Des Moines Holiday Events Extravaganza!

It just happened that my sister and my nephew were in town visiting this week from Boston, so what better time to fit in every Des Moines Holiday Event we could into the shortest amount of time possible.



The week started with the Ugly Sweater Run at Principal Park.  What a fun event!  Lots of gigantic Holiday inflatables for cool photo ops, candy canes and more.  Runner brought toys for Toys 4 Tots that went right to kids in our community.




If it wasn't -1 degree with the wind chill, it would have been a fabulous family friendly event.  There was a Groupon for it, so only $20 got you registration, a hat, hot chocolate along the 5k route and 2 beers or hard ciders at the end.  Fun event!  Looking forward to next year!



Next up, we hit the Jordan Creek Mall Santa and Build-a-Bear for their Holiday "Bears".  Nathan picked the Rudolph and of course we spent the ridiculous amount of money on the matching hat, scarf and sweater for Rudolph, you know, because it was too cute not to.



Our elf (Named Elephant) returned for the season which is fantastic because my kid always behaves a little bit better when he knows the creepy elf is watching him.




While at the mall, we also got to check out Live, Love, Bake which recently opened up near Banana Republic on the first floor of the mall.  They have a cupcake kiosk.  What a great idea and they have really great cupcakes!  I tried a gluten-free chocolate-chip and it was really fabulous.  It was a little more pricey than the competitors around town at $4, but it was huge!  It was moist and delicious though and worth every penny.





In the middle of all of this, we had time to meet my friend Carye for a painting class, via El Arte Uncorked, to make some festive Christmas ornament paintings.  We also got some matchy-matchy photos of the boys taken since they only see each other a couple times a year.




Continuing the fun, we had our Thanksgiving meal at Tally's in Beaverdale which was fantastic as always.  Robert's (the owner) wife has celiac disease, so there is always a ton at Tallly's that is gluten free for my family members to eat.



We don't discriminate around here and since we have all sorts of heritage going on in our family, we made time for Latkes and Hanukkah house building!  It was really for the kids, but they lost interest quickly and the grown-ups ended up doing the building...




What the kids did love was the chocolate we picked up at Beaverdale Confections! I just love this shop.  We picked up Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas themed chocolates along with fantastic gift baskets for only $10 each!  They'd make great teacher gifts!  (hint, hint...) A great stop to celebrate Small Business Saturday too.  



Once our Thankgivukkah celebrations were over (and my brief dabble in Black Friday Shopping in which I stood in line for an hour and a half for an iPad deal...not worth it),we headed to the Festival of Trees and Lights at Hy-vee Hall.  This is one of my most favorite events of the season and is for such a great cause that is very near to my heart.  Every year this events gets bigger and better is lots of kids crafts, train rides, beautiful trees including a scavenger hunt, snacks, silent auction and entertainment.  Definitely an event not to miss.


Luckily we still had time to take our annual drive through the Jolly Holiday Lights at Waterworks park where you can drive through thousands of holiday lights throughout the park for $10 (more for limos and busses and only $5 on Monday nights) to benefit Make-a-Wish foundation.  We love turning up the Christmas music, drinking hot cocoa and enjoying the lights.  They had 3D glasses available a few years ago and Nathan loves to wear them every year, they don't offer them anymore though, but that's what he's wearing in the photo.


That takes us to our road trip to The Scenic Valley Railroad and Museum in Boone for the Santa Express train ride!  This is always a hot with the kids.  You ride the train out to "The North Pole", read the Santa Express book, drink hot chocolate and eat cookies and there is of course a visit from Santa.  It was my 2 year old nephew's first train ride and he was enthralled for every minute of the hour and a half excursion.



We fit in a trip to the Science Center, which I highly recommend during the holiday to catch the Polar Express in the IMAX theater and check out the current traveling exhibit which is very cool.



Today, we end our very busy visit with family with DIsney on Ice at Wells Fargo Arena.  Many Iowans have made this a Thanksgiving week tradition every year.



Are there any Holiday events that you love to do in Des Moines (or close-by)?  We'd love to hear about them!



For me, it's back Ugly Sweater Party planning!  Our annual Contest/Party is being held soon and we can't wait!  Here's a photo of some of our friend's from last year's event!  I'm getting the fruit cakes and leg lamps ready!

PS...I almost forgot!  A new find (for me) this year is the Lincoln Place Lights this very cool house at 129 Lincoln Place Drive in Des Moines (not far from DMU).  They have a fantastic holiday lights display, that if you set your radio to 94.3, their light show is in sync with the music!  Check it out!

Viva La Bamba

I'm hard-pressed to pass up a fajita Friday.  So fortunately, Viva la Bamba (this time the location on Grand Ave, there is also one in Urbandale) stood up to the challenge.

Unfortunately, Viva La Bamba is one of the restaurants losing a lot of business because of the bridge closure at 63rd and Grand since it's location just over the bridge, on the Des Moines side.

Another interesting tid-bit is that, this summer a chain in Chicago called the owners and told him the name was infringing on their Mexican food chain's name copyright and he had to change it.  They agreed to change the name to just "Viva Mexican Restaurant", but the signs still boast Viva La Bamba for now.

So, today, I took detour around the construction and it was totally worth it.  I just love the Mexican restaurants who serve bean dip along with chips and salsa for an appetizer.  Honestly, I could probably just eat the whole basket of warm chips with their chunky (and very fresh) salsa and bean dip for lunch and be a happy camper.

But, alas, it was Friday (so fajitas were a must) and they'd probably not appreciate it if I only ate the free stuff and left.

Anyway, These were some darn good fajitas.  A huge portion of good quality chicken and fresh veggies accompanied by the familiar rice, beans, salad and tortilla that most restaurants serve.

A solid fajita Friday at Viva la Bamba.  Give them some love, especially since the bridge will now be closed until at least the middle of December.  Prices are great and they have margarita specials often!  They need our support!

Wasabi Tao

Wasabi Tao is the sister restaurant to Wasabi Chi (which is located near the Merle Hay Mall) and is located downtown on Walnut St, right across from the Gramercy Tap.

Being that I'm on a Bento Box kick, I stopped in for a Bento Box of course!  I'm getting quite versed on the Bento Box offerings at each restaurant in town and I definitely have some favorites.  It's refreshing that each offers such different options and I was not disappointed with Wasabi Tao's.


They have such a large selection that it was hard to choose.  They offer chicken, steak or salmon teriyaki, shrimp tempura, yaki udon or sushi or sashimi boxes.

I went with the chicken teriyaki so I could keep it an even playing field to make a better comparison with other boxes I've tried it town.

I have to say, Tao's box stood up the competition pretty well.  At $8.50 it's just a great value.  I was first impressed that I was offered a spicy egg drop soup in lieu of the miso and it was fantastic.  You can't go wrong with creamy ginger dressing over some fresh salad and their California roll was excellent.  The chicken teriyaki was in a rich sauce and I appreciated the fresh steamed veggies.  The shumai wasn't my favorite "obligatory fried side" that I've had in a local box, but it was tasty.

Over-all a winning box.  More food than I could finish for lunch and so much variety.  Ahh..the   wonders of Bento Boxes.  They service a lot of the downtown lunch crowd so it gets busy at lunch time, but they are fast and efficient with a good amount of seating.

It's obvious that I'm addicted to Bento Boxes and I'll happily order one from Wasabi Tao again soon.  Try it out or come in just for the great sushi, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Sam & Gabe's

It had been quite some time since our last visit to Sam & Gabe's.  It's always been a place we'd recommend for a special date-night or anniversary dinner or other celebration.  Since then there have been some mixed reviews about the restaurant on Hickman Rd in Urbandale, so we wanted to check it out again.

Sam & Gabe's has been in business for quite some time and has really become a favorite among locals.

Even though the restaurant is a good size, reservations are encouraged since thy tend to fill up quickly, especially on the weekends.

We dined early on a Friday evening and the place was already bustling.  Our server was very friendly and our salads and meals came out promptly.  We did notice that she forgot to tell us about the specials as we overheard her telling the table next to us shortly after we ordered.

I was very excited to learn that they now have gluten-free pasta available.  My husband and I ordered the linguine and Italian sausage and the beef tenderloin medallions gorgonzola to share (highly recommended to us).  We wanted to try the Italian nachos as they also came highly recommended, but we just knew we wouldn't be able to finish it all.  We have also tried the antipasto platter in the past and it was quite memorable as a nice appetizer.

The pasta sauce was very tasty and the beef medallions were full of flavor.  We did order them medium and they came out very rare though.  They were eager to make us happy though and fix it.  I think that's what matters most.

All-in-all, a nice meal.  I did catch a few things that other reviewers have noted though. For instance, they didn't have the ingredients for the drink my hubby ordered, and they did not offer us grated cheese for our pasta, but we saw the next table over being offered fresh grated cheese.

These are obviously things that shouldn't be overlooked at this price point, and are some of the things that make a meal memorable.  This was not enough to deter us from coming again though.  They did earn double points for having gluten-free pasta available and being able to order most of the pasta dishes gluten-free.  They are open for dinner Tues - Sat and they have such an impressive selection of house made dishes.  Check out Sam & Gabe's for your next date-night or celebration and let us know what you think.

Win a free Milkshake contest!

Chick-fil-a has Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshakes again!! Yum! Who wants a free one courtesy of Chick-fil-A Paradise Pointe?! Just "like" our status on Facebook about the contest and head over to https://www.facebook.com/cfaparadisepointe and "like" their page. That's it! I'll announce FIVE winners at the end of the day 11/20/13!

Iowa Distilling Co.

If you saw the photo on Facebook of me sampling some whisky and rum on Friday, you know, my average day at work...You might have been wondering just what I was up to.  Well, even if you weren't, I'm about to tell you all about it anyway!

I was just taking a tour and meeting the awesome guys at Iowa Distilling Company.  Of course sampling the goods was necessary as well.

The guys have a great story about starting out distilling in one of their garages (with proper license of course) before eventually ending up in their current location, a 100-year old building in Cumming, Iowa, They opened here about a year and a half ago.  It's conveniently located right across the street from The Cumming Tap.

The guys have come up with some stellar concoctions including all local grains.  They have Caribbean molasses shipped in from Barbados for their rum, but they use local ingredients wherever possible.

We got to sample the Iowa Shine, which is a 100% local corn whisky that is smooth and exciting for those who don't do wheat gluten.  We also tested the Steel Drum rum, which was lovely and their very popular Prairie Fire whiskey (my personal favorite) which is cinnamon-y and spicy and fantastic in warm apple cider.  You can find their products at most local stores who carry liquor as well as a lot of bars and restaurants around Iowa.

They do tastings and tours on Saturday afternoons and Tuesday evenings, which is totally convenient since Tacopocalypse serves up tacos on Tuesday nights just across the way at the Cumming tap (who also carried their product).  They also do tasting by appointment since they guys have flexible day jobs that allows lots of days spent at the Distillery working remotely.  Tastings are free and Todd, Tom and Phil and truly nice guys who are excited to show you around, so you the process and share their knowledge and local product.

I'm also excited to announce that they are teaming up with Dischcrawl Des Moines to bring you "Cocktail Wars" on December 10th.  5 local bartenders will come up with a cocktail using an Iowa Distilling Co. rum or whiskey and participants get to vote on their favorite to crown the winner.  Read more about Cocktail Wars and get tickets here.

Take a a short ride to Cumming and check out this awesome operation.  Support local!

Mandela African Restaurant

I kept driving by this restaurant named Mandela African Restaurant on Douglas Ave, just up the way from Taco Casa and knew I needed to try it.  Googling it didn't give me much info and no one I asked had tried it yet.  So today, my friend and I went to check it out.

We were greeted by the very friendly owner and had a seat of our choosing.  The restaurant is pretty small, but it was pretty slow over the lunch hour too.

We were given a menu, but were really encouraged to try the fried rice and wakye.  The fried rice was tasty mixture of rice and vegetables in savory spices.  It was very good and served with a piece of fried chicken and salad.  My friend ordered the wakye and it was also a flavorful dish of rice and beans also served with fried chicken and salad.

My friend and I both agreed that the chicken was excellent.  A crispy outside with a juicy inside and the seasonings in the fried rice were very good.  It must be tough for them to keep a full menu going when it is slow at lunch time, so they have a limited menu.  I'd love to come back and try some of the African specialties like fufu.  A dough ball that you eat in pieces after dipping in soup.

Owners Bright and Caroline Atubra were happy to share their story of coming to America in search of greener pastures and living their dream of opening up this restaurant to bring authentic food as well as the message of peace.  They named the Restaurant Mandela's after Nelson Mandela so that his message would be present here in Iowa.  Before becoming a US citizen, Bright served in the US Navy in California before moving to Iowa, becoming a citizen and opening this restaurant in June.

The Atubra's enjoyed lots of customers when they first opened, but said once the excitement died off, people are forgetting about them and advertising is very expensive so they are relying on word of mouth right now.

They would love to cook for you these popular meals inspired from Ghana where they are from, so please visit them and show them some love!  The restaurant is very casual and they cook each item from scratch, so give yourself some extra time and don't expect them to have every menu item for lunch until business picks up.  But you will enjoy friendly service, huge portions and good authentic African food here.  It's certainly family-friendly (they even have Mandela fries on the menu).  Try them out!