My wife and I come from Detroit. If you ask anyone in Detroit or most anyplace around the country what they think of when you mention Iowa & food they will tell you in no particular order pigs & corn. Iowa is thought of as being generic & bland. I though Iowa was generic and bland before we arrived here in 2000. The fact is Iowa and Des Moines in particular are far more diverse and inspired food wise than many larger cities around the country.
Let's begin with Iowa being an agricultural state. This means we have some of the best and freshest produce in the country. With the developement of the Slow Foods Movement and the efforts of many people to be locavores (eat foods produced within 50 miles of home), the variety of what's available to us here in Des Moines is second to none. Besides that, our pork & beef is so good it's much sought after all over the country. If you're a cook, Iowa's a great place to be.
More suprisingly, Des Moines' restaurant & ethnic market scene is far more diverse than many around the country would expect. Not only is Iowa a very welcoming state to refugees from around the world but being agriculturally focused, many immigrants have come to Iowa to work the farms and harvests and proceeded to settle and bring their foods and eating habits from their native lands. We have wonderful Asian & Latino markets and access to as good a quality of produce as many of these people had in their homelands.
Des Moines' restaurant scene also covers many unexpected bases. From El Salvadoran & Korean to Bosnian & Vietnamese, the variety is diverse and organic. Restaurants like A-Dong and Cool Basil, Yanni's & El Aguila Real have made Vietnamese & Thai, Greek & Mexican as familiar as old friends. I haven't even mentioned all of the wonderful Italian restaurants around town because they're not only institutions but a good part of Des Moines lifeblood. Des Moines' food scene wouldn't be without places like Latin King, Noah's, Baratta's, Tumea & Sons & Richelli's. Restaurants like Cafe di Scala & Lucca have taken Italian to the next level. When my wife and I moved here in 2000 Christophers, The Greenbriar & Sam & Gabe's (plus 801) were the first names in fine dining. Now we have great places like Django, Bistro Montage & Baru bringing us French tradition with an Iowa twist. Alba, Azalea, Dos Rios, Le Jardin, Mojo's, Miyabi 9, Proof & Splash have all upped the ante here. I could do a whole other story on the variety of steakhouses & bar-b-que joints that have opened around town.
To sum thing up, it's a good time to eat here in Des Moines. Take it from this wine & food guy, eating in Iowa is a lot more than pork chops and creamed corn. Why not step on out and try something new.
Eat well, drink well, live well,
Howard Bernstein
Owner, Casa di Vino
Wine & Food Guy,
Des Moines Wine & Food Connection
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