Home > Des Moines Restaurants > Editorial Review > Editorial Juice Review: Grounds for Celebration

At first Grounds for Celebration looks like an ordinary coffee shop. Actually, it looks like a flower shop because it shares a building with Boesen the Florist. But if you pick up a menu and stay awhile, you'll find that lunch is the best reason to come here.

The Ingersoll cafe is one of five Grounds locations in the Des Moines area. It's cozy with tables filling two rooms and an outdoor patio. Thanks to the flower shop, you can actually buy the bamboo centerpiece straight off your table for $22.50.

THE GOOD

I ordered a piece of broccoli quiche, which came on a bed of mixed greens with a tangy balsamic dressing on the side. Fresh fruit and two slices of bread also were included. The quiche was stuffed with broccoli and tomatoes, seasoned with a kick of pepper and had a perfectly flaky crust. My dining partner had the Basil Pesto Penne, which I sampled a few times.

I couldn't go to a coffee shop without trying the coffee so I also had a vanilla latte. All were delicious. But it's the details that set this lunch experience apart from other sandwich-and-salad joints. The salad was crisp, and the fruit Â-- strawberries, kiwi, cantaloupe, honeydew and pineapple Â-- was all fresh, a real feat this time of year in Iowa. The pasta, flecked with bright green pesto and roasted red peppers, was plated beautifully with a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts and Parmesan cheese shavings.

Other menu items included a fruit plate with Brie, chicken salad on a croissant and more soups, salads and sandwiches. If you can't make up your mind, choose two items from the menu for $6.95. The menu changes monthly, so watch for new items.

THE BAD

The space is a little cramped, and there's not much separation between the café and the flower shop. At the end of our meal the server left us waiting too long with empty plates.

BOTTOM LINE

This place rivals Basil Prosperi and La Mie for the best inexpensive yet gourmet lunch in town. Don't forget to pick up a bunch of flowers on your way out.