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

Ritual Cafe

I had a great experience hanging out at Ritual Cafe the other morning.  I had some blogging to do, so I brought my computer, grabbed a few (gluten-free, woohoo) snacks and did some work.

Located downtown, right near Proof restaurant, Ritual Cafe serves up coffee, smoothies and even vegetarian food.  They had an awesome selection of vegan and gluten free pastries at the front counter and I was super impressed with my gluten-free banana-chocolate chip bread and apple cider cupcake. Yes, I had to try both.  And they were out of pumpkin spice syrup, so I got a gingerbread-flavored iced coffee and it was really good! 

They also offer a full menu of breakfast items like bagels, oatmeal, and a breakfast plate with eggs and toast.  For lunch they have panini's, quiche, hummus plates and more.  They even have a kids grilled cheese sandwich meal available for kids.  

What a cool place to hang out.  Of course it's a great place for Vegans, but anyone can enjoy these healthy menu items and casual atmosphere.  I'll be back to chat with a friend over coffee or use the free wi-fi to get some work done.  

They also offer live music many nights of the week.  You can check the schedule here. Very cool.

Granite City Brunch

There are a lot of great places for buffet brunch in Des Moines.  Some of my faves are The Machine Shed, Americana and Hy-vee Grille at the new Waukee and Urbandale locations. I also just can't keep myself away from the Sunday Brunch buffet at Granite City.  It is just so awesome.

I have dreams about the reggiano hash browns.  Seriously, dreams.  I'm a sucker for a cheesy-potato dish, but these take the cake.  I can't even explain the sophisticated, sharpness of this flavor, you must try them yourself.

Ok, enough about the potatoes, the rest of the buffet is good too.  They offer an omelet station, prime rib station, fruit, eggs, waffles, great quality sausage links and thick cut slices of bacon.  They also have a lunch dish available on the buffet as well like a pasta or rice dish.  An all around great buffet.

And don't forget about the impressive cinnamon rolls.  Always hot, fresh and addictive.

I don't always love buffets for brunch, but everything they serve is great on this one.  It is definitely one of the more pricey in town at about $16 per person. Kids are a reduced price, but definitely a trip for a special occasion.  It does get pretty busy when folks get out of church.  We waited for a bout 45 minutes on out latest visit.  But the earlier you arrive the better.

They offer an all-you-can-drink mimosa or bloody mary special during the brunch as well and you can of course order off of the regular menu, but why would you want to?!  Just kidding, their regular menu of sandwiches, pizza, pastas, etc. is very good and a great option for lunch or dinner.  I just love the buffet!!

Friedrichs Coffee

Located on the corner of 42nd street, on University ave in Des Moines is a cute little coffee shop.  Friedrich's is a chain, but they they offer pasties, cookies and muffins from local sources and a nice variety of coffee and smoothies. 

The shop is very welcoming and the staff is always friendly.  I tried the "canopy jumper" (or something similarly named) and it was good, unfortunately for Friedrich's though, The Juice Company is right down the street and offers better smoothies.

I'm not a coffee drinker, but my friends said they enjoyed some of the exotic brews and would come back for more.

Sometimes you are just looking for a spot to relax or do some work and have a snack, read a book or meet with friends.  If that's your goal and you are in the Drake neighborhood, check out Friedrich's.

Mars Cafe

In my mind it had only been a few months since I had last visited Mars Cafe.  Mars Cafe is in the Drake neighborhood right across the way from the college.

In my grad-school days we'd often come over to the cafe for a snack and a coffee while studying like many other students do and it was really the coolest place around to hang out.

Well, unfortunately I realized that it's now 2013, and I graduated from grad-school in 2008.  bwah-bwah......Fail.  It's now been upwards of 5 years since I've last visited the cafe.  But the good news is, it's gotten even cooler since then

I met a friend for breakfast and my has their menu grown!  From breakfast sandwiches like peanut butter and nutella and vegetarian wraps to breakfast quesadillas and more, this menu was awesome!  They carry paninis and other specialty sandwiches and lovely salads and snacks.  Awesome menu for a "coffee shop" type of cafe.  Of course they carry the caffeine-filled stuff, too. =)

Come in to the cafe to catch up with an old (or new) friend, get some work done or bring your little one in for a special breakfast.  This cafe is very welcoming, inexpensive (my quesadilla was $4.99), laid-back and tasty!  Try it!

Ankeny Cafe

I honestly didn't know the Ankeny Cafe on Ankeny Boulevard (in Ankeny) even existed until last week!

We were making the trip up to Center Grove Orchard for some cider donuts and apples and thought we'd stop along the way for breakfast.  A quick google search came up with Ankeny Cafe so we decided to give it a shot.

What a nicely decorated place.  A little retro, clean and inviting.  Table or booth seating and lots of seating at the "bar" too.

We were pleasantly surprised by the whole experience.  Our server was maybe high school aged and very sweet and the owner kept coming by to check on us to make sure everything was right.

 The menu had your regular selection of diner breakfast items like french toast, omelets, pancakes, etc.  The prices were all very reasonable and our meals came out quickly.

I enjoyed the sausage omelet with a pancake substituted for toast at no extra charge.  My son and hubby enjoyed the french toast.  My son loved the generous amount of powdered sugar on his. The hash browns were definitely homemade and were very tasty.   The bacon was crispy and hot.  All around a good meal.

You aren't going to find fancy-schmancy dishes here, but you are going to get good portions of good food at a reasonable price.  A great place to go for friendly service and a break from cooking at home.

They are also open for lunch offering your typical greasy-spoon favorites like tenderloins and burgers and fries.

Grounds For Celebration

In Windsor Heights, right near the Mustards Restaurant on University Ave is Grounds For Celebration.  They have other locations in Beaverdale as well as the Somerfield plaza on Mills Civic in WDM too.

This is more than just your typical coffee shop.  They of course serve your normal line-up of lattes, smoothies, shakes and teas.  But, at lunch time, they have a full menu with table-service.  The menu includes pasta, salads, sandwiches fruit plates and my favorite, the chicken salad croissant.  The chicken salad is full of relish and grapes.  Sweet and tart with tender chucks of white meat chicken, just how I like it.  For about $8.75 you can choose two menu items served with fruit for a wonderful lunch.

They atmosphere is cozy and the staff is friendly.  They also carry an assortment of locally made bakery items including gluten-free cookies which is great because coffee shops don't always offer something for people with allergies.  They also had some gorgeous looking cakes and muffins all from locally-owned bakeries.

They had a selection of breakfast sandwiches available and even have gelato.

This is the perfect place to meet some friends over a cup of coffee or lunch and dessert!  I once attended a baby shower here and it was perfect.  Casual atmosphere with a relaxing feel and good food and coffee.  Check it out!

Cupcake Emporium

You might have heard of this cool little cupcakery named Cupcake Emporium located in Ames in June when they competed on the TV show Cupcake Wars along with Des Moines dessert shop Creme Cupcake.  While they didn't take the trophy, they did give us a glimpse into the shops cool decor and yummy cupcakes and I knew I would have to make the trip to Ames and check it out.  So we did!

I didn't realize that this isn't strictly a cupcake/milkshake shop like Scratch Cupcake in WDM or Carefree Patisserie which is cupcakes and cakes and cookies, in Valley Junction.  Cupcake Emporium actually has a full lunch menu including sandwiches, soups, salads and walking tacos.



They serve their cupcakes and lunch in the cutest retro-soda shop themed diner-type restaurant.  The decor really is a style all their own as is the menu and personalty of the restaurant.




I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong with any of the cupcake flavors, but we really enjoyed the cinnamon "roll" cupcake because the cake actually had cinnamon chunks baked right in to the batter and my son thought the pie-crust star cut-outs on the cherry pie a-la-yum cupcake were ingenious, as did I .  The frosting on the pink champagne was to-die-for and the peanut butter cup was rich and smooth.  The cakes were all moist and the frosting weren't overbearingly sugary.  We liked them them all and had to refrain from trying more.  I see another trip in our near future.



We also enjoyed a chocolate milk-shake on our visit, but have yet to try the lunch options.  I am looking forward to coming back soon to try some of the soups.



You could really plan a Fall day trip to Ames hitting Center Grove Orchard on your way up to play at the Farmyard and hit Cupcake Emporium for lunch and cupcakes.  Sounds like a great day to me!

My Favorite Muffin

In West Des Moines, in a plaza off of 50th street near the Lowe's, lives the cutest little muffins you'll ever see.  A display case full of the yummiest flavors of muffins large and small capture your attention as you enter.

Our favorites are the Boston Creme and Cinnamon Cheesecake.  You can buy as many or as little as you wish and pair it with a coffee, or my favorite drink there, the Chai Tea Latte.  They make the best and will make it iced if you ask nicely. 


There are a lot of places that do donuts well in the area, but not too many that specialize in muffins.  Especially mini-muffins where you can try so many different flavors without having to buy full-sized muffins.

While fresh is the best way to eat them, these muffins actual freeze really well, not that I've tried that a couple hundred times or anything....You know so you can just defrost one at a time when you need to fulfill a muffin craving emergency.

They also have breakfast and lunch sandwiches and cozy seating in the restaurant.   If you are looking for something different for a quick breakfast, or to stock up for a late afternoon snack, check out My Favorite Muffin for a treat. You'll like it!

Cozy Cafe

You may have noticed that the West End Diner @ The Valley West Inn is now a Cozy Cafe.  These cafes seems to be popping up in former restaurant locations all around the metro.  Cozy Cafe now has spots in Clive, Urbandale, Merle Hay in Des Moines, Valley West in West Des Moines and SE 14th street in Des Moines.

While they are starting to get a little "chain-ish", they still have some great qualities.  Generous portion-sizes, good service and a menu to please the whole family.

Thursdays offer free kids meals for lunch or dinner when an adult meal is purchased

Sunday evenings are 2 for 1 cavatelli dinners.

The expansive menu offers breakfast favorites like biscuits & gravy, pancakes, omelets and more.  I got the Cozy Mess on my last visit and overall I enjoyed it.  I got the half-size and as you can see, it's pretty big.  It boasted some local ingredients, and expected Graziano sausage when it was listed in another dish, but the sausage in the mess was reheated breakfast sausage chunks that I didn't like.  But the thick bacon pieces and ham chunks made up for it.

For lunch they have soups, salads, pizza, sandwiches, pasta and more.  They really do have a good selection and a good kids menu.

For dinner, they have blue plates specials too.   I've tried their Turkey Blue Plate Special and these meals are a good deal for under $10.  It was good, but not incredible.  I think that's the trade-off with having so many menu items.  You can't possible do all of them incredibly well.  But, I think Cozy Cafe does a good job of doing a lot of menu items pretty well and makes for a great restaurant to take the whole family because everyone is sure to find something that they like.

You are going to get a good meal at a good price here.  Try it out for your next family meal out and make sure to try a dessert.  They offer shakes, floats and ice cream sundaes along with fresh baked goods.  Yum.