dsmWeekly: March 5, 2019

Jean Berger, executive director of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, pauses beside a state map that once hung in Veterans Memorial Auditorium during state basketball tournaments. The lights indicated the locations of teams competing in each game.

'THE IOWA GIRL' AND HER SPECIAL PLACE IN SPORTS

In the landscape of sports programs for high school girls, Iowa stands proudly, prominently above the norm. Built on the powerful legacy of six-on-six basketball, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union oversaw the 100th annual girls' state basketball tournament last week. The organization is now under the leadership of its first female executive director. Jean Berger played basketball at Winterset in the 1970s, and her task today is to bring touches of what modern-day high school kids might want and need along with a mission to help them remember that they are part of a unique history.

"I don’t want the Iowa Girl to ever think she’s not important, and we have a long tradition of her being important," says Berger, whose organization is the only one in the U.S. dedicated solely to girls’ high school sports. >CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY FROM DSM MAGAZINE

Chef Joe Tripp, center, with his finely tuned team at Harbinger. Photo: Byron C. Jones Photography.

HARBINGER SCORES, BEGINS NEW DINING OPTIONS

By Wini Moranville

Last week, the James Beard Foundation announced its list of 2019 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists. For the fourth year in a row, Joe Tripp of Harbinger snagged a nomination. He was the only Iowa chef to do so.

Hardly content to rest on his laurels, Tripp is shaking things up a bit at his two-year-old restaurant. Last Thursday, he unveiled a menu of noodle bowls, available only at the bar (the dining room will continue to focus on Tripp’s small-plates formula).

"Our dining room is filled with people doing tasting menus throughout the week," Tripp explains, "but that is a hard sell to someone coming into the bar looking for a bite and a drink. Noodles offer a casual way to introduce the flavors we love to a different clientele."

The menu features four noodle bowls, each priced at $13. Current options include Bun Cha Gio (a noodle salad with Vietnamese sausage, lemon sauce, egg roll and pickled vegetables), Dan Dan Noodles (wheat noodles with pork, sesame, bok choy, black vinegar and pickled mustard greens), Wonton Ba Mee (a wonton and egg soup with shrimp, pork wontons, Chinese celery and crispy garlic) and Tom Yum Moo, a Thai-style pork and noodle soup with roasted pork belly.

According to Tripp, options will change based on ingredients being used in-house. No surprise there—Harbinger has always been dedicated to seasonality.

In addition, Tripp plans to start Sunday brunch service on April 7. It will be thrilling to see what one of Des Moines’ most visionary chefs will do with the week’s most leisurely meal. Let’s just say, I’m in.

Harbinger is at 2724 Ingersoll Ave., 515-244-1314; harbingerdsm.com

Wini Moranville writes about food, wine and dining for dsm magazine and dsmWeekly. Follow her on Facebook at All Things Food–DSM.

Goodwill is putting more fun in prom fashions by lowering the cost. Check out the bargains this weekend.

PROM BARGAINS POP UP AT GOODWILL IN JOHNSTON

Prom. What a magical time! And you can spend a fortune ... unless you don't want to. Goodwill of Central Iowa offers a fun, low-cost alternative: a Prom Pop-Up shop Friday and Saturday, March 8 and 9.

Goodwill has been gathering (and will accept yet today) donations of elegance from your closets, including formal dresses, suits, dress shirts, formal separates or jumpsuits, evening bags, jewelry and dress shoes.

As a Goodwill rep told us, "We are really excited to be able to offer the Central Iowa community an opportunity to shop for gorgeous dresses and formal wear for a fraction of the retail cost." Great idea! Check it out at 5355 N.W. 86th St., noon to 4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Actors Jo Joyner and Mark Benton star in the latest British drama finding its way to Iowa airwaves. Photo: BBC, Gary Moyes.

DO YOU BINGE-WATCH BRITISH TELLIE?

We suspect that many readers of dsm magazine are also fans of the British dramas aired on Iowa Public Television. Have you ever wondered how IPTV decides which programs to air? Learn the backstage secrets of that mystery Saturday, March 16, at 2 p.m., when the person and the process will be revealed in IPTV's Maytag Auditorium in Johnston.

You can also see an advance screening of the newest British drama, "Shakespeare and Hathaway"— no, not the bard and his wife, Anne Hathaway, but the setting is Stratford-upon-Avon. "Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators" presents hard-boiled Frank Hathaway and his rookie sidekick, Lu Shakespeare, as they investigate extramarital affairs, murderous magicians, abducted au pairs and other nefarious and dastardly deeds. The series will begin airing on IPTV on Saturday, March 23, at 9 p.m.

For more information about the event March 16 and to reserve free tickets, click here.

Color, flair, rock and hair: "Rock of Ages" re-creates an era, along with a charming dramatic tale that pulls it all together.

ROCK ON: 'ROCK OF AGES' OPENS FRIDAY

Reconnect with your head-banging youth as "Rock of Ages" pounds its way onto the Civic Center stage Friday through Sunday, March 8-10. Nominated for five Tony awards, including Best Musical, "Rock" has a fun story line atop music made famous by bands such as Styx, Poison, Twisted Sister, and Whitesnake. Tickets start at $36 and can be purchased online here. Showtimes and other information can be found at dmpa.org.