Naughtea, a Korean corn dog and bubble tea shop located in a strip mall in quintessential suburbia, smells of fresh, high-class corn dog breading. Rabbit imagery hangs on the walls of this Ankeny business, which debuted at the end of 2022, including bunny versions of the Mona Lisa and Girl with a Pearl Earring. A […]
Central Iowa Food & Drink
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: Morning Bell Coffee Roasters, Iowa’s only worker-owned cafe, keeps Ames fresh and focused
“Take your time, let me know if I can help with some recommendations.” The barista with the circle-rimmed glasses and well-trimmed mustache who greets me at Morning Bell Coffee Roasters (111 Main St Suite 101, Ames) seems to clock my coffee novice immediately. Still, they’re patient and accommodating, which I appreciate more than they’ll ever […]
Posted inCentral Iowa, Central Iowa Food & Drink, Food & Drink
Photo Gallery: Iowa’s only spring beer festival, Salvator Fest, celebrates centuries of good suds
A festival of beer, music, fun and more beer usually pairs with warm weather. But sunshine or not, beer fest season actually starts in spring with the Salvator Festival, honoring the first strong beer brewed by the monks of Neudeck ob der Au Monastery in 1516. The Paulaner Salvator masterpiece the Salvator Double Bock, the […]
Posted inCentral Iowa, Central Iowa Food & Drink, Food & Drink
The Banshees of Ingersoll: Des Moines beer picks for St. Paddy’s Day
Been banished by your best mate and drinking buddy? Worried you’ll spend St. Patrick’s Day with none but yer sister and miniature donkey? Avoid a mental breakdown (and/or an Oscar nomination) and grab a pint at your neighborhood brewery, where you’ll find Iowa twists on Irish beer styles. From crisp reds to stormy stouts, these […]
Posted inCentral Iowa Food & Drink
Des Moines meals, sweets and experiences to indulge in this Valentine’s Day
No matter your relationship status or feelings surrounding Valentine’s Day, it’s a convenient excuse to indulge in a fancy meal, cocktail, dessert, or all three. Spend Tuesday, Feb. 14 in good spirits — and out of the waiting area — by supporting local businesses, planning ahead and getting straight to the good stuff. Paint the […]
Posted inFood & Drink
A new gourmet cookie chain is opening in West Des Moines
A Utah-based gourmet cookie chain is dropping another crumb in Iowa. Crumbl Cookies will debut a new location in West Des Moines Friday — the second Crumbl Cookie location in the metro area, with the first opening in Ankeny in January 2021. Crumbl Cookie has five more locations across Iowa, in Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Food truck owners have big choices to make once temperatures dip
As fallen leaves give way to fallen snow, patios get packed away, plants move indoors and sandals are shelved until next summer. The changing season also means it might be harder to find your favorite local food truck. It’s no secret that Iowa winters can be brutal. Temperatures dip well below freezing for weeks on […]
Posted inCentral Iowa Community/News
Eat Greater Des Moines’ food rescue app has attracted hundreds of volunteers — now it needs more food to move
Eat Greater Des Moines partnered with grocery stores, gas stations and the community to make sure unwanted food in Central Iowa doesn’t have to go to waste. Their food rescue app launched back in June, and in its first four months, has successfully helped increase food assistance while decreasing local food waste, Eat Greater Des […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Horror-ble bites to eat this Halloween in Des Moines
It’s October, which can only mean one thing: time to make that list and check it twice. No, not that list. We’re talking about the horror movie list — the can’t-miss spooky season flicks that’ll have you employing the buddy system to walk down dark hallways; the ones that elicit jump scares from house creaks […]
Posted inCentral Iowa Food & Drink
LV Recommends: Great plates, open late in downtown Des Moines
When I go out to eat, I want to do it right: I’m looking for tastes I can’t easily recreate at home or find at another restaurant. I also make sure to not choose the same meal twice. And ever since attending Drake, late hours In my humble opinion, here are the five best Des […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Test your beer puppeteering skills at Des Moines Oktoberfest this weekend
Des Moines Oktoberfest will return this weekend with new events, an impressive list of beers and the promise of a great time. Always held the last full weekend of September, Des Moines Oktoberfest is a beer-centered block party that takes place south of Court Avenue on 4th Street. In 2017, organizers added the Party Plaza […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Forced to downsize, Sweet Tooth Farm focuses on self-care: ‘We can come back stronger’
In the summer of 2021, Monika Owczarski was informed by the City of Des Moines that the land she was leasing for her urban farm, Sweet Tooth Farm, would no longer be rented to her. Owczarski was devastated. On these two plots of land, she had been able to grow a little over an acre […]
