Above: Chef Joe Tripp, center, with his finely tuned team at Harbinger. Photo: Byron C. Jones Photography.
By Wini Moranville
Last week, the James Beard Foundation announced its list of 2019 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists. For the fourth year in a row, Joe Tripp of Harbinger snagged a nomination. He was the only Iowa chef to do so.
Hardly content to rest on his laurels, Tripp is shaking things up a bit at his two-year-old restaurant. Last Thursday, he unveiled a menu of noodle bowls, available only at the bar (the dining room will continue to focus on Tripp’s small-plates formula).
“Our dining room is filled with people doing tasting menus throughout the week,” Tripp explains, “but that is a hard sell to someone coming into the bar looking for a bite and a drink. Noodles offer a casual way to introduce the flavors we love to a different clientele.”
The menu features four noodle bowls, each priced at $13. Current options include Bun Cha Gio (a noodle salad with Vietnamese sausage, lemon sauce, egg roll and pickled vegetables), Dan Dan Noodles (wheat noodles with pork, sesame, bok choy, black vinegar and pickled mustard greens), Wonton Ba Mee (a wonton and egg soup with shrimp, pork wontons, Chinese celery and crispy garlic) and Tom Yum Moo, a Thai-style pork and noodle soup with roasted pork belly.
According to Tripp, options will change based on ingredients being used in-house. No surprise there—Harbinger has always been dedicated to seasonality.
In addition, Tripp plans to start Sunday brunch service on April 7. It will be thrilling to see what one of Des Moines’ most visionary chefs will do with the week’s most leisurely meal. Let’s just say, I’m in.
Harbinger is at 2724 Ingersoll Ave., 515-244-1314; harbingerdsm.com
Hardly content to rest on his laurels, Tripp is shaking things up a bit at his two-year-old restaurant. Last Thursday, he unveiled a menu of noodle bowls, available only at the bar (the dining room will continue to focus on Tripp’s small-plates formula).
“Our dining room is filled with people doing tasting menus throughout the week,” Tripp explains, “but that is a hard sell to someone coming into the bar looking for a bite and a drink. Noodles offer a casual way to introduce the flavors we love to a different clientele.”
The menu features four noodle bowls, each priced at $13. Current options include Bun Cha Gio (a noodle salad with Vietnamese sausage, lemon sauce, egg roll and pickled vegetables), Dan Dan Noodles (wheat noodles with pork, sesame, bok choy, black vinegar and pickled mustard greens), Wonton Ba Mee (a wonton and egg soup with shrimp, pork wontons, Chinese celery and crispy garlic) and Tom Yum Moo, a Thai-style pork and noodle soup with roasted pork belly.
According to Tripp, options will change based on ingredients being used in-house. No surprise there—Harbinger has always been dedicated to seasonality.
In addition, Tripp plans to start Sunday brunch service on April 7. It will be thrilling to see what one of Des Moines’ most visionary chefs will do with the week’s most leisurely meal. Let’s just say, I’m in.
Harbinger is at 2724 Ingersoll Ave., 515-244-1314; harbingerdsm.com
Wini Moranville writes about food, wine and dining for dsm magazine and dsmWeekly. Follow her on Facebook at All Things Food–DSM.
