Our family just wrapped up a late breakfast (okay, brunch) at Little Brother on our way through town, and we owe a big high-five to the Yelpers in Des Moines! This place was FANTASTIC! We grabbed a booth, replete with glittery uphostery and in a dining room decorated with a combination of old-school (I'm assuming original) charm and bright, colorful pieces on the walls! Our waitress was prompt, attentive, and extremely helpful! She keyed in pretty quick to the fact that we were from out of town, and first timers, and she made some awesome recommendations for appetizers and entrees! I couldn't get my mind off the deviled eggs, but knew I needed a little more; so, I opted for the oatmeal alongside! The two made a wonderful pairing! My son had the french toast (amazing), my daughter had the chicken and waffles (amazing), and my wife had the short rib skillet (uh, also amazing)!! I would rate the prices as fair, if a tad above moderate. But, when everything is as good as this was from a food, service and ambiance stance, it's hard not to feel like you're getting a pretty good value! I think we've found a mainstay breakfast // brunch // lunch spot in Des Moines! Food = 5/5 Facility = 4/5 Service = 5/5 Ambiance = 4/5 Value = 4/5 read more

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Wow! So good! I chose the signature French Toast. It was great and really sweet. Two huge slices of toast that almost taste like cake. They were perfectly browned to create a light outer crisp. It was topped with fresh whip cream and served with warm syrup. Just excellent. Husband got The Classic. Hashbrowns and bacon were crispy. Very good. Loved the music they were playing. The atmosphere was inviting and fun. Service is as excellent. Great stop. read more

Little Brother - French Toast - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

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Regina alone should be a reason to visit here. Her service was amazing ! The food was good. I tried the biscuits and gravy. We ordered a pancake to share for the table and it was the size of a plate and came with 2! Couldn't finish the whole thing. The ambiance is casual and home felt. Everyone is very relaxed you don't get the big chain restaurant feel when you come in. Great spot to check out if you're in the area for breakfast. read more

Little Brother - Biscuits and gravy - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

I liked everything, service was good and food was tasty and plentiful. Had the omelet with cheese, onions and bacon. Asked for a side of hollandaise sauce and they were happy to do it. It was very lemony. My favorite part of the meal was the potatoes. Great flavor and they added Swiss for me. read more

Little Brother - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

The cutest diner I ever set my eyes on here. I cannot emphasize more on how cute this place looks. I heard about them on Instagram thru another dsm local favorite, and I had to check this place out. They went above expectations for me here. My friends and I came here for dinner on a weekday, we had no wait so we were seated right away. I ordered a sidecar for my drink, a classic favorite of mine. They have a good variety of boozy drinks and also have coke products. For my meal I got a mitzvah Reuben sandwich with a side of honey glazed carrots. And omygoodness it was so so fantastic. I know the toast looks burnt but it was so crispy delicious with the corned beef. I absolutely devoured my meal. The service was fantastic as well, friendly and accommodating! I will definitely be back soon because I need to try more of their menu. read more

Little Brother - Sidecar - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

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Little Brother is one of those places that I want to love, but they just don't make it easy. My first problem (and this is more me than them) is that I find their food too sweet. I love a good biscuits and gravy, but I prefer that dish to be savory, black pepper goodness. Little Brother's has come out of the kitchen sweetened two for two. So sweet last time that I left more than half the meal untouched. My fellow diners reported similar experiences. Menu items like their large cinnamon rolls are tasty and approved. Service is mixed. Wait staff is friendly, attentive, and ready to please, but for two issues: 1) A plate probably should not leave the table with half the food still on it without asking the customer if it should be boxed to go or if there was anything wrong with the dish. 2) It isn't polite to ask customers who haven't finished their meal to leave just because there is a line forming at the door. It is one thing to encourage a table that is dawdling during a busy service to please continue their visit outside, but another when there are still forks in hand. Two out of three visits with this experience. I'm happy that most other reviewers have had far better experiences here than my circle of food enthusiasts have, and for those who give Little Brother their business, I hope that you have a great meal. Since I've been pretty much batting a zero, I'll have to give future opportunities to Little Brother a pass. Things to know: * The restaurant is located in Windsor Heights. Obey the speed limit. * Their parking lot is small and behind the building. Street parking is a bit limited, but additional lot parking can be found across the street to the west. read more

Coming from out of town, we were looking for a diner experience. And this is the kind of diner I can really get behind. They have a stellar drink menu. I had the soup of the day--a chili verde that was delightfully flavorful, with soft pieces of pork in a savory green chili broth. Delicious . Basically, picture chili verde m--the Tex mex version--in soup form. I also couldn't resist the breakfast shot. Amazing.. Friendly service, nice atmosphere, good prices and delicious food and drinks. Wish I could bring it back to California with me. read more

Little Brother - Chili verde soup - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

Staff and food were great. Definitely will be back to try lunch items. Food came out quick and hot. You can tell they care about the ingredients they use. I would come back just to have another biscuit by itself! The only thing that we would have changed was the temperature in the room! It was probably cold because they had just opened for the day. It was cute inside with table or booth options which are always nice. We didn't get to indulge in the drinks menu, but it did look good too! read more

Little Brother - Biscuits and sausage gravy with breakfast potatoes - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

I love this place. It's the perfect neighborhood diner. I love that it's not too far from where I live, too. I have been here before when it was called RC's Diner, and it was great then, too. Last time I tried the reuben and it was really good. This time I tried the patty melt and it was the best I've ever had. What made it so good was the buttered mushrooms and onions. It was so so good. I had been craving a patty melt all day and this exceeded my expectations. My husband got the batter-fried chicken sandwich and he really liked it. It was topped with coleslaw and hot honey. I really appreciated the fries that came with it. I've noticed a trend among new restaurants where you only get a sandwich and sides cost extra and I'm happy that they aren't following that trend. The prices were pretty reasonable for a sandwich and a side. I really like the atmosphere in here. It's cozy and feels like a place you could just hang out for a while. Our waitress was super nice, too. She brought us a plate of house-made potato chips and dip while we were waiting for our meal. I can't wait to come back and try out their breakfast menu. Everything on it sounds so yummy! read more

Little Brother - batter-fried chicken sandwich - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

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Sweet and charming home grown restaurant! Named after the owners youngest child, the restaurant vibe is very childlike and family friendly. Food portions are big and can definitely be shared! We got the corned beef hash, buttermilk pancakes, and smoked brisket skillet. Pretty tasty but the corned beef was a little more fatty than meaty. Their breakfast potatoes are worth the try. The down side to our brunch was the table was really wet when we got to our table (from when they wiped it down) and we had to dry it off ourselves, if you're sat in the smaller middle tables - there's no place to put your purse, and there's not a lot of space between tables in the middle (the customer behind me kept bumping into my chair). We waited for a table for about 20 minutes and we feel it was worth it. Service was great and the reason we'd come back and try different dishes. They are also the owners of Harbinger and we're planning on trying that soon! read more

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Oh, my. We have been singing the praises of this little cafe from the first time we chose it. We have been back, and are still singing. Their signature dishes are what they do best, but they have plenty of other options available. We especially loved the chili, the matzo ball soup, the latkes (oh, that spicy sauce) and applesauce. read more

Little Brother - A little bit of everything - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

I have lived in Seattle, New York City and San Francisco and traveled to 5 continents and over 2 dozen countries and I can say confidently that Des Moines, Iowa is just as much a food city as any place I have ever been. Little Brother absolutely knocked everything out of the park. Our server was personable and gave lots of great recommendations. We were (easily) up sold on the cinnamon roll to start which was light, moist and full of flavor. It was so good that I was thinking about it the rest of the day. Our server also mentioned that their chopped cheese sandwich had been written about in a local paper. Having lived in Brooklyn for a few years I had eaten plenty of chopped cheese sandwiches from my local bodegas in the wee hours of the morning after a long night of debauchery so I had to see what Little Brother's interpretation was. They knew the drill. A light hero roll, perfect for soaking up the grease from the ground beef and American cheese, accompanied by some lettuce, tomatoes and pickles that provide just the right amount of acidity to balance the heavy dish. The fries were homemade as were the ranch and scallion aioli used for dipping. I wish we had more time in Des Moines to explore their menu further, but I am certain if I ever come back I will be stopping in again. Great job! read more

Little Brother - Cinnamon roll - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

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First time visiting. Started with cinnamon roll. Fabulous. Husband had salmon Bernie's and sauce is a game changer. I have veggies skillet. Too far gone before I thought to take a picture. Service was superior. And the place is cute and calm! read more

Inside wasn't anything special, old fashion 80s diner vibe in my opinion. They could probably space out their tables a bit better since it seemed a bit tight at some parts. I tried their Celery Salt Soda which I weirdly liked so I will probs get it again. If you like trying new things I def recommend challenging this soda its very different. I ordered the yeast waffle with chicken. The chicken was good and the waffle because its a yeast waffle tasted like texas toast in a waffle shape. Overall good though. My husband got the chicken sandwich and he really liked the spicy honey. We also ordered chips and dip it was well seasoned but a bit too salty actually and I like salt but we had to keep taking sips of our drinks to balance out the sodium. The dip was a cream cheese dip which paired well with the well seasoned chips. The waitress was very attentive and friendly. George gives it an overall 2.5 out of 3 chomps! Chomp Chomp Cho. read more

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My three favorite things. Seriously though this chicken pot pie was absolutely incredible. The veggies tasted super fresh and were slightly crisp. Nothing worse than mushy carrots. Lol. The biscuit still had steam coming from the layers when I pulled them apart. Gravy on point. All around just good food with these guys. Always. It's my favorite spot in Des Moines by far. read more

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Brunch was very good. No reservations but the wait wasn't bad. Service was good. Prices were fair for quality food. I feel like it's solid as far as brunch drinks and food goes. Can't really complain about anything. Our party got a mixed variety of brunch entrees and everyone was happy. I recommend this place for Sunday brunch. read more

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Staff were very friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. The food and coffee were both delicious, highly recommend. read more

Little Brother - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

I don't often give five star reviews but I like to reward restaurants who go out of their way to do things from scratch. In addition restaurants and bars are also about expectations, what type of bar and restaurant are you going to? And everyone is under staffed, so I always appreciate the service staff who are working, basically in my opinion everyone needs to get in the habit of overtipping. It's a nice restaurant, I was there during the day for lunch and it definitely had a family-friendly vibe. it's in a location that has had a few restaurants before it but I think with their success at their other restaurant the Harbinger it should bode well for them to get some cross-marketing. I it's a family own restaurant and they have a tradition of making everything from scratch, just like there are other restaurant Harbinger. Currently I'm on a roast beef mission going to different places that serve shaved roast beef sliced roast beef and pulled beef and the different styles whether it's a cold deli style or a Chicago style or an Italian style or the classic pulled beef with mashed potato style s so I felt that I had to try this out. The service was excellent I had a nice part-time server and I went during the week on purpose cuz I understand is really jamming on the weekends. Like I said It's my kind of place because I found out they make and cook their own roast beef and then thin slice it for their sandwiches. The waitress mentioned that they also make their own corned beef,Turkey, another meats. I got the roast beef and cheddar but I had a couple special requests because I didn't want the sandwich to be overwhelmed with melted cheese I wanted to really taste the beef. So they were very gracious and just put a little cold cheddar on top and I knew it would melt but they didn't overwhelm with the cheese. I was glad that I did that because the beef was so good and they gave you a righteous portion. Personally I'd like to try the beef with their sauce that they use on the latkes the horse radish sour cream I bet would be killer.The homemade bun was wonderful. I wanted to get some other baked goods but they were out next time. The shoestring french fries that came with it were outstanding no one makes those anymore especially with potato skins and seasoned with would seem like garlic, salt and maybe a little parmesan. I imagine there are other sides are good though the potato salad and some other things. The food came out quickly and it was hot and prepared how I wanted it. I mean they're so many things that I want to come back and try. I'll be back for breakfast next! Many times I dine alone I'm always conscious about how I'm treated as a single diner and I really try not to come during a huge busy time but regardless as a single diner I was treated very well. And of course I've got to have some desserts sometime! And maybe even have a cocktail or a glass of wine with my meal. Anyway good food good staff a very nice experience. read more

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DELISH. A jem, and honestly I am so sad I discovered it so late?!! I had the salmon Boxy with hash browns & the mister had chicken & waffles. The chicken was some of the most tender chicken either of us have ever experienced. I started myself off with a hot latte & it was delicious - the cup, excuse me how cute?? The interior was pops of color & so incredibly warm & inviting. Our server shared a little about herself & we made best friends within minutes. The service was beyond incredible & all of her suggestions were incredible. I will be coming again & bringing all of the nephews as this spot seems perfect for just that!! read more

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What a bright, adorable place for adults and kids alike! I wish a place like this existed when my three kids, who are now all adults, were little. It would've been a dream! They have beautiful wall murals with peaceful images of children playing, and the walls have craft items and children's books. The drink menu includes a variety of interesting drinks for grown-ups, so it's great for them, too! Service was fantastic, and our food was spectacular. I had the salmon lox benny, and others at my table had the following: Manischewittz braised brisket skillet, soon-to-be-famous breakfast sandwich, and biscuits and gravy. The hash browns are great, but the potatoes are the bomb! I wish I was visiting longer. What a whimsical, escapist place where we could've stayed all day. The lunch and dinner menu looked amazing, too, and happy hour is in the afternoon. I'm guessing that's a great time to come, too! We started with the enormous cinnamon roll, split it four ways and had extra to bring home! It was melt in your mouth delicious! read more

Little Brother - Front door area; mural on the wall - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

This place is only a few blocks from my son so took the wife here for a breakfast date before heading home. Only had a 5 minute wait in the mid morning so no complaints there. We both had the brisket skillet (I added an extra egg) and I must say it was excellent. If you're in the Windsor Heights area and need breakfast give this place a try. read more

Little Brother - Brisket skillet - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

We had a decent wait to get in, the place is small but the decor was very fun! They were out of a few things when we got there. Tried the veggie breakfast skillet and loved the sauce on it! Would love to come back to try some other items on the menu! read more

Little Brother - Veggie breakfast skillet - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

Stumbled across this adorable little diner today. Staff was friendly and quick to help. Unfortunately, the waffle iron was broken so I couldn't try the amazing sounding waffles . The onion rings were nothing like I've had and they were quite tasty. My hash downs stole the show! So crispy! They use real bacon, which is great. My club was delicious! Can't wait to try more! read more

Was here once before and had a Decent Reuben. (Mitzvah sandwich) This time they were closing early due to something in the kitchen and our food was not so great. Burger went right through me and meat was very scant and greasy. My mom's Reuben was burnt and crusty like it was cooked on an unclean grill. Maybe I'll give them another chance but not good this time around. read more

Fan tas tic!!! Charming brunch spot with a "cover everything" menu. I ordered the braised short rib skillet and the bf ordered the meatloaf sandwich. The skillet was a m z I n g! I've never had anything like it- so to plunge my fork into the hash browns and pull out a cheesy, hash-brownie, spare rib bite of perfection was nothing less than a dream come true. Every bite was balanced with gooey egg, hash browns, spare rib and mushrooms. It was difficult to share with the bf- but reluctantly, I did. He loved his meatloaf sandwich. It was moist with just the right amount of sandwich toppings- and the bourbon bbq sauce was a great touch. We can't wait to come back- I've already decided I'm going for the bananas foster pancakes!! read more

Little Brother - Spare rib skillet - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

Posting from yesterday as I wanted a place to get some brunch at like 11:00. Walked in and was told the wait would be 30 minutes but it was actually 10 min. (We beat the lunch rush) Our server was Chelsea. (Shout out to Chelsea) She was communicative and nice. Our drinks were never empty. She also apologized for a 8 top that was keeping her busy. But as someone who knows the service industry, I told her we are low maintenance so no worries.... We ain't about that Karen life. Although I do know a fantastic Karen so like not all Karen's are bad mkay!!! They have an option to buy a round for the kitchen! I thought that was very cool. I only got the pictures for the drink menu. Because well... "priorities". You can find the rest of the menu on your google machines. The food: Chelsea recommended the candied bacon eggs Benedict. The bacon was fantastic!! I have no idea how they did it.... But like it was so good, we actually ordered more. Not pictured is the biscuits and gravy and their big freakin cinnamon roll because my son and daughter didn't understand the photo assignment. My son didn't care for the sausage as it was a little "spicy". But that's how it should be. ‍ I did try the cinnamon roll and the brown sugar to icing ratio was on point. Basically the place is cute and the food is what the young people say, "bussin". Pro tip: Just don't plan on taking the whole crew in the bathroom when you get white girl wasted at brunch... the bathroom is small. -- eating lunch at Little Brother. read more

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Pretty cool little restaurant. It felt like i was walking into my grandmas house 40 years ago. Lots of cool retro decor. The waitress sat us down and then brought us water with some potato chips and a wonderful dip. We ordered an app and a glass of wine. The app was spinach and artichoke dip which was very good. We ordered the meatloaf, and the short rib pot roast. Both dishes were excellent. They each had unique tastes and wonderful sides to accompany them. Overall i would highly recommend this wonderful little place. read more

Little Brother - the inside of a restaurant - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

One of the best breakfast places around! We came on a Friday morning and got seated immediately! I got the Salmon Lox Benny and my husband got the Corned Beef Hash with a side pancake. All of it was cooked to perfection. We also got a Tequila Sunrise and Minted Paloma to share. Both amazing as well! read more

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Fresh. Chill. Delicious. Little Brother has become our favorite breakfast spot in town. Family friendly and great service! read more

Little Brother - Egg Salad Sandwich - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

Came for the second time. Sunday lunch. I ordered the pancakes. Actually one was more than enough. It was good. Light and airy. With a few blueberries tucked inside. I forgot to take a picture. Mark had the corn beef hash. I'm not really a fan. I tasted it. It's was ok. He also had the grapefruit and ginger nonalcoholic drink. It needed more grapefruit. Kind of bland. I had the orange juice one. It was great! The temperature in the restaurant was a little warm but it felt good on a chilly day. This trip was much better than the first one which I didn't review as I knew they'd work out the kinks. Overall good restaurant. Fun atmosphere. Friendly, attentive staff and tasty food. We will be back. read more

Food was amazing!! The staff was very nice and attentive as well. I had the candied bacon Benny and my sister had the classic. Everything was so good and tasted very high quality. A must try when in the area. read more

Little Brother - Candied bacon Benny - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

Potatoes and bread of my Ruben sandwich were a bit burnt. One could tell by looking. Bunt peppers are not ideal. Sandwich was very greasy and more like a Philly than a deli Ruben. read more

Little Brother - Breakfast potatoes with onions and peppers? Greasy Ruben with burnt meats , bread and hash browns. - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

Food was amazing and the wait staff was excellent. We had a larger group and they did an excellent job. I had the eggs Benedict and my husband had biscuits and gravy. We both agreed we would return read more

Breakfast heaven! Cutest spot! Got the vege skillet and blueberry pancakes that had amazing homemade whip cream and a nice sweet crisp that reminded us of perfect cake doughnut! read more

Little Brother - Vegetable Skillet--so so so good! Beautiful seasoned got mine with extra crispy hasbrowns. - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

A nice little hole in the wall. First thing I noticed, I had a wide space to park on the west side of the building. When we walking in, there was good classic rock music playing at a perfect volume. They have a good but small beer selection on tap. (Menus attached) me and my wife ordered the mimosas made with fresh squeezed orange juice with the perfect blend in a wine glass instead of champagne flute so you get more. They have a great selection on the food menu (also attached) I was debating between the soon to be famous breakfast sandwich and they yeasted waffles with chicken. I asked our waitress what she recommended between the two and she said the yeasted waffles with chicken so I chose that. My wife went with the classic Benny. The chicken n waffles were delicious - some of the better I've had. My wife loved her classic Benny that came with a choice of potatoes. She went with the breakfast pita that were really good. I will definitely be back to try the soon to be famous breakfast sandwich and my wife will get the same she got. read more

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Absolutely love this place. Short and sweet, the service and food is amazing. Definitely will be a spot we come back and visit. read more

Little Brother - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

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Honestly I did not want to write this review and I really hope it's not true but two (really three) coincidences and I'm starting to feel it's not just a coincidence. I love this place and the food is absolutely top tier. But ever since I got into it with one of the employees I have gotten sick twice and my mother has once. All I did was tell said employee that they were in the wrong and they escalated the situation to getting all up in my grill. Being vague and a bit ambiguous because if what I feel is true then I don't want them doing something more since I'm writing this review. I'm not sure if they tell the cooks to do something to my food but this is the second time in a row since "the incident" that I have been physically sick, and one time my mother was too. I love this restaurant and am really conflicted writing this review because what I'm saying is border line illegal. But two times I've only eaten there for my only meal that day and both times since this incident I have had food related stomach issues. Really not trying to accuse them of what I'm saying because I really do love this place but as the saying goes fool me cant be fooled again. And unfortunately I feel as if I've been fooled again. Again I really hope I am 100% wrong but I mean I've had food related sickness maybe 5 times in the past 10 years. read more

A thoughtful, considerate (and clever) menu of upscale comfort food staples. Everyone here is genuinely friendly and just a little goofy. It's the perfect blend of small town diner meets big town neighborhood bistro. My suggestion? Sit behind the bar and BS with resident bartender extraordinaire Cory. He's chatty, engaging and knows his stuff. (PS. If you don't get the giant-ass cinnamon roll, you're not living your best life.) read more

Little Brother - Cheers! - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

Great service ,i love the lowkey vibe of the place as i went on a Tuesday mid-morning and there was people in but not too busy it was good! I had to work later in the afternoon otherwise i would've tried some of their amazing looking drinks but their food is also TO DIE FOR read more

Little Brother - The french toast is amazing and the pieces are so thick i couldn't finish it all even tho i really really wanted to! - Diners Near Me - Windsor Heights, Iowa

Came here with the family after seeing positive reviews and pictures of the food but was extremely disappointed in just about everything we ordered. The coffee is the typical diner coffee which is not good. Suggest getting your caffein fix elsewhere. I ordered the Mitzvah Reuben Sandwich after seeing pictures of it online. There was hardly any meat on the sandwich, there is a double meat option but even with that it would be light on meat compared to a NY Deli. In addition to this the rye bread was toasted to a crisp making it very dry. My daughter ordered the chocolate chip pancakes, while the pancake batter was good only 1 of the 2 pancakes had chocolate chips and very few of them at that. My wife ordered the Yeasted Waffles and added on the Fried Chicken option. You get 2 waffles for $11 which is terrible value, the waffles were nice and crispy though. The Fried Chicken was overcooked and dry. Needless to say, I was very disappointed in my visit and will not be returning. read more