dsmWeekly: March 27, 2024

The Court Avenue District's best martini bar found a new home around the corner. Check out more photos on dsm's Facebook page. (Photo: Michael Morain)

FOOD & DINING

Sneak peek: The Stuffed Olive reopens Friday on Court Avenue

By Michael Morain

Things are looking up for your next night on the town. Right on the heels of the shiny new Broadway season announcement from Des Moines Performing Arts, the Stuffed Olive is reopening in swanky new digs just a block away.

The popular restaurant and martini bar opened almost 10 years ago in an easy-to-miss spot on Third Street, where a sign taped to the door notes: “We have moved! 200 steps to your left at 216 Court Ave.” It’s probably fewer. I counted them on Tuesday, before owner Brendan Kelley showed me around the new place. It looks much different, and much cooler, than the previous establishment, which was best known for beer pong.

The space is mostly black and gray, with jewel-toned upholstered chairs and gold accents here and there. Giant tulips and peonies bloom across the wallpaper, which Kelley ordered three times from Sweden. (If you’ve ever hung wallpaper, you get it. Third time’s the charm.)

There’s seating for about 180 inside, including a space for private parties up to 70 or so. Take your pick: club tables, high-tops and a few sleek couches for lounging. “Our regulars told us they didn’t want us to lose that cozy feel,” Kelley said. Outside, the 120-seat patio will offer what he called “Italian bistro vibes” when it opens in May, in time for weekend brunches and primo people-watching during the farmers market.

The menu will be the same — mostly small plates, plus a few thoughtful entrees — but that brunch will be entirely new. Kelley recently hired two dozen new staffers to help cover the expanded hours, doubling the veteran staff he kept on the payroll even through the pandemic.

He confessed he was reluctant to move to the bigger space, but enough encouragement from regulars, downtown neighbors and city leaders ultimately persuaded him to make the jump. “I’m 37,” he said. “If I’m going to do it, it’s now or never.”

He seemed pretty calm during our walk-through, just a day before tonight’s soft opening (by invite only) and the public opening at 4 p.m. Friday. Various contractors buzzed in and out while staff set things up in the roomy kitchen. It felt like one of the rare happy episodes of “The Bear,” right before the big night.

When longtime manager Abbey Maas popped in, she mentioned a few additions to the martini menu, including Lemon Shortbread, Blueberry Cobbler, and a mezcal-based concoction called “Passion, Spice and Smoke.” Feel free to read all 120 options on the menu, which, Kelley noted, “gives you something to do on an awkward date.”

Otherwise, just skip right to Maas’ favorite, Daydreaming of Flora, which combines all of her favorites: grapefruit vodka, gin, St. Germain, fresh basil and some fizzy prosecco. The staff is ready for you, whether you want to linger or hustle out for the 7:30 show.

This local ensemble takes inspiration from many different musical traditions. (Photo: Son Peruchos)

BEST BET

Dance to a Latin beat

Son Peruchos are back onstage this Friday at the Noce Jazz Club, where they'll showcase their unique fusion of Latin music. The local group includes members from Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and the United States, and their repertoire crosses at least as many borders of musical genres, infusing the rich heritage of Andean music with rhythms from cumbia, bachata and rock en español from all over the Latin and Caribbean world.

Guests are invited to dance or just sit back and take in the music during Salsa Night, which the group hosts from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the last Friday of every month. Get tickets to this Friday’s show.

The Week Ahead

History on the Rocks (6:30-9:30 tonight): Shake or stir things up for Iowa History Month, when the State Historical Society hosts an Iowa-themed trivia game. Prizes include Iowa-themed merch, as well as private tours of the museum’s vault.

Pilobolus (7:30 tonight): The innovative dance company blends choreography from its 50-year history with new works at the Des Moines Civic Center.

Mixology Night: Planetary Prom (6 p.m. Friday): Put on your best prom dresses or space suits and head over to the Science Center of Iowa for an out-of-this-world night of cocktails, music and interstellar activities at this 21-plus event.

“The Pa’akai We Bring” (11 a.m. Saturday): This show in the Family Series at the Des Moines Civic Center uses music and hula to tell a story about a Native Hawaiian family who has farmed salt (pa’akai) for generations on the island of Kauai.

Botanical Blues (1 and 3 p.m. Sunday): The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden hosts its final blues concerts of the season, featuring Bob Dorr and Jeff Petersen, two members of the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Remix Trivia (6 p.m. Tuesday): Join the Des Moines Symphony for a night of classical music-inspired trivia at SingleSpeed Brewing. A tip: This week’s categories could include nursery rhymes, strange foods and famous dreamers.

FOOD & DINING

128 pop-up: Table 128 has been teasing its reopening for a few years now, and according to Lynn Pritchard and the restaurant’s Instagram, the official day is finally around the corner. But if you just can’t wait any longer, Pritchard's other venture 503 Cocktail Lab and Tasting Room in the East Village is hosting a Table 128 menu preview April 4 and 5. Reserve a seat for the four-course dinner to be one of the first to try out some newly developed dishes.

At Cohen Park’s bouldering wall and elsewhere, Ben Page is taking Des Moines Parks and Recreation to new heights. (Photo: Duane Tinkey)

ARTS & CULTURE

Happy spring! Ben Page wants you to go play outside.

By Kelly Roberson

The parks department’s current comprehensive plan, created in 2018 with input from every neighborhood in the city, prioritizes reinvestments in neighborhood parks. The project kicked into overdrive in 2020 when the pandemic hit and federal funds enabled the department to reinvigorate three or four parks each year, instead of just one or two.

We asked Parks and Recreation Director Ben Page to share a few of his favorites:

Cohen Park, 1000 Scott Ave. It has the parks’ first-of-its-kind bouldering wall and an interactive ball wall for a game called Sutu. “No one else has this,” Page said.

Fairmont Park, 2520 Hull Ave. Built into a hillside leftover from a 1970s development, the park was “not anything cool,” Page said. So in 2015, the department dug a 40-foot, Instagram-perfect slide and a sprayground.

MacRae Park, 1021 Davis Ave. Long neglected, MacRae holds a special spot in Page’s heart. “It has the most beautiful views of downtown,” he said. Its playground got a recent upgrade, along with a new enclosed shelter and pedestrian lane. Work crews also narrowed the old road and added a median to discourage speeders.

Riverview Park, 710 Corning Ave. The fully inclusive playground is located on the site of a former amusement park and incorporates several nods to that history.

Woodland Cemetery, 2019 Woodland Ave. Look for QR codes posted near about 70 graves that link to short videos about some of the movers and shakers from the city’s past.

Once you come back inside for a post-park snack, learn more about Page in this article from dsm’s March/April issue.