Baru in The Art Center

As you might have heard, the Art Center restaurant has been taken over by Baru.  Chef David Baruthio, who also owns and operates Baru 66 in Windsor Heights is now in charge of feeding the hungry Art Center visitors.  How cool.

The beautiful courtyard dining is still available as well as indoor seating, all located at the Art Center (which has free admission every day) on Grand Ave in Des Moines.

The restaurant is closed on Mondays, but offers lunch Tuesday through Friday, Dinner on Thursdays and lunch on Saturday and Sundays.  

The menu boasts soups, salads, sandwiches and heartier entrees like duck leg, pasta marinara and salmon risotto.  All of the Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten-free items are clearly labeled on the menu and there are plenty of options in those categories.  

My friend and I ordered the cheese plate and appreciated that there were two of each item which was conducive to splitting along with some spiced walnuts and raspberry jam.

My friend enjoyed her salmon platter and I was most happy with my "Chef's Casserole" which was sauteed filet with mushroom, onion, bacon and fried egg. It was a nice portion and very tasty. A great gluten-free option.

I'd certainly visit again.  Entrees start around $10.  Service was efficient so you could probably take kids along if you were visiting the Art Center, but it wasn't particularly kid-friendly as far as menu choices.  

All-in-all a lovely meal with a nice selection of wine, beer and cocktails as well.  A great place to take out of town guests for a special occasion, Mom for her birthday or date-night on a Thursday evening for the Prix Fixe special.  When the weather cooperates, make sure to snag a courtyard seat.  The scenery is beautiful.

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!

Chips

I had a really great lunch at Chips restaurant in Ankeny the other day.  It's on SE Tones drive and you can't miss it if you're traveling up 35n.

Up until just last month Chips was one of the Trostel's trio of restaurants and is under new management.  I was a little weary because I've always relied on a Trostel's restaurant to be good, so I didn't know what to expect now that it's changed hands.

They were doing quite a bit of renovations on the outside and front entrance of the building which is great because it's starting to show it's wear a bit and I can't fault them for a little less than stellar appearance when they are making improvements.  The restaurant was clean and causal as usual.  It was the lunch hour so it was busy, but we were seated right away and greeted promptly.  In no time we were chomping on our yummy free chips.  I prefer them slightly hotter, but they were crunchy and salty and hit the spot with a cold diet pepsi.

They had a great lunch menu that included soup, salad, sandwich, pizza or pasta combos plus their signature rotisserie chicken dinners and more.



I ordered the soup, salad and sandwich combo which was a steal at $8.  The best part my my meal was the chicken and white bean chili that was chock full of their pulled rotisserie chicken.  It was probably the best chicken and white bean chili I've ever had in a restaurant.  Ever.  I was craving more at dinner time.  The chicken salad (which I got sans croissant) was especially delicious too.  Fresh pieces of diced red and green pepper mixed in with a rich, but not over-bearing mayo and more of their awesome rotisserie chicken.  I was very impressed with both preparation of the chicken.

They have a great selection on the kids menu even though my son opted for an early lunch before we came.  He opted for a hot chocolate to drink which I wouldn't have ordered had I known that the 6 ounce cup of water with powdered chocolate would run $4.25! Heck that was more than half of what my entree cost! That was the most disappointing part of the meal.  But, the rest of the meal certainly made up for the disappointment.

I'll certainly be back for more of the chicken chili and chips soon!  Can't wait to see it in a few weeks when the renovations are complete!

Sully's Irish Pub

Not every locally-owned bar can claim that it's been around for over 35 years.  But, Sully's Irish Pub in West Des Moines can.  It's been in the same spot near the Burger King at Grand and 63rd street the whole time.  You might know them from the fantastic St. Patrick's Day party they host every year.

The pub has
had a few owners, and recently Bill & Amy Boggs took over the location after being "regulars" for years and even met and started dating at the bar!

Sully's owner Amy says that "it's more than just a bar.  it's like family to her."  "When someone has a problem, everyone is here to talk and help out".  Amy and Bill knew right away that they were the right folks to take over the bar when the previous owners were ready to retire.

Amy & Bill are keeping the bar just as it is, but are trying to get the word out that Sully's is a fun, friendly place to hang out and everyone is welcome.

Check out their website for a list of all of the daily specials, like steak night on Thursdays and free hot dogs on Saturday afternoons from 12-3.  That have happy hour specials every day as well!  They serve pizza daily and Q their master griller serves up great BBQ on the weekends.

They are looking to get more involved in local events and activities, so if you are looking to host a  bike ride, an event or just need a new place to hang out, check out Sully's!

Trostel's Greenbriar

Funny story...It's 2005, I had just moved to Iowa from Massachusetts weeks before and it's my birthday. It's July and my boyfriend makes a reservation at Trostel's Greenbriar in Johnston for my birthday dinner.  Dinner was lovely and it was almost time to order dessert (hey, it was my birthday), but I had to pee.  I told Josh that if the server came by to order me a slice of cheesecake.  I got back to the table and sitting in front of me was a huge piece of tiramisu....TIRAMISU?! I wanted cheesecake!  That lousy S-O-B! He doesn't even pay attention to what I want!  Well, after a few choice words and the silent treatment, I decided the wrong dessert was better than no dessert and looked down in my tiramisu to find this...

If it's hard to read, it says "Marry Me".  Sorry, my camera in 2005 may have been one of the first ever invented. So after feeling bad for a few minutes that I was so mean and had a temper tantrum about Josh's dessert choice for me, I got over it and said "yes".  

So thank you Chef Troy Trostel and the beautiful Greenbriar restaurant for hosting my engagement meal and for the lovely dinners we've had here ever since.

For example, we attended the Templeton Rye dinner in June and loved every course from the tuna to the best lamp chops we've ever had that were roasted in a Templeton Rye Whiskey barrel with herb roasted potatoes.

Monday nights boast Burgers & Brew for $10 that includes a burger with salad or fries and a beer.

You can't go wrong with anything on the menu, although I love the prime rib and anything eaten on the beautiful patio seems to taste that much better with one of their great cocktails.

The restaurant is casual enough for a family lunch or dinner.  But nice enough for a business lunch or even a lovely dinner to get engaged over!  

If the Templeton Rye dishes look good to you, you can find some of the Templeton Rye inspired dishes on their every day menu as well, like Templeton Rye marinated grilled Elk.  

Of course we love Greenbriar for sentimental reasons, but we think you'll like it too.  Check it out!