alba

bestservicein des moines. we've been to alba twice and theserviceset the standard for des moines. theyir amazingservicemakes the experience great. the team works well together, very efficient (helping each other out- filling water, clearing plates, etc.) and we got a genuine thank you on our way out. just phenomenal, can't say enough good things about alba.

wow!!!. we visited during restaurant week and were impressed with the delicious food, greatserviceand even greater cocktails. the place was 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!

atmosphere andservicewas excellent. the food was good, but came across a little pretentious...as if they were trying too hard to be elegant. i'd pass on the halibut tacos next time, but the chive gnocchi was very good.

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

great east village restaurant. i tried alba for the first time with friends during restaurant week and was not disappointed. the corn chowder was smooth and delicious but the octopus carpaccio my friend had was even better. i had the pork cheek dish, which was tender and delicious. for dessert i had the chocolate lava cake, which was absolutely wonderful. i order this dessert anyplace that has it on the menu, and alba's was one of the best i've ever had.servicewas great, even though they were very busy. they have a good selection of beers and wines on the menu. i will definitely return to alba.

we were here to try out the menu for our upcoming after wedding dinner. out of 3 restaurants this was out favorite. the flavors were very balanced and the portions were perfect. i get so tired of huge portions. i had pork loin and a side if pickled veggies that were so good. my partner had rabbit duo that was seasoned perfectly. we shared a sticky bun for dessert and a scoop of buttermilk vanilla ice cream. i want to go home and make some buttermilk vanilla ice cream now. theservicewas perfect she was there without being over bearing.

an excellent restaurant deserves its due. i first dined at alba a little over a year ago. like many folks in des moines i was still searching for that elusive restaurant with great ambiance and consistently excellent cuisine. since my first trip to alba i have returned at least a dozen times, and each has been just as good as the last.
not to insult the good people of des moines, but as a non-native iowan i have discovered that the midwestern palate may not lend itself to iowa becoming the next food capital of the world. i have eaten at all of the other fine dining restaurants here in dsm. what i have found is a great deal of inconsistency. the most common problem i have encountered is (way) over-salting food, and overcooking.
i'll be fair and say that theserviceat alba can be a tad slow at times. usually you can get your drinks and order right away, but if you are running low on water you may have to go out of your way to get someone's attention.
alba has a very chic decor which lends it to being somewhere between casual and upscale. the doors on the ceiling are a nice touch, and there are some great pieces of art adorning the walls. i'd say it's one of the top spots in dsm for a date night.
now to the food...as i said earlier, without fail, every time i have dined at alba the food has been fantastic. besides just the quality of the food, their menu offers things you simply will not find at any other restaurants here in the city. the last time i ate there, my entree was the braised pork cheeks. i could barely pick them up with my fork they were so tender. my girlfriend got the hawaiian pork burger. it was delicious. as mentioned in another review, alba has some of the best fries in the city.
i want to address one other thing i've seen in reviews here. people seem to complain a lot about the price. is alba a "cheap" restaurant? no. is it "expensive"? certainly not. if two people are planning on eating 3 courses each, plus cocktails/wine, while expecting to get 5 star food, well then you better expect to pay for it. my last meal there we got the jalapeno fritters, hanger steak tartar, pork cheeks, pork burger, and 2 cocktails all for ~$65 dollars if i remember correctly. in my opinion, that is one of the best deals you'll find in the city!
sorry for the long review, but alba deserves all the accolades it receives. after all, you don't get nominated for a james beard award for no reason!

delightful!. i had a lovely dinner here recently and made a reservation for 7:30 the monday before valentine's day. upon arrival, the hostess sat us at a wonderful table by the windows. the atmosphere is warm and modern and i absolutely adore the doors in the ceiling and the beautiful artwork.

our waiter was a young man who recommended everything on the three course menu they were offering that evening. he was right. everything we had was delicious! perfect martinis, a fantastic selection of wines by the glass, and after dinner drinks were very lovely. the food was absolutely delightful, and every morsel was wonderful! i've been to this restaurant many times, and it never disappoints me. theservicewas nicely attentive, but not hovering, which i prefer. i can't wait to go back!

des moines has so many wonderful restaurants, and this one is definitely in the top of the list!!!

brenda

$170 for two - plus tip. (update - their web site is up - apparently it is ok to have a $20+/head new year's eve surcharge). for $195 ($25 tip) one would think that you would deserve fine dining - superb food andservice- sadly chef jason simon disappointed. my wife and i joined another couple for a nice new year's eve dinner. we've been to alba before and enjoyed ourselves, but i will never ever return. for $195 my wife had two glasses of wine ($24). i had two cocktails ($13). my three course meal consisted of a duck tureen appetizer, arctic char with vegetables and a potato, and an apple crisp with ice cream ($62). my wife had a spinach salad, pork loin duo with vegetables - with chorizo (i believe). for dessert she opted for the butternut squash soup appetizer since she doesn't like dessert ($55). i also had a coffee to go with my dessert ($3.35). tax was $9.65. i left a $25 tip (14.7% for barely adequateserviceand an overpriced meal). my tureen appetizer was good and included chips of fried cheese. the arctic char and vegetables were cooked well, but by the end of the dish i didn't like enough to finish it. the dessert was ok - but i would like a little more crisp in my apple crisp - and the apples were overcooked. my wife liked her spinach salad, thought the pork was so-so, and remembered liking the soup much better the last time we are at alba. all the portions were right sized not huge not tiny. my coffee was good and strong. fortunately for our friends, they didn't pay as much (only $130 before tip) as the restaurant gave them a partial credit for the main course they sent back for being too spicy to eat (in the opinion of three out of three of us who tried it). at this price level one deserves a meal andservicethat is excellent - not adequate. i don't remember the prices being this high - but alba doesn't have a web site to review their menu (quite unbelievable in this day and age). as i said, we've been there before and enjoyed ourselves, but before you go, i would ask to see a menu and know what you are going to pay for hit and miss food and barely adequate service. (btw - our three course meal took over two hours and the corkage fee is $25)

high expectations - low results. my husband and i have been talking about dining here for a while, but we usually give a new place a while to get it's business in order before we try, as we are self reported food snobs. after reading the reviews regarding their spottyservicewe 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, theservicecan 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 the place to 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.