I usually go to Des Moines once a year for business. I like Des Moines, really...it's a nice, small Midwestern city, and over the past few years it has really shaped up after what I imagine has been a dedicated rehabilitation effort. There are still some areas that look a bit run down and sad, but the downtown area has some really nice hotels and GREAT restaurants. I have never had a bad meal in Des Moines. But I had the best meal ever on this latest trip at a restaurant called Azalea.
It's pricey, I'll give you that. But I liked that a lot of the items on the menu seemed to combine unusual flavors in an unexpectedly fabulous way (the bacon-wrapped sea scallops and pumpkin polenta appetizer was awesome), and the vodka tonic I had was huge. I had the wild salmon for my entree and it rocked. But the very, very best thing ever was my dessert: bleu cheese cheesecake with candied figs. I know it sounds completely weird, but it was seriously the best cheesecake I have ever had in my life. Of course, my favorite food in the world is cheese, and my favorite cheese is bleu cheese, so the fact that some brilliant chef decided to put bleu cheese in a dessert form is like a dream come true.
One of the few good things about business travel is that when you're wining and dining people, you get to try out some restaurants you probably wouldn't go to very often in your normal, everyday life. I think Azalea has become a "must-visit" place for me from now on when I travel to Des Moines.
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