dsmWeekly: October 12, 2022

Bottled at Revelton Distillery, the barrel-rested gin was created specifically for Django. The French restaurant plans to use it in future house and feature cocktails for as long as supplies last. Photo courtesy of Django.

FOOD AND DINING
Django and Revelton Distillery's New Collaboration

Writer: Karla Walsh

If you’re seeking a new sip to savor, make a reservation at Django ASAP.

That’s because tomorrow (Oct. 13) from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., the downtown bistro will host a barrel release party at their new, next-door event space called the Reinhardt Room (1430 Locust St.). The event will celebrate the release of a private barrel of gin produced by Osceola-based Revelton Distillery. The gin was hand-selected by Derek Eidson, executive chef/partner at Django.

If you want to get in on tomorrow’s action, tickets ($40 each) to the event are available here. But hurry: Sales close tomorrow at 3 p.m. If you can’t make the tasting, don’t worry; the gin will be featured in Django’s cocktails until it runs out, Eidson says.

Revelton co-owners Rob and Christi Taylor “are great friends of Django,” Eidson says. “Their approach to producing a quality product aligns with our values at Django, and the fact that the distillery is so close to Des Moines is a plus.”

Django has been showcasing Revelton’s standard gin in select house cocktails since the distillery opened in December 2020. This barrel-rested gin (pictured above) was Eidson’s top choice for Django’s private barrel, because it delivers floral and juniper notes up front, but “the finish has an immense amount of candied and caramel orange flavor, with vanilla and a hint of oak. All of these characteristics you find more in bourbon.”

For the past four years or so, Django has featured private barrel picks of bourbon and rye, but this is the first gin. “It's just so different from any other spirit on the market. We were looking for something that was decidedly gin but with some classic whiskey characteristics that the barrel imparts,” Eidson says.

For upcoming tasting events, keep an eye on Django’s website, Facebook page and Instagram account (@djangodsm). “We will continue to do gin as well as whiskey and rye barrel selections with Revelton in the future,” Eidson says.

Actor and singer MiG Ayesa ("Rock of Ages," "We Will Rock You," "Burn the Floor") joins the Des Moines Symphony to channel Freddie Mercury’s soaring vocals. Photo: courtesy of Des Moines Symphony.

PLAN YOUR WEEKEND

Des Moines Symphony Performs Classic Queen

The iconic music of '70s rock band Queen will fill the Des Moines Civic Center this weekend as the Des Moines Symphony performs some of the band’s greatest hits. The symphony will be accompanied by a full rock band, vocals from MiG Ayesa and guest conductor Martin Herman.

The show begins on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Snag tickets while you can on the DMPA website.

PLAN YOUR WEEKEND

Exhibit opening at Art Center (Friday, 5-7 p.m.): The Des Moines Art Center will open a new exhibit, “Alison Elizabeth Taylor: The Sum of It.” The show will feature about 40 large-scale single-panel works as well as a room-sized installation. The multimedia artist creates vividly colored works that layer marquetry, paint and photographic imagery. Then on Saturday, Taylor will give a talk about her process and meaning behind her art. Register for the lecture here.

Gallery Night (Friday, 5-9 p.m.): Valley Junction’s galleries–including Olson-Larsen Galleries, Artisan Gallery 218, and 2AU Limited, among others–will be open to showcase new artwork by regional, national and international artists. In addition, many Valley Junction shops and restaurants will be open. The event is free.

Alyssa Allgood at Noce (Friday, 7-9:15 p.m.): Chicago-based jazz vocalist Alyssa Allgood returns to Noce as part of her fall tour. Allgood performs original music and new arrangements of jazz standards with her Chicago trio. Get tickets here.

Taste of Norway (Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.): The Daughters of Norway will host an event at Valley High School to celebrate Norwegian heritage. Members will sell traditional sweets such as kringla, krumkake, rosettes and lefse, and offer lefse-making demonstrations. Jewelry makers, wood carvers and textile artists will also have their wares for sale. A Scandinavian cafe will sell breakfast and lunch items.

Great Iowa Pet Expo (Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.): This weekend, the Iowa State Fairgrounds 4H Building will be filled with adoptable rescue pets, an ARL Kitten Cuddle Lounge, shopping, contests and more. Purchase tickets to attend on their website.

Igor Khalandovskiy painted “Grapes of Wrath” (watercolor, acrylic and oil) as an abstract representation of the war in Ukraine. The title also refers to the 1939 John Steinbeck novel focusing on people forced to leave their home because of economic hardship. “It’s a universal situation,” Khalandovskiy says. “I study everything.”

PEOPLE

Ukrainian Artist Igor Khalandovskiy Paints Dreams

Writer: Lisa Rossi

Nearly 140 paintings spill into every corner of Igor Khalandovskiy’s parents’ Urbandale home, nestled on a quiet cul de sac that’s also home to a few friendly wasps.

Khalandovskiy begs a visitor not to shoo away a wasp flying into the house. He steps aside to demonstrate how the wasp won’t fly indoors and will instead settle back into its nest, which balances delicately atop the front door.

“It’s nature,” he says. “They are not bothering. I open the door and never have a bite. … Next year they will fly away, and leave a beautiful masterpiece made [by the] insect.”

Khalandovskiy, 56, is originally from Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine (located in the northeast part of the country), and now lives in West Des Moines with his wife, Nataliya. He is a prolific artist and teacher who finds inspiration everywhere—including that wasp nest in his parents’ doorway, which he’ll use to inspire future work. Khalandovskiy’s mixed media works range from the symbolic and surreal to depictions of the natural world. Some are “fantastical landscapes filled with internal collision,” as he writes on his website.

Khalandovskiy’s parents’ home is one of the several places where he creates, and the volume of his artwork speaks to the support of his now-retired parents, who enrolled him in art school at a young age. “They give me everything,” he says.

In their home, his paintings are in the bedrooms, the living room and in the garage. In the office, there are also pencils, brushes and paints, alongside a desktop computer and a small, sensible couch. The diverse works include images of his home city, visualizations of Mars and more. Read more about Khalandovsky’s work, his fears about the Ukrainian war and life as an art teacher in this dsm article.