Dishcrawl Bacon Battle

They say everything's better with bacon and last Sunday I set out to see if the old adage holds true. And let me tell you... it sure does.

I had the pleasure of spending my Sunday afternoon cruising around the East Village sampling some of the city's best bacon-tastic dishes.

If you haven't heard of Dishcrawl - its a fun foodcrawl that showcases some of Des Moines best local restaurants. The latest Dishcrawl was a Bacon Battle - a delicious competition I was happy to judge. We started things off with sweet and savory cupcakes from the fabulous ROGUEsweets. My favorite was the Jalo-payne-yo - topped with candied bacon. Oh candied bacon... where have you been all my life.

We moved on to one of my favorite stops of the day - AJ's on East Court. Come for the delicious drinks, stay for the friendliest bar staff around. My favorites were the Thanksgiving Dinner with Bakon Vodka and American Honey and the Sunday Brunch with Bakon Vodka, OJ and Cranberry.

After some delicious dogs at Capital Pub and Hotdog Co., we moved on to The Roof Top. A place I've been wanting to check out since I moved back to the city. The gorgeous rooftop patio felt like something out of a chic big-city scene and was the perfect backdrop for sweet and spicy bacon wrapped shrimp. Served on a bed of creamy coleslaw, it was the complete package of crunchy cool cabbage and hot tangy shrimp. Fantastic!

We ended things at Plain Talk Books for a BTL - with sweet maple bacon and crunchy griddled bread. The star of the show was the surprising Maple Bacon Latte. Bacon or not, one of the best coffee drinks I've ever had.

All in all, it was a pork-tastic way to explore some of the city's best spots.

Capital Pub and Hot Dog Co.

It's one of the most delicious holiday's of the year... National Hot Dog Day! With over a dozen specialty dogs, there's no better place to celebrate July 23 right.

I started things off with a summer favorite, Wheach from O'Fallon. A peachy wheat beer that's the perfect cold drink for our recent heat wave.

We decided to sample several appetizers - cheese balls, frickles and sweet potato fries. I've got to mention the sweet potato fries... and the marshmallow dipping sauce. It was like starting dinner with dessert... something I'm always a fan of.

I decided to try the Mobayashi dog - a juicy all beef hot dog tempura-fried dressed with spicy mayo, cream cheese, cucumber and topped with wasabi.

The searing heat of the wasabi was the first thing I tasted - followed by the rich tang of the cream cheese. From the first bite, I was hooked on the bold flavors.

I also sampled the Heart Attack - wrapped in bacon, fried and topped with cream cheese all on a steamed bun. I didn't want to like it... but I loved it. The crispy bacon was fantastic.

Although National Hot Dog Day only comes once a year, I'll definitely be back to Capital Pub and Hot Dog Co. soon!

Sunday in the Park - Baru 66 Bastille Day

This past Sunday, I grabbed a few great friends and headed to Windsor Heights to check out Baru 66 and La Bonne Femme's Bastille Day celebration. Sunday in the Park featured French grilled meats with traditional sides, crepes and ice cream.

We started things off with a glass of summer sangria. Red wine sweetened with fresh peaches and blackberries was the perfect way to begin the evening.

Food was served buffet style - starting with the sides. Tomato basil salad, couscous with olives and mint, focaccia bread, bean salad, potato salad, carrot salad and ratatouille. My favorites were the perfectly ripe tomato basil salad, the carrot salad and the couscous. All of it was good... really good. These sides could easy steal the show. But the meat wasn't going to let that happen.

Outside at the grill, Baru 66 was serving up four kinds of French proteins. Grilled sausage, beef tenderloin, kabobs and pork. Hands down, my favorite was the pork. The chef brined the pork for 24 hours and then based it with a mustard mixer, steam braised and then grilled. It was moist, rich and everything I've always imagined pork could be.

We finished things off with crepes and ice cream. I chose strawberry vanilla swirl. The crepe was light and crisp... the perfect accompaniment for the rich, sweet ice cream.

All in all it was a truly great summer evening. Lovely people, delicious food, French dancing and perfect weather... a Bastille Day celebration to remember.

RedRossa

Tucked away in an unassuming strip mall in Clive is the best pizza I've ever had. You heard me right, the best pizza ever. Red Rossa has become my go-to lunch spot and I eat there more than I care to admit. It was love at first pie. Red Rossa's 11" pizzas are the perfect size to fully enjoy the Napoli-style crust. In the words of wise foodies before me... Trust the crust.

My first and favorite pizza is their classic Margherita. A charred, chewy crust topped with tangy marinara, spicy fresh basil and rich mozarella cheese.

Pretty perfect, right?
I've branched out during my many visits... They have a great half pizza/half salad lunch special.

photo courtesy of my Instagram

 

The Gabagool topped with capicola, spicy pepperoncini, green olives, basil and hot red pepper flakes along side the crisp Hail Caesar salad.



And this lovely lunch...

Another Instagram beauty

 

Cheddar, beef and mushroom pizza. Rich smoked cheddar, meaty mushrooms and seasoned hamburger. Next to it, my favorite salad. The Harvest Chicken is loaded with dried figs, cherries, apricots, goat cheese, pumpkin seeds and sundried tomatoes topped with a white balsamic vinegrette. If I didn't love the pizza soo much, I would get the entree salad.



Next time you are in the mood for pizza, check out RedRossa in Clive... I might just see you there.