dsmWeekly: August 23, 2023

The Basque-style dulce de leche cheesecake from Bar Nico is the perfect finish to its dsm Restaurant Week menu.

FOOD AND DINING

Pack your appetite: Tour local menus this week

Writer: Hailey Allen

If you haven’t already heard, dsm Restaurant Week is in full swing. Chefs are offering up their best flights of menu favorites and new creations through Sunday, so get your reservations on the books while you can.

To kick off the foodie festivities, I sat down last weekend to Bar Nico’s three-course menu, which took me on a culinary adventure from the vibrant streets of Mexico to the cozy kitchens of Basque Country with fresh, seasonal ingredients and bold Latin flavors. Here’s how my tour went:

Course 1
In the mighty but humble words of Tariq the Corn Kid, “I love corn.” Lucky for me, the Iowa crop is abundant in Mexican cuisine. I went with the Summer Corn Elote appetizer, and it did not disappoint. The creamy sweetness of the corn balanced perfectly with the soft Veracruz cornbread and a kick of espelette, a mildly spicy pepper cultivated on the French and Spanish borders of Basque Country.

Course 2
For my main course, I indulged in the rich and comforting Chicken Enchiladas Suiza. The vibrant salsa verde was bursting with tangy flavor, and the crema Mexicana added a velvety creaminess that made the dish both savory and satisfying. The overall effect created a classic taste of Mexico that combined traditional elements with contemporary flair.

Course 3
At this point in the meal, I had definitely forgotten to save room for dessert (can you blame me?) and figured I’d skip it. But then the beautiful slice of cake came out. The glorious confection was a Basque-style cheesecake, made with a unique Spanish technique that creates a caramelized top. A drizzle of smooth dulce de leche and an airy scoop of vanilla whipped cream complemented the treat.

Bar Nico is just one of more than 30 restaurants participating in this year’s dsm Restaurant Week. So whether you’re hungry for Mexican, Italian, American, Asian fusion or something else, you can treat yourself to a full tour of any restaurant’s offerings all in one go. Check out each restaurant's menu online at www.dsmrestaurantweek.com and book your dinners for the rest of the week. Easiest. Meal plan. Ever.

See the world Friday through Sunday at Western Gateway Park. Photo: Greater Des Moines Partnership

PLAN YOUR WEEKEND
Take an adventure around the world in one weekend

Summer is quickly winding down, but there’s still time to squeeze in a low-stress trip around the world without leaving Des Moines.

The 2023 World Food & Music Festival returns to Western Gateway Park Friday through Sunday with 50 food and drink vendors representing 26 countries, from Bosnia to Laos and the Netherlands to Morocco. After making the rounds, take home recipes from the Culinary Discovery Pavilion, which highlights the diversity in Greater Des Moines’ food offerings.

For live music, head to the main stage. See performances from all kinds of cultures, including a Latin-Grammy nominated, all-women mariachi group called Flor de Toloache.

Oh — and don’t forget your passport! Find festival passports at the information booth and collect stamps for trying new foods, dancing to mariachi music, or watching a cooking demonstration. Completed passports can be entered into a drawing for a prize. View the full program schedule and list of vendors on the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s website.

PLAN YOUR WEEKEND

Nash Nights (6-9 p.m. Thursday): Grab your cowboy hat and boots and head to the District at Prairie Trail in Ankeny to enjoy live country music by Matt Stell. The Arkansas native is known for his single “Prayed For You,” which topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart in 2019. Tickets are $25.

48 Hour Film Project (7 p.m. Thursday): Watch the top films from this year’s two-day local filmmaking blitz earlier this summer. At the screening and awards ceremony at the Varsity Cinema, you can expect to see a stack of short films in a variety of genres, including horror, sci-fi, Western and mystery. Tickets are $20.

“Belonging” at the Des Moines Art Center (5-6:30 p.m. Friday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday): The Des Moines Art Center hosts a reception Friday evening to celebrate artwork by local immigrants and refugees. The new work from the “Belonging Project” was inspired by silhouettes by the late Cuban-American artist Ana Mendieta and is presented in partnership with the Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa and West Des Moines Public Schools’ Refugee and Immigrant Student Embassy. On Sunday, join artist Ingrid Lilligren for a gallery talk of the “Underneath Everything: Humility and Grandeur in Contemporary Ceramics” exhibition. Admission to both events is free.

The Avett Brothers (7 p.m. Friday): The three-time Grammy nominated folk rock band performs at Wells Fargo Arena. Its 11th studio album “The Third Gleam” was released in 2020. Tickets start at $49.

“Quidditch” Championship (8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday): Catch the 2023 Major League Quadball (MLQ) championship, hosted for the first time in Des Moines at the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex. Quadball, adapted from the “Harry Potter” series, is a mixed-gender, full-contact sport that incorporates elements of basketball, rugby and dodgeball.

Cloris Awards (7 p.m. Sunday): Celebrate Central Iowa’s thriving community theater scene at the eighth annual Cloris Awards Ceremony at Hoyt Sherman Place. Named after Cloris Leachman, the late Oscar winner who grew up in Des Moines, this year’s awards will honor 39 productions from nine companies across Greater Des Moines. The evening begins with an indoor/outdoor reception, and admission is free.

FOOD AND DINING
New brews: Monday marked the official opening day for the newest 7 Brew location at 15610 Hickman Road in Clive, complete with a ribbon-cutting and representatives from the Clive Chamber of Commerce. To kick off its community involvement, 7 Brew celebrated its opening with a $2,000 donation to Blank Children’s Hospital. And the giving continues — the coffee stand is offering every customer who visits between 7 to 8 a.m., noon to 1 p.m., 5 to 6 p.m., or 8 to 9 p.m. now through Friday a free small drink. 7 Brew plans to expand its presence by opening six more stores in Greater Des Moines in 2024.

From left, Ashley Eidbo, Katelyn Stessman and Billy Weathers are organizing the new Together Through Sound festival. Photos: Together Through Sound

ARTS AND CULTURE

New music festival coming to Des Moines

Music lovers, mark your calendars for Sept. 10. The inaugural Together Through Sound festival will bring local musicians and artists together at Riverview Park for a night of community and collaboration. Performances from more than 100 musicians will span a rainbow of genres, from Latin to Afrobeats and hip hop to classical. Plus, free tent space will be available for local artists to sell their work. The event will conclude with a collaborative concert featuring a full symphony orchestra.

“As a long-time musician, I’ve always felt that music and the arts have a unique ability to bring people together and create shared experiences,” Ashley Eidbo, festival director and local musician, said in a press release. She co-founded the festival with fellow musicians Katelyn Stessman and Billy Weathers in partnership with the B.Well Foundation to create opportunities for the community to share new experiences through the arts.

The festival is free and open to the public, thanks to a Polk County Community Betterment Grant. Go online to check out the full schedule, with lists of vendors and performers.