Home > Des Moines Restaurants > Editorial Review > Editorial Juice Review: Mustards

When some friends heard I was going to Mustards, they urged me to try "those sugary, doughy dinner-roll thingies. They're like magical hole-less donuts." So when I visited the Windsor Heights barbecue joint on a Wednesday night, I dutifully asked for a few sugar biscuits, described on the menu as the restaurant's "secret weapon."

After placing orders at the counter, we settled into a booth in the casual brown-and-black dining room, decked out with a few TVs and phrases painted on the walls: "Bad to the bone" and "Get sauced . . . eat ribs responsibly."

The restaurant's not-so-secret weapon, it seems, is its baby back ribs, but at $12.75 for a half-slab, they were too pricey for our $20 budget.

THE GOOD

The Reuben I ordered had a lot going for it. Thick slices of corned beef, Swiss cheese and a sauce lighter than the usual Thousand Island dressing filled a pillowy-soft dark rye roll. I usually like crustier bread, but Mustards' ungrilled version was cushy and thick enough to protect my fingers from the grease that soaks through most Reubens. Nice touch.

The same goes for my dining partner's BBQ Turkey Cheese sandwich: generous layers of juicy turkey and gooey mozzarella on a plump hoagie roll.

Plus, the accompanying fries and onion rings were crisp and salty.

THE BAD

This is probably a result of our late arrival (10 minutes before close), but the sugar biscuits were cold. If they were warm, though, their deep-fried goodness would have been worthy of the State Fair.

Also, for a place that bills itself as "The Hometown Choice for BBQ" and has racked up a handful of city-wide and national awards since it opened in 1971, Mustards' sauce has a little too much vinegar tang for my taste. It's good, but I prefer the smokier sauces of Battle's in Ames or Kin Folks in Altoona.

BOTTOM LINE

Mustards is one of a handful of Central Iowa's places for good barbecue. Unlike most barbecue places, however, they also have a meaty menu of sandwiches that aren't smothered in sauce. It's worth a frequent visit or call for delivery.