Motley School Tavern - Des Moines, IA

Last summer, my wife and I went back to Des Moines to hang out with a friend of ours and to take in the Iowa State Fair.  We went out to dinner with our friend a couple three times including brunch on a Sunday morning at a fun little restaurant she recommended in the Beaverdale neighborhood of Des Moines - the Motley School Tavern.   

When Jason Simon opened the upscale-American restaurant Alba in the East Village of Des Moines in 2008, he had a young guy by the name of Nic Gonwa working with him at his side.  It wasn't long until Alba grew in notoriety as one of the top places to eat in Des Moines.  Six years later, Simon took over a former video store location on Ingersoll Ave. in Des Moines and turned it into a low-frills/straight-forward Mediterranean restaurant by the name of Eatery A.  He installed Gonwa as the head chef at the restaurant.  Eatery A was also a hit right off the bat with diners in and around the Des Moines area.  In 2015, Nic Gonwa was nominated as a James Beard Award recipient as a Rising Star Chef.   

Simon and Gonwa talked often about different restaurant concepts and one of the things they like to do is reminisce about some of the characters that they crossed paths with over the years of working in restaurants.  They would joke about educating a "motley" bunch of people over the years in their restaurants as they hashed out different types of restaurant concepts.  Simon and Gonwa thought it would be fun to run a restaurant that had sort of had an "after school"-vibe where people could chill out, watch a game on TV, and enjoy some good comfort food and good beverages.  They kept that idea in the back of their mind as they kept on working at their respective restaurants. 

In late 2018, Simon approached Steve Little, the owner of the Chef's Kitchen restaurant in Beaverdale, to inquire as to whether Little was thinking of ever selling his restaurant.  Little and his wife Kristi had run Chef's Kitchen for 14 years and hadn't really entertained any ideas of selling.  But the offer Simon gave him was too good to pass up.  The Chef's Kitchen served their last meal on Dec. 31, 2018.  

With Gonwa now on board, the two conjured up a casual eatery and bar that featured breakfast, lunch and dinner with a low-key and laid-back atmosphere.  Gonwa left Eatery A to run the new restaurant and a bit over six months after taking over the building, Motley School Tavern opened their doors to the public.  

Like most restaurants, Motley School Tavern was hit hard by the pandemic in the spring of 2020.  But they were able to pull through once social distancing measures were put in place and then subsequently thrive once most pandemic restrictions were lifted.  MST - as the locals refer to it as - is especially a popular breakfast destination on the weekends.  

And it was a Sunday morning when we went to Motley School Tavern located along Beaver Ave. where Franklin Ave., Forest and 41st Street all come together with Beaver in northwest Des Moines.  (see map)  We were able to park in front of the brick facade restaurant, but by the time we left people were parking on side streets as the small lot in front of the building filled up quickly.  

We were one of the first group of patrons to walk into the place just after 9 a.m. on that Sunday morning.  They were finishing up filming some interior shots of the restaurant for an upcoming local commercial that was going to air later in the fall.  We pretty much had our choice of seating in the place and we ended up taking a booth on the far side of restaurant against the east wall.

The bar area featured some classic audio electronics - which piqued my interest right away.  It was a double-sided bar with two flat-screen televisions on each side.  My interest was on one of the games that was on the television - the Davenport Southeast team was playing in the Little League World Series and the game was being shown on ESPN.  Between conversations, I was able to catch bits and pieces of the Quad Cities team (who ended up winning 10-2).  

Jasmine was our server that morning.  She had a cheery demeanor and was friendly and helpful throughout our visit.  She asked what we would like to drink.  My wife and our friend got coffee and orange juice.  I went with the holy trinity of Sunday morning selections - a Kona Big Wave with a bloody mary and four shots of espresso.  Usually when I order that, the server will recoil in amazement.  Jasmine didn't bat an eye when I placed my order.  "Sounds good," she said as she took off to get our drinks while we looked over the menu.  

The brunch offerings featured shrimp and grits, a flat-top grilled ham steak, chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy, and chilaqualies rojo - a charbroiled chicken breast topped with a charred avocado, eggs (your choice) and sour cream.  Omelets, pancakes, sandwiches and salads were also available on the menu.  

I had my eye on a couple things - the sausage and wild mushroom omelet with goat cheese, or the pastrami hash with a mixture of peppers, onions and tomatoes mixed with the grilled potatoes.  A side of Southern-style cole slaw - chow-chow - came on the side.  Jasmine made the call for me.  "The pastrami hash is outrageous," she gushed.  Usually when a server tries to talk you into something, it's usually the more expensive item.  And the pastrami hash was more expensive than the omelet - but by just $2 bucks.

Now, I usually take pretty good pictures with my camera on my phone, but the pictures I took of the pastrami hash turned out to be dog crap.  I'm not even going to post the best of the crappy pictures I took of the plate because it still wouldn't do the meal justice.  The pastrami hash was just outstanding.  It was definitely the correct choice for me and I let Jasmine know.  "I knew you'd like it," she said confidently.  "It's one of our more popular brunch dishes." 

My wife and our friend were sort of torn between getting just the MST breakfast - eggs (1, 2 or 3) with toast, potatoes, and a choice of bacon or sausage - or getting some pancakes.  They had five different varieties of pancakes including a lemon curd and almond pancake, a buttermilk/blueberry pancake, and a caramel apple pancake.  When Jasmine pointed out that they could both get the MST breakfast AND a specialty pancake for $1 extra, they both bit.  

They both got the MST breakfast with two eggs over easy, bacon, potatoes and toast.  It was a basic breakfast that seemed to be fine to both of them.    

The pancakes, however, were winners.  They were thick pancakes, but crispy on the outside.  My wife doesn't care for fluffy pancakes - unless they're crispy - and these were to her liking.  The blueberry pancakes were doused in juicy blueberries with a dollop of whipped cream on the top.  But the lemon curd pancake was a sight to behold.  I large spoonful of lemon curd sat on top of the oblong pancake with a dollop of whipped cream topped with almond slices on top.  I had to have a bite of both and while I liked the blueberry pancake, the lemon curd pancake was sensational in flavor.  Had they combined the blueberries with the lemon curd, it would have been the perfect combination.  

The restaurant had filled up rapidly while we were there and we sat for awhile after finishing breakfast just talking before we had to head back to the Quad Cities.  By the time we got up to leave around 10:15, the place was packed and people were waiting to be seated.  

It turned out that our friend was spot on with the recommendation as Motley School Tavern was a great place for Sunday brunch.  Everything we had was delicious.  Jasmine's service was excellent and I'm glad she talked me into getting the pastrami hash.  My wife and our friend were happy with their basic eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast breakfast.  But the extra pancakes that they got on the side were the highlight of the breakfast. We'd like to go back at some point, and when we get there I'm going to see if they could do a combination of the lemon curd and blueberry pancakes.  That taste combination could be killer.  

 

Comments

[S]

Just wanted to say I am really enjoying reading your restaurant reviews again.

[Jeni]

Looks like a great place!

[Road Tips]

Thanks much! I certainly appreciate it. Lots of time on the road again and in hotel rooms allow me to catch up on a backlog of posts that have been piling up!

[Road Tips]

Any breakfast place that does bloody marys, craft beer and espresso automatically gets a gold star from me!

[Ann Block]

Great atmosphere and food! Music is perfect combination of fun and relaxing! Love it! Had never been here before. Great waiter- warm and friendly. Pecan pie pancake was incredible.