Return to 515 Brewing: Running the gamut from bitter to tart.

The Coconut Vanilla porter for me does not so much as outright taste of its namesake ingredients, but rather their influence. Others at the bar were well able to ascertain their flavors.

Not generally being a fan of wheat beers, 515's Mexican Spring, an agave/lime infused offering, boasts a delightful citrus flavor! This lowly drinker is impressed.

The D.A.R.T. Dodger is an approachable IPA, highly drinkable for the uninitiated palate as well as for those more accustomed to the bitter charms of the hop.

515's second batch of Li'l Tart sour ale is considerably less pucker inducing than version 1.0 [see blog post]. The taming of the sour makes this bracing batch quite enjoyable. I'll continue to seek it to round out a beer flight of quality, exceptional, and downright surprising 515 brews.

Coconut Vanilla porter.

Mexican Spring wheat beer.

D.A.R.T. Dodger IPA.

Li'l Tart sour ale.

Scornovacca's Ristorante: Over 40 years of awesome.

UPDATED Thursday, December 25, 2014

On recent visits I had the pleasure to enjoy Scornovacca's comforting food. It's clear why they been in business since 1973.

For a pizza I ordered up a Barille Deluxe with Scorno's housemade Italian sausage, plus capicola, mushrooms, roasted sweet peppers and pepperoni. A half-order of onion rings to whet the appetite seemed appropriate. Crunchy and lightly sweet, a touch of table salt is all the seasoning you'll need.

Scorno's pizza is tavern cut. The Deluxe is a solid build, piled high with cheese and toppings on a sturdy, competent crust. In between lies a generous slather of red sauce with a pleasing amount of spice, offering a nice throat tingle. I adore fennel and welcome its presence in Scorno's Italian sausage.

Having gotten a taste, I was anxious to enjoy to try an Italian Grinder on my return. And what a grinder it was, but first a Dinner Salad and Cheese Sticks to enjoy.

The salad was quite appetizing with iceberg lettuce, grated carrot, and slices of cucumber, tomato, and pickled banana pepper. Scorno's Creamy Romano dressing pairs vinegary brightness with grated Romano cheese.

The Cheese Sticks here aren't the overseasoned premade variety so prevalent elsewhere, but house breaded – golden and crisp – with mozzarella sourced from Graziano's, a superior southside Italian grocery [see blog post]. A side of Scorno's spaghetti sauce for dipping is richly flavored.

As for the grinder? One of the best I've enjoyed in town. A hoagie chocked full of flavorful loose meat sausage, topped with red sauce and mozzarella, and baked to perfection.

On a return trip in 2014 I tried a simple meatball pizza. It was tasty but the finely chopped meatballs were sadly lacking on this build. The abundant mozzarella dominated so much that I had to pick out the meatball chunks to appreciate their flavor and texture. The crust was blonde, but exhibited a good balance between density and airiness. Firm and crisp on the edges, but pliable enough from the 'honeypot' to bend in half and eat like a pizza taco.

Random Sips of Detritus

I vant to suck your blood orange!

Absolut may have a new designer denim sleeve for their vodka but I've been wrapping my traveling whiskey in burlap for years.

It's not how long you make the straw, it's how you make it long.

Quality time at Gong Fu Tea.

Little John's Burgers: Fast-food without all the B.S.

In the 41 years Little John's Burgers has operated out of a failed Kentucky Roast Beef at 3702 Second Ave. [see note below], they've had no need for creepy clowns or guys in tights to hawk their simple menu of burgers, pork tenders, fries, onion rings, and shakes. Although I do admit a fondness for Hardee's biscuit sandwiches and the cute redhead on Wendy's commercials of late.

What Little John's does have is a loyal customer base, spanning several generations. And in a world populated with cut-throat corporate fast-food chains with menu selections expanding faster than the average American waistline, Little John's is a welcome oasis.

Little John's cheeseburger: If the wrapper says DELICIOUS then it must be. Nothing fancy, nor does it need be.

The Big John. Essentially a Big Mac sans the middle bun; the dressing is a little more tart. Both a bonus in my book.

Paper-thin bacon on the bacon cheeseburger. Wasn't lacking for slices though, but the poor bacon was drowned in ketchup. The opposite side fared better with a juicy slice of tomato.

Shoestring fries are hot, golden and crispy. Exceptionally good! I'd make a guess they're deep fried in small batches.

NOTE: I've not found a single person who remembers the Kentucky Roast Beef franchises on Second Ave., and on the southeast corner of E. 29th & Euclid. An offshoot of Kentucky Fried Chicken, they briefly operated around 1970, but quickly failed. The latter location's building sat fallow for years before being razed; its sign poles stood at the site for many years afterward. Little John's had the foresight to re-purpose the sign to fit their need, and create a Highland Park neighborhood icon.

Adventure Time at Merle Hay Mall!

Adventure Time inspired T-shirt artwork at the Airbrush X-press kiosk in Merle Hay Mall. On the bottom left… BMO looks constipated. A VHS tape jam?

Recent eats: Olympic Flame, Peace Tree Brewing, Smashburger.

Just a week shy of Olympic Flame's 25th anniversary celebration I stopped in for lunch. The Gyros Plate appetizer with sliced, grilled gyros meat, fried zucchini, pita points, and tzatziki sauce was a much lighter alternative to a full gyros sandwich with fries. Zucchini fried in a light batter were quite surprising, and even more delicious dipped in cucumber-laden tzatziki. A side appetizer of spanakopita was superbly crisp. An unexpected lagniappe: shots of ouzo with the proud chef. Opa!

On my way with friends to a birthday party in Ottumwa, we stopped off at Peace Tree Brewing in Knoxville for refreshments in the taproom. While they sampled a beer flight, I dove right into an impressive Imperial Stout. Deeply flavored, truly a warriors' drink! After such a heady quaff I backed down on my next pint, settling for Peace Tree's sweet, lightly effervescent root beer. Needing more solid sustenance I was pleased to find available extraordinary bar snacks: small batch Gouda cheese curds from nearby Frisian Farms of Oskaloosa, and flax-fed, 90% lean beef sticks from Timber Ridge Cattle of Osceola.

At an unexpected visit to Smashburger's lone Iowa location in West Des Moines, I ordered up an Iowa burger with Maytag blue cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, topped with crispy fried onions. A little greasy, not unlike a previous experience a few years back. Strongly flavored Maytag blue predominates. A side of fried dill pickle chips were okay, but pale in comparison to Fat Tuesday's less oily cornmeal-encrusted chips [see blog post]. What did I enjoy the most from this visit? The Mint Oreo shake.

Pasta, pizza and dessert at the Wig and Pen.

I'd been to Wig and Pen in Ankeny several times last November for their Chicago-style stuffed pizza and the Flying Tomato, a cheese-topper pan pizza crowned with slices of tomato. Both rate high in my book [see blog post].

Looking over the menu I was intrigued by Wig and Pen's baked pasta dish, the Wigatoni, but it took a few months and the onset of warmer weather before I managed a revisit.

First and foremost is the crusty-edged cap of melted mozzarella on top, keeping the combination of rotini and mostaccioli moist, but still appealingly firm. A choice of mild or spicy chunky Italian sausage is offered: I picked spicy. Indeed, spicy enough to take notice.

Held together with a lightly-chunky tomato sauce, it's on the loose side when piping hot. For that and to avoid burning your mouth, I suggest letting the dish rest for a bit to cool and firm up. Plenty of time to peck around the edges and loosen up that glorious crusty edge of cheese from the sides of the bowl.

Final assessment: the Wigatoni is good to the last slop. It's why garlic bread was invented. Wig and Pen also offers a Vegetoni with mushrooms, onions, and sweet Italian pepper, and mini versions of both best suited for lunch and smaller appetites.

Always on the lookout for mac and cheese I returned to try Wig and Pen's baked variety, with bacon crumbles as an add-on. Chicken is also another option. Built with rotini and mostaccioli tossed in a thin, creamy cheese sauce blend, topped with crisp breadcrumbs. An unexpected but tasty tang of cream cheese betrays its presence. Garlic bread pairs quite well. Its tasty and kid pleasing, but doesn't top the awesomeness of the Wigatoni.

Having scratched those off my must-do list at the Wig and Pen, I was more than ready to finally try their thin crust pizza. And what a marvelous thin crust it is: crisp, even under the middle, with a crunchy rind. It's now my favorite style of pizza here, even over the Flying Tomato. For the build I went with a Pub Special with pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, onion, and a bounty of sweet red pepper. Zippy red sauce, plentiful toppings.

Still feeling peckish after polishing off slightly less than half of a medium thin crust, I ordered up a Pizookie for dessert. What's a Pizookie you say? Its a chocolate chip cookie baked in a bowl, served from the oven, and topped with vanilla ice cream and a maraschino cherry. Simply put, it's good!