Tony B.
Yelp
A Tiny Creole-style restaurant with a small bar and a limited menu.
I was curious about this place. It's in a tiny parking lot on a side street in Des Moines. It's a small storefront and a little challenging to find.
During the pandemic, my wife and I stumbled across it, but it was closed. We did get to chat with the chef-owner. He explained he could not afford to keep the doors open full-time due to the lack of clientele during the difficult mask-up period. He indicated that he would start limited hours soon.
So, fast forward to today. The restaurant IS open at certain times, and I advise you to double-check the hours as they seem to change.
So, anxious to try authentic creole food, I dropped in one afternoon and sat at the small but nice-looking wooden bar. The bartender lady was friendly and got me a bottled beer (no draft here). I scanned the short menu and asked for a recommendation. She recommended the Jambalaya.
I found the Jambalaya extremely disappointing. As you can see from my photo, I was served a gigantic mound of Jambalaya rice. It was sticky, tasty, spicy, and filling, but "Where's the beef?". I felt like I was on a treasure hunt, searching for the protein in this giant mound of rice. I found a single slice of sausage and a few chicken pieces throughout. This may be how some families in Louisiana stretch their grocery supplies, but this is NOT what a customer expects at a restaurant. If this was the recommendation, then I am terrified of what the gumbo or some of the other dishes are like.
To make matters worse, the bathroom had no light! I turned the switch on and off a few times, and the light would flicker a little, but I could not see a thing. I had to take out my phone to see where to do my business! After I washed my hands, I discovered the paper towel dispenser empty.
When I returned to the bar, I found the Chef-owner leaning on the bar, chatting with the bartender and the only other customer there. Of course, I let him know about the state of his bathroom. "The light flickers?" he said., "Um yeah," I responded. He shrugged like this was an acceptable state of affairs. No apology, no action or promise to correct the issues. Just a matter-of-fact demeanor. Like it was MY problem!
I can maybe understand an employee acting this way, but the owner? Is he serious about running a restaurant? Perhaps this is a hobby or a tax shelter; who knows? I will never return. I am a Yelp Elite Squad reviewer, and it pains me to have to award anything less than four stars for a struggling neighborhood business, but if the owner doesn't care, why should I?
And now the results:
Starting from 5, I detract one-half star from edible but disappointing food. One star for an unkept bathroom with no light. One star for a poor attitude. Another half-star for odd hard-to-keep-track of hours. Then adding my overall experience, I'm going to award a generous two stars.
I sincerely doubt, and, judging by the owner's attitude, that he even cares; however, I will say this to him. If you are serious about running a restaurant and competing with the likes of Wally's or Anthony's in Des Moines, then I would seriously give your attitude a check, as well as the attention you pay to your bathroom and the content of the meat in your food. Good luck.
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Excelsior!
