After today I have to say: I am proud to be an extrovert. And thank goodness for it! Without my willingness to talk to random strangers I would not have found out about the kick ass burger place I ended up going to for dinner tonight. I know I mentioned in my earlier post about the Iowa State Fair that people kind of ignored me when I sat down at their picnic tables. Its okay. I don’t care. I tried to explain to my mom what the experience was like… I told her when I was in line to see the baby pigs there was a flat screen television on the wall ahead of the line showing off the birth of one of the cows from last night and I casually said to the lady in front of me “oh hey look at that! Its a baby calf being born.” But she totally ignored me. Like, she looked straight ahead and would not dare to turn toward me. Just like people do when the “crazy homeless guy on the corner” is yelling obscenities at you and you decide its better to look the other way. That is what she did when I tried to talk to her. She looked straight ahead and did not dare let her eyes even glance in my direction. No worries to me. I just turned to the ladies behind me and talked to them instead. I think the chick in front of me then realized that I was actually normal, so she finally responded. (Honestly, she probably didn’t realize I was talking to her to begin with, but I want to at least pretend that she thought I was a crazy homeless person for just a second. What a bitch.)
Anyway, before dinner I stopped by the brewpub next to my hotel to test it out. I had read good reviews about their food, but bad reviews about the beer. So I wasn’t ready to commit to a full evening there. While I taste tested a brew, I ended up chatting up the bartender and a local guy named Will. They both agreed on a few places that were nearby that would be good spots to eat while I was in town. Then I started asking Will about sandwiches (anticipating Sandwich Saturday tomorrow.) He mentioned Zombie Burger + Drink Lab, said it was one of his favorite spots in Des Moines and quickly pulled up their menu on his iPhone. Boo-Yah! Seriously great looking burger menu, so I knew it was a go. Not for lunch tomorrow, though. No way. I was going tonight for dinner. It was maybe a mile from the hotel and I was there in a matter of minutes. The line was outrageous which confirmed for me that the place was going to be a hit. And it was. I can’t begin to tell you how many possible burger combinations they had on the menu and the appetizers and sides were just as impressive.
I went with an order of Goat Cheese + Jalapeno Poppers with a raspberry chipotle sauce and the Sarah’s Revenge burger. Its a gamble when you order something with the name “Revenge” at a restaurant, but this burger was delish. Monterey Jack cheese, bacon, carmelized onion, jalapeno strings, red onion and horseradish sauce.
I cut it in half with all intention to save some for breakfast tomorrow. But I got to talking to the girls seated next to me (who were obviously more normal than anyone at the State Fair because they actually invited and encouraged conversation, thank you!) We ended up chatting it up long enough that I ended up eating the whole thing. Oh well. Its the extrovert in me. What can I say?
PigTales 