801 Steak and Chop House

A must on any candidate’s tour is 801 Steak & Chop... More

blend

The Blue Strawberry Coffee Company

Breitbach's

As an excuse to linger in the area, Lola and I pull over for lunch at Breitbach's, which boasts of... More

Cafe di Scala

Catfish Charlie's

Chef's Table

Fruity 2006 Château du Donjon Minervois ($25) with chef Eric McDowell's bison rib eye with mushrooms and root vegetables... More

David's Milwaukee Diner

David's Milwaukee Diner, the hotel's restaurant, where the night before I ate a 'Maytag blue cheese cake' that successfully purged... More

Des Moines Art Center Restaurant

The desserts at the lunch-only Des Moines Art Cent... More

Gateway Market

Around the corner is Gateway Market, a new Dean & ... More

Joensy's Restaurant

The pork tenderloin sandwich at Joensy's Restaurant, with meat pounded as big as a pizza pie... More

La Mie

$11 buys a homemade pastry, fresh fruit and a sele... More

Lucca

I chose three courses from the menu of Italian- an... More

O'Farrell Sisters

By the time I found the town of Okoboji and the O'Farrell Sisters restaurant, a white clapboard house on a... More

Sage

Suzie Q Café

At lunch in the Suzie Q Café, a 1940's prefab diner where delicious, lacy curly fries are manufactured on the... More

Taylor's Maid-Rite

We make our getaway and head to Marshalltown, where we end up eating lunch at the oddest restaurant in the... More

Whitey’s Ice Cream

Whitey's Ice Cream

They’re famous for their mix-in shakes, made by cheerful teenagers, as well as for their 'Boston,' a shake with a... More