The Food and Drink Guy

Tag: Sandwiches

  • Purveyor (Des Moines, IA) Review

    Purveyor (Des Moines, IA) Review

    Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

    4.25* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 5*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 4*

    07/21/2023 Purveyor

    We had not heard of this place and only stopped in because it was one of the stops on the Summer Stir. Other than the crowd caused by the Summer Stir though, we found this place to be quite unique and ended up staying for a bite to eat and a cookie.

    We saw a large pan of paella cooking outside on the sidewalk and saw the signs that Friday is their Summer Paella Night. Given how much we like paella, we ordered a serving. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture, but it was served in a cardboard box for carryout and tasted very good. I should point out that other orders in the restaurant were served on nice plates with silverware so the cardboard was unique to the paella and to go.

    After seeing the cookies in the display case by the front door, I couldn’t leave without trying at least one of them. I ended up ordering an Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookie (see picture) and shared it with my wife. I’m a sucker for sweets…and when you combine espresso, chocolate and sea salt sprinkled on the top – you can’t go wrong. It is delicious and I highly recommend that you stop by and try one yourself!

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    Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookie

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  • Charlotte’s Kitchen (Johnston, IA) Review

    Charlotte’s Kitchen (Johnston, IA) Review

    Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

    4.5* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 5*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 4*

    06/15/2023 Charlotte’s Kitchen

    This place has been on my Want to Go list for a while and then a local highly recommended it, so met visitors from out of town here for lunch. This is a fast food restaurant where you order at the counter, find a table with your order number flag and then they deliver your order to your table. With that said, I found Charlotte’s to be at the high-end of fast food restaurants and based on the comments from others in line is clearly a local favorite.

    The menu only includes chicken sandwiches, wraps and salads (see video board pictures), which keeps things easier and lets them focus on doing chicken well. I went with the Chicken Tenders Combo (see picture) and one of my guests ordered the Original Sandwich Combo (see picture). The chicken was crispy, juicy and delicious and the fries were also very good – crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. I also ordered Char’s Sauce & Sweet Thai Chili sauce – which were great on the chicken as well as dipping the fries.

    I definitely see why this place generates so much local chatter and look forward to bringing my wife back to try some additional menu items such as the Brussels Sprouts & Crab Rangoon. If you are in the area and looking for a solid chicken meal in a clean, modern restaurant – you will definitely want to give this place a try.

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    Original Sandwich combo
    Chicken Tenders combo

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  • Blue Shark Ale House (Urbandale, IA) Review

    Blue Shark Ale House (Urbandale, IA) Review

    Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

    3.25* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 3*

    Atmosphere: 4*

    Value: 2*

    Service: 4*

    02/22/2023 Blue Shark Ale House

    We have stopped here several times before…especially during Lent for their Friday night fish fries. Since it was Ash Wednesday and we were in the area for Mass…it seemed like a good idea to stop here to have some seafood on the way home. Suffice it to say that we were a little disappointed in their seafood options given the restaurant name – fewer than a handful and to substitute shrimp for chicken in a salad was an additional $5. Based on their current menu, it seems that Blue Chicken might be a more fitting name for the restaurant. But I digress…

    The food presentation was great and the flavor was average – but the service was definitely above average, as Courtney took good care of us. Following a Jalapeno Margarita (we enjoyed it, just be forewarned that it does have a pretty good spicy bite to it), we ordered our meals.

    I ordered the Grilled Salmon (see picture) and my wife ordered the Blue Shark Chopped Salad (see picture). I thought the brocolli was cooked well – I like a little crunchiness left in my veggies and that is what was delivered. The salmon was slightly overcooked, but not to the point that it was overly dry and the mashed potatoes seemed a little bland (didn’t taste much butter or seasoning). The blue cheese on the chopped salad was delicious as was the shrimp (other than having to pay $5 more for the shrimp vs. chicken and only having 8 on the salad).

    Lastly, I knocked the Value down to below average not only due to the shrimp add-on mentioned above, but also because we found a 3% CSC (assume customer service charge as a result of using a credit card). I almost never carry cash anymore – doing everything with credit and am disappointed with any restaurant that charges extra for the use of a credit card. That is a business decision on their part, but they need to keep in mind that rather than get cash to go back next time, I likely will select another place instead…so I’m not sure they come out ahead in the end.

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  • Smokey Row Coffee (Des Moines, IA) Review

    Smokey Row Coffee (Des Moines, 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*

    12/23/2022 Update

    This place has been on my want to go list for over a year, but I was never downtown in the morning or afternoon and stopping on the way home in the evening seemed too late for coffee.  I was finally downtown helping with a Habitat for Humanity home build, so took the opportunity to stop here for lunch.

    Wow, am I glad that I stopped to see what all they had to offer (a lot more than just coffee) and experience a couple of great items!  I was taken aback with the large selection of breakfast and lunch sandwich offerings and felt that they were fairly priced.

    I started with a Pumpkin Pie Latte and was thoroughly impressed – flavorful, yet wasn’t overly sweet and heavy.  For my lunch I ordered a Rise and Shine (smoked turkey, egg, crisp bacon, provolone cheese and fresh guacamole on toasted ciabatta).  It was fantastic…I highly recommend it.

    Next visit with my son, ordered the Peppermint Mocha (see picture) and it was every bit as good as it sounds. My son ordered the Strawberry Banana Smoothie and really enjoyed it also. For our meal, I ordered the Double Decker Club (see picture) and my son ordered the Smokehouse Wrap (see picture) – both were delicious, but proved too much to eat at one sitting, so we took the extra home to enjoy later.

    You will definitely enjoy your stop here, no matter what time of the day or night it is.

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    Holiday Coffees
    Peppermint Mocha
    Strawberry Banana Smoothie
    Double Decker Club
    Smokehouse Wrap
    Back Room
    Ice Cream counter

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

  • Fresko (Des Moines, IA) Review

    Fresko (Des Moines, IA) Review

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    3.75* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 4*

    Value: 3*

    Service: 4*

    We have been wanting to go here for some time and finally had the chance to go for my wife’s Birthday this week.  The atmosphere and service were above average and the complimentary Birthday cake was clearly the highlight – fantastic presentation and great taste!

    My wife ordered the Hanger Steak and while my taste of it left me feeling that it was a little tough / chewy, the flavor was very good.  I ordered the Lava Roll and thought it was very good.

    My wife also ordered a Lavender Butterfly and Paloma and liked both of them.  Clearly an above average restaurant that we would return to on another date.

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

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  • Pepperjax Grill (Clive, IA) Review

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    4.0* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 3*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 3*

    Have wanted to stop to eat here for some time and finally took the opportunity.  I went with the server’s recommendation and ordered the Signature Steak Philly (see pictures) and oh, was it delicious!  Although it is essentially a fast food setup…go through the line, order and wait for your food at a table – the food was delicious.  If you like Philly sandwiches, you will definitely want to stop here.

    The only thing I was a little disappointed with was the cleanliness of the floor in the dining area.  The grease film on the floor near the beverage area left it feeling slippery and a cause for caution.  I did ask a lady who appeared to be a shift leader about it and she said that they were busy and hadn’t had a chance to clean the floor yet.

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

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  • 7 Stars Family Restaurant (Clear Lake, IA) Review

    Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

    3.5* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 3*

    Atmosphere: 3*

    Value: 5*

    Service: 3*

    Stopped here for lunch during our drive home. It is a good, clean and modern restaurant with a small town cafe feel. The food was good as well as the value.

    My wife ordered the Mushroom Burger while I had the Chicken Noodle Soup.  We thought that both tasted very good – the soup was not watered down and actually was fairly thick.

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

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  • Pub 42 (New Hope, MN) Review

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    4.25* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 4*

    Value: 5*

    Service: 4*

    Went here Easter weekend with our son and really enjoyed the stop. It was very busy, so we at first didn’t think we had time to stay – but they ended up finding us a table to eat at the bar.

    The tap beer, drink and food selections were good and the place was very lively – with some great country music playing in the background.

    We started with an order of popovers since we hadn’t had any for a while and absolutely loved the butter that came with them.  We ended up all ordering the Fish Special for Friday after hearing that it was walleye and all really liked the meal.

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  • The Grumpy Goat Tavern (West Des Moines, IA) Review

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    3.75* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 4*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 3*

    8/1/2021

    Didn’t know this place was even here, but stopped here to pick up my wife after a work party and really liked the atmosphere.  Ideally I like to see more tap options with a greater variety (and they were sold out of my first 2 choices), but still liked the stop.

    We ordered blackened chicken quesadillas and smoked chicken wings appetizers and enjoyed both of them.

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

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  • Revival (Minneapolis, MN) Review

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    4.25* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 4*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 4*

    4/17/2019

    Definitely worth stopping to eat here.  My wife wanted to check it out after seeing the owner competing against Bobby Flay and reading about their fried chicken.  The chicken was really good (the full-wing appetizers as well as the Chicken and Waffles).  Even though the hush puppies appeared over-done, they tasted very good, as did the cheddar drop biscuits.

    However, the thing that stood out to me the most was the cheesy grits side dish – which were the best grits I’ve ever had.  We topped it off with a piece of lemon cream pie.  As much of a dessert-lover as I am, I was less than impressed with it.  It had very little flavor and although I like desserts that aren’t really sweet, I swear they somehow found a way to make this without any sugar in it at all.

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

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  • Kuhio Grille (Hilo, HI) Review

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    4.0* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 4*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 4*

    10/24/2017

    Great little surprise stop on a rainy day.  Average atmosphere almost resembling an older diner, but the food was great.  Enjoyed the extras the most – first the fried cream biscuit with jelly and topping off the meal with a macadamia nut dessert.  They were both delicious! Of course the rest of the meal was great also – but I love the sweets and that is what I’ll remember…

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  • Pappy’s Chicago Style (Minneapolis, MN) Review

    Rating: 3 out of 5.

    2.75* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 1*

    Value: 3*

    Service: 3*

    Update: drove by in December 2022 and it is CLOSED
    Original: 5/31/2015

    Very convenient to I94 to get off and on.  The cashier recommended the gyro as their best seller and it tasted excellent.  The fries were thick-cut and the seasoning was good.  Service was poor, as we waited for over 25 minutes for our food and it wasn’t that busy.

    As to the atmosphere it was a dive and in a sketchy neighborhood – having a bit of a true south side of Chicago feel that was borderline for comfort with my family, even on Sunday afternoon.  The clientele made a fairly major turnover while we waited for our food – with several college-aged boys leaving after they started eating.  We ate rather quickly and left.  On the walk back to our car, my son and I were propositioned by a couple of ladies driving out of the parking lot after they nearly ran us over.

    Would I go back – yes if during the day and I wasn’t alone (gyro was great) and no if dusk or later…

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

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