Thanks for the review sLim!
Been too long since my last guest review. Time to shake off the cobwebs and get back at it! I’ll start it off by getting the word out on a fairly new dining venue in the Ingersoll corridor of Des Moines, located at
2932 Ingersoll Ave . The restaurant goes by the name “
Eatery A”. Initially I thought I was going to be dining at an Italian Restaurant. But upon reading the menu, it appears they’re labeled as a Mediterranean. The first of which sLim has ever been to (I mean, would you ever expect a guy who goes by the name of sLim to eat at a place that didn’t have chicken-fried steak on the menu?).
The inner and outer décor suit the place very well. Very modern and artistic, their large, elevated patio overlooks quaint Ingersoll Avenue. The inside was upscale and welcoming at the same time. Think along the lines of a slightly more casual Cheesecake Factory.
Happy Hour-This establishment is really pushing their happy hour specials to bring in customers. It runs from 3-6, EVERY day of the week. At this time, you can get half-price pizzas and half-price wine and draft beers. The pizzas are roughly 12’’ which can easily feed one person or two people with moderate appetites. I was impressed by how many people were there at 5 on a Tuesday. While the restaurant was booming, it still gave off a relaxed atmosphere. I would highly recommend taking advantage of these specials the first time you go there, and with it being offered 7 days a week they are accommodating to nearly anyone’s schedule.
Beer-Their selection is respectable. Their wine selection is a bit more extensive but there are enough beer offerings to satisfy your typical craft brew junkie. It was good to see mostly Iowa breweries featured in their limited tap offerings (Confluence, Millstream, and Backpocket). The more notable beers are offered in bottles (Ommegang Abbey, Stillwater Statewide Saison, and Green Flash Double Stout). They did a good job of making sure all styles were covered so that virtually any food item on their menu would have a corresponding drink that would pair well.
Food-As I stated earlier, the pizza is what I came to try. While they have 14 different offerings, all priced at $13, they are not the types of pizzas you would see offered at Godfather’s. If you’re like me, you wouldn’t know what you were getting yourself into based off of the unfamiliar names of the ingredients. Rest assured, your server can clear things up for you and help you select one that would like. I went with the #5 which was somewhat of a gyro turned pizza conglomeration. I was impressed; the gyro meat combined with the white sauce is what stood out to me the most. Many of their other menu offerings look very worthwhile in addition to their well established wood-fired pizza.
All in all, this is a fine new restaurant to the Des Moines area, perfect for nearly any occasion. They are doing a lot of things right and I believe it’ll translate to success in the long run. There are several other places nearby so that you could make quite the experience out of a trip to this area. You could grab a post meal dessert/drink at Crème cupcake or a drink on the patio at the original Wellman’s. No shortage of options in this area but whatever the case, be sure to include Eatery A in on your next visit to the Ingersoll corridor.
I’ve told my wife if I could open up any type of restaurant or bar it would be a charcuterie, cheese and beer store. Food and beer go hand in hand and at Brix Cheese Shop and Wine Bar in Iowa City, (209 N. Linn St.) they have a huge selection of great cheese and meat pairings. Obviously, as the name of the restaurant implies, they have a massive selection of fine wines. Unfortunately, the Baron doesn’t really know a damn thing about wine, (I enjoy it, just don’t know much), but I did notice that they had 6 craft taps. After talking to the waiter, who was wonderfully patient with me and knowledgeable, he said they always carry a Toppling Goliath brew and are constantly rotating their taps. I went for a Destihl Brewing stout and on the recommendation of the waiter, ordered the Monger’s Choice which ended up being half a sheeps milk and half a goat’s milk halved with some sort of ash consistency that paired great with my beer. Along with some strips of pancetta and crunchy, chewy bread, I was in heaven.
Along with the great meat and cheese selections they had a huge menu full of sandwiches as well. This is going to be a stop I make frequently when in that area of Iowa City. Very impressed with the staff and selection and even if you don’t know much about wine, they have some excellent beers on tap as well. I can’t wait to get back! Cheers!
