![]() Jim Duncan is a food writer who has been covering the central Iowa scene for more than two decades.Beverly Ann “Mama” Parks peacefully went home to be with her lord and savior, Wednesday morning September 8 th 2022 at Mount Carmel St. Mel had the cred to bring Dizzy Gillespie to Des Moines and the ken to promote local talent like Irene Miles. He later operated Robert’s Lounge and Mel’s Bar & Grill in West Des Moines. He owned 790 Vets Club and the legendary Empire Room in the Court Avenue District. Mel Harper left us for another world at age 91. Veal is back, and, once again, it’s served past cornfields. In the 1950s, my parents liked to drive north through several cornfields to dine on veal at Vic’s Tally Ho and Silhouette. Large, three-olive bloody marys and mimosas are featured at brunch for $3. ![]() ![]() Tables have cloth tablecloths covered with paper sheets. The restaurant has seating in the bar with high tops, the main dining room with low tops and a party room set up in different styles. The parking lot is big enough to accommodate any sized crowd. Dessert menus were changing daily and, at deadline time, a new pizza menu was about ready for rollout. Oddly it’s only on the lunch menu, for $12. Pasta is stuffed with lobster and served in a creamy Tuscan sauce with shrimp and scallops. The dish that others touted the most was the lobster ravioli. Penne in pink vodka sauce included larger-than-usual penne and a creamy tomato and basil sauce. I tried two pasta dishes, and both impressed. There are 10 other chicken dishes on the dinner menu and five on the lunch ticket. It’s also served frequently on the brunch buffet. Fried chicken was impressively breaded and tender inside. It was made with scratch-made pasta, three cheeses and rich tomato sauce. That classic was served, as it always should be, in a sauce of lemony butter, white wine and capers. From that offering, I tried veal piccata. Both these dishes were plated on linguini. Veal Sorrentino was served in a sherry sauce with eggplant, sliced tomatoes and cheese. A generous portion was served with soup or salad and bread for $11. It is delivered in a buttery white wine sauce with sundried tomatoes, eggplant, cheese, prosciutto and mushrooms. My favorite is the veal principessa, served only for lunch. I tried three, all marvelously tender and well adorned. Santino’s features four veal dishes on the lunch menu and seven for dinner. ![]() Veal is not really a Des Moines thing, but it used to be. Open seven days a week, it has lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch menus. It is surrounded by cornfields and a behemoth truck stop.īut Santino’s is a destination hit. Yet the space and the entire shopping center have not thrived since being built just before the real estate collapse of 2008. Carrara marble bar and table tops are stunning. #MAMA LACONA MENU WINDOWS#It features state-of-the-art windows that keep heat from warming wine bottles inside them. ![]() It occupies space that was originally Maverick, built by legendary Iowa restaurateur Miller Reams. That is the case with Santino’s, an Italian place with one other restaurant location, in Chicago’s Alton burb. In this environment, it is great to see a new independent thriving. After all, they have deep pockets and are designed for mostly drive-through service. I knew we would lose many places from the coronavirus response, but I didn’t expect large corporate losses would be big. 14th Street Popeyes and the large McDonald’s on University at Sixth all appeared closed while neighbors had power. Restaurants were closing all over town - three Burger Kings, the S.E. I drove aimlessly around town during the power outages, mainly because my car was my only place with air conditioning. Mediterranean Pasta with chicken breast, sautéed garlic, spinach, basil, black olives, tomato, peppers and feta with hot penne. ![]()
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