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DES MOINES DATEBOOK REVIEW
Scene: It was a dark day when Paradise Pizza closed this summer. Its neighborhood fans worried they’d have to hike to Lucullan’s, its popular older sister in Ames, to find the same array of brick-oven pizzas and gooey calzones. But paradise wasn’t lost; it was just closed for renovations. New owners reopened the place under its new name in early September, after installing a bar and renovating the dining room with new tables, chairs and a few buckets of beige paint. Gone are the dusty fake palms and rainbow cat mural (which I happened to like) — but the space feels more up-to-date.
Food: The menu has the same mix of pizzas and pastas as before, plus a few extra steak and seafood options (salmon for $16, N.Y. strip for $20). They trimmed the list of vegetarian pizzas (the Florentine, the Portabella), but longtime server Anthony Lee said die-hard fans can still find them during Sunday brunch, when the kitchen sets up a buffet from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
On our recent trip, we started with an order of crispy, thick slices of portabella flash-fried in buttermilk-herb batter ($8), before digging into the main course: a bowl of Alfredo-sauced bacon, salami and garlic fettucine called Paglia e Fieno, or “straw and hay” ($12), and a sausage-and-mushroom pizza baked in a ceramic bowl ($8). The crock pizza, as it’s called, was a mainstay of the old menu and it’s still good: sweet tomato sauce, fresh fillings and a crispy tarp-like crust stretched over the top.
Cocktails: There is now a full bar, so order whatever you’d like. I had a glass of Zonin Prosecco ($5.50), which probably should have been served in a champagne flute, but it tasted fine. The house Sauvignon Blanc ($4.50) wasn’t bad, either.
Service: Lee is great. The new owners were smart to keep him around.
Leftovers: Not a crumb.
Dishes Tried:
Paglia e Fieno
On our recent trip, we started with an order of crispy, thick slices of portabella flash-fried in buttermilk-herb batter ($8), before digging into the main course: a bowl of Alfredo-sauced bacon, salami and garlic fettucine called Paglia e Fieno, or “straw and hay” ($12), and a sausage-and-mushroom pizza baked in a ceramic bowl ($8). The crock pizza, as it’s called, was a mainstay of the old menu and it’s still good: sweet tomato sauce, fresh fillings and a crispy tarp-like crust stretched over the top.
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Best Dishes at Paradise Italian Grill
View all dishesThese dishes from the Paradise Italian Grill menu are contributed by Menuism users directly, as part of a restaurant review, or as part of a photo upload.
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Paglia e Fieno (
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