Simon's Explained.
Why do people line up and sometimes wait forever for a table here? I think I know.
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I have a minor problem with alcohol—I can only drink 1.5 ounces of vodka (or other clear spirit) on any given night. I need exactly 1.5 ounces to get any kind of lift, but if I have one drop more, I’ll have an excruciating migraine the next day.
And so, whenever I dine out, I ask the server the size of their pours in their mixed drinks. The best servers know the answer right off; other responses range from, “I’m not sure,” to “Well, I think they’re about…”
This all often leads me order a Tito’s and tonic, with the Tito’s served “neat” on the side. Then, I measure the shot with a little beaker I carry in my purse, adding exactly 1.5 ounces to my tonic and giving the rest (if any) to a tablemate.
Fussbudget-y yes, but if you’ve ever suffered from migraines, you’ll understand.
This windup brings me to my evening at Simon’s a few months back—and why I applaud the restaurant’s recent nomination for a James Beard Award in the Outstanding Hospitality category.
He Had Me At …
When we stepped into the capacity-crowd restaurant, owner Simon Goheen himself greeted us, took our names, and then led us to the cute overflow/waiting room with couches and cushioned chairs. It felt like the living room of a doting great aunt—in the best possible way.
When he asked us if we’d like a drink while we waited, I asked my usual question. “How large are the pours in your mixed drinks?”
And he answered with the best response ever:
“How large a pour do you want?”
I was gobsmacked! Why had no one else ever thought to ask me that?
Talk about feeling in good hands. I knew right then that when I told him I wanted to have exactly 1.5 ounces of alcohol in my drink, he’d make sure it was exactly that. And, I could tell by the lift that night and the migraine-less day-after that he made sure it was right.
This sense of being in great hands imbued everything about the evening.
A True Neighborhood Restaurant
A million and a half years ago (around 1999), an editor from Bon Appétit magazine asked me to recommend a great casual neighborhood restaurant in town. I pointed them to J. Benjamin’s—the precursor to Simon’s and from whence Simon’s sprang. The magazine subsequently featured J. Benjamin’s, and their recipe for Steak de Burgo.
To me J. Benjamin’s (and now Simon’s) was/is the quintessential neighborhood spot. It’s convivial, cozy, and welcoming. The Italian-American food (see the menu on their site) is familiar in a way you want it to be at a place like this—nobody’s going to do something squirrely with the Steak de Burgo, like put a Thai-fusion twist on it.
At neighborhood restaurants, you’ll likely see someone you know there. I spotted three separate parties of friends and acquaintances, including some local food cognoscenti: Whitney and Jordan Clasen, farmers at Grade A Farms, and, at another table, Sean Wilson, former chef-owner of Proof and currently the director of food and beverage/culinary operations at the Hotel Fort Des Moines.
Wilson told me he likes the place so much he eats there about once a week. The Clasens were there with their kids and, I believe, one set of parents. (Family-friendliness is another hallmark of a neighborhood restaurant.)
Let’s Talk About the Food
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