18 Nov 2010

Gino's North - Dave's Review

Lots to like about this place.  Food wise the portions are sizable and they really take care of you that way.  The appetizers in particular were rather large, but if you don't order them you'll still walk away full.  My steak was ok (nothing special) but otherwise everything else tasted pretty good.  Service in both the bar and restaurant was excellent - friendly and prompt but not overbearing.  Our waitress did a good job of giving just the right amount of time between the appetizers, salads, etc.  Prices were reasonable for what you get, certainly a better value than Red China Bistro.
 
They clearly haven't had a remodel in several years, which gave a very dated look that actually wins them some serious points in my book.  Lots of brown, an electric fireplace in the bar, that type of thing.  I thought about offering to donate some tropical pictures but the truth is there was already a lot of class in the decor.  The menu mentioned actually mentioned "no cigars or pipes" - which suggested that it hadn't been updated in quite a while. 
 
Location is fairly central, so for the most part it would be a reasonable drive regardless of where you are at in Des Moines.  That said, it loses points in that regard because there's not much else in the area to justify the trip or go somewhere nearby after dinner.  That, along with the inexplicable lack of draft beer in the bar were the only two black marks on my ballot.  Overall the positives outweigh the negatives, and I would happily return again in the future.
 
It would be easier to give a numerical rating if we had a number of others to compare it to.  For now I am giving it a 6.8 out of 10, but may revise that when we have more locations to evaluate against.
 
18 Nov 2010

Gino's North is like sitting around the table at grandma's - Steve's review

Two of our supper club members decided to take the group to Gino's North on 2nd Ave last night.  According to the menu's the place has been locally owned for about 80 years.  The interior showed that.  The bar area is quaint and dimly lit with a "fireplace" that didn't seem to put off much heat.  We had a few drinks in the bar area first.  We were greeted quickly for drinks and provided with small glasses of pretzels to munch on.  We were asked to close our tabs in the bar area before heading in for dinner.  We were placed at a large round table that worked well for our group of 8.  It allowed all of us to talk and communicate with each other.  Our waitress was nice and prompt, as the night went on she kind of reminded me of my grandma, which I took as a good thing.  We started with some more drinks and appetizers, the mound of onion rings was overwhelming and the cheese sticks were tasty.  My wife ordered a chicken parmigiana dish and I had the ravioli with meat sauce.  We received large salads first along with bread.  It was a lot of food to eat even before our main entree's were delivered.  The meat sauce on my meal was good but a little sweet for my tastes.  My other complaint would be that the ravioli were meat filled.  I feel that true ravioli are always cheese filled.  That is more of a personal preference than an issue.  The food was good overall and I would return without question.  

As a heads up for anyone who wants to try Gino's North or their other location, Gino's West, you can get a discount coupon at http://www.restaurant.com/.  Our coupon was $100 off a $200 bill.  
17 Nov 2010

November Supper Club location - Gino's North

We will be hitting up this Italian restaurant in the next few days and then letting everyone know our thoughts.
22 Oct 2010

Red China Bistro (or whatever they are called now) - Dave Review

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.

21 Oct 2010

Great Company is the Best Part of Red China Bistro

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

20 Oct 2010

Laura's thoughts, hopes, and dreams... about Red China Bistro

  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!

20 Oct 2010

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.

20 Oct 2010

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.

Des Moines Supper Club's Posterous

In September of 2010 four couples started the Des Moines Supper Club. Our goal is to try new restaurants around Des Moines each month. This blog is about our findings.