I frequently make trips from Cedar Rapids to Dubuque and along that stretch of highway I’m always looking for a place to stop by and have a quick bite to eat…..and a few months ago I found a hidden treat in beautiful Cascade, IA, Moski’s BBQ!
I was suggested for the brisket sandwich, I added some of their house smoked sausage, smoked mac and cheese, and baked potato casserole. The chopped brisket sandwich was delicious. I don’t like my bbq overly sauced, and this sandwich had just the perfect amount of sauce to it. Melt in your mouth brisket and the addition of their house made pickles and pickled onions made this a top tier sandwich. The beef sausage was smoked to perfection, wonderfully spiced, added a couple pickles and onions to every bite of this as well. Onto the sides….the baked potato casserole was delicious and then I tried the mac and cheese. I’ve tried multiple smoked mac and cheese dishes and have always walked away from them with a “meh” take or leave it result. Either too dry, too smokey, not enough flavor, something missing. Not at Moskis. The BEST smoked mac and cheese I have ever had. Creamy and full of flavor, the smoke is there but does’t over power the rest of the ingredients. I loved it.
I want to try everything on the menu, but I would love to replay my first meal there over and over. Well worth the visit to Cascade! I can’t wait to get back! Cheers!
If you’re craving a ridiculously good burger, hot dog, or the best tater tots you can find, then you need to head to Marshalltown, Iowa and check out The Flying Elbow (229 N 13th St, Marshalltown, IA) A professional wrestling themed burger joint, with wrestling themed names for their burgers/dogs/and fries or create your own perfect burger! Not only do they have great food, a nice array of Iowa brewed beers as well. I like to try a bit of everything so we ordered quite the haul to try, here’s a look at the deliciousness that went down!
BEER
Sweet, delicious, frothy, beer. The perfect accompaniment to a burger or a dog. The Flying Elbow had 12 beers on tap and I went with Adventurous Warrior from Adventurous Brewing and followed that with a Big Grove Easy Eddy. Cold and delicious.
STARTERS
Ok…here’s where I was blown away….the damn tots “Vader Tots” to be more precise…..so good, had to get two orders. Shredded hash browns with cheese, seemed to be some smoke in them as well, deep fried and served with a cherry smoked ketchup. Absolutely outstanding and worth the drive to Marshalltown alone!
BURGERS/DOGS/SANDWICHES
Burger #1 – The Tombstone– The Undertaker would be proud to have this burger named after him. Tons of flavor in this one. Toppings of havarti cheese, guac, bacon, sour cream, and a hot sauce called Death Valley Hot Sauce that added a perfect kick to this burger. Would order again.
Burger #2 – The Briscoe Burger– an homage to the Briscoe Brothers and patty melts! Nothing like a patty melt starting off with Brioche Texas Toast! Add swiss/american cheese, smoked bacon, mayo and tomato and you have a tough to beat patty melt!
Burger #3 – The Vinnie – pretty much a Big Mac on steriods. My favorite of the bunch and definitely worth seeking!
Sandwich #1 – Jake the Steak – smoked tri-tip thinly sliced and doused in a chimichurri, bell peppers, onions, cheese, and mayo. Tri-tip smoked right out back on one of their smokers and the flavor shined. Perfect amount of smoke, extremely tender chew. Absolutely, a wonderful sandwich.
Dog #1 – The Punk – named after the “Second City Saint” CM Punk, this is their take on the traditional Chicago style hot dog but amped up a bit. Neon green relish, pickle spear, sport peppers, red onion, diced Roma tomato, mustard and celery salt. Delicious!
There’s no question I will go back. Terrific food, tasty beer, and a wonderful and unique ambiance and experience for a pro wrestling fan. Not a pro wrestling fan? No worries, the food here is totally worth your trip!
I wrote this review for Little Village Magazine which you can check out by clicking HERE:
The latest venture from the group that brought you Lua Brewing company has seemingly taken over Grand Avenue in West Des Moines! Either/Or restaurant (6222 Grand Ave. Des Moines) opened their doors in early Fall of 2023 and has been consistently busy since.
“Lua is about craft beer and food. It was our first, so it’s always our baby, but it’s small. Either/Or is bigger on just about every scale. We still do craft beer and handmade food as well as we can, but we have cocktails, we have a private event space, we have a huge patio with green space and a playscape and five fire pits. We have twice as many team members and so much more space. At Either/Or, you can do date night or you can do family night or you can do Friendsgiving. It’s really flexible for any occasion,” said owner Scott Selix.
Their cuisine can be described as elevated American fare with the focus being on the quality of the food that they put out. All of their burgers are ground in house, juices squeezed fresh for their amazing cocktails, and the always fresh and never frozen concept. “We have a great team. Our head brewer, Zack, did the draft beer list with input from all of us. Our chefs, James and Cesar, did the food menu. And then it was a group effort on making high-end cocktails. So it was a collection of people. And the one thing they all had in common was we created what we like. The beer list has Bierstadt and Sierra Nevada and Confluence and Lua, but also High Life and Duchesse, because that’s what we like to drink. The food menu was a collection of foods we’ve been inspired by. Cesar, our chef de cuisine, is of Mexican heritage, and so there’s some fresh Mexican inspired dishes. But he and James love Asian food as well, so there’s some Asian influence. We also make homemade bologna, which is a very lengthy process and is distinctly European/American. We grind our own burgers everyday, and we only source 100% Iowa-sourced Certified Angus Beef. We pretty much said “let’s create a restaurant we’d want to dine at,” and that’s what we did! So the food is approachable, but unlike stuff you’ll find elsewhere and always homemade (see the Bologna).”
On why the ownership group chose this particular location for Either/Or, Selix responded, “It’s actually just barely east of the WDM border, so still in Des Moines by about 100 yards. But I played soccer at the soccer fields just south of Either/Or. Some partners on the building showed us the space and once whit and I saw it, we were set on it being a restaurant. Those partners live within walking distance, so they saw potential in the building. And then we saw it right away too. The huge patio, the connection to my old soccer club, the great location on Des Moines’ front porch from WDM, it all came together pretty quick with the tremendous team we have.”
On this particular Friday, I had the pleasure of taking my two daughters with me to check out this restaurant. They are both familiar with Lua Brewing as we’ve frequented that place many times, and so when I told them the owners of Lua(Scott and Whitney Selix) have opened a restaurant and we are going to get to try it tonight, they were extremely excited. Upon entering, you are greeted with colorful and eclectic decor. The bar pops and the open kitchen gives you an inside look at how your dishes are put together. A very cool, casual, and comfortable feel right away.
We were seated immediately, although the place was already very busy. The menu had many options that appealed to us so limiting what to order was a tall task for 3 hungry patrons. The beer list was loaded with delicious options, noticing that Lua had multiple beers on tap made my decision easy though.
BEER I went with their latest double IPA, Dancer. Although it checks in at 8.6% ABV, it’s scarily drinkable and I had to convince myself to not order another. I love the hop combo on this beer and the creamy texture it brings. Lua makes some of the best beers in Iowa and this one is right up there for me as a favorite. Fantastic beer, a beer of the year candidate for sure!
APPETIZER
Quite a few delicious options on the appetizer portion of the menu, but the clear cut favorite that my daughter’s chose were the Mexican cheese curds. If cheese curds are on the menu, there’s a 99% chance that my kids would have me order them. These cheese curds, however, were very much more inspired than just your basic fried cheese curd. House battered and served with pickled fresno chiles, cilantro and a chipotle ranch dressing these were some of the best cheese curds any of us had ever eaten. The perfect bite consisted of a curd, a pickled fresno, and a leaf of cilantro with just a tiny bit of dressing. It hit all the taste buds. A great dish.
MAIN COURSE
We decided to do a bit of sharing and order a couple of sandwiches. I asked our waiter what Either/Or was known for besides the smash burgers, the fried bologna was recommended. I also wanted to try a vegetarian dish so I got the Italian mushroom sandwich. This bologna sandwich is unlike any you have had. It’s not your Oscar Meyer bologna sandwich. It’s made in house and the flavor is off the charts. Almost a pepperoni spice to it, it melts in your mouth and they stack this sandwich high with it. An excellent sandwich. The mushroom melt made you forget you weren’t eating meat. Loaded with perfectly cooked mushrooms and topped with a delicious homemade giardiniera and a side of jus, this sandwich would be perfect for not only a vegetarian diet, but even the biggest carnivores can get behind a sandwich this tasty!
DESSERT There was no question what dessert we were going to order. My kids have been rice pudding lovers since they were little. Either/Or’s rice pudding was extraordinary. Either/Or added some apple compote and then topped their pudding off with a sesame tuile, which is a baked wafer. A great final dish to cap off a really wonderful meal.
OVERALL I’m really excited to see what Either/Or brings to their menu and what they will come up with for their seasonal offerings. Their menu is ever changing and the way they play with fresh ingredients and the detail put into their dishes is commendable and appreciated. This place will be consistently busy, their food is delicious and approachable. This ownership group is doing all the right things and they continue to set the bar high for other establishments. If you are in the West Des Moines area, this is a must stop for a truly wonderful meal!
It’s so easy to support places when the owners go out of their way to show genuine hospitality and kindness, and it makes it even easier when the food that they make is absolutely delicious. That’s the case for More Flavors Hoagiesin Cedar Rapids (629 12 ave. SE).
My daughter has been wanting to try this place ever sense we first drove by it, and finally getting a Friday night with no hustle and bustle was the ample time to take advantage. Upon arriving, the owner Jay, greeted all three of us and even conversations with my two daughters. He then got to work on our order. We went with the Hoagie Supreme and the Super Steak sandwich with fries.
The hoagie was delicious. Fresh veggies, great seasoning, tasty meats and soft and chewy bread. Excellent stuff. The Super Steak sandwich was a show stealer though. Seasoned and chopped ribeye, house made sweet peppers, cheese, and a delicious secret sauce. Fantastic sandwich! The fries were some of the best french fries I ever had. A bit sweet, a bit salty….perfect!
The next time you’re craving a cheesesteak or a hoagie, More Flavors is a must stop! Can’t wait to get back again! Enjoy!
The latest restaurant endeavor from the creative minds of FNF restaurant group will be officially opening their doors to the public this coming Tuesday! (4/18) Taco Gato (209 3rd St. SE) is the newest restaurant in downtown Cedar Rapids and features spins on Mexican and southern cuisine.
I was lucky enough to be invited to the soft opening this past Friday night and was joined by three kids. The decor of the place is definitely Mexican inspired and my kids enjoyed seeing the array of Luchador wrestling masks around the restaurant. The bar was dimly lit as light from the beautiful stained glass showcased the many bottles of booze that go towards the many cocktails Taco Gato offered.
Upon seating and seeing the menu my kids are instantly drawn to anything that reads “queso”. So, a starter of salsas (red/traditional + tomatillo) along with guac and the ever popular queso. Chips were delicious and well seasoned. I’m a sucker for tomatillo salsa and would put it on about anything. A great start to the meal. Queso didn’t stand a chance.
I let the kids decide what to order as my focus automatically goes to fish tacos and pastor tacos. My son went with the fried crawfish tacos but also wanted to try the shrimp and grits, and my daughters went with the gumbo. Enough to feed an army but grateful my kids are willing to try and experience new foods.
The flavor on every single dish was out of this world. The fish tacos were perfectly cooked….crunchy and a delicious batter. Your taco orders of two come in a bento style serving box accompanied by delicious refried beans, rice, and fried edamame. I’ll get the fish tacos every time! Pastor were just as good…fresh pineapple pico and perfectly cooked pork. I was lucky enough to get a small bite of the fried crawfish tacos as my son isn’t exactly the best at sharing meals, especially when they taste as good as this.
The gumbo was excellent. A dark roux with copious amounts of crawfish and chorizo. Wonderful and filling! The star of the show that everyone raved about however was the “Almost Shrimp and Grits”. Cotija creamed corn, chorizo, collards, and enough blackened shrimp to feed an army. So much flavor, so delicious. Besides the tacos, if there’s a dish that Taco Gato can use as a calling card it may be this one!
Overall: Another wonderful dining experience. It’s what you come to expect from the FNF restaurant group…wonderfully talented, creative, and inspired dishes that make visiting their establishments an always memorable experience. Can’t recommend enough, opening Tuesday to the public! Cheers!
It’s been way too long since I’ve wandered off the beaten path to find myself a small Iowa town with a terrific restaurant…until last Saturday afternoon….My three kids and I decided to take a little drive from Mount Vernon to Prairieburg, Iowa in hopes of having a wonderful burger and just some overall wonderfully prepared food and we were not disappointed!
Prairieburg is not too far from Central City and Monticello and sitting right on the main drag is Prairie Moon on Main(103 East Main St.). I’ve been seeing photos of this place and it’s food for a while now and finally decided to give it a shot. Their burgers always look amazing, they were voted 2020 best pork tenderloin in Iowa, and their Saturday night prime rib special always looks mouth watering.
Owned by Loren Lacy and his wife, this is the perfect place to bring your family, stop for a cold one after work, or indulge in a big Friday Fish Fry or Saturday night prime rib special.
APPS: My kids and I all ordered something different so we can try and share as much as possible. We started with a the pickle chips…now, I love fried pickles, but I’ve been picking about ordering them if they are not fried pickle chips because a spear upon your first bite, pulls the whole spear out and you end up burning your face. Like the spear, don’t like the burn…so pickle chips are the way to go and these were hand battered and delicious.
TENDERLOIN: The 2020 winner, so a lot of pub on this sandwich. What I enjoyed most about it this tenderloin is that it wasn’t pounded out super thin just to cover the whole plate…don’t get me wrong, it’s plenty big, but the tenderloin itself was still thick and juicy and the breading had the perfect amount of seasoning. An excellent pork tenderloin sandwich, and served on brioche which is always a plus!
BURGERS: My son and I decided to get a little funky with our burger orders as Prairiemoon has a great list of options for burger lovers. Instead of our typical bacon cheeseburger or mushroom swiss, we went with the Hawaiian Hottie and the Wasabi Burger. The Hawaiian Hottie was a perfectly cooked burger (medium), cheddar cheese, sautéd pineapple, jalapeno and mango mayo on a brioche bun. I initially thought it would be too sweet, but the heat from the jalapeno and flavor of the burger cut through the sweetness and the combo end result was a delicious, sweet and savory burger.
The Wasabi Burger…I’m a big fan of wasabi and will try it in anything that it’s been incorporated into to. A once again, perfectly cooked burger on brioche, add to that pepper jack, sautéd onions and jalapeño’s and bunch of wasabi mayo and you have a burger I will be craving constantly….add some crinkle cut fries or portabella fries to the basket and you have yourself a wonderful meal.
DRINKS: No tap beer but a cold bottle of Miller High Life was the perfect option!
SIDE NOTE: I’ve not had their prime rib on Saturday nights but I’ve heard nothing but good things!
It’s always fun when you are traveling through a big town or city and see a random restaurant/bar/tavern pop up on a neighborhood corner far seemingly far removed from the chains that have taken over main drag USA. Heading down a street in the Oak Hill Jackson neighborhood in downtown Cedar Rapids and seeing a lovely sign of a cow with a halo over its head was a welcomed sight! Sacred Cow Tavern was calling my name and I couldn’t wait to answer!
Opened in October of 2022 as a the brainchild of the FNF restaurant group, this restaurant has quite a history, including being a church a few different times! This restaurant group is known for a wide range of food items that can satisfy any diet and they’ve done an amazing job incorporating vegan/vegetarian dishes to be part of their main menu as well. Appetizers, smash burgers, sandwiches, wings, salads and much more with a wonderfully revamped image of those dishes and executed perfectly as well as their vegan/vegetarian options that are more than just a black bean burger, this menu is packed with flavor.
The ambiance upon walking in gives you complete comfort, a homey vibe and a place where you don’t necessarily want to leave. First point of order….BEER…..need to check out the beer menu. Although Sacred Cow does not have any tap beer, they do offer a variety of cans from local breweries plus a fully stocked bar for mixers and wine. I went light, a Backpocket 319 lager, knowing that I was going to be putting some food away.
It was restaurant week and so, like many other local establishments, Sacred Cow had a few specials that they were advertising. One special was Elote Chicken Wings. If you’re not familiar with elote, it’s a popular Mexican street dish of corn on the cob slathered in mayo/cream sauce dusted with chili powder and cilantro. Sacred Cow took the sauce dimension, added some grilled corn and cilantro to their extremely crispy chicken wings and final result were some of the best and most creative wings I’ve had! Hoping these find their way to the menu!
The other special item for “Restaurant Week” was a walking taco smashburger. I’m a lover all of kinds of burgers and smashburgers are always hard to pass up, add walking taco ingredients to it and I’m sold. A smashed patty, perfectly cooked, topped with cheese, doritos, a cilantro lime crema and lettuce was more than a mouthful in every bite! Excellent burger, something I would order again.
Overall, this is a place I hope to be a patron of for a long time to come and I hope many more neighborhood bars begin popping up in our area. Sacred Cow Tavern is definitely a welcoming place for any and all! Cheers!
This past weekend I had some time to hang out with my oldest and I asked him where/what he wanted to eat. He simply responded, “Bar food”. So after a quick trip to Big Grove in Solon we headed to Shueyville, about 10-15 minutes from Solon, and hit up Shuey’s Restaurant and Lounge.
We were greeted right in by a very friendly staff and had drinks ordered within seconds. Easy Eddy for me, root beer for the lad. Tap lines were typical of your small town bar with some craft on, Easy Eddy seems to be an option no matter what bar you hit and tastes good all the time so the choice was relatively simple.
Although I wasn’t very hungry, their menu has a lot of intriguing options. I let my sign go crazy, if queso is on the menu, he’s going to order it, that with an order of sliders and a mushroom swiss burger. A lot more than I anticipated but was game to try it all. Queso came out first and was delicious, warm and crispy tortilla chips. Paired well with the beer. Sliders and burger next, meat quality tasted wonderful, perfectly seasoned. The crinkle cut fries served as the side also went well with the queso dip.
Overall, so much more I want to try. The food was delicious and tasted fresh, the staff was friendly and welcoming, the feel of your small town bar was definitely there but also a place you could bring your whole family for a delicious meal. A place I will frequent and a place you should check out too!
Friday night, December 3rd, sitting on a high raise table overlooking some of the best chefs in the state, maybe even the country, put on an absolute clinic on cooking, plating, and presenting some of the most wonderful food I’ve ever had put in front of me, all the while sipping on the yet to be released Richard the Whale Well Baked and Shadeshine IPA….I thought to myself…all food/beer lovers need to experience this one day and how lucky I was at that moment to get to take part in it. Big Grove has been the upper echelon on their releases, especially the Richard the Whale release, and every year they make it even more enjoyable with their food and beer offerings, but the one thing that shines even more than those things is just how amazing their staff is. Friendly, helpful, and just overall looking like they are happy to be there. This setup was a spectacle, setup like an Iron Chef type feel, video displayed on TVs showing the chefs plating, the amount of work and thought put into everything was evident. I won’t be breaking down every dish, I’ll trickle some pictures here and there, take a look and let your mouth water.
Watching the chefs put their talents on display for a 15 course dinner of foods that elegant was the ultimate treat. The care about what they serve, the interaction with the diners, and pure joy and smiles they had throughout the night was reflected in every dish. I do want to implore you, that if the chance to go to a Big Grove beer dinner is ever on the table for you, no matter what..do it…it’s worth it..it will be completely worth it….do not hesitate…this group of people simply do it the best!
Thank you Janelle for having me, thanks to all the chefs especially Ben, Sean, and T.J., thanks do Doug and Matt, thanks to Andy for sampling out some of their amazing beers…now it’s time to make your mouth water with some pictures! Cheers and thank you BG!
iabeerbaron.com 