Sweet Treat Without Wheat

You may have noticed a new vendor at the Downtown Farmer's Market this season...Sweet Treat Without Wheat.  While they leave out the gluten, their products don't lack in taste.

Owner/Chef Sarah came up with the idea for the business after creating some tasty gluten-free treats for her daughter who has celiac disease and thought others would enjoy these items too.  There is certainly a need with the number of people on gluten-free diets growing.

Her donuts, cookies, cheesecakes and even crepes have been really popular at the Farmer's Market and while the market is over for the season, you can still order these items and more by contacting them on Facebook here.

I've stopped by their tent at the market a few times and was lucky enough to stop by last month for the last Downtown Market of the season for a Hawaiian crepe (awesome choice for lunch) and a donut, yum!  Certainly a treat for those with gluten intolerance's or celiac disease, but just as good tasting for those without!

The crepes are made to order and you'd never know they were gluten-free.  Try a neutella and banana! Yum!

If you or a friend are in the market for some gluten-free deliciousness, check out Sweet Treat Without Wheat's Facebook page for more info and and to order!  You can pick up or she will deliver in the DSM area.

Their products have been so popular that they are looking to expand and in a recent Facebook Post they proclaimed that their resolution for 2014 is to spread more gluten-free goodness!  Cool!

The Ice Ridge

A few weeks ago a few of my friends posted some photos of their family's ice skating in Des Moines at The Ice Ridge.  It looked like they were having a blast and then I noticed they didn't have coats or mittens on!  Whatever they were skating on, wasn't ice, but they were wearing real ice skates and skating around this rink.  I had to find out what this was all about!

So, I took a trip over to the Southridge Mall today to check it out.  What a cool place!  I was greeted by Owner/Operator Burton who so nice and was excited to show me the "ice" which is really a synthetic material much like a cutting board that you skate on.  There are chairs all around the rink for spectators and lots of high chairs to hold on to for learners.  

The Ice Ridge offers classes and well as public open skating times and even birthday parties and special events!  Check out of the offerings and times at their website here.

Admission for public skating will run you $5 and skate rental is $3.50.  You can also purchase punch cards for discounted admission.

Very exciting to have something like this in Des Moines where you can skate year-round!  Take your kiddos out (or your adult friends) and support this cool place!

To the right is the weekly schedule and prices, but you can see this info better on the website as well.  They also have a Facebook page you can follow for special events and announcements.

Zuzap

We've been to Zuzap Thai restaurant a few times now and have always had solid experiences.  It's located on University Ave. in Clive, but you can't quite see it from the street, it's set back behind some other shops in the plaza.

For lunch on the weekday, the restaurant was packed, but the service was still quick and efficient.  It was fun hearing the owner greet regulars already knowing their order and calling them by name.

We must have been in for dinner on our last visits because this was the first time I noticed their very neat "Lunch Sets".

$7.95 includes an egg roll, soup of the day and an entree.  For an extra charge, you can pick a soup off the menu and pick your appetizer instead of the egg roll and soup of the day and includes a drink.

I chose the corn cake and coconut soup along with Pad See Ew and my hubby got the Basil.  Everything was very good, except we realized that they used a lot of salt in everything we ordered.  My hubby said that while his sauce was every good, there could have been more sauce and I agreed with my dish as well.

I normally really enjoy the thai coconut soup.  It's creamy with chunks of white meat chicken and has a tangy flavor.  I still enjoyed it today even though it was obviously more salted than usual.

The portions were great for lunch and the lunch sets were a great value.

The restaurants is casual enough to bring the whole family, but cozy enough for a date-night.  Nice to have a good Thai restaurant on this side of town since the my other go-to Thai places on the West side are down the road a few miles in WDM (Cool Basil and King & I) .

I also left with a warm-fuzzy feeling after reading my fortune-------->

Viva La Bamba

I'm hard-pressed to pass up a fajita Friday.  So fortunately, Viva la Bamba (this time the location on Grand Ave, there is also one in Urbandale) stood up to the challenge.

Unfortunately, Viva La Bamba is one of the restaurants losing a lot of business because of the bridge closure at 63rd and Grand since it's location just over the bridge, on the Des Moines side.

Another interesting tid-bit is that, this summer a chain in Chicago called the owners and told him the name was infringing on their Mexican food chain's name copyright and he had to change it.  They agreed to change the name to just "Viva Mexican Restaurant", but the signs still boast Viva La Bamba for now.

So, today, I took detour around the construction and it was totally worth it.  I just love the Mexican restaurants who serve bean dip along with chips and salsa for an appetizer.  Honestly, I could probably just eat the whole basket of warm chips with their chunky (and very fresh) salsa and bean dip for lunch and be a happy camper.

But, alas, it was Friday (so fajitas were a must) and they'd probably not appreciate it if I only ate the free stuff and left.

Anyway, These were some darn good fajitas.  A huge portion of good quality chicken and fresh veggies accompanied by the familiar rice, beans, salad and tortilla that most restaurants serve.

A solid fajita Friday at Viva la Bamba.  Give them some love, especially since the bridge will now be closed until at least the middle of December.  Prices are great and they have margarita specials often!  They need our support!

Mandela African Restaurant

I kept driving by this restaurant named Mandela African Restaurant on Douglas Ave, just up the way from Taco Casa and knew I needed to try it.  Googling it didn't give me much info and no one I asked had tried it yet.  So today, my friend and I went to check it out.

We were greeted by the very friendly owner and had a seat of our choosing.  The restaurant is pretty small, but it was pretty slow over the lunch hour too.

We were given a menu, but were really encouraged to try the fried rice and wakye.  The fried rice was tasty mixture of rice and vegetables in savory spices.  It was very good and served with a piece of fried chicken and salad.  My friend ordered the wakye and it was also a flavorful dish of rice and beans also served with fried chicken and salad.

My friend and I both agreed that the chicken was excellent.  A crispy outside with a juicy inside and the seasonings in the fried rice were very good.  It must be tough for them to keep a full menu going when it is slow at lunch time, so they have a limited menu.  I'd love to come back and try some of the African specialties like fufu.  A dough ball that you eat in pieces after dipping in soup.

Owners Bright and Caroline Atubra were happy to share their story of coming to America in search of greener pastures and living their dream of opening up this restaurant to bring authentic food as well as the message of peace.  They named the Restaurant Mandela's after Nelson Mandela so that his message would be present here in Iowa.  Before becoming a US citizen, Bright served in the US Navy in California before moving to Iowa, becoming a citizen and opening this restaurant in June.

The Atubra's enjoyed lots of customers when they first opened, but said once the excitement died off, people are forgetting about them and advertising is very expensive so they are relying on word of mouth right now.

They would love to cook for you these popular meals inspired from Ghana where they are from, so please visit them and show them some love!  The restaurant is very casual and they cook each item from scratch, so give yourself some extra time and don't expect them to have every menu item for lunch until business picks up.  But you will enjoy friendly service, huge portions and good authentic African food here.  It's certainly family-friendly (they even have Mandela fries on the menu).  Try them out!

Witch Hazel @ Chocolaterie Stam

Every year, just before Halloween, Chocolaterie Stam on Ingersol hosts their Halloween event.

The event has been $10 per child for the last few years and is very well worth it.

The event usually takes place on a weekday evening and is announced on their facebook page a few weeks before the event.  Children arrive in costume and are greeted by staff who help the child pick a gelato flavor (included in the $10 fee) and they have all sorts of Halloween candy to top their gelato with.  Kids eat their sundaes until all the kids arrive and then Witch Hazel comes out and reads the kids a few Halloween stories with surprise Halloween treats in between stories.

I usually sit back and relax with one of my favorite drinks, a Stam Hot Cocoa and watch the kids have fun.

My son has enjoyed this event for the last few years and can't wait til next year!  Thanks for a great event Witch Hazel Chocolaterie Stam!

PS. Keep an eye on their facebook page for an announcement about their similar Christmas event!

Halloween Hoopla

The Halloween Hoopla is an annual event hosted by the West Des Moines Parks and Rec department.  It is held at the Nature Lodge at Raccoon River Park and it's a great place for this event.  Seeing the animals at the lodge is an added bonus for the kids.




We've gone for the past several years and my son loves it.  They offer Hack rack rides around the lake which is pretty cool at night, pumpkin decorating (pumpkin included in admission), crafts and roasting marshmallow for s'mores. Juice and coffee are included in admission as well.



The cost is $3 for ages 2-11, and $5 for ages 12 and up.



While this year's event has come and gone, keep your eye out for next year's event!  We'll be sure to let you know about it on our Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/EatPlayLoveDesMoines




Registration is done on the WDM website: https://reconline.wdm-ia.com



They start registration for this event in the late summer usually.  We'll keep you updated!

Della Dolce Bakery

Today's guest post is by my friend Christie who knows a good cookie when she tastes one!  Check out her experience at this brand new bakery and make plans to attend the Grand Opening for some samples!

I had the chance to be one of the first customers at Della Dolce Bakery on their opening day yesterday!

This is the most beautiful bakery I’ve ever been in.  No surface was left untouched when turning this space into a cozy bakery.

Stop in the morning for a cup of tea or coffee and a scone, cinnamon roll, caramel roll, quiche, or turnover.  By afternoon they have dessert favorites such as cookies, cupcakes, pies, and tarts.  I had one of the chocolate chip cookies and it was DELICIOUS.  Crunchy on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside.

Owner, Catherine, also makes wedding cakes and caters other beautiful desserts for events. 

Catherine is hosting her Grand Opening Ceremony on Saturday, November 2 from 5-8pm with the ribbon cutting at 6pm.  She will have light appetizers and samples sizes of menu items for everyone to try.

You can find Della Dolce Bakery at 13435, Suite 300 University Ave, Clive  IA 50325.  Phone: 515-330-2848.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DellaDulceBakery

Abelardo's

 

So I had a chance to stop in to the Abelardo's on Ingersol the other day.  I knew there were a few locations around the area, two in WDM and one in DSM.  I didn't realize they had locations in Nebraska, Kansas and Washington as well.

Abelardo's is basically a fast(er)-food version of the sit-down Mexican restaurants we have all over the area like Monterrey and Cabo Sol.

It was pretty neat to just walk up and order and then hit the salsa bar before picking a seat and then being called up (in a matter of minutes) to get my food.

Combo choices included tacos, burritos, chimichangas, fajitas, etc.  I ordered the combo fajitas and was really impressed with the fresh, house-made tortilla that came with my meal.
The size of the meal was impressive but I was a little disappointed with the quality of the chicken.  It was mostly thigh meat and I'm a white meat only kinda gal.  The shrimp was tasty and the veggies were a-plenty.

While I wouldn't say I'd pass up a trip to Tamale's Industry, Tequila or Dos Rios to come to Abelardo's.  It was certainly a good stop for a quick, filling meal that wasn't anywhere as low on the totem pole as a Taco Bell or Taco Johns, but even has a drive-thru and really quick service.

The drive-thru is open 24 hours a day and the prices are good.  Drive-thru for a midnight snack or anytime you need a quick Mexican fix and don't have time for a sit-down full-service joint.