Resturant Review: Skips

Skips
Des Moines Iowa

 With Skips it’s just best to get down to it. When we arrived at Skips we found that it was located in an old house which is different from most restaurants these days. The inside was dark yet the lighting at the table was very adequate which made for a nice combination, lots of dark grain wood which makes the place feel warm and comfortable. I will admit that at first the waitress made me nervous when asked what they were known for and she said everything I was quite skeptical and thought she either didn’t know or was lying. However in the end she ended up guiding those who asked to very good choices. She was attentive and my water glass never got below a half. When the salads arrived I got the feeling we were in for a good night. All of the dressings but the French we were told were made in house. (who would ever order French) The raspberry vinaigrette was one of the best I’ve had. They also brought bread to the table which was also extremely good and I am not much of a bread guy. When the food arrived I was extremely happy with the portion sizes but the moment of truth was how did it taste? At our table we had the following:

 Grilled Top Sirloin served on grilled sourdough and topped with onion rings

It was on the menu as a sandwich and served open faced. You could order this as a steak instead of a sandwich and be very happy, great taste and really a good value.

Lemon & Garlic Shrimp garlic and shrimp sautéed in a lemon butter with broccoli on linguini

Very large portion, loads of shrimp which along with the broccoli were cooked to perfection.

Jalapeno Cream a spicy cream sauce on linguini

All I can say it hot!

Chicken Alfredo breaded chicken tenders tossed in an Alfredo sauce and served with garlic toast on linguini

When the words breaded chicken tenders are used it makes me think of fast food. This was far from the case in fact my wife used seldom used pharse (this reminds me of your mom’s chicken) and trust me those words are almost never uttered.

Walleye pan-fried golden brown

This was my dish and in my humble opinion the best at the table. The tilapia looked sexier on the menu being coconut and pecan crusted served with a honey mustard glaze but the waitress without hesitation said go with the Walleye and boy was she right. It was by far the best piece of fish I’ve had where you could not feel the ocean breezes on your face. Large portion, nice crust and great flavor my daughter who is not real keen on fish tried it and liked it. It was served with a side of steamed broccoli which again was cooked perfectly.

Skips has easily earned a spot in my top 5 favorite places to eat anywhere in the state of Iowa. The only problem is I may never try anything else on the menu.  In the end the waitress may have very well been right it looks like everything on the menu is great. You have to try this place just don’t go the nights I want to so I don’t have to wait.

PS. I was a nice place so I did not get a pictue of all of the entrees.

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:           4
Overall          5

4000 Fleur Drive Des Moines, IA 50321
(515) 287-1820

http://skipsdesmoines.com