Noah's Ark Ristorante — Restaurant in Des Moines

Order: Fettucine - Noah’s Ark with chicken, Cappuccino, Tiramisu Price: $37 Pros: GO EAT HERE NOW; seriously some of THE BEST Italian food I have ever eaten, it was absolutely amazing, really good tiramisu (didn’t taste pre-frozen), and the cappuccino was the best cup of coffee I had in Des Moines Cons: None (ya I know that seems crazy but read the review)

Thoughts: For the last night in Des Moines by buddy and I decided to try something new. We both really like Italian food, we both understand how many restaurants don’t get it right, and Noah’s Ark had great reviews so we decided to give it a shot. We drove past it once as there isn’t a lot of signage but once you get inside you get this immediate sense of intimacy. Not the weird, force romanticism that some restaurants create. The lighting, music, and overall atmosphere just lent itself to private conversation and really a sense of being in the moment with whoever you went with.

My buddy and I sat down, took a quick look at the menu and ordered our food. Based on all indications (suggested wine pairings, the servers, the atmosphere) I was prepared for the food to be good; I wasn’t prepared for it to be this good…Oh My God. The Noah’s Ark with chicken was basically a white cheese and cream sauce that just blew my freakin mind. The pasta was cooked perfectly, the sauce was so perfect, the exact balance of savory and slightly salty, and every bite was just as good as the last. It was so rich that even though it was a smaller portion that you may find in some restaurants, I couldn’t finish it all (at this point I also knew I wanted desert). My buddy was having a similar experience on the other side of the table with his meat based pasta and red sauce dish.

Once I finished having my world changed by this pasta, we each ordered a piece of Tiramisu and I ordered a cappuccino, desperately praying I would get my first good cup of coffee since coming to Des Moines. I was not disappointed in any way. The tiramisu was delightful, though they could have soaked the ladyfingers in a bit more rum but thats really a personal preference. The cream in the desert was perfect (I’m aware I’m using this word a lot but its the best way to describe it). And oh my God the cappuccino; wonderful espresso with heaping amounts of amazing foam on top…I would literally come here just for the coffee.

By the end of the meal I was so happy I could have hugged our waitress. We left (after buying a few Italian chocolate bars in the lobby) stuffed, with leftovers, and ridiculously happy. Though for me I was a bit sad because there is nothing of this quality of Italian in Jacksonville; I want this place in Jacksonville SO FREAKIN BAD!!!

I genuinely can’t come up with any real downsides, sure its a tad pricy but it so worth it and its really not that expensive, I would honestly say I would change NOTHING about this place, so ya. If you even remotely like Italian food, or just good food for that matter, for the love of all those who enjoy food, go here...

If you've never eaten at Noah's before, don't let the negative remarks of others keep you away. My girlfriend and I ate here for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I was thoroughly pleased. The service was prompt and polite, the food was very good, and the price was not unreasonable. Perhaps some of the negative reviews regarding food were warranted, as every single restaurant has an order or two that just didn't turn out well. It happens. Or perhaps the reviewers are just very picky. Who knows? From the experience of my girlfriend and I, my Chicken Alfredo and her lasagne were both excellent. The love knot rolls were superb, and the dinner rolls? They were even awesome reheated in the microwave the next day. As for the price, I feel like most people are comparing the prices at Noah's to what they might pay at Olive Garden or other national food chains for the same items. Yes, Noah's is slightly more expensive than Olive Garden. But not by much. And here's why: Olive Garden is a national restaurant chain owned by Darden, who also owns Red Lobster and couple other chains. Darden gets food for their restaurants from various suppliers. Being that Darden has hundreds of restaurants which are highly popular, Darden likely spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each week to supply food to their restaurants. Suppliers frequently give huge discounts to clients who make bulk orders, thus Darden/Olive Garden can order ingredients for cents on the dollar and can charge less for their food while still earning a profit. Whereas small, local establishments, such as Noah's, might spend $10k a month on ingredients, but do not get much in bulk discounts from suppliers. This means they have to charge a little more to earn a profit. Unfortunately, that is just how capitalism works. Personally, I'm okay with paying a little extra at a local business, because those employees/owners will in turn invest their money back into the community as well.

tl;dr: service was great, food was great, price was reasonable. Couldn't give 5 stars because the restaurant didn't blow me away. Everything was great, but not extraordinary. Try it if you've never been. I know...

To this day, my wife and I remember the day we found ourselves disappointed with the food and service of this restaurant.

We were there for a surprise engagement announcement so the couple wanted to eat there (was the location of their first date.) I was already aware of the Hit or Miss results of the place so I was hoping for a win... unfortunately no. It was a major loss.

Service and seating were slow to start. Though, the kitchen staff that was present did help us feel welcomed with charm and engagement.

The bride to be asked if the server could leave a pitcher at the table, since she drinks a lot of water. She was straight up told "No" and not given any alternative options for extra water. (The other guest offered their waters to her through service.) The server only refilled her glass once the whole night.

The food did arrive, but was shocked to find that most of the Italian food resembled pre-made (store bought) noodles and what looked to be pre-made cheese and tomato sauce from a can. It also tasted like cheap ingredients compared to freshly made sauces and noodles.

The chicken was dry with only the exterior holding any flavor, leading me to believe that the chicken was sitting in the fridge, frozen for some time.

Lastly, my wife's steak was suppose to be medium rare and was served well done. We informed the waitress and she acted like it we were wrong, at first... which was fair, except the meat was completely grey and browned. Fully cooked through. She too the steak back and the next steak served was rare. Cold and red in the center. Actually cold, this was crazy, the steak knife could bearly cut the meat it was so rare.

Once I pointed that out to the server, I told her that we would prefer to not have another steak and to remove the steak from the ticket. There was some pushback, but I was assertive that I was not paying for the restaurant's mistakes regarding the steak.

They did remove the steak from the bill and we have not been back since. Most of the other guest felt the same way regarding the food...