Bang Bang

If you haven't visited BangBang Mongolian Grill on Mills Civic in West Des Moines across from Red Robin, in a while, you might notice some changes.  


If you haven't been to BangBang before, it's a lot like HuHot Mongolian Grill with some neat additions.  The main meal is a meat and veggie station where you gather everything you want in your dish, pick your sauces and bring them to the grill to be cooked up right in front of you.


In addition to the grill items. they have soups, salads, appetizers you can order, a kids menu for kids who'd rather not do the grill, a chips and queso station and a frozen yogurt bar.  The appetizers, kids menu, chips station and yogurt station are additional charges from the grill price.  The grill is around $12.99 on weekends and $10.99 on weekdays I believe.


They have $2 martinis on Monday nights and kids eat free on Tuesday night.  They also just began doing Sunday Brunch where in addition to everything they normally have they have an omelet station set up and buffet including breakfast items like egg casserole, biscuits and gravy, French toast, donuts and fruit.  

The chips and queso station also had flour tortilla available to make fajitas from your grill items if you wish.  This station is an additional $2.49 to partake in, but that gives the whole table access for that one price.  It is actually a great deal for us because our picky 6 year old makes his whole meal out of tortilla and cheese and chips and we do not buy him a separate meal from that.


If you have a big appetite, come to BangBang, you'll definitely get a bang for your buck since you can take as many trips to the grill as you like.  



The frozen yogurt station is also set up pretty nicely with at least 30 toppings available all included in the $3.49 (ish) price


The only downside I've experienced is that you can go through the whole process of picking out your items for you meal, picking out sauces and waiting for your meal to be cooked and then maybe not like what you picked.  The good part is that you can just go through the process until you find a combination you like.  The bad part is that you have to go through the process again until you find a combination you like.  Luckily they have lots of recipes posted above the sauce station so you can play it safe and follow those and you'll usually come up with something you enjoy the first time around.

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!

Is this New York? Nope, still in Des Moines

Hagar's Manhattan Deli is located at 37th and Ingersol in Des Moines and is celebrating 30 years in business.  

How refreshing to get a little taste of New York right here in Iowa.  In the "Yelp" reviews there is a comment that is interesting.  You can read the full comment here, but basically, it's a customer's theory that New York mobsters who ran a deli by day and lived a life of crime by night, snitched on their mob bosses and were relocated by the FBI to Des Moines, Iowa.  So doing what they knew best, they opened a Deli (one of the reasons they only take cash and checks for payment and not credit cards).  Far from the truth, but funny...

Anyway,  The offerings at the Manhattan Deli are probably the closest to authentic New England style deli food I've found. The egg salad is made daily and as fresh as you get.  Thick cut deli-meats that fill soft hoagie rolls.  You can't go wrong with anything you pick really. 

They have a good amount of seating, but it fills up fast over the lunch hour, so get there early if you can or expect to wait in line a bit.  They do move the line along pretty fast though so everyone can get in and out on lunch break.

The regulars recommend the Tuesday and Thursday specials. They say you don't have to know what it is, just know it's going to be the best thing they make that day.  Try the famous Vito with beef, provolone and spicy peppers or a simple and fresh turkey sub.  Prices are great and service is good.  Don't come here looking for ambiance, but, you are going to get a great meal and a little taste of the East at Manhattan Deli.  Highly recommend you try it!

Iowa Beef Steakhouse

Truly a hidden gem in Des Moines is The Iowa Beef Steakhouse.  It's located on the East Side of Des Moines at 1201 East Euclid Ave.  You aren't going to get fancy-shmancy grass-fed beef with frilly salads here.  You are going to get a grain-fed, juicy steak as big as your face.  You can cook it yourself to save a buck (literally) or just have them them cook it to your liking.  The menu is very simple:

• 14 oz. Filet
• 20 oz. Marinated Beef Kabob
• 20 oz. Ribeye
• 20 oz. New York Strip
• 24 oz. Sirloin
• 24 oz. Sirloin Teriyaki
• 28 oz. T-Bone
• 2-14 oz. Iowa Pork Chops
• 2-7 oz. Chicken Breasts
• Fresh Shrimp Cocktail
• Fresh Sauteed Mushrooms
• Tall New York Style Cheesecake -Topped with Strawberries and Whipped Cream
• Supreme Chocolate Cheesecake - Dense dark cake surrounds rich chocolate cheesecake and velvety white chocolate mousse.

All of the meals come with Texas toast, potato and the all-you-can-eat salad bar.  The salad bar has a great selection of fresh items as well as prepared potato/pasta salads.  Vegetarians can also order just the salad bar with a baked potato as a meal and it would be more than adequate to satiate your hunger.

All of the meals can be split (including salad bar, potato and toast for both people) for a small added fee.  So worth it!  Each meal is about $19-$25 but if you split the meal, that's for two and that's a bargain (plus the spilt fee).  Each night they have a different meat on special for a reduced price, here are the nightly specials.

They have a full bar available, the waitstaff has always been friendly and they food is always good.  For a good old-fashioned steak dinner, check out Iowa Beef Steakhouse with the fam or for your next date-night.  You'll like it!

Local Yocals

Ok, I don't do this often, but here I go....I'm telling you that you HAVE to try this.  Local Yocals is a new company owned and operated by a super nice guy named Jeremy Jessen who is not new to the food industry.  He is well versed in locally-grown and produced food from his past experience and brings that to us in the form of grass-fed burgers served on freshly-baked buns made from Iowa-grown wheat and locally-sourced fixin's even down to the potatoes for the fries.  

Oh, it doesn't stop there, the loaded fries are adorned with beer cheese sourced from Confluence Brewing's beer and Eden Farm's bacon.  You can't get more local than this.  You can taste the Iowa in this food!

Local Yocal's popularity is growing fast as evidenced by their standing Friday night appearances at 515 Brewing in Clive, The Beaverdale farmer's Market on Tuesday's and the Valley Junction Farmer's Market on Thursdays.  These are just a few places you can grab one of these amazing treats, but the best way to find them is to "like" them on facebook here, to get the latest info about where they'll have their stand set up to make you some of this made-to-order goodness. At $5 for a burger and $3 for a side of fries, it's a bargain.

They also carry Thelma's Treats ice cream sandwiches for dessert.  Also produced by an amazing local company.  Seriously, you gotta try it.

Greek Food Fair Des Moines

If you ask me what my Heaven looks like, I'm going to say it looks a lot like the Greek Food Fair.

A whole block full of the most amazing delicacies, traditional Greek music and dancing and people talking and laughing while enjoying wonderful food. Awesomeness.

The Greek Food Fair is held during the first weekend of June each year at the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George in Des Moines.  This year marked the 35th annual event!

$12 in advance (or $14 at the door) includes a complete Greek meal that includes souvlaki, keftedes, rice, green beens, Greek salad, bread and beverage.

If you'd rather purchase items ala carte, that's OK too!  You don't need a ticket to just show up and purchase these items.  Favorites include, Gyros, Souvlaki (chicken or pork kebabs), Spanakopita (spinach pie, yum), Dolmades (rice stuffed gape leaves), Greek salad, Loukaniko (Greek sausage), moussaka (eggplant and potato pie), baklava ice cream sundaes and more!  My new favorite item is the loukomathes!  They are deep fried donuts drizzled with Iowa honey and crushed walnuts. Amazing!  That's a photo of those right below.

If you haven't visited Des Moines' Greek food Fair yet, mark your calendars now for next year's event! The first weekend in June, rain or shine!  You won't regret it!

Tickets are usually available in advance at all Dahl's locations and some local restaurants like
Ted's Coney Island and The Olympic Flame.

Oh and don't be afraid to ask for to-go boxes!  You'll want to take some home!

Tacopocalypse

UPDATE 8-18-2013 Tacopocalyse is opening a new permanent location in the East Village at 621 Des Moines Street. You can find them there now!

Hopefully by now, you've had the chance to try a delicacy by Chef Sam, but if not, here is the low-down. 

Let's start with Brunchpocalypse on Saturday and Sundays at their new location in the East Village at 621 Des Moines street.

Chef Sam uses local ingredients to make fantastic creations.  Korean chicken & waffles, breakfast nachos and tacos are just a few of the offerings.  Chef Sam's passion is Vegan fare so you are always sure to find something if that applies to you.  You can interchange brisket, pork, chorizo and whatever other special fillings he chooses that day into most of the dishes as well.

My meal of choice this Sunday was the breakfast nachos (top right photo).  A heaping portion of crispy fried tortilla chips with cheese, eggs, bacon chorizo and slaw.  At first glance I was worried that the slaw would overpower this dish, but it didn't. It was perfectly balanced with the chorizo and mild cheese sauce. Love.

We had our kid with us this day, and being a picky 5 year old, I had Sam put his nutella whipped cream on the side, so the picture doesn't do this waffle justice.  While the vanilla porter waffle was amazing by itself and my kid ate the whole thing in less than 5 minutes, I found myself spooning the nutella whipped cream (that he whipped together by hand that morning) into my mouth, it was that good.  For more exciting photos of their waffles and other offerings, check out their facebook page. 

Now that they are in their permanent location they are open every day for lunch and dinner during the week too.  Some the most amazing, creative tacos like Korean Chicken, Bacon Chorizo, Lemongrass pork, etc.  Sam started out working in a Korean restaurant when he was very young, so there is a lot of inspiration in there.  Everything is so good!  You just have to try it for yourself.

Bandit Burrito: Nothing Sneaky About Great Food

We recently stumbled upon this Mexican gem in Johnston, Bandit Burrito. This "fast food" restaurant is similar to other Mexican restaurants like Panchero's or Chipotle but has completely different choices. It's located just a couple of blocks north of I-80/35 on the west side of the road. 

Burrito Bowl: Lettuce, Tomatoes,
Shredded Beef, Cheese, Wild Rice,
Sweet potatoes. 

You can choose from many different flavors of burrito shells like Spinach or Jalapeno Cheddar. If you are looking for something a bit smaller you can order a Slim Burrito. I personally like the burrito bowl--all the good stuff without the shell. You can also order a salad or nachos as well. 

Their choices for toppings are great--grilled veggies, fresh veggies, corn, white or wild rice, black or pinto beans, peppers & onions, salsas, and a seasonal vegetable. They have five choices of meats and I highly recommend the shredded beef! It's so moist and seasoned perfectly. 

Kid's Meal!

One of our favorite features of Bandit Burrito is the Family Meal Deal. For $20 you get two adult burritos and 2 kids' meals (quesadilla, burrito, etc.) and drinks for all. They have always been so flexible with our choices too--I get the burrito bowl instead of the full burrito. 

Our family of 10
all fit into one area!

Another great feature is their online ordering. You don't have to register for account or anything fancy like that. You just visit their online ordering page, click your choices, and pick it up at the register. We've used this feature now a few times and LOVE it! 

Our next meal at Bandit Burrito is going to be breakfast! Their breakfast burrito sounds awesome. 

Give Bandit Burrito a try today! 

Take it easy tonight, have dinner at Speakeasy

So, in case you were all wondering just which restaurant we almost Dine & Dashed at...This is it.  Totally not on purpose, but funny none-the-less (I can say that now after visions of angry staff chasing us down the street exit my mind).  

Anyway, one of the first restaurants anyone recommend to us when we moved to Iowa 8 years ago, was Chicago Speakeasy.  And I can see why.

I can safely say they have one of my favorite salad bars in the area.  Make sure you follow the arrows at the salad bar, this is something people seem to really struggle with. It's really a simple concept, and with practice we can overcome.  For most kids, they'd be happy with just the salad bar for a meal since it has any fruit, veggie, mayo-based salad and condiment you can think of and has dessert items like marshmallow salad and oreo fluff.  Yum.  The salad bar comes with most meals.  A warm loaf of bread is also delivered to your table.

Moving on to the main meals though, think meat.  Steak, chicken, pork and ribs with potatoes any way you like them or pasta.  I've also heard good things about the seafood lasagna.  You really can't go wrong.  They also have a kids menu with pasta, kid-portion of steak, etc.

Josh got the steak de burgo this time and said it was great.  I got the prime rib and the garlic-buttery sauteed mushrooms were awesome with it.  

We wrapped it up with the chocolate lava cake for desert and my 5 year old has asked for it for dinner every night since last week.

They have reasonably priced, fun cocktails and wine and beer of course.  Get there early because they can get really busy by 6:30pm.  But they have tables set up in the waiting area to relax and have a cocktail and appetizer while you're waiting for your seat, so it's not so bad if you have to wait.  There are always a lot of families there, so don't be afraid to make this a family outing, but it's nice enough for a date-night as well.  We love it! Even if we are now know as the dine & dashers ;)