alba

crappy food in a pretty place. we went 5/16/2011. it was awful. our scallops were pink & slimy in the middle. when asked about it they said that was the way it was supposed to be. both my husband and i were ill later that evening. i ordered the salmon sandwich. it was not a fillet, it was like a salmon crab cake. it tasted like left overs that were thrown together (casserole style) & drenched in lemon to mask any "questionable" taste. my husband had the pork and sausage. the sausage was a joke and in the world of sausage would be the one that's laughed at on the play ground. the flavor was dull at best and the texture seemed as if it was mixed with hamburger. the pork was dry and disappointing. we ordered the bread pudding for desert. we deduced that it was frozen before being seared and served in a cast iron skillet. in our pork dish there were pecans and bacon pieces mixed together. on our bread pudding there was also pecans and bacon. when we asked, they said it was normal. the flavors were not a compliment to this sucky end to an even worse dinner. the atmostphere of the restaurant was fun, cool, and hip, but their food quality was not deserving of a restaurant. we had wanted to try thisplaceand are glad we did as it was our first and last visit. it was just too bad that with one glass of wine each that this crappy experience cost us $95.00.

being a big city girl, i was pleasantly surprised by des moines, iowa. it’s a fast growing city, with a small, but beautiful downtown. based on the recommendation of a client, b. and i went to alba in the east village, not far from the river. with a great wine list and knowledgeable servers, alba is a greatplacefor modern american cuisine.

wow!!!. we visited during restaurant week and were impressed with the delicious food, great service and even greater cocktails. theplacewas packed but the staff never missed a beat. my only regret is that we had not tried alba earlier. we definitely will be back to check out more of the menu items. i had the beef cheeks stroganoff and my husband had the hangar steak. they were both so flavorful and seasoned perfectly. then i had the best chocolate cake, so rich, so delicious, so ... i can't wait until we go back because i will be ordering that again. my husband had the crème brulee which was also great. our new favorite restaurant!

not bad. felt like they are trying to hard. desert was just weird. also, we both were still a little hungry after dropping $75.. goodplaceto go if you're not paying.

got it right!. absolutely loved my experience at alba. great, creative food selections, upscale vibe and a personal service experience. i thoroughly enjoyed thisplaceand will definitely return.

high expectations - low results. my husband and i have been talking about dining here for a while, but we usually give a newplacea while to get it's business in order before we try, as we are self reported food snobs. after reading the reviews regarding their spotty service we had a "grain of salt mentality." nothing stated that we needed a reservation so we didn't make one on a saturday night. that was the first question asked of us as we entered and we decided to wait for a table by getting a drink at the bar. after about 15 mins of waiting we were seated while sipping on wine that we purchased at the bar. after sitting at our table with our wine almost finished we finally got menus. the waitress and hostess walked by several time not even acknowledging our existence. after almost finishing our first glass of wine we were about to leave when a waitress came to our table. we ordered the fries as an appetizer, (reading the reviews) and they were ok.... both of us split 2 entrees, the lobster perogie and the chicken gnocchi. neither of the dishes had any flavor and tasted very similar. both dishes were very small and the pasta was pasty. for spending $100, a normal amount for a saturday night dinner for us, we were completely disappointed. we would not recommend alba as their atmosphere cant make up for the food quality and we facebooked this to our friends as well. there are many other well established local gourmets to visit. we are glad we tried it and look forward to not going back.,

worth the wait. i dine here frequently. and, i disagree with a bunch of the reviews.

first, the service can be spotty when it comes to speed. but, it is always pleasant and that is enought for me. i enjoy the laid back and friendly approach. if i wanted fast food, well, i would lower my standards.

second, i have eaten two dishes here i don't trust anywhere else: salmon and french fries. i know they seem common to everyone else, but their salmon is always perfectly cooked and their french fries are phenomenal, particularly with chorizo. it is a heavenly and unusual combo.

third, i don't ever order creme brulee, but alba's has a phenomenal texture combo that is great.

this is my favorite restaurant in des moines. it is always becoming more consistent, it isn't overly ambitious, it isn't pretentious, and it is just great. the lunch menu is amazing and a total value. if you are a vegetarian, this is theplaceto be. also, half the time i read reviews i seriously question whether people understand how to order. don't set yourself up for failure and then blame the chef. read the menu, ask questions....just a thought.

okay. i "liked it" on urbanspoon, but i have equal parts apathy and praise about alba.

the menu was nice, with some interesting offerings using local foods. we had an appetizer with house-made chorizo (allegedly). the meat tasted more like italian sausage. not sure where these guys learned/didn't learn to make chorizo?

that curious nitpick aside, the food was mostly good. i wasn't blown away by any of it, as it was fairly standard. the potato gnocchi and prawns in creme fraiche was cooked fine but a little boring both in taste and visually. it was a good entree, just not great. the braised veal was alright, nothing i'd order again. someone at the table ordered salmon, which was...salmon. cooked correctly, nothing wrong with it.

the entree prices were competitive, no complaints there. the atmosphere is great, a bit of minimalism with urban contemporary.

overall, it's an alright place. i'd go back to try more things, but it wouldn't be on the top of my list of places to go. i went shortly after opening; think it could become a greatplacewith some more tlc and personality put into the entrees.

mixed. let me start off by saying that alba has improved greatly since a shaky start more than a year ago. it has gone from bad to hit and miss. my wife and i were lucky enough to receive a large gift certificate so we ordered up a storm. the following is a summation of my thoughts from start to finish.
- thisplacedoesn't have website. this is very disappointing. it's 2009 people!
- we arrived at 8:30 on a saturday and theplacewas packed. there is no check-in desk and it took us a good 5 minutes to grab the attention of anyone who worked there. once i finally got the attention of a waiter, he seated us. seriously, wtf. i have never seen such a terrible entrance to a restaurant. you walk in and are greeted by a round wall and literally do not know where to go for a table. bad news.
here is what we ordered with a quick summation of each:
- tiramisu martini: off the hook good. a dessert in its own right
- pomegranate martini: good, but nothing spectacular. my wife accidentally knocked the drink over before taking a sip and the drink was replaced immediately. the stemless martini glasses are not really the best for serving drinks. this is particularly strange because their water glasses are way too big and heavy.
- wilted salad: beware there is bacon on this salad, which the menu somehow forgets to mention. this is served warm. my wife kind of liked it, minus the bacon.
- beet salad: this was a delicious seasonal treat. the beets and potatoes were cooked perfectly and i have never had a more delicious and creamy deviled egg.
- hangar steak with mash: my wife says the steak is nothing to write home about, but the mashed potatoes (which she ordered inplaceof the green beans) were the best mashed potatoes she (and i) have ever had. rich and creamy does not begin to do this side justice.
- panko salmon burger: the burger itself was a bit underdone, but somewhat tasty. the menu-described avacado-mayo was really 98% mayo. the menu-described red onion slaw was really just finely sliced red onions. the bun was hard and chewy. combined with an underdone salmon patty, this meant the salmon kept sliding out. the fries were delicious, as good as gateway market's, except not as crispy,
-tuna tartare with avocado and citrus sauce: this was completely lackluster. there was no taste at all to the fish. i couldn't even finish this, one of my favorite dishes elsewhere, because it was so disappointing.
- buttermilk ice cream: we shared a single scoop of their house-made buttermilk ice cream. it was small, but it didn't need to be much bigger. this was perhaps one of the best scoops of ice cream i have ever had, my wife says it is hands down the best she has had. it beats out her old favorite of maggie moo's udderly cream. this ice cream is sensational! we shared another tiramisu martini, which when combined with the ice cream, was heavenly. my wife is by no means a foodie, but this ice cream had quite the effect on her.
final verdict: we will return for a dinner of mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, and buttermilk ice cream washed down with a half dozen tiramisu martinis.

niceplaceto eat. i enjoyed the atmosphere, the decor is nice, dessert was wonderful, the food was good, but nothing amazing, which is what i was hoping for since i have heard so many rave reviews about alba. definately a niceplaceto go for date night (which is why we (my husband and i) were there).