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The Yancy Table

Restaurant Notes & Recommendations

Feeling Lucky?

Roll the dice for tonight's pick

Tasting Notes & Reviews

Dishes worth remembering
Anchors Away
  • Pepsi products
  • Weird sauces
  • Chili = good
  • Salad = up and down
  • Fish sandwich = good fish, bad tartar sauce
  • Quesadilla = weird chicken
  • Good (beef) taco salad! [Amanda]
  • Good Tenderloin
Cooper's Hawk
  • Bruschetta = good
  • Chicken Madeira = 10/10
  • Key Lime Pie = very good
Heavenly Chinese
  • Nope... just, nope
The Hills Bar and Grill
  • Breakfast Tacos (Saturday Brunch)
  • Quesadilla
  • Get the extra hot sauce
Oak Park
  • Coke products - $4 tiny bottles
  • Expensive! but very good
  • Menu changes every 6-8 weeks. Don't get attached to anything.
  • Chef's table?
Ornery Chicken
  • Ornery sauce > buffalo
  • Wraps are good
  • Wings are OK
  • Ornery tots are good
Pleasant Hill Diner
  • Beef burger (loose meat) = really good
  • Chili = really good
  • Malts = amazing
  • Fries + Cheese sauce = really good
  • Biscuit & Gravy = good
Rolling Wok
  • Crab Rangoon
  • Pot sticker
  • Chicken Lo Mein (2 star)
Scornovacca's
  • Chicken tenders
  • Side salad
  • Bruschetta

To Do $$$$

Special occasion list

Daily Meal Deals

Where to go, by day of the week
Monday
Smoky D's (Lasagna)
B-Bops (Ankeny)
Tuesday
Smoky D's (Smoked Cheeseburger)
Wednesday
Smoky D's (Hot Beef Sandwich)
Thursday
Smoky D's (Country Fried Steak)
Friday
Smoky D's (Smoked Meatloaf)
Saturday
Smoky D's (Ham Balls)
Sunday
Smoky D's (Hot Turkey Sandwich)
Every day (when open)
Sonny's (Personal Pizzas)
Ankeny Diner
  • Salad... good... turkey... good... malt... good

Restaurants We Like

The regular rotation
Chick-fil-A
  • Closed Sunday
Chicken Coop
  • Good wings close to home
Court Ave. Brewing
  • Best Wings in town
  • & cookie wontons
Destination Grille
  • Lobster Roll ...mmmmm...
Flight Bar + Grille
  • Best burger in Iowa 2023
  • Huxley
Flipn' Jacks
  • New restaurant near the movie theater. Extended hours, not just breakfast.
Francie's
  • Buffalo chicken Philly A++
  • Nachos A+
GameDay
Hazelwood (Minneapolis)
  • Brunch was excellent
  • Bread pudding
  • Amanda likes the salad
Hills Bar & Grill
  • Breakfast tacos, fish tacos, quesadilla
Johnny's
  • Appetizers & Beef Wellington
Maccabee's
  • Kosher Deli
Main Street
  • Also has a Des Moines location on Grand Ave
Parlor
  • Brunch?
Pleasant Hill Diner
  • Mondays are Car Night
Sonny's
  • Closed Sunday & Monday
Tasty Tacos
  • Closed Sunday
Wig & Pen
  • Closed Monday - Tuesday

Restaurants We Want To Try

The wish list
Abbie's (Bondurant)
  • Taco pizza
Bellecour (Minneapolis)
  • Try the Dirty French Burger
Burrito King
  • Want to try
Central Standard
  • Never been before, brew pub, looks to have tasty noms
Dam Pub
  • 2710 Beaver Ave, Des Moines, IA 50310
Flying Elbow (Marshalltown)
  • Best Burger 2022 + Reuben
Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant
  • Delaware — Newark, Rehoboth Beach, Wilmington
  • Georgia — Atlanta (Buckhead), Atlanta (Dunwoody)
  • New Jersey — Maple Shade, Voorhees
  • Pennsylvania — Ardmore, Chestnut Hill, Exton, Hershey, Huntingdon Valley, Lancaster, Lehigh Valley, Media, Newtown, North Wales, Philadelphia, Phoenixville, West Chester
  • South Carolina — Columbia, Greenville
Mac Shack
  • Temporarily closed
Whatcha Smokin BBQ & Brew
  • 403 Iowa Ave, Luther, IA 50152
Wilson Orchard
  • Check out the Cheeseball pizza :)

Retired List

Removed due to bad service, bad experiences, or permanently closed
Chicago Speakeasy
  • Not Amanda's favorite place
Curbin' Cuisine Permanently Closed
Dino's Bar & Grill Permanently Closed
Mema's Permanently Closed
Poke Company Permanently Closed
Spectators Permanently Closed
  • $10 wings on Wednesdays
Victoria Station (Harlan) Permanently Closed
  • Best tenderloin
  • Top 10 burger