A New Restaurant I Should Wait to Tell You About—But Can't
I usually give a new place six weeks before reporting on a visit...but I couldn't keep this one under my hat!
Hi there! I shared this post with paid subscribers a week and a half ago. I truly value all my readers—paid or not. But now and then, I offer early access as a thank-you to those who help sustain this work.
Here’s why this one went to them first:
• The restaurant was barely two weeks old when I visited. They were off to a great start, but I wanted to give them a little breathing room while it was still flying slightly under the radar.
• That said, buzz was building—so I gave my paid readers a heads-up before the place got swamped.
• As always, I pay my own way to stay independent. Paid subscriptions help make that possible. Offering a few early peeks is one way of showing appreciation.
Thanks for reading—and thanks for being here.
Preview of Palms DSM
1905 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines; 515-214-1213
Open daily except Monday for lunch and dinner
Palms DSM opened June 14 on Ingersoll, dishing up West African–Caribbean flavors. It’s the first brick-and-mortar from longtime food truck duo Amara and Dionne Sama, who’ve been rolling around town under the Palms name for the past five years (and other names before that). Dionne is originally from Chicago; Amara from Liberia; the couple met while attending Iowa State University.
The space has been reimagined in ways that feel thoroughly intentional (to borrow the word our waiter, Izzy Kelai, used). Near the entrance, a vivid green backdrop is layered with line-drawn vignettes of daily life from West African and Afro-Caribbean cultures. Rattan lamps, a handsome bar, and generous light from the patio make the casual restaurant feel bright, relaxed, and welcoming.
The bar serves a variety of craft cocktails and mocktails, as well as limited wines by the glass and a few beers. We tried some handsomely presented mocktails—I found the Hibiscus Paradise ($8) a refreshing, lightly sweetened mix of ginger, lime, hibiscus, and mint.
You might get an irresistible whiff of your future the second you get out of your car. In my case, the jerk chicken was being grilled in the parking lot when I arrived. “It’s our advertising,” Dionne Sama told me. The renown Jamaican dish anchors many menu items—including pizza, tacos, wings, pasta, and of course, a jerk chicken entree. You’ll also find oxtail dishes, shrimp, and a few variations on wings,
The menu is deeply buried online, so I’ve posted it below this article. Please know, however, that with all new restaurants (and really, all restaurants in general), menus are subject to change.
We shared the jerk chicken ($23, with two sides—we picked mac and cheese plus jollof rice)—and the coconut curry wings ($13). The tender chicken’s smoky, herb-flecked flavor makes it a must, no matter what dish you choose for its iteration. The wings? Fiery—I mean no-kidding fiery—in that irresistible way that kept me reaching for more—along with more than my share of the table’s water carafe (a thoughtful touch in a place like this). The baked mac-and-cheese was a soothing counterpoint, as was the jollof rice, which had enough variety to stay interesting bite after bite.
The amount of food we ordered was enough for two for lunch, though I might order one more side à la carte next time—we had plenty of protein, but wanted a little more in the sides department. For dinner, I’d probably order two extra sides instead of one. Or, I’d skip the wings and order another entree (I’m trying oxtail next) which would bring us two more sides. Whatever you do, the jerk chicken is a must.
I must also mention the warm welcome and great service. Our server, Izzy Kelai, was especially attuned to our dining experience. As we walked out the door, another young person caught our eye and thanked us for coming in. “Please tell your friends about us!” he said.
My dining companion—Susan Stapleton, who writes about the local dining scene for The Des Moines Register—barely suppressed a chuckle and said, “Oh, we most certainly will…”
Consider this a heads up, people. The cat’s already a-crawlin’ out of the bag.
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