dsm Dish - July 25, 2025

It now stands empty, but its legacy lives on at Abbie’s in Bondurant. It opened as Polito’s Pizza House in 2001 and was renamed in 2018 specifically for Abbie by his grandson, Brant Polito (both pictured), the current owner.

When I told the younger Polito about my mother’s memory, he laughed. “Everyone has a story like that. I love it,” he said. “I wish I had time to sit down and hear all the stories.”

He doesn’t have much time to sit down. He’s in the kitchen mixing up dough by 6 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and doesn’t leave until the restaurant closes. His wife and family help out, with about 10 other employees.

Together they make almost everything in house, including the garlic bread, sandwich bread and crispy thin crusts for the Italian-style pizza. “Only the gluten-free pizza crust is brought in frozen,” Polito said. “They used to make their own sausage at the old place, where they had a much bigger kitchen. We use Graziano’s now.”

On a recent visit with my husband, we ordered what my dad used to bring home as a treat on his way home from work: a sausage and mushroom pizza, a meatball sandwich and a large order of onion rings. But unlike those childhood dinners, we started with a cold beer and cocktail at the full bar.

The pizza crust is thin and cracker-like around the edges and chewy in the middle, all cut into squares. The dough’s slightly sour tang holds up well with the sausage and sauce spooned on top. “It’s a style all its own, not really like anything else,” my friend, chef George Formaro, told me. “It’s topped in a completely different way, with fennel-forward Calabrese-style sausage, with sauce and meats laid down first, then mozzarella cheese on top, and even more sauce spooned over the top.”

In the sandwich, the saucy meatballs are stuffed into a long chunk of crusty bread and held together with melted cheese. It’s served with a steak knife to slice it up to share.

And the onion rings? They’re just like I remembered, with that familiar orange tint. They’re neither too thick nor too thin and stringy, a feat the cooks at the old place achieved with an electric bread slicer.

We followed the famous advice — “take the cannoli” — and ended our meal with a sweet note. Their crispy, blistered shells are stuffed to order with creamy ricotta filling. No soggy cannoli here.

The old La Pizza House had 500 seats and often drew lines out the door. Abbie’s is cozier, with just 100 seats, and it fills up fast so plan your visit for off-peak hours or be prepared to wait. We arrived at 7:30 on a Saturday night and waited just 10 minutes outside on a comfortable bench before being led inside to a booth. A softball team in matching jerseys crowded around more than one long table, while couples filled the booths nearby. A steady stream of customers came in to pick up to-go orders, which Polito told me accounts for half of Abbie’s business. The service was quick and efficient despite the crowd.

Polito hopes to expand the restaurant in a few years with additional seating and a bar with stools to better accommodate solo diners. He also plans to install a mural of Russ & Abbie’s La Pizza House.

Many may come with an appetite for nostalgia, but it's the food that will bring me back.

Contributing writer Mary Jane Miller has worked as a food writer, chef, cooking teacher and food scientist for various clients, including Betty Crocker, the Food Network, Pillsbury, Target and the Minnesota Governor’s Residence.

Tastemaker

Who’s a chef, bartender or other food pro you’d like to cook a meal with?

“I'd love to cook with chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park. I saw a Netflix series called ‘7 Days Out,’ which featured the New York restaurant that has three Michelin stars and was once ranked No. 1 in the world. But as Humm learned more about the impacts of the industry, he eventually led his team to focus on plant-based dining. In an interview last year, he said, ‘It was really about the language of food, the power it holds and the difference it can make.’ Anyone who can rise to the top of the restaurant world and then completely change how they approach food is just awe-inspiring.”

— Dannie Patrick-Valentin, senior director of community impact, Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines

Quick Bites

Midnight Coffee will open Aug. 1 in the former St. Kilda location in Clive. Read more in the Des Moines Register.

Six Iowa craft breweries won 17 medals at this year's U.S. Open Beer Championship. Iowa's winners were Big Grove, Exile, Flix Brewhouse, Full Fledged Brewing, Toppling Goliath and Confluence, which was named the Brewery of the Year in its class. The championship included 8,000 entries from breweries across the nation and world in more than 170 categories.

Toppling Goliath no longer plans to open a Des Moines location, reversing previous plans for spot in a mixed-use project east of Drake University. Owner Clark Lewey told the Business Record the Decorah-based company decided to stick with brewing rather than expand into the restaurant business.

Events

Sunday: The Des Moines Tea Festival at the Des Moines Heritage Center features more than 10 vendors to share history and how-to tips for casual sippers and connoisseurs alike.

Monday: “In Contrast,” a series at the Contrary, offers a one-night-only, first-come-first-serve event that pairs a main dish from Jacob Schroeder of Crafted Food Services and a cocktail from bartender Ben Bourland.

Aug. 4: Winefest hosts a sake wine flight paired with eight small-plate courses from Masao, the East Village's new sushi place.

Aug. 5: A Korean BBQ Dinner at Gateway Market features four courses paired with international wines chosen by wine and beer director Nevres Sehic.

Many dsm readers will recognize Abbe “the Wine Lady” Davidson from her days at Gateway Market, where her approachable attitude and deep wine knowledge made her a local favorite. These days, her role as the Midwest regional manager for Winebow Imports frequently takes her on the road, but she remains rooted in Des Moines, frequently visiting local culinary hotspots and hosting friends with great food and wine.

When we got together recently to catch up, I asked her what she’s sipping this summer.

Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)
As temperatures rise, “Sauvy B” becomes a patio staple, but Abbe cautions against mass-produced options that prioritize speed over quality. For something more refined, she recommends Nautilus.

“They make a Sauvignon Blanc designed to be on the table with food,” she explained. “There’s a softness and roundness that sets it apart.”

The texture comes from lees aging, a process where the yeast is left in the wine during fermentation to build complexity. It’s ready to drink right away but can also age up to 15 years.

At home, the Davidsons pair it with a grilled vegetable platter glazed with soy, lime and sesame oil. For a full meal, Abbe marinates chicken thighs in the same sauce.

Tasting notes
Nose: lime pith, lemongrass, tropical floral, nectarine
Palate: salinity, lime, white lily — summer in a glass

Lapostolle Le Rosé (Chile)
Though Provence dominates the rosé conversation, Abbe urges wine lovers to look farther afield. Lapostolle Le Rosé is made by a French family in Chile using Provencal grapes to craft a light, elegant result.

“This is our welcome wine,” Abbe said. “We drink it while we’re prepping dinner or hosting book club.”

However, the wine truly shines when the fish truck rolls into town. The Davidsons buy 5 pounds of shrimp in bulk. After deveining and butterflying, the shrimp are sautéed in butter and lemon, then flambéed in Pernod before being tossed with herbed butter pasta. (Abbe loves cilantro.)

Tasting notes
Nose: red berries, floral, white peach
Palate: strawberries, cream, rhubarb

Yalumba Samuel’s Barossa Bush Vine Grenache (Australia)
Founded in 1849, Yalumba is Australia’s oldest family-owned winery, now led for the first time by a woman. Abbe loves their Grenache for its balance between juicy fruit and savory complexity.

“We buy this by the case,” she said with a laugh. “At $20, I’m never worried about opening a second bottle. I like it slightly chilled on a hot night.”

Its versatility makes it a go-to for everything from taco night to burgers. One of her favorite pairings: a beef and lamb patty with mint sauce and goat cheese on naan or pita. (Check out the recipe from Food & Wine.)

Tasting notes
Nose: cherry, raspberry, floral
Palate: red fruit, plums, herbs, anise

Contributing writer Chris Diebel is a public affairs consultant and founding partner of Bubba - Southern Comforts.

Iowa corn can do a lot of things. It feeds livestock, powers cars and can even add some Asian-inspired flair to dinner. The global amino acid development and manufacturing company Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America has been fermenting Iowa corn into monosodium glutamate (MSG) at its Eddyville plant since 1993.

Since the company has declared today as Umami Seasoning Day, why not spice up your next meal with some Iowa-grown aminos? To celebrate, Ajinomoto created a handy YOUMAMI flavor quiz that can help you find your own personal seasoning blend. Heck, it could help your mommy, too.