Smokey Row Coffee

Smokey Row has a truly iconic location at the top of the hill on MLK Parkway.  The building conveys the charm of the neighborhood and enhances it with big picture windows.  The space is very large.  The crowd is definitely eclectic but also seems family friendly.  I had a house blend coffee and a muffin.  Baked goods can sometimes be lower priority at some coffee places, but this muffin was very fresh and tender.  The coffee was great and, if you're in a hurry, you can always pick it up at the drive-thru.

King and I

Mom and I spied King and I on the way to the fabric store and wanted to try it and compare.  Overall, Mom and I agree that this is a good, modest restaurant with very polite service.

Mom had a spinach dish with chicken that was very light.  I had massuman curry with tofu, a peanut-based sauce that is one of my mainstays.  The peanuts were very much a highlight but balanced by the heat of the peppers. 

Jethro's BBQ

Jethro's BBQ near Drake has received national attention for its big food challenge.  Although the publicity emphasizes BBQ, the menu and atmosphere are both classic sports bar.  The menu has the usual range of burgers, wraps, etc. as well as BBQ.

But of course I had to try the pork ribs.  (They don't seem to have beef ribs.)  They were served with a dry rub and at most just a little sauce.  The meat was tender and gave just a little resistance off the bone.  I concentrated on the hot sauce, which really wasn't that hot.  I would classify the BBQ as quite good but not drive-worthy.

As an example of the lighter fare, Mom tried a turkey wrap.   Her favorite part was the warm cabbage, just sour enough to balance the sweet sauce.

Cool Basil

Don't let Cool Basil's strip mall location fool you.  The interior is elegant and the service gracious.  The Thai food here is truly excellent and, to my untrained palate, authentic.

Mom and I started with vegetarian pot stickers and shrimp dumplings.  The pot stickers were fried all around, unlike the bottom-only variety I'm used to, but I enjoyed the crispy and light dumpling skin. 

I had prik khing with tofu.  It has a red pepper sauce that has a unique, grainy texture that I like a lot.  This dish was an excellent example of the dish.  The vegetables had just the right texture.  I ordered spiciness of 4 on a scale of 6.  It was noticeably hot but I didn't cry, so perhaps next time I'll turn up the dial.  

Mom had tamarind chicken with cashews which she also rated as excellent.  The tamarind was more subtle than you would find in an Indian tamarind sauce.  It tasted a little sweet, which surprised me.  The sauce was flavorful but not overpowering.

A Dong

A Dong is Mom's favorite restaurant in Des Moines.   As you can see, the location is pretty low key, particularly given the charming neighborhood surrounding it.  But inside the decor is bright, modern, and clean. The service is always very gracious and friendly.

I started with a bowl of beef pho, the Vietnamese noodle soup.  Because I ordered the beef well done, it came already cooked and in the bowl. For rare meat they sometimes let you dunk the meat.  The table salad that goes into the soup shows the quality of the ingredients they use.  Mom thinks that A Dong has the best bean sprouts in town, fresher than anything she can find in a grocery store.  All the flavors in the soup are very clear and distinct.  The broth is very flavorful, which I consider to be the mark of a truly good soup.

Mom and I shared tofu stuffed with ground pork.  The portion was just right and struck for me the balance of meat and vegetables perfect for me.  This dish has just enough meat to satisfy me but isn't too heavy.