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!

Des Moines Renaissance Faire

If you or anyone in your family dreams of being a knight, longs to be a princess or is obsessed with pirates. You are going to want to hit the Renaissance Faire this year. Or maybe a turkey leg, a big glass of mead and a giant bog of kettle corn sounds like a tasty meal, then go too.


In it's 11th year, the Faire has evolved into a fun event for the whole family.

This Year's Faire runs for three weekends and boasts a different theme each weekend:

August 31-September 2
- Knights, Barbarians & Heroes

September 7-8
- Scots, Britons & Irish

September 14-15
 - Pirates, Scallywags & BuccaneersKids under 5 are free and my son's favorite part is when he is knighted by the king. Very cute. The hours are 10am to 6pm and it is held rain or shine.

Ages 5-12 are $8 and adult 1 day passes are $16.  There is multi-day price info on the website.


The Faire is located at the Sleepy Hollow Sports park near the State Fairgrounds.

There is lots of entertainment and food vendors, pony rides and jousting and lots more to do and see.  Check it out!

Bistro Montage

Our second "Restaurant Week" visit was to Bistro Montage on Ingersol Ave in Des Moines.

We've been there a number of times and have always had a great experience. 

I especially love their lunch crepes and was excited to see that their Restaurant Week menu for lunch included two crepes or sandwiches, two beverages and two deserts for only $25.  A great deal.

We stared our meal by ordering an appetizer outside of the RW deal because our server Alejandro (Who was fantastic by the way) suggested the crab cake.  It was very good.  I liked the accompanying salad and the fresh lump crab was very tasty.

I ordered the chicken crepe with bacon, lettuce, tomato, havarti and tarragon mayo.  The havarti made this crepe awesome.  Josh ordered the seared steak sandwich and said his steak was cooked perfectly.  

The highlight of the meal was sweet corn soup.  The taste was perfect.  I could have used a few non-pureed veggies for some texture if I were to nit-pick, but the taste was spot-on.  

I was surprised when our desserts arrived because Alejandro said our special came with small desserts.  These were not small!  The flour-less chocolate torte was a little rich for me, but Josh loved it and I hoarded the creme brulee which is always good at Bistro Montage.

All-in-all I would vote Bistro Montage's lunch RW special one of the best values in town because it included drinks and dessert.  

Speaking for their non-RW menu, I love their 4-course Prix Fixe menu that they offer.  It's a seasonally rotating menu of a soup or salad, risotto (which has always been one of my favorite parts of the meal), a main course and a dessert.  All for $45.  They have great specialty drink selection a wine menu as well. A wonderful meal to celebrate a special occasion or anytime! 

Calling All UNI Panthers!

TC's Tailgate is Getting Close! 

Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 15th at 6:00pm at the Jasper Winery!!

Did you know there is an active UNI Alumni population right here in Des Moines? Be a part of this exciting event and also mingle with UNI coaches, staff, and student athletes.  President Bill Ruud will also be attending TC's Tailgate. Help welcome Bill and Judy to the Des Moines area at the Jasper Winery on Thursday, Aug. 15 from 6-9pm. 

This is your chance to tune up your tailgating skills before the fall season officially kicks off. It's also a great opportunity for Panther fans to socialize and network with other UNI Alumni and friends. UNI apparel from the bookstore will be available to purchase along with a raffle for exclusive Panther memorabilia. We also have food, drinks, and prizes. Come be a part of a fun-filled evening at Jasper Winery and remember to wear your purple! 

Please register online to help us plan for the event: TC's Tailgate. Money will be collected at the event only. Credit Card options will be available. Ages 21 & over: $10; Ages 6-20: $5; Children 5 and younger: Free

Event Sponsors: Johnny's Hall of Fame, The Other Place, Aviva, Advocacy Strategies, and Bravo Printing Company

Katie's Notes:

This is an annual event I look forward to every year. I always take my boys and they have fun running around, getting tattoos, playing games, and listening to the music. I love sitting on the patio with my family, drinking a glass of Jasper Winery wine, and meeting the coaches in person. I am so excited for next Thursday! 

Eat, Play, Love Des Moines Night @ Sully's Irish Pub!

Work at a vineyard for a day!

I was so excited to see this e-mail in my inbox!  2 years ago, some friends and I signed up at Two Saints Winery for their annual grape harvest and we had a BLAST!  We did it again in August of this year.  Two Saints does not charge for their day of picking and provides you with all of the supplies needed.  Their next picking date is September 7th, 2013. at 8:00am.  Call Christine at 641-369-2102 to sign up.  You get lunch, a bottle of wine and a t-shirt for helping.

Summerset Winery also taking reservations for their harvest.  They charge for their harvest though. These spots fill up fast so if you want to get in on it, here are all of the details..

Summerset Winery is Now Taking Reservations their 16th Annual FALL HARVEST!
August 24, 31, September 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2013

You may now reserve your spot for our 2013 Fall Harvest!   As a harvester, you will experience the ambiance of the vineyard as you cut the grapes off the vine, feel them crush beneath your feet during the celebratory stomp and indulge your palate in the flavors of our delicious award winning wines throughout the day.  Harvesters receive breakfast, lunch, commemorative t-shirt, wine and the grape stomp celebration.

Reservations are required and the cost is $25/pp. Payment is due at time of reservation and is non-refundable. The grapes need picked even when it rains so come ready, rain or shine.

Schedule:

• 7:30 A.M. arrive at the winery for breakfast and brief tutorial on how to pick the grapes.
• After breakfast head into the vineyard and begin picking an acre of selected grapes.
• Once the grapes have been harvested, bottles of last year’s vintages will be opened andpoured and the vineyard party begins!
• Chow time! You'll be hungry after a long morning of grape picking and cavorting in the vineyard.
• After lunch climb into the barrel and stomp grapes, purchase a bottle of wine for some afternoon libations, place your footprint on the back of your commemorative t-shirt.
• Festivities should conclude around 1:00 - 2:00 P.M.
   

Harvesters should:

• Wear old clothes (grapes may stain)
• Dress in layers (it may be chilly in the morning and warm up in the afternoon)
• Bring pruning shears
• Bring bug spray
• Bring sun screen
• Bring gardening gloves
• Remember, the grapes need to be picked rain or shine!  Bring a rain poncho, if necessary.
   

CALL THE WINERY AT 515-961-3545 TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY!

Notes: We did this 2 years ago and we were able to bring a child along to help as you can see in the photo.  It is tough work to pick all morning, so please check with the winery for questions about age restrictions and make sure that your child would be able to handle working for 5 hours, etc. 

Weekend Review - June 28th - July 1st

June 28th
unWINEd
Come out to the terrace overlooking Grey's Lake every other Friday evening from 5:30pm - 8:30pm for live music, beer and wine.  Burgers and other food will be available from the grill. Music by Soul Searchers on June 28th.

June 28th - 30th
Des Moines Art Festival

June 28th
Yoga at The Glen
6pm-7pm 
All ages welcome!
Free outdoor yoga compliments of Power Life Yoga to live music!Yoga starts at 6:00pm, stay and enjoy the music until 11:00.
Every participant receives a free bottle of water and a complimentary sweat towel.
Caribou Coffee will be serving up free fruit smoothies. Enjoy a drink on Blue Moon Dueling Piano Bar's patio.Caribou Coffee will be serving up free fruit smoothies. Enjoy a drink on Blue Moon Dueling Piano Bar's patio.

June 29th, 2013
Downtown Farmer's Market
7am to noon

June 29 - 30, 2013
ArtsFest Midwest: The Other Art Show
Iowa State Fairgrounds' Varied Industries Building, Des Moines
Sat 10 - 6 p.m.; Sun 10 - 5 p.m.
Admission: Free

June 29, 2013
Iowa Barnstormers vs. San Antonio Talons
Wells Fargo Arena at Iowa Events Center, Des Moines
7:05 p.m.

June 30, 2013
Sunday Tunes @ Summerset Winery
Music by Abby Normal, Food by Local Yocals

June 30, 2013
Live At The Creek Kickoff with Decoy & Fireworks

Join us for “Live at the Creek” summer concert series, presented by Stivers, every Sunday from 5 – 8pm at Jordan Creek Town Center! Enjoy live music from the amphitheater or one of the five lakeside patio restaurants, and a wine & beer garden next to the amphitheater. “Live at the Creek” summer concert series is a great way to spend your Sunday evenings. Admission is free and will feature crowd favorites including Decoy, The Tony Valdez Large Band & Retro Rockets, Boomerang, Final Mix, Flipside, and Pianopalooza. Jordan Creek Town Center, “Live at the Creek” FREE summer concert series, Sundays 5-8pm, June 30th through September 1st. Time: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Location: Lake District

July 1st, 2013
Dishcrawl Des Moines - Celebrate Des Moines Independence from boring food.
Landing on the week where our nation celebrates it’s independence, we have set up a Dishcrawl adventure for you. This Dishcrawl takes place in the western part of Down Town Des Moines. Whether it be a twist on a traditional favorite, or exciting new dish at a Des Moines treasure, you don’t want to miss out on this Dishcrawl! 

This event is presented by your local favorite blog, Eat, Play, Love Des Moines. “Looking for fun, fresh places to go in Des Moines? We are giving you reviews of the best places to eat, play and enjoy Des Moines. We'll show you things to do you never even knew existed! We know you'll love Des Moines too!”
It's a guessing game! We’re keeping the names of the restaurants we will be visiting a secret for now, but here and there we’ll give you some hints. Follow us on Twitter @dishcrawldsm and be the first to know!
Where to Meet Us: All ticket holders will be notified of meeting location via email, 48 hours prior to the event.

June 8-July 14

Family Summer Camp at Bass Pro Shops Altoona Iowa

Noon to 5 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday Free crafts, special workshops for kids, and activities! The fun starts at noon (unless otherwise noted)! Activities: Our new Daisy BB Gun inflatable shooting range The fabulous FREE wildlife carousel Casting Buckets Soft Foam Shooting Arcade Workshops (See schedule below) Crafts (different craft each week) 12 – 2 p.m. Homemade Ice Cream - Saturdays only 5-6 p.m. Each child will receive ONE free lanyard (while supplies last) and then earn a FREE pin at the end of each workshop they attend. Here's the workshop schedule: Tuesdays Noon - Bird Watching 1:00 - Fishing 2:00 - Archery 3:00 - Outdoor Discovery 4:00 - Backyard Adventure Thursdays Noon -Archery 1:00 - Shooting & Hunting 2:00 - Wildlife Exploration 3:00 - Water Safety 4:00 - Camping Saturdays Noon - Fishing 1:00 - Water Safety 2:00 - Hunting & Shooting 3:00 - Outdoor Discovery 4:00 - Bird Watching Sundays Noon - Hunting & Shooting 1:00 - Archery 2:00 - Wildlife Adventure 3:00 - Camping 4:00 - Backyard Adventure

Follow us on FACEBOOK HERE for the most current updates and happenings =)

Riverboat Cruises!

Have you ever wished you could take a boat ride down the Des Moines River to relax, have some cocktails or a meal and take in the sights.  Well you can!  The Jon Anderson White Riverboat offers lunch cruises, cocktail cruises and even murder mystery cruises!  The riverboat docks just north of the Robert D. Ray Drive Asian garden at 799 Robert D. Ray drive.  Just park and walk through the pagoda to board the cruise.

The schedule and more info can be found here.  And tickets can be purchased online through Midwest Tix on the Riverboat website.

Lunch cruises include sandwiches on south union bread, fruit, cookies, tea and lemonade and more with a cash bar available.   Cocktail cruises offer cocktails, beer and wine for purchase and a lovely spread of heavy appetizers like meatballs, chicken salad, cheese & crackers, and more.

Cruises are educational and fun.  The knowledgeable tour guide gives bits of history about Des Moines and the riverboat throughout the cruises and you are able to see sights that are accessible only from the river.

Plan a date-night or get a group of friends together to take a cruise.  Or plan a family outting for a weekend afternoon.  Lunch and cocktail cruises run $22 for lunch and $25 for cocktail cruises per person while you can take the lunch cruise without the meal for $14.  They have special diner cruises as well that run about $50 per person including full meals. We enjoy taking riverboat cruises and we hope you will too!

You can even rent the boat for private parties and special events! You can find them on Facebook here.

Swine Fest

Swine Festival is a wonderful collaboration of Iowa's wineries and Iowa's local restaurants teaming up to bring you pork dishes and wine samples all hosted by The Iowa Culinary Institute at DMACC in Ankeny.  It's actually a benefit for the viticulture and enology program at DMACC, so you can drink up happily knowing it's for a good cause!

Basically, you show up and get your map, wine glass and ticket for your bottle of wine and start sampling.  All wine samples, food samples and your bottle of wine are included in the ticket price (Which was $35 for 2013).  Designated driver/children's tickets can be purchased as well (For $20 this year) which included food samples, but not wine samples.

After you find your favorite wine you can trade your wine bottle ticket in at that winery's booth for your bottle of wine to take home.  I suppose you could drink it there, but with hundreds of wine samples, I'm not sure why you would.

Tip: get there early.  The lines start getting longer as the day goes on.

Some of the wineries there were Jasper Winery, Vida Loca Winery, Snus Hill Winery and many more. Some of the restaurants present were, Tacopocalypse, Tamales Industry, Mo Rub, Flemmings and many more.  You won't go hungry at this event!!

The rain held out long enough for spend a few hours basking in the porky goodness and washing it down with the juice of the Gods.  Hope you can make it out to next year's event!  I'll make sure to let you all know when it's time to buy your tickets!

Django-Don't worry about pronouncing it, just go!

Man, I love Django.  If you think this place is going to be too stuffy for you, you're wrong.  The atmosphere is definitely businesses casual, but the food is upscale, jazzed up French/American comfort food.  It's on 10th street in Downtown Des Moines attached to the Hotel Fort Des Moines.

You'll find menu items that you'd expect from your favorite steakhouse but all with a French flair. Appetizers likes onion rings with curry ketchup and spinach and goat cheese ravioli. Of course poutine makes the menu too. They use lots of local ingredients as well.

The best scallops I've ever had were here. (And that's saying a lot when I'm from Massachusetts) Of course I didn't catch a photo that day but I urge you to try the Seared Scallop entree served with lobster sweet corn pomme puree, grilled asparagus and sweet corn red onion butter sauce.  Perfect.

You can't go wrong with anything on the menu really.  Pictured to the right is a steak entree I had during restaurant week at Django a while back.  It was served with their specialty "frites" that are wonderfully seasoned along with a fresh veggie medley.

They do a nice job recommending wine pairings as well and have wine flights at reasonable prices if you can't decide.

They also offer a Sunday Brunch that includes bananas foster french toast along with specialty crepes, burgers, sandwiches and omelets.  They also have a great kids selection, not only for the brunch but on their every day menu as well.

Django is one of the few restaurants in town that takes reservations and we think that's awesome.

Django is perfect for a date-night, family celebration, or just when you're in the mood for a great meal. Check out the happy hour too!  Stop by on your way home from work from 4-6 Monday through Friday for $1 oysters.

Sunday Tunes at Summerset

We LOVE to visit Summerset Winery in Indianola on Sundays from 3pm-6pm for their "Sunday Tunes".  $3 per person (or $10 per car load) gets you admission to the concert and a great time.  Concerts are year-round and on the colder Sundays, they hold the events indoors, while during the summer months, the concerts are outdoors.

You can purchase wine, beer or whatever special they have that evening like sangria (yum), some cheese, fruit, meat and crackers and just sip, snack and relax.  You can also take your own snacks or a picnic basket with you!  Just don't bring any outside alcohol.  Kids are welcome too so you don't even need a babysitter!

They have have local bands playing each week and you can see the schedule of who's playing each week here.  This is such a great thing to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  They can get pretty packed, so if you have your own lawn chairs, bring those with you in the summer months. They supply ice and ice buckets, cups and meat/cheese trays with knives too.  They also sell chips and candy along with meat, cheese, and fruit.

They make great wine to begin with and add in music and snacks...perfect.  I'm a big fan of the Caba Moch.  It's sweet and fruity and very easy to drink.  You can have some samples before you buy a bottle, or five =) We love the winery and Sunday Tunes and think you will too!

Wine tasting for everyone!

Ingersol Wine and Spirits hosts some pretty cool events during the year.  We just attended the 26th anniversary wine tasting event and for $25 per person it was a fantastic event.  They had about 20 tables set up with unlimed samples of wines all available for purchase in the store and enough appetizers to serve as dinner for the evening.

Talking to other guests, this is what the've come to expect from these events.  With hundreds of wines to sample, you are sure to find a few you like and the tasting glass is yours to keep.  

Super fun for a date-night or night out with friends.  

They have other events coming up and you can check out their calendar here.

They also offer weekly samplings in both of their store locations.   Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. at the West Des Moines store and every Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m at the Ingersol location.  

Great ways to try some new wines and have som fun. Check it out!

Picket Fence Creamery will make you go Moo!

One of our favorite things to do on the weekend is visit Picket Fence Creamery in Woodward, IA.  It's just off 141, and takes about 30 minutes to get there from Des Moines.  Totally worth the drive! Outside the building you can visit with their cows, they are very friendly and kids love to pet them.  And they are oh so cute!

Inside, is a wonderful little store where you can purchase all sorts of local foods and wines and of course fresh milk, ice cream (the most awesome ice cream), cheese curds and butter. They just introduced strawberry milk too!  They have insulated containers to give you so you can make it home without your stuff getting warm.

Sipping some chocolate milk after a tour.

On select Sundays, they have Sample Sunday!  Here is the calendar.  They always have lunch available, kids activities and lots of free samples.

It's such a cool place to visit and the staff is friendly and will answer any questions you have.  You can even schedule a tour if you have a group.  Regular visits are free, group tours are $5 for adults and $3 for kids.  They'll introduce you to all of the cows, explain how they raise and feed the cows, tell you about the dairy making processes and of course give out samples of ice cream and chocolate milk.  Get a group together for a tour, or just go for a Sunday drive and end up here for Sample Sunday.  We think you'll like it!  Have you visited Picket Fence Creamery yet?

2013 Sample Sunday Dates

May 5th	June 9th
July 14th	August 4th
September 15th	October 20th
November 24th	December 15th
December 22nd

Skip the flowers...get cupcakes for V-day!

Let's pretend we're only considering buying cupcakes because it's Valentine's Day.  We'll pretend we don't frequent Creme Cupcake for breakfast or for my 3pm cupcake snack, or for after dinner dessert on a regular basis.  Ok, who are we fooling?  This place is wonderful anytime.  Skip the flowers this year, and bring cupcakes.  Trust me, flowers die, but cupcakes last forever on your thighs....

Oh, not a good selling point? 

Anyway...

Butterfinger, oreo and red velvet
doughnuts.

By day, Creme Cupcake is a bakery, serving up doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, tarts, and cupcakes.  By night, they are a dessert lounge pairing gourmet desserts with cocktails.

Mocha, king cake, strawberry
champagne cupcakes.

Every day they offer vegan and gluten-free cupcakes, which I think is amazing!  They have the menu online of the cupcake flavors of the day too, which is great so you can decide ahead of time.  Isn't that the worst when you have to make those important decisions right on the spot?


At 5:30pm the dessert lounge is in full swing and you can choose from a variety of desserts and just as many cocktails/beers/wines to go with.  If you can't decide you can get a sample plate of three...that looks a little like this picture to your right...

Totally enough for two. From top to bottom, this was the sugar cookie, fried cake balls and a special that night that was an apple bread pudding.  All three were amazing, we especially recommend the cake balls.  The gluten-free chocolate torte was also very good.  Here is the full dessert lounge menu.

Gluten free mocha
cupcakes.

This is a great place for a girls-night out or date-night.  We like to stop here after a dinner out for dessert and drinks, or sometimes we just make dessert our dinner.  Either way, they have a convenient location right off of Ingersol ave in Des Moines.  There are more than enough fabulous places to eat dinner right nearby too. Bistro Montage, Jesse's Embers, Noah Ark, and so many more.  Still pretty close are all the downtown restaurants like Centro, Splash, Americana, Alba, Django and the Court Ave district restaurants.  If you haven't made Valentine's Day reservations yet, you're probably screwed......just kidding.....sort-of.  Pick one of the fabulous restaurants downtown and head over to Creme Cupcake for dessert. I'd be a happy girl with that plan!