Des Moines’ Latin King Restaurant

The Latin King Restaurant was opened in 1947 by Jim and Rose Pigneri and has been owned and operated by Bob and Amy Tursi since 1983. Judging by the crowds alone it is easy to conclude that the Latin King is still the most popular Italian restaurant in Des Moines. In fact, I would guess that it may be the busiest restaurant in Des Moines, though some of the big chains in and around the Jordan Creek Mall may give it a run for the money. I know from experience that it can be downright impossible to get in on many weekend evenings. But what keeps the crowds coming back time and time again is the food. Many of the Italian menu items stray from the expected and are actually very unique in their preparation and presentation.

If you can manage to get into the building, make your way to the bar to gain some helpful liquid distractions. Though the bar is small, it is staffed by a team of energetic and efficient bartenders. There is none of the slouching around behind the bar dusting off glasses for this crew. The night we visited there was one waiter and three bartenders. The place was packed but the crowd kept moving as it was obvious that this bar caters almost exclusively to those waiting for a table. While I suppose you could visit the bar just for drinks, this is probably not the best bar for that sort of activity during a busy restaurant evening.

The service is prompt and professional. Most of the staff I saw appeared to have been working there for a long time. They had that unhurried but efficient way of getting the order in and the glasses topped off without any fuss or bother that marks experienced staff. I would not say that you will get the same level of formal attention that marks service at Django or Centro, but it gets the job done.

A lot of effort has been poured into making the decor of the Latin King fit both the name and the popular expectation of what a successful Italian restaurant should look like. While I suppose that the Italian decorating theme is no more “authentic” than the fakery of chain restaurant’s, it is well done and does not slide into kitsch.

But what about the food? Like I said, many menu items have some unique preparations. Take, as an example, the Chicken Spedini.
Chicken Spiedini is a specialty of the the Latin King. You get boneless breasts of chicken skewered and marinated, rolled in Italian breadcrumbs and then charbroiled. I can’t tell you how good this is. You have to try it. Sure, it’s chicken, but a lot of work has gone into making this chicken taste fabulous. According to the website, it is the unique Amogio sauce that makes this a best seller.

Sure, you can get ravioli at every single Italian restaurant in Des Moines — probably in nearly every Italian restaurant in the U.S. But the Latin King offers toasted Raviolis with either two meatballs or sausage. This was a very interesting twist on a common dish. The ravioli had that home-made texture that was heightened by the toasting. It was another solid hit. I can understand why the crowds keep coming back.

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Des Moines’ Italian Restaurants

We are having a blast trying to get to all of the “old line” Italian restaurants in Des Moines. We have feasted on great meals at Tursi’s Latin King, Barratas on South Union, Chuck’s on 6th Avenue, Mama Lacona’s (now) in Grimes, and Tumea & Sons on Southeast 1st Street. Still on my list to visit are Noah’s and Ginos. Once I visit them and write up the last review, I’ll want to go back and start all over again! But, to be honest, I can’t wait to hit some of my favorite chef-owned and operated restaurants, such as Lucca, Centro, Django, and Cafe di Scala. If I was made of nothing but money, I would eat at one of those places every day.

Oh, if you think I forgot to list any of the “old line” Italian destinations in the Des Moines area, let me know. For some places, it is too late. I wish I could go back in time and visit Babe’s when it was in its prime, or Guidos. While I am too young to have any fond memories of Babes, I do remember the excellent level of service that Guido could command from his wait staff — something that was unparalleled here in Des Moines until only recently.

I look forward to any comments or criticisms you throw my way regarding my trek through Des Moines’ Italian culinary countryside.

2008 Sebastaniani Chardonnay Sonoma County

2008 Sebastiani Chardonnay

This is a fairly inexpensive Sonoma County Chardonnay at $13. The wine has the classic broad buttery feel and taste of a Chardonnay with some acid, no tannins that I could find, and no detectable oak. There was a small amount of minerality that I detected about 3/4ths of the way back during a swallow but which was absent as far as my spouse was concerned. I did not taste any berries. The aromas are very citrously. I checked the winemaker’s website description for this wine and was surprised to see that they noted a pH of 3.45. I was skeptical and ran my own test with a pH Hach test strip and got about 3.5. That is amazing pH for a California wine. The winemaker’s notes on this wine describe a lot of stirring in neutral barrels (meaning old barrels) and that might have done the trick. As usual, the winemaker’s notes on taste and aroma mention a cornucopia of fruits, vegetables and various other things that I could not find. I have to trust him that they are there. The last few sips delivered a slightly off-putting bite that I usually associate with colder climate grapes.

I’d describe this as a very nice Chardonnay lacking (intentionally) the oak that is recently becoming passé anyway. The website for Sebastiani takes some diligence to navigate as it lacks any tab for its wines (get the wine descriptions by going to the wine shop). This particular vintage was apparently something of a disaster due to a late April frost. But they did the best that they could with whatever did grow. I don’t know if the sale had anything to do with the recent sale of the winery to entrepreneur Bill Foley later that same year in December, but I bet it did. It is interesting to note that Bill Foley is the target of some consumer-driven boycotts. I’m not about to wade into that. But, Bill Foley’s history is worth a read. I don’t know what that all has to do with a $13 bottle of Chardonnay, but it is interesting how wine stirs the souls of men and women.

Hickory Park in Ames

Hickory Park in Ames is one of those places that is always busy. I cannot imagine how much food they push out the doors every day. More than once I have tried to visit the place and have found huge crowds spilling out into the parking lot waiting in vain for a chance to get in. As I sit here and try to think of another restaurant in Iowa that could equal the sheer tonnage of food that is sold every day I am at a loss for its equal. I am sure that there are corporations and colleges that have diners that might come close, but even then, I’m not sure. So, what makes a place like Hickory Park so popular? I suppose that the generous portions of real meat and the large selection of menu offerings has something to do with it. The staff is trained to get people to their seat as efficiently as possible. The food comes quickly and is very straightforward. This is a paper napkin, no table cloth sort of place, as you might expect for a restaurant that is geared to feed as many people as modern restaurant science will allow. The building is outfitted in that sort of country-cabin-cowboy look that makes decorating a fairly easy effort and will satisfy every cowboy wannabe or soccer mom. The huge kitchen and wide aisles keep the food moving as quickly as possible. But at the heart of any successful food enterprise is good food. I tried the smoked beef sandwich and found that this was really good dish. The meat tasted like it had really been smoked.

Service was efficient and while the noise level was fairly high during this lunch hour visit, it was tolerable for conversation. Hickory Park won’t win any awards for fine dining, but it gets the job done for the demographic that it is serving. The restaurant is just north of Highway 30 on the east side of Duff Avenue at 1404 S. Duff. It is not open for breakfast.