Mike "The Beard" T.'s Profile

Camille's is one of my favorite places to eat in Ankeny. They are located on Delaware right next to Vitamin World and the AT&T store. My favorite item on the menu is the Quesadilla Wrap, which starts with a Jalapeno-cheddar tortilla, grilled chicken
breast, bacon, pepperjack, sour cream and salsa, though I usually go sans the latter (the salsa is great if you're looking for a bit of a kick).

Other things on the menu include the regular deli items like paninis, salads, pizzas and sandwiches. Camille's offers a range of smoothies as well as soft drinks and coffee.

One of the best things about Camille's is the style and design of the store. The interior is dressed in bold, bright colors and the light fixtures are made out of empty Perrier bottles. Camille's also boasts an outdoor patio which makes any lunch better on a warm, afternoon day.

Over the lunch hour they stay busy, but after 5pm the place is usually deserted. Also, as far as I could tell, no Wi-Fi was available, so that will probably put off anyone looking to hold a client meeting or students looking for a place to study.

Even though Camille's has a few downfalls, I still go back time and time again to support them because I enjoy the atmosphere and environment.

Hopefully more locals will make their way out to this cafe.

Ifyou're going to stop here for a meal, the best time to do it is over lunch for the buffet. The wait staff is quick to get you seated and take drink orders, which is nice if you're on a short lunch.

The store is clean and well kept, though the buildong is somewhat small. The buffet area isn't gigantic, but that just means quicker turnover for the pizza you want.

This location also runs a punch card program for their buffet where your 9th meal is free. Go with a friend and fill out one card twice as fast.

My favorite part is the endless supply of fresh breadsticks and marinara sauce.

This location was recently updated with Taco Johns' new franchise look. The menu is very standard, but my favorite item lately is the beef chalupa.

The staff here all seem to be younger, which could explain some of their rowdy and raucous behavior late on a Saturday night visit, but overall it was a good experience.

Don't plan on taking a large group here as the dining area is quite small. The drive-thru is quick, but I hate the steep driveway entrance to the store.

This location, which claims to be the "original" Legends American Grill (out of six), is tucked away in a strip mall off of 60th and Ashworth in West Des Moines. I've eaten at two other Legends locations before, but this was my first time here.

The dining area was smaller than others, though there was still a substantial amount of seating. The bar spans the middle section of the room with everyone else sitting at high or low tables and chairs.

I ordered the Pepper Jack Chicken sandwich and Legends fries (a seasoned waffle fry, one of their trademarks). The sandwich arrived with pepper jack cheese, two crispy strips of bacon and the optional lettuce, tomatoes and crunchy pickle slices, all on a real dinner plate. The sandwich was excellent (as were the others I've tried before, including the signature Legends Burger). The Legends fries go best with a side of ranch dipping sauce and an ice cold soda.

TVs are abundant around the room and they offer free wireless internet. I wasn't able to determine which specific network was their's, but I was able to connect.

Our waitress was very kind and did a good job checking in on my friend and I, always offering to refill a glass or get anything else we needed.

Legends American Grill has a large, varied menu and has several of their own specialties that will keep me coming back again and again.

Cafe Diem is part of a small retail area on S Ankeny Blvd across from the DMACC campus. They offer all the regular fixings of a local coffee house along with a unique layout.

Grab a stool at the bar, a booth on the back wall or a big, comfy chair along the front windows. The colorful paint scheme on the walls is inviting and conducive to a relaxing atmosphere. Free wireless is available and they've got fairly late hours (10pm-ish during the week, later on weekends).

I stopped in one evening to burn through some work on my laptop and enjoyed a hot cup of Earl Grey tea. It was a welcome change from my desk and home and I'd definitely consider stopping over more often in the future.

Whether you're there with friends, to hold a client meeting or to check out the local musical artists performing, Cafe Diem is a great place to stop in Ankeny.

The Noodle Zoo on the north end of Ankeny fits right alongside it's other local sibling locations. The dining room has hand painted, jungle-themed floors with a myriad of colors and artwork splashed around the walls. Seating is handled via simple, yet elegant, round or square tables and wooden chairs.

The menu is slightly sparse in comparison to other restaurants (just a one-panel menu, front side only), but they offer a wide variety in what they do serve. I always get the Parmesan grill sandwich, choosing ham, turkey or chicken depending on how I'm feeling.

All entrees come with a unique noodle house salad with ranch dressing and croutons, sure to set your meal off to a great start. Beverages are served in real glass glasses, something that seems to be rather rare these days. I usually enjoy a Diet Coke with my meal (served by the can with an ice-filled glass), though they've also got a bar and a nice selection of wines, alcohol and other beers and microbrews.

If you can't make it into the dining room, consider ordering a slew of Zoo Bags for your next office meeting. This fresh take on deli favorites is sure to be a hit.

As a restaurant that got it's start in Corning, Iowa in 1985, I was excited to check out a local eatery gone franchise. The Breadeaux in Ankeny is located in a strip mall setting and has just a small dining area (6-8 tables max). Hours are not as late as other pizza joints, but they're open til 8pm most nights.

A unique feature about Breadeaux is that rather than sitting down and placing an order with a waitress, customers walk up to the front counter and order off the menu board (similar to a concession stand). Once your order is placed you can pick your booth or table and wait for your pizza to arrive.

My first trip was a dine-in experience on a Saturday night and the place was fairly deserted. We ordered a basic Canadian bacon pizza and cheese sticks. The cheese sticks ended up coming out as regular breadsticks, but our waitress apologized, let us keep the breadsticks and got our correct order started again.

The pizza, breadsticks and cheesesticks were all delicious. Breadeaux uses a unique "French" crust that has its own style and taste. It's very different than other pizza crusts, but in a good way.

The wait time for our food was also slightly longer than the more popular chains, but we weren't in a hurry and the food was worth the wait.

Breadeaux offers dine-in, carry-out and delivery options, so they've got you covered no matter how you like your pizza. If you're in the northwest section of Ankeny and are looking for something different, give Breadeaux a try.

White Birch Auto Wash is just down the street from my house and they have an excellent touch-free wash system. The facilities include two automatic wash bays as well as three manual wash spaces.

The automatic washes offer four different price points, all of which are competitive with other local washes. The manual bays are also very affordable, with only a few dollars required to get started. I'd have to stop out and review their signage to get exact figures.

As a car enthusiast, I like using manual washes because they give me more control over how the car is washed and with what materials. However, when I'm in a hurry and just need a quick spray down and air dry, I can get fairly picky when choosing which wash to use.

White Birch Auto Wash offers a touch-free wash, no bay ramps or tracks to drive up over (which are usually a problem for lowered vehicles like my own) and a contoured air dry at the end which does the best job at blasting the last few drops of water off of the car.

Also, if you're looking for a few dollars off, stop and get gas at the Kum & Go station around the corner at 1910 SW White Birch Cir. They give discounts at the White Birch Auto Wash with your gas purchase.

I've eaten here 3 or 4 times and can't say I'm a big fan. The style of the restaurant (pick out your food and let them cook it) is cool, but it just ends up being a bit too greasy for my taste.

The most interesting part of the experience is watching the circle of cooks grilling up your food on the round grill in the center of the restaurant. It's a wonder they don't get dizzy spinning round it all day.

One thing I do love off the menu is the egg drop soup. It's a bit spicy, but not over the top. If you're looking for something light, the soup is a good choice.

First off, I'd like to admit that I help Mark Beeler (the owner of all three Des Moines area Rookies locations) with the marketing efforts for Rookies. I put together their website and am trying to get the word out about their restaurants. It's exciting to see a great site like Yelp where people can come and write honest, unadulterated reviews of their favorite (and least favorite) businesses and establishments.

This Rookies location is just down the road from my house and I love stopping in for a true bar and grill meal. The Smokehouse Cheeseburger is my favorite burger and the fries they serve are unlike anything I've seen anywhere else. Rookies has plenty of booths as well as high and low tables for seating so its easy to find a spot you like. There are plenty of TV screens tuned in to all the different sporting events, though I don't usually pay much attention to what is playing.

I go to Rookies because I like the food and the atmosphere. I'd recommend anyone in the area to check it out if you're looking for a new take on the typical "bar and grill" type restaurant.