Two Dinners—One Worth Repeating

Plus, The Good Butcher Takes Over the Biergarten on Saturday.

Hello, there, readers. I’m excited about another new-to-me Vietnamese restaurant I discovered recently, and I have a brief report on a spot that didn’t quite measure up. But first, a singular event coming up this weekend:

The Good Butcher Takes Over the Des Moines Biergarten on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Calvin Schnucker of The Good Butcher.

Des Moines Waterworks Park
Saturday (June 28), from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This artisanal butcher, based at 555 17th St. in Sherman Hill, will be serving their house-made brats—including green onion and cheddar-stuffed varieties—along with smoked potato salad at the Biergarten in Waterworks Park. And yes, there will be beer (of course). Find out more, here.

And now, about that Vietnamese restaurant:

Vietopia Needs a Bigger Sign

You can see it up close, but from the road, it’s easy to miss.

Review of Vietopia Asian Fusion
6920 EP True Pkwy, #113; (515) 214-1251
West Des Moines
Open daily except Monday for lunch and dinner.

After I wrote about Pho Viet, someone asked me if I’d been to Vietopia, which opened last year near the Jordan Creek Mall. I had not. When she told me where it was, I was surprised, as surely, I’d driven by it.

“They need a bigger sign,” she said.

Indeed, it’s in that strip mall north of Jordan Creek, where Putts and Pins is located—and where the much anticipated Tous les Jours bakery will possibly arrive as soon as August 30th. But Vietopia itself easy to miss, unless you’ve programmed it into your navigation app.

Here’s why you might not want to miss it:

Great Ambiance!

The modern interior of Vietopia Asian Fusion restaurant.

Something I’ll never quite get about a certain sector of Des Moines diners: the strange conviction that a global restaurant has to be shabby, or it isn’t “real.” As if Vietnam or India or Mexico don’t have their own fun-night-out spots, too.

We have plenty of American restaurants in all ranges, why not for globally inspired restaurants too? Go to one of the more casual spots when you simply want a soothing bowl a pho or a banh mi sandwich fix. But when you want a more out-on-the town experience, complete with craft cocktails, Vietopia deserves a spot on your shortlist.

Woven rattan pendants and curved, colorful acoustic panels complement a soothing tan-and-cream palette, leaning mostly modern-clean with a touch of boho chic. It’s a place you’ll look forward to spending a stretch of time, especially if you’re in the mood to imbibe (see next point).

A Fusion (and Cocktail) Menu Worth Lingering Over

Drinks menu. I was not able to partake, for migraine-control reasons. But it looks fun!

With everything from Hong-Kong garlic noodles, udon noodles, New Delhi-style noodles, and vermicelli noodles, plus rice dishes and pho, the menu stays true to the “fusion” promise in the restaurant’s title. Take a look. On the downside, I was surprised by the absence of tofu entrées, and my pescatarian pals might find the fish and shellfish options limited—shrimp being the main offering from the water.

I am impressed, however, by the serious cocktail menu; plus, they serve Soju—that Korean spirit that took over TikTok a few years ago and looks like something I’d totally drink if I were in my 20s.

I’m Coming Back For …

BBQ Pork Vermicelli (left) and Grilled Lemongrass Chicken (right). See those triangles? Yep, those are the egg rolls. Rolled? Not exactly. But in fusion cooking, rules bend—and luckily, these worked. They were as crisp and savory as you'd wish.

Alas, my tablemate ordered what I’d really had my eye on: the Egg Rolls & House Pork BBQ Vermicelli ($14.95). It was one of those layered, flavor-packed bowls I always fall for—slippery rice noodles, chewy-in-the-right-way pork, crunchy peanuts, crisp cabbage, roasted shallots, and bright hits of green onion, all further enlivened with that sprightly lime-chili fish sauce you pour in at will (and absolutely should).

I went with the Grilled Lemongrass Chicken and Rice ($15.99), which came with egg rolls on the side (see caption, above—these were a fusion-y take). I’m sure there are places where chicken can hold its own against pork (Cobble Hill in Cedar Rapids, for example)—but Vietopia wasn’t one of them. I appreciated the lemongrass flavor and liked the Mongolian-beef-style mix of green and white onions, but the chicken just wasn’t as compelling as my friend’s pork (go figure).

Bottom line: Worth a visit with a table full of friends for a fun night out.

The Place That Didn’t Quite Measure Up

I dislike writing mixed reviews so much that you have to pay me to write them! But sometimes, I think my job is to warn people off restaurants that just aren’t everything we hope they’ll be—especially if they’re on the pricier side. What follows is a brief overview of a restaurant I visited a couple days ago, and sadly, cannot fully recommend. I don’t dwell, but I do name it.