Above: You can see the canal running through Pella’s Molengracht Plaza, alongside the site of the planned Liberty Street Kitchen.
By Wini Moranville
I can remember when Des Moines diners used to drive to Pella just to eat at the charming Strawtown Inn. Although that restaurant has gone the way of all things, Orchestrate Hospitality is working up an all-new venue that might once again make Pella a dining destination.
Liberty Street Kitchen is set to open this summer in the Royal Amsterdam Hotel, one block from Pella’s historic downtown. The dining room will seat 122 people, with a lounge area that will accommodate 36. Outdoor dining will be available on the Molengracht Plaza, which has a canal running through it.
I was particularly glad to glean from the press release that Orchestrate will remodel the restaurant’s space. I visited an earlier restaurant in the New Amsterdam Hotel years ago, and found the interior had all the charm of any generic midlevel chain-hotel restaurant, anywhere, U.S.A.
According a press release, the food will combine “flavors and ingredients from around the globe and our own backyard.” I asked executive chef George Formaro to elaborate: “Iowans have always incorporated global elements in our rural and regional foods,” he says. “Liberty Street Kitchen carries on that heritage, using history as a guide to draw inspiration from international cuisines while celebrating what it means to be Iowan.”
Wini Moranville writes about food, wine and dining for dsm magazine and dsmWeekly. Follow her on Facebook at All Things Food–DSM.
Liberty Street Kitchen is set to open this summer in the Royal Amsterdam Hotel, one block from Pella’s historic downtown. The dining room will seat 122 people, with a lounge area that will accommodate 36. Outdoor dining will be available on the Molengracht Plaza, which has a canal running through it.
I was particularly glad to glean from the press release that Orchestrate will remodel the restaurant’s space. I visited an earlier restaurant in the New Amsterdam Hotel years ago, and found the interior had all the charm of any generic midlevel chain-hotel restaurant, anywhere, U.S.A.
According a press release, the food will combine “flavors and ingredients from around the globe and our own backyard.” I asked executive chef George Formaro to elaborate: “Iowans have always incorporated global elements in our rural and regional foods,” he says. “Liberty Street Kitchen carries on that heritage, using history as a guide to draw inspiration from international cuisines while celebrating what it means to be Iowan.”
See you this summer, Pella.
Follow Liberty Street Kitchen’s progress on Facebook
Wini Moranville writes about food, wine and dining for dsm magazine and dsmWeekly. Follow her on Facebook at All Things Food–DSM.
