Iowa Foodie

Amy · Local Eats · mexican food · tacos · tacquitos · Updated May 9, 2015

We love Mexico, especially the food (that we featured here), so we're always looking for a good place to find real Mexican food in the greater DSM area. On a recent weekend, we ventured down to E Grand and stopped in at Los Laureles, at 1518 E Grand in Des Moines. The menu is pretty extensive with lots of dishes you don't find everywhere, like real carne asada and guisado de lengua. And, of course, we had to try the margaritas, where were nice and tart. Grant ordered pork carnitas t… (truncated)

Amy · Local Eats · mexican food · tacos · tacquitos

We love Mexico, especially the food (that we featured here), so we're always looking for a good place to find real Mexican food in the greater DSM area. On a recent weekend, we ventured down to E Grand and stopped in at Los Laureles, at 1518 E Grand in Des Moines. The menu is pretty extensive with lots of dishes you don't find everywhere, like real carne asada and guisado de lengua. And, of course, we had to try the margaritas, where were nice and tart. Grant ordered pork carnitas t… (truncated)

Amy · Belgian fries · Food Trucks · Updated May 2, 2015

Well, hi! It's been awhile, hasn't it? What started off as a little break over the holidays turned into a 5 month hiatus for Iowa Foodie! And I won't lie, it was soooooo nice. As you may notice from all of the food blogs that don't post anymore, blogging is a ginormous time suck. I'll admit that I was a little burned out from writing posts, editing photos, and keeping up with social media. But, I realized that I still do enjoy the process of food blogging, so here we go again! We're… (truncated)

Amy · Belgian fries · Food Trucks

Well, hi! It's been awhile, hasn't it? What started off as a little break over the holidays turned into a 5 month hiatus for Iowa Foodie! And I won't lie, it was soooooo nice. As you may notice from all of the food blogs that don't post anymore, blogging is a ginormous time suck. I'll admit that I was a little burned out from writing posts, editing photos, and keeping up with social media. But, I realized that I still do enjoy the process of food blogging, so here we go again! We're… (truncated)

Amy · Greek food · Italian food · Local Eats · baklava · greek salad · homemade pasta · mousaka · Updated Nov 18, 2014

We've been eating at Yanni's Grill & Vineyard in Ankeny for years, so I can't believe we're finally doing a post on the place - really, it's about time. Yanni's is located at 421 S Ankeny Blvd in Ankeny (they share a building with the Dairy Queen), and serves excellent Italian and Greek food. The dining room is a nice, comfortable spot for lunch or dinner. Lots of vines and artwork, plus there are some comfy booths, too. They feature a full bar and have a great wine list. We ordered… (truncated)

Amy · Greek food · Italian food · Local Eats · baklava · greek salad · homemade pasta · mousaka

We've been eating at Yanni's Grill & Vineyard in Ankeny for years, so I can't believe we're finally doing a post on the place - really, it's about time. Yanni's is located at 421 S Ankeny Blvd in Ankeny (they share a building with the Dairy Queen), and serves excellent Italian and Greek food. The dining room is a nice, comfortable spot for lunch or dinner. Lots of vines and artwork, plus there are some comfy booths, too. They feature a full bar and have a great wine list. We ordered… (truncated)

Amy · Friday Food Tour · bloody marys · holiday cocktails · restaurant reviews · soup · Updated Nov 14, 2014

Happy Birthday to my favorite Iowa Foodie, Grant! He started celebrating yesterday just to be sure to get it all in. Hopefully we'll be eating lots of great food for his 'birthday-s' - at lots of different restaurants! So I can get started on the celebration, too, let's get to the Friday Food Tour... Here's more Bloody Mary Madness for you - the Des Moines Register featured this article on one of the best little small town restaurants around - Augusta, in Oxford - and their awesome… (truncated)

Amy · Friday Food Tour · bloody marys · holiday cocktails · restaurant reviews · soup

Happy Birthday to my favorite Iowa Foodie, Grant! He started celebrating yesterday just to be sure to get it all in. Hopefully we'll be eating lots of great food for his 'birthday-s' - at lots of different restaurants! So I can get started on the celebration, too, let's get to the Friday Food Tour... Here's more Bloody Mary Madness for you - the Des Moines Register featured this article on one of the best little small town restaurants around - Augusta, in Oxford - and their awesome… (truncated)

Amy · Tasty Provisions · chocolate · chocolate covered bacon · cotton candy · Updated Nov 11, 2014

We've both been fans of Chocolate Storybook since we moved to the area back in 1999 - we even did a post on them back in February 2012 - so imagine our delight when we recently received a package from Chocolate Storybook! Seriously, complimentary chocolate has got to be one of the best perks of being a food blogger. Chocolate Storybook is located at 1000 Grand Avenue in West Des Moines, plus they have a fabulous website for you to order many of their wonderful products online. We re… (truncated)

Amy · Tasty Provisions · chocolate · chocolate covered bacon · cotton candy

We've both been fans of Chocolate Storybook since we moved to the area back in 1999 - we even did a post on them back in February 2012 - so imagine our delight when we recently received a package from Chocolate Storybook! Seriously, complimentary chocolate has got to be one of the best perks of being a food blogger. Chocolate Storybook is located at 1000 Grand Avenue in West Des Moines, plus they have a fabulous website for you to order many of their wonderful products online. We re… (truncated)

Amy · Friday Food Tour · Iowa craft beer · cornbread · edible shot glasses · soup · toasties · Updated Nov 7, 2014

Finally Friday! It seemed like the weekend would never get here, am I right? Sheesh. We're heading out of town for a quick day trip tomorrow to visit old friends (well, THEY aren't that old, we've just known them for a long time), but if you're going to be in town, don't forget that Iowa's Premier Beer, Wine, & Food Expo is going on! I'm pretty sure you could have some fun there. But let's get to the Friday Food Tour... Grant makes some awesome soup and he loves to try soup in most… (truncated)

Amy · Friday Food Tour · Iowa craft beer · cornbread · edible shot glasses · soup · toasties

Finally Friday! It seemed like the weekend would never get here, am I right? Sheesh. We're heading out of town for a quick day trip tomorrow to visit old friends (well, THEY aren't that old, we've just known them for a long time), but if you're going to be in town, don't forget that Iowa's Premier Beer, Wine, & Food Expo is going on! I'm pretty sure you could have some fun there. But let's get to the Friday Food Tour... Grant makes some awesome soup and he loves to try soup in most… (truncated)

Amy · Dos Equis · Friday Food Tour · Iowa Wine Food Expo · coneys · fries · pasta · vietnamese · Updated Oct 31, 2014

Happy Halloween! I hope you have some ghoulish fun planned for today. Grant is not a fan of Halloween, but I remember (in my much younger days) having a blast getting a costume together and heading out with friends to see if we could win any costume contests. Ahhh, the good old days. Anyway, we've got plenty of scary fun right here on the Friday Food Tour... If Vietnamese food is your thing (and it seems to be everyone's thing!), looks like Cityview's Food Dude has a place we all ne… (truncated)

Amy · Dos Equis · Friday Food Tour · Iowa Wine Food Expo · coneys · fries · pasta · vietnamese

Happy Halloween! I hope you have some ghoulish fun planned for today. Grant is not a fan of Halloween, but I remember (in my much younger days) having a blast getting a costume together and heading out with friends to see if we could win any costume contests. Ahhh, the good old days. Anyway, we've got plenty of scary fun right here on the Friday Food Tour... If Vietnamese food is your thing (and it seems to be everyone's thing!), looks like Cityview's Food Dude has a place we all ne… (truncated)

Amy · Omaha Restaurant Week · Road Trip · chicken · chocolate mousse · panna cotta · salmon · wine · Updated Oct 28, 2014

For dinner on our trip to Omaha for Restaurant Week, we dined at Brix. Located in Omaha's Midtown Crossing neighborhood at 220 S 31st Ave, Ste 3103, Brix is much more than just a restaurant. It's really a sort of a total food and wine experience, with a retail and wine market, bar and restaurant all in the same space. Once again, the generous folks at Visit Omaha set up our Omaha Restaurant Week reservations and we were comped our meals. The cheese and charcuterie display showcases… (truncated)

Amy · Omaha Restaurant Week · Road Trip · chicken · chocolate mousse · panna cotta · salmon · wine

For dinner on our trip to Omaha for Restaurant Week, we dined at Brix. Located in Omaha's Midtown Crossing neighborhood at 220 S 31st Ave, Ste 3103, Brix is much more than just a restaurant. It's really a sort of a total food and wine experience, with a retail and wine market, bar and restaurant all in the same space. Once again, the generous folks at Visit Omaha set up our Omaha Restaurant Week reservations and we were comped our meals. The cheese and charcuterie display showcases… (truncated)