dsmWeekly: February 28, 2024

A new steakhouse hits West Des Moines this spring. Rendering courtesy of the Idea Collective.

FOOD & DINING

Dominic Iannarelli to debut new Prime & Providence steakhouse in the Western suburbs
Writer: Karla Walsh

Get ready, West Des Moines: A new, locally owned, one-of-a kind steakhouse and oyster bar is coming to a neighborhood near you. As early as April, you’ll be able to score a seat at Prime & Providence, at 595 S. 60th St.

The P&P team calls it a modern “steakhouse for our generation,” unlike traditional steakhouses you may have visited. So, it’s OK to leave your sports coat or fancy dress at home in the closet.

Chef-owner Dominic Iannarelli, whose resume includes stints at Splash Seafood Bar and Grill, Jethro’s BBQ, the Bacon Box at the Iowa State Fair, 801 Chophouse, and Des Moines Golf and Country Club, is partnering with his pal Cory Gourley to debut what he calls a “fancy, not formal” steakhouse to serve highly curated cuts of beef, seafood and plants — all cooked over a 15-foot open hearth custom-designed by Grills by Demant.

“It’s the live fire cooking that sets us apart,” Iannarelli said. “We firmly believe that all meat is better cooked over charcoal than gas.”

He added that the new restaurant will be the only in Iowa that serves Kobe beef, the prized Japanese import that’s treasured for its rich marbling, buttery texture and decadent flavor.

He also described the shellfish as “second to none in the state,” with both raw and roasted seafood towers, crudos, a variety of oysters, and shellfish salads coming soon.

And the plants? “Side dishes won’t be an afterthought here, and about 80% of them could be vegetarian” Iannerelli said. With fresh local fare from Grade A Gardens, Dogpatch Urban Gardens, Rinehart’s Family Farm and more, you can look forward to seasonal, colorful creations like asparagus with marigold pesto and cured egg yolks, a hearth-roasted beet salad and a mini roasted cauliflower served with a dukkah (a Middle Eastern dip) of rose petals and pistachios.

To wash it all down, you can choose among California and Old World wines, selected by the staff’s Level 2 sommelier, or the bar manager’s plays on classic cocktails. Just be sure to save room for dessert, or what Iannarelli called “the most throwback part of the menu.” Big slabs of chocolate cake, variations on creme brulee, fruit crisps, carrot cake and something off the live fire will all sweeten the deal.

With room for approximately 190 guests in the main dining room, a private dining room and a lounge (decked out with a couple of TVs, if you’d like to catch the game), the staff at Prime & Providence will be at your service from 3 p.m. to close, seven nights a week.

But isn’t 3 p.m. a little early for dinner, you might ask? Maybe, but that’s why there will be a special social hour menu, with crowd pleasers like burgers, meatballs and a lobster-based riff on escargot with raclette that is, all by itself, a good reason to book a reservation.

“As someone who lives and works in West Des Moines, I’m extremely excited to partner with Dom on this project,” Gourley said. “Bringing local culinary talent to the western suburbs is long overdue.”

For updates on the opening date, follow @primeandprovidence on Instagram or keep reading dsmWeekly. We’ll keep you posted.

The Blind Boys of Alabama visit Hoyt Sherman Place this weekend, fresh off a recent Grammy win. Photo: Blind Boys of Alabama

BEST BET

Blind Boys of Alabama just keep on keepin’ on

Writer: Michael Morain

The original Blind Boys of Alabama got their start in 1939 as part of the school chorus at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Deaf and Blind. Back then, the all-white faculty didn’t let them sing the Black gospel songs they heard on the radio.

But they eventually set out on their own, first for pocket change near World War II bases and then on increasingly bigger stages, including White House concerts for three different presidents.

Members have come and gone over the years, but they’re still mostly blind and still going strong, with a pile of hit albums and another shiny new Grammy. Their latest release, “Echoes of the South,” was named the Best Roots Gospel Album earlier this month.

“It’s always a surprise when you actually win,” longtime member Ricky McKinnie said. “Afterward, we went out to eat. That’s what we like to do.”

They also like to sing, which they’ll do at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Englert Theatre in Iowa City and again at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Hoyt Sherman Place.

They’ve sung through the Jim Crow era, the Civil Rights Movement and the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement. They’ve sung sturdy old hymns and soulful hits by Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield and Ben Harper.

“I bet we could rock the Stones pretty good,” said McKinnie, who met Mick Jagger after the Rolling Stones covered a Blind Boys hit. “He was a very nice guy, kind of laid back.”

The Blind Boys just keep on keeping on, even in era dominated by pop and hip-hop.

“If you’re listening to Beyonce or Taylor Swift or any kind of American popular music, you’re tapping into blues and gospel,” said Brian Coyle of the Civic Music Association, which is presenting the concert here in Des Moines. “I think of them as this underground aquifer that feeds the roots of American music and branches off into all these other genres — jazz, hip-hop, rap.”

McKinnie didn’t get too philosophical over the phone last week, but he did make a pretty good case to buy a ticket: “If you’re feeling bad and you want to feel good, the place to be is at a Blind Boys concert.”

The group has 85 years to back him up.

The Week Ahead

Japanese Hinamatsuri (10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday through Sunday): The Des Moines Art Center joins up with the Japan America Society of Iowa to celebrate the arrival of spring with centuries-old traditions that involve Hina dolls, a tea ceremony (Friday), origami (Saturday) and a kimono fashion show (Sunday).

“Dragons Love Tacos” (7 p.m. Friday; 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday): A boy and his dog figure out the dos and don'ts of serving dragons in this family-friendly play through March 10 at the Des Moines Playhouse.

“The Glass Menagerie” (7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday): Iowa Stage Theatre tells the Tennessee Williams classic about a Southern family living on the brink — financially, socially, emotionally — and the mysterious man who pays them a visit. After this weekend, the show continues March 6-10.

Fly Me to the Moon (7 p.m. Friday): Max Wellman and his big band highlight the hits of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Bublé and others.

Wildlife photographer (3 p.m. Sunday): The nonprofit Iowa Bird Rehabilitation hosts National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore to share stories from his efforts to create a photo “ark,” one species at a time, at the Staplin Center in West Des Moines. His “Portraits of Hope” includes everything from elephants to some of the world’s rarest birds.

Bowl for Kids’ Sake Fundraiser (throughout March and April): Head to participating bowling alleys throughout the metro to raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa’s youth mentoring programs. Read the details and register your team online.

HOME & GARDEN
Growing green: Polk County Master Gardeners and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach experts are teaming up to present the inaugural “Dig Into Gardening” Symposium March 16 at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny. Participants will get the chance to learn from master gardeners, educators and local professionals in the gardening and horticulture industries. The event features keynote speakers Benjamin Vogt and Ed Lyon, breakout sessions, and exhibitors sharing research-based techniques for gardening and horticulture. Register online, starting Thursday.

HOME & GARDEN
Awards season: Last night at Willow on Grand, we announced the winners of the 2024 dsm Home Design Awards. Congratulations to our Gold winners: ALT Design Studio, Amanda Reynal Interiors, Caliber Homes, Conversation Gardens, Crose & Lemke Construction, Design2Build, Dwell, Dynasty Homes, Eden & Gray Design Build, Invest DSM, Jeid Studio, Jenny Gardens LLC, JMG Holdings, K. Renee, Kimberley Development Corp., MainBuilt Custom Homes, Meghan Blum Interiors, Morris Lare, Silent Rivers Design + Build and Wild Rose Interiors. See photos of the Gold, Silver and Bronze winning projects at dsmhomedesignawards.com for inspiration for your next home project.

IOWA STOPS HUNGER
Hunger Heroes: As part of our Iowa Stops Hunger initiative, Business Publications Corp. is looking for Iowans who are helping their communities combat food insecurity. Honorees will be featured in our annual Iowa Stops Hunger publication and invited to speak at our virtual event Sept. 5. Do you know someone giving their time, food or funds? Nominate them here. Nominations close Friday.

Iowa Stops Hunger is a joint, statewide project among our three flagship BPC publications — the Business Record, dsm magazine and ia magazine — and presenting sponsor Hy-Vee to help stop hunger and fight food insecurity in Iowa.

Two partygoers enjoy a night of dancing at Baewatch, a pop-up dance party for LGBTQ+ people. Photo: Jordan Sandquist

COMMUNITY

Love on the dance floor
Writer: Mathany Ahmed

Ryan Anderson was a recent transplant to Iowa when they went to their first Baewatch pop-up party. They’d been trying to connect with other queer people in their new home and had some success by joining a roller derby league. Still, they hoped Baewatch, an event specifically created to give LGBTQ+ people an affirming place to dance, may have a lower barrier of entry – and hopefully, less risk of falling.

“That first time I went to Baewatch is actually the first time that I met Katie,” Anderson said, smiling at Katie Atkin in the seat beside them. The pair have been together for the past two years. “I was nervous. But then I showed up, and Katie was there.”

These kinds of connections are exactly what organizer T Meyers and resident DJ Jaide Knight hoped to create when they started hosting Baewatch parties in January 2022. Every few weeks, the pair team up to bring good vibes, danceable music and queer people – especially queer women – to local venues like, Bellhop in the East Village, or the host of Friday’s event, Lefty’s Live Music on University Avenue.

“That’s what motivates me,” Meyers said. “I’ve seen people meet here, I’ve seen people fall in love here.”

Baewatch aims to be a safe gathering space for LGBTQ+ people, something that’s especially important for queer women who typically have fewer dedicated options than their male peers.

But first and foremost, it’s a dance party.

“People start dancing, and they won’t stop until the end of the night when the lights come on,” Knight said. She prides herself on reading the room and giving the crowd exactly what they need to keep the energy high. “I like to keep things versatile. I want people to hear songs they haven’t heard in forever.”

On Friday, for the first time, Baewatch included a show from local drag kings Daddy Complex and Grimm Foxx, to the immense delight of the small crowd filling the dance floor at Lefty’s. The performers hosted a giveaway, while Knight acted as emcee, pumping in '90s and '00s pop and R&B hits.

“There’s such a small lesbian community in Des Moines,” said Brianna Houlihan, who comes to every Baewatch party. Behind her, the crowd screams their approval as the first beats of Juvenile’s “Back That Thang Up” plays. “It’s so cool to be around a bunch of queer females.”

Nationwide, there are fewer than 30 bars left that specifically cater to the nightlife needs of LGBTQ+ women and people of other marginalized genders. In 1980, there were roughly 200, according to the filmmakers of the Lesbian Bar Project, which documents the lost spaces.

“We want outsiders to know they’re still welcome to come,” Knight said. “Our advertising is just a notification to say: We’re a safe space, and we’re welcoming all and every queer person here.”