Fong's Pizzeria

If you've been to Des Moines, you've probably heard of Fong's Pizzeria.  It's an Asian restaurant turned pizza joint.  Well, I guess I can't really say "turned" since the menu, including the pizza, is mostly Asian inspired as is the decor of the restaurant still.

With pizzas like Thai Chicken, Fongolian, Beef, Happy Family and even Crab Rangoon (which is wildly popular), you'll think you are ordering off a Chinese food menu, but what you get is truly unique. You can also get most pizza's gluten-free by the way!

On my latest visit, I tried the Kung Pao Chicken.  It was really very tasty.  Not overly spicy, but it definitely had a kick.  Picture a plate of Kung Pao Chicken in a zippy sauce with veggies, but on a pizza crust instead of served over rice.  My dining partner had the veggie taco pizza and was also pleased.

Even though it was 11am, it's hard to resist Fong's tiki drinks, so we didn't!  My friend ordered her go-to drink, the Mai Tai and I chose the Bahama Mama.  Really, I ordered it just because of the cup it is served it in.  ---->

The menu has an array of salads, sandwiches, appetizers, pizzas and even desserts.  The bar is well stocked and the atmosphere is fun.  They are also one of the only places to get some late night slices in the Court Ave area downtown.  They are open til 2am most days!

They offer lunch and happy hour specials as well and you get a good bang for your buck here.  The restaurant is quite family friendly for lunch and dinner and turns more into a bar in the late hours.  They of course have more traditional pizza and sandwiches if you aren't feeling so daring, but check it out and try something new!  You might be pleasantly surprised at how good crab rangoon on your pizza is!

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.

Interview with Chef Mike from Dos Rios

We got a sneak peak at what Chef Mike Holman, Executive Chef at Dos Rios is going to be serving up for competition during BattleDish on October 5th!  We are already fans of their regular menu, lunch specials and happy hour appetizer and drink specials, but Chef Mike is cooking up something new for the Battle.  Read our review of the lunch menu here.

Chef Holman has been cooking professionally for over 17 years.  After figuring out early on that he wouldn't be using his degree in Finance, he went back to school at The Iowa Culinary Institute to pursue his real passion.  After working at a cafe in Ames for 7 years, he's had much success in his culinary endeavors such as being the Executive Chef at Americana at it's opening and also at Tartine.  He's now had the opportunity to be the Executive Chef for Dos Rios and Big City Burger and Greens.  Look out for some big news coming soon this fall too!

For the competition he's featuring an Argentinian beef tenderloin with fire roasted peppers, pickled onions, boiled eggs, mango vinaigrette and arugula served on homemade French rolls.  YUM!  It will be paired with a South American sangria cocktail with cachaca, absinthe, orange liquor, Mexican brandy, fresh fruit and topped with pino, wow!  This is going to be some fierce competition.

We are totally impressed with the lineup in this competition.  They are featuring the Executive Chefs from BOS, Liberty's, Alba, Tacopocalypse, Proof and Gusto!  Here is more info about Battledish and how to purchase tickets.

Chef Mike enjoys his job because it is never the same two days in a row.  He's excited about Battledish because he loves a good competition. He knows his food can stand up to the best, and on October 5th we'll see where he stands!

If you can't make it on October 5th or just can't get enough awesome food, check out Chef Mike's Tequila dinner on October 17th! A 5 course meal paired with hand-crafted tequila cocktails.  There will be giveaways, guest speakers from Silvercoin Tequila and more.  Don't miss it!

Dinner en Blanc/FlashDine

Have you heard of a Dinner en Blanc?  The concept originated in France as a private dinner party where everything, including the invitees are decked out in white.  A public place is chosen but not revealed to the guests until the day of the event.  Think of it like a FlashMob (You know where singers show up in a public place and put on a concert for surprised onlookers.) but instead of singing, everyone sets up tables, brings food and has a huge dinner party.  

This year marked the 3rd year that Des Moines held it's own version of this special event thanks to some dedicated food-lovers in the area like Larry Cleverly, Kim Wall and Rachel & Sheila Formaro.

The fun part about Des Moines' version is that you don't have to be invited to attend.  Everyone is welcome!  

This year's surprise location was the Riverwalk, right beneath the The Hub restaurant.  It was a perfect, beautiful, shady location.  Last year's FlashDine was held in the Sculpture Park downtown.


I'm already excited to start planning my menu and decorations for next year's event as the best decorated table wins a prize!  Make sure you follow us on Facebook because I'll post the link to the event as soon as it's posted for next year.

While sitting by the river with a glass of wine and our picnic dinner was a perfect date-night, the fun came when we started sharing our dishes with old friends and new.

My tip for this event when you come next year (and I hope you will) is to bring extra food for sharing because conversations happen and friends are made over food.  Don't be afraid to go to other tables and make new friends.  

We are so lucky to live in a city where new concepts are welcomed and embraced!  Such a cool event.

$2.95 Tenderlions @ Nick's?!

So I drove by this storefront on SW 9th a few times with a sign that just proclaimed....Yuummmmm......What the heck?  The parking lot was FULL at lunch time with a line out the door and I knew I had to try whatever was going on in there.  So I looked up this restaurant and I find that it's called "Nick's"


So I decided to go in early on a weekday to beat the crowd and I found the cutest little 50's-style diner looking shop with a menu of 3 different sizes of tenderloins, a grilled tenderloin an Italian beef and a sausage sandwich sold a la carte with fries and onion rings on the side.


I decided to try the "Pee Wee" sized tenderloin just to give it a shot.  This was no Pee Wee-sized tenderloin man!  And for only $2.95 this juicy sandwich is a steal!  They also offer it in a Queen and King size which are huge!




All of the toppings are offered at a condiment station along with your self-serve drinks.  This is definitely a hidden gem in Des Moines to get your fried-food fix.  The onion-rings were golden-fried in a sweet batter and the fries were a salt-lovers heaven.


If you like tenderloins and anything out of a fryer, try Nick's!  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.

Olson's Bread & Breakfast

My friend Lisa knows how much I love breakfast, so she recommended that I try Olson's Bread & Breakfast in Norwalk on Sunset Drive.  I'm not sure how I let this gem go under the radar for so long!  The restaurant is small, but the service was quick and the waitress was your typical diner waitress, teasing you about finishing your gigantic meal, but being super attentive and friendly. And when I say gigantic, I mean it! These were some of the biggest diner portions I've seen around Des Moines.


We all enjoyed our meals.  I really liked the egg/potato scramble that I got, I'm not a huge fan of onions and peppers, but didn't mind them in this dish as they were fresh, finely minced and well-done.  Josh ordered the corned beef hash and while it wasn't the "canned, mushy stuff" he's accustomed to that tastes so good when crispy on the outside with a salty inside, the chunks of quality corned beef were tasty enough that he ate the whole thing!  Every meal came out piping hot and you could tell that everything was from scratch.  Even the homemade bread for toast was fresh and it was fantastic.


I've added Olson's Bread & Breakfast to my permanent breakfast rotation.  They are open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday thru Sunday from 6am to 2pm.  We didn't get a chance to sample lunch, but a diner at the table next to us got a cheeseburger and said it was fantastic.  He ordered it with a fried egg and the well-seasoned beef along with the runny yoke was a heavenly combination he said.


Prices were reasonable at about $7-8 per meal and well worth it for the portion sizes and great food.   Next time you have a hankering for diner food, give Olson's a try!  Just a short drive from Des Moines or West Des Moines.  You'll like it!