It's official: I'm certified!

It has been three long weeks but my badge finally arrived. The wait reminded me of being a kid and waiting for that item you wanted so badly off of a cereal box. So now it’s official I am a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) certified barbeque judge. Just wanted to share a few of the tidbits from the class I took to become a Certified Barbeque Judge (CBJ) as we like to call it in the business. (just kidding)

These competitions are serious business with a lot of money on the line.

Right now the best competition cooks in the nation are right here in Iowa. Seven out of the top ten finishers at a national event in Arkansas were from Iowa and the guy who fixed the chicken for the class was won the overall grand champion.  

There are many rules for the cooks to abide by just in presentation alone

If a CBJ just takes a one ounce bite from everything they are presented with in a normal competition they will eat up to two pounds of BBQ that day.

Oh yea, ribs are not supposed to fall off the bone

However the biggest disappointment of the day was coming to the realization that much of the stuff you eat you will never be able to buy. Many of the cooks just compete they don’t have restaurants.

I was really concerned going into the class because I had built it up so much in my mind in the months leading up to it. Usually once something like that arrives you are disappointed. However in this case the class was even more than I expected.

Just remember you can still invite me over for a BBQ I won’t judge what you serve me unless I happen to be wearing my badge.  However if you want to get in a discussion over the best BBQ joints to eat I may have to whip out my badge on you if we don’t agree.

Now I am feverishly applying to become a judge at some of the upcoming events in Iowa.

The Blackstone revisited

 

This will be my first re-review of a restaurant. Over the week end I made my first return trip to the Blackstone in Iowa City, (one of the very few places to earn a perfect 5 on my grading scale. The atmosphere hadn’t changed which is good but the food and the service was even better than I remembered. After my fist trip I said I wanted to have an main entrée on my next so I was looking that one of the streaks. But they also had a Rueben special that looked wonderful (pictured below). I asked the waitress and without hesitation she said get the Rueben, you can get the steak anytime. Later I said to her you know I was impressed because the steak was about double the price and it would affect your tip. Her reply I just care about the customer and good food. Needless to say I tipped at the steak price. For me the Blackstone is the perfect combination of a fine dining experience at an affordable price. You should try it just not on the nights I want to go so I can get in. The best place to eat in all of Iowa City.

Resturant Review: The Radish

The Radish

The Radish is a strange name for a restaurant and yes they do serve a radish with every meal. Upon arrival I had high hopes for the place as it was located in what used to be a house. As we waited for a table the place looked pretty nice complete with a wine selection in plain sight. However that is where the night ended for us. We ended up getting placed in a secluded corner of the restaurant which sounds good in theory. Our table was in an isolated spot right next to the one, unisex bathroom with a nice cold draft running under the table. So under the circumstances the atmosphere for me that night not good. For the service, it almost started out good I do like a waitress that does not need to write the orders down. However the first thing we ordered they were out of, along with the second and yes, the third and it was not that late. The most disappointing thing about the service was that our waitress always had an excuse for the things that happened and threw anyone and everyone else under the bus. It was the guy who seated us that should have told us what they were out of. A Daddy Daughter Dance was the reason they were out of everything by 7:00 pm and when we had to go get our check it somehow was the fault of the bus girl. The radish is a fine dining establishment with fast food service. At this point the food would have to be perfect to be average. I had the walleye if it was my first walleye, it may have very wall been the last. I tried some mashed potatoes that were cold, the bread on both sandwiches was way too hard.  On the positive side the hash browns were good and the red apple coleslaw was amazing; the best coleslaw I’ve ever had. But it was too little too late. With prices of the entrees $20 and up my expectations increase the radish this night was more like a turnip bitter and hard to swallow.

 The Radish

721 E 1st St Grimes, IA 50111
(515) 986-1900

 Price range: (everyday, a night out, a special occasion only) special occasion ony

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5

Atmosphere:  2

Service:         2

Food:            2

Value:           2

Overall          2

Resturant Review Mullets

Mullets

When it comes to judging a place for atmosphere and or décor a person has to decide to either judge on what they like or if the place pulled off the look they were going for. Mullets definitely pulled off what they were going for. Within reach of where I was sitting there were pictures of Patrick Swayze, Mario Lopez, and Billy Ray Cyrus all sporting, yes mullets. I actually caught myself looking for someone with an actual mullet. The service was very good and the waitress knowledgeable she did mess up one of the orders but completely owned up to it. We started out with ½ orders of both nachos and onion rings. I always appreciated the option of half orders of appetizers. The onion rings were the thin stringy type which can tend to be greasy these were not at all. When we ordered I said no nachos for me but when they arrived I could not help but try them. They were without a doubt the best nachos I have ever had. They were layered with just the right amount of cheese and toppings. At the table we had a Wild West burger with bacon and bbq sauce, a cheese burger, a set of sliders, a strawberry gouda turkey sandwich, and possibly the highlight of the meal were the sweet potato tater tots that were served with a marshmallow sauce that was to die for. It was immediately classified as a dessert. An overall great place to eat with a great view of the Des Moines skyline.

 

Mullets

1300 SE 1st St Des Moines, IA 50315
(515) 244-1443

 

Price range: (everyday, a night out, a special occasion only) everyday

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5

Atmosphere:  4

Service:         3

Food:            4

Value:           4

Overall          4