dsm Dish - December 20, 2024

The Val Air's new underground acts: a bar and nostalgic supper club

By Michael Morain

Nearly a year after its grand reopening, the historic Val Air Ballroom is ready to host two new underground acts: a minimalist bar and a nostalgic supper club. Both basement spaces are owned and operated by the same team, but their styles are very different.

The bar, called Work in Progress, is set to open at 3 p.m. Dec. 30. The restaurant, Tom Archer’s Poor Man’s Country Club, named after the Val Air’s late founder, will open on Jan. 31, before country star Ella Langley takes the stage upstairs.

The new gathering spots are the final phase of the Val Air’s $15 million renovation that owner Sam Summers initiated after he bought the property at 301 Ashworth Road in early 2022. Summers co-owns the new bar and restaurant with Isaac Alaniz and Andrew Ferren.

Now, a side entrance leads directly downstairs, where patrons can turn right for a drink and a casual meal or left for a full-on dinner.

“I like to compare them to the High Life and el Bait Shop,” chef Ryan Skinner said, referring to the twin spots that share a building downtown. “There are different menus, different service experiences. They’re completely different, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

Skinner joined the Val Air project this fall, after three years in the kitchen at Harbinger, the upscale restaurant on Ingersoll Avenue. He grew up nearby in Windsor Heights and remembers coming to concerts during the ballroom’s previous era.

During a walk-through earlier this week, Skinner and co-owner/operator Alaniz marveled at the Val Air’s recent transformation. Not so long ago, the basement that will soon host curious crowds was just a dark cavern with a dirt floor. “We used to come down just to take a peek,” Alaniz said. “It was pretty eerie.”

Work in Progress
Opening Dec. 30

At first glance, the no-frills bar looks pretty stark, with a concrete floor and tables repurposed from big wooden spools that once held electrical cables. Only a virtual fireplace on a flatscreen TV warms up the bare concrete walls.

Skinner and Alaniz said they designed the bar to honor Valley Junction’s working-class roots. It’s intentionally un-fancy. A mystery vending machine behind the bar spits out random cans of Natty Ice, Old Milwaukee and the like.

But there are some upscale elements, too. A frost strip on the bar keeps drinks cold, and at least one silly cocktail comes in a hefty glass shaped like a fish. The menu offers snacks like fried pickles, deviled eggs and chicken lips (an eastern Iowa term for chicken tenders), as well as more substantial sandwiches and house-made pasta. One of the first things Skinner ordered for the kitchen was a pasta extruder, which can pump out 15 pounds of fresh pasta in 20 minutes. The bar menu will offer a few vegan options, too.

“It’s been fun creating the whole concept from scratch,” Alaniz said. “Let’s make it cool.”

Tom Archer’s Poor Man’s Supper Club
Opening Jan. 31

The cozy wood-paneled dining room with cushy booths and a roomy bar looks like it’s been around forever. (The only giveaway: It’s still spotless.) Framed posters and programs from the Val Air’s past adorn the walls thanks to help from one of Archer’s daughters, Loyce Archer Dunbar. She still owns a house across the street and curated some choice bits of memorabilia, from Lawrence Welk to disco.

The menu promises many of the yesteryear classics you’d expect, like relish trays, shrimp cocktails, chicken liver mousse, and spaghetti and meatballs. Chef Skinner is tracking down the Steak de Burgo recipe from Johnny’s Vets Club, a Valley Junction mainstay that closed during the floods of ’93.

He plans to update a few dishes here and there to accommodate current tastes, even while honoring the past. “We all care so much about this place,” Skinner said. “We chose to come and work here because we know what it means to Des Moines.”

Share this story with your friends, and read more about the Val Air’s 85-year history in Kyle Munson’s feature from earlier this year.

Tastemakers

What holiday dishes are you looking forward to?

“We do seafood on Christmas Eve — scallops with my knock-off Ohana scallop sauce, crab legs and lobster tails. We make it last for hours by serving one protein at a time. It's so fun and festive.”
— Kristi Knous, president, Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines

“My grandmother's banana pudding and sweet potato pie.”
— Julian Neely, director of advancement and community investment, Polk County Housing Trust Fund

“We have a Christmas Eve family tradition of having Mexican food, and my mom's pozole is what comes first to mind.”
— Laura Sweet, vice president and COO, Des Moines Performing Arts

“Stuffing! I love stuffing, even Stove Top stuffing, but please do not use raisins.”
— Daniel Zinnel, CEO, Proteus

Quick Bites

Crème and Crafted Food Services are partnering for a very Iowan pop-up event on Jan. 18. From noon to midnight, diners can order a pint of chef Jacob Schroeder’s chili and two of Sammy Mila’s milk bread cinnamon rolls to enjoy at Crème or take home. Online orders open Jan. 1.

St. Kilda’s downtown location at 300 S.W. Fifth St. will close permanently at the end of Sunday. Diners will still be able to find their favorite brunch and lunch items at the St. Kilda locations in Clive and Valley Junction.

The Iowa Culinary Institute at Des Moines Area Community College announced its upcoming gourmet dinner dates and themes for spring. The team is hosting three dinners per month in February, March and April with menus inspired by the cuisines of Greece, Morocco, Trinidad and Tobago.

Motley School Tavern released a seasonal menu with new items like apricot glazed pork loin with beet and shallot mostarda.

Aposto also updated its menu to include the flavors of the winter season, like osso bucco with sweet potato and a return of the popular bone marrow pasta.

The State Historical Society of Iowa just announced plans to host 1920s party on June 27 at the State Historical Building of Iowa. It's the first of several "decades dinners" to raise funds for statewide history programs.

Events

Dec. 28: Sarah Pratt, who sculpts the butter cow at the Iowa State Fair, shares a few tips during a butter sculpting workshop on Iowa Statehood Day, during a whole day of activities at the State Historical Museum of Iowa. Heads up: Reservations for the workshop are required, and participants should be at least 8 years old.

Dec. 31: A whole bunch of local restaurants are offering special dinners on New Year’s Eve. Why not celebrate at a hotel restaurant and then head upstairs at the end of the night? Try the four-course dinner with run cocktails at Park Street Kitchen & Bar in the downtown Hilton, or the prix-fixe dinner at Mulberry Street Tavern in the Surety.

Dec. 31: Flora, the new restaurant at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, hosts a plant-forward dinner on New Year’s Eve. Reservations are available for two seatings, at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Through early January: Several local bars and restaurants have decked every inch of their halls (and doors, floors, ceilings and windows) for the holidays. For a full dose of lights and tinsel, check out SnowGlobe 2024 at Exile Brewing Co., Rudolph’s Rooftop at the Republic on Grand, and the Santa Paws Pop-Up Bar at Paws & Pints. Check the websites for details and reservations.

Jan. 15: Chef Katie Van Dyke, a 2012 alumna of the Iowa Culinary Institute, returns to her alma mater to lead a five-course dinner paired with five wines. Since she graduated from DMACC, she’s worked as a chef both here in Des Moines and Napa Valley.

Two mocktails for the holidays or dry January

To absolutely nobody’s surprise, Gen Z is shaking things up again — just not their martinis. Alcohol is out among the newest generation on the grown-up block.

A Gallup poll from 2023 reports about 62% of adults under 35 say they drink alcohol, down from 72% two decades ago. “Sobercurious” and “Alcoholfree” are popular tags on TikTok, where users hype up no hangovers and trade ideas for booze-free hangouts.

Nate Evans, a bartender at Django, takes the art of NA cocktails seriously. “I want to put the same effort and creativity into nonalcoholic cocktails as when I’m creating feature drinks for a menu,” he said. “They can be more than just juice and club soda.”

This past summer, in collaboration with Ben Bourland of Harbinger, Evans organized a pop-up tiki cocktail party on the Django patio dedicated entirely to nonalcoholic drinks. Evans also created three craft mocktails for the Des Moines Arts Festival’s first Liquid Art Bar.

So if you’re jumping on the low- or no-spirit train for the holidays, Dry January or ever after, check out two of Evans’ recipes. You can order them at Django or mix them up at home without touching your bar cart.

Find the recipes for “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sangria” and a “C’old Fashioned” at dsmdish.com.