dining des moines: +39 italian

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Anyone have any big plans for the (drinking) holiday? I'm thinking margaritas and chips and salsa are a must tonight ;) In other food news, I had the chance to check out the newest Italian restaurant in Des Moines last weekend and couldn't wait to share my thoughts with all of you. This location is the second for +39 Italian Market, which started in Ames (shoutout to my college town!) a few years ago. The owners are from Italy and both restaurants have separate wine rooms with hundreds of bottles on the walls (swoon!).

Walking in, the restaurant is small but beautiful. It's clean and white with small black tables and simple decor. I loved everything about the look and design, but the acoustics were terrible. We had reservations at 8 p.m. on Friday. The place was packed, and the buzz of conversation was almost overwhelming, and we had to yell just to hear across the booth — major bummer for such a chic space.

We also had mixed reviews of the food. The menu is small and everything sounds delicious, but when we started asking our waitress questions, we found out all but one of the pasta dishes was made with store-bought pasta and the fish was frozen, not fresh. I decided to take a chance on one of the pastas anyway, and we were all further disappointed when it arrived. The menu's description of the pastas listed food items as if they were included in the dishes, but it turned out they were listing the ingredients in the actual sauces — as in my pesto pasta came without the expected pine nuts (the best part!)

The gourmet pizzas were the redeeming factor, though. We tried one with prosciutto, apples and brie cheese, and it was amazing. Perfectly cooked, and the flavors came out perfectly without being overwhelming. The best part? Dessert. The homemade tiramisu is to. die. for. Seriously, I've been craving it ever since!

Final thoughts: we were a bit disappointed that the "authentic" Italian restaurant didn't make its own pasta and use all fresh ingredients. The pastas seemed like a dish anyone could make at home, but for a much higher price tag. If you're going to check it out (which I do recommend!), order a pizza, save room for dessert, and definitely explore the wine list!

Have you been to +39 restaurant yet? Will you? I'd love to know...

P.S. Eatery A, RoCA and the Scenic Route Bakery

Dining in NYC

One of my favorite luxuries in life is eating out. Testing exotic foods and trying out new dishes I've never had before. (Now there's a sentence my 15-year-old, Pop-Tart and Twizzler-eating self would never have uttered!) As I've grown up and ditched my picky eating habits, I've learned to love so many new foods (all the foods, really). So, naturally, I was very excited to try out some New York restaurants when I visited the city back in January.

10 patios to enjoy this summer in Des Moines

First off, let's just get it out there that when I say Des Moines, I'm usually talking about the Des Moines metro as a whole, which includes the surrounding cities. Second, when it comes to eating out, if I'm ever trying to think of places with patios, it always seems like there are only a couple to choose from. But that could not be further from the truth. In making this list, I came across dozens of bars and restaurants with patios in the metro. I even had a hard time narrowing it down to 10, but I think I did a pretty good job with my picks (if I do say so myself ;).

Lunch in the East Village

Adam and I rarely get the chance to have lunch together during the week since our offices are 20 minutes apart, but last week we were able to make it work one day and he took me to the cutest bakery/sandwich shop called the Scenic Route Bakery.

It had the most delicious paninis and the best chai latte. But my favorite part was how beautiful it was. The floor-to-ceiling windows let in so much natural light (even though it was cloudy the day we went) and it had modern elements mixed with vintage pieces to give it a cozy, eclectic feel. Adam was spot on when he said I would love it. Even the outside looked adorable — I'm especially happy I caught the little kid running down the sidewalk by accident :)

If you're in the Des Moines area, I definitely recommend making a stop here! And if you're from Des Moines, what are your favorite lunch spots? I love trying out new places so I love to hear about all the hidden gems around here!

P.S. Eatery A and RoCA

Dining in Des Moines: Eatery A

In continuing with my reviews of new restaurants in Des Moines, today I'm talking about one of my new favorites: Eatery A. It's a Mediterranean restaurant that uses fire and smoke to bring out the flavors in all of the food. Adam and I went there for the first time for our anniversary dinner last month, and we both loved it.

A new restaurant in Des Moines

A few new restaurants have opened recently in downtown Des Moines, so Adam and I have been trying visit some of them. I love all the new trendy hangouts coming to the area; they all have such great styles, and each has its own unique feel to it. Last week we went to RoCA (short for Restaurant on Court Avenue) and Eatery A (details coming soon!).