Battledish

Ramen Noodles by
Tacopocalypse

Argentinian Beef Tenderloin
by Dos Rios

It's safe to say that one of the most successful Dishcrawl events in Des Moines so far has been the latest competition....Battledish.  Seven local Chefs represented their restaurants by entering one dish and one drink into competition.

Smoked Chicken Tostada
by Liberty's

Participants got to be the judges after eating and drinking merrily at every restaurant and then voting for their favorites.  


Chef Joe Tripp from Alba took home the Gold with his pork belly dish.  It really was spectacular.  You can see the full list of results including runners-up here.

Surf & Turf by BOS

If you missed Battledish, you can still get in on one of the next Dishcrawl events in Des Moines by checking out their website here.  While every event is not a competition, they are hosting a Beaverdale Dishcrawl this month as well as a mixology competition coming up soon!  Keep your eye on the website for more info on that event coming soon.

Pizza by Gusto

Pork with Sweet Corn Cake
by Proof

You can read more about all of the judges in the Battledish Competition here.  A big thanks to Alba, Proof, Liberty's, BOS, Gusto, Tacopocalypse and Dos Rios for entering some fantastic dishes and drinks, what an awesome event DIshcrawl Des Moines.

Pork Belly by Alba

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!!

Did you Declare Ham Independence?

So, this really fantastic, Norwalk, Iowa based company called La Quercia, that makes the most fantastic Acorn Prosciutto (among other fantastic cured meats), came up with this fun idea to celebrate Ham Independence all over the country.  

These celebrations include local retailers putting together a series of classes, tastings, parties, etc. to celebrate, well, ham! The best display presented will win the grand prize of a whole Acorn Berkshire Prosciutto.  This is a big deal people!

For the Des Moines celebration.  Local stores like Gateway Market, The Cheese Shop, 515 Brewing, Juan O'Sullivans, Centro, Confluence Brewing Co., Creme Cupcake and more set up grand displays of amazing food and beer at Grade A Gardens in Johnston.  Grade A Gardens is this fantastic farm proving local produce right from the gardens in their backyard.  You can find their offerings at the Downtown Farmer's Market.

All of this amazing food, like cheese, bacon cookies, relish trays, pork sandwiches and so much more was enjoyed along with live music, all for just a donation.

What a great way to gather some of the best of Des Moines' local businesses for a great cause (Donations went to the Practical Farmers of Iowa) to have a fun time.  One of the best events of the summer so far!  Almost $2,000 was raised for the cause.  

Thanks to all of the participating businesses for a fantastic and delicious event!  Can't wait til next year!

Dishcrawling on Ingersol

We had a great time at the latest installment of the Des Moines Dishcrawl.  This time we were crawling around Ingersol Ave in Des Moines.  We hit up three popular area restaurants and then had cupcakes catered by a newer bakery in town.


We started at Noah's Ark.  We've been to Noah's Ark before and enjoy it a lot.  But we had yet to try the pizza there.  I'm so glad we had the opportunity to try it!  It was pretty awesome.  Crispy thinner crust with quality ingredients made for a great pie.  The Bayou pizza was the hit of the table with fire roasted creole tomatoes, prosciutto and goat cheese. Yum!  They also offer gluten free pizza.  We'll be back for pizza here!



The second stop was Palmer's Deli.  They had a selection of sandwiches and pasta salad.  They were good, but not sure that they showcased the awesomeness of what Palmer's is capable of.  It was nice that we had the party room all to ourselves and were able to hear about the charity that was supported by this particular Dishcrawl, Bidwell Riverside.  A portion of each ticket sold for Dishcrawl events go to a selected charity.

We crawled over to Wellman's Pub for the third stop.  We started off this meal with chicken tortilla soup.  It got some mixed reactions at the table.  One diner mentioned that it was similar to a Velveeta party dip and I would agree.  Tasty, but not too noteworthy.  The next course though was their signature wings which were delicious.  The sweet chili sauce was very good and the buffalo was pretty spicy.  They also served a breaded porkloin sandwich with the thin and crunchy onion rings that we love so much from Wellman's.  Very good.


Tuesday night at 8pm is trivia night at Wellman's and Mandi (The Dishcrawl Coordiantor) made sure we hit it just right to get to play.  Really good prizes and a fun host.  Check it out! Prizes after every round and Wellman's gift cards for the winning team.

The highlight of the evening for me was the dessert.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Rogue Sweets specializes in Vegan and Gluten Free cupcakes.  Their signature cupcake is a Gluten Free/Vegan Puppy chow cupcake and it was delicious!  They also brought Vegan Maple Bacon cupcakes!  Yes...Vegan.  No one could tell it wasn't real bacon until they told us. They also brought tipsy turtle cupcakes which were a hit as well.  "Like" them on facebook and tell them we sent you for free delivery on your next order!

If you are sad now that you missed this installment, no fear!  There is another event coming up on June 17th! 7:00pm!  You can buy tickets here. Use code: eatplaylovedsm5off for $5 off each ticket you buy! Hope to see you at a Dishcrawl soon!

Free Summer Bowling for Kids!

Have you heard about the Kids Bowl Free program?  All around the country, you can register your kids (15 and under) to get 2 free games of bowling, every day, all summer long.  

Just go HERE to find the bowling alley closest to you and get your kid registered.  Just remember that your vouchers will only be good at the location that you register at, so choose wisely.

In Des Moines, you can choose from Air Lanes, Bowlerama Lanes, Plaza Lanes or Warrior Lanes in Waukee.  There are also locations in Ames and Norwalk.

BTW: It will give you the the option to purchase an adult pass for $24.95 to use for the summer, but if you'd rather not do that, just click the "no thanks" button.  You can purchase one game at a time for adults.

That's it. Log-in to your account every weeks to print your free games coupons.  Have fun!

Ps. shoe rentals rates do apply.  You can also purchase a summer pass for that or just pay by the day.

Free (& really cheap) classes for kids and adults @ Michaels!

Every month Micheals stores hold free (some include a small fee, $2 for supplies) craft classes for kids in their stores.  Just click on the link here and choose your store to see the schedule for the Michaels store in your area.  

Below is the May schedule for the West Des Moines store on 22nd street, but just choose the store nearest to you for the classes in your area!  

FREE Family Craft Time Free, Materials Included
Create a thoughtful bouquet for Mother's Day. Dads, Cre8time with your kids to craft something special for Mom.
Mon May 6, 5:00pm - 7:00pm

FREE Family Craft Time Free, Materials Included
Make a gift Mom is sure to appreciate long after her special day. Dad's Cre8time with your kids to craft something special for Mom. Create a FREE coupon book for Mom this Mother's Day.
Tue May 7, 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Kids Club - Mother's Day Heart Necklace $2.00, Materials Included Kids, make a lasting impression on Mom with a heartfelt Mother's Day thumbprint necklace. It's just $2 per child, for 30 minutes of crafting fun. All supplies are included. Register for a session every half hour from 10am to 11:30am.
Sat May 11, 10:00am - 12:00pm

Kids Club - Celebrate Your Hero $2.00, Materials Included
Kids, celebrate your hero with creativity! Create a thoughtful badge and certificate for your favorite hero while Mom shops. Just $2 per child, for 30 minutes of crafting fun. All supplies are included. Register for a session every half hour from 10am to 11:30 am.
Sat May 18, 10:00am - 12:00pm

Kids Club - Craft Your Own Superhero $2.00, Materials Included
Kids, get creative with your favorite hero! Make a crafty replica of someone you look up to while Mom shops! It's just $2 per child, for 30 minutes of crafting fun. All supplies are included. Register for a session every half hour from 10am to 11:30am. See an associate to reserve your spot today!
Sat May 25, 10:00am - 12:00pm 

They also hold lots of adult classes for free or for a fee that you can find on the same schedule!  Some of them look really fun!  Scrapbooking or cake decorating anyone?

Ps. Michaels is also a great places to hold a kids arts and crafts birthday party!

FREE classes at Scheels for kids!

I just found out about the Scheels Kids Klub!  Scheels offers free classes for kids on a number of different topics for 4-12 year olds a few times per month.  It looks like all of the Scheels stores offer the kids club, but I'm specifically referring to the schedule at the West Des Moines/Jordan Creek Mall location.

They do anything from fudge making, fishing 101, bike safety and holiday events and more.  All free!

They start at 6pm on the designated night and they last about an hour.  Parents are invited to stay, or shop for the hour.  Kids are also treated to a piece of fudge during the class.  These classes sound really fun!

Here is the upcoming schedule of classes.  Just make sure the Des Moines store is selected.  You can also pick up a schedule of the classes at the coffee shop on the first floor of the store.  You can sign up at the customer service desk or call 515-727-4065 to register.  Kids meet at the large tree in the middle of the store and then are taken to the activity for the evening.

What a cool way to introduce kids to new sports, have fun and give Mom and Dad a break!  Check it out!

The schedule hasn't been updated for 2014 yet, but Dec 13th @ 6:00pm is the kick off party! Call to register!

Join the Dishcrawl!

Discrawl Ambassador
Mandi and me.

If you missed Dishcrawl's first Des Moines event on March 20th, you missed out on some great food and fun.  But not to worry, there is another Dishcrawl event coming up on April 23rd.  

If you've never heard of Dishcrawl, basically all participants meet at a restaurant in a specified area of Des Moines (the first event encompassed the Western Gateway, and the April event is in the East Village) and sample meals from 4 restaurants, moving to the next restaurant after each meal.  If you've ever done a pub-crawl, that's kind of how this works.  The fun part is that you don't know which restaurants you'll be visiting until the week of the event!  They do these events all over the country and it's so cool that it's now in Des Moines.


The first Des Moines Dischcrawl event started out at the Gas Lamp bar with food from The Hole in the Wall restaurant.  I had never heard of The Hole in the Wall, but their regular menu looked pretty awesome including pb&j made with almond butter and goat cheese and specialty mac & cheese.  While we were excited to try one of those items, we had an interesting combination of watermelon salad, deviled egg and head cheese.  Yes, I said head cheese (google it).  I'll be back to try the regular menu items, but may opt to skip the head cheese next time.


We then moved on to Gusto where we enjoyed specialty pizzas like corned beef and cabbage and one of their most popular pizzas, the Spartan.  Gusto's pizza is always really good and it was fun to chat with one of the owners and learn that they are opening up a new location in Waukee near Jethro's soon!  How exciting!  

The third stop was Exile Brewing where they served lamb sliders with German potato salad.  Really tasty!  Their beer was really popular with the other diners and I opted to try the "float ur' boat" cocktail and it was AMAZING.  An alcoholic root beer float.  So good.  I'm excited to try more food from Exile and see how much they grow in the next few year as they focus on their craft beers and getting them known nationally.  


We stayed there for the final round which was cupcakes from The Sweet Tooth Bakery.  Truly impressed with this new bakery.  The peanut butter frosting on the peanut butter cup cupcakes was perfect, not overly sweet with the right amount of peanut butter.  My hubby tried the strawberry cupcake and it was the first time he had a cupcake with a whole fresh strawberry in the middle.  Very creative and super good.  

They even had photographer Brianna Dawson taking photographs and she set up a photo booth at Exile to take pictures of groups and couples.  You don't always have the opportunity for professional photos at social events so that was a great idea.

What an awesome way to meet some new people, discover new places and enjoy some food you might not normally try.  If you're interested in purchasing tickets for the April 23rd Dischcrawl, you can buy them for $45 here.  All ages were present at the first one so this isn't just for younger people.

The main idea is to walk from location to location, but at 20-ish degrees on the first day of spring, most decided to drive.  Hopefully the April event will get some warmer temps.  Either way, you're going to have fun, meet new friends and enjoy some great food.  Get your tickets before they are sold out!

Kindermusik is Kool!

Did you know that one of the top rated Kindermusik programs in the world is located right here in Des Moines?  Yes! Jenn Horak-Hult (Miss Jenn) opened Pied Piper Studios in 2008 and Kindermusik has been a huge part of many local families' lives since.

Classes are held at two locations.  One is in Waukee and the other is in Urbandale. They have ongoing enrollment so you can join at any time.

I got to sit in a "laugh and learn" pre-school class today and I was thoroughly impressed.  This isn't your traditional music class.  Kids are encouraged to be themselves and you can tell that they love being there.  Administrative Assistant Staci explains that "there is no right or wrong way to participate in Kindermusik".  Some kids happily comply with every recommendation of the teacher during class.    Some kids just do their own thing and absorb.  Some pre-school kids prefer parents to attend the class with them and Staci says "It's all ok".   In the short half hour I was there, Miss Jenn when through activities from dancing and singing to stories and instruments and bringing out a special bear visitor.  If a child wasn't into one activity, it was ok, because the class kept evolving from one lesson to the next and there was something for everyone.



The kids adore Miss Jenn.  I think they all would have chosen to sit on her lap if there was enough space.  One little girl couldn't wait to show Miss Jenn her ponytail and there was excitement in their eyes as they leaned in to hear what Miss Jenn was going to teach them next.  The most amazing part was the silence that filled the room as Miss Jenn would sing to transition from one activity to another.  She has a voice you could listen to all day and the kids definitely agree.

I had a chance to talk to some parents and I think the Kindermusik community extends far beyond what is taught in the classroom. Every single parent told me that one of things they love most about kindermusik, is the personal connections they have made.  One Kindermusik mom said, "These teachers and the other parents genuinely care about our kids and it kind of starts to feel like family." Miss Jenn hand-picks and trains each Kindermusik instructor herself and they are all fabulous.

The Kindermusik curriculum includes classes for newborns up to age 7. Miss Jenn also offers voice and SIMPLY MUSIC piano lessons for older kids. Your child can even have a Kindermusik birthday party!  How fun!

We encourage you to try out a Kindermusik class for free!  Just visit their website to sign up!