Historic Valley Junction

3.8 mi

Today is my Dad's 83rd Birthday! I called him this morning and asked him what he was going to do…read morefor his special day. Deliver Meals on Wheels with his lovely Bride was his answer, followed by a Birthday Lunch in Des Moines, and a little "fun" with Mom (!). I sometimes wish I had half his energy...... Yelp TOS Disclaimer - Of course I have personal experience with Meals on Wheels! Dad can be very persuasive is recruiting family members to his volunteer causes.

Ronald McDonald House

3.9 mi

Oh Ronald, my McDonald, how sweet art thou.... I don't even…read moreknow what I'm saying right now. I came here for a team volunteer clean up the yard event. Upon entering, we were greeted by a very kind and informative intern, Julia (?). Honestly, I had no idea what the Ronald McDonald house was, but Julia easily explained their mission, goals, and activities in a clear and concise way. Located near about 3 hospitals, the Ronald McDonald house provides a comfy place to stay and warm food to eat for families who want to be near their children who are receiving treatment at the neighboring hospitals. Overall, the Ronald McDonald house is a great organization to support and presents vast opportunities for volunteers. I'd do it again!

Wellmark YMCA

4.3

(21 reviews)

4.5 mi

The entrance definitely blends into the feel and look of being downtown. I ended up parking on the…read morestreet and paying the virtual meter because I wasn't sure if they had designated parking but I think there is a parking garage. The welcome desk staff were friendly and greeting people/members as they came in. There are brochures about various programs at the desk as well. I was here to get signed up for an Above & Beyond Cancer class and am really excited about the number of activities available.

The pool is super clean and nice! The locker rooms are small though. The staff are nice but it is a…read morelittle dirty in the gym!

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Pool

Boy Scouts of America Mid Iowa Council

1.8 mi

There's not much to say…read more.. They have a nice, clean, well-stocked supply of everything scout related. The staff is friendly and extremely knowledgeable. A little hard to find the first time...but not a big deal. *Warning- You WILL find cool stuff that you may not need...but will want.... haha

Orchard Place

4.0

3.4 mi

The doctors are nice. They seem like they care to help kids. Some of the receptionist are rude but…read morethe doctors more then make up for them.

From the owner: Orchard Place is the oldest locally-based charity in Des Moines providing mental health treatment…read moreand expertise for Iowa's kids. Our inpatient, outpatient and community program serves nearly 10,000 children from birth to age 22 annually. Four operating divisions work under the Orchard Place umbrella of services: Child Guidance Center, Orchard Place Campus, PACE Juvenile Center and the Integrated Health Program. More information can be found at www.orchardplace.org

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The Varsity Cinema

4.6

(19 reviews)

3.6 mi

A nice nonprofit local cinema. I've been to a couple of their themed showings and have seen a few…read moreother movies here. Seating is pretty decent, I haven't had any issues. And staff have been chill and friendly. Honestly this place gives me the most nostalgic vibes and is a great local spot to support. Definitely a pretty active social media community so worth checking out.

This "non-profit art house" charges more ($14) than double what Fleur cinema charges ($6.54) for a…read morematinee showing of DISCLOSURE DAY. It's disgraceful, and they should lose their "non-profit" status!

On the left, perhaps the greatest film comedian. On the right, perhaps the worst actor, stuntman, and Scientologist.

Inside

Small screen

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Richie Bros Junk Removal

5.0 mi

Had 2 trees cut down and stumps ground. They were very courteous, punctual, hard working, and did…read morean excellent job. Quote was very reasonable and low. They exceeded expectations and cleaned up. Couldn't tell they were ever here. Would definitely hire them for any job!

From the owner: Hello, Here at…read moreRichie Bros Junk Removal we strive to provide you with a service that is made easy for you. We make it Stress-free. Your best Des Moines metro junk and tree removal company- residential to commercial. Veteran owned. For free quotes: Contact- 515-822-6322 Email- info@richiebrosjunkremoval.com

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Garage clean out.

The Wallace Centers of Iowa

4.5

(4 reviews)

3.9 mi

My husband and I got married at the Henry A. Wallace Farm in Orient in May and the venue staff…read moreexceeded our expectations. The food was amazing, everything locally grown, and the venue coordinator was great to work with. We had a beautiful experience and would recommend it to anyone looking for a romantic and natural place to hold your wedding.

I just finished my first Farm to Table Thursday meal of the year here and unfortunately it's the…read morelast meal of the year as they close until March now. I reminded myself exactly how much I love it and how I've missed out! I want to make an effort to come more next year. We almost missed out because even though we called 3 weeks in advance the reservations were full. Luckily we were able to get through on a cancellation yesterday. We started out with the Honeysquash soup and the lamb meatballs, which are still my favorite. The soup was a bit thinner than I expected but still tasted great. Our main course came and I finally got to try their short ribs! (If you only knew the saga we went through in 2018 to try and fail to get to taste their short ribs you would understand.) They were every bit as yummy as I imagined. They came with a side of their crispy potato cake - which was more like scalloped potatoes but I loved them. It also came with roasted parsnips and radishes. I haven't had parsnips in years but trust me when I say I'll have to try to get them more now. They were roasted with I believe just a little oil, salt and pepper so the vegetables shown through. Exactly how I like them! The eggnog ice cream was tasty but the ginger molasses cookies were the star! The service was friendly, especially considering that my dinning partner was left alone for the first 20 minutes due to a ride/work snafu on my part. The place was decked out for the holidays and it would be worth a visit just to see that. I will for sure be back, I only wish I had someone to go to their February Valentine's Day event with so I could eat more of their food soon! ---- A side note is their CSA program was cancelled in 2019. I hope they will bring it back as I definitely miss getting all the fresh produce!

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La Barista Coffee

Best coffee around!!…read more Convient drive thru Cimm roll was good too Fast service was good too

Can't recommend. The espresso tasted like water. It was served in a styrofoam cup…read more The service was fine.

Ordering bar, tables

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Inviting space

Urban Cellar

This place and the staff are amazing! My husband and I stopped in for dinner since we were in the…read morearea and have wanted to check this place out for a while. We were treated so wonderfully and our waiter and the general manager went above and beyond to make us happy. Our wonderful waiter Derek welcomed us and was excited to learn that this was our first visit. He was friendly and helpful and seemed genuinely interested in helping us choose something on the menu that we would enjoy. I decided to get a supreme pizza because I like a lot of toppings on my pizza and my husband got the cavatelli because he was in the mood for pasta. The food came out extremely fast. Unfortunately, I didn't like my pizza very much because the center of the crust was very limp and droopy and the toppings fell off because they were kind of heavy. The outer edge of the crust was crispy but the middle of the crust seemed like maybe it needed to be cooked longer. I felt like the pizza should have been better. My husband loved his cavatelli and gave me a bite. I agreed that it was very good. I was wishing that I had ordered that, too. When Derek came and checked on us, I debated on whether I should say something about the pizza. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either. He could probably see the disappointment on my face. He said he really wanted to know what we thought about the food so I told him I was disappointed with the pizza. He was very understanding about it and said he didn't like his pizza droopy either. But we told him the cavatelli was excellent. It was a little bit sweet with the right amount of spiciness. A few minutes later, Courtney the general manager came to our table and apologized about the pizza. She was truly sorry about the pizza and even said she talked to the chef about cooking it longer but he said it might burn the pizza if they did that. And it had so many toppings on it that it might not make a difference on the crust. So she wanted me to pick something else on their menu for free. I was going to decline but she insisted, so I chose the cavatelli. They made it for me and brought it out quickly. We appreciated everything Derek and the GM did to make it up to us which really wasn't necessary. They went above and beyond. I felt bad about it but they wanted our first visit there to be great. Then when Derek brought our bill to us, we saw that they comped both the pizza and the extra cavatelli. So they were only charging us for my husband's meal. AND Derek brought us a free dessert. My husband and I were flabbergasted. They did way more for us than they should have. We have never been treated so well at a restaurant before. I didn't think that restaurants and waitstaff like this existed. It seems like since Covid, when you go to restaurants, they're understaffed or the workers don't seem like they want to be there and barely acknowledge you. But here they bend over backwards to make sure you're happy. I love that and appreciate everything they did. The atmosphere is casual yet upscale. It feels cozy and welcoming, too. There is outdoor seating as well. Believe me, we will be back and we'll tell our friends about this place. If you love excellent service and good food, please check this place out..

Our group of 15 had a private room. It wasn't great! We had good service and we could hear each…read moreother speak as we all sat around the big table. We started out with shared appetizers and the fried zucchini was tasty as was the crab Rangoon dip. The pork and brussels sprouts were good too. I had the beef deburgo & truffle fries. They were tasty! The salad beforehand was good.

Mama's Meatballs

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Waterfront Seafood Market

The food was outstanding. We had a little bit of everything. The one problem was not enough room…read moreto enjoy it all. Sadly, we will have to return again to try the things we didn't get to try? Staff did an excellent job. Danielle took care of our group of five. She was on top of our service needs. Great with sharing recommendations.

If you love seafood then go to the Waterfront off University in WDM for a delicious walleye or…read morefried oyster poboy New Orlean style. The seasoning on the seafood gumbo will perk you up. The fried oysters are rich, crispy and deliciously good with a few fine bones that bypassed the skillful hand of the sous chef. Nathan -- the wait staffer -- was very attentive and alert to my table which made the meal more enjoyable. The pleasant atmosphere was suitable for all types of gatherings whether solo, business, groups or casual diners who just wanted to relax at the booth or bar to just "chill" in a friendly crowd pleasing atmosphere.

Scallops

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Halibut Basket Dinner

Crisp and Green

I've heard good things about this place so I was glad to finally give this place a chance. Salad…read morebowl was super easy to order, customer service was overall friendly. I ordered the chicken bacon ranch and it was delicious. They have some patio seating which is nice. This spot is definitely a great option if you're looking for a healthy alternative. It can get pretty loud at this location, maybe because the building used to be something else, but the noisiness definitely gets extra loud during peak times.

First time at Crisp and Green, we wanted something fresh and healthy and that's definitely this…read moreplace! They had a lot of menu combinations or you can build your own. I tried the wild child and the ube matcha latte- both delicious. For two of us with drinks it was $46. A tad bit expensive for a lunch spot I'd say, but everything was really fresh and good ingredients. The staff was super friendly too !