Heaven Hill Distillery to sell its raw 125 proof “white dog” whiskey as “Trybox”

I saw on bourbonblog.com that Heaven Hill of Bardstown, Kentucky, has announced that it will now start selling “white dog” straight from the still. This is 125 proof (!) whiskey that is not aged at all.

According to the Heaven Hill website: “The new Trybox Series, named after the copper and glass “tasting station” where new make whiskey flows off the still, offers up several styles of Heaven Hill’s world famous American Whiskeys. Each is taken straight off the still, before aging in a charred oak barrel–the same way legendary father and son Master Distillers Parker and Craig Beam taste-test them. The first two releases in the series, available at retail starting in May, will be New Make, which if barrel aged would become a Straight Bourbon such as Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage; and Rye New Make, which if aged would become Rittenhouse Straight Rye.”

This is part of the sudden interest in unoaked whiskey. This is evidently part of a recent movement to get away from the taste imparted by the aging process — long thought to be a positive thing — and to get to the raw whiskey. Some bars (most likely hipster bars) are using this white lightning in order to make new cocktails that don’t have the flavors of ordinary whiskeys. I personally am not too sure why they don’t just use vodka (or white rum) as it will be smooth without the headache-inducing chemicals that are usually removed by the additional distilation (vodka) charcoal filtering (Tennessee whiskey) or aging process (bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey), but where there is a market there is a product. This is ironic in a way as it usually takes a distillery four years or more to bring a new product to the market. Here, instead of incurring the extra cost of buying barrels and managing the product for years, they just bottle it and sell it. That is a sure way to make some profit.

Anyway, if you are interested, it is called the “Trybox Series.” It will be available in a 750ml bottle size, packaged three to a case, and bottled at the full traditional barrel entry proof of 125, or 62.5% alcohol/volume. The suggested national average retail price will be $24.99,

The next thing you know, the Scots will start shipping over clear distillate to meet the new market. That would be a crime indeed.

Heaven Hill Press Release.

Upcoming Events for Beer, Food & Wine in Iowa

SWINE Festival: June 4, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. More info at: http://www.swinefestival.com/5th Annual SWINE Festival. SWINE will feature some of Iowa’s finest native wineries and regional chefs, including Andrew Meek of Sbrocco, Josh McCurnin of Flemings, Anthony Jonson of Mojos and Shad Kirton of Smokey D’s. Wine will be available from a selection of both Iowa wineries and if Iowa wines don’t float your boat, there will also be some non-Iowa wines. There will also be a craft beer tent offering brews (featuring Madhouse Brewery and Twisted Vine) made by local breweries affilated with wineries. It will be on the grounds of the DMACC campus in Ankeny. $35 gets you in the door, a commemorative wine glass, and gives you one free bottle of wine. There will also be some bluegrass by the Solar String Band, and bluegrass is always a good thing.

Mojos on 86th and Tassel Ridge Winery: June 5 at 6:00 p.m.

Winefest Des Moines: Friday, June 17th through Saturday, June 18, 2011. Get more details at their website: http://www.winefestdesmoines.com/.

Brewfest: July 9, 3-7 p.m. at Principal Park in Des Moines. 300+ varieties of beer (which means that there will be beers other than Budweiser for sure!) and unlimited samples. Details: http://www.dmcityview.com/brewfest/

The DSM Restaurant Week participants have been announced. No word yet on what week this will be happening.

Independent Iowa Food Blogs – Part 2

As promised, here is an update to my earlier blog on Independent Iowa Food Blogs. As before, I am always amazed by the range of blogs posting about food and restaurants in Iowa. I am not listing (or I am trying not to list) blogs run by restaurants, professional writers, and blogs that have no active twitter or blog entries. I am also not “reviewing” these blogs. I just want to give all of us blog writers as much exposure as possible.

http://www.desmoinesfoodblog.com
@dmfoodblog
A beautifully done blog with short, to-the-point descriptions of local restaurants. Lots of pictures.

http://foodiowa.xanga.com/
@foodude
A Xanga account! Well, it works and Jim Duncan is a prolific poster with lots of information and photographs. A must-check site if you are traveling around Iowa and looking for food.

http://des-loines.blogspot.com/
no twitter found?
Your one-stop-blog for everything you would ever want to know about Iowa tenderloins and BBQ. A massive number of entries.

http://slakingfool.blogspot.com/
@slakingfool
The Slaking Fool has long chatty entries with some pictures mostly about food, some here, some in other cities. His blog covers some of the same ground as locallygrown but without the extra helping of hilarious sarcasm. How he gets to where he wants eat without driving there is a mystery worth reading about. Hint: trains, buses, and walking are involved. Not driving is another attribute shared with @VegChefDSM.

http://desmoinesgoodeats.com/
@dsmgoodeats
This is a fairly new Des Moines food blog. Welcome!

Gusto Pizza Co., Des Moines’ hottest new pizza joint

Des Moines’ newest pizza sensation is Gusto Pizza Co., located betwixt and between the Western Gateway and the Ingersoll Avenue district at 1905 Ingersoll Ave on the northeast corner of Ingersoll and MLK. I like how each new pizza place tries to outdo the last. One of the first of the new wave of pizza innovators was Centro with its New York style pizzas and great oven. Then Bagni di Lucca’s wonderful gourmet creations, followed up by Fong’s Pizza’s fusion of pizza and Asian flavors stepped onto the scene. All excel in adding unexpected, fresh and real ingredients that rebel against the hegemony of the deep-dish, pepperoni, and sausage cabal.

Big Labowski - click to enlarge

I can’t say enough good things about the Gusto pizzas. The Gusto pizzas are built on a crisp and tasty crust that do it right by staying out of the way of the toppings, which are the real stars of the show. We tried a special of the day, the “Big Labowski” which featured white Russian cream sauce, coffee-rubbed beef, shiitake mushrooms, green onions and mozzarella. I was intrigued by the mix of ingredients. The coffee-rubbed beef was quite interesting. The beef was cut into small chunks but the rub was significant enough that it morphed into something in between beef and coffee.

Il Figaro - click to enlarge

From the signature pies on the menu we chose the “Il Figaro.” We had heard that this was a great pizza.   This pizza comes with slices of Alfredo pears, dried figs, La Quercia prosciutto, blue cheese and fresh mixed greens on top.  It was as good as friends said it would be.  The figs were a riot to eat.I should add that Gusto Pizza also features some great local brews in addition to the usual offerings. Local brews include: Madhouse American Wheat, Hub City Brown Ale, Millstream Iowa Pale Ale, Millstream John’s White Ale, Peace Tree Red Rambler and, Peace Tree Hop Wrangler IPA. We opted for the two Peace Trees. You can peruse the entire beer selection on the website.

Holy Cannoli

We finished off the meal with a “Holy Cannoli” which is a must-have.  Just remembering this makes me want to go back and get one right now.  We also grabbed a gelato which is another dessert that is fantastic.

One feature in favor of Gusto Pizza is that it had enough space that we could actually get our order in and get our pizza in fairly short order — something that has not happened at Fong’s Pizza, which is still crowded on the nights we try to get in. As word gets out, this may change. However, the place does  have lots of empty space for more tables and chairs if they want to start packing them in.  On the whole, I have to say that this is one place that I want to return to as soon as possible.  Gusto Pizza is definitely on my “regular” list from this point on.

My congratulations to Josh Holderness, Joe McConville and Tony Lemmo for putting together a nicely balanced but innovative menu.  They did a great job of getting a lot of advance publicity out.  The twitterverse (@GustoPizzaDM) was alive with constant updates of many potential updates, so there was no way that anybody connected even remotely with the Des Moines social network missed that opening.  The website for the place also features a social-network friendly blog which is a good way to keep up on what is happening in and around Des Moines:  http://gustopizzaco.com/blog

Some more of their great pizzas:

Maple glazed ham, rosemary, olive oil, goat cheese, Genoa salami, capers and roasted peppers

Gusto's Soprano Pizza Basil pesto, balsamic roasted chicken, roasted red peppers, marinated tomatoes, red onion, Asiago and mozzarella

1905 Ingersoll Ave, Des Moines, IA, 50309
515-244-8786
Hours of Operation
M-Th 11:00am-10:00pm
Fri-Sat 11:00am-11:00pm
Sun 4:00pm-9:00pm

Casablanca Moroccan Cafe

Having previously used up all of my flowery similies, I will only say that Casablanca Moroccan Cafe, a 6-month-old import, is quite possibly one of the best ethnic restaurants I’ve been to in America (my scope is not terribly large, mind you).

Casablanca seems to be in an old fast-food joint, nestled between the gleaming new towers of Midtown Crossing. Ironically, Casablanca is newer, but lacks the shiny coats of fresh paint and hype that still glisten on the flanks of Midtown Crossing (similies restored).

We split the $20 plate of couscous, chicken, and squash when we went. I’m fairly certain that they cut up an entire squash and most of a chicken for that dish: the leftovers lasted another three meals! And it was delicious every time. The chicken was well-cooked, the couscous was amazing, and the squash was buttery and soft.

They never did bring us the tea we ordered (they ran out), but to compensate they comped us some delicious fresh fruit. It still seems like they’re nailing down the details, but overall the service was good and pleasant.

The Casablanca Cafe is a suprising and exciting place. It has a halfway off-the-rails, homebrew vibe which I’m sure will mature into a really excellent restaurant. Now’s the time to visit what I hope will be the next Omaha standby.

Casablanca Moroccan Cafe

Hours
Mon – Thurs: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Fri – Sat: 11:00 am - 12:00 am
Sun: 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

El Aguila (Omaha)

El Aguila is a Mexican restaurant in the Vinton street neighborhood in South Omaha. It’s very accessible and Spanish is not required. They serve the usual course of Mexican food, along with some specials, like a fancy stuffed poblano pepper which I really wish I had. Instead I went with a tamale and tostados. Unfortunately the tamale was overcooked, but the tostado was good, with ingredients a step above what I usually see.

Where I found El Aguila to really shine, however, were the sopapillas and margaritas. I’m not sure what’s in the basic margarita mix, but it’s sweet and flavorful without being flaccid sugar-water. This is the best I can hope for short of scratch-made margaritas made with triple-sec, lime juice, and top-shelf tequila.

The sopapillas are roughly equivalent to eating a cloud, or perhaps a pillow made of brown sugar. It flakes away as you eat it, nearly to nothingness. When filled with honey, it becomes a crispy packet of sugary heaven. I love them.

I’m really looking forward to spending lazy summer afternoons on their expansive patio, with pitchers of good margaritas and great friends.

El Aguila
1837 Vinton Street
Omaha‎ NE‎ 68108
(402) 346-7667

Open 7 days a week, 11:00 am to 10:00 pm

Iowa City’s John’s Grocery – “Dirty John’s”

Iowa City’s John’s Grocery, also known as “Dirty John’s,” is the last totally independent grocery in Iowa City.  For that reason alone it is a very unique place and well worth a visit or worth being added to anybody’s “must visit” list.  But it is the sale of alcohol in all of its various forms for which John’s Grocery is best known. John’s Grocery is known nationwide as one of the best places to buy beer. 

A sign in the window advertises “Beers from around the World over 3,000.  I don’t know if they mean 3,000 different beers or just 3,000 bottles and cans. Despite my natural skepticism, I somehow think that they are telling the truth.   I know I saw at least a thousand different brands in just one end of the beer room.  In addition to the beer, there is an impressive selection of hard liquor, with many varieties of Scotch whisky and Irish Whiskey that I’ve not seen before.  The wine selection, though fairly modest if you compare it to most wine stores, had some unusual and well priced selections.   True to its name, John’s also sells some regular grocery items, though it looked like a fairly limited selection. A deli counter serves a variety of meats and sandwiches.

This is a grocery that, with the exception of the liquor selection, is like a step back into time.  I somehow doubt that they stocked booze back in 1948 when it was established.  The building originally housed a Pabst pub in the late 1800s, so it has genuine credentials as an alcohol establishment. I remember as a kid and seeing the tiny neighborhood grocery stores and it never occurred to me that they would totally disappear from the landscape.

The place also featured a solid selection of locally distilled products, including the full range Clearheart products, including gin and vodka from Cedar Ridge together with their rum and bourbon. I also found Iowa Corn Whiskey from Two Jays  in Newton (Broadbent Distillery).  As I wrote in a recent blog entry, I had not even heard that Two Jays had started up its micro-distillery, so I was sure to snag one of their bottles.  I didn’t see any of Indiana’s best Rye Whiskey known in these parts as “Templeton Rye.”

There is a walk-in cooler to supplement the “warm racks” of beer.  The beer room is a collector’s heaven, chock full of an amazingly large selection of hundreds of beers, stouts, ales and mead. Mead? how often do you see mead for sale?   I am pretty sure I never even found it offered in any of the pubs I visited in England; but Iowa City has it.  Next door is another jointly owned store that I’ve not checked out which sells beer swag — bottles and other beer memorabilia.

Why is it called “Dirty John’s?” Their own website says that it is because they were one of the lone suppliers of Playboy back in the 1950s.  I didn’t check to see if they still carry anything like that.

B&B Grocery, Meat and Deli, Home of the Killer Sandwiches

Boy, I feel like an idiot.  There is no good excuse for never having visited B&B Grocery, Meat & Deli on the south side of Des Moines before today. Sure, I knew it existed from the occasional article or mention in local newspapers. I also knew that this was where Archie Brooks built his political base, and where he returned to after his political dénouement.   I was therefore shocked when I finally stopped by B&B Grocery, Meat & Deli for a sandwich. As they say, there are some things you have to see in the flesh in order to really appreciate it. First, I was surprised that it was as close to downtown as it is. I would have thought that I would have noticed the place driving down 9^th Avenue.  Second, I was surprised by the crowd.  I have just come to expect that crowds only appear at fast-food places these days.  Not only was the place absolutely packed, but other than some Lincoln High students the place was populated with “working men.”  Many of them were wearing the different uniforms of their various trades.  It almost reminded of a bowling alley on competition night.  The parking lot and the roads all around the building were packed with delivery trucks, company vehicles, and idling cars waiting for someone to fetch their pre-ordered lunch.  Yes, it is true that it is best if you call in your order ahead of time.  We were quickly spotted as B&B newbies and they took our order but told us that the wait would be shorter the next time if we took one of the little green cards that had the lunch menu on it. Some menu cards were stuffed into our sandwiches to make sure that we called ahead the next time. I like how they looked out after us.

The history of the place is that the original location was opened in 1922 by a couple of teenage boys, J. Archie and John Brooks who decided that they wanted to go into the grocery business. How many kids do things like that nowadays? The business has been in the family ever since, and it is clear that the local community rewards the great food with faithful patronage. I could go on, but the webpage for B&B has a good history, along with pictures.

I ordered the Rib-eye Sandwich. This was a real slice of freshly grilled rib-eye in a bun. It really hit the spot. My spouse ordered the Reuben and I stole a bite and can report that it was way better than any Reuben I’ve tried lately. The sauerkraut was really tasty and it did not have that rubbery cabbage feel that so many Reubens have. For anyone else who wants to visit, you go to the meat counter area to order (if you didn’t call in ahead of time) and then back away to wait for the food to arrive. After you pick up the order,  proceed to the checkout stand near the door. If you want to eat in, there is a no-nonsense lunch counter tucked away in a corner. I got the impression that this is not for leisurely chats with friends. This counter is built to allow hungry people to chow down and move along.  It reminds me of a feeding trough for cattle. As the clock neared 1:00 p.m. it was interesting to see the place clear out as quickly as it had filled up. Within minutes the only people at the counter were some Lincoln High kids on an extended lunch break.

Check out the webpage for a series of interesting “Butcher Videos.” These are videos demonstrating how the various cuts are prepared the “old fashioned way.” Their steaks are cut from carcass beef and the hamburger you buy all comes from a single carcass. They even show how they create sausage. The video showing John Brooks Jr. breaking down a beef hind quarter will be amazing to anybody who has tried to butcher a large animal. From the looks of meat counter, it looks like a lot of the cuts are long gone before lunch, so if you want something in particular you may have to get there early. Here is a video showing how a beef standing rib roast is prepared.

Monday - Friday:  8:30am to 6:30pm (Grill Closes at 6pm)
Saturday:  8:30am to 5:30pm (Grill Closes at 5pm)
Sunday:  Closed

B&B Grocery, Meat & Deli
2001 SE 6th Street
Des Moines, Iowa  50315
(515) 243-7607
FAX (515) 280-7037

Gino’s Restaurant – 6th Avenue in Des Moines

Gino’s is an old-line Des Moines Italian establishment. As you can tell from the picture, I’m writing about the original location on 6th Avenue and not the fancy new location in West Glen. I’ve not yet tried the new location, though the pictures on the website look inviting. Although Gino’s is probably best known for its aged corn-fed steak, it offers the usual Italian dishes, though done in a style unique to Gino’s. Unless you are unlucky, the steak is usually the best steak to be found anywhere in Iowa. I am a big believer in corn-fed steak and I’m not about to fall for the line that grass-fed beef is better. Add some hanging time to that corn-fed beef and I’m in heaven. I’ll take my steak marbled and juicy; none of that tough and gamey shoe leather for me.

When you walk into the restaurant one of the first things that you notice (other than the decor and layout) is that Gino’s offers a number of food products, including dressings, sauces, and grated cheese shakers. Another thing that you may find is that the crowd is very established. Everyone seems to know each other and they must have been coming to Ginos for at least a half century. The staff is equally experienced and the host was diligent in checking in with each table to make sure that the service and food was up to specifications.

The decor features formica topped tables with paper placemats, cellophane-wrapped crackers and dark pine plank walls. The plank walls are reportedly very old and may date back to when that addition was built. I ordered an Old-fashioned cocktail and it was expertly prepared. I don’t recall what their special name is for the drink, but they have their own twist on the drink. It was $8, which is on the low side. The glass was average-sized. The bar was as busy as the rest of the restaurant and had a lively crowd, though we did not visit on a weekend.

Despite Gino’s well-earned reputation as a steakhouse, we ordered pasta, in keeping with our current goal to take in the best of Des Moines’ Italian original old-line restaurants. The meals arrived with iceberg lettuce and sliced bread. I ordered chicken wrapped in pasta and served with a bed of spaghetti. I think it might be called a chicken roll. Anyway, it cost $18.99 which is about average for a featured entree at one of Des Moines’ established restaurants. The sauce was neither overly sweet nor spicy. It was just your usual tomato-based red sauce. My spouse ordered the toasted ravioli. The ravioli was hot on the outside, having just been fried, and full of hot cheese in the inside and cost $14.75. She thought it was very tasty, though the sauce came in handy for dipping as it is a bit dry after having been fried. I will be certain to come back again to try the steak. I will also want to try the new location.

The construction of the building is hilarious. I’d love to try to figure out where one add-on begins and another ends. Just look at the roof-line and you get an idea of what efforts the owners went through to expand the building over the years. It is amazing that once you enter that it seems to hang together fairly well, even though the ceilings in some sections are fairly low, in keeping with the place’s original roots as an older facility. The restaurant began as the Chickadee Restaurant in the 1920s. A Chickadee Restaurant menu on the wall of the entry way to Gino’s proclaims: “On the wrong side of: the fence, the tracks, the river, the hill town. The food must be good.” I’m not sure what the reference is to the “hill town” unless it refers to the “Sherman Hill” area, which back then would have been the ritzy area of Des Moines. Gene “Gino” Foggia opened the restaurant as Gino’s in 1966.

The wine list is modest and very, very inexpensive. The Chianti we ordered to go along with our meal was fine. Many of the bottles cost half of what some local high-brow restaurants charge just for a corkage fee.

Ginos
2809 6th Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50313
515-282-4029

Gong Fu Tea – Des Moines East Village

Gong Fu Tea is one of those nifty places that offers a unique shopping experience if you happen to be a fan of tea. I’m not a huge fan of traditional tea, but even my jaded attitude about tea (weak, less than satisfying, weak, and less than satisfying, to list four of my objections) can see that this emporium must stir the passions of those who care about tea, such as everyone else in my family and any body who is still reading this article. Now, add some milk like the Brits do, or some espresso, and we are getting around to something that I can deal with.
Anyway, the crowds that can be found at Gong Fu certainly throng the counter every time I’m brought there to wait out yet another tea purchase. For those who don’t know, this store keeps its tea in these cute stainless steel urns lining an entire wall. Obviously, the way that they store the tea is about 75% show given that they put them so high that the staff has to climb a ladder anytime somebody requests some “top shelf” tea. They could pile them on a table where they would be easy to reach, but that would spoil the process that is involved in getting your tea. In fact, the next time I go I might order some top shelf tea just to see the process. And process is what I am led to believe that tea is really all about. After all, entire cultures (in fact, nearly the entire rest of the world outside the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa) are so smitten with tea that they have developed drinking tea into a high art with incomprehensibly complicated social conventions. If you are one of those tea lovers, the rest of my family heartily recommends a visit to Gong Fu Tea. But be prepared to enjoy the process. Don’t rush it.

Another service offered by Gong Fu Tea is that they sell just about every tea-making and tea-storing contrivance that you can imagine. If you know somebody who likes tea then this is the place to go to get him or her that special gadget, cup, or pot. Finally, they will brew you some tea right there. And, if you order an iced tea, then here is something you need to appreciate. The iced tea is first brewed as you might brew any other tea. Only then is it chilled down by adding the ice. Some other establishments brew tea ahead of time and store the tea in a refrigerator to chill; not Gong Fu Tea.

The High Wall of Tea

414 East Sixth Street
Des Moines, Iowa
515-288-3388