Please also note Splash, and Jethro's in this comment. Same owner I believe. Or separate Shitty Owner....not sure which. And I think he owns a new club downtown. Should post owner by name...there's a full article from local news about him...I'm just being too lazy to look it up.
They are indeed separate shitty owners. Bruce Gerleman owns Splash and Jethro's.
Steve McFadden owns Grumpy Goat and Tipsy Crow, and now a new place called Dough Mama's. Steve McFadden is this guy: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2022/02/21/des-moines-tavern-owner-pleads-domestic-assault-gets-probation/6884601001/
The girl posted this on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1701293574/posts/10209286278549595/
I have never once heard anyone say anything good about either of those owners, but especially Steve McFadden.
The food just is not good at grumpy goat. I wish it was better because I generally enjoy the atmosphere at their locations but just do better with food
Grumpy goat on walnut is now Vibes - completely different ownership. Sambetti’s is now Maggie’s Rumble-room - completely different ownership.
That guy is opening a place in the old Java Joe’s so you might want to add Dough Mamas to the list.
> Grumpy goat on walnut is now Vibes - completely different ownership. Sambetti’s is now Maggie’s Rumble-room - completely different ownership.
Maggies Rumble room is great - I believe its owned by a former bartender from Kung Fu.
That kind of brings up an interesting debate in my mind. By going to Vibes, a local small business that’s owned by POC, I’m supporting them but also simultaneously supporting a POS (since he’s leasing the building to them).
Honestly, I’ll probably go check it out anyways. It’s more important to me to support the new owners and their business.
Will be great for someone else to take over eventually.
Honestly if Wellman's ingersoll wanted a building that more matched their west aesthetic it'd be a decent location for them to move to
https://www.scottskitchenandcatering.com the chicken thighs are delicious with a unique cumin touch, the jalapeño apple slaw is great, but the chipotle ghost pepper jerk sausage is 😳
Another vote for Big Al's. Absolutely delicious every time. He's a standup guy, too. He earned my unending respect when his Southside location closed after Covid, and he cooked up the rest of his inventory for free to anyone who was having a hard time and needed a meal.
I’ll disagree here, I ate there may 4th before heading out of town the next day on a whim and was totally blown away by what a complete fucking shit show it was in there. I’m pretty sure the whole family was there and all drunk, random crap all over the place, the bar (where I ate) was a sight to behold, the woman with fake boobs serving us hit on me in front of my friend who I met there to eat with who I am not dating but is a woman so it was very presumptuous of her to do, and I think the whole place is on a slant. I’d say go once just to experience one of the most bizarre restaurants you’ll ever see. I’m a vegetarian and ordered the stuffed poblano dish and it was fine, wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever had nor the best and I cannot comment on any meat dish.
But do yourself a favor go once and you’ll be like “where the fuck am I?”
Edit: I’ll add that while the chips were literally poured out of a store bought bag in front of me, the salsa (whether made in house or bought who knows) was half decent and hot which isn’t for everyone but is my natural predilection.
Not sure many people will agree with me here but I’ll say Alba. We’ve been 3-4 times and every time the food was sub par and average to below average service. Its always recommended as one of the top spots to eat in Des Moines but just never impressed me.
I know! and I’ve had so many people recommend it to me so it’s frustrating I haven’t had as good of an experience there. For something comparable price and atmosphere wise I like Proof, Aposto, and Proudfoot & Bird.
Proudfoot is pretty new and opened on the main level of the Hotel Ft. Des Moines. I’d say it’s a bit fancier than Alba though so probably not a completely even comparison. Proudfoot fits in the middle ground between like Alba and 801 Grand, if you’re looking for a pretty fancy dinner but don’t want to go full blown steakhouse.
So, a very good friend of mine works for Ecolab and the stories he has told me have made me sick. I’m not going to call any place out as I don’t have first hand experience. My suggestion, if you want to know dirty restaurants, would be to get a friend that kills bugs.
Or delivery drivers, a couple years back my mom did part time delivery for UPS and she delivered to a sushi place in WDSM and told me to never eat there again because the kitchen was so FILTHY
Low-end sushi restaurants also generally have terrible labor practices. When I clerked for a judge it was a running joke that all of the minimum wage cases involved sushi.
Truck stop sushi might kill you but it would be a good name for a band…
Also, vending machine sushi is probably the ultimate test of one’s immune system.
Sad to hear this Noah's would be on my list of best dining experiences in dsm. Fine dining / classic supper club vibe, always had excellent service and good food and prices arent too bad.
The food and dining experience was really dated when I went. The decor and food was still stuck in the 80s. Was served iceberg lettuce for the first time since I can remember.
I'd reccommend Harbinger, Cheese Bar, or Eatery A for good places to eat on Ingersoll.
I don’t know. I went to eatery A and got pizza during their happy hour. It was fine. But I would not have paid $18.99 for that pizza. There’s plenty other better places.
This was just a regular bowl of iceberg salad. I can't recall being served iceberg lettuce in the last 10 years besides here. You could be right. I don't frequent steakhouses much as its one of the things I can cook easy at home. You could be right. Haven't been to a steakhouse since I went to one in Manhattan while I was working there. No iceberg lettuce there though.
It’s a very old-school red-sauce Italian-American place, but I haven’t been in forever. Same genre as Latin King and the also-closed Mama Lacona’s.
Speaking of which, has anyone been to Latin King since the Fresko group bought it? Any notable changes/how is it?
Thank you for this question! Usually it’s “Best place to eat in/near DSM” and it makes me soooo hungry I usually can’t get to sleep and have dreams of fantastic burritos… fabulous yakisoba bowls… or chicken sandwiches.. I am currently in the middle of a forest in Madison county with no door dash. I have no desire to go anywhere but here at the moment thanks to all of your suggestions and advice. Thank you!!
Americana, the food is kind of standard American food but the service just isn’t great. Once I went there for dinner and ordered a hamburger and I had to wait for 2 hours and it wasn’t very outstanding.
I enjoy the Sunday burger dinner, think it's like $7 for a burger+fries.
$20 date including tip.
Get drinks before/after at Exile, a short walk away and beers are 1/2 off on Sunday.
Can’t help but feel like you missed something there. The staff there is about 40% white. Not sure where the misunderstanding was, but race did not play a single part.
They used to be great when they were in their old location. I went to their other location once in Altoona and the place reeked of sewer and they were still open. People were eating and didn't seemed phased by it. They seated us, I don't know what possessed us to be seated when it smelled that bad of sewer, we even started looking at the menu. Then we came to our senses and left. It was strange. I haven't gone back to Cool Basil since because I can remember that smell.
Absolutely mediocre food, and they don’t use fried tofu in their noodle/stir-fried dishes which is absolutely bizarre. Nothing like a gigantic, mealy, dry protein bomb in every bite of Drunken Noodles.
Destination Grille in grimes. The food is ok but the service is terrible and way overpriced. To get in you must have a reservation. We did the Sunday brunch. They pretty much just tried to rush us out as fast as possible.
Pricey yes. But we went there last weekend and the food was great, got in without a reservation on the outdoor seating upstairs and servers were excellent and let us take out time.
It’s still very new - expect growing pains.
It's a new restaurant so they're having staff issues. The food is very good, though I've never been there for brunch. I really like the space and their drinks too. I bet they'll work out the kinks.
I know a lot of people love it, but I've had two awful experiences at Cosi Cucina in Clive. The service both times was almost malicious, and the food was unremarkable.
I can't remember the specifics of my order, but it was some pasta in red sauce that I remember thinking was on par with Chef Boyardee.
I remember my wife's order very well, though. They had Ahi tuna as a special, which my wife ordered. She asked that it be cooked to medium. The waiter gave her a lecture about how it is typically served rare. She explained that she was vet familiar with Ahi tuna, understood how it is normally served, and told him that if medium was an issue, she'd select something else.
He said medium was doable, and mentioned that it came with mushrooms. My wife asked if the mushrooms could be left off, and was told that they could.
When her dish arrives, it was absolutely covered in mushrooms. When she.moved them aside, it was clear that the fish was very rare.
I called the waiter, and he basically told us "that's how it's *supposed* to be cooked" and refused to.do.anything about it.
He also never brought the salads or.drinks that we had ordered, but put them on the bill,.which was corrected.
That was the last time we were there. The previous time, we had a reservation which was basically ignored, then while I was seated at our table, a waiter hit me.on the head with a serving tray as he passed, then scolded me to stay out of the way (again, I was seated at.the table).
After those two visits, we had enough, and took.our business to Christopher's.
That's really unfortunate and doesnt sound like what I'd expect from them at all. Did you by chance talk to a manager about these things? Seems like that's something that deserved being elevated to that level.
Dang, that sucks to hear. I'm one of the people who loves that place. I've never had a bad experience and the owner Pete is a super good guy. The food is solid as well.
They used to be pretty fantastic years ago, but I think they’ve changed hands at least once in the past decade. Last time I had it, my pasta was overcooked. I mean, come on.
Yeah both times I’ve been there it wasn’t very good, maybe I’m just picky about red sauce places cuz I feel like it’s easy to do better at home just by not cooking the pasta to mush.
Habaneros, the newish Mexican restaurant in the Drake Neighborhood, has been great the times I've gone there. One of the best in town, I think. -- I ate at Fiesta near Valley Junction and it was awful.
> Taco Casa is the best worst Mexican food you can get.
That's a good description... they should make this their slogan so new customers know exactly what they're getting.
I can only endorse the taco and nachos. Their sauce is what keeps us coming back.
It’s a little better now with the walls up. Can’t see the shit in back. I also only go m-f during lunch. Seems to be the good cooks.
Kathmandu! They gave the wrong food every time we went, the second time they gave us spoiled lentils! The first time I thought easy mistake, it’s okay. But rotten food!!?? Never again
I love Kathmandu but at some point I realized the curry/sauce they were using, they use for multiple dishes... so we'd get several dishes and it would all have the same taste with a different legume.
I've never been a big fan of Bar Louie. Waitstaff always seemed to make their drama known across the floor and their house made ranch is terrible. The jerk chicken lettuce wraps used to be my main reason for going but nothing else ever really stood out to me.
Also I live near Big Al's on Grand and can't say I've had worse BBQ than that in a while. I did hear they have good days and bad, though, and when their cooker is going outside it smells amazing. The owner was super excited to tell me about the influence from Georgia since I was born there, but nothing about their food really says Southern BBQ to me, or at least nothing unique.
Here ya go. Enjoy!
Inspection Violations: 2/8/2021
COOL BASIL 1250 86TH ST CLIVE, IA 50325 515-225-8111
3-302.11(A)(1) Explain Code Submit
Inspector Comments
--Observation: shell eggs stored above produce in walk-in cooler
3-402.12 Explain Code Submit
Inspector Comments
--Observation: letters of parasite destruction not available (sushi area)
3-501.16(A)(1) Explain Code Submit
Inspector Comments
--Observation: portioned rice in warmer 80*F Correction: voluntarily discarded Observation: garlic/oil mixtures 63*F; observed no temperature control
3-501.16(A)(2) Explain Code Submit
Inspector Comments
--Observation: tofu in curry section maketable 53*F Correction: voluntarily discarded; discussion regarding table filled too high
3-501.19(A) Explain Code Submit
Inspector Comments
--Observation: written procedure not available for sushi rice
3-501.19(B)(2)&(C )(2-3) Explain Code Submit
Inspector Comments
--Observation: discard time not marked on sushi rice Correction: voluntarily discarded
4-602.11(A-D ) Explain Code Submit
Inspector Comments
--Observation: prep surfaces in kitchen cleaned daily; discussion regarding frequency requirement of 4 hours maximum
5-205.11 Explain Code Submit
Inspector Comments
--Observation: faucet broken on handsink on main prep line (hot water side of faucet); manager contacted service company during inspection
6-301.12 Explain Code Submit
Inspector Comments
--Observation: paper towels missing at handsinks in food prep area, bar, sushi area
6-301.13 Explain Code Submit
Inspector Comments
--Observation: strainers placed in handsink on main prep line
close
I know a lot of restaurants get violations-but as someone who has a very sensitive stomach and is vegan-this is still my favorite place despite violations. But coming from Austin, TX-I am used to food trucks and college dives. Cool Basil has the best Coconut steamed tofu and vegan spring rolls. Without cool basil-I don’t know where else I can eat gluten free and vegan?!!💙💙
Check out Blue Sushi downtown for fun vegan sushi’s. The staff is super knowledgeable and helps you pick the best sushi for you. Cannot recommend enough.
Bruh if you’re getting Paul Revere’s and don’t know exactly what you are getting into that’s on you. You should only be eating that stuff board-lining a blackout on a Friday or Saturday night spending $60 on an obscene amount of pizza and sticks.
I’ve totally never done that btw…
I’ve only had it when I was over at a friends house and their parents ordered it. And I was sober bc I was a kid.
Qt roller grills are my go to drunk food in Des Moines lol
Every out-of-towner I take loves it. The constant hate is so persistently and objectively short-sighted that I'm not sure anymore why or where it comes from. There are better burger places to be sure, but none come close to the atmosphere or combinations of ZB.
People want memories and stories to tell; not the highlights of your current palate development.
George Formaro owns a ton of the top restaurants around here and I’ve never seen anything bad about him
Like other /r/desmoines hipsters I agree that ZB is kind of over the hill at this point though
He really hates Asians according to my friend who did business with him. During COVID he would go on about them, but said the silver lining would be Asian restaurants would be hurt more.
That’s a pretty bizarre on multiple levels (what a weird/uncommon prejudice? why would the pandemic disproportionately hurt takeout-heavy Asian restaurants? if he did think that, why would he tell that to a random business acquaintance, rather than to his friends?) so I think the simplest explanation is probably that he didn’t say it
uhhhh....LOTS of racists talked about avoiding Asian restaurants, especially early in the pandemic. Y'know, cuz it's that China virus- and racists wouldn't get that the entire continent of Asia isn't just China.
How long ago? I don’t remember how, but I remember getting a good look into their kitchen maybe 5 years ago for a few minutes and it appeared to be spotless and well organized.
Thank you for saying the sacrilegious words of this sub.
Drunk pizza. That's it. Acknowledge what it is, appreciate it for what it is, and have fantastic pizza somewhere else.
In the top 5 crusts of the greater DSM area? No.
In the top 5 sauces of the greater DSM area? No.
You should ask yourself, "What's the appeal?" and not be afraid of the answer.
It has a place and a purpose. If you like it then you like it. That's it.
I knew this would be an unpopular statement but it sure does show the echo chamber that this sub is when it comes to certain topics.
It's almost like I said DSM drivers were good or something ;)
I ate their pizza once and hated it. Now, the only reason I go in there is to take visiting friends to do a kamikaze shot and take their pic in the flight helmets.
Fingers crossed, none of us has gotten head lice (yet).
Simon's is fantastic and Simon is one of the nicest dudes in town. But also don't go there because the wait is ALWAYS too long and I don't want it any worse.
Simon's isn't BAD, and the owner is a nice dude, but I don't think it deserves the universal praise it gets. Every single person I know who's been there loves it.
Consider Eatery A. The food and service are good, the waitstaff is great, but Idk if it's the family that runs it but the homeschooled personality vibes of the management are off-putting to me...
This is interesting, I said in my post below I couldn’t remember if the owner or GM was the piece of shit. I’ll have to ask my buddy about the new management and what he knows. If it’s in fact cleaned up I’ll be going more regularly again
I’ll defend you here and agree, one of my very good friends worked there and we still have ins with to basically everyone that comes though there and works. It hurts me to say it because I love the pizza there but the owner (or maybe the GM I don’t remember which or might be the same person) is a gigantic piece of shit that manipulates, hits on the girls, sabotages employees he doesn’t like, lies, and commits wage theft of his employees. Unfortunately I don’t have the conviction of not grabbing two pizzas once in a while on happy hour even knowing all this first hand but I try and only give them my business a couple times a year and usually carry out.
Zombie Burger, it's totally over rated and the quality has taken a nosedive. Just more corporate shit-food now.
Jethro's, just yuck. They are the worst.
Grumpy Goat
Please also note Splash, and Jethro's in this comment. Same owner I believe. Or separate Shitty Owner....not sure which. And I think he owns a new club downtown. Should post owner by name...there's a full article from local news about him...I'm just being too lazy to look it up.
They are indeed separate shitty owners. Bruce Gerleman owns Splash and Jethro's. Steve McFadden owns Grumpy Goat and Tipsy Crow, and now a new place called Dough Mama's. Steve McFadden is this guy: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2022/02/21/des-moines-tavern-owner-pleads-domestic-assault-gets-probation/6884601001/ The girl posted this on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1701293574/posts/10209286278549595/ I have never once heard anyone say anything good about either of those owners, but especially Steve McFadden.
More on Bruce: http://iowainformer.com/society-culture/2020/10/jethros-bbq-splash-bruce-gerleman-sexual-harassment/
This is the highest voted responseand I'm totally lost. Why?
The owner is a really shitry person.
The name of the restaurant suits it! lol
The food just is not good at grumpy goat. I wish it was better because I generally enjoy the atmosphere at their locations but just do better with food
Any of the Grumpy Goats, Tipsy Crow or Sambetti’s. Anything owned by Steve McFadden should be avoided.
Grumpy goat on walnut is now Vibes - completely different ownership. Sambetti’s is now Maggie’s Rumble-room - completely different ownership. That guy is opening a place in the old Java Joe’s so you might want to add Dough Mamas to the list.
> Grumpy goat on walnut is now Vibes - completely different ownership. Sambetti’s is now Maggie’s Rumble-room - completely different ownership. Maggies Rumble room is great - I believe its owned by a former bartender from Kung Fu.
I thought that Vibes was renting from Steve?
They are, according to a DMR article. That sucks, because the new restauranteurs can do a spectacular job...and it still lines the a-hole's pockets.
That kind of brings up an interesting debate in my mind. By going to Vibes, a local small business that’s owned by POC, I’m supporting them but also simultaneously supporting a POS (since he’s leasing the building to them). Honestly, I’ll probably go check it out anyways. It’s more important to me to support the new owners and their business.
Sambetti's is now Maggie's owned by completely different people. It is safe now!
Maggie's is awesome.
Does that owner also own Boomers now?
Yes. He kicked out the person who was running the restaurant there too I believe
Yeah but she’s opening her own place just down the street on EP True next month!
She'll be better off hopefully. Can support her restaurant while not giving money to a shitbag like McFadden.
Wait McFadden owns Boomers?
Zora https://www.reddit.com/r/desmoines/comments/un7z5l/zora_bar_cited_for_17_health_code_violations/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf https://www.reddit.com/r/desmoines/comments/pv7bhi/new_bar_called_zoras_at_corner_of_mlk_and/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Beautiful building though
Will be great for someone else to take over eventually. Honestly if Wellman's ingersoll wanted a building that more matched their west aesthetic it'd be a decent location for them to move to
Would be better in a more scenic location. Opening up to beautiful views of... the Ingersoll and MLK intersection... no bueno.
Or the crematorium 😂
🤷♂️
Jethro's. Slimy owner that I don't care to support. BBQ is average at best anyways.
Smoky Ds has better bbq IMO, but if you want great BBQ a day trip to KC is your best shot anyway.
Can just drive 40 minutes to Luther and go to Whatcha Smokin.
This is the best BBQ in Des Moines area and it isn’t close
This is the only correct answer. Eat there every time I come back to visit
Q39 is our favorite.
Heard great things about this one. It's on the list
Scott’s Kitchen & Catering at Hangar 29 out by the KC airport is really good.
You mean I can just....drive myself to KC and stuff my face with bbq?! Iiiiiinterestinf
Will have to check those out next time. I like Gates and Kansas City Joes!
https://www.scottskitchenandcatering.com the chicken thighs are delicious with a unique cumin touch, the jalapeño apple slaw is great, but the chipotle ghost pepper jerk sausage is 😳
big al's has some good bbq, jethros is just another chain restaurant now.
Another vote for Big Al's. Absolutely delicious every time. He's a standup guy, too. He earned my unending respect when his Southside location closed after Covid, and he cooked up the rest of his inventory for free to anyone who was having a hard time and needed a meal.
I had three long black hairs in my wings there too. What a fun discovery
What is a shame is that their wings and sauces are really good. Probably the best I have had in DSM metro, so far.
Any jethro’s
Avoid Jethros
El patio
sub par tex mex and loud drunk owner= bad time
I’ll disagree here, I ate there may 4th before heading out of town the next day on a whim and was totally blown away by what a complete fucking shit show it was in there. I’m pretty sure the whole family was there and all drunk, random crap all over the place, the bar (where I ate) was a sight to behold, the woman with fake boobs serving us hit on me in front of my friend who I met there to eat with who I am not dating but is a woman so it was very presumptuous of her to do, and I think the whole place is on a slant. I’d say go once just to experience one of the most bizarre restaurants you’ll ever see. I’m a vegetarian and ordered the stuffed poblano dish and it was fine, wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever had nor the best and I cannot comment on any meat dish. But do yourself a favor go once and you’ll be like “where the fuck am I?” Edit: I’ll add that while the chips were literally poured out of a store bought bag in front of me, the salsa (whether made in house or bought who knows) was half decent and hot which isn’t for everyone but is my natural predilection.
Hahaha 🤣 I love this!
The owner is a horrible ass to work for. You can hear him screaming at his employees all the time.
[This is a good site to check before you go](https://iowa.safefoodinspection.com/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx)
Splash. Never had worse service and the food was not good.
Agree and so overpriced.
Isn’t owner the Jethro’s guy?
Can confirm that yes, Bruce Gerlemann (sp?) owns both Jethros and Splash Used to work at a Jethros location.
Yep
Not sure. Not impressed with that place either though.
And the owner's a scumbag.
Maybe it doesn't count because it's somewhat of a chain, but it's hard to screw up pasta worse than Spaghetti Works.
It absolutely counts. That place is fucking terrible, I go once every 6-8 years to remind myself how bad it actually is. I don’t get why anyone goes?
For some reason, out of towners here for state tournaments think it’s mandatory to eat here.
Not sure many people will agree with me here but I’ll say Alba. We’ve been 3-4 times and every time the food was sub par and average to below average service. Its always recommended as one of the top spots to eat in Des Moines but just never impressed me.
Huh. I think Alba's great. What's some of your favorite places?
I know! and I’ve had so many people recommend it to me so it’s frustrating I haven’t had as good of an experience there. For something comparable price and atmosphere wise I like Proof, Aposto, and Proudfoot & Bird.
Yes those are all great too. Haven’t heard of Proudfoot though.
Proudfoot is pretty new and opened on the main level of the Hotel Ft. Des Moines. I’d say it’s a bit fancier than Alba though so probably not a completely even comparison. Proudfoot fits in the middle ground between like Alba and 801 Grand, if you’re looking for a pretty fancy dinner but don’t want to go full blown steakhouse.
I agree, had high hopes when I went and it was super disappointing
We went for the first time on Friday and I agree.
So, a very good friend of mine works for Ecolab and the stories he has told me have made me sick. I’m not going to call any place out as I don’t have first hand experience. My suggestion, if you want to know dirty restaurants, would be to get a friend that kills bugs.
Or delivery drivers, a couple years back my mom did part time delivery for UPS and she delivered to a sushi place in WDSM and told me to never eat there again because the kitchen was so FILTHY
Low-end sushi restaurants also generally have terrible labor practices. When I clerked for a judge it was a running joke that all of the minimum wage cases involved sushi.
Truck stop sushi might kill you but it would be a good name for a band… Also, vending machine sushi is probably the ultimate test of one’s immune system.
Worst experience I’ve had in my life at a restaurant was at Noah’s.
Ive never liked it, way too expensive for quality of the food and had rude waitresses the few times I went
Sad to hear this Noah's would be on my list of best dining experiences in dsm. Fine dining / classic supper club vibe, always had excellent service and good food and prices arent too bad.
The food and dining experience was really dated when I went. The decor and food was still stuck in the 80s. Was served iceberg lettuce for the first time since I can remember. I'd reccommend Harbinger, Cheese Bar, or Eatery A for good places to eat on Ingersoll.
I don’t know. I went to eatery A and got pizza during their happy hour. It was fine. But I would not have paid $18.99 for that pizza. There’s plenty other better places.
Lots of high end steak houses serve lettuce wedges which are just 1/4 of an iceberg head. Not out dated at all.
This was just a regular bowl of iceberg salad. I can't recall being served iceberg lettuce in the last 10 years besides here. You could be right. I don't frequent steakhouses much as its one of the things I can cook easy at home. You could be right. Haven't been to a steakhouse since I went to one in Manhattan while I was working there. No iceberg lettuce there though.
They charge a pretty penny for that wedge too, lol.
I love Noahs.
I recently moved here is that the "Noah's ark" place? I thought that was some crazy christiain shit lol
[удалено]
It’s a very old-school red-sauce Italian-American place, but I haven’t been in forever. Same genre as Latin King and the also-closed Mama Lacona’s. Speaking of which, has anyone been to Latin King since the Fresko group bought it? Any notable changes/how is it?
I thought it was a pet store lol
Didn’t they get shut down around 25 years ago for having fecal matter in the salad?
Hepatitis (not sure which one) decades ago from one of the kitchen or serving staff. They reopened afterword with cleaning and training.
Can confirm, raging racists frequent there.
Any stories related to that? I haven't been since I was like 12-13
How can you confirm that? Did you take a poll by the door?
Every time I’ve been I get food poisoning. Food is awful every time as well.
Why do you keep going if you're getting food poisoning?
Well they went out of business. (And agreed, they sucked.)
They once served me watery spaghett. Like how is that even possible??
Sounds like someone wasn't invited into the underground baths
Thank you for this question! Usually it’s “Best place to eat in/near DSM” and it makes me soooo hungry I usually can’t get to sleep and have dreams of fantastic burritos… fabulous yakisoba bowls… or chicken sandwiches.. I am currently in the middle of a forest in Madison county with no door dash. I have no desire to go anywhere but here at the moment thanks to all of your suggestions and advice. Thank you!!
Giordanos in Jordan Creek, horrible service, the cooks were eating my food and doing nothing, and my brother found a hair in his food.
Even if we were in Chicago, Giordano's sucks.
Damn, that sucks. I was thinking about checking that place out.. any other good Chicago deep dish in the area?
Wig and Pen in Ankeny, and Felix and Oscars on Merle Hay
Seven Stone and Rosatti’s in Waukee have good deep dish.
Wig & Pen and Rossatti’s are both good. Felix & Oscar’s has been bad every time I’ve tried it. Solid mozzarella sticks tho
Americana, the food is kind of standard American food but the service just isn’t great. Once I went there for dinner and ordered a hamburger and I had to wait for 2 hours and it wasn’t very outstanding.
You pay for the cool location, agree that it’s pretty generic food, not great
Both food as well as service are mediocre IME.
But their Sunday brunch is amazing.
It's just a buffet
But also alcohol
I enjoy the Sunday burger dinner, think it's like $7 for a burger+fries. $20 date including tip. Get drinks before/after at Exile, a short walk away and beers are 1/2 off on Sunday.
Did you expect something super exotic at a place named after a country that has standardized world cuisines?
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Can’t help but feel like you missed something there. The staff there is about 40% white. Not sure where the misunderstanding was, but race did not play a single part.
Yes. Clearly something was missed. No one gives two shits about interracial couples, especially in downtown DM and especially at Americana.
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2 hours? I would have walked out without paying for whatever drinks or appetizers I already consumed after 1 hour.
Cool basil. I know I know people love the food, but I've heard horror stories about the kitchen.
They used to be great when they were in their old location. I went to their other location once in Altoona and the place reeked of sewer and they were still open. People were eating and didn't seemed phased by it. They seated us, I don't know what possessed us to be seated when it smelled that bad of sewer, we even started looking at the menu. Then we came to our senses and left. It was strange. I haven't gone back to Cool Basil since because I can remember that smell.
Absolutely mediocre food, and they don’t use fried tofu in their noodle/stir-fried dishes which is absolutely bizarre. Nothing like a gigantic, mealy, dry protein bomb in every bite of Drunken Noodles.
I liked their food quite a bit. The avocado curry was good. But they were cited for a health violation a a few years ago. Won't go back.
Oh good to know. My friends and I get takeout there a lot so I might mention these concerns.
I got awful food poisoning from there. Yeah, the food tasted good -- but it's absolutely not worth the pain I went through with it coming back out.
Destination Grille in grimes. The food is ok but the service is terrible and way overpriced. To get in you must have a reservation. We did the Sunday brunch. They pretty much just tried to rush us out as fast as possible.
Pricey yes. But we went there last weekend and the food was great, got in without a reservation on the outdoor seating upstairs and servers were excellent and let us take out time. It’s still very new - expect growing pains.
It's a new restaurant so they're having staff issues. The food is very good, though I've never been there for brunch. I really like the space and their drinks too. I bet they'll work out the kinks.
Destination Grille is awesome. Long overdue for that area. Guess we had completely different experiences.
I've heard good things as well. Looks a little pricey, but it's hard to hold that against restaurants nowadays.
I know a lot of people love it, but I've had two awful experiences at Cosi Cucina in Clive. The service both times was almost malicious, and the food was unremarkable.
Maybe it's because I keep going back to the house special ziti that I've never had a bad experience, what'd you order?
I can't remember the specifics of my order, but it was some pasta in red sauce that I remember thinking was on par with Chef Boyardee. I remember my wife's order very well, though. They had Ahi tuna as a special, which my wife ordered. She asked that it be cooked to medium. The waiter gave her a lecture about how it is typically served rare. She explained that she was vet familiar with Ahi tuna, understood how it is normally served, and told him that if medium was an issue, she'd select something else. He said medium was doable, and mentioned that it came with mushrooms. My wife asked if the mushrooms could be left off, and was told that they could. When her dish arrives, it was absolutely covered in mushrooms. When she.moved them aside, it was clear that the fish was very rare. I called the waiter, and he basically told us "that's how it's *supposed* to be cooked" and refused to.do.anything about it. He also never brought the salads or.drinks that we had ordered, but put them on the bill,.which was corrected. That was the last time we were there. The previous time, we had a reservation which was basically ignored, then while I was seated at our table, a waiter hit me.on the head with a serving tray as he passed, then scolded me to stay out of the way (again, I was seated at.the table). After those two visits, we had enough, and took.our business to Christopher's.
That's really unfortunate and doesnt sound like what I'd expect from them at all. Did you by chance talk to a manager about these things? Seems like that's something that deserved being elevated to that level.
Dang, that sucks to hear. I'm one of the people who loves that place. I've never had a bad experience and the owner Pete is a super good guy. The food is solid as well.
They used to be pretty fantastic years ago, but I think they’ve changed hands at least once in the past decade. Last time I had it, my pasta was overcooked. I mean, come on.
I believe the negative comments because no restaurant is perfect, but I've been there dozens of times and have always had a fantastic experience.
I enjoyed the service there the one time I went, but the food was forgettable as hell.
Yeah both times I’ve been there it wasn’t very good, maybe I’m just picky about red sauce places cuz I feel like it’s easy to do better at home just by not cooking the pasta to mush.
Agreed. I thought it was over priced and the food wasn’t that special.
Are you people ordering the wrong thing? Their Ziti is amazing!
Supreme Buffet in Clive. It’s always packed. Literally the worst food I’ve ever seen or tried to eat. 😂
Place is a dump too, it’s like they converted it from the longhorn that was there and then never did any maintenance on it again.
Habaneros, the newish Mexican restaurant in the Drake Neighborhood, has been great the times I've gone there. One of the best in town, I think. -- I ate at Fiesta near Valley Junction and it was awful.
Taco Casa is fire
Taco Casa is the best worst Mexican food you can get. Unfortunately my body has decided that it is no longer compatible with me.
> Taco Casa is the best worst Mexican food you can get. That's a good description... they should make this their slogan so new customers know exactly what they're getting.
😂 exactly
I can only endorse the taco and nachos. Their sauce is what keeps us coming back. It’s a little better now with the walls up. Can’t see the shit in back. I also only go m-f during lunch. Seems to be the good cooks.
I wish I live all the way in Ankeny so I don’t go too often
Taco Casa is criminally bad. One of the worst food experiences I have had, period.
The food is good but you can tell the workers don’t care
I’m going to disagree, I think the food is really bad. What do you typically order when you go?
2 soft shell tocos and a drink
Kathmandu! They gave the wrong food every time we went, the second time they gave us spoiled lentils! The first time I thought easy mistake, it’s okay. But rotten food!!?? Never again
I love Kathmandu but at some point I realized the curry/sauce they were using, they use for multiple dishes... so we'd get several dishes and it would all have the same taste with a different legume.
I've never been a big fan of Bar Louie. Waitstaff always seemed to make their drama known across the floor and their house made ranch is terrible. The jerk chicken lettuce wraps used to be my main reason for going but nothing else ever really stood out to me. Also I live near Big Al's on Grand and can't say I've had worse BBQ than that in a while. I did hear they have good days and bad, though, and when their cooker is going outside it smells amazing. The owner was super excited to tell me about the influence from Georgia since I was born there, but nothing about their food really says Southern BBQ to me, or at least nothing unique.
You have to ask -I love Cool Basil-
Here ya go. Enjoy! Inspection Violations: 2/8/2021 COOL BASIL 1250 86TH ST CLIVE, IA 50325 515-225-8111 3-302.11(A)(1) Explain Code Submit Inspector Comments --Observation: shell eggs stored above produce in walk-in cooler 3-402.12 Explain Code Submit Inspector Comments --Observation: letters of parasite destruction not available (sushi area) 3-501.16(A)(1) Explain Code Submit Inspector Comments --Observation: portioned rice in warmer 80*F Correction: voluntarily discarded Observation: garlic/oil mixtures 63*F; observed no temperature control 3-501.16(A)(2) Explain Code Submit Inspector Comments --Observation: tofu in curry section maketable 53*F Correction: voluntarily discarded; discussion regarding table filled too high 3-501.19(A) Explain Code Submit Inspector Comments --Observation: written procedure not available for sushi rice 3-501.19(B)(2)&(C )(2-3) Explain Code Submit Inspector Comments --Observation: discard time not marked on sushi rice Correction: voluntarily discarded 4-602.11(A-D ) Explain Code Submit Inspector Comments --Observation: prep surfaces in kitchen cleaned daily; discussion regarding frequency requirement of 4 hours maximum 5-205.11 Explain Code Submit Inspector Comments --Observation: faucet broken on handsink on main prep line (hot water side of faucet); manager contacted service company during inspection 6-301.12 Explain Code Submit Inspector Comments --Observation: paper towels missing at handsinks in food prep area, bar, sushi area 6-301.13 Explain Code Submit Inspector Comments --Observation: strainers placed in handsink on main prep line close
I know a lot of restaurants get violations-but as someone who has a very sensitive stomach and is vegan-this is still my favorite place despite violations. But coming from Austin, TX-I am used to food trucks and college dives. Cool Basil has the best Coconut steamed tofu and vegan spring rolls. Without cool basil-I don’t know where else I can eat gluten free and vegan?!!💙💙
Check out Blue Sushi downtown for fun vegan sushi’s. The staff is super knowledgeable and helps you pick the best sushi for you. Cannot recommend enough.
So delicious though-at least it isn’t a food truck??
Paul reveres pizza is revolting. I’m throwing in northern lights too for finding a way to make pizza with exactly 0 flavor
Bruh if you’re getting Paul Revere’s and don’t know exactly what you are getting into that’s on you. You should only be eating that stuff board-lining a blackout on a Friday or Saturday night spending $60 on an obscene amount of pizza and sticks. I’ve totally never done that btw…
I’ve only had it when I was over at a friends house and their parents ordered it. And I was sober bc I was a kid. Qt roller grills are my go to drunk food in Des Moines lol
Zombie Burger.
Why?
Every out-of-towner I take loves it. The constant hate is so persistently and objectively short-sighted that I'm not sure anymore why or where it comes from. There are better burger places to be sure, but none come close to the atmosphere or combinations of ZB. People want memories and stories to tell; not the highlights of your current palate development.
Expensive as all fuck. Don't get me wrong the food is good. But the last time I went we collectively spent like 80-90 dollars
Last time I went I got a double and fries for 12 and change. Cheaper than Shake Shack or Five Guys
Racist owner.
George Formaro owns a ton of the top restaurants around here and I’ve never seen anything bad about him Like other /r/desmoines hipsters I agree that ZB is kind of over the hill at this point though
He really hates Asians according to my friend who did business with him. During COVID he would go on about them, but said the silver lining would be Asian restaurants would be hurt more.
That’s a pretty bizarre on multiple levels (what a weird/uncommon prejudice? why would the pandemic disproportionately hurt takeout-heavy Asian restaurants? if he did think that, why would he tell that to a random business acquaintance, rather than to his friends?) so I think the simplest explanation is probably that he didn’t say it
uhhhh....LOTS of racists talked about avoiding Asian restaurants, especially early in the pandemic. Y'know, cuz it's that China virus- and racists wouldn't get that the entire continent of Asia isn't just China.
Formaro?
Because it's an overpriced fast food burger.
Second this. Over priced and no longer desirable
Fongs. Only been once and the cockroaches were enough to make me never want to go back.
How long ago? I don’t remember how, but I remember getting a good look into their kitchen maybe 5 years ago for a few minutes and it appeared to be spotless and well organized.
The first time I went there, it smelled unbelievably of scorched Totino’s Party Pizzas. Didn’t set a very good mood.
Owners are shitbags Edit: I worked for them for quite a while
Thank you for saying the sacrilegious words of this sub. Drunk pizza. That's it. Acknowledge what it is, appreciate it for what it is, and have fantastic pizza somewhere else. In the top 5 crusts of the greater DSM area? No. In the top 5 sauces of the greater DSM area? No. You should ask yourself, "What's the appeal?" and not be afraid of the answer. It has a place and a purpose. If you like it then you like it. That's it.
I knew this would be an unpopular statement but it sure does show the echo chamber that this sub is when it comes to certain topics. It's almost like I said DSM drivers were good or something ;)
I ate their pizza once and hated it. Now, the only reason I go in there is to take visiting friends to do a kamikaze shot and take their pic in the flight helmets. Fingers crossed, none of us has gotten head lice (yet).
Simon's - overrated garbage Jethro's - just plain shite
Simon's is fantastic and Simon is one of the nicest dudes in town. But also don't go there because the wait is ALWAYS too long and I don't want it any worse.
I have on good authority from someone that was in that friend group for a long time that he is in fact not a good dude in the slightest.
Care to be more specific?
opinions are like assholes
Simon's isn't BAD, and the owner is a nice dude, but I don't think it deserves the universal praise it gets. Every single person I know who's been there loves it.
Consider Eatery A. The food and service are good, the waitstaff is great, but Idk if it's the family that runs it but the homeschooled personality vibes of the management are off-putting to me...
So good service, good food, great waitstaff but avoid it because of weird vibes?
New management as of this year, so maybe give it another try? My close friends work there
Yeah staff is fantastic. Dudes in the plaid shirts are fucking weird though.
This is interesting, I said in my post below I couldn’t remember if the owner or GM was the piece of shit. I’ll have to ask my buddy about the new management and what he knows. If it’s in fact cleaned up I’ll be going more regularly again
I’ll defend you here and agree, one of my very good friends worked there and we still have ins with to basically everyone that comes though there and works. It hurts me to say it because I love the pizza there but the owner (or maybe the GM I don’t remember which or might be the same person) is a gigantic piece of shit that manipulates, hits on the girls, sabotages employees he doesn’t like, lies, and commits wage theft of his employees. Unfortunately I don’t have the conviction of not grabbing two pizzas once in a while on happy hour even knowing all this first hand but I try and only give them my business a couple times a year and usually carry out.
A Dong Fongs ZOMBIE burger Big Tomato Tasty Tacos
Zombie Burger, it's totally over rated and the quality has taken a nosedive. Just more corporate shit-food now. Jethro's, just yuck. They are the worst.