The harvest salad from Dirt Burger is one of the many healthy offerings available for takeout at local restaurants.
As we turn the corner into month two of social distancing and stay-at-home suggestions, and as we inch ever closer to temps that will make it actually feel like spring, is anyone else in the mood to add more fresh vegetables and bright flavors to their menu? Save the canned veggies and Easter leftovers for another day and score more vegetables and vitamins at these small businesses with well-balanced menus.
Flavory Bistro
Fresh salads, soups and even homemade paella can make any weeknight meal feel like a party (or a trip to the Mediterranean—how great does it feel to dream about that right now?). The seasoning blend used atop the grilled meats and veggies makes them taste like a total treat, and the homemade desserts (Baklava? Yes, please!) offer the ideal balance. If you’re feeding a big family, consider the piled-high Mediterranean Feast.
Ordering options: Call ahead for curbside pickup or delivery within a 5-mile radius with $50 minimum order. (flavorybistro.com, 515-443-7272)
HoQ
It will likely be weeks before the farmers market officially opens for business, but the farm-to-table dining at this East Village bistro can help patch you through. Try the daily special or go for one of their fan-favorite menu items like butternut squash soup with homemade naan bread, Chef Suman’s Bowl (with local leafy greens, grilled vegetables, a free-range poached egg, hummus, and bison sausage), or the vegetable-, lentil-, and potato-packed Momtaz Vegan Bowl.
Ordering options: Call ahead for curbside pickup or takeout. (hoqtable.com, 515-244-1213)
Fresh Mediterranean Express
Drive on past the chain fast-food restaurants and swing by this fittingly named Mediterranean restaurant in Waukee. From salads to wraps to kebabs, produce and protein take center stage in many of the meals here. Oh, yes, and lots of creamy, garlicky hummus.
Ordering options: Call ahead and pick up at the drive-through or they will deliver within a 10-mile radius. (freshmediterraneanexpress.com, 515-987-6870)
Wasabi Chi, Johnston, Waukee or Ankeny
Recently reopened for takeout and delivery services after closing completely for the first several weeks of the no-dining-room-service mandate, four locations of Wasabi across the metro are now offering family platters and individual portions of vegetable- and seafood-rich sushi, teriyakis, ramen and more.
Ordering options: Call ahead for curbside pickup or order delivery via Grubhub.(wasabidsm.com, phone number varies by location)
Dirt Burger
The first 100% vegan brick-and-mortar restaurant in Greater Des Moines, Dirt Burger is known for its homemade plant-based burgers made with beans, buckwheat, flax, nutritional yeast and a surprising amount of hidden vegetables (including spinach, carrots, broccoli, beets, mushrooms and sweet potatoes). You can enjoy your veggies with even more veggies when you opt for a side of the Harvest Salad, CSA Salad, or Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts Salad instead of (or in addition to) fries.
Ordering options: Call ahead for curbside pickup or order delivery via Grubhub or MyTown2Go.(dirtburger.us, 515-850-3890)
