Month: January 2013

  • 2012 – Best & Worst

    Zeitgeist of 2012 – new is old

    2012 brought the year of the water dragon. For Iowa that meant far  more dragon breath than water. The hottest, driest summer in decades resulted in a four percent drop in major agricultural production. Iowa wine growers though reported bumper crops.

    Restaurant news was similarly ambivalent. Many of the best new places were old places reborn. Proof’s new owners blazed new directions without changing its primary focus or its name. Jimmy’s Big Ten Inn became the third restaurant named “Jimmy’s” on Eighth Street in West Des Moines. Buzzard Billy’s bounced back from two floods and a long hiatus by finding higher ground. Bambinos moved to West Des Moines with old Lacona family recipes. Tacqueria Jalisco changed its name to The Taco King without changing much else. Both Shorty’s Somewhat Fancy Bar and The Library upgraded the food of previous, similarly named joints without changing too much else.

    Redundancy dominated innovation in the chain restaurant genre. Local media fixated on Twin Peaks, a Texas-sized reproduction of the Hooter’s figuration. Dunkin’ Donuts returned after a few decades absence from the metro. Jimmy John’s and Subway led local expansion for the fourth straight year. College town pizza icons (The Other Place and Falbo Brothers) entered the Des Moines market after making their reputations in Cedar Falls and Iowa City. Nick’s opened recreating the pork tenderloins of the Town House in Wellsburg, Iowa. Asian chains Taste of Oriental, Shogun International Buffet, and  Eastern Hibachi & Sushi Buffet all opened and closed in less than a year. Bad dragon.  

    Some other distinguishing food features of the water dragon‘s reign: 

    Top New Restaurant – Louie’s Wine Dive  
    The local restaurant scene seemed oblivious to any economic slump this year. The number of openings tripled the number of closings in 2012. New additions ranged from the spectacular (Exile) to the ubiquitous (fro-yo‘s), from the reborn (Buzzard Billy’s) to relocated (Bambino’s) and from first course specialists (The Standard) to desserts-only lounges (Crème). For our money though, Louie’s Wine Dive delivered the best overall package. 

    After years of running new places for Bravo, Jason Kapela left the corporate grind this year to open his own place in the Uptown Shopping Center. He counseled with former Wine Experience owner Kyle Cabbage to fine tune his concept and persuaded half a dozen staffers from Bravo to follow him across town. This 84 seat café is furnished upscale from a true dive. Comfortable rosewood furniture, an overstuffed couch and a sleek long bar invite people to linger. In fact, one of Louie’s biggest problems has been turning tables – because no one wants to leave.  

    Above all, Louie’s delivers value appropriate to the times. Most plates fall into the $4 – $19 range with complete kids meals at $5. Yet, they still use top ingredients like La Quercia charcuterie and La Mie breads. Cabbage’s wine pairings are well considered and the restaurant will open any bottle if a customer commits to two glasses. 

    Kapela’s menu mixes familiarity with original twists. Mac & cheese can be ordered with lobster or wild mushrooms. 

    Superb oysters Louie are fried in panko and served on fried wonton shells with habanero aioli and a balsamic glaze. 

    Deviled eggs are garnished with hackleback caviar. Lobster poutine delivers crisp yet tender fries covered with seafood gravy that includes generous pieces of fresh lobster, assorted mushrooms and subtle Fontina cheese sauce. 

    Ragu is Bolognese style, with an orange glow from Chianti, tomatoes, carrots and cream. It included prosciutto, sausage, bacon and tender pork shoulder on toasted potato gnocchi. 

    Striped bass presents two moist skin-on filets on a bed of quinoa in a beurre blanc. Drunken carrots, a specialty, are marinated in dark rum. 

    Porchetta is extraordinary, even in a town rich in Italian restaurants. It’s slow cooked pork shoulder without any dryness, stuffed with prosciutto and sage and served with cheese sauce.

    Restaurateur of the Year – Mark Linebach opened his third and fourth Cozy Cafés this year, in the former KC BBQ on Douglas and the former Robin’s Wood Oven Grill on SE 14th St. The latter is larger than previous stores and, unlike the earlier ones, serves breakfast all day. Little else varies from a simple template Linebach drew up two years ago when diners and blue plate specials were fading from the scene. Cozy offers old fashioned foods – scratch made pies and cakes, hand breaded pork tenderloins, homemade meatballs and “cavatelli” that includes several pasta, none of which is actually cavatelli. Coffee is from Grounds for Celebration, sausage is from Graziano’s and service is from a kinder, gentler America. Pizza slices are always available and so is breakfast, at least on the south side. Value draws crowds to CC. Blue plates like hot beef with mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans go for as little as $5, Breakfasts start at $4, pizza or cavatelli dinners begin at $5.  
    Design of the Year - With Slingshot (formerly G.E. Wattier & Associates) as architect, Exile Brewing Co. brilliantly translated a vision of R.J., Bob and Amy Tursi into a “burn-bright lifestyle” celebrating the American dream. For its crowning glory, artist James Ellwanger conceived a replica of the Statue of Liberty’s crown, with Gene Arnold of Allen Henderson & Associates as structural engineer, and Laugerman Architects making its 3D drawings. 

    Story of the Year - Regeneration of Eighth Street. After years of slipping, Eighth Street in West Des Moines bounced back behind new restaurant hits Raul’s, Lemongrass, Jimmy John’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Jimmy’s Big Ten Inn. 

    High Culture vs. Low Culture Event of the Year - Subway opened a state of Subway art store in the western Gateway. Elitists were outraged. 

    Genre of the Year – Led by dazzling Exile and water dragon Confluence, stylish new brew pubs popped up all over the metro. 

    Political Influence of the Year – After years of lobbying, Iowa legislators passed a bill allowing restaurants and bars to create and store infused liquors and cocktails. 

    Media Influence of the Year – ABC TV network turned “pink slime,” a footnote in a single Department of Agriculture scientist‘s report, into an anti-meat crusade that slaughtered thousands of cattle and numerous jobs in its aftermath.  

    Marketing Event of the Year – Whole Foods opened their first area store with an army of media covering “tailgate parties” that didn’t exist. 

    Service of the Year – Saints, Beaver Tap, Maverick’s and Tonic opened the area’s first free weekend shuttle service to and from their bars.  

      Ideas of the Year - 1.) Crème Cupcakes hired Jess Dunn from Baru66 and initiated a desserts-only cocktail lounge. 2.) Simon Cotran figured out that the old Top Value venue on University could support an international market. 

      Worst Trend of the Year – A growing number of non-profit food events persuaded top chefs and restaurateurs to vacate their restaurants on busy Fridays and Saturdays when customers expected them to be there.

    Book of the Year – In “Jerusalem” by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, a renowned Jewish chef and a Muslim friend explore the cross cultural culinary glories on their native city. 

    Outstanding Journalism – David Chang’s Lucky Peach quickly became the best written food magazine in America. 

    Cool New Stuff  - Dry farmed wines became ecological darlings. High Pressurized Processing (HPP) apple juices brought the safety of pasteurization without destroying the volatile compounds that give apples their distinctive flavor. Phytoestrogens in soybeans were found to alleviate hot flashes. Frozen yogurt shops opened around Des Moines faster than frozen yogurt melts. 

    Hot New Stuff - The Iowa State Fair introduced crab fritters, deep fried pickles wrapped in pastrami and ham with cream cheese, carrot funnel cakes, and double bacon corn dogs. 

    Thanks for the Memories – Noe Ruiz (La Rosa), Tom Renda (Classic Frozen Custard), Alex Rhodes (All Spice), Mojo’s on 86th, Simply Asian, Lucky Dragon, Azteca, Paradise Pizza, La Casa del Pollos Rostizados

  • Restaurant and Chef of the Year

     
    The three great cuisines of classical history – Chinese, Roman and Ottoman – all developed as spoils of empire. From Zheng He and Marco Polo to Ibn Battuta and Columbus, history’s greatest adventurers trekked around the world seeking new foods as much as anything else. From Bistro 43 and Sage to Baru66 and Splash, many of the best new restaurants in Des Moines the last 20 years were creations of travelers who decided to hang their hats here. Our choices for both restaurant of year and chef of the year in 2012 keep that trend going. 
    Proof was created four years ago by Carly Groben, a Newton native who had spent a couple years traveling the southern rim of the Mediterranean. She built a considerable reputation at the café, including a nod from the James Beard Foundation as one of the top 20 American chefs under 30.  Last year she sold the restaurant to Sean Wilson and Zach Mannheimer, natives of the Outer Banks of Carolina and New York City respectively. 
    Chef Wilson’s mother is half Filipino and half Italian, so he says he grew up in an experimental kitchen where lumpia (Filipino egg rolls) were as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey and dressing. His travels included stints under famous chefs Todd English in Boston and Jonathan Sundstrum in Seattle. Mannheimer served as maitre d’ and sommelier at Embassy Club before organizing the Des Moines Social Club. They hired Hal Jasa, well known here as the Underground Chef and owner of Zingaro. 
    Together they brought a good chemistry to this 64 seat café. Wilson and Jasa founded Boucherie, a two year old, weekend long celebration of whole animal cookery. Mannheimer worked for Jasa at Zingaro and Jasa for Mannheimer at DMSC. They restrained themselves from making big changes to Groben’s popular menu that was heavily influenced by her travels in North Africa. Their typical lunch menu looks much as it did before, with three salads, five sandwiches (served ironically on unproofed breads), and five grain dishes. Subtle changes they made yielded spectacular results. They altered the method of preparation – all dishes are now made “à la minute” (prepared to order, rather than being prepped in advance and reheated when ordered). That makes a huge difference on foods like chicken breast that can so easily be overcooked. Flatbread recipes changed too, to resist breaking apart in one’s hands. 
    They also expanded their pantry with new charcuterie like merguez sausage and khlea (beef preserved with North African spices like vadouvan). They increased dinner service by an extra three nights a week and  built a bar featuring now legal house created bitters and infused beverages. Mannheimer’s wine list features lesser know grape varietals he considers bargains for adventurers. Dinners are explorations. A once a month ten course “table d’hote” serves two guests for $80. I have paid several times that much for lesser meals in larger cities. 
    On a typical afternoon last week I found Wilson and Jasa sitting at their bar with books and notebooks, hashing out a new menu. They admitted to several influences. Both admire the self taught Moroccan chef Mourad Lahlah whose Aziza café in San Francisco has won Michelin stars four years in row. Mourad is known for “New Moroccan” cuisine. Wilson said that’s code for a system in which classic family and tribal cuisines are reassembled and presented in a more modern, Western style. They also admitted that The Flavor Bible is another influence. That book shows how many great chefs choose to enhance classic recipes by importing new spices and herbs.  
    By the time I left, Wilson and Jasa had made copious notes and decided to experiment with several new ideas. I’m sure I am not the only one who can’t wait. 

    Prix Fixe Supersized  

    “Table d’hôte” menus began in 17th century inns. One could rent a room with, or without, a set meal that was shared by other guests. After modern restaurants developed (as a consequence of the French Revolution leaving so many cooks unemployed), the term was applied to multi course dinners, with limited choices, at fixed prices, or “prix fixe.” Since then, these have been common in European restaurants at all price levels but not so much in the US where “à la carte” ordering has ruled. In Des Moines fixed price dinners were pretty much restricted to Thanksgiving, Easter and Valentines Day through the 20th century. 
    That’s been changing in the new millennium. Steve Logsdon pioneered prix fixe dinners on Friday nights at Basil Prosperi. They became so popular that by the time he opened Lucca they were featured daily. Enosh Kelley began offering a three course “early bird” prix fixe at Bistro Montage and that evolved into a four course prix fixe at all hours. Restaurant Week encouraged several restaurants to try the concept out for ten days each August and a couple extended the practice year round. Alba now offers a five course “chef’s tasting menu” Tuesdays through Thursdays. Sam & Gabe’s four course fixed price dinner is available on the same nights.  801 Steak & Chop House has a Sunday-only, three course prix fixe. 
    In the last decade, underground and “pop-up” restaurants super sized the prix fixe. Hal Jasa offered as many as 30 courses in one of his. When Baru66 opened in 2010, David Baruthio offered three daily prix fixe offerings including a six course degustation that cost just $66. That was the extent of fixed price indulgence until Jasa teamed with new Proof owners Sean Wilson and David Mannheimer. This fall they instigated a new level of decadence. Along with three and five course menus offered daily, they began a “submission menu” that continues bringing new courses until a diner asks them to stop. Proof also serves a second Saturday, ten course dinner that harkens the early definitions of “table d’hote” – all courses are served on single plates shared by two guests for $80 a couple. 
    This month, that dinner began with a salad of three roasted heirloom beets, a fabulous beet mousse, clover leaf micro greens, harissa oil, and goat cheese all served on a bed of mortared pistachios and topped with a fresh nasturtium. 

    The second course delivered a deeply flavored, chilled tomato soup with an almond mousse and crisply fried parsnip chips. 

    A shrimp course swam in a  turmeric broth with leek oil and matchstick potatoes. 

    Then a  “za’tar” delivered a stack of roasted, skin-on eggplant slices bathing in buttermilk yogurt, accentuated with pomegranate berries that burst in the mouth.
    After an intermezzo of remarkable rosemary sorbet, with orange zest, the main courses began with a rustic pork ragu served in a skillet on a cutting board swathed in goat cheese with buttered toast. 

     
    A porchetta of pork belly, topped by a butter-fried egg, was plated on an Italian sausage bread pudding with polenta. 

    Next a petite tenderloin of beef was served rare and encrusted with coffee and coriander on top of pureed butternut squash, with licorice paint and leeks. 
    A cheese course brought a smoky goat cheese from Boonville, California with homemade sweet vermouth in a tequila shot glass. 

    Dinner was completed with two cardamom brownies and a marvelously textured chocolate semifreddo with crème Anglais.

    I might have submitted earlier had anyone asked. Fortunately they didn’t.  

    Proof 
    1301 Locust. St., 244-0655
    “Second Saturday Suppers” served each month in early (5:30 – 7:30 p.m.) and late (After 8 p.m.) seatings. 
     Mon. – Fri.. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Wed. – Sat. from 5 p.m. 

  • East Village becomes more trendy

     

    HoQ is East Village’s latest fine dining hot spot. Its moniker is a shortened version of owner/chef Suman Hoque’s last name. Spelled, as it is on their logo, with only a lower case vowel, it’s also an acronym for “House of Quality,” a matrix applied in Quality Function Deployment. According to Visipedia, HoQ is best employed to analyze a service or product’s ability to meet customer desires compared to its competition. 
    In East Village, restaurant competition is often a mano a mano challenge between architectural design firms led by Kirk Blunck (Lucca, Miyabi, City Bakery) and Greg Wattier (Alba) whose E5W building houses HoQ. To transform its former Baby Boomer venue, Iowa Design Group’s Traci Baldus divided several nooks and crannies with a spectacular set of bar shelves ascending into a faux canopy suspended from the ceiling and resembling the skeleton of a Viking longboat. Beneath it, a centered island bar dominates the room. Martinis produced there were more standard. A “lemon drop” missed the contrasting touches of non-lemon citrus that distinguish the best of their type. A too sweet “chocolate cherry cake” redundantly mixed chocolate and cherry cake vodkas with chocolate syrup. A short wine list ranged $30 – $70. 
    HoQ professes farm-to-table philosophy. That’s a tough act to pull off in Des Moines as the winter solstice approaches. Fresh and local competitors like Alba and Luna spent much of the fall pickling and canning local products to survive the cold season. Like many new places, HoQ’s service and food were works in progress. On my first visit, I was informed about changes to menu descriptions only after they were served. A week later, such information came, gratefully, before I ordered.

      On my first visit, a boneless half chicken ($24) was cooked in one piece. Predictably its white meat was terribly dry. Nicely glazed (with fig balsamic) skin, pearl quinoa and sweet kale could not compensate. On a later visit only chicken breasts ($23) were served. 
    On an early visit, lamb shanks ($25) were served with pumpkin orzo, Parmesan cheese and braising liquid but without the gremolata promised on the menu. Rather bland, it could have used gremolata’s kick. On a later visit, it had been replaced on the menu by “lamb short ribs” ($23), which were actually beef short ribs. 
    First courses were more consistent. Beet salad ($8) was served with black lentils, goat cheese, marvelously fresh micro greens and fig balsamic. A mild, spreadable beef tartar ($9) was plated with toast points. 
    Beef sumanski ($7) resembled samosas from Hoque’s native Bangladesh and were served with three diverse sauces. 

    Bacon & eggs ($8) delivered a superb confit of pork belly with poached egg and warmed vinaigrette. Potato leek soup ($7) had deep flavors and exquisitely foamy texture. 
    Entrees on my later visit were also consistent. 

    Wild salmon ($23), cooked perfectly rare, complemented its kale, beet, and white butter sauce accompaniment. 

    Pan-seared scallops ($26) worked well with the potato-squash risotto, kale and butter sauce. 

    A ribeye steak ($28) delivered the distinct flavors of its grass-fed diet with a combina tion of fries including potato, sweet potato and beet root, with roasted Brussels sprouts. 
    Desserts ($7-$8) lacked the consistency of entrees. 
    Home made ice creams, served in an unchilled dish, were partially melted. Crème brulee (made with Hawaii’s Singing Dog vanilla) delivered marvelously deep flavor. 
    Pound cake with poached pear and huckleberry sauce didn’t provide the contrasts that a good pumpkin bread pudding did with its caramelized pumpkin seeds. 
    Bottom line – HoQ is a new urban hot spot with rare conversation-friendly acoustics, even when packed. Its food and service need time and focus to rival the best restaurants in East Village.   
    Des Moines’ first all vegan place 

    In this post New Year’s season of diets, resolutions and purges, even a meat eating sinner such as I figured it was time to try out New World Café, Des Moines’ first all vegan restaurant. What’s that? Vegans avoid eating all the things that vegetarians refrain from eating plus any foods derived from animal products, such as milk, cheese, eggs, honey and most wines (because egg shells do the best job of making wine clear rather than murky). 
    More than other diets, veganism is a commitment usually compatible with strong animal rights beliefs. Fallen vegans are said to have “lost their veginity.” Chefs like George Formaro (Centro, Django, Gateway Market, Zombie Burger, South Union Bakery) have been vilified on social media for dabbling in vegan diets without becoming all vegan. Yet, Formaro (dubbed “#fakevegan” on Twitter) provides more vegan and vegetarian options on his menus than any other high profile restaurateurs I town. Besides his places, my frame of reference for vegan cuisine in Iowa is built around partially vegan, vegetarian cafés like Fresh, a seven year old West Des Moines place that doubles as a market where one can find amazing eggs that have been laid by chickens raised on wheat grass. 
    That of course would be taboo at New World Café where everything is vegan, 98% of everything is organic, many things are raw, and the menu is dotted with codes – “NF” for nut free, “GF” for gluten free, etc. I did not wonder long about what hook might lure non-vegan diners. Just as Campbell’s Soup Company found it could drastically increase sales of V8 juice by blending it with fruit juices, New World Café features a seductive full juice bar. Smoothie lovers can choose up to two fruits, plus a juice base (fresh squeezed carrots, apples or coconut water) and add enhancers such as raw hemp protein or raw vanilla protein. I tried a mango, carrot and hemp version plus an “Overnight Detox” drink that included kale, ginger, apple and lemon juices. Neither gave me the warm, fuzzy feeling I get from fresh wheat grass drinks at Fresh or Campbell’s. 
    Then I ordered a cucumber limeade, sweetened with agave. It was like nectar of the vegan gods with all three ingredients emanating their glories. It was probably blasphemy to true believers but my mind debated whether it would best be mixed with tequila or vodka. An espresso, made with organic, Fair Trade coffee, was oddly served in a full sized coffee cup. On my final visit to the café,  the menu was limited to less than half its usual size – “to not waste food.” I had some good red lentil soup, with roasted tomatoes, and a raw salad of soaked mung beans, sprouts, avocado, carrots, beets, tired greens and a good olive oil and raw vinegar dressing. I was sorry to have missed the green lentil burger on bread from Algona’s Daily Bread, the only bakery in Iowa that mills its grains daily before baking. Other versions which I have tried were marvelous compared to tofu-burger products. 
    From a non-vegan’s point of view, New World’s opening is a socio-economic event as much as a culinary one. Bustling crowds on my visits suggested that there is a community here that supports this lifestyle. The café even sells memberships, like a co-op. New World’s opening also contributes significantly to the city’s desire to create an environment that can help recruit creative young professionals to Des Moines. Food wise New World is new, compared to places like Fresh, more for what it does not serve (tofu, wheat grass, non-vegan vegetarian dishes) than for what it does.
     
    New World Café
    223 E. Walnut St., 244-0029
    Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. 2 p.m. & 5 p.m. – 8 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. & 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. 
     
    HoQ
    303 E Fifth St., 244-1213
    Mon. Fri. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Fri. – Sat. 11 a.m. – midnight