The Food and Drink Guy

Tag: Mediterranean

  • Eatery A (Des Moines, IA) Review

    Eatery A (Des Moines, IA) Review

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    5.0* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 5*

    Value: 5*

    Service: 5*

    Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely)

    Total check/person: $47

    09/28/2024 Eatery A (515) 282-8085

    It had been a few years since we have been at Eatery A, mostly due to being new in the area and exploring new venues rather than repeating at a known location. Once again, we were extremely pleased with this stop as in the end, I gave it one of the few full 5* ratings that I have ever given. This place truly has it all – unique and tasty food, a great atmosphere, friendly service and value that is above average for the downtown! If you have the treat of being served by Vee – tell her ‘Hi’ from The Food and Drink Guy, as she is a gem!

    Tonight, we celebrated my wife’s Birthday – exploring the menu beyond the pizza’s we had on previous visits to the other Mediterranean delights as recommended by our server, Vee. Tonight we truly shared everything – starting with the Two for Delicacies: Bacon Wrapped Dates & Meatballs (see pictures). We followed that up with a Three for $35 Skewer: Swordfish, Chicken Shawarma & Sirloin Tip (see picture). All of them were delicious and highly recommended, but our favorite was the Bacon Wrapped Dates!

    Lastly, if you follow my posts, you know how hard it is for me to leave a restaurant without having some type of sweets. Tonight was no different, although it was free for my wife’s Birthday. We opted for the Salted Caramel Budino (see picture) and while we have had it before – we truly relished every spoonful. It was sweet, rich and awesome – especially given the smaller portion size that didn’t leave us feeling too guilty!

    You will love a stop here for your next meal out…and if you want to sample a few things at a bargain price, they have one of the best true 1/2 price Happy Hours in the area!

    July 2021

    We stopped here for dinner on our anniversary based on an online rating and really liked it.  It is very clean, modern and ‘chic’.

    I highly recommend stopping between 3 and 6 to take advantage of the Happy Hour (we did).  We sampled several beers and a delicious wood fire pizza – all at 1/2 price!

    On the waitress’ recommendation we ordered the #10 pizza (…meat & hot honey).  As the name implied it was a perfect combination of pepperoni and spicy Italian sausage along with just a tinge of sweetness from the honey.  It was just perfect for the 2 of us to share.  On a subsequent visit with our son, we tried the Gyro (#5).  Their beer tap wasn’t working on that trip, so we had to ‘settle’ for wine with our pizzas instead.

    Lastly don’t leave without trying one of the desserts.  Again based on the waitress’ recommendation we went with the Salted Caramel Budino.  It wasn’t quite what we expected but oh, it was so good!  It was a delicious pudding/tapioca (chantilly cream) with some sprinkles of dark chocolate on the top and a dollop of salted caramel.  Dessert Bliss!!

    This is definitely a place you’ll want to try!

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    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    Salted Caramel Budino
    3 for $35 Skewer (Swordfish, Chicken & Sirloin Tip)
    Bacon Wrapped Dates
    Meatballs

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    For the best Happy Hour and Food Specials in Des Moines, visit: happyhourdesmoines.com

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    For the best Happy Hours and Food Specials in Des Moines, visit: happyhourdesmoines.com

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

  • Gazali’s (Clive, IA) Review

    Gazali’s (Clive, IA) Review

    Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

    4.5* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 4*

    Value: 5*

    Service: 4*

    01/06/2024 Gazali’s (515) 309-9167

    We returned for dinner after Mass tonight and had a good experience. While it was a bit chilly in the restaurant and you shouldn’t expect a wait staff hovering over your table, the food is quite good, the service is friendly and the value is great. The menu (see picture) is very basic and reflects a value approach. You’ll need to ask about details to determine what is included in many of the dishes, but the servers are more than happy to answer any questions that you might have.

    For drinks, I ordered a tall Jim Beam Fire and Diet Coke (see picture) while my wife opted for a Modelo (see picture). We started our meal with Papa’s Fries (see picture) – fried sliced potatoes served ‘wet’, with olive oil and some great seasoning, along with a side dipper of Tzatziki – which we both really enjoyed.

    For our main course, my wife ordered the Gyro Wrap (see picture) and I opted for the Vegan Mediterranean Mix (see picture). The Vegan Mediterranean Mix included: Pita, Baba Ghanoush (eggplant, with a nice smoky flavor), Hummus (owner’s recipe with turmeric…quite tasty), Falafel (breaded and fried chickpea mix) and Dolma (rice stuffed grape leaves). We liked both dishes and would recommend them – and I especially liked the Mix, which allowed me to try several things on the menu.

    As per my typical protocol…I couldn’t leave without trying some dessert. We opted for the Baklava (see picture), which we both found to be quite tasty – fresh, moist, crunchy and flaky all in one. We enjoyed the good food and solid value and will likely be back for more at some point in the future.

    06/27/2022

    I’ll preface this review by saying that we were hesitant to go in after receiving a negative review from friends who had been there for a special event that was very pricey and the food wasn’t that good.  We were greeted and seated promptly, but then became impatient after the underage waitress was unable to serve alcohol and no one else came over to take our order.

    After a predetermined time limit without drinks service we decided to leave the restaurant.  As we were walking across the parking lot to our car the owner came out and asked if everything was okay.  We said we just decided we didn’t want to wait any longer and he begged us to come in and give them another try, explaining that he was short on help.

    We decided to go back in and ended up very happy that we did.  We started with a couple of unique local beers suggested by the owner, then moved on to Falafel and Dolma (see picture) – all of which were delicious.

    For dinner, I ordered the Jalapeno Artichoke Chicken Swarma Wrap and my wife ordered the Gyro Rice.  As always, we shared our dishes and both of us really enjoyed both dishes.

    Lastly, if you follow my posts you know that I have a real sweet tooth.  Therefore we ordered the Baklava and Turkish coffee for dessert.  The Baklava was fantastic – chewy in the middle with a light, flaky and crispy top crust.  Make sure you order this to finish off your meal!

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    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    Papa’s Fries
    Jim Beam & Diet Coke
    Modelo
    Vegan Mediterranean Mix
    Pita
    Gyro Wrap
    Gyro Wrap (as served)
    Baklava

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

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  • Demitri’s Taverna (Livermore, CA) Review

    Demitri’s Taverna (Livermore, CA) Review

    Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

    4.5* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 5*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 5*

    04/15/2023 Demitri’s Taverna

    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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    Raspberry Lemon Drop

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    For the best Happy Hour and Food Specials in Des Moines, visit: happyhourdesmoines.com

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  • Flavory Bistro (Ankeny, IA) Review

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    4.5* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 5*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 5*

    We stopped here for dinner last night and while it was on the pricy side, the quality of the experience was top notch.  Our waiter Matthew was fantastic, with multiple stories to share about the food, the owner and himself.  While we didn’t get to meet Lisa the owner, the story we heard of her Mom traveling the world with her and pushing her to identify what was in the global foods based on taste was fantastic!

    As to the food and drinks, we’ll start with the Fresh Margarita.  While pricy @$12 and small, it was one of the best margaritas we’ve had.  I ordered a Beef Gyro (which had lamb mixed in with the beef).  Both the Gyro and the tzatziki sauce were delicious.

    My wife ordered the Seafood Paella and we both really enjoyed it.  My wife makes our favorite Paella, so we both have become critical of most restaurant Paella.  While we are used to lemon in the recipe, Lisa’s alternate use of lime and green olives were unique and added to the character of the dish.

    The only thing holding me back from a 5 on the Food rating was the Baklava (see picture).  Again, my wife had made some really good Baklava and we have enjoyed it on numerous occasions at restaurants and food festivals.  As the picture demonstrates, this serving was average at best…thin, square, dry and relatively bland in taste.  A disappointing end to the meal given how fantastic the main courses were.

    If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. To receive Tweets of the latest Reviews, follow on Twitter: @TheFaDGuy

    For the best Happy Hours and Food Specials in Des Moines, visit: happyhourdesmoines.com

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com