Action packed weekend… in Des Moines!

My great friends Jack and Amy visited us last weekend from Fargo. Amy has been bit with the running bug and Des Moines was her 7th marathon stop in a year. We felt honored because her last stop was running the Kauai Marathon in Hawaii in September. Des Moines is no Kauai, but we managed to show them a great time.

Polk County Court House on the way to the Farmers Market.

Chad, Amy, & Jack with our morning coffee from Zanzibar’s.

For a breakfast starter we tried Tacopocalypse. These guys hand press their tortillas to match with their assorted array of fillings including vegan and vegetarian options.

Braised Pork Tacos.

Amy went with the Vegan Chorizo and Tofu Scramble Tacos. These guys have become very popular at the market. This was the first time I have actually tried the tacos. The flavors were good, but most of the tacos were kinda cold. It was freezing outside so I do blame the set up and the weather. Not the tacos. I will have to give them a try again next year.

Chocolate covered macaroon from Vander Ploeg bakery in Pella. This thing was awesome. I could have eaten about 2 or 5 of them.

Pupusas El Salvador!

Zucchini Flower Pupusa with the spicy sauce.

I don’t know the name of this vendor, but she is always on 3rd and Court by Legends right across from the Pupusas. She has great dumplings, stuffed cabbage, and whatever these things are called. They are delicious. She also has vegetarian options.

Wheatgrass Lemonade. It was tangy!

Currant Tomatoes. They are so cute! The tomatoes in the background are heirloom cherry tomatoes to give you an idea of the size.

Next we stopped at West End Architectural Salvage on the corner of 9th and Cherry. They were having the Cherry Street Market in the parking lot. I have been meaning to check this place out for a while and I am glad we stopped. They have some amazing stuff! There is also a cafe where you can have a cup of joe, a snack, and check out the great ambiance.

This mini car reminded me of being at my aunt and uncle’s house in Rogers, ND. As a kid I use to ride around in this blue car that they kept in the rafters of the garage. It had little pedals and I thought it was SO cool! Hopefully they still have it because they wanted $175.00 for this one. Ah, memories.

Vietnamese lunch at A-DONG on High Street downtown. #15 – Egg Noodle with Shrimp, Won-Tons, pork… the works.

Lime Ice Tea.

Cafe Sua Da. Vietnamese coffee. Iced with sweetened condensed milk. That is another post in itself.

World Food Prize Gardens in front of the old downtown library. Across the street from the Civic center.

The Des Moines Marathon ran through Drake University on Sunday. We made it just in time to see Amy at the 12 mile mark. We were very surprised because we thought we missed her. We were literally here for only two minutes and she came running around the corner past us.

Amy finished the 26.2 mile marathon up 9 miles of hills with a pulled hamstring in 3:32:52! A personal best by over 10 minutes and qualifying time for the Boston Marathon!

Way to go Amy! More Cowbell!

Celebration dinner at Gusto Pizza on Ingersoll. Great wine and beer list. Tasty pizzas with options for vegans.

English Organic Raspberry Ale at the Royal Mile. Chad loved this one.

Then a quick stop at the Locust Tap. I didn’t mind the #OCCUPYDSM hash tag on the mural. A nice touch. If you notice at the top it also has a For Sale sign. We wrapped up the night with a drink at the Saddle.

Great weekend in Des Moines with great friends. Come and visit!