BBQ Review: Bubba-Q's Ottumwa Iowa

Bubba Q’s  **

Full service, dining full menu, nicely decorated

Sauces: Only one to choose from and it was not good

Pulled pork: No smoke, no flavor, chopped way to fine and very dry

Ribs: very small ribs which in the end turned out to be okay because they were not good, however they were cooked well.

Burnt ends: I love burnt ends these were good but still not great

Sides: The sides were all good many to choose from but the John Deere corn was amazing. It contained corn, lime juice, cilantro, mayo, and cheese by far the best thing I had all night.

Overall: The best thing about Bubba Q’s was their website. I was convinced it was going to be good and whoever designed their site needs to be commended because they fooled me. If I were to return I would have to try something on the menu other than the BBQ.

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