Mi Patria

Sandwiched between a denture store and Michael's Craft store in the plaza behind Taco Bell in West Des Moines, is a seemingly small Ecuadorian restaurant named Mi Patria.  Once you walk inside though, you'll see that this is really a large space with ample seating for at least 25 parties.

The restaurant has a few photos and wall adornments, but pretty unassuming overall.  The smell of cleaning solution filled the air as I entered for lunch and sat at a booth to review the menu.
My server was friendly and I heard her happily giving menu suggestions to other diners.

We had been here once before and really enjoyed the Tortilla de Yucca appetizer.  They were yucca patties stuffed with beef and cheese and topped with a vegetable salad.  The tangy salad was a great mix with the savory yucca. On that trip we also ordered the Arroz con Pollo which was very filling but didn't have a lot of strong flavors shine through the rice.  We also had a marinated pulled pork dish that was very tasty.  I decided to try a few other dishes before I gave you my review and made anther visit.

During my lunch visit today, I tried the chicken stew with yellow rice and fried plantains.  The chicken was tender and the stew gravy with vegetables was a good combination.  They offered me a homemade hot sauce which I think would have added some nice flavor to the dish, but I tend not to love spicy items so I passed.  The sweet plantains were a really nice added flavor though.

Though I was pretty full from the large portion size of the entree, I was intrigued by the coconut battered and fried banana dessert with ice cream, so I went for it and it was amazing.  Warm and perfectly crisp outside shell with sweet banana filling and ice cream hit the spot.  I would order this again in a heartbeat.

Our waitress explained that everything they serve is made in-house.  She said that as we ate, the chef was preparing the dough for their popular empanadas to serve that evening.

This is truly some special cuisine that you don't find a lot of here in Des Moines.  The Ecuadorian flavors without added hot sauce are pretty mild and comfort-food-esque so don't assume you won't like it before giving it a shot.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Ps. They have a nice kids menu and a coupon on their website to print out and bring with you on your dinner visit (valid mon-thurs) for a free kids meal.  And it is reusable!   You can get it here.