Battledish

Mark your calendars for Battledish on Oct. 5. Seven fabulous local chefs will be competing and in the end, its you and I that win. As you know, I've attended and loved several Dishcrawl events in the past. This time, I'm so honored to be a local guest judge and hope to see you there.

Not only will you get to enjoy tasty food and drinks from seven chefs, you get to cast your vote for Most Creative, Best Modern, Most Delicious, Most Authentic and Best Cocktail.

What seven chefs you ask?

• Mike Holman | Executive Chef Dos Rios Cantina and Tequila Lounge
• Jo Tripp | Alba
• Joe Mcconville | Chef/Partner Gusto Pizza
• Sean Wilson | Executive Chef/Partner Proof
• John Andres | Executive Chef Bos
• Jeff Deets | Executive Chef Liberty’s – An Iowa Grill
• Sam Auen | Chef/Owner Tacopocalypse

So much talent! If you decide to feast your appetite at Battledish, I've got free entry tickets or $15 off any package just for my readers! Use promo code “trybattledishfree4" at http://dishcrawl.com/dishcrawl/1633.

On My Plate

A look at some of my favorite plates across the city...

 

Tacopocalypse

 

 

On the first of many visits to Tacopocalypse, we tried the Chili Torreados. Spicy deep-fried jalepenos with bacon cream. Amazing...ly hot. But it burns so good.

 

Mandarin Grill





 

The Bulgogi Bento Box is the stuff lunch dreams are made of. Sushi, tempura, salad and the star of the show, juicy and flavorful Korean Beef.

 

Tamales Industry





 

While waiting for my tamales, I snacked on some pretty-damn-good tongue tacos. If you haven't tried tongue, you are missing out on one the most succulent, flavorful cuts of meat. Dine Des Moines tip - don't skip dessert at Tamales Industry... the pineapple and strawberry tamales were great!

 

Mi Patria



 

Authentic Ecuadorian tucked away in a West Des Moines strip mall. I tried the Tilapia Frita with sweet plantains. Topped with shrimp and pico de gallo, it was crunchy, fresh and filling. Ask for the house hot sauce for an added kick.



Fresh Cafe and Market

There comes a time in every food-lovers life that a little detox is in order. When you dine out as often as I do, balance is key. I try to watch what I eat for most of the week, so I can really make the most of my weekends. While on a weekday hunt for green juice, I stumbled across one of West Des Moines hidden gems. Fresh Cafe and Market's creative and delicious menu of vegetarian and vegan fare rocks from cup to plate.

I started my visit off with a green juice. A delicious blend of pineapple, banana and greens - it was healthy and sweet. Skeptical? Give their green juices a try - all you taste is perfectly ripe fruit!

To make the most of my visit, I ordered a sampling of items off the ever-changing menu. I started things off with my favorite entree of my visit - the raw tacos.

The flavorful walnut and sunflower seed "meat" was well seasoned and not overpowered by homemade salsa, avocado and cashew cheese. These light done right tacos were fabulous.

I also gave the veggie spring rolls a try. Crisp cabbage, carrot, bell pepper, avocado, jalapenos and cilantro all rolled up in rice paper. A little dry on their own, the rolls came to life when dipped into the accompanying spicy lime almond dipping sauce.

While waiting in line, I noticed everyone around me getting the black bean brownies. I followed suit and I can see why they are such a hit. Moist, chewy and deeply chocolate... a dessert-fiend's dream.

Fresh Cafe and Market is the kind of place you can feel good about... any day of the week.

The Cheese Shop

I love everything about The Cheese Shop. The staff is knowledgeable and passionate, the selection is first-rate and the food is amazing. Located on 42nd Street, it's the kind of place that Des Moines is lucky to have.

I've had the chance to sample several items from the menu and they've all been great. The best thing I've had there was an appetizer called Face Jam. Slow cooked pork cheeks simmered with red wine, served on crostini. From start to finish... amazing. Not to mention, absolutely beautiful.

The Preserved Lemon salad was the perfect combination of crisp lettuce, salty preserved lemon, tangy cheese, crunchy almonds and Nicoise Olives. Its what I want all salads to be... simple and perfectly balanced.

I moved on to the Pig and the Fig sandwich. Fresh La Mie ciabatta topped with my favorite La Quercia Prosciutto, creamy Fromage d'Affinois and sweet fig spread. I asked for it toasted and it was a heavenly combination of salty, sweet, creamy and crisp.

On another visit, I decided on the Bahn Mi - a favorite Vietnamese sandwich of mine. The Bahn Mi at The Cheese Shop was layered with pork and liver pate, ham, pickled carrots and cucumber, cilantro and topped with a tangy chili and ginger vinaigrette. The ginger in the vinaigrette was amazing... each time I got a bite, it was a burst of flavor.

We also sampled the Bacon Blue Cheese Toastie. Forget the grilled cheese, toastie's are where its at. Bacon, blue cheese and fig spread... to die for.

Please note the melty cheese.

One of Des Moines top spots... get to The Cheese Shop early and often. Chances are, I'll see you there.

Northside Cafe

Stepping through the doors of Northside Cafe, I was transported to the days of housewives, mysterious photographers and covered bridges. While filming Bridges of Madison County, Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep started their love affair atop the stools lining the bar of Northside Cafe.

I started my own love affair with the food and charm of today's Northside Cafe.

We started things off with cheese curds (my old fav) and old-school cherry cokes with grenadine and maraschino cherries.

The drinks were a delicious blast from the past and the homemade ranch that accompanied the cheese curds put all other dressings to shame.

I decided upon a perfectly-cooked steak topped with herb butter. From now on, all my steaks will be topped with butter... and all my trips to the gym will be topped with extra time on the treadmill. Worth it.

I also enjoyed one of the most unique drinks I've had in a long while - an Elderflower Fizz. Homemade Elderflower Syrup fizzed up with carbonated water. It was light, refreshing and the perfect taste of summer.

We ended things off with my favorites of the night - blueberry crumble and fresh peach pie. Oh the pie. It was hands down the best I've ever had.

The blueberry crumble had savory notes of thyme and rosemary - the perfect way to cut through all the sweetness.

Northside Cafe is the perfect place to start your own love affair with small-town charm, delicious food and the Bridges of Madison County.

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!