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Azalea - CLOSED
9 reviews for Azalea
9 reviews in English
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Review from Sharon M.
Oakland, CA
9/8/2008
Please let me pretend that I have dined at Azalea. My husband is a high school buddy of its owner, Jeremy Morrow, who whipped up the most fabulous lunch I ever, ever could of imagined for our wedding. We had crab cakes, ribs, hummus, and about 5 other items that my guests have been raving about since August 8, 2008. Jeremy knows food.
I knew he could perform food miracles when, a couple of month ago, he transformed the cheap pork cutlets we had in the fridge, and made us a meal to remember. One day I hope I'll have the chance to experience the full effect. -
Review from Adam W.
12/21/2007
Great atmosphere and decor; pretty good (not great) food. I ordered the goat cheese/artichoke spring rolls (sounds better than it tasted; lacked pizzaz) and the beef short ribs (with sushi rice and cabbage). After not having short ribs for several years, I found myself ordering it two nights in a row (last night at Sage). Sage's ribs were better but Azalea's were decent. They could have definitely conjured up a better side than "sushi rice" and cabbage but the ample portion made up for the lack of excitement.
The service was definitely lacking. Perhaps this is an Iowa thing but we had to ask for bread (midway through our appetizers) and I observed other tables getting their bread midway through their meals as well. Also, when our entrees were served, we had no knives and had to flag down our waiter to get them. Lastly, and this is a pet peeve of mine, the waiter started talking to my fellow diners about dessert when I was still eating my entree. It's one thing to remove all the plates from the table while someone is still eating, but it's downright amateur hour to talk about dessert when someone is still finishing their entree. Not cool.
The other thing I can't understand is how can you operate a restaurant like this and not serve cappucino? Sage didn't have cappucino either. Maybe it's a geographic thing but I thought it was a little strange that we couldn't get it two nights in a row.
The classic decor and relatively low prices account for the 3 stars. Dinner for 4 of us (with one dessert) was a reasonable $150. -
Review from Megan H.
Ankeny, IA
Updated - 5/5/2009
I went back to Azalea with high hopes based on my initial dining experience and am seriously disappointed to have to downgrade my initial review. We sat at our table for a staggering 30 minutes without anyone coming to check on us or even fill our water glasses (with no servers in sight, we couldn't seem to catch anyone's attention and very nearly ordered drinks from the bar). We waited for what seemed like ages before receiving anything from the kitchen. And although the standoffish server did apologize in a very backhanded way and comp us our desserts and one of our appetizers, I was just not excited about the food. What happened to the restaurant I was so excited about just after its opening?? I hope Azalea lives up to my initial impressions again someday... but for now, I'm not going back.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/31/2007 First to Review
Azalea is a terrific addition to downtown Des Moines. Located in the bottom floor of the newly… Read more »
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Review from Angela S.
Des Moines, IA
1/15/2010
Just ate here for lunch for the first time. I liked the menu selection and atmosphere. It's also connected to the skywalk, which was convenient. The service was incredibly slow. I think they may have been understaffed, but it didn't look too busy. I spent the majority of the time hungry and wondering if my co-workers would notice my obscenely long lunch break. 45 minutes after being seated, We got our food and it was delicious. At least mine was, i got the portobello sandwich. My friend got a burger and thought it pretty good, but was hungry enough to make it awesome. The waiter also took half off the meal price (without us asking) and apologized for the slow service, so that brightened my feelings towards the place. I would return when I'm in no rush.
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Review from Matthew A.
Ankeny, IA
12/27/2009 1 photo
Really enjoyed my dinner. The menu was a bit limited but I easily found a few dishes that fit my picky taste buds. The service was great. The decor is trendy and clean. Wine selection is more than adequate. Will be back.
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Review from Susan M.
West Des Moines, IA
11/26/2010
I'm not sure why this restaurant isn't busier. I've been twice in 3 weeks. Great food, cocktails, service, and ambiance. I loved the Euro cocktail. The butternut squash ravioli were delicious.....Service was perfect. I'd hate to see this lovely restaurant within walking distance of The Civic Center go under. Go check it out.
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Review from Nathan B.
Takoma Park, MD
12/8/2008
Great place for fine dining DSM style. Food is great, not mindblowing.
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Review from Alex J.
Chicago, IL
7/31/2010
Great service, and pretty decor and atmosphere. The entrees were overpriced for the quality which was sub-par. The fried oysters tasted like fried saltballs but the pork and beans had good pork and bland beans. The service was excellent and by far was the best part of the dinner. The "napoleon" ice cream was great, strawberry, goat cheese,and balsamic flavors meshed perfectly. Good bar selection. Still, there are better options for the price.
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Review from Michael L.
West Des Moines, IA
5/23/2010
Had dinner at Azalea last night. Was first seated at one of the tables in the center of the restaurant instead of one of the nicer private booths along the wall. Asked the waitress if we could move and she gladly obliged. We tried the Cheese plate selecting two of the three available cheeses. Both were mediocre. I ordered the Crispy Duck, and my wife had the Seared Ahi Tuna. Both were excellent. The Duck was perfectly cooked and had a very nice pecan relish and cherry mixture. The Seared Tuna was also a perfect medium rare, and was accompanied by a few small tempura shrimp and asparagus spears. We also enjoyed a nice bottle of Shiraz Viognier blend. The meal was also served with a delicious bread. Azalea is a little on the pricey side, but the meal and service were very good.
