Filed under: Local Food Commentary | Tags: a-holes, Banh Mi, Bathory, black friday, datebook diner, des moines, downtown, local, Relish
Here it is, the yin to T-day’s yang, the number one shopping day of the year and the most ironically placed “holiday” on our current holiday calendar (A day of thanks followed by a day of trampling strangers in the name of greed or giving). I know that most of you celebratorians of the Turkey probably think that whatever you ate yesterday will carry you through the rigors of draining your holiday savings today, but you are kinda sorta wrong. At some point today you are going to feel a little bonk from all those laps around Mal-Wart waiting for those timed specials to drop and you are going to need some real food.
Black Friday Post-Thanksgiving Meal Group Depository
I urge you to either stop in at a local eatery for a bite of lunch or a small snack, or to pack a sandwich or similar portable item to take with you along the road to bargain shopping. I know, this is all information you could have used YESTERDAY. I understand.
With all of that said, I hope that if you are out in the Thunderdome we call Black Friday you are being safe and exercising compassion towards others. I have already read via Twitter of a few people being trampled early this morning and of security guards having to use force to keep crowds in check. Come on, people. Even though this is a tough time for finances and you want to get the most for what dollars you have to spend, don’t drive up health care costs by injuring other people. Next thing you know the Insurance Industry will recognize the danger of Black Friday shopping and require special insurance coverage for just that day, sort of like flood or fire insurance. Then saving a little money off your LCD TV turns into more national debt, as the less fortunate who are currently receiving Medicare or Medicaid will benefit most from the sales on Black Friday, but the government will have to pay a higher premium to insure those people for said day. It’s not that far fetched, and my speculation here put into the wrong hands may be the butterfly effect that pushes this insurance nonsense forward.
But I digress.
This year our Lovely Datebook Diner, formerly known here as She Who Shall Not Be Named, compiled a list of restaurants which have closed during her twelve year tenure at the super awesome Des Moines Register. Since that list was released, so were a few more eateries released from the hands of their owners. One of the closings that has been buzzing on my Twitter Feed (sounds like a very inappropriate gathering) is the closing of none other than Ban Thai (normally I would list the contact info here, but they are closed), a Thai restaurant in the southern quadrant of the DMZ’s East Village. I used to frequent this spot often, and have a really wicked scar on my left leg from a bicycle accident/failed attempt to make it to Ban Thai in time for lunch service. I never did make it there for lunch that day, and now there will forever be a void where those vegetable spring rolls once occupied. Rumor has it that the food had gone way down hill over the last few months before its final demise, and I had noticed the parking lot growing emptier during my travels through that neighborhood. The owners had been shopping around for a new location (rumor has it that it was to be located in a vacated 4th street dining spot), and some people had been trying to sell off the Ban Thai business for about a year. Well, all problems aside, you are missed, Ban Thai. Sorry you had to make “The List.”
Another rumor has dropped that A-dong (1511 High Street,Des Moines, IA 50309 515-284-5632) has decided to throw their hat into the Banh Mi circle. You may remember this Vietnamese sandwich from such moments as the Banh Mi Craze of Summer ’10, and from numerous articles written by your various food critics (and myself). A-dong will be selling these happy little sandwiches in to-go form only from a cold case. I am really excited to see what the A-dong Banh Mi will entail, I have been a fan of that place for years and pass by it every day on the way to Cafe Di Scala, where we have been known to devour our share of Banh Mi. Banh Mi. I am not sure when A-dong will officially drop their sandwiches, but rest assured you will be kept posted.
OH yeah, I still haven’t wrapped my tiny brain around how to address this Relish issue. Maybe Monday.
Well, folks, I am off to Iowa City for the weekend for some New Pioneer Co-op sandwiches to enjoy the Jingle Cross Rock cyclocross festivities. Maybe I will see you there.
The Cook
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: A-dong, Andrew Meek, Banh Mi, cafe di scala, chefs, datebook diner, des moines, dining, downtown, fine dining, Food Blogs, Food Critics, Hal Jasa, Jack Bauer, Jim Duncan, local, questions
Yesterday LG covered the aftermath of what is currently Our Fair City’s “Defining Moment of International Culinary Capacity,” the Adam Emmenecker Sandwich challenge as sort-of-tackled by Travel Channel star and Slop Jockey Adam Richman. In the end what/who tackled what/who was lost in the fray of yet another ploy to illicit the help of the city’s “Food Press” to further the global acknowledgement of our locavore-istas and the chef-driven local food scene here in Iowa. We heard from the Food Dude (via my facebook account, you can “friend me” there for more musings.) regarding his dealings with food television producers, and the Illustrious Datebook Diner, who was as inquisitive as ever. Let’s see if we can turn back time and find a way to cull forth her comment…(The following is in no way an attack on DD, but since she summed up many good points in her comment, this is happening.)
[rubs magic jaunty light fixture]
La Bonne Femme: Well, maybe there’s an adverse connection between our “gluttonous portion lack of control” and the finesse/precision/creativity of our cuisine. When quantity is valued over quality, bi-coastal food scouts aren’t going to pay much attention.
I see the point, but quantity is valued over quality in every city around the country, in one restaurant or another. Food Scouts go either to the “Big 5,” NYC, SF, LA, PDX, CHI, or to Places Of Interest As Promoted By Said Places Of Interest. You have to create a “buzz” or “rattle” around your food scene to get noticed, especially in a small market such as Des Moines. This is where the “credibility” of the actual print press can come in handy, hence the call to um…arms? pens? You get the point.
Also, on the chef-driven local food scene, what can you get here that you can’t find at good restaurants in many places? What makes DSM stand out? Lots of cities in the country lie close to agricultural abundance….
All True, except that Iowa is supposed to be the Agricultural Center of this Tootsie Pop we call America. How many licks will it take to get to the center? Huh?
it’s what chefs do with the goods that makes news.
Yes, but it is really what the NEWS WRITERS do with the news of what the chefs are doing with the goods that makes a difference. News is just marketing with a little more credibility in this equation, so get out there and spread the words. There are chefs that are kicking some culinary ass around here, and they aren’t getting the due that they deserve. This is a problem. You can’t get noticed if your head is buried in the sand. Just ask any ostrich.
Don’t get me wrong–I love the food scene here, but I just wonder what you think would be worth the country’s attention, as in, You HAVE to go to Des Moines to eat at __________.
(I have an answer, but you go first.)
Ok, I will go first. In fact, the first draft of yesterday’s nonsense-a-thon included a list. Here is another version of it, in not much of an order:
- Alba
- Cafe Di Scala
- Azalea
- Baru 66
- The entire Asian Cuisine phenomenon (I realize this is not a restaurant)
- Lincoln Cafe
There are many others, but I am on a time constraint here.
Here is MY point: The writers of Juice, the Register, Cityview, and all other major news outlet type things: Please listen to what I am saying here. I, along with many local chefs and restaurateurs, implore you to use your influence and maybe a little of your free time to lift up the Food Scene. Help elevate it to the “next level” by working with other media outlets, in other cities, to form some kind of partnership…and maybe, now that we have our proverbial foot in television’s door, we can let the world know what is happening in the great city of Des Moines.
Yep.
The Cook
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: a-holes, datebook diner, des moines, dining, Holiday Road, hugs, Jack Bauer, questions, some other stuff.
We stand here this crisp and sunny Monday morning looking to the East, soaking in the beautiful, inspiring sunrise cresting the skyline, then to the horizon West, where October stands ready to bring us the cool of fall, the threat of snow, and the beginning of the Holiday Season. For many this time of year marks the start of family gatherings, team sports watching with friends (and all their fantasy equivalents), teaching their children holiday traditions, warm apple cider, pie, presents, and a good reason to re-decorate their houses each month with new holiday themes, including a dazzling light show.
Another Issue To Debate...Global Warming Due To Holiday Lighting.
For some people, it’s even a good time to just invent new holidays (because you can’t have enough holidays during the holiday season). For those who have decided to make the plunge into non-meat-eating waters it is also a time to educate family on what constitutes a Vegan or Vegetarian lifestyle. For many of you within that realm, it adds to the stress of the season. Gone are the days when you could just show up at family dinner and eat, eat, eat. Now there is a little worry that goes with your meal, and beyond the scope of uncomfortable family discussion moments.
The Royal We here at Locally Grown understand this plight, as your Kinda Humble Cook spent his Vegan years returning home to Mother Cook’s house for holidays to find her stocked up on bananas and animal crackers, and tempting me with meatloaf. This was all in good nature, of course, but I have also been to holiday dinners with friends (who were also VEG), only to be berated for being Veg, or even worse been secretly fed tainted food only to find out minutes later while running to the bathroom. I would like to think these mistakes were out of lack of knowledge than spite, and to narrow that margin of Holiday Dinner error for you all this year, I would like to open a discussion with you tens of readers as to how you have educated your families, how you can better educate your families, and MY NUMBER ONE GOAL which is how we can all get along and celebrate together, without arguing, name-calling, and without leaving people out of the celebration because of their dietary convictions.
I will start this discussion with a short list of
Top ? Reasons/Ways To Culinarily Coexist With Others
- Sharing IS Caring – Sharing is the reason for the holiday season, or so I am told. Learning from each other and sharing in the foods of your veg-minded friend/family member is a great way to show you care about their lives.
- Exclusion is NOT caring – Giving someone the “here’s some beans, that’s all we have for you.” line is not caring. If you don’t know how to prepare, or don’t care to prepare, proper food for your Veg guest, encourage them to bring a dish or two for themselves, and for other people to try. I personally have always had better luck just bringing my own Vegan dishes to family dinners, and having enough on hand for the adventurous diners to try (and sometimes to completely finish off).
- Quit name calling. I once went to a girlfriend’s family Thankgrubbing meal out in the country. I brought my tofu-stuffing casserole thing (which has been discontinued), and many of the family members on hand at least tried a bite, some of them actually ate whole portions. Everything was going well until the Drunk Uncle decided to start questioning my sexuality because of my Veg tendencies. Totally uncalled for, and spoke more of DU’s own personal struggles, but this is not totally uncommon. If you don’t like the fact that someone chooses not to eat meat, just fucking deal with it. You don’t need to be an asshole about it, unless you are being attacked by one of those “Preachy Vegans“
That’s enough for now. Please, allow yourselves to share any stories or tips or to please ask questions. The royal We are more than happy to answer question.
On to some Monday News:
I hereby declare that the DSM Register, Juice, Cityview, and Metromix sites need to be made more user friendly. How am I supposed to complain about their content if I can’t even get to it?
In last week’s Datebook, a certain somebody extolled the virtues of the Baked Cavatelli from Ranallo’s in Ankeny. (I would link this, but see above note). What the Certain Somebody did not state is that those home-made noodles were made in the home of Cafe Di Scala, as are the cavatelli from Centro. I know that Pete Ranallo’s Cav dish is delicious, and I love you guys, but maybe the food press could give credit/do their research a little bit better.
I, without announcement, took the last week off from Locally Grown. I would like to apologize, and to give you an explanation. I built a new bike, and rode the crap out of it. Honestly, I didn’t really feel like writing anyway. I think the Seasonal Laziness Syndrome might be kicking in a little early!
I awoke from a wicked dream this morning, remembering only that I had shaved off my beard and somehow smoooshed a chihuahua by rolling over in my sleep. Neither one of these events happened, but I am still reeling from the perceived experience.
Yep, time to get back to riding. Enjoy this wonderful day.
The Cook
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Cats, chris Diebel, Cumming Tap, datebook diner, Food Blogs, Food Critics, Gateway Market Cafe, George Formaro, Iowa State Fair, show tunes, Sophia Ahmad, Storms, Taco Tuesday, Vegan, vegetarian
Happy Tuesday, all…or as I like to call it “The Day I Finally Forget Last Thursday.” This is usually my grumpiest day of the week (well, at least the grumpiest day of the week I am allowed in public). This morning was a little different than other Tuesday mornings…or so it seemed…
(Note to Michael Libbe: Maybe if you have me return to your show, we should try it on a Tuesday. I would probably be at the normal rumored level of grumpiness)
So I wake up and realize that the bedroom temperature has bottomed out at around 60 degrees, and even wrapped up in a down comforter the shivers could not be shaken. (I have strategically placed window air units in the Pink House, which was built in 1886…a few years before the cool sins of central air were felt. One of them is thigh-high and four feet from my bed.) The heat-oppression of the past few days has kept me running to turn the air colder and colder. ok, you get it. It was cold. (tangental modulation) I walk out into the kitchen heat-wave to turn on my daily NPR soundtrack and feed my Editor and the World’s Second-Most Storm Shy Dog. I check on the prep for Taco Tuesday (which I am serving my new recipe Vegan Chorizo tacos on hand made corn tortillas with cortida, a Salvadorian slaw…or you can have the braised pork tacos which I also made…at the Cumming Tap [117 N 44th St. Cumming, Iowa 50061] tonight from 4 until 10ish. A good chance to try out my cooking for the uninitiated. Yes, I can put my money where my mouth is, but tacos are much better tasting and contain 100% less contaminates. Come out to the Tap tonight for tacos!) All temperatures checked out, and I thought it about time to have a little sample of my new soy chorizo recipe. Excellent, it turned out even better than I had hoped. So far this is playing out like that Ice Cube song. So fast forward a little to my first Twitter check of the day. What do I see?
(From Twitter)
@GatewayMarket will serve vegan fair-inspired food. From @DatebookDiner: http://is.gd/ebAvW
Sounds good, as I am in the mood for both the State Fair and some Vegan food, so I click on the link. It takes you to the blog of our Illustrious Datebook Diner, . This is what it held:
(From the Datebook Diner Blog)
More from Christopher Diebel [Orchestrate Information/Marketing administerer- ed.]. It seems that Gateway Market is going to offer vegan fair food at the market (not the fair)….I suppose it’s a way for vegans to not feel left out. Anyway, this is by no means an endorsement [good call, DD], but here’s the info, from Diebel:
In honor of the Iowa State Fair, Gateway Market will feature three vegetarian takes on classic fair staples. From August 11-22, café patrons can try a vegetarian gyro, tenderloin, or grinder for $7.50 (includes fries). Chef George Formaro and his culinary team have been working on these unique recipes for weeks and can’t wait to debut them for the 2010 fair season. Please see full descriptions below:
- Seitan Gyro– Seasoned slices of seitan with yogurt sauce, onion, tomato, feta cheese and shredded lettuce on Gateway flatbread.
- Iowas Best Tenderloin– Breaded and fried veggie patty on an South Union egg bun with pickles, onion and tomato.
- State Fair Veggie Grinder– Seasoned tempeh sausage, secret sauce and mozzarella cheese on South Union hoagie bun.
**Each served with fries for $7.50 during lunch and dinner.
Seems kind of suspicious…Egg Bun, Yogurt, Feta and Mozzarella Cheese. These items are not Vegan, but they ARE Vegetarian. For those of you who are not sure of the difference between the two here is the lowdown, in my words:
A person who practices Veganism or is a Vegan subsists on a diet solely of vegetable-based foods, taking special care not to purchase, wear, or ingest any animal based products. Simplified, a Vegan does not eat any meat, dairy, fish, or egg products and does not wear any leather or other animal hides.
This differs from a Vegetarian in that Vegetarians may choose to eat eggs (ovo-) or dairy products (Lacto-), and some do not shy away from wearing animal hides.
So what has happened here, besides some very lackluster menu item naming, is that somewhere along the line (and I am pretty sure it wasn’t the Gateway Market kitchen or Chef Formaro) someone got their facts a little futzed up, leading to a widely dispersed mis-information bomb. When Vegans hear about something culinarily new, it’s exciting and they will get our there and try it…and if this “new thing” is disappointing, they will make sure all of their friends know about the problem. When you start throwing around the word Vegan when you clearly don’t know (or seem to care) what you are talking about, people’s feelings and stomachs get hurt (try eating dairy after abstaining for a few years…it’s not pretty), not to mention the hurt put on the trust for the restaurant in question.
So, I will leave it to you, the reader, to peruse through the chain of information presented and make your decision as to where the breakdown happened. (hint: listen for the chugga chugga part and watch for kids in khaki shorts, running shoes, and straight edge t-shirts to start spin-kicking)
This was all meant to be a word of warning to the makers, advertisers, and devourers of Vegan foods out there. You have to really watch what goes in to not only the food, but the words describing it. Please, take care to learn about Vegan and Vegetarian and present them properly. The Veg-Heads out there insist on/deserve it.
Grumpily Yours,
The Cook.
Don’t forget to come out for some tacos and to share some of my cooking. Most of you out there only know me from the words emanating from the interschweb. Let us fix that problem!
Tomorrow night there is a State Fair bike ride from Orlondo’s on Park Ave to The Cumming Tap starting at 6 pm. I will be there, you should be too. Or show up after the parade.
Yeah, I haven’t figured out the connection between today supposedly being different from other Tuesdays and this article either. In fact, it is a pretty stock Tuesday so far. I would have to say it was a good day...
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: datebook diner, forks, iron maiden, wednesday gripes
Grumpy, rainy Wednesdays do nothing for creativity. My sheepish dog has been up panting all night due to the thunderstorm, and that pizza pinwheel roll I ate at 11pm is causing more harm than help. So…here it comes, the “One And Done Wednesday Gripes Awards.”
First off, a “well known food editor” (only known as “R”) and friend of our Illustrious Datebook Diner posed a question regarding keeping his fork during a fine dining meal and whether Des Moines is the only city this in which happens. DD states that even though our “R” friend has been in Our Fair City for an adequate time to understand its workings (and being a FOOD EDITOR should probably heighten his awareness of its restaurantly ways), that she still needs to explain how things work in the DSM. Balderdash! You can’t figure out why your fork is being stranded at your wrist-side as its companion plates and other silver are whisked off to the dish pit? (Fine dining, fork replaced at each course. Who left it behind? Was it a server?) Ok. You win. Another victory for Des Moines Food Critique-ist Elite.
Secondly, I would like to say a big LOCALLY GROWN YOU’RE WELCOME to said Datebook Diner for being the catalyst for her Banh Mi discovery. Flipside, I would like to thank her for reviewing Lucky Dragon in last week’s datebook. That dining establishment desereves and received a nice write up. Now who’s next?
I received a weird comment on my Farmer’s market review that was labeled as spam but was a “ping back.” It seems some people on Twitter thought poorly of my take on a grumpy Saturday morning spent being jostled and jammed up by 30,000 market goers. I admit, huge fan of local food (duh), not a fan of crowds of 30,000. (I even get a little queasy during screenings of Iron Maiden’s “Rock In Rio” when the cameras pan out over that crowd of 180,000 screaming fans)
On a not-so-gripey note, I will be announcing a collabo with a local plant-raising facility next week. I look forward to working with them to bring readers some actual helpful information and something that reads less like the gossip collumn in US Weekly.
There are my Wednesday morning gripes, now excuse me while I go put some water in Bathory’s dish.
Also, check out the “Why Eat At A Chain Wednesday” feature over at
http://www.desmoinesisnotboring.com
Hmmphf,
The Cook
Locally Grown 
Filed under: Local Food Commentary, Total Rubbish, Uncategorized | Tags: Bathory, chefs, datebook diner, des moines, Food Critics, hugs, Joe Logsdon, La Mie, local, Winni-Gate
Note: This post was originally written on Thursday, but due to time constraints was not finished or posted. I am including the original post, but more of the story has unfolded…so now this is happening:
Wini-Gate part 1
Being inside the kitchen-sphere gives one a great insider view into the hearts and minds of those who have decided that they have what it takes to please the palates of the eating public. One of the common complaints from these hard working owners and chefs, after bad customers and slow business, is the dreaded Restaurant Reviewer. Cries of foul play, unfairness, favorites, and the like can escalate into the more-popular-than-you-would-think “well, if I see that so-and-so come into MY restaurant, I will just tell them to leave.” This is a comment that is generally prefaced by much drinking or similar shenanigans, and is always a tough talking empty threat…until now.
La Mie Owner Joe Logsdon ended what could be hundreds of years of threats of denial towards Reviewers this week with the shocking treatment of our very own Datebook Diner. DD and her Husband attempted to enjoy dinner at La Mie (Now that La Mie has purged itself of Le Jardin, which was a restaurant which served dinner in the La Mie spot and was owned by former Grand Piano Bistro chef Tag Grandgeorge), when they were met with the Brick Wall of Denial from Mr. Logsdon. To get the inside story on what happened you should read DD’s account of the event. My truncated version is this: Winni and her husband showed up very close to closing time, were met by owner Logsdon, and were turned away. I, for one, and pretty shocked at this brazen denial of not only someone who would like some food, but someone who’s opinion on food is generally trusted by the general public.
But does the general public (that means you) need to rely on the opinion of a few professional foodies, or are we ready to trust our digital peers?
Added Friday, Dec 3:
There has been much dicussion/argument regarding Wini-Gate as to who was right or wrong in this situation and I firmly stand on the side of Mr. Logsdon. I know that those of you who follow me on twitter were treated to a “you don’t know the whole story” while trying to argue for the DD’s valor, and I am sticking to my story. I WILL share the other side of this incident when and if I speak to the guy who reached down, grabbed his stuff, squeezed a little, and felt that pain that lets you know that you have cajones to fly that Mission Accomplished flag, Joe Logsdon. Joe, who may go down as a hero to anyone out there in the industry who wanted to treat their local food critic to a little bird watching.
Anyhoo, i suppose I should go earn a real living at my actual job. This will earn you all a special Saturday edition of Locally Grown, as we aim to stir the turd in the punch bowl until it is properly incorporated in the punch party we call the DMZ Dining Scene.
The Cook