Press Releases Des Moines Register

Dining

These are the press releases we've issued over the last year.

• Date: January 17 2002
• Date: February 21 2002
• Date: May 2011

Datebook Diner: Yanni's new Altoona home a good bet

Veal Piccata ($14.95). / JUSTIN HAYWORTH/REGISTER PHOTOS

Forget Prairie Meadows. Altoona really hit the jackpot when Yanni’s Grill & Vineyard moved out of West Des Moines and headed east to the former location of Kin Folks Barbecue.

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Greek Combination ($12.95).

Yanni's Grill & Vineyard

Ambience: This snug, charming spot reminds me of cute, humble trattorias run by Greek and Italian immigrants all over the western hemisphere, from Edinburgh to Venezuela. Never mind that owner Oswaldo Ochoa hails from Ecuador, he's got the details down: faux grapevines, wine bottles that count as décor, paintings of Greece and Italy, servers bustling around the room wearing white shirts and ties.

Menu: Greek specialties, including mousaka, spinach-phyllo pie, souvlaki and gyros share the menu with the more abundant Italian-American choices, which range from pasta and classic veal and chicken dishes to seafood and steaks. Most entrees cost around $12; the most expensive item is a 6-ounce lobster tail at $18.95. House wines cost a reasonable $4.50 a glass, and more admirable wines can be had for $7.

Best Bites:

Ochoa is a veteran of New York's Little Italy as well as our city's Latin King, and the pedigree is evident in his food. Don't go expecting culinary revelations, but rather, seek well-crafted everyday Greek and Italian cooking.

I still get a kick out of the Saganaki: breaded cheese flamed tableside with liqueur, then doused with lemon juice, resulting in a crusty, oozy and sprightly treat.

While the salads may be predictable, they're freshly made and included in the price of the entrée. And don't postpone joy: Partake in the garlic bread-knots hot from the oven. They're divinely tender and crackly when they arrive at the table, but harden soon thereafter.

I was shocked at how good the Veal Piccata was for the price ($14.95). Tenderized cutlets came draped in a freshly made, lemony pan sauce. Bold, vivid and intense, the reduced sauce was a world away from the insipid shortcut versions - plumped up with stabilizers and thickeners - that diners too often endure when ordering classic dishes like chicken marsala and veal piccata.

The sides, a potato croquette and sparkling broccoli-carrot combo - also hit the spot.

Warm baking spices, a zesty red sauce and a luscious white sauce made the savory Moussaka a memorable one. The spinach pie, sheathed in a delicate negligee of phyllo dough, also evidenced balanced, handcrafted appeal.

Bottom Line: This one's all about charm and value.

January 17th

The Price is right at Yanni's

Yanni's Grill & Vineyard brings Greek and Italian cuisine to a sweet, simple location in West Des Moines.

There's a warmth and charm about Yanni's Grill & Vineyard that's refreshing. Faux grapes, cheerfully painted booths and splashes of colors you don't see around here too often. (sunny yellow, bright-sea blue, white-washed white) imbue the rooms with a cheerful and simple Mediterranean motif. But the real draw to this new restaurant, I suspect, will be the reasonable prices. Steak de Burgo which can go for as high as $26 elsewhere, goes for $13.95 here. Pasta choices, at $9.95, include standbys such as lasagna, spaghetti, ravioli, cavatelli as well as less common items, like Gnocchi ala Sorentina and Penne Regina. Italian chicken andveal classics, such as Chicken Marcela and Veal Piccata, plus Mediterranean-inspired seafood choices, round out the menu, all in the $11.95 to $14.95 range.

Lunch (not reviewed here), pastas go for $6.95, Steak de Burgo for $7.95 and a good selection of sandwiches (including Yanni's famous Prime Rib and Yanni's famous Gyros) cost $4.95 to $6.95.

All entrees come with salad, and the choice is an easy one: Go Greek - the Greek-style one here brings imported olives, tangy feta and a zippy homemade vinaigrette. The other  option - just doesn't compare.

Steak de Burgo fans should take note of Yanni's version. Good, tender steak sits in a pool of head, rich and buttery sauce, but the standout here is the topping - a handful of fresh herbs and mushrooms and a bracing hint of fresh garlic bits. Another nice touch: Diners can opt out of the usual foil wrapped baked potato option and order a potato croquette.

A special one night (at $1 off the regular price), the lasagna may not have been the best in town, but it was a fine $8.95 version. Though it tasted freshly made, I was hoping for a bolder flavor; still the spice was likely right for the mostly older crowd at the restaurant.

Other dishes we sampled tasted fine, though not extraordinary. The Veal  piccata brought good, tender meat, but a sauce that lacked zing. The Gnocchi Sorentina (chewy little dumplings with tomato sauce and cheese) was a little one-dimensionally cheesy for my tastes. And the tiramisu was a dense, slightly dry version, rather than the airy, luscious treat I've enjoyed elsewhere.

Service is friendly enough but felt a little detached in places. One Saturday, I called at 11:10 to ask what the lunch specials were that day. The answer? "They haven't posted them yet." (A better answer? "I'll go see what's cooking.?) When the cook presented the Saganaki (a Greek cheese appetizer flambéed tableside), he couldn't get his lighter to work; he merely apologized and served the cheese un-flamed. In my book, it's just not the same if it's not flamed - the fire makes a great show, and makes the cheese ooze just right.

Fortunately, after we expressed our disappointment, our server cheerfully took the item off our bill.

The bottom line about Yanni's is that atmosphere is charming, the price is right, and a few tweaks here and there will make this cute little place a clear standout among the super-sized restaurants nearby.

February 21st

Readers reveal favorite neighborhood spots

Yanni's  -- 2800 University, WDM, 309-4006

"Yanni's fits the bill" according to Cindy Helgason. "Their spaghetti carbonara is yummy," she adds. 

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