Trellis Cafe at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden will soon close, before Flora moves in. (Photo: Des Moines Botanical Garden)
By Mary Jane Miller
This summer, local fans of gardens and good food were sad to hear that Lisa LaValle planned to retire and close Trellis Cafe at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. She’ll serve her last meal there on Oct. 26.
But there’s good news: HoQ co-owners Cynthia and Suman Hoque, pictured, are stepping up to open Flora, a new restaurant in the Trellis space. Considering its name, you can expect a variety of delicious veggie-forward dishes complemented with locally sourced meats. For more than a decade at HoQ, in the East Village, chef Suman has built strong ties with local farmers and food artisans, and he plans to continue to do that at Flora.
The Hoques are determining what changes they’ll make to the space before they reopen its doors in December. Initially, Flora will open for lunch Wednesdays through Fridays, but plans are in the works to offer weekday happy hours and weekend brunches, with a full bar available.
The regular menu will change often but stick to Midwestern themes influenced by chef Suman’s memories of his mother’s cooking in Bangladesh. A children’s menu will offer comforting classics made from scratch, right down to the house-made breads.
Once a month, Flora will also stay open later for special ticketed multicourse prix fixe dinners with wine pairings.
With winter coming, it’s good to know Des Moines will still have a tasty refuge from the cold.
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