Secret Supper

Ssshhh it’s a secret…. supper.

When I received the invitation for the city’s first secret supper, I was intrigued. What local restaurant would it be? Where in Des Moines would we dine? My mind raced with possibilities. Soon enough, I found myself sitting in an intimate, private room tucked in the back of Dos Rios. The delicious secret was out – we were being treated to six courses prepared by the talented Mike Holman.

Please excuse my dark photos - we had some mood lighting going on.

The meal began with an amuse. Cold smoked and seared foie gras nestled in black mole and sauced with mint and apricot compote. The bite was topped with a crispy duck skin chicharron. As soon as I put it in my mouth, I was struck by the smoky, complex mole and the rich, decadent fois. The mint compote was sweet, fresh and cut through the richness. After a first taste like that, I knew we were in for an evening of great food. 

The first course kept the smoky flavors going - an ancho infused tamale stuffed with braised goat shoulder and topped with charred tomatillo salsa and pickled red onions.  Dos Rios grinds their masa in house and boy, can you tell the difference. The tamale was tender, succulent and spicy. 

We moved on to sweet corn bisque topped with fried octopus, chorizo and garlic, jalapeño cream. The soup was a show-stopper – rich, creamy and a hint spicy. It was love at first bite. 

 

After the richness of the first few courses, Chef Holman wisely moved on to seared sea bass perched atop cannellini ragout and braised swiss card. The dish was finished with a lemon ginger espuma. The perfectly crisp fish was an excellent textural contrast against the creamy ragout.

The next course brought rich picadillo-stuffed rotisserie quail alongside crispy tacu-tacu dressing topped with a creamy romesco sauce. The heavily spiced quail was both delicate and robust. I found myself wanting more of the rich tacu tacu, a traditional Peruvian rice dish.  

For the final savory course, Chef Holman presented chile crusted rack of lamb and smashed plantains topped with peppery black bean sauce. The rub on the lamb was amazing – blackened and spicy. It added a great amount of heat and bite to the rich lamb. As you know, sweet plantains are close to my heart – and the fried plantains at Dos Rios were a nice change of pace. Starchy and crisp, they were a great balance for the juicy meat. 

The meal ended with one of the most amazing desserts I’ve ever had.  Classic leche frita or fried milk is a rich, creamy custard encased by crunchy fried shell – just begging to be cracked. Chef Holman finished his leche frita with tangy goat’s milk caramel and a sweet white chocolate and cinnamon tuile. As I slid my spoon into the velvety center, I noticed the table was very quiet. A sign of happy diners. 

After my secret supper at Dos Rios, I was a very happy diner indeed.

Bites of My Weekend

There are so many things I love about fall - spiced cider, football and comfort food. During fall, the weekends are precious and I try to make the most of season. This Saturday, I hit the road and ventured outside the city for a welcoming dive bar, delicious locally-made toffee and warm, spiced Iowa apple wine.

As a soon-to-be resident of Adel, I wanted to take it all in and explore the city's hidden gems. 

We decided to catch part of the Iowa game at Rendezvous Lounge. I love dive bars and the welcoming customers and staff at Rendezvous reminded me why. 

To me, there's nothing better on a Saturday than a cold drink, tasty food and college football. We started off with my go-to bar appetizer - fried cheese balls. Dunked in ranch; these hot, cheesy treats didn't last long.

I decided on the special - a cheeseburger basket with fries for just $4.95. My husband ordered the tenderloin. It's always a good sign when you can see they are pounding and breading the tenderloins on site. It was light, extra crispy and delicious.

Check out Rendezvous in the summer - they host a Wednesday steak night for cyclists coming off the trails.

In the mood for something sweet, we rounded the corner and checked out the newly-opened Al Dente Toffee.

I was floored by the huge selection of gorgeous gelato. However, we decided to take home a couple bags of the sweet, crisp toffee. It's so good, I've had toffee for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We ended our afternoon at Penoach Winery. The lovely staff at Penoach was warm and welcoming. After sampling a variety of wines, we tried my favorite of the day - mulled apple wine. Spiced with cinnamon and cloves, it was fall in a glass and reminded me why I love the season so much. 

There's no denying there's something special about Iowa in the fall and my time in Adel reminded me why our state is so great. Friendly people, delicious food and the beauty of the season. It sure feels good to be home.

 

On my plate

A look at what I'm eating all across the city.

  Cache Bake Shoppe

 

On a particularly dreary Tuesday, a co-worker brought in these double chocolate beauties. Rich, fudgy and transcendentally good. Bad day? What bad day?

 

 

Fresh Cafe and Market

And then I discovered nacho kale chips. Crunchy, zesty and guilt-free. Have your chips and eat them too!

  La Mie

 

The caramelized banana pudding tart from La Mie is one of the most amazing desserts I've ever had. Sweet, rich and crowned with airy meringue.

  Django

 

The poutine at Django is pretty darn good. Crisp fries topped with rich gravy, short ribs, mushrooms and cheese curds. The Canadians certainly know a thing or two about comfort food.

 

Battledish

On paper, Battledish was a unique food competition showcasing seven of the city's best chefs. On the plate, it was the most amazing day of food I've ever had.

Proof - Chef Sean Wilson

Cocktail time
A tantalizing blend of spicy peppers, orange, passion fruit and bitters crowned with a salt/sugar rim. It was fantastic and I thought about it for the rest of the day.

On the plate
Proof presented a gorgeous piece of pork perched on top of succulent bacon braised greens with a surprising fried corn pudding. The pudding was silky smooth in the center, with a crisp, crunchy shell... to die for.

Gusto Pizza - Chef Joe Mcconville
Cocktail time
Local Farmer Brown Ale. Nutty and sweet, it was great with the seasonal pizza.

On the plate
A favorite pizza place of mine, I love Gusto's thin, crisp and never-greasy crust. However, it was the toppings that took center stage. Sweet carrot puree topped with ginger and maple glazed parsnip, sweet potatoes, red onions and candied walnuts. It was fall on a plate - and it showcased the season's flavors and colors. It was so good, my dining companion ordered one the next day.

Tacopocalypse - Chef Sam Auen

On the plate
Rich smoked miso ramen with house-made noodles, andouille, a soft-poached egg and Asian pear kimchi. The ramen was great, and I'm a sucker for anything with a poached egg on top but the two stars of the show - the flavorful andouille and the crunchy pear kimchi. The sausage had the flavor of the south with the texture of a traditional Asian sausage, unusual and wonderful. The sweetness of the pear set off the smoky broth perfectly.

Alba - Chef Joe Tripp
Cocktail time
Bourbon Street Beet: a jewel-toned beauty with bourbon, beet juice,ginger, lemon and bitters. Sweet and not a hint earthy, it was a taste of beets unlike any other I've had.

On the plate
Succulent braised pork belly resting on squash puree and charred Brussels sprouts. My favorite part of the dish, besides the to-die-for pork, was the brown-butter jelly. It was rich, sweet and brought the whole plate together. It was a good thing I was seated in a dark corner of the room, I needed some time alone with that plate of food. So. good.

Liberty's - An Iowa Grill Dish - Chef Jeff Deets
Cocktail time
A beautifully presented melon margarita. I'm not usually a fan of really sweet drinks but man, this was good.

On the plate
It was my first time at Liberty's and I will definitely be back! Smokey chicken tostadas topped with poblano sweet corn pico de gallo and jack cheese, cilantro and cream. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. Flavorful and crunchy - and the perfect match to the cocktail

Dos Rios Cantina and Tequila Lounge - Chef Mike Holman
Cocktail time
The sangria presented at Dos Rios took a decidedly South American twist. Wine spiked with absinthe, orange liquor, Mexican brandy and fresh fruit. It was delicious and strong... great for sipping on a warm Saturday afternoon.

On the plate
A standout of the day, I was floored by the Argentinian beef tenderloin sandwich with roasted peppers, pickled onions, hard boiled eggs and  mango vinaigrette. Holy cow. It was good. If its not on the menu at Dos Rios, I may cry. It was definitely in the top 3 sandwiches I've ever had.

BOS - Chef John Andres
Cocktail time
A New York Sour with a float of Malbec wine on top. First its sour, then its sweet. This cocktail was sophisticated and delicious.

On the plate
Seared Scallops with wine-braised beef short rib topped with whiskey pan sauce and lemon cream. It was a great way to end the day. Rich and flavorful, the wine-braised beef was a great match to the wine in the cocktail. I had a food moment when I discovered the lemon emulsion on the plate. A tart and bright way to bring the whole dish together.

I was trying to think of a way to do the day justice and bottom-line, I just have to say it was delicious. From the amazing food to meeting some of the city's most inspiring chefs (which for me, is like a teen girl meeting Justin Bieber) I was struck by how great our city's food scene is. I'm so glad I had the chance to participate and will probably dream about it for months to come.

Mi Patria

I have a few questions for you. Do you enjoy fresh and flavorful dishes? Are you ok with white rice... yellow rice or carbs in general? Does the thought of ripe plantains make your mouth water? If you answered yes to these three questions, then A. I like your style and B. You need to make your way to Mi Patria in West Des Moines.

Give Ecuadorian food a try. The fresh, exciting dishes will blow your mind... you may never be able to settle for boring tex mex again.

Located next to Michael's on 22nd Street, Mi Patria is a gem. Each time I go, I'm reminded why I love it as much as I do. Ripe Plantains.

Oh, but Mi Patria is so much more. 

Here are some of my favorites:

Tortilla de Yuca. Yucca patties stuffed with cheese and topped with fresh onion, tomato, green pepper and cilantro. There are three in an order. I think five or six would be enough for me.

 

Arroz Mariero. Yellow rice studded with clams, shrimp, mussels and topped with crab legs. Also sweet, ripe plantains.

  Hornado con Mote. Slow roasted pork, white corn, potato pancake, white rice with fresh salad. Fantastic.  

So, head to Mi Patria and enjoy!

   

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.