Resturant Review: Cosi Cucina

Cosi Cucina

 Made a second trip to Cosi Cucina in Clive and was shocked to find out that I had not reviewed it the first time. Cosi Cucina has a very nice atmosphere, sophisticated but not stuffy, romantic yet not sappy. The service the first time was exceptional, this time a little let’s say weird. The waiter was trying to be funny and failed, and included himself in a toast due to the fact it was national wine day. But as far as service goes he was good. As far as the food goes it is as good as it gets, whenever a person can go to a place and say that they just had the best of something they have ever had that’s good, but when a person can say they just had the best two that’s great. Not too often I would get excited about a salad but the Candied Almond salad left a lasting impression with its feta cheese, blackberry vinaigrette dressing and oh yes the candied almonds. I am a true meat eater but it would not take much to convince me to just have the salad. One of the dishes at the table was the Balsamic Chicken pictured here.

 

It was as good as it looks.  The green beans were amazing! The other dishes were the Ziti Cucina and a tomato linguini both excellent but the dish of the night right shown here

 

 

is causing me to have dreams at night. The Potato Ravioli is the best pasta dish I have ever had. It included bacon and steak tips in a rich brown sauce. I wish I could have more. Overall the serving sizes were generous and when you include the price with the quality of the food the overall value it outstanding, possibly my favorite restaurant in all of Iowa right now.

 

1975 NW 86th St Clive, IA 50325
(515) 278-8148

 

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

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5

Atmosphere:  5

Service:         4                                                        

Food:            5

Value:          5

Overall          5

Resturant Review: Waveland Cafe

Waveland Café

 

Visited what could possibly be a Des Moines institution, The Waveland Café has been voted the best breakfast in the Metro for like 16 straight years. I’ll say not much for looks but that’s part of its charm. When we arrived the line was almost out the door I asked a regular if we needed to give our name to someone he said no seating is just kind of on the honor system. For a minute it was kind of nerve racking but in the end it just again added to the charm, along with the 80’s rock music playing in the background. I’m not really sure how to best say this but the appearance of the wait staff would make you wonder. But it was some of the best service I’ve had anywhere and they knew how to get people in and out while busing their own tables. Proves you can’t judge a book by its cover. The bacon left a little to be desired, and not often I say this but the eggs really had good flavor. The highlight was definitely the hash browns, not sure how they cook them but they were the best I’ve ever had. They were crisp on the outside and the insides literally melted in your mouth. I can’t wait to go back. The Waveland café just solidifies my phrase if there is not a wait, keep the plate.

 4708 University Ave Des Moines, IA 50311
(515) 279-4341

 

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

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5

Atmosphere:  5

Service:         5                                            

Food:            5

Value:           4

Overall          5

Resturant Review: Centro

Centro

I recently was able to have a meal at Centro in downtown Des Moines which has been consistently voted the number one restaurant in the capital city. The atmosphere is what I would call sophisticated but not stuffy.  Our waiter was attentive and very friendly and outgoing. However he did not know the soup and everything just happened to be his favorite. I didn’t buy it for a second but overall he was pretty good. We were started off with some bread and oil which was very good.  It was followed by the Centro salad the toasted pecans and the gorgonzola was a refreshing touch. The potato leek soup was full of flavor and something I would definitely have again. The main dishes at our table were all very good. They included Chicken Francese, Ricotta Gnocchi, Chicken and Prosciutto all very good, the Gnocchi was probably the least favorite of the three. But the best dish at the table was the Parmesan-Encrusted Halibut which included a lemon butter sauce, buttermilk mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus. The lemon butter sauce turned what would have been just another piece of fish into a memorable meal. My next statement in many cases would not be seen as a positive one but the best thing of the night was the buttermilk mashed potatoes. Wow, the best mashed potatoes I have ever had. They were creamy yet had chucks of potatoes in them, not sure how they did it but I’m glad they did. Besides the small disappointment in the waiter the biggest let down was the fact that the online menu did not match what they actually had. Still everything else made up for it. A good place to go on any special occasion.

 

Centro
1003 Locust St Des Moines, IA 50309
(515) 248-1780

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

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5

Atmosphere:  5

Service:         4

Food:            5

Value:           4

Overall          4.5