Tonight we went to the chiropractor. Since I don't get off work until 5:30pm, that means we arrive just before 6pm and don't get done until about 6:15. Too late to go home and fix a meal considering we go to bed at 9pm. Both of us have GERD so we have to stop eating at 7pm.
We headed over to Gateway market to get something to take home. They have great food and the menu changes just often enough to squash boredom.
Plus they have a hot bar, several soup choices and very yummy hummus along with the bonus of a grocery store setting. Oh and did I mention the onsite wood-burning oven that turns out very yummy bread and bakery items?
So we pull up in the parking lot and apparently a huge portion of Des Moines read our minds before we thought it and beat us there. Dang! No parking spaces means a very busy kitchen and a lot of sitting around before we get the yummy food.
So we headed for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Okay (rolling my eyes), I get there is NO comparison but it was on the way home and the clock was ticking.
We pull into the drive-thru (I refuse to go in, walking on greasy floors is not very appetizing to me), there is this youngish (looks 16 probably 20) girl, alone in a car with hips. The darned thing had wide flared fenders over the wheel wells and looked like a sexy woman with hips. Probably nicer hips than the skinny little blond in the car.
Anyway, she was alone in the car and took a full three minutes to make up her mind about what to order. That was annoying, how much can a skinny little girl in a car with hips eat? And the clock was ticking.
Then she started the car and the sexy deep-throated purr convinced me that those were hips and not fender flares. Anyway, our turn at the menu and we decided to get a family meal so we can get the free cake. We decided on lemon cake and tried to order the ten piece meal. Even told them what sides we wanted, they didn't have to ask. But, it turns out, you cannot have strips or boneless breasts with regular chicken in a family meal.
Don't ask me! I saw it on TV too, but they said no. So we decided to go to Arby's. Their drive-thru was not busy and it was boring. No cars with hips. But they do have that new brisket sandwich, smoked for 13 hours.
I have an issue with brisket. It needs to be tender. Period. Not chewy. Been to BBQ joints here in town multiple times and it is always hit and miss. Hard to look at a chunk of red glistening beef and tell if that one will be tender or tell if the cooking apparatus will do its job without the issues that sometimes produce mistakes that just plain taste delicious.
Anyway, Arby's new brisket sandwich. Tender, delicious. Nice, soft but not too soft bun with smoked gouda and crispy onion strings with a little bit of mayo and a nice portion of BBQ sauce. Really well balanced and just the right amount of smoke flavor.
I'm goin back for another one but not tonight, it's almost nine and my bed is calling.
joella
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to you and all of yours. Been a while since I've been here but I'm back. This morning, I struggled out of bed and called up my siblings and we met at Home Plate Diner here in Des Moines.
We went to the original location on 30th right across from the fairgrounds. There is another location at 3900 E. 14th St, where the old "Maid-Rite" used to be, in that little strip mall.
So we met at the one near the fairgrounds, 304 E. 30th. Nice little place, decorated with a baseball theme. Framed shirts and caps, wooden decorations and plenty of display cases with not a lot in them.
Reminds me of when I was a kid and we went to restaurants around town. Chewing gum and candy bars at check out and friendly waitresses.
The waitresses are very friendly. I felt comfortable there, she wasn't pushy and she came back just the right amount of times to ask if we needed anything more. Middle aged women that weren't overly made up or chewed gum, there was no Flo in this restaurant.
Our food came out in a timely manner with television to distract us while we waited. Well, that and good conversation with my siblings. Thing is, the other customers were friendly too. We didn't know them and they joined in the conversation. Not often and not annoyingly.
The food was okay. It was good, like your Momma used to make, if Momma wasn't the best cook ever. My pancakes were a little overdone, just a tiny bit but my eggs were perfect, they understand over medium with no runny white stuff.
The whipped butter in the little cups were perfect, no torn pancakes and a good amount of butter for each pancake. Warm syrup, the runny kind with a good taste. I like the runny kind, it doesn't take forever to get it out of the bottle.
My sister-in-law doesn't like breakfast, so she ordered a French Dip and they accommodated her. This was at 8:30 in the morning. And it looked good and had their version of chips with it. The meat was generous and it looked well-prepared.
They brag that they have the best fried chicken around but I haven't tried that yet. I will let you know.
So good food, no greasy spoons to be found and friendly staff and customers. All around nice, comfortable place to eat.
JoElla
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Dinner and a Movie
We went to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2-The End of it all. Good movie, probably best of the series. We will go back and see it again.
I am 54 years old and I found myself sobbing in the theatre, feeling a little self-concious that no one else was crying. But the next day, several TV shows assured me that I was not the only one with tears-maybe in that theatre for that show I was, but across the nation, the theatre floors definitely got washed with salt water.
Jordan Creek Movie Theatre is a great place to see a movie. It has a better selection of movie treats than the average theatre and it is decorated beautifully. It has a great arcade room and tables in the lobby to sit and eat or wait for the movie to start.
The thing that makes it great is the fact that you can bring food into the theatre and eat it in there. I don't mean just the popcorn and other stuff they sell, I am talking food from the mall food court or even, if you were so inclined, food from home.
Really, you have their blessing to go over to Panera Bread or Cheesecake Factory or even Charlie's Subs and bring in your food, into the actual theater and eat it while watching the movie.
It's not easy, you kind of have to leave a seat between you and your seatmate to use as a table but it is definitely doable and so decadent. I love to do things that feel like I'm breaking the rules and getting by with it. And for me, this is an example of that behavior.
This time I was glad the meal was over before the movie started though. All those tears would have made my sandwhich soggy and ruined my chocolate chip cookie.
I am 54 years old and I found myself sobbing in the theatre, feeling a little self-concious that no one else was crying. But the next day, several TV shows assured me that I was not the only one with tears-maybe in that theatre for that show I was, but across the nation, the theatre floors definitely got washed with salt water.
Jordan Creek Movie Theatre is a great place to see a movie. It has a better selection of movie treats than the average theatre and it is decorated beautifully. It has a great arcade room and tables in the lobby to sit and eat or wait for the movie to start.
The thing that makes it great is the fact that you can bring food into the theatre and eat it in there. I don't mean just the popcorn and other stuff they sell, I am talking food from the mall food court or even, if you were so inclined, food from home.
Really, you have their blessing to go over to Panera Bread or Cheesecake Factory or even Charlie's Subs and bring in your food, into the actual theater and eat it while watching the movie.
It's not easy, you kind of have to leave a seat between you and your seatmate to use as a table but it is definitely doable and so decadent. I love to do things that feel like I'm breaking the rules and getting by with it. And for me, this is an example of that behavior.
This time I was glad the meal was over before the movie started though. All those tears would have made my sandwhich soggy and ruined my chocolate chip cookie.
Montana Mike's Steak House
Very rustic, in a campy sort of way. The picture of Lake Iwannasteak greets you as you sidle past the log cabin style walls and sets the tone for your experience.
Fun and friends and beer.
But don't go expecting a great dining experience.
There is something about the breadcrumbs. They have a bitter aftertaste. We had the Mountain Topped Mushrooms. Stuffed mushroom caps-good portion size but dipped in breadcrumbs then deep fried. The mushroom cap was good and the stuffing was okay but there was this bitter aftertaste.
Another member of my party got the chicken fried sirloin steak. He loves chicken fried steak. The steak was large, the gravy was great-just the right amount of pepper and cooked well-no flour taste. The steak was tender and easy to cut but again the bitter aftertaste.
It wasn't so bad that it was inedible but did make you feel sort of off, not want to order that again. I had pork chops which are hard to make, dry out easily and mine were a bit overdone but again edible just not pleasant.
The catfish was clearly breaded and frozen then fried when it got to the restaurant. But the portion was generous and the taste was good. Pleasant even, and I am not a great fan of bottom feeders.
The cheese fries are okay, very seasoned fries topped with cheese and bacon bits-salt on salt-some would say that's a food group, I say uncle-too much sodium for me.
The best part was the honey butter served with the very generous commercially prepared warmed rolls. Scrumptious and complemented almost everything on the menus.
Sides--they make a big deal out of the sides.
The mashed potatoes may be real(they say authentic) but need seasoned. The waitress assured me that the mushroom gravy was homemade-yep, homemade out of a package complete with one little dehydrated mushroom swimming in the dark brown soupy stuff.
The Caesar salad was right up there with the salt food group but the romaine lettuce was fresh and crispy.
All in all, a great place for beer and snacks. Be sure to order the beer or Loose Moose margaritas, it will dull the less pleasant flavors of the decently edible food.
Fun and friends and beer.
But don't go expecting a great dining experience.
There is something about the breadcrumbs. They have a bitter aftertaste. We had the Mountain Topped Mushrooms. Stuffed mushroom caps-good portion size but dipped in breadcrumbs then deep fried. The mushroom cap was good and the stuffing was okay but there was this bitter aftertaste.
Another member of my party got the chicken fried sirloin steak. He loves chicken fried steak. The steak was large, the gravy was great-just the right amount of pepper and cooked well-no flour taste. The steak was tender and easy to cut but again the bitter aftertaste.
It wasn't so bad that it was inedible but did make you feel sort of off, not want to order that again. I had pork chops which are hard to make, dry out easily and mine were a bit overdone but again edible just not pleasant.
The catfish was clearly breaded and frozen then fried when it got to the restaurant. But the portion was generous and the taste was good. Pleasant even, and I am not a great fan of bottom feeders.
The cheese fries are okay, very seasoned fries topped with cheese and bacon bits-salt on salt-some would say that's a food group, I say uncle-too much sodium for me.
The best part was the honey butter served with the very generous commercially prepared warmed rolls. Scrumptious and complemented almost everything on the menus.
Sides--they make a big deal out of the sides.
The mashed potatoes may be real(they say authentic) but need seasoned. The waitress assured me that the mushroom gravy was homemade-yep, homemade out of a package complete with one little dehydrated mushroom swimming in the dark brown soupy stuff.
The Caesar salad was right up there with the salt food group but the romaine lettuce was fresh and crispy.
All in all, a great place for beer and snacks. Be sure to order the beer or Loose Moose margaritas, it will dull the less pleasant flavors of the decently edible food.
Nick might be cute...
John and Nick's Prime Ribs and Steak
The little boy is very cute, the staff is very nice, the decor is definitely upscale and abundant. The atmosphere was nice but it was a Friday night and very crowded. They take reservations for six or more but do allow you to call ahead saving standing in line.
Yes, I said standing in line. No seating available unless you choose to go to the lounge.
I worry about restaurants with that much decor and dark wood and stacks of wine bottles arranged in tasteful dark wood cabinets when those restaurants are placed in a small strip mall next to a muffler shop.
I was right to worry.
I chose the prime rib with bacon wrapped scallops. I was there with 5 others and the staff was very good at accommodating our party. We were comfortable and actually right by the salad bar but the line at the salad bar was not intrusive at all.
I have noticed that I keep hesitating to talk about the food. Everyone was so nice and very helpful that I don't really want to ruin this but here we go.
I ordered prime rib-their specialty dish-and I asked for it to be cooked medium. It came out rare-the old joke about it mooing when you cut into it was bandied about. It was a nice piece of prime rib-cut about one inch or so thick but it resisted my fork when I cut into it.
I waited to see what the other prime rib ordered by one of the party I was there with would look like. It was a little more done, on the rare side of medium she quipped. But it was only 1/2 inch thick and there was a huge disparity in the portions.
She ordered hers without the scallops. But they were both supposed to be 8 oz portions. The price difference between her dinner and mine reflected the cost of the scallops on the starter menu. So it should have been the same piece of meat. Not at all.
They invite you to come into the kitchen and say hello-written right on the menu. There is an episode of "The F Word" where chef Gordon Ramsey teaches some butcher students how to tell if meat is rare, medium or well by touching different parts of the face. It took willpower to not go into the kitchen with that lesson.
I would have sent it back but it was a prime example of all the food in the restaurant or at least what I experienced. The bacon wrapped scallops had no flavor, not even the bacon. And while the menu says they are golden fried scallops-they had grill marks and nothing golden about them.
The onion rings were done well as far as cooking but not much flavor-and I don't care for heat. I have a palate that prefers mildness but these were so mild that I started fantasizing about a hint of cayenne. The mozzarella cheese sticks were the same as you get in most nice restaurants-seems as if they all have the same supply company.
But the worst sin had nothing to do with lack of flavor or cooking know-how. It was portion size. Another member of our party ordered the grilled salmon. At $16, I would have expected a decent portion, I know how much good salmon is in the store, I have eaten it at other restaurants but the tiny slice that was on that plate was like a child's portion. The dill cucumber sauce that was served with it was very, very good. Even with the salmon a little overdone, the sauce lifted it to a better level, if there had only been more to make the check a little easier to swallow.
Between the "famous salad bar" mediocre at best-which had nothing homemade on there except the cut of the lettuce and the lack of skill in the kitchen, we won't probably be returning even though that kid is cute beyond words.
The little boy is very cute, the staff is very nice, the decor is definitely upscale and abundant. The atmosphere was nice but it was a Friday night and very crowded. They take reservations for six or more but do allow you to call ahead saving standing in line.
Yes, I said standing in line. No seating available unless you choose to go to the lounge.
I worry about restaurants with that much decor and dark wood and stacks of wine bottles arranged in tasteful dark wood cabinets when those restaurants are placed in a small strip mall next to a muffler shop.
I was right to worry.
I chose the prime rib with bacon wrapped scallops. I was there with 5 others and the staff was very good at accommodating our party. We were comfortable and actually right by the salad bar but the line at the salad bar was not intrusive at all.
I have noticed that I keep hesitating to talk about the food. Everyone was so nice and very helpful that I don't really want to ruin this but here we go.
I ordered prime rib-their specialty dish-and I asked for it to be cooked medium. It came out rare-the old joke about it mooing when you cut into it was bandied about. It was a nice piece of prime rib-cut about one inch or so thick but it resisted my fork when I cut into it.
I waited to see what the other prime rib ordered by one of the party I was there with would look like. It was a little more done, on the rare side of medium she quipped. But it was only 1/2 inch thick and there was a huge disparity in the portions.
She ordered hers without the scallops. But they were both supposed to be 8 oz portions. The price difference between her dinner and mine reflected the cost of the scallops on the starter menu. So it should have been the same piece of meat. Not at all.
They invite you to come into the kitchen and say hello-written right on the menu. There is an episode of "The F Word" where chef Gordon Ramsey teaches some butcher students how to tell if meat is rare, medium or well by touching different parts of the face. It took willpower to not go into the kitchen with that lesson.
I would have sent it back but it was a prime example of all the food in the restaurant or at least what I experienced. The bacon wrapped scallops had no flavor, not even the bacon. And while the menu says they are golden fried scallops-they had grill marks and nothing golden about them.
The onion rings were done well as far as cooking but not much flavor-and I don't care for heat. I have a palate that prefers mildness but these were so mild that I started fantasizing about a hint of cayenne. The mozzarella cheese sticks were the same as you get in most nice restaurants-seems as if they all have the same supply company.
But the worst sin had nothing to do with lack of flavor or cooking know-how. It was portion size. Another member of our party ordered the grilled salmon. At $16, I would have expected a decent portion, I know how much good salmon is in the store, I have eaten it at other restaurants but the tiny slice that was on that plate was like a child's portion. The dill cucumber sauce that was served with it was very, very good. Even with the salmon a little overdone, the sauce lifted it to a better level, if there had only been more to make the check a little easier to swallow.
Between the "famous salad bar" mediocre at best-which had nothing homemade on there except the cut of the lettuce and the lack of skill in the kitchen, we won't probably be returning even though that kid is cute beyond words.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Post Deathly Hallows at Panera Bread-Jordan Creek
I am late middle aged. Tail end of the baby boomers. I was born into a Des Moines without shopping malls. I was two when they opened Merle Hay Mall. So for me, malls were shopping for Christmas and birthday gifts, period.
Last night, my older-than-me husband and I went to see The Deathly Hallows part one. Harry Potter-love that guy, love the movies and the video games. We went to Jordan Creek Mall to see this latest offering and it was worth the effort.
However, when we got out, it was about nine o clock and I needed to run to Panera Bread for bread. Needed some stuffing material for the turkey. You know what day is coming up real soon. Anyway, Panera is about 150 feet or so from the movie theater. Felt like more. You have to walk past the beginning of the food court to get there. Also a major entrance to the mall.
What has all this got to do with buying a French miche for my stuffing?
I had to run the Gauntlet of Teenagers to get there. I swear, every teen in the Des Moines area was there last night. And they were all stuffed into that 150 foot walk. And they all had on the same suede leather half boot with fur trim. There were variations in the colors and the lengths up the ankle but all the girls were wearing them. And the ones that weren't, were glaring jealously at the ones who were.
Most of them didn't say excuse me when they pushed past but hey, I remember being sixteen and in a crowd. No time for manners, gotta get to my friends sides or get that boy to notice me. However, I did walk in a relatively straight line when I was that age, something these teens couldn't seem to be able to do.
When I walk through a crowd, which is as infrequently as possible, I anticipate the people in front of me and their moves so I can get through to my destination with as little jostling as possible. That was mission impossible last night. These youngsters danced and twirled and stopped on a dime, changing directions like a cheetah on an African plain.
So we got to Panera with a minimum of bruises and glares. Guess who is behind the counter there. Teens again, a little older than the ones inhabiting the mall and they seemed more tame. That is until another teen walked in. Specifically a teen of the opposite sex.
So I waited my turn, noting the mating behaviors of the girls giggling in the line behind me whenever one of the boys behind the counter would look at them. Then I was next, nice french mise, staring at me from the shelf. The associate(that's what they call the boy teens behind the counter, well the girls too but at my end it was all boy teens) offered to slice it while shooting a smile over my shoulder to the girls behind me.
I took him up on it and ordered some pastries to take home for breakfast. Another boy teen went to get the pastries while chatting with the girl teens behind me.
I had a taste of the French loaf this morning. It is fresh and has a wonderful French bread taste. Yeasty with good color and it will work out wonderfully for my stuffing. The bird will happily accept it you know where. Not really, like a good safe cook, I do my stuffing in a pan, not inside the bird but you get the idea.
I am not mentioning how the pastries tasted this morning. That is because last night, the boy teen offered me a sack and I took him up on it, thinking the pastries were in there with the bread. Au contraire, amid all the mating confusion of the North American teens last night, they forgot to put them in my bag. Didn't find out til this morning cause I went straight to bed last night.
So gonna have em tomorrow morning along with another slice of that lovely French mise.
The moral of this story is to go to Panera at a different location or early morning when the North American teens are still curled up, asleep in their dens, looking ever so cute with their suede low cut boots with fur trim tucked under their little beds.
Last night, my older-than-me husband and I went to see The Deathly Hallows part one. Harry Potter-love that guy, love the movies and the video games. We went to Jordan Creek Mall to see this latest offering and it was worth the effort.
However, when we got out, it was about nine o clock and I needed to run to Panera Bread for bread. Needed some stuffing material for the turkey. You know what day is coming up real soon. Anyway, Panera is about 150 feet or so from the movie theater. Felt like more. You have to walk past the beginning of the food court to get there. Also a major entrance to the mall.
What has all this got to do with buying a French miche for my stuffing?
I had to run the Gauntlet of Teenagers to get there. I swear, every teen in the Des Moines area was there last night. And they were all stuffed into that 150 foot walk. And they all had on the same suede leather half boot with fur trim. There were variations in the colors and the lengths up the ankle but all the girls were wearing them. And the ones that weren't, were glaring jealously at the ones who were.
Most of them didn't say excuse me when they pushed past but hey, I remember being sixteen and in a crowd. No time for manners, gotta get to my friends sides or get that boy to notice me. However, I did walk in a relatively straight line when I was that age, something these teens couldn't seem to be able to do.
When I walk through a crowd, which is as infrequently as possible, I anticipate the people in front of me and their moves so I can get through to my destination with as little jostling as possible. That was mission impossible last night. These youngsters danced and twirled and stopped on a dime, changing directions like a cheetah on an African plain.
So we got to Panera with a minimum of bruises and glares. Guess who is behind the counter there. Teens again, a little older than the ones inhabiting the mall and they seemed more tame. That is until another teen walked in. Specifically a teen of the opposite sex.
So I waited my turn, noting the mating behaviors of the girls giggling in the line behind me whenever one of the boys behind the counter would look at them. Then I was next, nice french mise, staring at me from the shelf. The associate(that's what they call the boy teens behind the counter, well the girls too but at my end it was all boy teens) offered to slice it while shooting a smile over my shoulder to the girls behind me.
I took him up on it and ordered some pastries to take home for breakfast. Another boy teen went to get the pastries while chatting with the girl teens behind me.
I had a taste of the French loaf this morning. It is fresh and has a wonderful French bread taste. Yeasty with good color and it will work out wonderfully for my stuffing. The bird will happily accept it you know where. Not really, like a good safe cook, I do my stuffing in a pan, not inside the bird but you get the idea.
I am not mentioning how the pastries tasted this morning. That is because last night, the boy teen offered me a sack and I took him up on it, thinking the pastries were in there with the bread. Au contraire, amid all the mating confusion of the North American teens last night, they forgot to put them in my bag. Didn't find out til this morning cause I went straight to bed last night.
So gonna have em tomorrow morning along with another slice of that lovely French mise.
The moral of this story is to go to Panera at a different location or early morning when the North American teens are still curled up, asleep in their dens, looking ever so cute with their suede low cut boots with fur trim tucked under their little beds.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)