It's not all that often I find myself in the Jordan Creek area of West Des Moines. I found myself on that side of town to buy a gift at Things Remembered. When I realized the new Aldi was just a few blocks away, I had to stop. I love my Urbandale Aldi; however, it's always crowded. It doesn't matter what time of day or day of the week you go - it's always a game of bumper carts. This new Aldi on Mills Civic by the Walmart and Trader Joe's just opened in December. I'm not sure the secret is out yet because it was dead. There were maybe a handful of other shoppers taking advantages of Aldi's ultra low prices.
The outside of the store looks very nice. I'm sure the grocer had to agree to maintain the "look" of all Jordan Creek stores. You can see the medical clinic in the background that fits the look too. The inside isn't much bigger though - except for the wine selection, and you can never have a wine section that's too big. And yes, Aldi wine is actually pretty good for $3-$10 a bottle. Most of the items are in the same place as the Urbandale store that I know like the back of my hand. The aisles are a touch wider, everything is on shelves and not the wooden pallets like other Aldi locations, and the ceilings are higher and vaulted. It felt bigger too with just six shoppers compared to the 20-30 I'm used to maneuvering around. I even asked the cashier if this was a slow time (Friday at noon) or if the word hadn't gotten out yet. He said they are steadily getting more customers and that the manager of the Urbandale Aldi has already noticed reduced sales. I wonder if Jordan Creek shoppers think they are too hoity-toity to shop at Aldi or if they will give it a shot and realize they can save enough money on groceries to go buy that new dres
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(Every now and again I like to get on my high horse about what a great little city I live in. Fair warning: this is one such post.)
I awoke Saturday morning - like many other mornings this winter - to see snow falling quickly but peacefully from the sky. While I wasn't looking forward to driving through it, I was very much looking forward to what I was driving to. My friend and I set up a lunch date for Court Avenue Brewery downtown. The entertainment district wasn't completely dead given the weather; there was a decent crowd at the brew pub. My CABCo sandwich, which is their take on a French dip, was very tasty and the french fries hit the spot. (To be fair, I have eaten here before, which is why I am briefly including them.) Next, we were off to Jasper Winery to meet a few other friends for a cupcake/wine/beer pairing. This was my first time as Jasper for such an event. For $15, we got two samples of wine and two of beer plus two cupcakes and some candy. It was a great afternoon chatting, drinking and eating. I would have easy forgotten about the snow except for the fact that Jasper's building has two walls of floor to ceiling windows. Still, sitting next to the big fireplace made the modern space feel very cozy. After two hours and polishing off our flights, we headed home to prepare for the next event. Our evening started out with a drink at The Hub Spot on the Riverwalk. It's been on my to do list since it opened late last summer. I have a special place in my heart for The Hub because my husband and I took our wedding photos there last spring when construction had just finished. Now, the triangular-shaped, glass building on the riverfront is a chic bistro ready to quench your thirst. Starting April 1st, they will serve food again and have extended hours. Right now, they are just serving drinks and closing at 8:00pm. We were the only ones there and took our time ordering. We each got something different: glass of wine, mineral water, coffee and cappuccino. We all had a different game plan to prepare for the Des Moines Symphony. The Civic Center is just two blocks away from The Hub, and even in the cold, was an easy walk. I attended two of the Symphony's shows two years ago. I thought they were great then, and this time was no different. This show paid tribute to the music of George and Ira Gerswhin. The show incorporated photos, videos, sound clips, interviews, and special guests to tell the story of the Gershwins rather than to only play the music. It was extremely entertaining. My husband, who had never been before, was very impressed. We were not the youngest people there but pretty close. I would say about 25 percent did not have gray or white hair. Maybe the younger folks were at the Iowa Wild game, which was going on at the same time just up the road. We kept the classy feeling going by ending the night at Coda in the Renaissance Savery Hotel. I am so thankful my friend suggested Coda. Somehow, I had never heard of this little gem, and I like to think I know a thing or two about entertainment in Des Moines. We took the skywalk to the swanky lounge, ordered a drink and appetizers and were able to hold a conversation without screaming over blaring music. My husband, in his not-so-old age of 29, can't stand loud bars. So when we didn't have to squeeze past belligerent 21 year olds to find a seat at a dirty table and not be able to hear ourselves think, he was about as close to heaven as he could be. We ordered a cheese pizza and the spinach cream corn dip, which was amazing. The chill, up-scale ambiance was refreshing and surprisingly unique for the metro. With all the proposals for new development on Court Ave, I really hope to see another lounge like Coda pop up to entertain everyone who isn't 22 looking to get schwasted. I'm on a cooking roll here folks. Two new recipes in one week is a rare occasion. This recipe is a nice take on pork chops. I never would have thought to cook pork chops in tomato sauce and top it with swiss cheese and green peppers. The cheese was awesome and the uncooked green pepper gave a great crunch to each bite. If you're ever afraid of over-cooking your chops and drying them out, the tomato sauce is a great way to hide that. The only downside is that it required me to be doing several things at once and dirty more dishes and utensils than I would have liked. Along with a side of cheesy Brussels sprouts and a glass of merlot, our first Valentine's dinner as a married couple was a success. Without knowing what I was cooking, Lucas picked up this Columbia Crest merlot. On a dry scale of 1-5, Lucas likes his wine at a 5. I like mine around a 4. This was a great merlot for me because it wasn't a 5. It had a hint of pepper and wasn't too jammy. It was smooth and easy to drink. It paired pretty well with our pork chops. Just to make sure I wasn't mistaken in enjoying this merlot, I had two glasses. My first suspicions were confirmed. I'll keep it on the list of wines to buy again.
One of these days I'll be a real wine connoisseur. Maybe I'll even make grow my own grapes and make my own wine. Until then, I'll just keep drinking this wine and that wine and writing reviews pretending I know what I'm talking about. The holidays ended. Winter crashed down on us. Life got too busy. There are plenty of reasons you may find yourself in a cooking rut. These are the three that brought me to my current position. It's been about three weeks since I last cooked a meal. As someone who thoroughly loves food and eating, this is disheartening. I'm not sure what I've been eating to get by, but I can tell you it hasn't been up to snuff. I decided to make a concerted effort to get cooking again.
Tonight was the first night of said efforts. I even bypassed working out so I could head straight home after work and have dinner ready when Lucas got home from his workout at 6:45pm. How wife-like of me! This turkey cordon bleu recipe was relatively easy to cook up. It would have be easier if I could balance chopping veggies, boiling pasta, sauteing veggies, and mixing up the sauce. Hopefully one day I'll get the timing and organization thing down. It worked out though. Lucas walked in just as I was setting out the plates. We enjoyed eating together at our dining table without the TV flashing in the background. Whether you have kids or are just a couple, it's so easy to not spend quality time together. By quality time, I mean no TV, no phones, no books. As I make an effort to cook more, I'm also making an effort to truly spend time with my husband. We are not just physically in the same room but also mentally. During my two-year residency in the Ingersoll neighborhood, I made it over to Gusto Pizza Co. a handful of times. The pizza is delicious. This isn't your Papa John's/Pizza Hut/Northern Lights stuff. This is fresh, original, tasty, thin crust pizza. One day Lucas mentioned there was now a second Gusto location in West Des Moines. I don't know if I was more surprised about the expansion of this great pizza joint or that Lucas knew something about Des Moines that I didn't know. I love my husband, it's just that usually I am the one introducing him to new things. This information came in handy twice already. When my parents were in town about a month ago, we took them to the new West Des Moines location. It had a very similar look and feel to the Ingersoll shop with modern, minimalist decor. It's located in a little strip mall on University near the Waukee city line. Then, Lucas' parents were in town and in the mood for pizza. We went back again. (So to be fair, this post is actually about my second time at Gusto Pizza's west location. I simply forgot to blog about it last month, probably because I was caught up in the glass-blowing which we did on the same day.) We ordered the Spartacus and the Saltimbocca which are two of the more popular pizzas. They were delicious. We were worried that we would not be able to finish both of them, but we polished them off without having to unbutton our pants. That's what I call success. So the next time you find yourself starved after power shopping around Jordan Creek, just jog up to University and relax with a delightful pizza and refreshing beer.
In my family, one way we celebrate birthdays is by going out to dinner. And as the birthday girl or boy, you got to pick the restaurant. Red Lobster was a popular choice in my family: good food, reasonably priced and the best cheddar biscuits.
As Lucas and I were walking through Walmart one day (we try not to do this very often but needed to purchase a gift that was there), I stopped dead in my tracks. A box of Red Lobster biscuit mix was staring me down. I had no idea this existed! I picked up a box to see if they are as good as the real deal at the restaurant. I baked them up for the New Year's Eve shindig we were attending. Everyone was impressed that they tasted pretty darn good. Thank you Red Lobster for spreading If you live in the Des Moines metro area, there's a good chance you've heard of Tacopocalypse. For at least a couple years, I knew this as part of a weekly Tuesday night bike ride to the small town of Cumming south of Des Moines. Bicyclists would arrive at the Cumming Tap and gorge on amazing tacos (and a beer or two) before making the return trip home. I never participated in this myself, but as of a few months ago, you no longer have to go to Cumming to get a taste of those tacos. Tacopocalypse is now a brick and mortar restaurant in the East Village. It's a cute little hole in the wall that I would have honestly driven right past had I not known it was there. Lucas and I walked in Friday night at 5:30pm to an empty room. We went to the counter to order - he got a curry burrito and I got the Korean beef nachos. Nothing on the menu cost more than $8, which is pretty impressive. My nachos were amazing. Homemade chips with a white queso sauce and great flavor. We walked away stuffed and satisfied. Oh, and two other couples came in while we were there.
As I finish up buying Christmas gifts, I stopped by Allspice in the East Village to pick up some spices and rubs for my sister and brother-in-law. While I've never tasted any of there spices, they look amazing, can't be bought in Chicago (where they live), and are original. With so many to choose from, I based my decision on what they like to eat. That led me to go with the Thai rub, Cheddarhead, wasabi, and Gusto Pizza Co. pizza seasoning blend. Hope they like em!
It’s always a great day when I can check off another local restaurant from my To Eat At List. This time Mi Mexico was my victim. Some friends and I got together for a cookie exchange, and in order to stop gorging on the cookies, we decided to head out to dinner. I named off a few restaurants I’d been to that I really like, but when Mi Mexico in West Des Moines was mentioned, I was ready to try someplace new.
The brick square building next to Baker’s Square and McDonald’s doesn’t look like much, but colors and culture explode once you open the doors. Vibrant paintings are splashed on the walls and chairs. The staff was quick and courteous. The Original Margarita comes in the shaker, and the enchiladas suizas were delicious. The server brought me a massive plate over half full of beans and rice with my enchiladas taking up the remainder. I can’t say there was anything special or unique about my meal compared to other Mexican restaurants but tasty nonetheless. The meals started at about $9 and went up from there. Had I wanted to splurge, the fajitas would have been my pick. Snob: A person with an exaggerated respect for high social position or wealth who seeks to associate with social superiors and dislikes people or activities regarded as lower-class.
I most definitely consider myself as an egg nog snob. Growing up in my family, you believe from infancy there is only one egg nog, and that's AE egg nog. Every other egg nog is inferior, from a lower class. In recent years, I tried to be open minded and re-write the egg nog caste system. I struck out with Roberts and some other brand (it was so bad I can't even remember the name). It was then that I realized AE egg nog was, in fact, the superior egg nog. I have stayed cautiously far away from the lower class nogs until this week... My husband had a craving to try something new (how dare he) - specifically, flavored egg nog. Reluctantly, I agreed to try J.R. Watkins vanilla egg nog. To my surprise, it tastes just like AE egg nog. The only difference being it's a thinner liquid, which I think some people would prefer. Does this mean I open my arms and tummy to every brand of egg nog. Most certainly not. It just means J.R. can join the ranks of the superior nogs. |