Sometimes you just want pancakes for dinner — specifically, a stack of hotcakes fresh off the seasoned griddle of a local diner, presented with a carafe of syrup, crispy hashbrowns, eggs any style and a cocktail or two. Whatever your dream brinner may be, there are plenty of restaurants in the Des Moines and Iowa […]
LV Recommends
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: NewBo’s newest Mexican restaurant, Cafe Tacuba, boasts a full breakfast menu, guac flights, decadent coffee and more
When Fong’s Pizza closed their Cedar Rapids doors in November 2022, their absence left a crab rangoon pizza-shaped hole in the New Bohemian district. The building sat empty for a short stint, until Oswaldo Aguirre and Ariel Barrios saw their opportunity to fill that hole with tacos, enchiladas and guacamole flights. Cafe Tacuba was born. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: The Bartender’s Handshake, an intimate place for a cozy cocktail in Des Moines
For 2024, “stale, cheesy cocktail bars” are out and “vibey, modern cocktail bars” are in. The Bartender’s Handshake located on Ingersoll in Des Moines is no stranger to the latter. Walking in, you’re greeted with moody lighting and the soft murmur of both conversation and music that elicits speakeasy vibes. The bartender behind the beautifully […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Crossing the Reub-icon: Seven Iowa-made sandwiches, reviewed
From this year’s Reuben pageant sprung an unexpected star — a deviation, a meatless challenger from the sidelines. In the spirit of progress, we allowed its ascension; perhaps to set up 2025’s review, when the kitchen at Octopus in Cedar Falls should be in full service (owner Dave Diebler describes his tempeh Reuben as “off […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Pour things from Iowa breweries to imbibe this Oscar season
We’ve paired a pair of Iowa-made beers with each of this year’s Best Picture contenders so no matter who wins, you’re golden. American Fiction Bankrupt On Selling fruited sour6.4% ABVLua Brewing, Des Moines Mummer Saison-style mumme6% ABVQuarter Barrel Arcade & Brewery, Cedar Rapids Lua’s Bankrupt on Selling is packed with blackberry, pineapple, cinnamon and nutmeg. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: New Taste of India spices up a ’50s diner in West Liberty
Many of us who lived in Johnson County in the ’80s and ’90s can remember Rockitz, an iconic traditional American diner right off interstate 80 by the West Liberty exit. I’m pretty sure Fonzie frequented there, or some scene of American Graffiti was shot there. The diner didn’t make it past the turn of the […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: Lacayo brings exceptional Latin cuisine and fresh flavors to a beloved Cedar Rapids restaurant
The owners of Lacayo — the NewBo restaurant that was formerly Caucho — “boomeranged” back to Cedar Rapids with the dream of opening their own restaurant. Armina Grizak Lacayo and Daniel Lacayo lived in Chicago before moving to Daniel’s hometown of Cedar Rapids in 2015 to work for local restaurateurs Carrie and Andy Schumacher. “It’s […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: Burgers, bologna and beer reign at Either/Or, a new restaurant from the crew behind Lua Brewing
Either/Or is the latest venture from the restaurant group behind Lua Brewing in the Sherman Hill neighborhood of downtown Des Moines. “Lua is about craft beer and food, and it was our first so [it’ll] always [be] our baby, but it’s small,” said co-owner Scott Selix. “Either/Or is bigger on just about every scale. We […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa’s loose-meat sandwiches go by several names (just don’t use the wrong one)
There’s no question that Iowa is the birthplace of the loose-meat sandwich — that beefy, slow-cooked and wonderfully messy American comfort food served on a hamburger bun. But which version of this sandwich is the definitive Iowa loose-meat sandwich is a debate that’s raged from river to river for nearly 100 years. Most Iowans call […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
LV Recommends: Des Moines’ new Monsterama Arcade & Pizzeria gets two enormous, dismembered thumbs up
Wednesday, 6:11 pm. Of course I’m at Monsterama. Where the hell are you? Monsterama Arcade & Pizzeria (located at 3108 SW 9th St, next to Lucky Gal) on Des Moines’ south side serves pizza, calzones, hot dogs and mocktails adjacent to a gaggle of games. If the tantalizing eats and creative concoctions don’t endear you […]
Posted inCommunity/News
LV Recommends: Harry’s Bar & Grill is an old-school diner with distinctly Iowa City DNA
Like its seasonal student population, Iowa City is constantly in a state of change. Brand-new downtown diner Harry’s Bar & Grill (116 E Washington St) is offering a chance to step back in time to Iowa City in the ’60s and ’70s, when a beloved and campy landmark bookstore called Epstein’s Books still existed. The […]
Posted inFood & Drink
10 Iowa-made beverages that belong in a beer garden this fall
’Tis the season of Oktoberfests, tailgates, haunted houses, film festivals and some of the best beer releases of the year. Starting in mid-August, Iowa brewers begin announcing the debut of German-style lagers, fall flavors, special collabs and session beers, ideal for sipping as you take in some live, local tunes. Keep an eye out for […]
