Buzzard Billy's

I'm sad to report that this was only our first visit to the new Buzzard Billy's now located in the "In-Play" building off of 3rd street downtown.  

I really liked the old location on court ave, but I think they did a good job making it feel similar and the food was certainly as good.

I started out with a hurricane drink that was fruity and sweet but they were generous with the alcohol because I was soon feeling pretty good!

I was pretty exited to see that they had a B.L.T special with tomatoes grown in the owners own garden and a gluten-free cheesecake special for dessert.  

We ordered the Jambalaya which has quite a bit of heat, but so good in a rich tomato sauce with lots of sausage, ham and chicken chunks.  The Cajun B.L.T was also very good, although the hubby ordered it with regular bread instead of the jalapeno cornbread which I think would have been amazing, but he isn't a big cornbread fan.  His only complaint was that it could have used a little more tomato.  But he said the spicy bacon was awesome.

The kids meal for $3.99 was a bargain for such a huge portion that included an ice cream cone for dessert.

I couldn't pass up the gluten-free salted caramel cheesecake and I'm so glad I didn't because it was by far the best gluten free cheesecake I've ever had.

It had a nutty, cinnamon-sugar crust with creamy cheesecake filling and a layer of caramel on top.  I will need more soon.

I knew I would eat the whole slice of cheesecake so the hubby got his own dessert.  He went for the bananas foster which was fun because they made it table-side.  The server said it's their most poplar dessert and it was also really tasty.

The kiddo was happy with his ice cream cone and over-all it was a great meal.  It was great to see that even though Buzzard Billy's is a chain, they are using a lot of local ingredients.  They had Sutliff Cider on tap as well as a bunch of other local beers.  

They offer buy one get one free orders of wings on Sundays and offer free dessert on your birthday.  Our sever was very friendly, the service was fast and I was surprised to see the restaurant not too busy on a Saturday night.  

If you haven't been to Buzzard Billy's in a while, check it out!  They now offer a wide variety of gluten-free options as well as lots of your favorites from the old restaurant site.  We had a great meal and can't wait to go back soon!

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!

Welcome Back to Walnut Street

If you missed the last few Welcome Back to Walnut Street Lunch events, you still have a chance to attend the last one of the season on September 13th.  The location is well...Walnut Street.



Basically it's a bunch of food vendors along with live music to entertain and feed you for lunch.  It's put on by the Downtown Community Alliance and is really a great idea to help promote the revitalization of the area as well as showcase some local music and culinary talent.

My only concern with the event is that they need more vendors!  The vendors were doing a great job getting people fed within attendees time crunches, but as the attendance grows, they'll need more food trucks!  There were some really long lines at this past event.  Try to get there right at 11 if you can!





The August 16th event boasted food vendors like Local Yocals (read our full review here), Fat Tuesday, Say Cheese, Thelma's Treats (read our full review here), Three Blind Pigs, Taco Loco and The Mediterranean grill.  





I've sampled food from all of the vendors except Say Cheese (next event for sure) and really enjoy all of them.  The chicken gyro from The Mediterranean grill was awesome.  The tatziki sauce is perfect with the marinated grilled chicken.  Fat Tuesday's (read our full review here) Jambalaya is fantastic and Local Yocal's farm burgers might just be the best around.  And who doesn't love a Thelma's Ice cream sandwich?!  The mini-ones are the perfect treat size for only $2.

Mark your calendar for lunch on September 13th from 11:00am-1:30pm and come eat some great local food and hear some great local music.

Hy-vee Brunch (Urbandale/Waukee)

 While checking out the new and exciting Urbandle Hy-vee, we noticed that they serve an all-you-can-eat Sunday Brunch buffet on, well, Sundays.  They start at about 8:30am and end at 2:00pm.  During that time, for $14 you can pretty much eat anything you want from the Hy-vee Chinese, Italian, home style kitchen, specialty oatmeal bar, Omelet station and prime rib station. It does not include sushi or deli-sandwiches, but it does in include dessert and gelato.  This is a really great deal for only $14 per person if you come hungry.  And the best part is that kids 5 and under eat free from the buffet!

The have an optional bloody Mary bar, but soft drinks and coffee are included in the price.  They also offer some a la cart breakfast items if you'd prefer not to do the buffet.

The new restaurant is pretty nice with servers and cloth napkins, pretty innovative for a Hy-vee.  At 4:00pm they change into their evening restaurant with a regular menu and you can't eat food items purchased outside of the restaurant in the restaurant.  You can't do this during the Sunday Brunch either, but I think it's acceptable during breakfast and lunch on other days.  We haven't eaten there for dinner yet, but we thought the brunch was really neat, especially if you are a fan of the Chinese or Italian sections.

All-in-all I really like the new concepts the Urbandale Hy-vee has brought from the specialty cheeses to the expanded health food section and gourmet prepared food offerings like a sushi bar and gelato stand.  I was pretty impressed with the Sunday Brunch and thought the service was good.  I would recommend That you order your omelet right away though as it took a while to prepare, but it was worth the wait.  Great brunch experience with a good bang for your buck (especially if you have kids under 5!).  Check it out.

Update: The new Waukee Hy-vee also offers this awesome buffet!

Classic Frozen Custard

Classic Frozen Custard on SE 14th Street in Des Moines is just that, a classic.  Man, I love a locally owned and operated ice cream shop. There are a few in town and they happen to be spread around the metro.  Examples are Snookies in Beaverdale, Over The Top in Pleasant Hill and Classic Frozen Custard in South Des Moines.  And the fact that it's frozen custard just makes it even better.

They have a small amount of outside seating, but most business is either through the drive-thru or walk-up counter.  Look for a new location to open in Altoona across from Adventure land very soon!

They offer a wide variety of malts and shakes, twisters and sundaes and floats and scoops.  They have daily special flavors as well as everyday favorites.  Look for their awesome pumpkin custard in the early fall, yum, a can't miss!

I just love the smooth, creamy flavor of their plan ole' vanilla custard in a frothy-float.  

Whatever you get, you are sure to enjoy.  They bake fresh pie crusts and brownies, etc. for toppings and offer friendly, quick service.  

Tips: Hot, summer evenings can get busy though, so keep that in mind.  Totally worth it though!

"I did it all for the Snookies"

Another summer-time favorite spot is Snookies Malt Shop on Beaver Ave in Beaverdale.  Who doesn't love an old-fashioned ice-cream shop that serves shakes, sundaes, slushes and dips.  They've been around for more than 25 years and the location has been an ice cream shop since the 50's.

They gave everyone a scare last year when there were rumors circulating about Snookies shutting their doors for good.  The owners wanted to retire so luckily they found new owners to save the day.

My kid's favorite part of getting a milkshake is the cookie they add to the straw.

I'm a fan of the good-ole banana split and for about four and a half bucks, it's a good deal.

They have limited inside and outside seating and they even have a drive-though.  But, those that live in the area choose to walk on over and eat their treats on the walk back home.

We are so glad there are some locally-owned ice-cream shops around town.  What a refreshing alternative to the big chain places!  

Notes: They only accept cash! So make sure you plan accordingly for your trip. And dogs are welcome too!  They may even have a treat just for them.