Iowa City and Des Moines, Iowa

I am taking a road trip from Chicago, Il to Iowa City and Des Moines, IA. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to eat?

Go to Joensy's in Solon, which is located maybe 10 miles north of Iowa City, and order a pork tenderloin sandwich.

To see one, check this out:

http://www.allenbukoff.com/wildBPTiowa03/

You might want to consider the Iowa Machine Shed for their stuffed pork chops.

I always enjoy the Hamburg Inn in downtown Iowa City. Great breakfasts. And I'll second the motion for a tenderloin @ Joensy's in Solon if you have time for a detour.

Cindy

quote:

Originally posted by aquarius02

I am taking a road trip from Chicago, Il to Iowa City and Des Moines, IA. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to eat?

When's your trip? I have a number of friends in Des Moines (I went to school there) and a close friend is a professor at Iowa; I've already emailed them for their recommendations.

I'm guessing you'll probably be taking I-80 and possibly I-88 because it's the most direct route, but if you have the time and inclination consider taking US-151 from Dubuque to Iowa City. Or US-20 west from Dubuque toward Marshalltown. Have fun!

Brad

While I live in a Des Moines suburb, I've struggled with how to respond to your request. Wanderingjew reminds me that we are known for pork (chops and tenderloins, notably)--but living here I've had my fill of The Iowa Machine Shed. Yet,if like most eastcoasters, you've not had a good Iowa chop, by all means go to the shed. If, instead you'd like a good DM restaurant, try Gino's for italian fried chicken livers or chicken, Barratas or Latin King for Italian specialties, A Dong or Thai Flavors for SE Asian, The Royal Mile for British pub food and beers, Waterfront for darn good fly-in fresh seafood or any of the "new" for DM bistros such as Sage, Montage, or 25th St Cafe. It isn't Chicago, but it keeps getting better!

The Hamburg Inn in Iowa City is a good breakfast served all day.

Rip's Tavern in Ladd, IL has great fried chicken. You have to take I80 not I88. Call for hours. There will probably be a long line. You may want find out if they will let you call in a carry out order and eat in your car.

Jonesy's in Solon is worth the trip off of the highway. They have a gigantic pork tenderloin sandwich that can only be ordered breaded. I feel like I am just eating a wad of breading after awhile. They have a smaller one that can be had breaded or grilled. I suggest the grilled. If you are really hungry, order two.

BBQ Barney, I made a trip across Iowa once, just to eat tenderloins. The four places I stopped in Des Moines were Smitty's, Millie's, George the Chili King, Porky's and The Machine Shed. The Machine Shed was my least-favorite of the bunch.

I understand that Millie's is gone now. Any idea what happened? I thought it was an institution.

*Five* places. Duh.

After polling my Iowan acquaintances here's what I have:

Cosi Cucina (86th St.) and Barrata's/Baratta's (sp?) (north side) for Italian in Des Moines.

Here's a verbatim quote about Iowa City and Coralville:

"hafta chuckle that you're asking gully about des moines restaurants.
most of us can tell you if something was yummy when we went there...
gully can tell you if an assistant chef moved from one place to another and therefore the bisque will be missing a pinch of cilantro...
---
obviously depends what the point of the exercise is. you want to go
somewhere that's actually nice?

my one pointer in dsm is cosi cucina.

in ic/cv:
1) our favorite is "taste on melrose". locally owned, small, great
(not fast, but smart) service, great food, great desserts, reasonable
prices.
2) upscale: linn street cafe. the traditional place to take your prom
date, etc. pricey.
3) next door to linn street is devotay. smaller & cheaper. just order a bunch of the tapas.
4) i know you don't like asian food (ha) but my fave is ayoshe - can get korean, japanese or chinese. the korean is fabulous. there aren't any excellent chinese places here that i know of.
5) italian - giovanni's is the upscale place downtown, brown bottle
(either downtown or north liberty) is also good and more of a family
place.
6) our one brewpub is creatively named "the brewery". the food is good but not great anymore. the stout is disappointing so i don't go there much.
7) hamburg inn - a classic american diner.
8) pizza - probably paglia's, although we like old chicago better.

i could go on but that's enough to get you started. planning on being
here?"

I hope this is helpful!

Brad O.

PS Porky's in Des Moines is a biker/gearhead hangout, too, if that's of interest to you.