Making Peace...At The Olive Branch

3811 Douglas Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50310

Mrs. Red: "Hey there faithful followers! After nearly a year on hiatus, The Pocket Redheads are making our big return, and not a moment too soon. You see, our little family is about to literally double in size. That's right, Mr. Red and I are expecting two beautiful little girls anytime now."

Mr. Red: "In other words, we are going to do our best to get back into this, just so we have a date night away from the little booger machines."

Mrs. Red: "So we busted out some of the suggestions we had been given last year, and decided on one. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you - The Olive Branch."

What We Ordered:

Mr. Red: Baked Cavatelli

Mrs. Red: Petite Steak deBurgo

Our Take:

Mr. Red:  "Our first impression of this place was definitely not the best one. It looked like one of those hole in the wall places that you wouldn't want to go to unless you were making some kind of illegal deal."

Mrs. Red: "I wouldn't go that far..."

Mr. Red: "Look at this place, it looks like if you sneezed it would fall over."

Mrs. Red: "Alright, I'll give you that. Not to mention there were remnants of the many other restaurants this location has serviced in the past all over the signs and the building itself. If they were trying to make their outdoor decorations a collage to the last fifty years - they were spot on."

Mr. Red: "This place was either going to put my wife back in the hospital, or be amazing."

Mrs. Red: "So we bravely set in, determined to investigate the best and worst of what they had to offer."

Mr. Red: "Walking in you immediately get that feeling that you're at home. It was one of those places that just looked like your mama's house. We weren't seated,  rather we found our own table, and I kept getting the feeling that at any moment my parents were going to come walking out of the kitchen and we were going to sit down for a holiday dinner."

Mrs. Red: "At one point, Mr. Red mentioned that you could really see the personality of the owners in the decorations. It was a mix of old fashioned finds you might see in a garage sale and some humorous framed internet memes. This was one of those places I expected to find in an old ISpy book. Remember those?" 

Caption for photo: I need coffee!

Mr. Red: "No..."

Mrs. Red: "A testament to a sheltered childhood my dear. Now, allow me to direct your attention back to the food, since that is, I'm sure, what everyone would like to know about where the restaurant is concerned. Was it any good? Well...I ordered the Steak deBurgo which is served with salad and garlic bread. The salad was ok - I mean, how hard is it to mess up a bowl of lettuce?"

Mr. Red: "Well, they found a way. While the greens were good, the dressing I believe, my dear, you said it tasted like it was right out of the bottle and I would tend to agree."

Mrs. Red: "Wishbone Ranch if I'm not mistaken. When I go to a restaurant, I look forward to the homemade dressing, because let's face it - people like to go out for the things they can't always get at home. If I wanted out of the bottle ranch, I'd have stayed home and eaten my salad there. Then I would have at least been able to put everything on it I wanted."

Looks like Mrs. Red forgot her preggo bib!

Mr. Red: "And the vegetables would have been much fresher."

Mrs. Red: "Garlic Bread came next. It was piping hot - which is good - though I was overeager to dive into it cause it looked delicious and burned myself." 

Mr. Red: "My poor little daughters. You probably burned their faces with that first bite." 

Mrs. Red: "Their fault for making me ravenous at every given moment. The toast wasn't bad, but holy butter bathed bread, Batman!"

Mr. Red: "...I'm so proud of you. Perfect pun!"

Temporary bib acquired. NOM!

Mrs. Red: "Why thank you. It's the truth! I felt my arteries clogging while I ate it, and not in the good way. When the main meal came the steak was very flavorful. The deBurgo sauce was nice and garlic-y which is what I have come to expect. If I'm not sweating this stuff out of my pores for the next hour or so, it's not a good deBurgo sauce. I've had better, don't get me wrong, but I didn't dislike it. What I was a little frustrated about was the fact that my steak came to me well done when I ordered it medium rare. The only saving grace was the fact that this petite steak - still a huge 7oz - was pounded out thin, so even well done it was tender. More often than not, well done steaks are like shoe leather - ew. There was broccoli all over the top, which I wasn't expecting, and although I love this wonderful green vegetable, it had been cooked to a terrible mush - like out of the freezer and boiled too long goo. The baked potato was fine, smothered in butter with some sour cream. Small, but these babies don't give my stomach much room to expand anymore - so I don't mind." 

Mr. Red: "It's ok honey, I'll do all the extra eating for you. Now normally, I don't mind tons of butter. Just ask the fine people that put together my movie theater popcorn. But in this case, it was too much oil for my body to take. My toast was literally dripping. Now, onto my entree. It looked beautiful. I was very excited, and as I'd done a little bit of research I found that this dish was made with Graziano's Sausage. For those of you not familiar with the Graziano Brothers, they are a famous local meat shop known for their Italian selection. You can find out more about them here. So as soon as I saw my meal come out, my mouth was watering. Much to my dismay, as soon as I put my fork into it, the sauce was way too watery, the noodles were overdone, and the sausage did not taste Graziano. It tasted like a sausage pizza from Godfathers - which by the way is TERRIBLE. As for flavor, it was just bland, the only way I can describe it. It had the potential to go all the way but it just fell short - much like prom night."

Mrs. Red: "I didn't think you even went to prom..."

Mr. Red: "Way to crush my joke, honey."

Mrs. Red: "I stole a bite of his food to try it for myself and I would definitely compare the sauce to something out of a jar or worse, a can. Considering this was supposed to be Italian Fine Dining, I was expecting more. Very disappointing."

Our Waiter/Waitress:

Mr. Red: "I liked her. She was a bit more casual and a little on the unprofressional side - but she seemed to be on it for the most part. There were a few parts that I felt things could have been a little quicker, but I think that was more of the kitchen's fault than her's."

Mrs. Red: "She was also brand new. And it's not like we walked in expecting an uptight atmosphere. Not bad." 

Observations:

Mrs. Red: "I think the AC must have been broken, because it was just as hot inside as it was outside. I'm a walking furnace as it is and going in to sit down to a hot meal wasn't nearly as appetizing with the temperature at almost 90 degrees. I wound up drinking my first beverage in all of five minutes - and they don't have free refills. *Sigh*"

Mr. Red: "Not only is it not free refills, but it's literally a can of pop. Feels a little too cheap for me, and each can was $1.50. I can get a 1 liter for he same price. I can get a 2 liter for a dollar at the grocery store!"

Mrs. Red: "Their meal prices were very reasonable though, so I guess they needed to make up for it somewhere. I learned this place doesn't serve alcohol, but there were other reviewers online that mentioned if you brought a bottle of wine they would serve it to you. But since I can't drink, this didn't really mean anything to me."

Mr. Red: "It did for me, because I really enjoy having a nice Long Island Iced Tea with my dinners now that I have a designated driver on call." 

Mrs. Red: "Eat it up while you can! Not much longer until we're arguing over who's driving!"

Check out that rad yellow gift bag on the windowsill.

Mrs. Red: "Obviously the decor was something worth mentioning. See the bunny back there on the window sill? There were TONS of them all across the restaurant. When was Easter? March?" 

Mr. Red: "Like we said before, you really get a feel of the personality of the owners. If I could guess, I would say a very outgoing older lady decorated this place. There were fluorescent light fixtures with no bulbs in them which were really an eyesore."

Mrs. Red: "The ones that did have lights in them had some technicolor film over them. There were retro clocks hanging on the walls - "

Mr. Red: "-which were awesome!"

Mrs. Red: "Just generally thrown together with all kinds of neat little knick knacks that I enjoyed sorting through while we were sitting down. Otherwise, things were clean. which is always important."

Mr. Red: "Aren't you forgetting all the flies and gnats buzzing around?"

Mrs. Red: "Yeah, that made me kind of nervous, honestly. Like, where are they coming from? The owners and staff were in and out, and tis the season for insects - but...Well, I'm just not going to linger on it too long."

Overall:

Mr. Red: "I would say the decor was very random, cluttered, and made me a little claustrophobic."

Mrs. Red: "Yeah, too much for such a small place. The food was poor to mediocre, and the waitress didn't wow us. I doubt very much that we will go back."

Review:

On a scale of 1-10

Food: 3

Service: 7

Cleanliness: 6
Atmosphere: 5

Until next time! Happy Eating!

-Pocket Redheads

The Kitchen You Want To Be In

1903 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50310

Mrs. Red: "Hello everyone! Mr. Red and I are back with another culinary adventure to share with you. As I'm sure you know we've often reached out for suggestions of places to visit and since today's review was a little last minute, we were really interested in finding something unexpected. Thanks to my cousin, Carol, we found ourselves headed to Chef's Kitchen."

Mr. Red: "To tell you the truth, I wasn't really sure what to expect when going in there. I didn't know what kind of food they were going to have, but from what Carol and my coworkers had told me, it was a very good place to visit. But no one could tell me what kind of food they served."

Mrs. Red: "What he means to say, is that Chef's Kitchen doesn't really fit into any kind of genre that we were able to find in the brief time we had investigating beforehand. I think part of what made this place so amazing is that we went in without any expectations, and they really just blew us away with - well - everything."

What We Ordered: 

Mr. Red: Baked Canneloni

Mrs. Red: Steak Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries

Our Take:

Mrs. Red: "Yummy! Really, truly, that is the best descriptor I can come up with for how good this steak sandwich was. I had a very tough time figuring out what I was going to order because of how diverse the menu was. I don't mean that in a negative way either. Unlike some restaurants where they give you a small novel filled with all their selections, Chef's Kitchen had a nice assortment on a front and back laminated menu. I normally don't order anything lower in quality than a filet mignon, but I was not disappointed in the least by this dish. It was served open faced with pickles and lettuce. Delicious! The bread had some really great flavor, and who doesn't love sweet potato fries? I mean really. Crispy bread, mouth watering steak, crunchy sweet fries. Perfect!"

Lovin' that sammich!

Mr. Red: "I had a chance to steal some of the fries. NOM!"

Mrs. Red: "Wait, when was this?!"

Mr. Red: "ANNNNYWAYS! Going into my dish. Can anyone say, Italian Enchilada? Ooey, gooey, cheese melted all over the top of these slow cooked meats wrapped in - things."

Mrs. Red: "Really? Things? You mean crepes?"

Mr. Red: "Mm, delicious things. My one and only complaint about this meal was the texture. If you're a big texture person you are probably not going to like this. It was just above the consistency of mashed potatoes all the way through. Other than that, everything about this meal was perfect, even the smell of it was delicious. It looked, smelled, and tasted great."

Mrs. Red: "Did you notice the hostess mention they pick their own rosemary fresh in the morning? You could definitely tell. In the bite of his that I had, those herbs really permeated the meal. When - not if - we come back, I will be ordering this item for myself. Chef's Kitchen also had a full bar and some really fantastic desserts. I'll let you in on a little secret though - you can generally pick out the biggest flaws in a restaurant in their simplest items. For me, I test places on their Creme Brulee." 

Mr. Red: "For those of you who don't speak multiple languages, it literally means - 'burnt cream.'

Mrs. Red: "I love this stuff! It's this light vanilla creamy custard topped with a layer of sugar that is caramelized with - get this - a blow torch. When I worked at a winery, we served creme brulee, and that was probably my favorite part, and the part that got me addicted to this stuff. I wasn't disappointed this time around either. In fact, I was really surprised at how deep their dish was filled with this wonderful yummy concoction. Plus, they served it with plate scrapers of chocolate, fresh fruit, and whipped cream. Boy am I glad I bike upwards of 5 miles every day now. I'll need it to work this wonderful dessert back off. Totally. Worth. It." 

Mr. Red: "I don't normally like creme brulee. The burnt part just destroys the whole flavor of it. All you taste is the burning. In this case I still tasted the carmelization of the sugar, but the cream is what really stuck out in it. I actually really enjoyed it. My dessert on the other hand, was two ears of delicious, Iowa, sweet corn, smothered in butter and salt. NOMNOMNOM."

Mrs. Red: "You are SUCH an Iowan."

Mr. Red: "Sorry, what's that? I can't hear you over how AWESOME THE SWEET CORN WAS."

Mrs. Red: "I realize this is likely not going to be a normal everyday occurrence, but Chef's Kitchen had a special on sweet corn. It was complimentary. That's right, free. Not only have I never been to an eatery that serves Iowa Sweet corn, but definitely not one that serves it for free. It just makes me love this time of year all the more. Now don't think that means you can go in and expect to get like 10 ears of corn or anything and not pay for them, but I thought it was a very neat added touch. Way to go!"

Our Waiter/Waitress:

Mr. Red: "Our waitress was very friendly and personable. She immediately treated us like we were her friends rather than customers, which is both a good and bad thing. For us, it worked, because we tend to joke around, but it wasn't very professional. I can see people calling this a downside. Might I stress, it wasn't a downside for me at least. I'm sure, Mrs. Red will speak for herself."

Mrs. Red: "I thought she was fantastic. Probably because she helped me gang up on Mr. Red. I see what he's saying though, and how some people might view this as a negative rather than a positive. Truthfully, there is nothing that gets under my skin more than the fake pleasantries, and the false happiness. Our waitress really seemed like she enjoyed what she did. She was not only helpful but she was funny. Her little added personal touch really made the night special for us."

Mr. Red: "I'm a little disappointed in myself, because of how surprised I was when the moment I walked in there I was greeted by somebody who wanted to impress me and show me a great dining experience.  I've never had that before, then again I can honestly say I've never been seated by the owner of a restaurant before. The hostess was none other than one other than one of the owners herself. I wish I could remember her name. Please, if any of the reader's out there recall the owner's names, leave a comment."

Mrs. Red: "You seemed to recognize she was more than just a regular hostess though, right away. She came back to our table often - 2 or 3 times, to ask us about the food and about our time there. She even brought us cookies and suggested we eat it with the creme brulee. It may sound silly, but as a consumer I was touched by their effort to make the experience a great one, and it really, truly was."

Observations:

Mr. Red:  Let me just make a list-

Clean

Cozy

Friendly

Fun

Mrs. Red: "Yeah, that just about covers it really. I couldn't believe of all the times I've driven by this place that I never realized it was here. Sure it's small, and the tables are close together, but you have a group of people that want to eat at this place. The lights were dim, but it wasn't too dark. Plus, there was live entertainment - on a Thursday! We ate to some awesome old blues music from a guy who really seems to enjoy what he does. It was an unexpected surprise."

Mr. Red: "This is the kind of place you can bring your mom, best friend, mistress - "

Mrs. Red: *Glare*

Mr. Red: "-I mean literally. Anyone you bring here will find something they love about it. You can bet on it."

Overall:

Mrs. Red: "In the overall, I just want to thank Carol for directing us to this location, because it's definitely a new favorite for us. We even signed up for the rewards program they have because I anticipate we will be back to try all the wonderful assortment of foods they offer."

Review:

On a scale of 1-10

Food: 9

Service: 10

Cleanliness: 9

Atmosphere: 10

Until next time! Happy Eating!

- Pocket Red Heads

The tasty mile - on JETHRO!

3100 Forest Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311

Welcome to the best BBQ that Des Moines has to offer!

Mrs. Red: "Hello everyone! Back with another review, and I'm going to be really honest with you - I'm super excited for this one. Mr. Red and I have been visiting some really unique types of restaurants lately. From Greek/Bosnian to the less rare Italian, we've had some really great experiences. This time around though, we wanted to bring it home, BBQ style. There was only one place I could think to go: Jethro's BBQ.

Mr. Red: "American food as always been dear to my heart since, well, I'm an American. I kind of grew up  on the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and fried chicken sorts of eats. I have had Jethro's before, when some good friends of ours brought it to their house carry out style. We liked it there, but taking it home is just NOT the same thing as eating it AT Jethro's. 

Mrs. Red: "While I'm sure it's not new news that Jethro's has multiple locations, featuring a variety of cuisine from Jambalaya to Steaks, we wanted to go back to where Jethro's began because that is really where the attention started. This place has kept the locals coming back religiously, and has even attracted some television highlights for their featured GIANORMOUS SAMMICH - "The Adam Emmenecker." If you're interested in seeing it for yourself - since we weren't brave enough to conquer this monstrous mountain of mouthwatering madness - feel free to visit here for a look at Man vs. Food's visit to the good old Drake Area."

Mr. Red: "Enough of a history lesson! Let's get to the MEAT of this review!"

What We Ordered:

Mr. and Mrs. Red: 

Appetizer: Boneless Chicken Wings - BBQ Rub

Half Slab & Two Meat Dinner

Our Take:

Mrs. Red: "In the past, Mr. Red and I haven't usually ordered appetizers, because realistically we know that chances are we aren't going to be able to finish them with our meal. This time, however, we made an exception because our waitress advised how good their wings are. Before ordering, I like to ask the wait staff what they like about their restaurant. It helps me to find the hidden secrets. Am I glad we did."

Mr. Red: "I wasn't too thrilled when the concept of getting the appetizer came in. I knwo anytime I eat an appetizer, I never eat my entire main dish and I wind up having to pay extra for it anyways-"

Mrs. Red: "-coughcheapcough..."

Mr. Red: "I may be cheap, but a lot of people out there would agree with me that an appetizer tends to be a waste of money. In this case, I could have made this appetizer the main course.  They reminded me more of chicken fingers than wings, but with the sauce it was INCREDIBLY delicious."

Mrs. Red: "When I looked over the kinds of sauces that they had available for the winds, I didn't see any kind of honey BBQ flavor, since neither Mr. Red nor I are big fans of big and spicy things. Our waitress expertly suggested the BBQ rub. She brought us the rub on the side to be sure we were going to like it, and wow did we ever. It was sweet! Which really surprised me. I was expecting a very savory herb sauce, and this just blew my mind with how much flavor it had in there. If you like your wings sweet - BBQ rub is the way to go hands down."

                                              Mr. Red: "It made no sense that they called it a rub considering it was a wet sauce. Into the main dish! First we'll start off with the ribs- delicious. They were perfectly cooked, not dry, and peeled right off the bone."

Mrs. Red: "I don't pretend to be a rib expert, but I've watched enough Food Network to be dangerous when it comes to how the end product should be. A nice moisty, meaty center with a flavorful crunchy bark - these were perfect!

  

"Bark? Like a dog?"

"RUFF RUFF!

Mrs. Red: "Not that kind of bark!"

                                                       Mr. Red: "By bark, I assume you mean the char on the outside, which does just lock in the juice that's closer to the bone."

Mrs. Red: "We also ordered the pulled chicken for Mr. Red and the brisket for me. Everything turned out great where I was concerned and as if the three choices of meat weren't enough, we were given four sides on which we chose green beans, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and macaroni and cheese. Yummy! I don't even like coleslaw and theirs was fantastic. As far as food is concerned, I can see why this place is causing such a riot." 

                    Mr. Red: "I want to talk about the pulled chicken. This was quite tasty, especially with the BBQ sauce that we were provided on the table. Another A+ for the chefs."

Mrs. Red: "I agree. I stole some of the chicken for myself since the portion\ sizes were quite impressive. It was really nice and juicy, and very flavorful. I am a huge brisket fan, which made ordering it absolutely necessary. I've eaten tons of the stuff, but this put everything else to shame. It was cut very thin, which I really enjoyed, and we were given several long strips of it. Brisket tends to be really dry, but this wasn't so much. It was still holding all of that wonderful juice, likely from a brine of some kind and was coated in their signature spices. Nothing that they seasoned their food with covered up the flavor of the meat, as can often happen when enjoying BBQ. Thank you, Jethros for keeping it simple and completely delicious!" 

                               Mr. Red: "I don't eat brisket, and I thought it was dry, but that doesn't change the fact that it was very good. It's just not one of my favorite things to eat."

Waiter/Waitress:

Mrs. Red: "Our waitress was Alisha, and something should be said about the fact that I am calling her by name. I really liked Alisha, not just because she brought me great volumes of wonderful delicious Mimosa and BBQ goodness. Alicia was really helpful and to the point. Not only did she help give me some really great suggestions for our meal since we hadn't ever been at the restaurant for ourselves, but she paid attention."

                                               Mr. Red: "That is one thing I have to say I really wish more people in the service industry did. If it's one thing that I've learned in the sales field is that the most important thing you can do for a customer is to listen to them."

Mrs. Red: "We arrived around 5:47PM to a full house of patrons already enjoying dinner. Alisha was at our table within five minutes of us sitting down and was ready to take our drink orders. Every time I looked up, I could see Alisha visiting tables, ours included to be sure that everything was running smoothly. Despite the fact that there wasn't an empty seat in the house, we were in and out in just over an hour. Their wait staff was on it, friendly and fast!"

Observations:

Mr. Red: "As those of you who have been following up may have caught on, I don't like big crowds. This happened to be a really crowded place that had more people in it than they probably have room for. Which on one side is saying they are doing great business, but on the other it says they might want to look into expansion. The floors really needed to be swept but it was really busy, so I understand why there was some delay."

Mrs. Red: "That and the tables were so close together that it was tough for customers and the wait staff to really move around. On the upside though, since it was so nice out, people were able to take advantage of the patio and not bake in the 100 degree weather we've had recently. Jethro's has a very relaxed atmosphere and features a number of flat screens to watch the game and chill with your friends and family. I personally loved the little fun details that might not be noticed unless you're really looking around."

Hanging out!

Mr. Red: "Thaaaanks for noticing me."

Mrs. Red: *Facepalm*

Overall:

                                          Mr. Red:  "Really great, really fun. Service was great, atmosphere was crowded but great.  Food was -"

Mrs. Red: "Let me guess, great?"

Mr. Red: "No...superb!"

Mrs. Red: "What he said. If you want some of the best BBQ that Des Moines has to offer, get over to Jethro's. You won't be disappointed."

Review:

On a scale of 1-10

Food: 9

Service: 10

Cleanliness: 7
Atmosphere: 8

Until next time! Happy Eating!

-Pocket Redheads

Heeeeeeere's Johnny's!

6075 Mills Civic Parkway, West Des Moines, IA 50266

Mrs. Red: "Pocket Redheads here for another exciting adventure of good eats and great company. Sorry for the delay in getting this blog out. Truthfully, we haven't visited any review worthy places recently."

Mr. Red: "What about Ohanas? We were there a few nights ago."

Mrs. Red: "I'm not sure the world is ready for the hilarity of our adventures at Ohanas just yet. But soon!"

                                         Mr. Red: "How about when we hit 500 views? Last I checked we're at just under 300. Could make a big thing of it - I'm thinking...VIDEO!" 

Mrs. Red: "Yeah, we'll talk about that again when we get a little closer to our goal. I have, however, been craving some juicy, yummy, tender - "

Mr. Red: "Not to mention rare..."

Mrs. Red: "-wonderful, bloody...wait. What?"

Mr. Red: "Oh nothing!"

Mrs. Red: "Steak! So, when I get the steak craving, Mr. Red and I typically agree on Johnny's Italian Steakhouse. What I love about this restaurant is how private it is, and how intimate it makes your dinner date feel. It has the laid back feeling of casual dining with superb decor that shoots you right back into the Rat Pack era of the 60s by featuring music and photos of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Norman Fell."

Mr. Red: "I really like this place, because when I'm playing dinner music at a wedding reception this is exactly the kind of music to set the mood for a gathering. It's nice, relaxed, romantic, it's just - a warm feeling. The music isn't overwhelming or too loud but it's just enough for background noise where if you're quiet you'll hear it. Perfect."

Mrs. Red and her SHRIMP ON A STICK!

Mrs. Red: "I went on a google hunt to try and find some background on this place - maybe see if the owners had any kind of history with this famed generation of musical genius, but I was very disappointed to come up empty handed. That doesn't stop us from LOVING the food, though."

What We Ordered:

Mrs. Red: Filet mignon with grilled shrimp skewer, side of deburgo sauce, and steamed broccoli

Mr. Red: Pasta minelli with shrimp

NOM!

    

Our Take:

                                  Mr. Red: "Like always, it was very nommy. Normally I get the crispy dill tilapia which is also very tasty, but I admit it's not for everybody. This time, I was feeling bold. I was feeling...dangerous. So I got a little ducky *DARKWING DUCK!*, and decided to eat noodles with garlic sauce and shrimp."

Mrs. Red: "What's so adventurous about a classic Italian meal, at a restaurant featuring Italian inspired cuisine?"

                        Mr. Red: "Don't ask questions. I know that this meal was very tasty, it wasn't very memorable. It didn't have the greatness that sticks with you. My best description would be that it was...garlicy. The shrimp was well cooked and not overdone. Noodles were perfect, not too mushy and not too firm. The sauce was saucey - you get the idea. When a place does everything right, it's hard to find something to talk about."

Mrs. Red: "I hear you there. I fell in love with steak deburgo here at Johnny's. Deburgo is really just a fancy garlic and herb cream sauce featuring spices like: basil, oregano, and parsley. There are variations out there but I find this sauce really gives the steak a nice punch of flavor which when you're eating a very lean piece of steak like filet mignon that hasn't been cooked wrapped in fatty bacon - it's almost a necessity. Typically they serve steak deburgo with top sirloin but if there's one thing I can't stand it's steak fat, so I tend to splurge for the good stuff. But! I don't have to miss out in the end, I just order the sauce I want on the side. The filet usually comes dressed with a wonderful smokey demi-glaze featuring a robust red wine as the base. I highly suggest giving it a try at least once. Definitely worth it."

Our Waiter/Waitress:

                Mr. Red: "This guy was quick, up until the end, which was also about the time the rest of the restaurant started filing up with guests so I can't entirely blame our long wait for our check on him."

 Mrs. Red: "During the meal though he was a frequent visitor - patient too - while Mr. Red and I argued about whether or not we wanted wine and dessert. I have no complaints about the service we received and I never do. Even when this place is busy their staff is helpful, knowledgeable, and customer service oriented. They make you feel at home. Two thumbs up!"

Mr. Red: "I'm not surprised by this though, since this restaurant is on the bottom floor of a hotel."

Observations:

Mrs. Red: "If you haven't been to Johnny's in the last month or so, I strongly suggest going! The inside is totally different now after they did some very smart remodeling.When you get into the back, the booths are all together right in the middle of the room with high walls around you for privacy."

Mr. Red: "They really lightened the place up. Before, you felt like you were walking into a cave. There was barely enough light to see the floor, let alone the person sitting across from you.  Now there's a nice warm glow from a series of new chandeliers they've installed."

Mrs. Red: "I absolutely have to comment about how nice they keep their dining room. There are usually staff members running around everywhere during the busy hours, but I have yet to come in and not find all the tables bussed, clean, and prepped for customers. I can always count on Johnny's to be welcoming."

Overall: 

                                                           Mr Red: "Good like always. Food was well made, atmosphere was comfortable, steaks rare - but that's how my wife likes it."

Mrs. Red: "Johnny's come with my stamp of approval and I highly suggest this place for a nice quiet sit down romantic meal with your significant other. Other than being a little on the pricey side, they offer a wonderful selection of food and drinks including a wonderful wine selection. I hope you all get a chance to visit it at least once."

Review:

On a scale of 1-10

Food: 8

Service: 9

Cleanliness: 9

Atmosphere: 9

Until next time! Happy Eating!

- Pocket Red Heads

Do I have something stuck in my teeth?

Latin Little Italy

A taste of Italy in Iowa

Mrs. Red: "Greetings fellow hungry-kins! Pocket Red Heads returns with another culinary delight to share with you, our avid readers. Not too long ago, I put the word out that we were on the hunt for the hidden and exotic restaurants within our conglomerate of little cities that make up the Greater Des Moines Area, and we were not disappointed with the results. With list in hand, we have been scheming our plans to visit and today we bring you the first what will be many adventures. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you: Tursi's Latin King."

Mr. Red: "When Mrs. Red first said, "The Latin Kings" I thought to myself - 'I don't want Mexican food.' Oddly enough, this restaurant does in fact serve Italian food. I'm not sure where they got Italian out of Latin, though."

Mrs. Red: "You do realize that the Latin language originated in the country of Italy, right?"

Mr. Red: "No it didn't! It came from the country of Latin!"

Mrs. Red: "Where they service Mexican food, apparently."

Mr. Red: "Yeah!"

Mrs. Red: "While Mr. Red searches for 'Latin' on a world map, I'll give you a little history about this place because when we decided to give it a try I knew next to nothing about it. I feel that if I impart this acquired knowledge on you, it may prepare you for what you will be experiencing when you go. As the advertisements suggest, Tursi's Latin King opened originally in 1947 as simply, 'The Latin King.' It's name was changed when the current owners, Bob and Amy Tursi, purchased the restaurant in 1983. Their parents and the original owners were all from the village of Terravecchia, Italy which is where the core foundation of this restaurant's cuisine hails from."

Mr. Red: "Were you near there when you visited Italy?"

Mrs. Red: "Unfortunately, no. When I was in Italy with my family, we visited the resort village of Lignano Sabbiadoro. I'm sure you're familiar with the general shape of Italy being a boot. Terravecchia is located way out on the 'arch' while Lignano would be at the back of the 'knee' in terms of geographical location. However, while I was there I had the opportunity to try some real authentic Italian food which unfortunately ruined any restaurants for me here in Iowa that claimed to serve Italian. My standards going in were very high."

What We Ordered:

Mrs. Red: Chicken Spiedini

Mr. Red: Pasta Trio

Our Take:

Mr. Red: "The name of my meal is a little deceptive. It wasn't just three kinds of pasta: Lasagna, Ravioli, and Fettuccine. It also came with a good sized meatball and a link of Italian sausage."

Mr. Red: "I'll go ahead and start with the Italian sausage link. I wasn't all that impressed with it. I thought it was a little on the bland side. Now, it wasn't bad, but due to my acid reflux the pain of eating it all wasn't going to be worth the reward of its tastiness. The meatball however can be summed up in a single word: delicious! I will definitely admit that it was slightly over seasoned and you wind up tasting more of the herbs that went into it than the meat, but overall it was really tasty."

Mrs. Red: "Better than anything I've ever made. I tried to snag a taste of everything Mr. Red ordered so I could give my own opinion, but we went to war and fork battled, and unfortunately to the victor went the spoils."

Mr. Red: "Now I am a HUGE fettuccine alfredo fan. Anytime we go to any other Italian restaurant I always end up getting chicken alfredo and it's usually pretty good. Here I didn't order it with the chicken or anything, it just came as a little side in my meal. I took one bite of it and was instantly transported to the Iowa State Fair."

Mrs. Red: "Wait...what?"

                             Mr. Red: "Yeah, it was just that one bite was just so...overwhelmingly...full of the taste of...butter. All I could think of was the butter cow. Gag. I like butter just as much as the next person but it was like biting into a stick of butter. This, by far, was the most disappointing part of my entire meal."

Mrs. Red: "Bummer, and that was the entire reason you ordered that meal. But it wasn't a total loss!"

Mr. Red: "Onto another surprise. I will fully admit I have never really liked lasagna. However, my meal came with it so I of course gave it a try. It was delicious! I actually really liked the meat sauce because it's more sauce than it is full of meat. It really seemed to bring the flavors all together. The greatest part of my meal, and any meal we've ever blogged about to date, would have to be the ravioli. The pasta used in this was baked and it came out almost like a breading. I think I liked this so much, because it really reminded me of one of my favorite things to eat: pot stickers. Except opposed to the bread being soft and soggy it was crunchy and scrum-diddily-umptious."

Mrs. Red: "It was also filled with sausage and not cheese which was refreshing. In my mind, the ratio of meat to pasta was perfect, and a favorite of mine as well. I highly suggest giving their ravioli a shot if you give this place a try."

Mrs. Red: "Enter, Chicken Spiedini. No idea what that is? Me neither. I really had a hard time figuring out what I wanted when we opened up the menus and began to peruse. Couple that with the fact that I spent most of our downtime staring at the MASSIVE WINE MENU this place has that when it came time to order I had no idea what I wanted. So, I asked for a suggestion and this is what I got. This is what they are calling the house special and I can definitely see why. Basically, these were pieces of chicken breast that were marinated, breaded, and broiled to lovely perfection on skewers. Now it came two different ways: Alfredo or Amogio (which was basically some garlic and Italian seasonings with some good old olive oil.) As you can see from the picture above, I got a little of both."

Mr. Red: "The chicken was really moist. Personally, I preferred the alfredo side despite how disappointed I was with the alfredo that I ordered."

Mrs. Red: "I guess I must like buttery alfredo because I thought it was fantastic. I think it's probably one of the best I've ever had. The two sauces mixed together were great, which is what happened by the time I made it through all the wonderful pieces of chicken and into the pasta itself. I must say, the fettuccine noodles were smaller than I'm used to, and by smaller I mean thinner. I actually preferred it over the wide flat noodles you typically see for this kind of pasta. This has easily become my favorite meal at an Italian restaurant, period."

Mr. Red: "Although we didn't get a picture of it, we also splurged and ordered dessert. Mmmmmm."

Mrs. Red: "What he means to say is that we ordered Canoles."

Mr. Red: "Hands down the BEST Canole I've ever had."

Mrs. Red: "There were so many flavor aspects in these that Mr. Red and I were sitting down and trying to figure out all the amazing things they packed into what they called their 'house filling. Holy cow. Mmmmm doesn't even cover how amazing these things were. They say you can judge how great a restaurant is by their canoles which is why we ordered them despite the fact that they aren't a favorite of either of ours. Well, we're believers now."

Waiter/Waitress:

          Mr. Red: "A+...+++...plus. We were seated within seconds of walking into the door and our waitress visited us within a minute or two. We would have had our drinks right then and there, but SOMEBODY had to take forever staring at the wine menu."

Mrs. Red: "If only I weren't so cheap. I have a very sweet spot for Italian wine. I digress. Our waitress was good enough that I am going to call her by name: Shelly. Phenomenal. She was everything we needed as new visitors to the Latin King, and she knew the menu items well enough that she could offer suggestions based on our likes and dislikes -"

                                                             Mr. Red: "-and prove I was right about all the ingredients in the Canoles. It's ok though honey, someone had to be less right."

Mrs. Red: "Very funny. If you ever go into this place and get Shelly, you won't be disappointed. She was on top of her game when it came to our drinks and offering up suggestions for our dining experience. 5 stars, 10 out of 10, blue ribbon! I can't stress enough how wonderful our service was.

Observations:

                               Mr. Red: "Semi-good. I only have one complaint and that was that the floor needed to be vacuumed. Other than that everything was clean, even my wife."

Mrs. Red: "You are always complaining about carpets! If only you cared enough to keep ours at home cleaner. I really liked the decor and shape of the room we were seated in. It had multiple levels which made everything feel very open. This is definitely a great date night spot with its oil lamp on the table and dim lighting for a more intimate setting - so heads up guys!"

Mr. Red: "Despite being a bit on the pricey side, I absolutely agree this is a good place for a date."

Overall:

Mrs. Red: "Great success! Thank you, Bobert for suggesting it! I think you will really like this place if you enjoy Italian food. We sure did. I don't think you'll be disappointed in the least. It scored very high for us on all accounts. We. Will. Be. Back."

Mr. Red: "Fo shizzle!"

Review:

On a scale of 1-10

Food: 8

Service: 10
Cleanliness: 7
Atmosphere: 9

Until next time! Happy Eating!

-Pocket Red Heads