Food & Politics
The National Restaurant Association joined 72 organizations, including the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, in urging Congress to pass the Save Local Business Act. This bill would restore the long-standing “direct and immediate control” standard for determining joint employer status under the National Labor Relations Act and Fair Labor Standards Act. Without this clarification, nearly every business relationship — including franchise models and contractor agreements — could trigger joint employer liability, threatening small business growth and workforce stability.
Bartender’s Handshake just made a USA Today list of 29 best bars in America. Earlier this year, Oak Park made a USA Today list of best new restaurants in America. The DM Register has been part of the Gannett network for a long time but only recently seems to have the clout to make such national USA Today lists, which are a big deal because USA Today has been doing them for decades. I suspect Susan Stapleton, DMR entertainment editor, is responsible for pushing the city’s image. Thanks, Susan.
Weekend deals
• The Station on Ingersoll has a Friday grilled shrimp Po'Boy special with lettuce, tomato, remoulade on hoagie. Served with pasta salad and fried zucchini. $14.
• Rube's steakhouses offer a prime sirloin special on Sundays only, $29.
• Raisin' Canes will add an extra chicken finger to all box combos this Sunday.
• Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines) offers $9 Philly cheesesteaks or hot honey chicken plus $8 bisuit and gravy breakfasts on Fridays.
• Smoking Goat Pub (3015 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines) offers walleye or steak dinner specials tonight and karaoke after 9 p.m. They have a 10 for $10 wings deal on Sundays.
• Irina's Steak & Seafood (650 S. Prairie View Drive, Unit 100, West Des Moines) has a three-course Sunday dinner for two featuring filet and shrimp for $85 all summer.
• IHMVCU hosts Food Truck Frenzy with the first 50 people in line at 3990 Merle Hay Road eating free. This Friday 11, a.m.to 1 p.m. will be catered by Lachelle's.
• Friday is Soul Food day at Joppa Experience (1829 Sixth Ave., Des Moines) with fried chicken and oxtail stew joining the usual menu.
• Because Friday and Sunday are Indiana Fever game days, the West Des Moines Jethro's will have a "Fever Reliever" special of any two appetizers on the Happy Hour menu and two pints of domestic beer for $22. All Jethro's Sunday special is papa cheeseburgers and side for $9.95. Today they have BBQ melt and side deal for $9.95.
• G Mig's has Friday prime rib dinners for $29.75 or crab stuffed shrimp with asparagus for $25.95.
• Django (1420 Locust St., Des Moines) offers a Sunday supper with a roasted half chicken as the main course. The meal includes house salad with red onion, apple, Roquefort, and candied walnuts; fresh baguette with whipped butter; roasted fingerling potatoes with fresh herbs, and sautéed haricot verts with caramelized onions and lardons. $30
• Table 128 (220 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines) features a Saturday tasting menu for $58.
• Heavenly Asian (225 Fifth St., Valley Junction) has an all-day Friday sale on orange chicken served with soup, crab Rangoon, egg roll and rice, $14, available for dine-in and phone carry-out.
• Chicago Speakeasy (1520 Euclid Ave., Des Moines) offers BBQ beef and marinated roast beef sandwiches on special for Friday lunch.
• The Continental (407 E. Fifth St., Des Moines) offers BOGO flatbreads Fridays and a blackened chicken sandwich and fries for $12 on Saturdays.
• 801 Chophouse (801 Grand Ave., Des Moines) offers Sunday supper specials that deliver deep discounts on filet, prime rib and red king salmon dinners.
• Destination Grille (2491 E. First St., Grimes) has a $40 prime rib dinner special Friday and Saturday.
• Tito’s Lounge (3916 N.W. Urbandale Drive, Urbandale) now has brunch on Fridays as well as Saturdays and Sundays.
• Court Avenue Brewing Company (309 Court Ave., Des Moines) hosts Saturday and Sunday breakfast buffets for $23.99.
• Haiku (1350 31st St., Des Moines) offers free tom ka kai and fried won tons with lunch entrees today.
• Maxie's Supper Club's (1311 Grand Ave., West Des Moines) Friday special is chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes - $16.95 all day. They also have prime rib dinners on Friday and Saturday for dinner only, $30-38.
• Price Choppers have sales on Colorado peaches at $1.99/pound, red or white grapes at $1.99/pound and Tide Simply at $2.99/32-ounce bottle through Monday.
• Fresh Thyme (2900 University Ave., West Des Moines) has a sale through Tuesday on Atlantic salmon fillets at $6.99/pound and King salmon fillets at $21.99/pound, USDA prime ribeyes for $17.99/pound (those will sell out) plus BOGO offers on 300 items.
• Fareways have specials through Saturday on half-pound USDA choice ribeyes $9.99, cherries at $2.88/pound and whole chickens at $1.99/pound.
• Hy-Vees have a Friday through Sunday special of two slabs of cooked ribs for $25 through Aug. 3.
• Aldi stores have sales through Tuesday on racks of lamb at $9.99/pound, cucumbers at 49 cents and red cherries at $2.29/pound.
Music
Collin McCann / Jacob Hansen Duo plays Louie's Wine Dive (4040 University Ave., Des Moines) on Sunday at 5 p.m. El Toreado Mexican Bar & Grill on EP True has live music from The Juan and Only on Friday from 6 p.m. Willie James Shay plays Sonny’s Pizza Bistro Friday at 5:30 p.m. JB Williams play Kelly's Little Nipper at 7 p.m. Friday. Chris Falcon plays Truman’s Pizza Tavern at 5 p.m. Friday and Joshua Sinclair plays there Sunday at 2 p.m.. The Savage Freds play Captain Roy's at 6 p.m. Saturday. Fred Gazzo Quintet plays Anna Dolce Ristorante, WDM, at 6 p.m. Saturday. Casey Peasley will be at Exile Brewing - patio Sunday at 5 p.m.
— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com | 
