Tasty Freaking Tacos.

So just about everyone in Des Moines has had Tasty Tacos so this post won't be breaking any new information. I have never heard of anyone who didn't love their meal from there. There isn't much I can say about TT other than it has to be the best taco I've ever had (sorry grandma). The other menu items aren't bad but you really have to have their tacos before you can try to graduate to anything else. The chicken is seasoned just right and the steak is pretty juicy--those are my two recommendations.

 http://www.tastytacos.com/menu.html

2 chicken tacos made by Jesus...or Jesús

So I don't know what you want me to tell you about this place that you don't already know. If you are traveling through Des Moines....stop here--and eat as many tacos as you can. What is your preferred TT menu item?

Royal Mile

The Royal Mile is an English pub that serves a ridiculous assortment of European beers...and apparently some pretty good food. I've also enjoyed The Mile because of the laid back drinking environment and the amount of seating within the 2 story bar; the upstairs being a separate bar named The Red Monk. http://royalmilebar.com/menu

Before this year, I don't know that I had eaten there. But in the '13, I've actually eaten there a couple time.


1st meal:

Rotti Chicken

spice marinated chicken, peanut chili cabbage and cucumber mint sauce wrapped in a warm naan pita

With a side of roasted vegetables

I am a huge fan of naan and this pita didn't disappoint. The bread was awesome as well as the items inside of it. You would normally eat this like a taco but I had to open it up so you could see the inside. The pita was awesome and a very unique flavor. Almost too sophisticated for my palette but I definitely enjoyed it.  The roasted veggies were pretty fresh but tasted pretty oily--still very good though. I probably won't get this again but that's in large part because of their huge menu.

2nd meal:

The Earl Of Sandwich (house Special)

a triple decker of turkey, ham, corned beef, bacon and swiss cheese served on thick-cut rye with sweet chili aioli, lettuce, grilled onion and tomato

I enlarged this picture as big as I could so you could see all the goodness inside. This is a probably in my top 5 sandwiches in Des Moines. Tons of phenomenal meat, gooey cheese and crisp but soft bread make this a very comforting sandwich to eat. Oh yeah, the sandwich is monstrous also. I finished it for some reason, but it is definitely enough to split into two meals as it comes with your choice of a side. I don't eat much corned beef, but I have to venture a guess that this corned beef might be tops in Des Moines (they feature it on a couple other sandwiches as well). Seriously, you HAVE to order this sandwich.

What is your favorite food at The Mile?

Capital Hot Dog & Pub

Gourmet Hot Dogs you say? Here is a small restaurant/bar on the outskirts of downtown and the south side. I've been here a couple times and the hot dogs are decent. They do have turkey dog and vegan dog options which are nice.

The best thing about the place is the creativity of the hot dogs. The hot dogs themselves are decent, I wouldn't say they are must haves but the combinations with other toppings are pretty awesome. Also, a good place for some cheap beer. Unfortunately, it isn't a very big bar and it gets pretty loud in there. Still a cool place to check out if you haven't been there.

Capital Pub & Hot Dog

Fiesta Dog

Nacho Dog

Baratta's

In the continuing series of south side eating I've done, I had to make a stop to Baratta's or I wouldn't have been able to look at myself in the mirror. It's hidden in the neighborhood of the south side but well worth the search. Probably the best Italian Food in Des Moines for its price range. The only Italian food I've had that is better is Sam and Gabe's and it is pretty pricey. To make Barattas an even better value, they have a Dinner Duo special for $20 on M-Th which gives a ridiculous amount of awesome food for a pretty good price. I absolutely recommend you check that out.

Menu and site at: Barattas

I had never ordered the Chicken Parm and spaghetti so I chose that. I don't think I've ever ordered that at any restaurant before so I have no basis of comparison but I know it tasted great. With the Onion Ring appetizer (which tasted almost as good as La Pizza House's Onion Rings), huge side salad and a 22oz Ruthie, I was pretty much done for before the Parm came out. Still, I had a couple bites and the chicken breast was huge and juicy. Very good breading but not too dry. The sauce and spaghetti was also very good for simple spaghetti. I love my sauce thick and their saucy was not runny at all. They don't mess around there.  Since I had so much for leftovers, I actually made a chicken parm sandwich breakfast for one meal and had the rest of the spaghetti for another meal.

Got the Onion Ring appetizer and a Ruthie from Exile.

Chicken Parm and Spaghetti...great leftover for breakfast.

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Note, that you can also get a soup instead of the salad and I've heard amazing things about the Pepper Cheese soup AFTER I ordered the salad.I definitely plan to try the soup next time. What is your favorite Italian restaurant?

El Aguila Real

As far as Mexican food goes, I admit that a lot of the restaurants in Des Moines taste similar to me...delicious! One of my favorite places though is Aguila Real in Beaverdale. Like most of the other restaurants, they are quick, cheap and good. They moved to a bigger location across the street from their old building a couple years back which I feel hurt the quality of the food a little bit (or it could be I don't delicious greasy Mexican food like I did in college). It is still good but I don't feel like it is as good as it was when it was in the small Long John Silver's building.


Normally, I get the chicken nachos which are the best in Des Moines (yes I've compared them to other Mexican restaurants before) but I thought I would switch it up. I got the #3 on the lunch menu which is a chicken enchilada, rice and a chicken taco.

Enchilada, rice and a taco

I rarely get combos but I enjoyed this one. It was a ton of food, but not overly greasy so I didn't feel miserable. I still don't know if any restaurant can beat the enchiladas my family and I make  but this one wasn't too bad. The taco was pretty crisp but it didn't shatter like shrapnel when I bit into it. I have always liked their chicken and I normally don't like the grainy beef that most of the Mexican restaurants have so I recommend chicken or steak for meats.

The combo is probably a better meal than the chicken nachos which are slathered in cheese sauce atop a huge bed of carbs. Probably the healthiest thing to eat at a Mexican restaurant would be chicken fajitas and skip out on the tortillas--and Aguila's are very good. What is you favorite Mexican restaurant?

B&B

I stopped over to the B&B: The Home of the Killer Sandwiches which, fortunately, is down the street from me. I've been coming here since I was 4 years old and not much has changed....which is good because they are doing things right. B&B has won tons of awards from Cityview for their sandwiches and has been featured on a couple shows such as: Outrageous Food and Bizarre Foods w/ Andrew Zimmer. Those shows probably don't do them justice because while they have some big sandwiches, they should be commended on the quality of the food.  Check out their site and menu here: B&B


Since I had the day off, I decided to stop over for lunch with Chris and his daughter Mara. I always like to try something new but I couldn't bring myself to try the Quadzilla because I knew I had to be alive the rest of the day. I had the spicy breaded chicken sandwich and it was really good as the chicken was juicy and the breading was tasty but light enough to not dominate the meat. I am not sure a better sandwich bun exists, they are soft and melt in your mouth like cheese.

Breaded chicken, pepper jack cheese, veggies, mustard and epic bun!

Mara loved the grinder but ordered the ham and cheese.

Most people on the south side know about this place and if you follow the top eateries in Des Moines, you probably have heard of B&B. It's definitely a must check out place if you like sandwiches or need to pick up some fresh deli meats. Fortunately, it's close enough to downtown to grab a bite over lunch so check it out. What is your favorite sandwich there?

Manhattan Deli...and others.

My apologies for not posting for a while. I have definitely been out to eat to places such as: Sam & Gabe's,  A Dong and El Salvador, I just have totally forgotten to take pictures. Quick reviews on those restaurants:

Sam & Gabe's- Best Italian Food in Des Moines...slightly edging out Baratta's (although Baratta's might be the better value of the two). I've been here twice and almost cried because the food was so good. I plan on buying a Groupon for this place EVERY time one is available.

A Dong- Very solid Vietnamese food...I've only had Saigon Cafe before for Vietnamese but it was good. By no means am I an expert though.

El Salvador Del Mundo- Authentic and tasty Salvadorean food. The pupusas there aren't quite as good as the ones at the Farmer's Market but they are about 1/3rd of the price. You could taste the hand-craftedness (word?) in the Corn Tamales. Very inexpensive place to eat (just north of the east side Gino's)

Today's feature restaurant, which I actually remembered to take a picture at, is Manhattan Deli. It is a small deli located on Ingersoll that has a pretty good reputation. You can tell that with how busy they are around lunch time. I first found this place about 5-6 years ago and it has been one of my top places to go for lunch since. Right after I leave, I look forward to the next time I get to go.

The only cons to M.D. is that it is a little bit outside of downtown and they only take cash. Otherwise, they have some of the best sandwiches in Des Moines. This is my top 2 sandwich place in Des Moines (it's tied between them and B&B on the south side).

Probably their most popular sandwich (and my favorite) is the Zach Johnson--named after the 2007 Masters winner AND greatest golfer to ever come out of Drake University (yeah Bulldogs!). Unfortunately, I can't link to their menu since they don't have one online but is has various deli meats, lettuce, tomato, Oil & Mayo (which I replaced with mustard...damn you health conscientiousness). Seems like nothing crazy but the version with the Oil & Mayo is phenomenal. This is my recommendation and I have heard the same from many others.

A great athlete deserves a great sandwich - The Zach Johnson

The "Warm Cheese" for the vegetarian...that doesn't like meat.

Seriously, find a way to make it there soon. They now have extended hours to be open during dinner time and they are open Saturdays so you have no excuse. I didn't find their website but here is their FB page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Manhattan-Deli/111455252228089

What's your favorite sandwich in Des Moines?