Nhina Chau, owner of Heavenly Asian Cuisine, will never put freezer-burned veggies in her egg drop soup. She crinkles her nose at the thought of it. “I personally hate the smell of frozen peas and carrots,” Chau said, squirming in her chair. Egg drop soup is a Chinese restaurant classic. The people of West Des […]
West Des Moines
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Artist Frank Hansen makes work that’s messy, freaky, angry and silly — whatever he’s feeling that day
“Frank Hansen openings always flirt with lawlessness,” reads a description of the Des Moines artist’s work from 2009. “This year his show will feature a painting that needs to be driven like a car.” At that point, Hansen was well on his way to carving out a niche in the Des Moines art scene. Twenty-five […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Linzi Murray and her West Des Moines bookstore/cafe are hitting their stride
Linzi Murray, owner of Reading in Public Bookstore and Cafe, lifted her pants leg, pointing to a tattoo on her left ankle. Although her dad, Keith, died of lung cancer 10 years ago, “he still jokes with me,” she said with a chuckle. They had a special bond, despite his drinking, her trauma as an […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Review: Walleye, poutine and decadent s’mores help make Guesthouse Tavern + Oyster in WDM a superb supper club experience
Food, like all cultural exchange, is relative. One person’s adventurous meal out of their comfort zone is another person’s daily staple. An example: even though I’m born-and-raised Iowan, I had never heard of a supper club before dining at West Des Moines’ Guesthouse Tavern + Oyster. “Oh, is it like a book club for foodies?” […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Forced to cope with paper tariffs, small comic book and game stores in Iowa are getting creative
You might recall the Stamp Act from 5th grade social studies. Passed on March 22, 1765, it was the mechanism used by the British to fund the standing troops lingering in the American colonies after the Seven Years’ War. In practice, the Stamp Act required that colonists pay a tax on all paper products, ranging […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Coffee Cats in Valley Junction, Iowa’s first cat cafe, has homed more than 1,600 felines
After 40 years as a mental health counselor, Mary Jankowski wanted to do something different, but wasn’t sure what. Then she saw an article about a cat cafe and thought it looked fun. So she partnered with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa and, in the summer of 2020, opened Coffee Cats, the first cat […]
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 inArts & Entertainment
The Jordan House Museum is home to art, opera, Shakespeare and Iowa history
As we celebrate the arts in this issue, it’s only appropriate to recognize a growing trend in this region. The power of unity can be used in the arts as it is in other facets of positive community growth. As creative community contributors, cultural organizations have a growing responsibility to work smarter to integrate their […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five questions with West Des Moines’ Samantha Daily, two-time ‘MasterChef’ competitor
A West Des Moines cooking enthusiast with a penchant for comfort food has found her way onto the summer’s top-rated food show, featuring award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, chef Aaron Sanchez and renowned restaurant owner Joe Bastianich — for the second time. Samantha Daily was a fourth-place finisher on MasterChef season nine, which aired in summer […]
Posted inCommunity/News
West Des Moines cafe drops its racist-sounding name after online pushback
A new West Des Moines breakfast cafe will open next month, but without the racist-sounding name that caused a furor on social media.
