Starbeque

Have you been to a Starbeque??

Out-of-this-world stargazing + summertime barbeques = SCI Starbeques! 

The Science Center of Iowa hosts this monthly event and here is their description:

Bring your blankets and get ready for a new summertime tradition. Gaze at celestial objects through telescopes.

This event is hosted at:

Ewing Park, 5300 Indianola Road, Des Moines some months and others on the front lawn of the Science Center.

This event is in partnership with City of Des Moines Park and Recreation the Des Moines Astronomical Society (DMAS).

Starbeques are free to attend and when at the Science Center they offer food and snacks for purchase.  Keep an eye on the calendar to see which location the event will be each month...here is the calendar.  September 2013's event will be held at Ewing Park on the 28th at 7:30pm.

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Big City Burgers and Greens

I've been trying to get into lunch at Big City Burgers and Greens for months now and it just hasn't lined up for me, but I finally made it in the other day and of course I've been missing out.

Big City is located at 400 locust street downtown (right near Nolan Plaza).  They are only open for lunch Monday - Friday so they are mad busy during lunch.  But they really have it down to a science to get everyone in and out and back to work in under an hour.  They have seating inside, outside and even in the lobby of the main building it's inside of.  You can order online before you come down to expedite your process or stand in line that moves pretty fast but can be long.  

We didn't order ahead and stood in line for about 10 minutes and ordered two burgers and Big City Fries (OMG the Big City fries..to.die.for) and were in and out in about 40 minutes.

Josh got the blue cheese burger and I got a cheddar and mushroom burger.  Both were really good.  But the highlight of the meal was thin cut fries with with asiago cheese and white truffle oil. Totally crave-able.

Other menu items include a variety of impressive salads like the DSM with steak, sweet corn, bacon and goat cheese.  I can't wait to go back to try some salad combinations, but I'll still be getting the Big City Fries to go with.  That good.

They also have a kids menu with grilled cheese, chicken bites, etc so you can totally make this a family outting.  Perhaps meet your significant other who works downtown here for lunch.

They use hormone and antibiotic free beef and there is a real emphasis on local ingredients and environmentally friendly packing here.  I also noticed root beer floats, soft serve and milkshakes on the menu.  You can really round out your environmentally friendly meal here and I suggest you do!  

Hope you get a chance to check it out soon if you haven't already!

Sully's Irish Pub

Not every locally-owned bar can claim that it's been around for over 35 years.  But, Sully's Irish Pub in West Des Moines can.  It's been in the same spot near the Burger King at Grand and 63rd street the whole time.  You might know them from the fantastic St. Patrick's Day party they host every year.

The pub has
had a few owners, and recently Bill & Amy Boggs took over the location after being "regulars" for years and even met and started dating at the bar!

Sully's owner Amy says that "it's more than just a bar.  it's like family to her."  "When someone has a problem, everyone is here to talk and help out".  Amy and Bill knew right away that they were the right folks to take over the bar when the previous owners were ready to retire.

Amy & Bill are keeping the bar just as it is, but are trying to get the word out that Sully's is a fun, friendly place to hang out and everyone is welcome.

Check out their website for a list of all of the daily specials, like steak night on Thursdays and free hot dogs on Saturday afternoons from 12-3.  That have happy hour specials every day as well!  They serve pizza daily and Q their master griller serves up great BBQ on the weekends.

They are looking to get more involved in local events and activities, so if you are looking to host a  bike ride, an event or just need a new place to hang out, check out Sully's!

Adel Sweet Corn Festival

One of my favorite festivals of the summer (I think I might say that a lot since I just love summer festivals) is the Adel Sweet Corn festival.  The 2013 festival is on August 10th this year.

The event begins with a 5k at 8am and a parade from 9:30-11 and then the vendor fair with inflatables for the kids commences with a huge FREE corn feed!  Tons of the sweetest Adel sweet corn is given away and you can eat all you want until they run out.  There is a free will donation box there if you want to donate.  There is usually a long line, but as soon as the feed starts, the line goes fast.

In past years KIOA was there giving out prizes and there were live animals and sheep sheering demonstrations.  Lots of other food and product vendors are there as well selling the usual fair food like corn dogs and tenderloins.

This festival is worth the short drive to Adel for some of the most delicious corn and a fun morning.

We usually park in one of the areas where there is shuttle pick up because parking right around the festival is tough, but the shuttles run often and are are a short trip.

Who doesn't love a celebration based around corn?!

Which festival is your favorite of the summer??

Iowa State Fair

The Fair is here!! The Iowa State Fair funs August 8th to 18th in 2013.  From cows made from butter to everything you ever wanted that you didn't know you'd ever want on-a-stick, it's fair time!

Some people like to avoid the craziness, but I like to dive right in.  Have you ever seen so many mullets in one place before?

Kids love it too.  There are the over-priced carnival-rides of course.  But, if you can keep your kid occupied with the plethora of animals, the free give-aways (mostly fake tattoos that they want to be covered with from head to toe) in the varied industries building from hundreds of vendors and the little hands on the farm exhibit which is one of our favorites, you can possibly avoid spending too long in line for a $4 ride that they may or may not puke on. The hands on the farm exhibit is where kids go through the motions of being a farmer and milking a (fake) cow to earn (fake) money to buy something in the store at the end.  I'd say kids at least up to age 9 or 10 would like this.

And then there is the food....ahhhh the glorious food.  Three things I never miss are 1. A pork chop on a stick.  That hard to find french cut of goodness smothered with BBQ sauce. 2. A frozen apple cider slush.  Overly sweet, yet tart and perfect for the hot days at the fair.  They sell them in the same building where you find the butter cow and get your egg on a stick.  3. those darn buckets of chocolate chips cookies that you can't resist.  Why are they so good!? With so many choices, why would we pick cookies?  Because they are that good!  We finally came to our senses that we don't have to eat the whole darn bucket in the few days following the fair, they actually freeze really well and pulling out a Ziploc bag of cookies 3 months after the fair and popping them in the microwave for 20 seconds is like re-living the fair all over again.  Do it I tell you.

Well, that's all you are going to get about the fair from me....I am far from a fair expert, but I know there are some of you out there with tried and true tips, like "make sure to come on Eat Side night" so, please share with the rest of us what YOUR favorite parts/foods of the fair are.  Thanks!

Wing Ding 2013

This year's Wing Ding fund raiser event was hosted on June 1st by Jethro's BBQ and included wings from lots of local restaurants like Goodsons, Sakari, Quintons, Saints, Twin Peaks, Buffalo Wild Wings, Okabokji Grill and more.  The proceeds were to benefit the Animal Rescue League of Iowa and the event was awesome.

A punch card that costs $20 in advance ($25 at the door) got you 12 wings, a 16 oz drink (alcohol included), a coupon for a free sandwich at Jethro's and a fun commemorative bag filled with goodies.  Great deal for a great cause.  

There was live music and a wing eating contest that was hilarious to watch Molly (the professional eater, who had previously eaten one of Jethro's famous humongous sandwiches in 7 minutes) who was able to put away about 3 pounds of chicken in 2 minutes! Pretty impressive.

My favorite wings of the evening were the green chili parmesan from Twin Peaks. So good!  Maytag had samples and Confluence was pouring their "Barley & Me".  Fitting for the occasion.

The rain didn't stop wing-eaters as they just piled under the tents to wait out the downpours.  They did a great job keeping up with demand and keeping the party going.  Can't wait until next year!

Smokey D's

So, we stepped out of our BBQ comfort zone, and tried Smokey D's.  Our go-to BBQ joint is usually Woody's Smoke Shack and we love it.  Smokey D's has three locations in the area including downtown which is a hot lunch spot.  We'd heard rave reviews, so we needed to try it out. 

We went to the one on NW 2nd st in Des Moines.  This place is big!  We were able to find a table right away on a Saturday night even though there was a line at the counter to order.  The line went fast and the food didn't take too long to reach out table and there was plenty of it. 

They had a good kids meal selection and the restaurant was pretty kid-friendly in general. You can find the menu here.  They prices were reasonable and the restaurant was clean.

The meats were good but maybe a little dry.  We appreciated the plethora off sauces at the table though and that helped.  My favorite part of the meal was the sides actually.  The potato casserole was addictive.  And the tater chips were wonderfully seasoned.  

We were too full for desert, but they have mini cherry and peach pie bites that looked adorable and we'll be back to try those.  All-in-all we had a good, prompt meal in a family-friendly environment. Do you have a favorite meal at Smokey D's?

Mustards...Not to be confused with Ketchups

I wouldn't have thought of Mustards for a family-friendly lunch spot, until friends of ours said they love it.  It's convienent location in Windsor Heights and their large dining room make for a comfortable, quick place to eat.  

You order at the counter and they really have a lot of choices from BBQ to pizza and sandwiches to salads.  They have kids meals and seem to run deals on Groupon, Living Social and Deal Chicken often, so check for a coupon before you head over.

The servings are huge and the food is good.  I'm not going to compare it to say, The Flying Mango.  But, the prices are great, the service is quick and you'll like your meal.  Oh, and those little sugary donuts they serve with BBQ entrees are pretty addictive.  I would visit just for those!

The ribs were really good.  Not fall-off-the bone tender, but really tasty.  Josh said his chicken was moist and seasoned well.  My kid is a fan of the pizza and the one pictured to the right is a kids-sizes and runs about $5.  My hubby and I both agreed the potato salad was better than average.

If you're looking for a family-friendly lunch or dinner spot or a place to relax and watch the game with guys, check out mustards.  Good food at reasonable prices in a relaxing atmosphere.

Number 7 Brewing Company Was Just "OK"

We went to dinner with some friends who had a Groupon for Number 7 Brewing Company in Ankeny this past weekend. I've been so excited to try this new restaurant because it's local for us and it's a BREWING COMPANY! We all know Des Moines has some of the best brewing companies in the country! 

Number 7 was not Number 1 for Us

Number 7 is definitely not one of them. The guys at our table tried each of the local brews and weren't impressed. They said it was a bit watery and just "OK". These are guys that would typically order two drinks at dinner and they decided not to waste any calories on more beer. This is a big statement, especially when the name of the restaurant boasts "brewing company". 

I was excited for the food. I tried the Smoked Pulled Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries and couldn't finish it. The fries were a bit soggy, but the chicken was a bit fatty and had a large piece of bone in it. I'm not an overall picky person, but I was less than impressed. I decided to add some BBQ sauce to the meat and all of the sauces were watery and lacking in flavor. Our table also had pulled pork and some burgers. The burgers received more tasty reviews, but overall we all said that Number 7 was just "OK" and none of us were excited to come back. 

The atmosphere was "OK" and the service was "OK". I don't think I'd put up a fight about coming back, but I would certainly suggest someplace else in Ankeny first. 

World Famous Jethros!

We, well mostly my hubby, love good BBQ and one of our local favorites is Jethro's. We started eating at the one in Des Moines in the Drake neighborhood. Since we work in Waukee, we've frequented the one on University often. We were ultra-excited to eat at the one at Prairie Trail in Ankeny too! 

I haven't tackled the "Adam Emmenecker" sandwich yet, but lots of people have tried and it's even made national TV! (see the link below). We've tried so many good things but here are the highlights from last night...

What We Loved:

• Somewhat guilt free dinner for me--smoked chicken with sweet potato fries (no bun)
• Mac N Cheese--the manager told us that they use fresh cheese that comes in a huge block. They shave off the cheese they need for that day--SOOO GOOD! 
• Half order of buffalo chicken bites--our friends order this and SPLIT it along with an extra side of fries. I tried one and they were AWESOME! 
• Our boys split one kid's chicken fingers meal. They are HUGE pieces of chicken--bigger than my hand and the meal comes with two of them. They each got one huge piece and split cottage cheese. 
• Jethro's is a loud atmosphere. We didn't have to worry about the little ones (we had four kids from 1 to 6 years old with us) and they were able to laugh and be a little silly without disrupting anyone.
• We got there ridiculously early--like senior citizen early--so we could avoid the long wait for a table. We typically do this often with little kids. 
• Great staff. Our waitress brought out lots of extra plates so that everyone sharing the food had their own plate, she kept the glasses full, and was so friendly to the kids. 

Total Bill with Tip: $36 for two adult meals and one kid's meal. All eight of us left very pleased with our meals and service, and we will definitely return again soon! 

Just for Fun: Check out Jethros on Man Vs. Food and "like" them on Facebook!