Big City Burgers & Greens in Des Moines, Iowa

One of the biggest restaurant trends of the last decade was the proliferation of high end and upscale burger places across the country. It used to be difficult just to find a burger topped with bleu cheese in Iowa, now its on practically every menu. If anything, its difficult to find a good "regular" burger that isn't topped with something exotic or given a goofy name or served in a themed restaurant. I knew BCBG had the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich as a daily special from time to time since they opened. I just happened to notice it on the regular menu on a recent trip to downtown Des Moines.

Location: inside the Capital Square building at 400 Locust St in Downtown Des Moines.

Directions: This is in the southwest corner of the ground floor of the Capital Square Building, accessible from the skywalk.


Online at: website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: First things first, the size of the pork loin meat for the amount they are asking for is a great value. Its hard to find a decent homemade tenderloin downtown for any price. The loin meat is well tenderized and the coating of cracker textured breading has a great crunch. The menu's claim of "fresh ingredients" is not just promotional fluff. The lettuce and tomato are noticeable crisper and fresher than any other place serving tenderloins. The pickles were thick and juicy if that's your thing. But that brings me to another part of this sandwich. Its served "chopped", cut in halt. Why would someone take something that is beautiful and cut it in half? Even with a side of potatoes the presentation of the cut sandwich left so much empty space on the plate. Another problem was the "addition" of the side of honey mustard aioli sauce, this just seemed like a portion of salad dressing. I was under the impression that a confident chef would always serve his food the way he wanted people to eat it. Putting sauce on the side looks indecisive and pointless. At least the "honey mustard aioli" is served in a biodegradable container so after its thrown out it will vanish from the earth with less of a footprint. There are already two different mustard bottles at each table, why add this extra condiment when it isn't any better than the classic mustard described simply as "yellow". Served on a soft and warm toasted potato bun. Overall 7.7 out of ten.

Price: $5.50 a la carte.

Also on the menu: Burgers and Greens name refers to a menu which is mostly burgers and salads. They have unique daily specials and a huge selection of toppings for whatever you order.

Big City Burger

The Big City Burger: I ordered mine in the double size with white cheddar cheese and fried prosciutto. The prosciutto was under the fixins and was crumbled into tiny pieces. The melt job on the cheese was just right. The ground beef was in some thick round patties and cooked a little past medium well. This is a tasty burger.

Big City Fries

The Big City Fries are tossed with olive oil, asiago, and parsley for $3.75

Cheesy Potatoes

 Another side option is the Cheesy Potatoes, with little pieces of fried proscuitto mixed in with seasonings and Swiss cheese. I like the thick chunky potatoes and the cheese was melted with garlic.

This could have been something beautiful.

Service: There is a long counter with an area where you can see the salads being made. They have some high tech system where you take a card and stick it into a machine that tells them where you are sitting and they bring the food to your table. Like most lunch places attached to the skywalk, BCBG has short hours and is only open for lunch on weekdays.

Modern design with green and white color scheme

Ambiance: You have a great modern design with a green and white color scheme and three seating areas, inside and outside. They have another dining area for private parties or catered events. This is the nicest place in the thoroughly drab, terrible designed, utterly awful example of bad architecture known as the Capital Square building.

Its all chopped up.

Final Thoughts: BCBG is operated by some of the most professional restaurant people in Des Moines, and it shows. Lines move fast, food gets out quickly, the design is modern and bright. The toppings for the burgers are clearly fresher and higher quality than nearly any other place I have visited. Long before BCBG occupied this location, there was lunchtime pizza place that also served a tenderloin. I can't remember the name but I never made it in there before it closed. The location above BCBG was home to Stella's Blue Sky Diner, which did great business for a long time before moving to Urbandale and then closing a few years ago.

Sally's Old Fashioned Hamburgers Des Moines Skywalk

Its hard to find a true replacement for the great tenderloin that Original Coney Island used to serve in the Skywalk before they closed last year. There is this place claiming a homemade tenderloin, and then there is Winston's Skywalk Pub and Battani's Pizza, each about a block away.

Location: 555 Walnut St in the 3rd Floor Food Court at the Kaleidoscope at the Hub Building.

Directions: You walk up the stairs from the bus station, its up a flight of escalators from the skywalk.

The Tenderloin: The first think you notice is the tenderloin is nice and thick, cut open for you to see. The breading had just a little bit of flavour. The meat was white, but not very tender. The whole thing wasn't really all that big. They get a little extra on the rating for the presentation. Overall 6.5/10

Price: $4.35, with fixins or $7.50 in a combo meal.

Also on the menu: The specialty is hamburgers, but there is a huge menu of homemade comfort food including a full breakfast. The menu advertised a "frenchie" sandwich when I visited.

Service: Its just a counter, you wait for your number to be called.

Ambiance: This is just a big food court with lots of fast food for the office crowd, its abandoned after about 2 in the afternoon.

Final Thoughts: This isn't exactly a tenderloin worth making a trip for. However, what Sally's gives you is far Superior to what Maid-Rite dishes out at the other end of the food court. Its also a good value for your money downtown.

Original Coney Island Des Moines Skywalk

This is a Skywalk lunch rush institution.

Location: 501 Locust St. 2nd Floor, Des Moines, in Skywalk.
Directions: Enter building through parking ramp and go up stairs or elevator, skywalk intersection is in middle of the building.

The Tenderloin: This is a huge piece of pork loin. It measures just under nine inches at its widest point. There is considerable depth as well, with over a quarter inch thickness throughout. The breading has a light layer of crumbs, and just a little crunch. The breading layer does not separate from the meat inside. There is some moisture, but no dripping of juice from inside. The tenderloin is not made of the leanest cut of pork. Many parts of fat will provide a little resistance while biting and will take a while to chew. Served with ketchup, mustard and onions on a toasted bun. Overall a very impressive 9/10

Special Note: This comes in a different shape each time I order one. Its not always in the pork loin shape seen in these pictures. Sometimes its pounded into a rounder, wider shape.

Price: $4.79, available in a "value basket" with onion rings, fries, and coleslaw for $7.29 actually served in two baskets.

Service: Just counter service with your receipt number screamed when your order is ready.

Ambiance: There are pink neon lights everywhere, and the eating area is lit brightly. A TV plays soap operas all day. The smoking section was closed a few years ago, previously smoke would float everywhere.

Also on the Menu: Loose meat burgers, gyros, hot dogs, onion rings, walking tacos.

Closing Comments: This Skywalk diner suffers the same fate as any place in the Des Moines Skywalk. Its busy during the workday, and may have a line going to the door during the lunch rush. Its nearly abandoned after five and on weekends. The tenderloin is huge and thick, what else could you want..
Update: This placed closed in the summer of 2008.