I don’t get up to northwest Iowa often – especially on a weekend – but if/when I do, I plan to check out the Backroom Bistro, a restaurant in Sioux Center run by Giovanni Romano, a native New Yorker who somehow ended up in Iowa and is making killer bruschetta, stuffed shells, veal manicotti, giambotto, cannoli and lasagna Florentine, according to a surprising story in Sunday’s NYTimes. The bistro operates out of the back of the Fruited Plain Cafe, serving meals for 50 people on Friday and Saturday nights.
Category Archives: 2) Frequent Destinations
From chilly nyc (and missing cobra at the Bronz zoo) back to snowy Iowa
Didn’t expect snow when we landed at 10 this morning in Des Moines. Hope it melts soon. I got up at 3:45 a.m. for a 6 a.m. flight from LaGuardia.
Yesterday we braved the Bronx Zoo – and my friend who had the idea conveniently neglected to tell us that an Egyptian cobra had gone missing from the Reptile House. No joke. Which may explain why the place was so empty. I thought it was the cold weather and a March Monday. The good part is we had the place almost to ourselves – and we did not chance upon any cobras (although we did see some snakes, safely behind glass enclosures.)
I wandered around the charming narrow backstreets of the Meatpacking District, passing by various foodie havens included The Spotted Pig (restaurant) and Murray’s (cheese shop) for a few hours before meeting my brother and his lovely wife at Barbuto – a fashionable restaurant on Washington and 12th Streets. The crowd was a little too self-consciously fashionable for me and the ambiance a little too stark (post car-garage interior) but the food, by bigname chef Jonathan Waxman – was terrific. And the company, the best! My brother loved the roasted chicken, which had skin that was crispy without appearing breaded or battered or even fried. I had pot roast atop creamy white polenta that I initially mistook for mashed potatoes. Delicious. The side order of potatoes appeared to be prepared similarly to the chicken – very crispy but also not greasy and served with fresh dusting of Parmesan and sprigs of Rosemary. Yum.
Filed under DINING, New York City, Uncategorized
Brunch on the west side, the Jewish Museum on the east side
Warmer today and just as sunny – we had a very nice brunch at Henry’s, on Broadway near 107th Street. Good service, good food (bacon! eggs! french toast et.al.) and no wait for a table on a Sunday midday. Then to the Jewish Museum on 92nd Street and Fifth Avenue which I’ve never been to and thoroughly enjoyed (sometimes it’s good to be among my own….) The Maira Kalman show was a lot of fun – thoroughly enjoyed. Also liked the gift shop a lot which had fun Passover items, good books, etc. Since we were in the neighborhood, we checked on the 92nd Street Y on Lexington which I’ve long heard about but never been to. Great bastion of culture – a concert and dance performance were going on during our visit.
We walked south along Madison Avenue windowshopping, admiring the lovely formal children’s clothing, the housewares (my friend bought beautiful shower curtain material at a French shop, Madera), the designer boutiques, chocolate shops. We bumped, literally, into large colorfully dressed crowd that had performed in what was apparently a parade celebrating all things Greek. Further south, we dropped in at The Plaza Hotel and walked through the new (or new to me) fancy food court in the basement, tried to get tea in the Palm Court (it was 5 p.m. too late), and paid a visit to the Eloise portrait (a sentimental favorite.) Then taxied back to 108th and Riverside Drive. Nice New York day!
Filed under DINING, museum exhibit, New York City
Italian food in San Francisco
An old friend in San Francisco called today which reminded me that I have some new Italian restaurants to try when I next visit her and that city I left my heart in after my first trip there with my mother when I was 16. These are from the NYTimes:
Delfina Pizzeria – actually been there, done that, in 2008 when I was last there (and I gave it a nice plug in Real Simple, which I wrote a travel story for). Would love to return.
Perbacco – 230 California Street. The pastas sound particularly good (taglierini with ragu of pork, porcini and Parmesan!)
La Ciccia – 291 30th Street (in Noe Valley, not far from the Sunset, where my friend lives) specializing in Sardinian food, a region I haven’t visited in Italy but is on my list – one more reason: its sheep’s cheeses) octopus in dark tomato sauce sounds great and thin-crust pizzas too.
Farina – 3560 18th street. (in the Mission District) – Ligurian specialities
Filed under California, DINING, San Francisco
Anecdote to a drab winter’s day in Des Moines: The Des Moines Art Center
We’ve had several days of grey damp dreary weather – so yesterday I tried to chase the blahs away by visiting the Des Moines Art Center with two friends. It was quiet on a Sunday afternoon and peaceful. Admission is free – which always amazes me given the $18 to $25 fees charged to get into big city (albeit bigger) museums. I try to drop in a few bucks donation regardless.
The Art Center’s new exhibit – large modern installations by German artist Anselm Reyle – didn’t do much for me but worth a look. And I always enjoy wandering around the galleries – for the art and the architecture. The IM Pei wing’s giant windows offered a dramatic view of a snow squall blowing across the Andrew Goldsworthy Cairn sculptures and Greenwood Park’s frozen rose garden which will soon, I hope, be full of blossoms.
Before visiting the Reyle exhibit it does help to read the art center’ s blurb about him: (I must look up the word: perspicacity)
Anselm Reyle is a taxidermist. He breathes life into the exhausted or dormant visual motifs of Modernism and reenergizes these familiar forms to make them new. Reyle frequently utilizes clichéd modernist shapes, artificial colors, and non-traditional materials such as Mylar foil and straw bales to extend the prevailing aesthetics of painting and sculpture. In the process, he constructs a bond between art and popular culture, while simultaneously questioning the authorship of the artist and forging a distinct bond between the production of art objects and the marketplace. (
Reyle updates the history of modern art by borrowing its visual elements that have become overused or even considered tasteless in contemporary dialogues. These elements range from stripes to gestural drips of paint to fractured abstractions. Each format in Reyle’s arsenal recalls a predecessor and reflects his interest in the codes of taste that determine our attitudes and thoughts. Although an enlivenment or reconsideration of the past is a cornerstone of post-modern thought, Reyle’s approach retains vestiges of the modern era through his emphasis on the personal experience afforded by abstraction. This archeological memory, its subsequent manipulation, and the resulting shift in perspicacity formulate Reyle’s contributions to the art of our time.
Filed under Des Moines, museum exhibit
No more “Ithaca”?
Trying to find time when our family – including three young adult children – can all get away for a summer vacation is becoming increasingly difficult. Too many conflicting schedules, especially with two kids soon to be in college and one a newbie in the work world.
So finding a time when two families can get away together for a summer vacation is even harder.
The net result is that this summer, it doesn’t look like my Iowa family will be able to continue a cherished tradition of sharing a vacation and cottage on Cayuga Lake north of Ithaca, N.Y. with our dear friends, a Connecticut family whose parents are old friends of mine from college (Cornell U. in Ithaca.)
We’ve managed to do this every other year – seven times I think – since our kids (three of theirs, two of ours) were really young. And try as we did last weekend – talking over the phone between Iowa and Connecticut, with our respective calendars in front of us, comparing our kids’ college schedules and possible summer jobs, plus other family obligations from parent’s birthday celebrations to family reunions – we just can’t find a week that works for us all to get away together.
Actually, the biggest problem is the kids’ unpredictable schedules. So we parents are now considering a new option – the four of us sharing a summer vacation, sans kids. It’s better than nothing – we figure. And maybe in a few years, some of the kids will be able to join us again. Here’s hoping. But it still feels like the end of the era – and that’s sad.
Filed under Ithaca, vacation rentals
the maps for foodies – MAPPETITE
Cool idea that I heard about on NPR’s “The Splendid Table” – MAPPETITE, which offers maps of – to date, London, NYC and San Francisco – that highlight good restaurants in various neighborhoods. My brother could easily do the NYC map – I have long depended on him to find me a restaurant at a minute’s notice and he’s never failed (Case in point: Last Thanksgiving, when I texted him from MOMA saying “need cheap, good, place to eat near Moma” and he found us “La Bonne Soupe” around the block!) Anyway, check out MAPPETITE’s website for more details.
Filed under DINING, London, New York City
New Central Iowa bike route…spring can’t come soon enough
The DM Register suggests this “new route” which isn’t completely new – and that we’ve tried portions of:
Start in Collins on the Heart of Iowa trail and ride east to Maxwell and then Slater – that’s 20.5 miles (and at least the part by Slater that we rode on is gravel and out in open farmland so windy). Then pick up the recently-opened High Trestle Trail for 12 miles to Woodward going over the incredibly cool new pedestrian bridge high above the Des Moines River (hence the name of the trail….we did this last summer when the pedestrian bridge was almost completed. It officially opens in April). From Woodward, ride a few miles on County Rd. R3/aka 130th street through Bouton to Perry, home of the famous Hotel Pattee. Worth a try. Not sure of the total mileage of that.
In Slater, the Take Down Bar & Grill on Main Street is popular with cyclists and has an outdoor patio, sometimes with live music.
Filed under bike trails, Iowa
Romantic getaways in Iowa-area
The DMRegister today has some ideas for romantic get-aways in Iowa and beyond. Some I know about (Honey Creek Resort in Moravia, Ia. and Suites of 800 Locust in DM). Here are some I didn’t know much about for future reference.
Greenfield, Ia: The Brass lantern at Windcrest Farm. //mysite.verizon.net/res18ndl/ which has the added bonus of a heated indoor poor. (Things to do nearby: Henry A. Wallace Country LIfe Center and Prairie Preserve in Orient; ken Sidey nature area, south of Greenfield; John Wayne Museum in Winterset – and the Bridges (of Madison County) of course.
Red Wing, Minn: The Golden Lantern Inn (things to do: get your fill of famous Red Wing Pottery at the museum and mall of th same name.
Kansas City, Mo.: Hotel Phillips
Galena, Ill: The Inn at Irish Hollow
Filed under Illinois, Iowa, Kansas City, LODGING, Minnesota
When next in southern Iowa…
The DM Register has a few suggestions for anyone wanting to explore southern Iowa. They include:
— Tassel Ridge Winery in Leighton, Ia. http://www.tasselridge.com
–McNeill Stone Mansion, a b&b in a 1909 limestone-faced home. http://www.thestonemansion.com in Oskaloosa. Looks very grand but reasonably priced.
—-Book Vault – and independent bookstore on the town square in Oskaloosa, inside a renovated bank building (books are displayed inside the bank’s ancient valuts. cool idea). Smokey Row, a coffee shop, is next door. There are several Smokey Rows now in Iowa, including a neat one in Des Moines’ Sherman Hill neighborhood.
TakeBetsywithyou 