Your Guide to Authentic Regional Eats
Mr. Bibbs, a stark, open-kitchen sandwich shop in Des Moines' Highland Park neighborhood, has a full menu of hamburgers, hot dogs and even "guinea grinders" (the politically incorrect local term for Italian hero sandwiches), but we know nothing about any of these items. The two things we can tell you about are the tenderloin and the onion rings. There are four kinds of the former: regular (undressed), unbreaded (why bother?), chili-topped, and – best of all – deluxe. A double-wide loin, fairly thin as per Des Moines custom, comes perched atop a bed of shredded lettuce and garnished with pickle chips, chopped onions, sliced tomatoes, mustard and ketchup, all held together in a minimal burger bun by a wrap of wax paper.
