Mosey on down the lane.....to Smokey Row...

Smokey Row has been a Des Moines favorite for a while now, and we just can't get enough either.   There are 4 Iowa locations, and we are happy that the Sherman Hills area, right off of 235 at the MLK exit, is home to one of them. Now with more parking!


There is enough variety on the menu to please just about anyone. From biscuits & gravy and broccoli quiche to soul-warming soup and sandwiches and cool salads, you can't go wrong.  The highlight however, may just be the plethora of drink creations using premium ice cream and/or freshly brewed coffee. 



At lunch today, Lora (pictured to the left) enjoyed and highly recommends the broccoli quiche. Annie (pictured to the right) introduced me to the cheeseburger soup, which was heavenly.  They both also introduced me to the (in Lora's own words) totally Ah-May-Zing mocha-java freeze.  It's available in sugar-free/fat-free and tastes just like a coffee milk-shake, with less guilt. 

Mocha-java freeze

Tip: make sure to ask for your freezes double-blended to avoid pesky ice chunks that get stuck in your straw.

In my opinion, one of the best aspects of Smokey Row is the Kid-friendly-ness factor.  When you walk in you are greeted by a myriad of classic board games to help keep the kiddos entertained while you order and wait for your meal.  I may have been more excited about a round of battleship 

than the kids were though...

Gus getting ready to dig into
his Spaghetti O's.

The kids are always psyched when their meal arrives on a cafeteria style (so no foods ever have to touch!) tray and includes a toy.  Some of the kids choices include pb&j, hot dogs, grilled cheese, and Gus and Aidan's favorite, the ever-popular Spaghetti O's. They also come with a chips and a choice of teddy grahams, apple sauce or gold-fish. Choices are good when dealing with kids, right?!

Aidan sips on a root-beer
float awaiting the arrival of his
Spaghetti O's.

Oh! And everything on the menu is available at the drive-thru!  All of this and you don't even have to leave your car if you don't want to!  

Tip: keep a take-out menu in your car if you plan to order more than just drinks at the drive-thru since the drive-thru menu they have posted is limited, but you can still order anything you'd like.

 Try Smokey Row with the Fam! We think you'll like it too.

Bugs your kids will love...Moonbugs!

Kids being silly and showing
off their completed art projects.

Have you heard about the hippest art classes in town?  Moonbugs is the brainchild of artist Abbey Kennedy who started Moonbugs after studying art therapy and honing her skills as a pre-k teacher and also as an art director working with at-risk children.

Seriously cute necklaces the students
made in class for Mother's day gifts.

Moonbugs is held at Abbey's in-home studio near the Art Center.  Abbey offers classes for kids starting at age 2 and even holds special classes for homeschool students.  She has a variety of class times available in the mornings, on weekends and after school.  You can find the calendars here: Moonbugs Class Calendar.

All of the classes include an art project focusing an a project inspired by an influential artist, a creative snack and some playtime.  My son has been attending her classes for a while now and just adores them.  The structure is great because you don't have to commit to a certain day and time every week, you can just sign up for the classes that fit your schedule and that your child would enjoy.  

Moonbugs classes are a relaxed environment where kids learn to enjoy art without pressure or competition, learn real art techniques as well as delve into sensory-stimulating projects and just have a great time being with other kids.  Plus, parents get time to meet with other parents for coffee or get some errands done. It's a win-win!

I encourage you to explore the Moonbugs website. I think you'll immediately get a feel for what a great activity your kids will be participating in when they come to a class. Check it out!

801 Grand for less than $80.01

Did you know that 801 Grand Chophouse offers a 3 course Prix Fixe Menu on Sunday nights for only $33?  Normally $33 would get you about 3/4 of a serving of (albeit wonderful) filet at 801 Grand, and that's sans sides.  But on Sunday evenings. $33 gets you a caesar or iceberg wedge salad, filet or prime rib with veggies and mashed potatoes AND a dessert. They offer creme brûlée or sorbet. I highly recommend the sorbet! They have unique flavors that are made from fresh fruit daily.  The other night they had strawberry/watermelon and it was fantastic after my filet.  You can mix and match the options for sides (i.e. chose the carrots and green beans instead of asparagus) or ask for double veggies instead of mashed potatoes (even though the boursin mashed are to die for...some of us are trying to watch our waistlines!)  We usually make a reservation even though there has never been a wait on Sunday evenings when we get there and we are always able to find a parking spot right in front of the building at the meters (which are free on Sunday nights). We tend to get there early, so maybe that's the trick.  Either way, you'll have a fantastic meal at a fantastic price (a little more than $80.01(get it?) including tax and tip if you can stick to water) when you check out 801 Grand Chophouse on a Sunday night.

World Famous Jethros!

We, well mostly my hubby, love good BBQ and one of our local favorites is Jethro's. We started eating at the one in Des Moines in the Drake neighborhood. Since we work in Waukee, we've frequented the one on University often. We were ultra-excited to eat at the one at Prairie Trail in Ankeny too! 

I haven't tackled the "Adam Emmenecker" sandwich yet, but lots of people have tried and it's even made national TV! (see the link below). We've tried so many good things but here are the highlights from last night...

What We Loved:

• Somewhat guilt free dinner for me--smoked chicken with sweet potato fries (no bun)
• Mac N Cheese--the manager told us that they use fresh cheese that comes in a huge block. They shave off the cheese they need for that day--SOOO GOOD! 
• Half order of buffalo chicken bites--our friends order this and SPLIT it along with an extra side of fries. I tried one and they were AWESOME! 
• Our boys split one kid's chicken fingers meal. They are HUGE pieces of chicken--bigger than my hand and the meal comes with two of them. They each got one huge piece and split cottage cheese. 
• Jethro's is a loud atmosphere. We didn't have to worry about the little ones (we had four kids from 1 to 6 years old with us) and they were able to laugh and be a little silly without disrupting anyone.
• We got there ridiculously early--like senior citizen early--so we could avoid the long wait for a table. We typically do this often with little kids. 
• Great staff. Our waitress brought out lots of extra plates so that everyone sharing the food had their own plate, she kept the glasses full, and was so friendly to the kids. 

Total Bill with Tip: $36 for two adult meals and one kid's meal. All eight of us left very pleased with our meals and service, and we will definitely return again soon! 

Just for Fun: Check out Jethros on Man Vs. Food and "like" them on Facebook! 

Don't play with my (glass) heart!

Today we took a short drive (25 minutes south of Des Moines) to Indianola to take a fused glass class at Indianola Glass Creations.  The store is so neat with lots of already-made, unique items to purchase.  Blown-glass earnings, rings and pendants make great Valentine's Day gifts guys!  It's also about 5 miles south of Summerset Winery so you can stop for some wine too to round out your v-day gift or stop in for the Sunday tunes from 2pm-5pm on most Sundays! Also very fun!

Indianola Glass Creations offers so many cool classes!  They have stained glass classes, jewelry making and beading classes, wire wrapping classes, lamp work and blown glass classes, and fused glass classes like we took today. (Click on the links for class times and prices.)  They also offer pottery painting and other general art classes, 32 classes in all!

The description of the class said "for all ages" so I brought my son along with us and he had a blast!  I think his glass sun-catcher valentine came out better than mine =) 

My sun-catcher before
being fired in the kiln.

Nathan's sun-catcher before
being fired in the kiln.

There was a wide age-range from seniors to little kids and everyone seemed to enjoy it!

Rachel, the instructor said that she does a lot of girls-night classes where she pulls out the mixer and whips up some margaritas to enjoy while they work.

A finished product. Wouldn't
you love to get one of these
from your little valentine?

Nathan had fun designing
his sun-catcher.

The class prices are extremely reasonable and these are definitely projects you wouldn't take on at home, I guess unless if you owned a kiln or torch and don't mind pieces of glass around the house. Rachel was extremely helpful and

    patient with us.  I need a lot of direction!

We can't wait to try some other classes! We are already signed up for the St. Patrick's Day decorations and Easter egg classes! These classes are only $10 per person and make great gifts!  I encourage you to give it a shot!  You may just have a new hobby!  

Note: Understandably, it takes a few days for

some (not all)  of the projects to be finalized           in the kiln, so make sure to ask if the class you pick will require you to come back to pick it up if you are coming from a distance for the class.

A Great Reason to go to Ames! (Sheryl vs. Katie)

There was no wait this afternoon, but Nathan
enjoyed a few minutes of cartoons anyway.

Sheryl says...

I sometimes find myself dreaming of my next visit to Ames, Iowa just so I can eat at Hickory Park.  Hickory park is about as family-friendly as it gets.  There are often long wait times on the weekends at this popular restaurant, but they have you covered with constant cartoons playing on a big screen TV to occupy the kiddos.

The self-serve candy store is always a bribery point for me for getting my son to eat all of his meal. Not that the 100 different kinds of ice cream sundae isn't motivation enough.

The candy ranges in price
from 5 cents to 25 cents
so you won't break
the bank to keep your
kid happy here.

This place it pretty huge! After the walk to your seats, the kids are greeted with crayons and coloring pages to keep them busy so you can focus on the larger-than-life menu. Make sure to ask for the gluten-free menu if you need one. Lots of choices for you here!

Can you believe this was only $5.95?

They have traditional barbe-que faire including smoked meats like ribs, chicken, pork and brisket and deli sandwiches, salads and platters.  My choice is always the 1/4 chicken with two sides, for only $4.95 (I get the white meat option for a buck more)!

Kids meals are an affordable $3.50 and they include main courses like hot dogs, burgers, chicken tenders or smoked meats with a side, drink AND ice cream.



No visit to Hickory Park is ever complete without ice cream though...Click here to see this outrageous ice cream menu. With choices like the "Merry-go-round" that includes a carousel of animal cracker animals adorning your dish, how can you skip it?!  Today I chose the Carmel Apple sundae (for only $2.95) and it didn't disappoint.

Come here when you are in Ames seeing a show or game at the University or make it a destination, either way you'll be craving more.  The bathrooms are clean and there is changing table for little ones, so no worries about bringing the whole family to the awesome restaurant!



Katie says...

I recently took my two little guys to Hickory Park while we were in Ames. It is always a fun, tasty, and cheap place to eat and this time was no exception. 

For $3.50 your child can get a meal with a side AND a scoop of ice cream for dessert. That's a cheap kid's meal and they have healthy options!

Starting at $4.95, adults can get anything from a BBQ Sandwich to dinner platters that are served with generous portions of food. For example, I had 1/4 white meat chicken, roll, side salad, and dish of pickles (weird side choice but great!) for only $5.95. Our total for two kid's meals and two adult dinners was $19.00. 

Hickory Park is also known for their awesome sundaes. You can get any type of toppings on your ice cream or make your own creation. Be sure to save room for ice cream! 

Other helpful hints:

• There is a large screen TV in the waiting area in case you have little ones with you. It was playing Flintstones cartoons when we were there. 
• There is a candy stand on the way out where you can buy individual pieces of candy with your pocket change. Pieces run from $0.05 to $0.50 and was a fun way for my kids to pick out of something of their own for the ride home. 
• We like to pay a little bit more for more food--it makes for cheap leftovers the next day!
• Their entire menu is available online. 
• They have a separate "Gluten Intolerance" menu available. 
• Try an old-fashioned drink like a Green River or Sarsparilla while you're there.

Adventures at -6 Degrees

While my vote is to make it illegal to leave your house on days when it's this cold, I'm guessing that won't happen. So, the adventures must continue! 

Nathan and his friend after enjoying the performance.

Today we made the 45 minute drive up to Ames to check out a children's show at the Scheman building at Iowa State.  It was advertised for kids who are kindergarten to grade 5.  We brought two kids that are both pre-k and they both loved it!  Very worth the drive.

Today's show was "Charlotte's Web" and it was very well done.  Tickets were $4 in advance and $5 at the door.  And they were packed!  So if you go to see one of the next shows, get there early since it is general seating and seats fill up quickly.  The show lasted 60 minutes. The next show for that age group in the Youth Matinee Series is in April and the show is "Seusical". They offer shows for older kids too though, the list is here: http://www.center.iastate.edu/events/education/ 

A lot of parents take their kids out of school for the morning and a lot of schools were there on field-trips, but I think it was perfect for pre-k kids too!  They had two shows, one at 10:00am and one at 12:30pm.  Either one you pick, make sure you hit Hickory Park while you are up there! Check out my review of Hickory Park here!

Look for others family shows like "Blue Man Group", a show called ZooZoo that is playing this Sunday and is for ages 3 and up that looks really cute and Shrek that is playing on February 13th at 7:30pm. Click on the links for more info and to buy tickets for these and other shows.