Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: des moines, fine dining, food, Food Critics, George Formaro, Greater Des Moines Restaurant Week, Iowa State Fair, Jack Bauer, Jim Duncan, Misunderstandings, Nom Nom Nom, Relish, servers, show tunes, Three's Company, vegan banh mi, vegetarian, Wednesday
Yesterday we saw what has amounted to DeMo’s culinary version of a U.S. invasion of Canada, via Twitter and This Here Blog. The main players, myself and DH, have since called a truce seeing as it was just all a big misunderstanding (kinda like an episode of Three’s Company or a Genesis Song).
See, eveything always works out in the end!
The drama which ensued was rather unfortunate and some things were said that can’t be taken back by either side, but I believe we can let that water just pass on under the bridge called teamwork. We will be putting together a dining event in the near future, and I assure you that everyone wins at this event. Even you poor rubbernecking types who insist on competition over collaboration.
As a self-professed expert in Soy products and vegan/vegetarian food (I have dedicated most of the last 10 years of my life working to improve vegetarian options/food/dining) I felt a little slighted by the recent Relish article on soy foods, as should other notable vegetarian/vegan/raw foods chefs in DeMo. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Mike Yamamoto and George Formaro, two refreshing pillars of excellence and integrity in the chef world , but they are not the only players in the soy game. For the second month in a row, Relish, you have outdone yourself. Will it be three?
Oh yes! Restaurant Week is coming (August 20 to August 29)…only now the name has changed to the Greater Des Moines Restaurant Week. What are you going to be doing for restaurant week, my little diners? Will you be taking advantage of this event to find new regular spots to dine, or will you be doing what a seeming majority do and just show up for a one-shot prix fixe dinner and never return again? I believe the point of this is to showcase local restaurants and to maybe influence/change the dining out habits of the masses. Admittedly it is a great deal, especially in this continuing Time Of Economic Trouble, but far to many people treat this as a cheap-o coupon-date night out. Choose your dining spots wisely, visit all that you can, and return for regular dining. That is what every restaurant taking part is hoping for. And don’t forget to take care of your server! Menus are being posted online now….
*A Message To Restaurants* Ensure you are properly staffed for Restaurant week. Diners will be expecting not only top notch food, but also the service to accompany.
Things I would like to see during restaurant week: Food education seminars, cooking classes/demonstrations, a meet and greet event with all of the top local chefs, a “Waiting Tables” simulator to be used as punishment for unruly customers, and a step towards really furthering local dining. It is all feasible, except that simulator…although any of you tech folks out there are more than welcome to start working towards its realization.
Another Local Culinary Event/Tradition starts next week…on a stick. Yes, it is time again for Games, Gluttony, Gawking, and a little dash of Vanilla(Ice…although I prefer Ton Loc). I speak of the Iowa State Fair (Aug 12-22). You don’t need me to tell you about what is going on there…
And one more thing…I will be hosting a Birthday Ride tonight at Mullet’s (1300 SE 1st Street) beginning at 5 ish. You don’t need a bike (bicycle, not motorcycle), but we will be leaving around 6:30 is to ride south to the Cumming Tap via Orlondo’s, some trail stops, and maybe even the Pink House. Come meet up for some libations and to celebrate me marching ever so closer to the age my writing attitude portrays. This is open to real-life friends, interweb friends (a great time to become real-life friends), and even my frickin enemies(no weapons please!) Everyone is welcome! See you tonight!
Get em, Birthday Cat
Happy Birthday To Me,
The Cook
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Locally Grown 
Happy birthday!
I love Restaurant Week because the menus are a little more adventurous. It’s nice to see something a little different from the standards. If I like the restaurant at what I’d guess is the top of their game, I go back.
Comment by alexson 2010/08/04 @ 6:11 pmDrat I will miss Restaurant Week by 3 days 😦
Good luck with the simulator…reminds me of an old co-worker who used to profess that in order to be able to eat out without supervision every adult should have to work for at least one month in “the business”.
Happy Birthday to you…mine is 9 days away!
Comment by Chris 2010/08/04 @ 6:20 pmAnd a happy early birthday to you, my friend! I think restaurant week will be great, and I will be taking advantage of it fully, when I am not working of course.
Comment by locallygrown 2010/08/04 @ 7:18 pmThis is my first time to visit your blog and I would say you share nice information.
I will surely bookmark your blog.
Thank you for sharing.
Comment by Hoster 2010/08/04 @ 6:33 pmNot rubbernecking, just loving a little drama and audience participation. Have you ever been to an open poetry reading? ZZZZZZZZ. Have you ever been to an open poetry slam? Way fun. The idea is to get a handful of audience participants* to rate the poem, and say why they gave it a particular rating. Fun part is that the audience then rates the rater, with good natured cheers and boos. It’s very fun.
* not “illustrious” critic types, by the way….it’s about “man/woman-on-the-street” responses.
Consider it.
And what do you think of the idea of NOT doing this for charity. Like I say, if you do it for charity, it’s going to get expensive for the diner….and you may not get a great cross-section of DSM diners …
Comment by la bonne femme 2010/08/04 @ 6:44 pmPS: Happy Birthday, Leo….It’s also the b-day of one of our finest contemporary artists: http://www.allanmccollum.net/allanmcnyc/
Comment by la bonne femme 2010/08/04 @ 6:47 pmIt’s also the Birthday of our President. My day is actually tomorrow, the 5th, but we will celebrate tonight on into tomorrow.
I was not referring to you in the judge (I have seen far, far, far less qualified individuals act as culinary judge) or rubbernecker comments, I have been getting a lot of email, twitter, and text message feedback on this challenge…and most just want to see a spectacle. I still stand firmly on collaboration vs. competition. For Now. There may be a way to do a competition style situation…
I HAVE been to an open poetry reading, but there were cocktails and it ended up being pretty exciting. Ended up with Poets reading from stalls in the mens room at a hall at Austin Peay University in Clarksville, TN. Good Times.
Comment by locallygrown 2010/08/04 @ 7:13 pmI love restaurant week!
Comment by trehops 2010/08/05 @ 9:38 pmHappy Birthday!