Perspective

For the first time since I have had my apartment of over one year, my month-old (in apartment owning years) next-door neighbor, kindly knocked on my door and asked me to turn down my music. This would not bother me for three reasons: 1) If the said neighbor had any taste for good music, like the song I was playing at the time of the incident, which happened to be Simon Mobile Disco's Hustler; 3) If the music had actually been turned about all the way; 2) If the said neighbor was not wearing an apron. That's right. My male neighbor (who does have a wife and is not cool enough to be gay) was wearing a short, navy blue apron. This just further supports the fact that every time I come home from the office, the foyer (or foy-a, as some claim it) smells like a strange combination of baking soda and catfish; He even looked the part of the wifely, house-husband. All that is to say that at 8PM on a Friday, my pre-partying rituals were interrupted by a new neighbor who obviously didn't realize that the music wouldn't last long, and that his evening of catfish and Yahtzee could continue as every other night if he'd only waited five more minutes until I headed to the bar.

It might be time to check the housing market...

Best Work Lunches: Downtown Des Moines

When time is of the essence over your work break, the following downtown spots prove that a delicious, timely lunch is possible outside of the usual fastfood fare or frozen entrees hiding in the back of the breakroom freezer...



Smokey's BBQ

Located downtown in the Skywalk--it's not all that bad to navigate if you have a friend--is an unassuming lunch stop (it's just across from MetaBank). No decor and no particular theme except for quality barbeque. The lines are usually quite long as it's a lunch hotspot, so get there early. My fav lunch pick: Burnt ends topped with a combination of Sassy and Firey BBQ sauce with a side of macaroni & cheese.

Centro

Call me crazy, but Des Moines is not a city I associated with fine or even remotely unique cuisine. I was, however, proved wrong by Centro, located on the NW corner of Locust and 10th. Centro can be a classy date spot by night, or a casual, and yet refined, lunch destination. For two people, splitting one of their fire-roasted pizzas (truly authentic) is a deal, or as my pick goes, getting a cup of Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup and a Centro side-salad: fresh greens tossed with balsamic vinagrette, walnuts, and gorgonzola.

South Union

Located in the same building as the beloved Centro, South Union is the ultimate soup and sandwich stop. Lines can be outrageously long, so arriving at least 15 minutes before the lunch "rush" makes all the difference. Their signature Pepper Jack Cheese Soup is a perfect ensemble of potatoes, peppers, cheese, celery and spices. Also available to patrons are small, brown bags that you can fill with bread slices to go long with your soup, free of charge and unlimited. They have a large selection of sandwiches served on their homemade foccacia bread--instantly recognizable bread which you will find at almost every surrounding restaurant--with daily specials. The BF's pick: The half-sized, triple-pepper turkey melt and cup of pepper jack cheese soup. My pick: A cup of pepper jack cheese soup and complimentary bread.

Travels

Labor Day presented itself with a few surprises of its own this past weekend. What was supposed to be an enjoyable, relaxing, annual tradition of drinking, boating, and catching up with close friends here,

... was actually a weekend largely spent in a hospital with my dad who suffered a massive stroke. He is doing remarkably better and has regained much of his abilities back (and most importantly is back at home). I always look forward to my visits to Michigan, which I hold to be one of the most beautiful states, so I hope the the future holds more, happier visits to there.

Stay tuned for more Des Moines adventures and reviews...