dsmWeekly: December 20, 2023

Either/Or has indoor and outdoor dining on its covered patio, plus five fire pits and a children’s playscape, so it can handle your family gathering. Just plan ahead; they don't take reservations. Photo: Either/Or

FOOD AND DINING

Yuletide hours to tide you over until dinner

Writer: Hailey Allen

Maybe you’re cooking a big Christmas dinner or Kwanzaa feast this year and need to cover a few meals before the big one. Maybe you’re done celebrating (and done cooking), and just want to know where you can get a bite to eat on a federal holiday. If you’re stuck, these restaurants are open and ready to serve.

Angry Goldfish will once again be open on Christmas Day, serving hearty sandwiches, smoked brisket, pot roast and mac and cheese.

Either/Or and Lua Brewing will be open for brunch 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Both are fun spots to bring visiting family and can help you avoid cooking a dozen omelets on your own. And if the in-laws are more stressful than the Griswolds, might we suggest some Climbing Kites seltzer?

Fresko, open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Christmas Eve, is a good place for any friends or family with dietary restrictions. The menu focuses on seasonal ingredients, with plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, plus other items that are easily modifiable.

Hobnob Coffee and Wine Bar in the beautifully restored Hotel Fort Des Moines offers coffee and pastries for hotel guests and others starting at 6 a.m. on Christmas Eve, followed by breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come Christmas Day, you can also snag brunch from 7-11 a.m.

Panka Peruvian Restaurant is hosting a special feast from 11 a.m. to midnight on Christmas Day, so you and your family can enjoy Peruvian ceviche and other Latin flavors. We recommend the lomo saltado, a classic dish made with beef and potatoes.

Paws & Pints will be festive for your furry friends, too! Beyond its regular boarding services for those traveling sans Fido over the holidays, the place will be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Christmas Eve and noon to 5 p.m. Christmas Day. Take your dog (or your aunt’s yappy puppy) for a bit of fresh air and exercise in over 20,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor dog park space. They have a heated patio space and delicious food for humans.

The Royal Mile offers an English-style breakfast or lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Or stop in Dec. 26 for Boxing Day and football — ahem, soccer — if you’d like to observe the Commonwealth holiday.

And while it’s not quite a restaurant, Flix Brewhouse will be showing movies Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. If you’re craving some buttery popcorn and a reprieve from extended family small talk, this could be your best bet.

One final tip: Remember to be courteous if you choose to eat out on a holiday. The staff may be sacrificing their own family time to serve yours at the restaurant, and Santa is still watching, so be nice!

'Twas a few nights before Christmas on a big stage downtown, acrobats were swinging, trying not to look down! Image courtesy of Cirque Dreams Holidaze.

BEST BET

Visions of circus performers will dance above heads

If Broadway and a circus had a baby, it might look a little like Cirque Dreams. The globe-trotting Cirque du Soleil affiliate was founded in 1993 and returns this weekend to the Des Moines Civic Center.

In its “Holidaze” show, 7:30 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. and 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, you can expect to see aerialists, acrobats, jugglers, singers, dancers and other unusually talented performers bring a little circus flair to holiday classics like “Carol of the Bells” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” According to a reviewer for Broadway World, the family-friendly extravaganza lets you “lose yourself for 90 minutes and go back to those wonderful dreams you had as a kid.”

The Week Ahead

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical,” (2 and 7 p.m. Thursday): All the characters from the classic TV special — Santa, Hermey the Elf, the Abominable Snowman and others — light up the longest night of the year at the Des Moines Civic Center.

Winter Solstice Hike, (5:30 p.m. Thursday): Appreciate the longest and darkest night of the year during a guided evening hike at Jester Park Nature Center. The free excursion is family-friendly, just be sure to dress for the weather.

iHeart Saving Lives Blood Drive, (all day Friday and Saturday): Visit any LifeServe Blood Center in Central Iowa to participate in their winter blood drive. During the two-day drive, donors will receive a free, festive long-sleeve T-shirt and — bonus! — save countless lives.

Festivus, (3-8 p.m. Saturday): Take part in this “Seinfeld”-inspired tradition at 515 Brewing Co., where there will be an airing of grievances and feats of strength all night long. Plus, there’s a special vanilla and cocoa milk stout, “Festivus Miracle,” on tap.

Emo Nite, (9 p.m. Saturday): A DJ dance party at Wooly’s rides the recent revival of emo music, from ’90s angst to more recent punkish alternatives. Doors open an hour early. So don your gay apparel, as long as it’s black.

IOWA STOPS HUNGER
Meat the need: Hope Ministries is set to serve more than 2,500 free Christmas dinners this year to those in need. Staff are asking for meat donations, including pork loin, ground beef, pork sausage and ham to anchor the holiday meals. Donors can drop off contributions 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Bethel Mission, 1310 Sixth Ave. Drive-through and walk-in options are available, and donors are invited to tour the men's shelter, enjoy refreshments and witness the impact of Hope Ministries' mission firsthand.

Elaine Graham Estes has amassed around 300 editions of “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Photo: Duane Tinkey

PEOPLE

Elaine Graham Estes and her Christmas-y collection

Writer: James Augustus Baggett

It all started as a collection to be displayed at the Des Moines Public Library. Back in the 1990s, when Elaine Graham Estes was the library director — the first woman and first person of color in that role — she discovered that Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” is the most-illustrated piece of writing in American history. Most people know it by its first line, “’Twas the night before Christmas …”

“I thought the library public should see works published in different editions,” she said. “So after I retired in 1996, I decided to start a collection of my own.” To date, she’s collected around 300 different editions.

Estes is intrigued by how different illustrators and graphic artists have brought to life the famous 56-line poem that has probably influenced the world’s vision of Santa Claus more than any other story.

She finds them at thrift stores, used book stores like Half Price Books and the Planned Parenthood Book Sales at the State Fairgrounds. But she doesn’t shop online, partly because she doesn’t own a smartphone or a computer. “I like to see that the books have all the pages and that the movable parts work,” she said. “I really like to see, touch and find.”

Read more about her collection and see a few photos in the full story online.