So you wanna be a pilot?

What kid doesn't love airplanes?!  Did you know that The Ankeny Regional Airport will provide tours of the airport including up close looks at planes and helicopters at the facilities for free!?

They ask that you call and make an appointment and limit your group to not more than 20 to 25 people since there will just be one person giving you the tour.  The contact Phone number is 515-965-1020.

This tour is great for kids of any age they have coloring pages and model planes to give out at the end of the tour.  The tour is pretty informal and you can go through quickly or take your time depending on the age of the kids.

Get a group together and make an appointment.  Your kids (and you) will have a great time.

Ps. Check out flying lessons for adults too!!

Bottomless mimosas? Yes, please!

Right on Locust street in Des Moines lies another one of my favorite restaurants (yes, I know I have a lot, but this place is awesome).

While they have all sorts of fun special meals like all you can eat "Winner winner chicken dinner" Mondays, I love Americana's "Bombshell brunch" on the weekends.

From their bottomless mimosa and bloody mary bar to the made-to order specialty grilled cheese sandwiches, you are are going to love this brunch.  The buffet selection is fabulous and includes items like waffle-bread pudding, crepes, salad, fruit, carved ham, lunch items and much more.  It's one of the best brunches in town.

It is a little more expensive than some other brunches in town, but it really is worth it and you can also order the brunch without the mimosa/bloody mary bar and order drinks a-la-carte.  But if you drink at last three, it's worth it to go bottomless.  They also have tasty add-ins like raspberry and mango nectar that make these drinks really awesome.

Don't just go for brunch though, you will have a great meal any time of day at Americana.  They have a separate gluten-free menu and the braised short ribs are amazing.

The atmosphere is fancy enough for a date-night or night out with friends, but certainly bring the family along too!  They have a great kids menu.

J. Benjamins

That dreaded moment on date-night when you get the phone call 20 minutes into your meal that the kid is sick and you have to go home.  Ugh....This is how out latest visit to J. Benjamin's on Franklin Ave. in Des Moines went.  


It had been so long since we'd gotten over to this little diamond of an american/italian restaurant that is always busy, but always able to get us a table for two.  A really romantic place for a date-night.


We were so sad to cut our delicious meal short.  It started out great with the most delicious loaded baked potato soup.  The consistency was more like mashed potatoes actually and was fantastic.  The seasoning was just right.  


I was a little disappointed that they were out of gluten-free pasta this night since I had a wonderful pasta dish with gf pasta on my last visit and was looking forward to that.  So if you want gf pasta, I suggest you call the day before to make sure they'll have some in stock.  

They did redeem themselves though with my main course of cheesy stuffed chicken breast with half  alfredo and half marinara sauce over potatoes (instead of pasta).  It was even great reheated since we had to leave approximately 20 seconds after our meals hit the table. =)

We totally recommend J. Benjamin's for a date-night or special occasion family meal.  Great food, friendly staff and nice atmosphere.  Try it out!

Hangin' out at the Corner Cafe

Katie and I got to have breakfast together at the Corner Cafe last week.  Corner Cafe is on 100th street in Urbandale and has been around for just a few years now.  

It's fun when we get to try new paces together!  I had been there a while ago, but it was Katie's first visit.  

There were plenty of seats available on a Tuesday morning, and the waitresses were friendly and attentive.  We both had bacon and eggs and I ordered a half portion of the breakfast special which included the hugest mound of hash browned potatoes I had ever seen on one plate.  And that was the half order!  

Katie's hubby also joined us and said the breakfast burrito was really good.  He even joined us late and his order was brought out quickly.

The lunch menu was also recommended by a friend.  They serve a variety of soups, salads and sandwiches and the portions are huge!  Comfort food for sure with items like hot roast beef sandwich's and chicken & noodles over mashed potatoes.  

The back wall is adorned with photos of various visitors.  It was fun to pick out the famous diners and guess who the others may have been.  

There aren't a ton of options in that area for a good breakfast since Stella's in the same vicinity closed a while back, so Corner Cafe is a nice addition.

We'll certainly be back for breakfast and surely to try lunch!  Any recommendations of what to order next visit?

Get Social!

The Des Moines Social Club kicked off it's new location with bang last week.  They hosted a party named "Food For Thought" and a BBQ catered by Woody's Smoke Shack (Yum), a fancy dinner, pole sliding, mural painting, tours and wall demolition were all part of the festivities.

The old firehouse will be home to the DMSC and there are a ton of fun things to do in store for everyone!  Check out this calendar of events, it has everything from dance parties to martial arts classes to parents night out!  The new venue will have culinary classes too!  

They are still operating in their current location on Walnut street and hosting events around town, like trivia on Tuesday's at the Gas lamp while the construction occurs.

I was too chicken to slide down the pole, look at how high that is!  But, I had a great time pretending while drinking my beer!


What an awesome way to get out and meet people, learn something new and have a good time.  The Des Moines Social Club does a lot for the community and by participating you are helping to support them.

Look for theatrical events, concerts parties, classes and more @ http://desmoinessocialclub.org. You are sure to find something you'll like.

Smokey D's

So, we stepped out of our BBQ comfort zone, and tried Smokey D's.  Our go-to BBQ joint is usually Woody's Smoke Shack and we love it.  Smokey D's has three locations in the area including downtown which is a hot lunch spot.  We'd heard rave reviews, so we needed to try it out. 

We went to the one on NW 2nd st in Des Moines.  This place is big!  We were able to find a table right away on a Saturday night even though there was a line at the counter to order.  The line went fast and the food didn't take too long to reach out table and there was plenty of it. 

They had a good kids meal selection and the restaurant was pretty kid-friendly in general. You can find the menu here.  They prices were reasonable and the restaurant was clean.

The meats were good but maybe a little dry.  We appreciated the plethora off sauces at the table though and that helped.  My favorite part of the meal was the sides actually.  The potato casserole was addictive.  And the tater chips were wonderfully seasoned.  

We were too full for desert, but they have mini cherry and peach pie bites that looked adorable and we'll be back to try those.  All-in-all we had a good, prompt meal in a family-friendly environment. Do you have a favorite meal at Smokey D's?

Olympic Flame

Greek food is fantastic.  I could live on Greek dressing and tzatziki sauce alone.  Ok, maybe not....But it's soooo good!

Right next to one of my favorite sushi restaurants, is one of my favorite Greek restaurants.  The Olympic Flame is located right on Grand Ave near Quintons and Miyabi 9 in the East Village area of Des Moines.  There usually isn't a wait at lunch time even though they certainly have regulars that keep the restaurant hopping.

Our waitress told us that they do nearly no advertising because they have such a loyal following.  They've been at this location for 25 years and Owner/Chef Angelo Ligdis brings his authentic recipes from his home town of Olympia, Greece.

The restaurant is very causal but cozy.  You can't go wrong with anything on the menu.  Try a gyro and some baklava.  The house-made dressing is fabulous and everything is made with lots of fresh veggies.  Try a sandwich platter that includes a salad and fries for only $8.75.  They don't have a dedicated kids menu, but my kid loves the pita bread and grilled cheese sandwiches.  I love the marinated grilled chicken in any dish.

They even have belly-dancers every Friday night from 7-8pm!  Check it out for a quick lunch or for a casual dinner.