Brad Church is Harold Hill and Katy Merriman is Marian Paroo in Meredith Willson's "The Music Man," July 17-Aug. 6 at the Des Moines Community Playhouse. Photo: Steve Gibbons.
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PROFESSOR HAROLD HILL IS COMING TO TOWN
No one can rightly claim to be an Iowan without having seen "The Music Man" onstage. It's like eating Brussels sprouts -- you don't have to like it (but you probably will), and either way, it's good for you. It's a part of who Iowans are.
Of course, we can thank Meredith Willson for baring our Iowa-nice souls in this enduring show, and thank the
Des Moines Community Playhouse for the current production run,
July 17 through Aug. 6. Natives know Willson based his musical tale on life in his hometown of Mason City. Head up there sometime and you can still visit Ransom's to play a game that starts with P, and that rhymes with T, and yada yada. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets, $29-$46, can be purchased
here.
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The debut of the Silent Rivers' Festival Salon art gallery had a successful first run at the Des Moines Arts Festival! Enjoy these photos of festival attendees enjoying the Salon and the VIP Club. ...
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Learn the fate of this and other scorched moldings in the
dsm story "Tea Room Revival," from our July/August issue.
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TEA ROOM REVIVAL
Des Moines' long-cherished Tea Room opens anew next month. If you haven't seen
dsm's story in print,
click here to learn about the restoration and the future of this landmark, and for some reminiscences and insights about the past. And although we think
dsm magazine is at its best in print, you can read the latest issue in its entirety online with one click
here.
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by Design presents
dsmDining
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Avocado toast gets all dressed up for lunch at St. Kilda, with pickled red onions, a bit of roast corn and microgreens.
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LUNCH OF THE MONTH: ST. KILDA CAFE
By Wini Moranville
One of the first things I noticed (and thoroughly appreciated) about my inaugural lunch visit to
St. Kilda Cafe was that the space wasn't Arctic-zone cold on a hot summer day. I'm so tired of settling into a restaurant this season and wishing I had brought my parka.
The comfortable, sane temperature was just one way in which St. Kilda seems to be doing things a little differently. Another way they're bucking the trend: They do not serve french fries alongside their sandwiches. According to owner
Alexander Hall, disappointed customers have been quite vocal about this perceived lack. And he confided that he felt somewhat bewildered by their demands.
Rightly so. When you can get inventive, fresh-forward food like the avocado toast, why would you want to stultify the experience with fries? Instead, revel in the undistracted pleasures of the crisp-chewy toasted sourdough topped with a bright, colorful combo of smashed avocado, pickled red onions, roasted corn and microgreens. The poached egg -- an option I couldn't refuse -- made it all the more luscious.
And you'll find none of that Cheesecake Factory-style ham-handedness that plays so well at too many places: A cynical kitchen would shag-carpet the toast under the cheese and salsa, but thankfully, the judicious dots of feta and the light swath of salsa brought the kind of precision and refinement that we generally only get when we splurge for dinner at a top-dollar bistro.
If that doesn't sound filling enough for you, order the Cubano. With chunks of pork shoulder, ham, Swiss cheese, yellow mustard and pickles, the sandwich stayed mostly classic, save for the lime aioli tweak. Even without fries, it was plenty hearty.
So take heart, Mr. Hall. When you try to veer off the beaten path, there will always be naysayers at first. Yes, we all love fries now and then; but soon, people who are jonesin' for them will know that they'll need to go somewhere else that day. And they'll leave more of your tables (for which the demand has been high) for the rest of us.
St. Kilda Cafe is located on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and Southwest Fifth Street; 515-369-7854;
stkildadsm.com.
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The spotlight is on photography in an exhibit of local concert images opening Friday at the Des Moines Social Club.
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MUSICAL PERFORMANCE AS A SILENT, VISUAL ART
A dynamic photo exhibition -- "
From the Pit: A Juried Exhibition of Des Moines Concert Photography" -- opens with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday,
July 14 at the
Des Moines Social Club. "Music is the heartbeat of Des Moines," the club noted in announcing the exhibit. "From the skywalks to venue stages, our city is making noise about the incredible, homegrown talent resonating nationally and overseas." The free exhibition continues through July 31. For more info, click
here.
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Sure, there are ponies out there somewhere, but most of the focus at
Polo on the Green is on food, fashion, fun and philanthropy. The 21st annual event, raising funds for Variety--the Children's Charity, is this Saturday, July 15. For details, tickets and photos from last year,
click here.
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Polk County Heritage Gallery's 32nd annual Iowa Exhibited show includes the work of 43 Iowa artists.
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IOWA ARTISTS FEATURED THROUGH AUG. 25
A reception and awards presentation at
5 pm. Thursday, July 13, will honor the 43 Iowa artists selected for "Iowa Exhibited XXXII," at
Polk County Heritage Gallery. Diverse media, from oils to photography, are represented in the 71 works on display. Refreshments will be provided at the reception; the exhibition continues through Aug. 25. The nonprofit gallery is at 111 Court Ave.
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With timeless Gershwin music, the 2015 Tony-winning "An American in Paris" dances through the Civic Center July 18-23.
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AND SO MUCH MORE, COMING YOUR WAY SOON
Peek into the future of Des Moines arts and cultural events with these calendars. We at
dsm magazine and the Business Record maintain
this calendar with handy filters so you can see just the types of events you're searching for. Looking for even more categories? Check
Catch Des Moines.
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