November 8, 2011

• Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid City

  

  Ankeny has been Iowa’s “city of the future” for quite awhile. Flush with huge fortunes from Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and Glyphosate, the town’s developers led the state in new housing permits seven years in a row during the last decade. If not for the 2008 housing market collapse, Ankeny’s Prairie Trail neighborhood would have probably created a brand new Grinnell-sized community by now, adjacent Des Moines Area Community College‘s (DMACC) Ankeny campus. Despite that college, with its 16,000 students and renowned culinary institute, Ankeny’s restaurant scene has been dominated by national chain restaurants. Chip’s, Ranallo’s and The Waterfront are good independent restaurants but in Ankeny the big buzz has surrounded places like Olive Garden. That chain’s Ankeny outlet store did such great business that the corporation has decided to copy its design in all its new stores while remodeling half of its old stores in its image.

  Some recent discoveries in Ankeny suggest the town might have a culinary future beyond serving as a test market for corporate makeovers. One of our alert Twitter followers, a self described “zealous eater,” turned us on to an Ankeny original called Topped Doughnuts. She said it’s turning out products so good that her home town “Chicago needs to step up its doughnut game.” That got our attention. Zealous eater has demonstrated excellent taste and we rank Chicago in America’s top three food cities.

  

  Topped Doughnuts, which recently celebrated their first anniversary, professes to make doughnuts that are “sophisticated” and “indulgent.” I tried plain glazed twist with cinnamon, Holland cream, regular glazed, cake glazed, double chocolate, and Samoa (coconut, chocolate, caramel and vanilla just as in the Girl Scout cookies) doughnuts.

  

  Every doughnut was remarkably light, flaky and fresh tasting. I wanted to sample blueberry cream, red velvet cake, and maple bacon bar too but they were always sold out before I arrived.

  

  Pouting about that I visited Tasteful Dinners, a café that combines farm house antiques, quilting art with Biblical messages, Eagle Scout paraphernalia, and wildly mismatched colors dominated by so much purple and gold I thought I had stumbled into an LSU football game. Christian rock played relentlessly. This café employs culinary college students and professes to make everything from scratch and many things from old family recipes. Iced tea was served in large carafes Amana style.

  

  Execution was as inconsistent as the interior design.

  

  Pies were stunningly good, with flaky lard crusts that literally melted in my mouth. Fillings mixed exotic with local fruits, fresh berries, classic pecan recipes, etc.

  

  All were served with freshly whipped cream and could easily win ribbons at state fairs. A pot roast that had braised all day helped create a nearly perfect hot beef sandwich.

  

  Mashed potatoes and meat loaf were also delightful but gravies were very heavy with thickeners. “Crispy baked chicken” was so unevenly coated that not even puffed rice could crisp it.

  

  At DMACC’s Iowa Culinary Institute, the student staffed Bistro has begun regular dinner hours. Menu service and buffets alternate from one week to the next. I visited during a $10 Mardi Gras buffet that included beverages and desserts. I’ve paid three times as much for lesser buffet fare.

  

  Gumbo, shrimp Creole and jambalaya all included fresh, high end seafood. Both dirty rice and plain rice were offered. So were three excellent salads: fresh fennel with Parmigiano-Reggiano, a three cabbage slaw, and mushrooms with lentils in hot bacon dressing.

   

   

  I tried a red velvet cake from the dessert cart that smartly used a passion fruit Marscapone.

  

  Bottom line – I’ll return to Ankeny, probably the next time my sweet tooth whines.

  Side Dishes

  Splash’s award winning wine cellar is starting Wine Club 2012. Contact Jason Vogelgesang, 244-5686… Splash’s oyster bar will soon introduce a charcuterie bar.

  Bistro

  Building 7, DMACC Ankeny campus, 964-6369

  Tues. – Fri. 11:15 a.m. – 1 p.m., Tues. – Wed 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

  Topped Doughnuts

  129 Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny, 650-2046

  Wed. – Fri. 6 a.m. – 2 p.m., Sat. 6:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

  Tasteful Dinners

  121 SE Shurfine Dr., Ankeny, 965-3324

  Mon. – Fri. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. & 4 p.m. – 8 p.m., Sat 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

  • 1:42 pm
  • 1 Comment