| Located in a white house built in 1880 that
was owned by two sisters from 1938 to 1986, the dining rooms could have been made
overly quaint, but they weren't. The room we dined in - likely a recent addition
- had high ceilings with stained glass windows, white-washed walls, white tablecloths
and blond-wood chairs. It was cheerful and well lit - perhaps too well lit for
my tastes (besides, it made the water spots on the silverware and glasses especially
glaring). Empty candle holders sat unused on the table. Somewhat incongruous to
the fine-dining experience were servers casually dressed in khakis; as my dining
companion noted, when you dress up to go out somewhere nice, you kind of want
your server to blend. These initial complaints were quickly forgotten as
we moved on to the appetizers. The artichoke spinach dip here proved a nice twist
on this now-ubiquitous starter. Little or no Parmesan made this creamy version
less cloying than most, and generous artichoke chunks gave us what we were really
after. Another nice touch: puffy, fried pita bread sprinkled with cinnamon. It
worked. The New Orleans shrimp were fresh, firm and cayenne spicy, without the
grainy throat-burn that less-expert versions bring. The tossed salad included
four kinds of lettuce, cheese, olives, croutons, tomatoes, carrots and radishes
- like a trip to the salad bar without getting up. The Caesar was disappointing:
With sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and a bite-less dressing served on the side,
it was busy and nontraditional. The French onion soup - caramely onions in a rich
broth - stood out by not being too salty (a common fault); the potato-cheese soup
with bacon and scallions - hearty and homemade - would have been better had it
been just a tad hotter. So, is the prime rib Iowa's best? I'd say it's among
the best (it ties with Big Steer, in my view).
The huge and juicy top-quality cut was a beautiful piece of meat. Encrusted with
a seasoned salt rub, it had little fat and cut like butter. We also enjoyed
a raspberry pork loin-tender; light pink slices sat atop a pool of a sweet, very
raspberry-flavored glaze that melded well with the meat's juices. The pasta of
the day brought a shell stuffed with ricotta and surrounded by a seafood sauce
with scallops, shrimp and lobster. The rich sauce got its flavor from the seafood,
not merely from the butter or cream. Slightly disappointing was the Lemon Chicken,
with its sauce of wine, capers, pinenuts and lemon juice. I've had this dish here
before, when the sauce was velvety smooth, light and just slightly creamy; this
night, it was almost gravy-like and had begun to separate on my plate. Other
menu choices include a rainbow trout topped with bacon, onions and tomatoes; sauteed
scallops with artichokes and porcini mushrooms; Creole prawns; a fresh fish of
the day; Chicken Marsala; and beef tenderloin. Of course, there's Steak deBurgo,
too. The dessert tray brought a wide selection; this night it included a champagne
cake, tiramisu, rum cake, a white chocolate mousse and other delectables. The
mousse looked like a wedge of cheesecake but was sweet and fluffy. The rum cake
was just slightly dry but abetted with a high-quality vanilla ice cream. The
noisiest complaint of the evening was about the coffee: typical weak, rural-Iowa
truck-stop stuff, it just didn't provide the kick we needed for the drive back
to Des Moines. Still, The Cottage on Broad is a lovely restaurant, another
rural Iowa treasure that Central Iowans can be proud of. |
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Details What:
The
Cottage on Broad
Where:
410 Broad St.,
Story City.
Phone:
(515) 733-4376
Hours:
Lunch served 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays;
dinner served 5 p.m. to 8:30-9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 5 p.m. to 9:30-10
p.m. Saturdays; closed Sundays.
Overall:
Food:
Service:
Atmosphere:
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