Why Can't Roots 95 Be on Ingersoll?

I'm mad at Johnston for getting this gem of a restaurant!

Review of Roots 95
8705 Chambery Blvd, #700; Johnston
(515) 561-0408.
Dinner served nightly. Also open for lunch and/or brunch Tuesday through Sunday.

Having covered the Des Moines dining scene for over 25 years, sometimes, I feel I’ve had more spinach-artichoke dips than there are stars in the sky, more Caesar salads and Cajun this-and-thats than there are grains of sand on the seashore. Balsamic drizzles and Alfredo sauces arrive with the ceaselessness of waves in the ocean.

And so, my heart sank a little when I first glanced at the menu of Roots 95. Would this place stand out in a sea of other mid-range places that offer such aforementioned items?

Without a doubt, it does. In fact, a resounding refrain throughout our two very recent visits there was, “This guy really knows what he’s doing.”

“This guy” is Arturo Mora, the chef-owner of two Flame the Taqueria restaurants (Johnston and Bondurant) and Flame the Cantina, in Ankeny. In late winter, he opened Roots 95; the name is a nod to the …