Index of All Restaurant Reviews, Food Finds, and Travel Stories
This index makes it easy to find something (or somewhere) to eat right now.
Readers asked, and here it is: an easily searchable index of all my reviews, food finds, and travel stories, plus a section of “opinions, advice, and random bites.”
If there’s a particular restaurant, destination, or food find you’re looking for, simply use your keyboard’s search function and a search bar will pop up. Otherwise, just peruse this list until you find something that intrigues you—and give it a click.
Always-Candid Restaurant Reviews
Something you should know: When dining out, I pay my own check—no freebies, no favors—so you can trust my recommendations. If that kind of independent food writing matters to you, please consider subscribing. Paid subscribers also get full access to my archives.
The 💰💥 icons represent a place that provides a good bang for the buck.
Brazen Open Kitchen (Dubuque)
Campbell’s Nutrition Center Café
Cobble Hill Restaurant (Cedar Rapids)
Filet Steakhouse (Ankeny)
Five Best Restaurants in Des Moines, 2024 Edition
The Food Life of Zach and Cody (Private Chefs)
Istanbul Grill Café and Bakery
Jones’ Black Angus Supper Club (Prairie du Chien, WI)
Lachele’s Fine Dining // The Fitz in Highland Park
Leaning Tower of Pizza (Ankeny)
Northwestern Steakhouse (Mason City)
Local Bites 💰💥
Mitzi’s 💰💥
Opa! Italian and Greek Restaurant 💰💥
Tom Archer’s Poor Man’s Country Club
Wasabi Johnston (Capsule Review)
Great Food Finds
Singular finds, private chefs, and terrific items to go — along with the stories behind some of the folks who bring us great food in the area.
Americana's $9 Burger Night 💰💥
Bauder’s Ice Cream Treats to Go (at Tandem Brick)
Campbell’s Nutrition Center Sandwiches
Catering by Cyd (Preorder Kitchen Options)
Cake Studio DSM by Jackie Servellon
Dinner Delights (Meal-Prep Service)
Dinner Dispatch (Meal-Prep Service)
Dubai Chocolate from Chocolate Storybook
European Taste Bakery (Pavolva!)
A Farmers’ Market without the Frenzy (Global Greens Market)
Five Stellar Main-Dish Salads (No Burger-Envy!)
Grateful Chef (Pre-Order Kitchen)
Happy Hour Menus at Three High-End Steakhouses
Food-Forward Restaurants with Summer-Perfect Beers
Food Life of Zach and Cody (Private Chefs)
A Last-Minute Dessert Pickup That Will Make You a Hero
Layer Cakes at Main Street Bakery in Ankeny
Linda Donuts (Ankeny)
My Five Favorite Pre-Order Kitchens
New World Kitchen (Pre-Order Kitchen)
Noah’s Surprisingly Good Alaskan Salmon
Nomad Plate (Alyssa Burgett—Private Chef Services)
Nourished DSM (Pre-Order Kitchen)
Party Rooms at Restaurants: Django, Louie’s Wine Dive, Iowa Taproom
Private Chefs: The Food Life of Zach and Cody
Seven Nights of Stellar Takeout
Sweet Potato Pie at Chellie’s Sugar Shack
West Forty Market (Ankeny Meat Market)
Nearby Travel
As with my restaurant and food coverage, I don’t take freebies for my travel coverage, and neither do my contributors. Each story contains honest recommendations based on experiences we’ve paid for ourselves.
Ames: Three Restaurants Worth Driving to Ames For
Best Hotel Rooms with Kitchens
Clear Lake: Good Eats and Great Fun
Door County: Why Door County Is My New France
Hotel Manning / Village of Van Buren
Iowa City: A 36-Hour Itinerary for Food-Lovers
Itasca State Park, MN: Where a Veteran Travel Editor Goes for Summer Vacation
Kansas City Restaurants Worth Building a Trip Around (Plus What to Do Besides Eat)
Kansas City: Where to Stay
Minnesota’s North Shore: Carving Out the Best Vacation
Northeast Iowa Driftless/Mississippi (Dubuque, Marquette, Prairie du Chien): A Great Itinerary + Two Destination Restaurants
Omaha: Where to Eat + What to Do in this Epically Re-imagined City
Villages of Van Buren/Hotel Manning
Opinions, Advice, and Other Random Bites
Complaining in Restaurants (It Can Just Get Weird)
Fine Dining That Feels Right (An Interview with Three Prominent Midwestern Chefs)
Five Savvy Ways to Save Money When Dining Out
Great Finds and Candid Thoughts on the Dining Scene
Kids Serving Cocktails? What Could Go Wrong?
Love Is My Favorite Flavor: Announcing My Tell-All Book on Reviewing Restaurants
Tipping Survey Results: Should the Tip Depend on Quality of Service?
Wini: This index is fantastic. And, not just the list of restaurant reviews, but the added plus of food finds, travel tips, etc. This so helpful as I have often gone back to try to find a particular review. When trying to decide where to go to eat, being able to scan down through the whole list at once is a treat.
This is great, Wini! Thank you so much for pulling this together - I'm sure it was a project!