BBQ Review: Sweet n' Saucy

It's been a long time but I've tried a new BBQ place.

 

 

Sweet and Saucy  Fairfield IA. *****

When you say a place is a hole in the wall you may just mean Sweet and Saucy. Sweet is located at 117 N Court in Fairfield and you will need that address because the place sits so far back off the street. You can’t even see the front door, but don’t let that stop you. Sweet and Saucy is Limited service dining (order at the counter) We were greeted by a friendly, knowledgeable and confident person behind the counter, she knew the menu. The menu is extremely limited to BBQ. I believe they have a loose beef sandwich and a tenderloin besides the Q.

Sauces:   Six to choose from (Memphis, Sweet, Zippy, Spicy, Spicer, Buffalo) All of the sauces lacked any depth of flavor and were okay but not outstanding. I ended up mixing the sweet and the Spicy and came up with a pretty good sauce.

Ribs:     Ribs were not on the menu the night I was there. Can’t wait to give them a try.  

Pulled Pork:   This is competition quality pulled pork, great smoked flavor and very moist. Restaurant pulled pork has the tendency to become mushy and this did not. I was a little rough on Sweet and Saucy’s sauces but the pulled pork did not need it.    

Brisket:  Many BBQ places are not brave enough to serve brisket, Sweet and Saucy is and it was very good. Brisket is tough to do right and I’m glad to have found a place close to home where I can get a brisket fix once and awhile.

Sides:  A good selection of sides for such a small place. I had the onion rings and coleslaw, the rings were amazing. I also tried the fried pickles, going to have to go back and try some more.  

Overall:  Since becoming a Kansas City Barbeque judge I’d kind of given up on trying new BBQ joints. However I was very excited to find such a good place so close to home. I may not have to by a smoker after all. I would suggest following them on Facebook for their specials as it is such a small place and the menu may vary a bit. I am holding out to try the ribs, some more of the sides and for consistency but Sweet and Saucy does have a chance to make my top two BBQ joints in Iowa.   

Resturant Review: Red's Alehouse

Red’s Alehouse

Finally made it to Red’s Alehouse and discovered what many have known for a long time, Red’s is a must stop in the Iowa City/Coralville and now North Liberty area. I would classify Red’s as a place that promotes their beer but delivers on their food. Red’s menu is dominated by flat bread pizzas and sandwiches but its surroundings and service are closer to a fine dining experience. When looking around its clear Red’s is the place to be. Our waitress was attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. Qualities that are harder and harder to find these days.  Buffalo chicken and ranch dressing are two things that I don’t particularly care for, but when I took a bite of my wife’s flat bread pizza I wasn’t sure I even wanted to try my meal. It was awesome and that’s taking into affect I went into it thinking I wouldn’t like it. The balance of flavors and heat was perfect. I would order this in a heartbeat.

 

 

My Daughter had a burger with feta and you can’t go wrong with that.

 

 

My choice for the evening was the The Braiser - pork belly, brussel sprout slaw,

aged white cheddar, smoked tomato BBQ. I mean come on, with that combination how can a guy go wrong. The brussel sprout slaw was a pleasant surprise and added a nice crisp freshness to the burger. Red’s take on coleslaw was also a pleasant surprise they use purple cabbage and a red wine vinaigrette that may not be for most but I found it a nice change to the common coleslaw.  

 

 

There are times when after a meal you just sit back and think to yourself; that is sitting just right. My trip to Red’s did just that.

 I have devised a new rating system for restaurants that I will unveil with Red’s that goes like this. I consider the meal and the experience and compare it to what it cost to what I would be willing to pay for it.   Just a word positive numbers may be rare and a 0 is not bad. I came up with this system at the last place I ate in which the entrée was $17 and I would have willing paid $10 for the meal so it earned a -7. Red’s earned a +4 on my initial visit.

 Red’s Alehouse

405 N Dubuque St, North Liberty, IA 52317
(319) 626-2100

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

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5

Atmosphere:  4.5

Service:         5                                                        

Food:            5

Value:          5

Overall          5

 

Updated Resturant Review: Throttle Down

Throttle Down was a place that I promoted heavily when it first opened. I now have to take back all of the good things I said. Please don’t go there because of any of my past recommendations. Throttle Down has been on a consistent downhill spiral for some time now. It’s one thing to write a bad review after one bad visit but I’m up to three now and there won’t be a 4^th.  In my original review I said that they should concentrate on being a restaurant and not a bar because the food was that good. It is evident that after I believe was a change of ownership it’s all bar. Perhaps if one would drink enough the poor food and service would not be noticeable. I really pains me when a place that you loved becomes a place you can never go again.

Minneapolis Food Recap

Here is a food recap of our quick trip to Minneapolis.

Tilla’s

Our first stop was for brunch and we stopped at a place called Tilia’s. A very what I would call an artsy type place located in an old building with an old world feel. One interesting side note they served the water in old wine bottles. It was neat to see an open kitchen where you could watch the chef created your meal. The presentation of the food was amazing for breakfast items. Below is what we had at our table.

Slow-Poached Eggs in Parmesan Cream – Caramelized tomatoes, tarragon & grilled bread pretty tasty for a poached eggs

 

 

Smoked Soft-Boiled Eggs – Buttermilk biscuits, sausage & sawmill gravy. When I saw smoke I was in. The most interesting and best biscuits and gravy of my entire life, the smoked soft boiled eggs were a nice touch.

 

Coconut Brioche French Toast – Charred pineapple, coconut milk whip & maple beurre fondu. French toast without maple syrup it can be done. The charred pineapple was the highlight of this dish.

 

Chilequiles with Poached Eggs – Carnitas roasted pork, charred sweet corn, avocado, salsa verde & queso fresco. Probably the best looking dish at the table

 

 

The Blue Door Pub this was from Diners, Drive in’s and Dives

Home of the blucy lucy any time you cook the cheese inside it’s a win plus they use Tillamook cheese one of my favorites. I would consider this place a bit of a disappointment.

 

 

Glam Doll Donuts 

This was an impulse stop that paid dividends. Upon entering the place it looked like you stepped back into the 50’s it was tough to tell if the employees were in uniform or that is the way they look all the time. I am going with all the time. The five of us ended up ordering a dozen donuts and practically finished them as you can tell. Here are some of the donuts we ordered. I can sum this stop up in two words show girl, or perhaps it’s one. The maple bacon long john was amazing.

GLAM DOLL • signature donut

SHOWGIRL • maple icing & bacon

CALENDAR GIRL • salted caramel & chocolate

MISFIT • orange, ginger & cinnamon infused glaze

FEMME FATALE • fresh raspberry curd & vanilla icing

FLIRTY FRENCHIE • espresso cream cheese

PUCKER UP • lemon cream cheese

 

 

Psycho Suzies

The  last and best stop of the trip. The place looked like one big tikki hut we enjoyed a nice afternoon sitting outside with a view of the Mississippi river. As usual I asked the waitress what she recommend and she said the Plymouth Prowler which was Pulled pork, melted swiss, honey ham, house-made pickles, red onion, and mustard sauce. She could tell I was a little leery of the red onions so she said go with the pizza. Someone at the table took her recommendation

Brown Sugar Babies  Bacon wrapped smokies in a brown sugar & bourbon reduction.

 

 

 

We can't foreget everyone's favorite Pinkberry

 

 

Pizza rankings update

Thought I would repost as #2 and #4 are two new addittions to my top 5 pies.

1.       Pizano's Pizza (Chicago)

 A thin crust pizza in Chicago tops the list of my favorite pizza, strange coming from the deep dish capital of the world. The crust is the best part, I swore there was cornmeal in the crust but they assured me there was none, still puzzled by that. The décor was kind of neat felt like a gangster could have walked in at any moment.

 

2.       Psycho Suzies  (Minneapolis)

Sometimes it’s all about the crust and that is the case here; a great corn meal crust combines with the house chunky sweet tomato sauce. A great place to build your own pizza while enjoying a view of the Mississippi.

 

3.       Wig and Pen (Iowa City)

The flying tomato pizza and the onion rings are out of this world. Not sure if they serve anything else. That is all I’ve had and don’t plan on trying anything else.

 

4.       Gusto Pizza Co. (Des Moines)

All I can say is fresh, quality ingredients, incredible marinara and unique and interesting pizzas.

 

5.       Breadeaux (Mount Pleasant, IA only)

I’ve had other Breadeaux’s but none compare to the one in Mount Pleasant not sure why? I have said it before that I think Roger has some special ingredient that makes you eat the pepperoni until it’s gone. If I’m ever in a pizza eating challenge this is the one I want.

 

6.       Giordanos (Chicago)

Even though I am more of a thin crust kind of guy now the deep dish monster here is delish.

 

7.       Pagliai's Pizza (Iowa City)

An Iowa City Tradition I have an aunt and uncle that live outside Tucson Arizona that bring a cooler the size of a coffin with them and fill it with pizza from Pagliai’s to take back with them.  

 

8.       Bordenaro’s  Des Moines

 

This is one of those places that the normal person would drive right past not much for looks but some good pizza. The pepperoni had just the right bite to it and the taco was good as well. A not so much crisp but what I would call a firm crust. Firm enough to pick up everything piled on the taco pizza. Saw some onion rings delivered to a table as we were leaving, looks like a must have next time.

 

9.       Bambinos West Des Moines

A great pie with a West Des Moines where you drive out in the country past cows to get there. Thought it was funny that the lady that owns the place has a business across the street that is in Norwalk. 

10.    Torino’s (Fairfield IA.)

A good what I call greasy pizza, but not in a bad way. The highlight Torino’s is the free ice cream that comes with the meal. Not only is it free it is possible the best soft serve ice cream around.

11.   Dino’s Washington IA.

An old standby that introduced me to the thin crust world.

12.   Mazzios’s Burlington IA.

The best Canadian and sauerkraut going, I really appreciate the owner and the way he has taken care of me over the years.

 

Resturant Review Gusto Pizza Co.

Gusto Pizza Co.

 

Made a stop at Gusto Pizza Co. in Des Moines and had some great pizza I had no idea what to expect and was pleased. I was encouraged to try the meat balls and I’ll be honest I am (was) not much of a meat ball guy but Gusto has changed that, can’t wait to have some more. Here they are in all their glory.       The marinara Gusto serves is awesome and came with the meatballs and with the cheese bread, It just plain tastes fresh. The pizza had a good crispy crust and topped with what you could tell were quality ingredients. I ordered the “The Duke” which consisted  of Russ & Frank's Sassy BBQ sauce, smoked brisket, mozzarella, colby jack, red onion and cilantro. When I saw brisket I was sold, because I love brisket. Personally I like barbeque sauce less and less and could have used less of the Russ & Franks but overall some good brisket and a great pie.

Besides the meatballs the Spartacus was the surprise of the night is came with  a Red sauce, Graziano's Italian sausage (yum), pepperoni, mozzarella ,and banana peppers.

 

 

This was my favorite of the two. Overall a great place for pizza that has made my top 5 pizza places I’ve ever been.

Service is hard to rate due to the fact you order at the counter but overall a place I’d go back to in a heartbeat.

Gusto Pizza Co.
1905 Ingersoll Ave, Des Moines, IA, 50309
515-244-8786

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

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5

Atmosphere:  4

Service:         4                                                                                   

Food:            5

Value:          3.5

Overall          4.5

 As far as a pure pizza place goes I would give it an overall rating of 5 out of 5

 

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

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.