture), so that is what we started with. Given that I’m a bit of a mezcal paloma snob, I asked the waiter if the bartender knew what he was doing with making them. Boy did he ever know what he was doing, as these were probably the best mezcal palomas that we’ve had – and the presentation was great also!
For appetizers, we all really like ceviche, so ordered the Crab Ceviche Tostada (sorry, no picture) and Guacamole. The chips (see picture) were so fresh, light and delicious. My belief is that chips are only the delivery system for dips and toppings – and they tasted great together with the guacamole and ceviche.
For our main courses, I ordered the Chile Relano (see picture), my wife ordered the Enchilada de Camaron (see picture), our friends ordered the Pesca del Dia (see picture) and Ensalada de Cesar with Shrimp (see picture). Our friend recommended each of these dishes and all of them were delicious – I’d highly recommend each of them.
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Take a bite of the Pesca del DiaEnsalada de Cesar with ShrimpPesca del DiaChile RelanoEnchilada de CamaronMezcal PalomaChips
Our friends brought us here while we were visiting them and boy, was it a treat! While I’ve previously experienced some Persian food, it was not to this level of quality nor was it with a guide who was Persian and could give us additional background on the various dishes. While the food wasn’t high on the spiciness chart (I’m told most Persian food isn’t), the flavors were oh, so wonderful along with the preparation and presentation (see pictures).
We started with a bottle of white wine and a trio of appetizers – Kashko Bademjan, Nan-o-Sabzi and Masto-Mooseer (see picture). I have a real fondness for Middle Eastern and Indian yogurts, with their tangy yet light taste – and the Masto-Mooseer did not disappoint. I would definitely recommend this for an appetizer – especially if you like yogurt. Sorry for not having pictures of the others, but they were equally delicious.
For our main course, we ordered 2 Barg-Joojeh-Koobideh Kababs (see pictures), as they were highly recommended by our Persian friend. There were 2 different grades of beef and chicken breasts – and oh, were they delicious!
A lasting memory from the meal was learning the traditional way to eat the rice and kababs. Our Persian friend and host started with showing us how to place some butter in the middle of the rice plate, then let it melt while stirring it into the rice. Then, once the rice and the meat from the kabab were on your plate, he showed us how they traditionally eat it – using only a fork and spoon. First, you use the edge of the large spoon as a cutting utensil rather than a knife. Next, you use the fork to fill your spoon with the delicious rice and pieces of meat. The method worked quite well given how tender the meat was and enabled you to easily fill the large spoon without pushing the food around on your plate.
Lastly (and most importantly given my sweet tooth), we finished the meal with a couple of delicious desserts – the Bastani (see picture) and Faloodeh (see picture). I first experienced rose (yes literally from the rose flower) in ice cream during a visit to India and enjoyed the crisp and unique flavor. The Bastani ice cream’s rose flavor was a little more subtle than the Faloodeh, which had a stronger and more distinct rose flavoring as well as a sweeter taste. I found both to be delicious, so finished them both off after the others at the table were full and would highly recommend both of them.
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Saw this place after dropping my wife off for shopping and given my voracious sweet tooth…I had to check it out! Since Bubble Tea was in the name I had to try it, going with a recommendation with half the sugar from my server. The bubble tea was very good and I’d recommend it – there are flavors and sweetness levels to suit any taste buds.
I especially enjoyed the sweet breads from the display case. I brought danish-type of bread with peach filling and another with coconut filling to a party and everyone who tasted it liked it and asked where I got it. In addition, I bought a loaf of the Coconut Sweet Bread and brought it home – it had great coconut flavoring with just the right level of sweetness, making great sandwiches for several days. While I didn’t try any on this trip since we had just eaten lunch, they also offered a number of single-serving savory offerings, which would be great for lunch.
Definitely a place that you’ll want to try if you like Bubble Tea or sweet breads!
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We were in the mood for Mexican while visiting our son so met him here based on a recommendation from one of his coworkers. While the communication with our server was a little challenging (I view that as a positive by the way…more authentic experience and potential indicator of more authentic food), the food, value and atmosphere were all above average.
We started with a couple of Large Margaritas (see picture) – which are highly recommended, as they tasted great and were well worth $10. We also ordered a small Guacamole Dip to complement the complimentary chips and salsa (see picture). The chips were light, tasty and crispy and the complimentary salsa was also very good, with a good taste of cilantro.
For our main course, my wife and I shared Street Tacos (see picture) – Asada, Carnitas, Grilled Chicken and Pasto. We love street tacos and really liked the taste of all of them, so would highly recommend them for your next visit. My son ordered the Large Chimichanga (see picture) – we all tasted it and enjoyed it, so would also recommend it.
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Large MargaritaChips & SalsaStreet TacosStreet TacoLarge ChimichangaTres Leches
Several friends had great things to say about HomeGrown, so we took the opportunity to go there this weekend with our son and daughter-in-law. The decor is modern and yet country-like (see pictures) and the restaurant had great lighting with glass on 2 sides.
We started with drinks and an appetizer to share – I ordered the Vietnamese Coffee (see picture) and we shared 2 homemade Pop Tarts (see picture). I really liked the Vietnamese Coffee (how can you go wrong adding sweetened condensed milk to cold press coffee?) and the Pop Tarts were great also.
For our meals, I ordered the Salsa Verde Pork & Eggs (see picture), my wife ordered the BLTA&E (see picture) and my son ordered the Biscuits & Gravy (see picture). We each tasted each others dishes and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. The pulled pork in the Salsa Verde Pork & Eggs was moist, the eggs were done perfectly as ordered (over-easy) and the potatoes were done just right with some great seasoning. The BLTA&E was tasty and we all commented that the Biscuits in the Biscuits & Gravy were very light and crumbly.
You won’t go wrong with a stop here for Breakfast or Lunch – but I would recommend that you make a reservation, as they are very busy.
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Homemade Pop TartsSalsa Verde Pork & EggsBLTA&EBiscuits & GravyVietnamese Coffee
Several friends recommended this place within a few days, so we took the opportunity to stop by with friends from Brazil who also enjoy sushi. We were advised to get reservations as they are very busy and even at noon on a Friday, the earliest we could get a table for 4 was 8:15 – so I highly recommend getting reservations.
We arrived a few minutes early and were immediately seated near the sushi counter (see pictures). A very modern and lively atmosphere along with friendly service. Our server was Deja L. and she was fantastic – excellent recommendations and a friendly demeanor…the kind of person you would want representing your business.
We started with drinks and a shared appetizer – I ordered the Cherry Vanilla Cola (see picture) and we shared the Combo Dynamite App (see picture). The drink was good as expected and the Combo Dynamite App was dyn-o-mite (as the name implies).
For our meals, I ordered the Volcano (see picture) and my wife ordered the Fire Cracker (see picture) – both Chef’s Special Maki and both on the recommendation of Deja. We really liked both of them and would definitely order them again as well as recommend them for you to try. Our friend ordered the Salmon Roll w/cucumber (see picture) and also really enjoyed it.
We were definitely tempted to order dessert, but ended up deciding to pass and stop for another cocktail on the way home instead. We can definitely understand the strong recommendations for this place as we offer the same – fantastic food and service…just make sure to make reservations!
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Cherry Vanilla ColaCombo Dynamite AppVolcanoFire CrackerSalmon Roll w/cucumber
I’ve stopped here a few times for Happy Hour on the way home from work and finally took the time for pictures to document the trip tonight. My wife joined me and we each enjoyed a half priced tap while waiting for our food.
We ordered the Boneless Chicken Wings in sweet chili sauce (see picture), Bone-In Wings in Buffalo sauce (see picture) and Cheese & Bacon Tots (see picture). While the chicken wings had a little more breading than I would prefer, I liked both the boneless and bone-in – with the flavor of both being great. As to the Cheese & Bacon Tots, while there weren’t that many of them – they tasted fantastic (creamy, cheesy and delicious) and were cooked perfectly.
This place is definitely worth a stop for good food and value pricing – especially during Happy Hour!
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Cheese & Bacon TotsBone-In Buffalo WingsBoneless Sweet Chili Wings
Yet another stop for a drink after dinner tonight. The new drink that we tried tonight was the Naked Numero Dos (see picture) and while it was very good, we both still preferred our standby Mezcal drink here – the Street Snack (see picture). Tonight we had the opportunity to try the Ceviche (see picture) and both of us thought it was very good – solid lime tang with shrimp and other spices. Unlike our last stop, the chips tasted much better tonight, so bumping the Food rating back up to a 5*.
03/17/2023
We stopped here for a drink on the way home from dinner last night and once again enjoyed our experience at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. The selection of unique cocktails is extensive here and we really enjoy them. Last night we once again enjoyed the Street Snack (see picture) and Mezcal Paloma (see picture) along with Chips & Guacamole (see picture). We were a little disappointed in the taste of the chips (bitter) and texture of the guacamole (pasty) but continued to enjoy the atmosphere and service.
I highly recommend this place for their great service, food and drinks.
Food: 5*
Atmosphere: 5*
Value: 4*
Service: 5*
01/27/2023
We stopped here for a drink on the way home from dinner last night and once again enjoyed our experience at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. The selection of unique cocktails is extensive here and we really enjoy them. Last night we once again enjoyed the Street Snack (see picture) and were happy to see that their Take Home Mixers (see picture) were once again available.
I highly recommend this place for their great service, food and drinks.
Previous Stop:
Stopped here last night after hearing they had the unthinkable – Happy Hour on the weekends…and boy was it good! We sampled several of the half price cocktails (Guapo’s House and Tamarind El Mulo, my favorite – see pictures) and really liked them…great value and great taste.
You can order individual tacos, which we did after the chips and guacamole. Definitely a great place to stop to enjoy some great food and drinks in a lively atmosphere!
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This place has been on my Want to Go list since being listed in Cityview as a favorite. My wife and I took the chance to try it out for dinner last night and while nothing stood out that would make it ‘top of the list’ of Thai restaurants in Des Moines, it is clearly a solid option if you enjoy Thai food.
For our dinners, I ordered the Yellow Curry with chicken and brown rice at a 4 out of 6 pepper spice level (see picture) and my wife ordered the Panang Curry with beef at a 4 out of 6 pepper spice level (see picture). Our server shared that these were the #2 and #1 most popular dishes there, respectively and after tasting them we can understand why.
As we always do, we shared tastes of each others dishes and both of us enjoyed both dishes. The 4 pepper spice level seemed good for both of us also, as it was enough to make your nose run a little, but not so hot that it required lots of water while consuming it. I would recommend both of these dishes if you are stopping by to eat.
The atmosphere was modern and clean and the value seemed in line with other Thai options in Des Moines. The only slight hiccup during our visit was my Yellow Curry that I ordered with chicken. For some reason, our server mistakenly delivered calamari instead. It was still very good (didn’t want to waste it and send it back) and our server was kind enough to bring some steamed chicken on the side to add to the curry.
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Since finding this place in the Pub Pass last year and hearing a good recommendation on their burgers from our neighbor, I’ve been anxious to give it a try. We had the chance this week while my brother and sister-in-law were visiting, so stopped by to try out their Happy Hour.
While admittedly it doesn’t look like much from the exterior (see pictures), the decor of the interior was unique (see pictures). They have a very good selection of tap beers (see picture) and their most unique drink was their Old Fashioned Slushy (see picture), which I ordered at the suggestion of our server and thoroughly enjoyed.
We already had plans to eat dinner elsewhere, so we just ordered Buffalo Cauliflower (see picture). The initial smell made us think that it was going to be extremely spicy but after tasting it, we found it to be a good balance and quite tasty. I look forward to the opportunity to stop by another time for a burger.
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We have stopped here for food on a couple of occasions and have found it to be an above average pub food location with an interesting historical atmosphere. Today, we stopped by to try out their Happy Hour that we found on www.happyhourdesmoines.com and enjoyed our stop as well as the service and interactions with our server, Brent – who was fantastic! Brent went out of his way to give us great service, including bringing sample tastes of their local brews without even being asked – to encourage them over the Busch Lights that our guests ordered.
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This place has been on my Want to Go list for a while and got the chance this week while my brother and sister-in-law were visiting. While it was admittedly a little difficult to find buried in the middle of a strip mall – overall, it is a solid stop with a good selection of what you’d expect to find in a bakery (see pictures). We entered through the back and while the large deck was empty in March, the posted summer pictures look like it would be a great place to have breakfast and a coffee.
For my meal, I ordered the Southwest Omelet (see picture) and my wife ordered the Sausage & Mushroom Omelet (see picture). My Sister-in-law ordered the Quinoa Black Bean Salad (see picture) and my brother ordered the Ham and Swiss Sandwich (see picture). We all enjoyed our orders, with the only negative being that the toast included with the omelets was toasted too long and ended up very hard. The bread itself was good though, as my brother commented that he really liked the bread on his Ham and Swiss Sandwich.
The interior atmosphere was clean and modern and the presentation of the prepared foods was great. The things that held me back on a 5* were the strip mall exterior, plastic eating utensils and the venting / duct work on the ceiling above the kitchen area. From our table in the dining area, the kitchen ceiling showed an accumulation you might expect in a kitchen area that would look much better with a good cleaning.
Lastly on the service, I marked it down a bit due to the time it took for someone to help us at the front counter (several workers there, but seemed pre-occupied with other tasks and didn’t initially even acknowledge we were there or ask if we would like help). Similarly, after our order at the counter, the food was dropped off at our table with very little interaction of any kind and no follow up during or after our meal.
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We stopped here shortly after moving into the area 2 years ago and had the opportunity to go back tonight while celebrating Birthdays of our son and daughter-in-law. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the smell when you walk in and thought the food was above average, the value and service only rate average to me.
We started with a round of drinks – and since the Tequila Sunrise (see picture) was the special for the night, we each ordered one. We decided to order Crab Rangoon (see picture) as an appetizer and thought they tasted quite good. For our main meal, we ordered the Family Platter (see picture) and added 1/2 pound of sausage. While the butter and seasoning flavors were great, I felt that the seafood and sweetcorn were over-cooked and a little tough / rubbery as a result.
While it can be tough to rate the quality of the food for a place like this, I landed on a 4 based on the taste being good but the cooking time being a bit too long. Given how messy it is to eat, this likely isn’t a place where you take a first date nor wear your Sunday best clothes. Relative to this type of food, this is a reasonable place to enjoy some good Cajun seafood and seasoning.
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Family Platter w/ 1/2 lb SausageCrab RangoonTequila SunriseBirthday Shot
I always try to stop at a brewery in a city we are visiting so couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check out the Roundhouse and was glad that we stopped. We were surprised at how many cars were in the parking lot and were impressed with the additional activities (such as axe throwing) that they advertised.
The building and interior were modern and clean and the service was friendly and quick. The beer selection was good (around 20 on tap) and my wife and I shared a 6 sample beer Flight. We found most of the beers to be well above average and rated them all in Untappd.
Definitely worth a stop if you are in the Nisswa / Gull Lake area.
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It was a Friday during Lent so we were looking for seafood takeout options to take to our son’s place for a late lunch. This place was right along the way, so we ordered ahead to pick it up on the way by. While I love trying new places and like to support small businesses, I feel that this place is going to need some management assistance to stay alive. For starters, my wife wasn’t able to order online through their website and was tricked into signing up with a contract with another company when she thought she was placing her order for the food. Therefore, she gave up and called in instead…and while taking our order, the order-taker suddenly stopped taking our order and proceeded to yell at one of the other employees.
Since we ordered ahead over the phone, I dropped my wife off at the door and waited outside with the vehicle running as I thought it would be a quick stop to pick up our food. After 15 minutes of waiting, I parked the vehicle and went inside to see what was going on with our order. My wife then informed me that the menu in the store was different than what she ordered based on what showed online. Beware that the in-store menu does not include beverages as is shown in their online menu and the prices are higher.
Once the food was finally finished and we got it to our son’s house, we found the food to be relatively good. The best part in my opinion was the Hush Puppies (see picture) with the Shrimp & Fries basket (see picture) also being tasty. We weren’t as impressed with the Fish & Fries basket (see picture), as the breading was very dry and cornmeal like, with little to no flavor or seasoning.
Bottom line is that the food was reasonable for a fast food restaurant, but the service is definitely not fast. Don’t expect that they will be organized enough to have your food ready if you call ahead – I’d order at the restaurant and make sure you have about 15 minutes available to wait for the food.
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This place was directly across the street from the Hilton Garden Inn where we were staying and since we didn’t stop here for dinner, we stopped here for an after-dinner cocktail on the way back to our room.
Given our penchant for unique cocktails and my love of spicy and smokey drinks, we really enjoyed our stop (see cocktail pictures below). Our server was very friendly and helpful relative to helping us find a great cocktail for our tastes and in addition to enjoying the drinks, we had great conversation with a couple of people at the bar.
The food that was being served while we were there looked and smelled delicious, so we look forward to stopping back here for dinner sometime on another visit.
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We came across this place somewhat by accident while staying at the Hilton Garden Inn a block up the street. The Thai Pop across the street from the hotel caught my eye, but my wife was interested in American food for the evening so I did a quick search and talked her into the Blue Duck Kitchen based on their reviews and menu items.
We were impressed from the moment we walked into the place – unique, modern, clean, friendly and welcoming – with the owner floating around and making sure things were just right throughout the evening. Since we were there before official dinner hours and the dining room was still closed, we took a seat in the bar and decided to enjoy a few Happy Hour items from the sign (see picture). That brings me to the first call-out for great service – Leo was a fantastic bartender, was knowledgeable about the various drink selections and made wonderful Happy Hour food suggestions.
I started with an Old Fashioned (Happy Hour special – see picture) and wanted some food since we hadn’t eaten lunch, so Leo suggested the Kimchi Dog (see picture) – talking about how great it was. We were a little unsure about ordering a hot dog in a nicer restaurant, but went with his suggestion – and boy were we happy that we did. The hot dog was split in half the long way, had a nice ‘snap’ skin and was made with high quality meat. That, combined with the quality bread used for the bun and the great seasonings made it a dish that both my wife and I loved so much that we ordered another – the Chili Dog (see picture), which was also delicious!
We were then called to our table in the dining room…bringing about the 2nd call-out for great service – Alisha was quite the treat as our server. She was knowledgeable and friendly – and had great information about the menu items as well as some great recommendations! I usually don’t mention that I do reviews until after the meal is complete, but decided to flip the script tonight as there were so many things that looked great on the menu, so wanted Alisha to pick for me.
For our dinner, my wife ordered the Chef’s Catch (see picture) and I Alisha surprised me with the Nashville Hot Frog Legs (see picture). Both of us loved our meals and as I told Alisha – while I never would have ordered the Frog Legs, I thought they were delicious. The Nashville Hot sauce was great (loved the burn) and the macaroni and cheese that they were served on was rich, creamy and tasty. I highly recommend both dishes.
As good as everything was, we just had to try some dessert. While Alisha suggested the Strawberry Crepe Cake (as did others we met later in the evening), we were afraid that would be too much – so went with the Chocolate Chip Cookies with sea salt (see picture) and coffee. They were bite-sized, warm (fresh out of the oven) – firm on the outside and yet so soft and wonderful on the inside. The next time we come back, we will have to try the Strawberry Crepe Cake – but that doesn’t take anything away from these cookies, as they were delicious!
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Nashville Hot Frog LegsChef’s CatchKimchi DogChili DogOld Fashioned (sweet)Mezcal PalomaChocolate Chip Cookies & CoffeeHappy Hour
