The Wine Experience

It recently occurred to me that we haven't paid a visit to The Chef's home away from home, The Wine Experience. Tucked inside of the large department stores at Jordan Creek Town Center, The Wine Experience offers a unique spot for lunch or dinner while shopping, a place to duck in for a quick glass of wine or two after work, or a breezy patio chair to sit, have dinner, sip from a great bottle of wine and people-watch. The restaurant is a very cozy little spot with a winding wave of a wine bar, and a creative menu with something for everyone. I've always thought it was a great date night spot- quiet, inviting and no wall of tvs blasting the game of the day. Owners Tom and Layne have amassed an eye-popping collection of wines, which changes often so you always have something new to try.

Most of the time I don't actually eat at the restaurant in which The Chef is working. He thinks it's not necessary since he can truly recreate every dish for me at home. While that is true, I thought it was about time we visited the unique little restaurant that has been his home base for the last couple of years. Bonus- one of the gals who works there is a former high school classmate of mine, and we literally have not seen each other since high school! How fun to run into someone after all these years and get to know them again.

I wasn't there for a full on dinner- just a visit and meet the girls who work there, and maybe have a glass of wine. Since I would have to drive home, I reluctantly passed on the wine but stayed to visit and snack on some kalamata olives, goat cheese stuffed Peppadews and a very delish and simple grilled cheese. The menu boasts a great selection of sandwiches made with fresh ingredients. The Chef roasts whole turkey breasts in-house and slices them himself, fresh every day. Pizzas feature a cracker like crust and some interesting toppings, such as charred broccoli, nduja, arugula, pear, different cheeses, truffles, and more. Entree salads are creative and fresh with lots of tasty ingredients.

Stopping in for a couple glasses of wine? There is a fantastic selection of small plates for sharing, or not sharing!! Seared ahi tune, crusted with sesame seed and served rare is delicious and light. Deviled eggs seem to be making a big comeback in restaurants and The Chef has his own recipe here. Goat cheese stuffed Peppadews, drizzled with balsamic glaze, and blue cheese stuffed dates are tasty one bite nibbles that won't ruin your dinner later and pair beautifully with many of the wine choices. Nduja is featured on this menu as well, as a crostini. If you haven't tried this spicy spreadable pepperoni you need to!

Over the time that The Chef has worked at The Wine Experience he has made some great friends, a number of fans and quite a few really memorable dishes for Friday Night Specials. He has prepared some traditional Italian specialties, perfectly seared steak dinners, an incredible selection of homemade soups, and even stepped out of his comfort zone with a few requested dishes that weren't part of his normal repertoire. Let's take a looks at some of those.

When it comes to Italian, it's hard to beat a meaty and cheesy lasagna stacked high with tender pasta. The Chef's trattoria-style red sauce layered with ground beef, Italian sausage, ricotta, Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses make a lot of happy tummies when that's the Friday feature. 

Garlicky Steak de Burgo is a famous Des Moines specialty that many restaurants serve, and each has their own recipe. The original was created at Johnny and Kay's Restaurant in the Hyatt House Hotel way back in the 1950s and still is wildly popular around the city. The Chef paired his with a simple baked potato and steamed green beans to keep all the focus on the steak with the garlic and herb butter drizzled over. This is one of my favorite dishes!!

Another local favorite in Chicken Marsala. The Chef has his own version of that classic as well and he is not skimpy with the mushrooms. He likes to serve it over pasta with some toasted crunchy garlic focaccia alongside. 

In the summer months The Wine Experience partners with a local heirloom tomato grower who supplies the restaurant with some truly beautiful fruit and gives The Chef a lot of opportunities to showcase these sweet and juicy Iowa treasures. Caprese Salad is a favorite in the restaurant, and at home, where sometimes this IS dinner! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Rockin' the Restaurant Kitchen

It's no big secret that while The Chef is the lifelong restaurant veteran, I, The Baker, have never worked in a restaurant kitchen. Ever. True, I used to bake homemade desserts for a local watering hole in our nearby small town, but I was able to do that from home. Totally different ball game. 

Well today, I got that chance. 

My plan for this weekend was to stay in the city and babysit my daughter's furkids- she and her boyfriend are restaurant people too, she is a restaurant manager at one of the city's newest and most trendy restaurants and he is the Executive Chef for a very successful group of locally owned restaurants, so their weekends are not Saturday and Sunday, but rather Monday and Tuesday. They had planned a nice weekend away from their busy schedules and high stress jobs but Mother Nature was having none of that, and cancelled their plans by stirring up a snowstorm. 

So I am heading back home to The Little Lake House when The Chef calls me. He asks me if I would mind stopping in the restaurant and making some biscuits. I of course think he is being funny and joking around, but he insists he is not- he really wants me to come in and make biscuits. I'm a little thrown by this idea. Sure, I am a baker. Yes, I have made homemade biscuits many many many times. But in a batch large enough for a restaurant? I've never done that! Am I scared? Heck yes!! I haven't ever worked in a restaurant kitchen- at least not since I was 15 years old and was a bus girl in a small restaurant years and years (and years and years) ago. That involved carrying a bus tub in to the sink area. I certainly never cooked anything for other people!

Well..... there is no time like the present- and I decide to go for it. I am going to bake biscuits in the restaurant kitchen! Yay me!!

I must say I have never made dough of any kind in a hotel pan before, but this worked amazingly well. I may need to get one to use around the house. Since I didn't have any of my cool kitchen utensils, I had to wing it with what they had there. No pastry blender (which probably wouldn't have been very effective with such a large batch of dough, but they did have a whisk that was made of the thickest "wire" whips I have ever seen. Unlike my whisk at home, which is bendy, this was firm- and perfect for blending the shortening into the flour! There was no biscuit cutter to be found, so I had to come up with an alternative- so a soup cup became an impromptu biscuit cutter.

Homemade biscuits are amazing easy to make- the dough is simple. Flour. Baking powder. Sugar. Salt. Shortening. Buttermilk. Simple. Mix it up, roll it out, cut them out. Bake. Done. Sounds easy enough...... but can I wing it without a book to refer to? 

Homemade Biscuits

(ingredients are approximate)

8 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons baking powder

2 tablespoons salt

4 cups shortening

buttermilk

melted butter

Place the flour in a large bowl- or hotel pan. Add the sugar, salt and baking powder; use a whisk to combine everything. Add the shortening in scoops and use the whisk to combine the flour and shortening until the mixture is evenly crumbly.

Grab a giant spoon and add buttermilk- just enough to get a soft dough that holds together. You don't want it to be sticky, but you definitely don't want dry and crumbly. Use your hands to form the dough into a large ball, but DON'T KNEAD! 

Place the dough on a floured surface and roll to about 3/4 inch thickness. Cut with a floured biscuit cutter and place on greased baking sheets. You can space them our or bake them with sides touching. Brush the biscuits with melted butter.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or until deep golden brown.

The biscuits turned out pretty darn good for someone who was winging it without a cookbook to refer to! One of the guys in the restaurant had to sample them right away, so he had a biscuit with sausage gravy and pronounced them delicious! Success!

My first taste of the restaurant kitchen was really a lot of fun. I admit it, it wasn't anything like being there during a dinner rush with the ticket printer cackling away and servers barking at you. The Chef and I always cook together at home, but being able to do it in a professional kitchen was a whole new experience, and a great one at that. 

Who knows, maybe I'm on to something here!!

Sneak Peek- the Latin side of George Formaro

As if the zombies weren't enough of a clue, now it's obvious- he is going to take over the world!!!! The culinary world in Des Moines, Iowa, that is. Who is he? Chef George Formaro, Des Moines native, horror film enthusiast, restaurant genius. Founder of several outstanding and successful restaurants in Des Moines and partner of Orchestrate Management, he has added another feather to his cap, this time with a Latin flair- Malo. Back in 2012 I sat in on a cooking demo of George's at the World Food Festival in Des Moines. He prepared barbecoa and hinted at a new venture with a Latin flair. Starting mid-May, we will all get to experience the new Malo.

The old saying "It's all about who you know" really does hold a lot of truth. I happen to know the manager of this brand-new, not-yet-opened restaurant and today was treated to a tour of the restaurant. Of course The Chef and I said YES! I have never worked in nor opened a brand new restaurant. I've been in a couple kitchens over the years (of course The Chef has opened and worked in MANY kitchens) so for me this was a particularly exciting tour. Malo is housed in the old Des Moines Fire House #1. 

Just needs some outdoor signage!

The patio and trees will soon fill the sidewalk

Malo shares the building with The Des Moines Social Club, which is another fun-filled nightspot many locals love. Inside Malo's expansive dining room are very few reminders of the old fire station, but the hole in the ceiling where the pole once was is still visible. 

The main dining room is enormous. Bench style seating lines a dividing wall and has beautifully designed upholstery in muted versions of the bright ceiling tiles suspended above and crocodile embossed seating.

West End Architectural Salvage designed much of the accents in the dining room, repurposing interesting materials to give the walls some texture. The tables are beautifully finished wood, and the bar-side seating features plenty of high-top and large-group tables, interesting artwork, and unique lighting. 

I LOVED the light fixtures. The hostess station was also designed by West End Salvage and is surrounded by amazing artwork.

But the kitchen........oh the kitchen. All the stainless steel appliances, sixteen burners, ovens, stacks of gleaming saute pans, stainless steel utensils lining the racks. 

Something I have never seen before, a state of the art tortilla press, sits ready for house-made tortillas. Walk-ins as big as my HOUSE. Part of the kitchen is "open" to the bar area, and there is an expansive prep area behind that. I can just imagine the energy in the room when the restaurant opens and the staff is juggling tickets and making it all come together. 

In addition to all the indoor seating Malo will also feature a large patio street-side and a large courtyard in the back with seating for dining and an outdoor movie theater. Large banquet facilities are on the second floor of the old fire house. It's truly an amazing location.

Sorry about the burry snap- I was just too excited and in awe!

Because my "in" at Malo is the new manager, my daughter Laurie, I am looking forward to the preview friends and family tasting- I can't wait to check out the menu and see the finished space and all the amazing dishes created by George and his chefs. If it's anything like the barbecoa........it's going to be killer!