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

Thai Thai again

1254 East 14th Street, Des Moines, IA 50316

Mrs. Red: "First Greek, now Thai! To be honest before Mr. Red and I had visited Thai Flavors neither one of us had ever tried this genre of food before. I'm not sure where the stigma came from but I had always attributed Thai foods to being incredibly spicy."

                                                                     Mr. Red: "And spicy food - I can't handle. It would kill me. Thanks to that medical condition known as Acid Reflux."

Mrs. Red: "But after some strong suggestions from our friends, Tony and Sarah, we gave this place a try. After starting this tasty blog adventure, we added it to our 'must return,' list and brought our friends with us to share in the experience.

Mr. Red: "Cause the first time was fantastic: the service was fast, the food was great." 

Mrs. Red: "Naturally, we were expecting the same this time around. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case."

What We Ordered:

Mrs. Red: Cashew Chicken
                                       



                                                         

Mr. Red: Pad Thai*

Sarah: Panang Curry**

Tony: Tom Kha Kai*










Our Take:

                                                   Mr Red: "The food was good. I got spice level 1 out of 6 which is indicated above by that little star by the title of our meals, in case you were wondering. And finally, I wasn't the one that had the least amount of spice there. Mrs. Red out-wussed me."

Mrs. Red: "Very funny. At least I won't be spitting acid later like something out of the Alien movies."

Mr. Red: "They don't spit acid! They bleed acid! "

Mrs. Red: "Not the facehuggers. Maybe you should refresh yourself on your Aliens lore while I give this food some mad wonderful reviews! Everything that was brought out to our table looked as delicious as it tasted. Unfortunately, Tony had most of his soup eaten before I was able to take a nice picture of it, which by the way didn't even begin to share how unique the Tom Kha Kai really was. It was delivered to the table with the base full of fire and the broth bubbling to perfection. Not to mention it was full of vegetables."

Mr. Red: "It also had a lot of mushrooms in it which eliminated Mrs. Red's ability to taste it. It was actually quite good. It was extremely coconutty - probably because the broth was made with coconut milk. That was the primary thing you could taste, but all the other flavors did bleed together very well. I liked it, it wasn't my dish so I'm not going to review it much more than that, but given that Tony finished it all and almost licked it clean should be review enough.

Mrs. Red: "I didn't try Sarah's curry given the two star rating she ordered it at, but I did try it when we were there previously. According to her, this is one of Thai Flavors most popular dishes and she had to fight Tony off for the leftovers. I think that the next time we go out for Thai that I'll give that dish a shot - no stars please."

Mr. Red: "Unfortunately two stars is a bit much for even me..."

Mrs. Red: "You sweat when I pepper things too much. That should give you an idea how Thai Flavors spice ratings really rank. If even you could handle the 1 star, maybe I'll have to give it a try next time."

Mr. Red: "Hey now. 1 star did have me sweating just as bad, but it did add quite a bit more flavor that I don't think I would have gotten at 0 stars. Which leads me into my meal: Pad Thai. The presentation was wonderful. I really enjoyed the carrot flower in the middle. I found that to be very appealing and just invites you to dig in. The flavor was good and I loved the peanut sprinkle they give you for the top, and our waitress even brought us more than I think anyone would ever really use. Portion was well sized and if you leave there hungry it's your own fault." 

Mrs. Red: "What I really love about this place is how clean the food is. When I say clean, I mean its trimmed and simple. The chicken in my Cashew Chicken was all white meat and didn't have a sliver of fat anywhere on it which I was grateful for. The vegetables were all freshly and ornately cut and what I really loved is that they were cooked but still really crispy. Normally my dish came with hot peppers which I had omitted, but it still had beautiful green, red, and yellow peppers nice and thinly sliced. I also enjoyed was that the food wasn't greasy in the least. The little bit of sauce in my meal went great over the steamed rice that came with and even left me wanting more. The overall flavors were mellow and the toasted cashews only married everything together in my mind. Superb!"

Our Waiter/Waitress:

Mrs. Red: "This is where things started to crash and burn..."

Mr. Red: "That's the understatement of the year. Our waitress didn't really speak English. I'm not trying to bash people that aren't from America but she's in a public service job and could barely understand us and we could barely understand her. I would say that's a huge hindrance for her to be able to perform her job. First, the three people that ordered soda - two regulars and one diet. We all got diet. WTF."

Mrs. Red: "You would complain about that. A little less sugary pop in your daily diet wouldn't kill you, you big baby."

Mr. Red: "I'm just pointing out a shortcoming in our service. Isn't that what this section is about? The next thing that really got to me was the fact that we came in and sat down right around 6:30PM. The waitress stopped by around 6:40PM and asked us if we were ready to order. We still hadn't even put in our drink orders. Tony asked her to come back in about ten minutes as we were still waiting for our fourth member, Sarah, to arrive. Sarah showed up around 6:50PM, but we didn't even see our waitress in the same room with us again until around 7:20PM and that was after we had called out to someone who was working behind the register."

Mrs. Red: "There was a rather large party of people in the next room and given the number of staff members in this small restaurant it was very obvious they were feeling the pressure. Given how impeccable and prompt the service was the last time the four of us came to Thai Flavors, I really think this was a fluke night for them. I'm not sure how busy they normally are on Sunday nights, but when we came walking in people were waiting for take out and nearly all of the tables were currently serving customers. That should be a testament to how delicious their food is - everyone wants it!"

Mr. Red: "Alright, I'll give you that. The first time we were there they were great on the service. This time though, they were absolutely horrible. So, using those numbers, 50/50 chance that you're going to get good service. If you can't tell, I cannot stand poor service at restaurants. It is inexcusable. The people that were staffing the place should always have enough people to withstand their customers or they are going to lose them. But, I will say this: once we got our orders in we got our food quick. It was 17 minutes and everyone had food on the table and ready to eat."

Mrs. Red: "And eat we did!"

Observations:

Mrs. Red: "The one word I have for this place: crowded. I realize they are trying to pack as many people in as possible but unfortunately it made me feel just that way - packed in. I don't just mean that the tables are close together, but the tables themselves are very small - at least in relation to how many plates they give you. I wasn't terribly bothered by it so I don't mean to say that as a deterrent from giving this place a try but if you are claustrophobic - order take out."

Mr. Red: "I for one, actually appreciated the fact that they had people here. Considering our last review was at a place that was deserted, this place actually made you feel like you were part of the world. You walked in and you saw: people. People enjoying their food, people laughing and having a good time. Except for those around us still waiting for service. We weren't the only ones."

Mrs. Red: "They did score high points in what I would consider the most important area when visiting a restaurant: cleanliness. That place was spotless, even despite how busy they were. It didn't stop them from clearing dishes away and wiping tables down. It's nice to see a restaurant that doesn't skimp on keeping things clean."

Mr. Red: "I definitely agree. For what they lacked in service they made up for in all the other aspects that I like in a restaurant. Like Mrs. Red said, it was clean! It was organized and the people doing their jobs did seem to know what they were doing. I think that due to the sudden rush, the person who normally cleans the tables was bumped up to a server. She was really good at keeping our drinks full but that was is and I hate to keep going back to it but its my biggest complaint about this place."

Overall: 

Mrs. Red: "If I could score on food alone, 10 out of 10 - no lie. However, since I have to take into account the entire dining experience I'm thinking more along the lines of a 7. I really hope that the lack of attentive service is not something we will run into when we come again."

                                                  Mr. Red: "Ditto on all accounts - 10 out of 10 on the food, but I'm going to have to drop it down to a 5 on account of the service."

Review:

On a scale of 1-10

Food: 10

Service: 2

Cleanliness: 10

Atmosphere: 6.5

Until next time! Happy Eating!

- Pocket Red Heads

Que Saraj, Saraj!

Welcome to another whirlwind dining adventure!

1300 50th Street  West Des Moines, IA 50266

Mrs. Red: "As you very well might have guessed from the title of today's blog, Mr. Red and I found our way out to the good ol' west side for some cultured cuisine. It was fun going back to our old neighborhood. I just wish we had discovered this gem of a food joint before we relocated to Urbandale."

Mr. Red: "It brought back some good memories, for me at least."

Mrs. Red: "Oh really? Like what?"

Mr. Red: "Some good old fashioned drinking in the bar next door."

Mrs. Red: "Somehow, I'm not surprised. As I was saying, I didn't actually get introduced to Saraj until a gal I used to work with stopped there on her lunch and brought it back to the office. She was nice enough to share with me, and I was hooked..."

                                              Mr. Red: "Technically our friend Skyllar had been trying to introduce it to us for awhile. Unfortunately, we were a little too busy to listen to his well given advice."

What We Ordered:

Mr. and Mrs. Red: Greek Gyros

                                                                                    Mr. Red: NOM NOM NOM!

Our Take:

Mr. Red: "The meat was perfectly seasoned and the pita was slightly toasted, still foldable - had a little bit of a crisp not quite a crunch. Everything was fresh: the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumber sauce - "

Mrs. Red: "- tzatziki sauce."

                                                                                  Mr. Red: "I thought it was made of cucumbers? Where are you getting zucchini?"

Mrs. Red: "Not zucchini - tzatziki! When I first had a gyro I wasn't sure what it was either, but to quote wikipedia: 'Tzatziki is made of strained yoghurt (usually from sheep or goat milk) mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, usually olive oil, pepper, sometimes lemon juice, and dill or mint or parsley.' Fantastic!"

                                   Mr. Red: "I was, however, slightly disappointed that the meat was beef and not lamb. I do really enjoy lamb, but I gotta say that even with beef this was a really delicious gyro."

Mrs. Red: "Good enough that we both ordered it. Now, Saraj is known for their Bosnian dishes as well which we didn't fail to notice despite both settling on the greek renditions of their menu. They featured authentic dishes like Bosnian Pitas, Moussaka, and Cevapi."

                                         Mr. Red: "I couldn't pronounce a single one of those things but they did look pretty tasty. Something about the pita looked really delicious."

Our Waiter/Waitress:

Mrs. Red: "We've never had bad service at Saraj, and tonight was no exception. They don't have a host or hostess but given how small the inside of this little place is it's hard to miss when someone comes walking in. We seated ourselves and received a visit from our waiter in a matter of minutes. One thing I didn't notice before - probably because we have mostly visited in the winter time - is that Saraj has an outdoor patio too."

                                  Mr. Red: "I was really surprised at how quick we received service and our food, until I looked around and saw that there was only one other couple in the dining room. Which just proves that this is one of West Des Moines' best kept secrets."

Mrs. Red: "We weren't ignored and we didn't feel stalked either. Some of the other restaurants we've been to that were slow for business, our waiter didn't hover."

                                                                        Mr. Red: "I agree. He was quick, knowledgeable, and polite. I didn't even notice when he got me a refill."

Mrs. Red: "NINJA WAITER!"

Mr. Red: "..."

Observations:

Mrs. Red: "Other than the fact the place was totally empty, the restaurant was very clean and tidy."

                                                       Mr. Red: "I really liked the decor. It had a really rustic meets modern feel to it. The marble tables were beautiful and well thought out."

Mrs. Red: "The music was in Bosnian - I think. I don't speak the language so I couldn't confirm that. While I wasn't too thrilled about it at first, I found it really set the atmosphere and truthfully I couldn't imagine visiting Saraj and not having it in the background ambience. Something about hearing 'Call Me Maybe' while enjoying some authentic international food would have lessened the experience."

                                                   Mr. Red: "Please do NOT bring up that song. We've had a pleasant evening and I would rather not ruin it with 'stalker pop' music."

Overall: 

Mrs. Red: "Saraj was wonderful! Two great big thumbs up from this satisfied customer! I hope the fact that their service was so scarce on a Friday night was a fluke and that they're here to stay because I'll be back again and again!"

                                               Mr. Red: "I also give it two thumbs up. Solid 9 out of 10 stars. Taste was great, food was great, cleanliness was great, service was great. I highly recommend we get the secret out and pack this joint!"

Review:

On a scale of 1-10

Food: 9.5

Service: 10

Cleanliness: 10

Atmosphere: 7

Until next time! Happy Eating!

-Pocket Red Heads