Des Moines Supper Club http://dsmsupperclub.posterous.com Good Friends Good Food Good Times posterous.com Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:18:00 -0700 Red China Bistro (or whatever they are called now) - Dave Review http://dsmsupperclub.posterous.com/31258637 http://dsmsupperclub.posterous.com/31258637

Located on Ingersoll a block away from the Star Bar should be a good location for this type of restaurant.  The layout was open with high ceilings and ample space between tables, but otherwise their decor eluded me.  The beads hanging from the ceiling on the way to the bathroom were a bit "Hugh's Jungle Room-ish" for me.  They had a pile of rocks in the bathroom sink - WTF?
 
The service was slow but the waiter was good, with points for being patient with our "pondering" the menu and dessert options.  The kitchen seems to struggle with the concept of completing all meals for that table at the same time.  Prices I thought were a bit high, but not outrageous given the market they're going for.  The food quality was average at best, however, and did not justify the prices.  I heard it said that HyVee Chinese would have been an upgrade - and I'd have to agree.  The final nail in the coffin to me was that they had zero tap beer, which made me want to run across the street to Wellmans. 
 
If I found myself with a group planning on eating there I would go, but I wasn't really impressed and there are several better alternatives in reasonable proximity.  For an overall ratings I give it 3.5 out of 10.

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Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:59:00 -0700 Great Company is the Best Part of Red China Bistro http://dsmsupperclub.posterous.com/great-company-is-the-best-part-of-red-china-b http://dsmsupperclub.posterous.com/great-company-is-the-best-part-of-red-china-b

Last night, I visited Red China Bistro for the second time. The first time I went was opening week of Red China Bistro. My mom and I went there for a Ladies’ Night Out. Upon entering the restaurant I was immediately struck by the ambiance. It is garish and over-the-top. The décor is a weird juxtaposition of a Chinese theme gone wrong, mixed with ultra contemporary. One table features stone like seats, the next has bamboo styled chairs, while the next has silver metal chairs with leather seats. Red China Bistro does not subscribe to the less is more theory. Nowhere is this more evident than on the back wall, where fifty or so, glass vases feature red poppies. Everywhere you turn there is another decoration, that seems contrived.

 

While my mom and I enjoyed great conversation, we were disappointed by the service. My meal came out ten minutes before her meal. While she and I enjoy leisurely meals, this one felt more like a marathon due to the poor timing of food service. Because, we visited the restaurant opening week, we felt perhaps the Red China Bistro was working out the kinks.

 

Before visiting the restaurant for the second time, I was very optimistic, and excited to try the restaurant again. This time a goup of friends and I were meeting at the Red China Bistro for our monthly Supper Club. Preston, our waiter, was very professional, and provided excellent service. He was knowledgeable about the menu, and was able to make recommendations to us. As the food was being prepared, our group enjoyed lively conversation. The restaurant was able to accommodate our vibrant group of eight. Once the food came, everybody eagerly dug into their plates. Unfortunately the anticipation of the meal was better than the dinner itself. The majority of our group was disappointed by their meals. My husbands dinner tasted burnt, and left a particularly foul taste in my mouth. Overall the group was disappointed in the quality of the food.

 

Red China Bistro is a good place to meet great company for cocktails. Then I recommend going someplace else for dinner.

 

Meredith

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Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:17:55 -0700 Laura's thoughts, hopes, and dreams... about Red China Bistro http://dsmsupperclub.posterous.com/lauras-thoughts-hopes-and-dreams-about-red-ch http://dsmsupperclub.posterous.com/lauras-thoughts-hopes-and-dreams-about-red-ch   Well, I had been looking forward to trying Red for a few weeks now and was excited to support an Ingersoll business.  So here are some thoughts about the evening...

   - Service was great (attentive without being annoying).
 -  Food was alright.  The restaurant is presented as an upscale bistro, but I felt the food was similar to what I could find at your average Chinese restaurant. The rangoons we had first were nice and crispy, but tasted as thought they were only filled with cream cheese. I had the Asparagus Chicken.  The asparagus and chicken were cooked well, but the sauce had very little flavor.  I did try a friend's sushi that was pretty good and I was intrigued by the French items they had on the menu.  So if I were to return, I would definitely try something different than their Asian dishes (which is a bit strange since it is called a "China bistro").
 - Ambiance was a little labored.  It seemed like someone had put some serious effort into trying to making this place look like an 'upscale bisto'.  Unfortunately the black fringe, dramatic colors, cliche center pieces, Enya-esque music, and rocks in the bathroom sinks just came across as trying too hard.
 - Pricing seemed a bit steep for the quality of food.

  Interesting tibits:
-They serve cucumber in their water.  This got mixed reviews at our table.  I personally liked it.  Makes you wonder what else you could put in your water to add just a tad of flavor.  The possibilities are endless...
- They were actually pretty accepting of our large, not-so-quiet group.  Although every other table quietly enjoyed their meal, no one gave us a look when our table began high fiving CareBear bonding or when a small sword fight broke out with the chopsticks.  We are such a classy group!

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/984641/laura_in_hat.jpg http://posterous.com/users/he613EyJi3T5g Laura Camerona lcamerona Laura Camerona
Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:59:00 -0700 Steve - Red China Bistro http://dsmsupperclub.posterous.com/steve-red-china-bistro http://dsmsupperclub.posterous.com/steve-red-china-bistro


Unnamed
We decided to try out the Red China Bistro on Ingersol Ave in Des Moines.  It seems to aim itself at the "new age" crowd that is becoming more associated with a revived Ingersol area.  The restaurant is located in a brand new building across from the original Wellman's Pub.  The interior seems a little much.  The crowd was light on our Wednesday evening visit.  Our waiter was very helpful and drinks were served promptly.  The Red China Bistro does not carry beer on tap but did have a good selection of bottles along with a book full of mixed drinks and cocktails.  When we got to the menu our waiter seemed very knowledgeable and gave suggestions, even checking to see about making something not on the menu for one of our group.  The group tried two orders of crab rangoon and they were liked by most.  Personally I do not care for cream cheese but the outer crust was very good.  For my main course I ordered the Cashew Chicken.  It arrived on a square plate and was piled high, which was too my liking.  Too bad that was the high point for me.  The chicken was well cooked but the dish lacked the flavor I would like or any sort of spice.  Maybe I was expecting something more Thai inspired and this dish was a miss for me.  Overall the experience was decent but not something I would regularly go back to.

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Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:47:59 -0700 October Supper Club location - Red China Bistro http://dsmsupperclub.posterous.com/october-supper-club-location-red-china-bistro http://dsmsupperclub.posterous.com/october-supper-club-location-red-china-bistro In the next day or so we'll be sending in our reviews from our dinner experience at this new Des Moines restaurant.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/897102/CameronaSteve_01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4wzwx4QwP7HP Steven Camerona stevencamerona Steven Camerona