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
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
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 placeIn 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).
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