I'm a fan of pretty much everything about Dog Patch. Located just a bit east of Merle Hay Road on…read moreMeredith Drive, they are truly an urban garden. Dog Patch has a few different ventures going - including salad dressings and similar products, as well as (and this is my favorite) operating as a venue for farmstand-to-table dinner events. We've attended a few of these over the past year or so, the most recent being at the start of December and held in one of the greenhouses which had been festively decorated for the occasion. The ingredients for these dinners includes vegetables from Dog Patch as well as other local producers of meat, fruits, honey, and more in keeping with Dog Patch's mission of inspiring the health of humans, the community, and the land through supporting local food and farm-inspired products. Chefs vary from dinner to dinner but all are local and well-selected by owner Jenny and her husband Eric. Things to know about their farmstand-to-table events: * They are bring your own bottle if you want to have alcohol * Booking for each dinner starts well before the event, and usually sell out * Even though I'm obsessed with their dinner events, don't forget to visit their website, or the farm, to see what all they have to offer

Purchased my annuals today at Dogpatch Urban Garden. Great selection and good prices and wonderful…read moreservice. Shop local. Check out their website. They have lots to offer!

this is a very good place to get some great food. The workers there are awesome. One of Iowa's best…read morekept great job guys love all the killer sandwiches.

I hate to admit this... I've lived in the Des Moines IA metro since 1992 and this was my first…read morevisit to B&B Grocery. Pretty shameful on my part considering the shop was first opened by the Brooks family in 1922... I'm not a big fan of downtown, but B&B isn't quite as downtown as I thought. More Southside. The store is a definitely mom and pop. There's a small lot to park in just off of Hartford Ave and there is additional street parking available. You enter by the grocery area. There's a counter and register kind of to your Left as you walk in. You walk past the counter and you will see the sandwich and meat counter further to your left. For sandwiches you walk to the furthest end of the counter where the sandwich menu is hanging and place your order. When your food is ready they call it out by the items in the order. Payment is done at the counter and register back towards the front of the store. First off the food was great! No complaints. The selection is HUGE... Something like 74 sandwiches available to order and a nice selection of sides. I took my order to go, but there is limited seating available for dine in too. I ordered an extra large breaded pork tenderloin with onions, pickles, and mustard. An order of hot cheeseballs (comes with ranch). And a dad's killer sandwich (cold). My total came to just around $30. Cash preferred. 2.5% surcharge for using a card. The tenderloin reminded me of Chuckie's and that puts it in good company. A little thicker and on a proportional bun. Similar breading. The cheeseballs were fresh out of the fryer and the ranch is fantastic; made in house I assume. The meat and the vegetables on the deli sandwich were impressively fresh. The real star here to me was service! As I walked in one of the staff had two young girls by a board with some toys and jewelry on it. He was counting down as they studied the board. The girls were laughing as they were deciding on a choice. Some sort of giveaway game for kids they do when they have time I assume... I was greeted immediately as I walked up to order. There were three or so people waiting for their food. Placing an order was easy. I'd looked at the menu online and kind of already knew what I wanted, but it was still fun to look over the colorful boards and signage. They were busy working on their tasks but there was some cordial banter back and forth. The wait was short and there are plenty of things to keep you visually occupied here too. Everything was individually wrapped and taped up in butcher's paper. As I took my items all three gentlemen behind the sandwich and meat counter thanked me for coming in. When was the last time that happened to you at a big box store...? I'm not an introvert... I struck up a conversation with another customer and the woman at the register as I was paying. The other patron and I stood outside and talked for a bit. We were about the same age I think...he might have been a skosh older...mid-50s to early 60s. He was the one who told me how long the store had been open, the family name, and that he had been brought/coming here since he was three years old. Said his mom still calls it Brooks Grocery (v. B&B)... Not that I couldn't have found all that online, but I'm not one to shy away from a friendly visit of any kind. I mentioned to him that I found the customer service here to be a really refreshing thing. He said he thought the three gentlemen helping us had been there maybe 15 years or so. A handshake and thank you and we were both on our way. Can't say enough about my visit to B&B Grocery today! Friendly service and great food! Fair pricing. Don't make my same mistake... If you haven't been yet...find the time to stop by! http://bbgrocerymeatdeli.com/

Wow! This farmers market has everything you'd hope to find and more! Worth the trip!read more

Probably the biggest farmers market I've been to! There are food options for everyone, and the best…read morecoffee ever (ugh I can't remember which stand) This was a very impressive farmers market that we were lucky to be in town for!

Quaint cheese shop in the middle of Des Moines right off of I235…read more Tiny shop with great selection of craft cheeses. Walk right in and was helped immediately. Good service and efficient. Able to taste test and try all sorts of meat and cheeses. Also a tiny bistro like restaurant to the side of the shop. Visited on Black Friday and it was packed out! Came for the craft cheeses to look for something unique. Walked out with $70 worth of cheese and salami and a loaf of La Mie ciabatta bread sold in this store. Pretty pleased with the whole experience. Would visit again!

One of my favorite places! If you're looking for the spot to get hard to get cheeses in Iowa, this…read moreis the place. I've been stopping here ever since I was in college. I used to be part of the cheese subscription but I found out there are some cheese to funky for me pretty fast lol. I recently stopped in for the first time in a while and saw they'd expanded their dine in area, where it used to just be a sandwich of the day and a table or two, they now have about 5 tables and a menu with multiple options. I think I can confidently say this is the best sandwich I've had in Des Moines! The service is always great and insightful, and I love the vibe of the shop. Planning on stopping in almost every time I'm back in town now!

The bowl was good! Matcha was okay…read more Strawberry banana smoothie was good. Service was good.

yummy smoked salmon except the capers. i never trust anything related to olives. similarly good…read moreacai -- supa refreshing. loved the murals around the room, felt very cozy and artsy! employees were kind and the establishment offers water cups! loved dat