Mr Filet Steak House

My husband has been raving about the gyros at Mr. Filet in downtown Des Moines.  In case you can't find it, look under the parking garage at 7th street.

Mr. Filet is open for breakfast and lunch and I have to say it's pretty good.  They serve items cafeteria style.  You walk up, order off the menu and they prepare your meal as you move down the line and retrieve your drink.

Items are pretty inexpensive.  Especially breakfast!  About $5 will get you an omelet, french toast or even pancakes.

Lunches are reasonable too.  Steaks are well-seasoned and come with a choice of potato and garlic bread.  You aren't going to get grass-fed beef here, but, you are going to eat some tasty food and not leave hungry.

The gyro was good!  Not quite an Olympic Flame gyro, but good!  Well, spiced meat, but the tzatziki sauce was a little bland today.  Josh said that's not the norm though.  The fries were hot and crispy on the outside and was overall a great meal.

BUT, you're going to have to get here soon if you want to try it!  The owner said he is going out of business at the end of the year!  They are tearing down the building he is in and he says he's ready to retire anyway.

Get in here soon to try it for yourself.  But ladies, this is definitely a guy-run joint, use the restroom at home or work before you come here....It's a little high on the sketch level.

Cool Basil for Hot Thai food!

I have been totally impressed with the Thai restaurants in the area.  Cafe Fuzion and King & I are usually my go-to places.   I had gone to Cool Basil a few times in the past and Cafe Fuzion's Pad See Ew and King & I's Yellow Chicken Curry seemed to win out for a while.

BUT, my friend Staci suggested Cool Basil in West Des Moines for a girl's night out last week and I'm so glad that she did!  Best Pad Thai in town hands down.  Not overly greasy and not too heavy on the fish sauce like some other places in the area tend to make it.  I found myself craving it again the next day.  I resisted <sigh>...

We started out with the appetizer sampler and it was good.  Heavy on the fried items, but good if that's what you're going for.  I would have liked to see fresh Summer Rolls (rice paper w/rice noodles and veggies) like at King & I, but the sauces that came with were tasty as well.

I really liked the choices on the kids menu.  If your kid isn't ultra-picky, there are some great, affordable choices.


The restaurant has a cozy feel that makes for a great place for a date-night, friends-night or family dinner.  

I also appreciated some of the unique menu items like Pumpkin Curry and Basil Scallops.  Can't wait to try those!

As the sign points out, they have a sushi happy-hour on Monday and Tuesday evenings too.  The service is friendly and appropriately paced for a busy restaurant.  

I was super impressed with this visit and will certainly be back to try some more dishes.  This is one of the more popular Asian restaurants in town for a reason!  Good job Cool Basil!

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Fun at The Farmer's Market

The Farmer's Markets in town kicked off their seasons this week!  It might have been a chilly start, but better weather is in sight!  If you want the freshest local produce, prepared food and specialty items, the Farmer's Market is where to get them.  

How awesome is it that we have such great Farmer's Markets in the area.  Where else can you find such a wide variety of ethnic delicacies alongside the best of Iowa.  The Downtown Des Moines market is the largest one, followed by the Valley Junction one.  It's wonderful because Downtown includes Breakfast burritos, breakfast pizza, pasties along with BBQ, Indian, Moroccan, Bosnian (and many more!) delights for lunch.  Valley Junction will take care of your dinner and you can buy the baked goods and pastries to take him for breakfast the next day!

Two of my "must haves" at the market are 1. A cutlet form Saloo's India (a potato cake filled with meat or veggies-gluten free) 2. A breakfast burrito or bowl from Farm Boys. YUM! 

Oh, and of course it's not all about the food.  Vendors also have handmade items of all kinds like clothing, jewelry, soap, decorations and much more.


Here is a list and info from their websites for some of the larger local ones.  Check your town to see if they host one too. I know Waukee, Johnston and many others have them too!


Ames: Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 12 noon Starting May 4 

Fresh fruits, veggies, meats & breads. Hand crafted goods. Family entertainment. The Ames Main Street Farmers' Market has it all!  www.amesmainstreetfarmersmarket.com

Ankeny: 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays beginning May 18. Uptown Ankeny. The Uptown Ankeny Farmer's Market vendors provide a wide variety of products to the public. In the past, the market has seen everything from fresh seasonal produce, home-made baked goods, specialty food items, BBQ cooked on-site, perennial plants, hand-made items, and much more.www.uptownankeny.org.

Downtown Des Moines:   7am-noon (8am-noon in Oct.) Support local agriculture and buy direct from Iowa farmers while shopping the Downtown Farmers’ Market – presented by UnityPoint Health – Des Moines. The Downtown Farmers’ Market presents Iowa producers from 51 counties across Iowa, offering fresh fruit, vegetables and so much more. You’ll find fresh herbs, beautiful flowers, farm fresh eggs, local wineries, a delicious assortment of goat cheese, an endless selection of baked goods, and many varieties of Iowa raised meat such as beef, pork, chicken, lamb, buffalo, ostrich, and tilapia. http://desmoinesfarmersmarket.com

Southridge Mall: Mondays 3:30 to 6:30pm, Meet us in the parking lot North of Sears every Monday for fresh produce, yummy treats and MUCH MORE! http://www.shopsouthridgemall.com/events/Details/164417?startDate=4%2F13%2F2013

West Des Moines: 4-8 p.m. Thursdays, Valley Junction. Farmers Market is home to over 100 weekly vendors selling fresh produce, baked goods, plants and flowers, arts and crafts and prepared foods. Join your friends and neighbors. www.valleyjunction.com.

South Union Bread

If you're in the mood for a soup, salad or sandwich on the freshest bread ever, stop by South Union Bread Cafe.  It's right on Locust street downtown, next to Centro.  This is Chef George Formaro's lunchtime cafe and it shows in the quality of the ingredients. 

The lunch rush can be busy but the line moves pretty fast.  They are open from 11-2 Monday-Friday and is a hot spot among downtown employees.

They have a huge salad bar and the bread is baked fresh daily.   They also do brown bag lunches and platters which you can order online and pick up in a separate line when you get there to beat the crowd.

You can't go wrong with just about anything you order.  The soup is hot, the potato salad is addictive and the sandwich meats are all fantastic.  

Whether you need a new idea for your next office lunch, or just want to try something new, check out South Union Bread Cafe for lunch.

Free Summer Bowling for Kids!

Have you heard about the Kids Bowl Free program?  All around the country, you can register your kids (15 and under) to get 2 free games of bowling, every day, all summer long.  

Just go HERE to find the bowling alley closest to you and get your kid registered.  Just remember that your vouchers will only be good at the location that you register at, so choose wisely.

In Des Moines, you can choose from Air Lanes, Bowlerama Lanes, Plaza Lanes or Warrior Lanes in Waukee.  There are also locations in Ames and Norwalk.

BTW: It will give you the the option to purchase an adult pass for $24.95 to use for the summer, but if you'd rather not do that, just click the "no thanks" button.  You can purchase one game at a time for adults.

That's it. Log-in to your account every weeks to print your free games coupons.  Have fun!

Ps. shoe rentals rates do apply.  You can also purchase a summer pass for that or just pay by the day.

Tumea & Sons

If you live in Des Moines, you've most likely been to (or at least heard of) Tumea & Sons on the South Side.

Tumeas is your local, family-owned and operated Italian/American restaurant where you are going to get good comfort food at reasonable prices.

We started out our meal with a shrimp cocktail that was very nice.  Large shrimp that were pretty fresh tasting since it's of course tough to get good seafood in Iowa.  Josh had onion rings that were awesome.  A heaping portion, light battered and so good. The house salad dressing was creamy and tangy.  Very good.  

On the menu you'll find lots of pasta specials, filet, chicken parm, chicken or steak de burgo, salads and more.  I ordered a filet that was seasoned just perfectly and Josh ordered the special which was a stuffed green pepper with spaghetti.  The "stuffing" was almost like a meatball and was very good.  Our friend ordered a huge salad with grilled chicken that looked really good as well.


The Tumeas take great pride in their restaurant and are happy to chat and make sure your meal is great.  


For a family dinner or date-night choose Tumeas and see what all the rage is about.  Check out their daily lunch specials too!  Tumeas isn't too far from Principal Park so you can scoot over for lunch and be back to work in under an hour if you work downtown.

They even have bocci ball court in back of the restaurant and you can join their league!

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.