11/23/2023 Update: There is also the St. Andrews Renaissance Faire in Ames. 2023 was its third year.
The new Ames Renaissance Faire has been announced for April 13-14, 2024. Very few details have been released so far, but their website currently says:
Opening Ceremony at 11am!
Join us and step back in time for the first Ames Renaissance Faire located at 1400 S 4th St Ames, IA.
Watch sword fights, circus acts, fire-eating, sword-swallowing and enter on a quest to find the town bandit!
https://amesrenfaire.square.site/about
The 4th Street location is the property used by the Ames Haunted Forest in October.
The Ames Renaissance Faire makes the third new Renaissance festival added to Iowa since the Des Moines Renaissance Faire (2004-2015, 2019-2021) ceased operations. There was a time when Iowa had as many as seven Renaissance festival events in a year, and we are now back (or beyond) that number. Huzzah!
Here are the currently operating Renaissance festivals, from oldest to newest:
Iowa Renaissance Festival (1992-current) – Amana Colonies
Kingdom of Riverssance (2004?-current) – Sioux City
Sleepy Hollow Renaissance Faire (2016-current) – Des Moines
Midlands Renaissance Revel (2018-current) – Council Buffs
St. Andrews Renaissance Faire (2021-current) – Ames
Travelers Renaissance Village (2023-current) – Greenfield
Fairfield Renaissance Faire (2023-current) – Fairfield
Earlier this year, Smoking GOAT Pub opened on Merle Hay Rd. It is in a strip mall just south of Merle Hay Mall. By name, I wondered if it might be a place specializing in BBQ smoked goat, but I learned it was a sports themed “Greatest Of All Time” place.
Smoking Goat Pub on Merle Hay
It is a restaurant/bar so all ages are welcome. It even has a children’s menu. The normal menu features things like burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and a unique “Boudin” brat. (Boudin is a rice/meat thing popular around Louisiana, and this brat allows a similar taste served on a bun.)
Boudin Brat at Smoking Goat Pub
The drink menu features cocktails and craft beers (a selection on tap or in cans/bottles) as well as seltzers and even Climbing Kites “cannabis infused” canned drinks.
On weekends, they serve a breakfast featuring a plate (eggs, meat, thick hash brows and toast), build-your-own bowl/burrito, and some of the best biscuits and gravy we have had anywhere.
Breakfast Plate at Smoking Goat Pub.
The interior is much classier than the surrounding strip mall might suggest, with fancy light fixtures, a nice bar and modern seating. The prices are closer to that of a dive bar, so it’s an interesting mix of “looks fancy” and “is affordable.”
The classy bar at Smoking Goat Pub.
In addition to weekend breakfast, they also have been doing nightly specials. We’ve visited several times on Monday night for good southern fried catfish, chicken and rib tips — with classic southern sides such as fried okra, collard greens and black eyed peas. On these nights, Shelby’s Southern Smokehouse takes over the kitchen. We used to love eating at Fat Tuesday when it was open across town, and are happy to find another place to get great catfish.
Money night catfish at Smoking Goat Pub.
With a name like Smoking goat, in a city where smoking is not allowed indoors, they do at least have a new offering that is smoking — smoked drinks. You can get “BBQ whiskey” smoked up for an interesting taste, or something like a smoky Old Fashioned. They only started offering these in recent weeks, and they have already become popular.
Smoking drink at Smoking Goat Pub
The staff has also been super friendly. There are four owners to the place, so you may encounter one of them during a visit. During our breakfast this morning, their chef, Rudolf Cabezas, came out to introduce himself and chat with us. He showed us photos of some spectacularly artistic fruit trays he makes for special events (like, carved sculptures made out of fruit – very impressive). He let us know that Thursday will soon feature items like street tacos, nachos, quesadillas and other Mexican dishes.
Rudy Sandoval, chef at Smoking Goat Pub, also does food presentations for special events.
As you can tell, this is not a typical “sports bar” with beer and wings. Though they do have wings. And beer. And TV screens. And a pool room. And speaking of the pool room, it features a mural painted by a local artist, as well as a photo wall featuring famous athletes from Iowa.
Mural at Smoking Goat Pub (sorry for the low quality photo; this was exported from a 360 video I took).
These days, I am not much of a sports fan, but we have been to Smoking Goat Pub many times during the day. While the TVs will always be on, they play an interesting mix of music (and a digital jukebox is on the wall). I expect the vibe is quite different on a game night.
It’s worth checking out. Find them at 3015 Merle Hay Rd, Des Moines, IA 50310 and tell ’em Doing Des Moines sent ya 😉
Today I visited Magee’s Irish Pub & Eatery in Ankeny. They are a local, family-owed restaurant that has a fantastic menu of Irish foods such as Shepherd’s Pie, Bangers and Mash, and even Scotch Eggs. (These sounds more exotic than it really is – bangers are just sausages, and mash is mashed potatoes, for example.)
For lunch, I had the Tipperary Irish Stew. Even the presentation of the mashed potatoes was fancy 😉
Tipperary Irish Stew at Magee’s Irish Pub & Eatery
They also have an incredible bar featuring great import beers, whiskeys and more. It’s quite the experience. And, once a month, there is an Irish Jam where a bunch of musicians gather and play Irish tunes. (We went for that this past Tuesday night.) Fun place!
Magee’s Irish Pub & Eatery
They are located at 1610 Southwest Main St. in Ankeny, IA in that complex that has all the restaurants, shops, and bars. If you’ve ever visited B&B Theatres you have been practically next door.
A video interview with them will be posted shortly.
Did folks who left a comment get a special clue? According to the Facebook post from yesterday, which has now been edited, they were told to check their inboxes.
FIRST PORTAL CLOSED
COMMENTERS CHECK YOUR INBOX
Slaughterhouse Facebook post update.
Did the rest of us just miss out?
Or did some commenters say the right thing, figuring out something in that original post?
In the parlance of the ancients, a contest foretold, Amidst shadows and deception, a tale to unfold.
Victory’s sweet whispers, in challenges untold, Unlock the secret with prowess, a key to behold.
No money can buy you what this key unlocks. Keep paying attention… tomorrow is another day
Slaughterhouse Facebook post, 11/15/2023
It looks like the first challenge, quest or game will soon begin to earn a special key to The Haunt downtown. These keyholders will have access to special events held at the speakeasy.
Slaughterhouse Facebook post, 11/15/2023
In response to comments on the Facebook post, Slaughterhouse replies…
we see you spinning webs… tomorrow you’ll receive a thread 🕸️
Slaughterhouse response to comments on their Facebook page
The game is afoot … or at least will be, tomorrow.
If you’d like to share messages with other The Haunt fans, drop by the unofficial Facebook group:
On Saturday, November 11, 2023, we visited a new downtown bar called The Haunt. It is owned and operated by the folks behind The Slaughterhouse haunted attraction at 500 Locust St.
After a Halloween night soft opening, The Haunt opened to the public on the weekend of November 10-11. The current hours are Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 1:30am. We showed up a bit after 5pm and looked for a place to park. While the entrance to the haunted house is off of Locust St., the entrance to The Haunt is around the corner on 5th Ave. next to a parking garage. If you get lucky, you can part at a meter right across from the entrance.
The Haunt entrance on 5th Ave.
After entering the building, we were greeted by a security guard at a podium. We were asked if we were there for the escape room or the bar, then were directed down a flight of concrete stairs to get to the lower level of the building. (An elevator is also available, so remember to ask for it if you need it.) This is where you see the first signs that this is not a normal bar. A vampire hangs above you as you descend in to the darkness, and a clown is sitting in a chair at the bottom.
A vampire hangs above you as you descend the stairs.
The lower level is where the haunted house, the escape room (which uses a few of the areas you pass through when visiting the haunted house), and The Haunt are located.. Restrooms are also nearby. A short walk down a themed hallway leads to the bar.
A creepy hallway is your route to The Haunt.
A red curtain is held open by chains, allowing you to step inside the speakeasy.
Red curtains clash with the blood stained walls at the entrance to the bar.
Welcome to The Haunt.
Upon entering, we were immediately impressed by how classy everything was presented — even if the theme is “run down, covered in cobwebs, and a bit bloody.”
A look across the room towards the bar.Guest areas are clean and classy. But the surroundings are creepy.
When you enter, the full bar is at the left end, and a small stage is at the right end. Across the way is a hole torn out of the wall which leads to the pool room.
A hole in the wall to get to the pool room.
The pool room is also themed, with a very unusual lighting fixture and special effects going off occasionally (thunder and lighting flashes).
The pool room.Not your usual pool table lighting…
There is even a “serving hole” knocked out of the wall giving pool room patrons easy access to the bar in the next room.
Pool room serving hole for bar orders.
The main seating area features small round tables with four chairs, and various other chairs and tables in the corners.
Tables for four.Table for two.
The whole place is incredibly detailed and looks like it could be used as a classic horror movie set. There are even some horror movie posters on the walls.
Classic movie posters on the walls.
At the bar, on tap is “blood” and “piss” — two Iowa beers that taste nothing like their names (fortunately). We just had to taste each and see what they were.
Beers on tap: Blood and Piss.
There are various other beers available, including mundane domestics for those not bold enough to order “a glass of piss.”
The menus are very well presented in a wooden holder. It features a huge assortment of fun-named specialty drinks such as “The Frankenstein” or “The Mummy.” Each menu entry listed the main ingredients, plus some wordage themed to the drink. For example:
The Creature – Vanilla vodka, creme de’ menthe, chocolate and … algae.
The Invisible Man – Gin, brandy, orange liquor, ginger beer and … bandages.
We knew it was going to be a fun visit as we tried several of these offerings.
The Haunt’s opening weekend menu.
Here is the full menu as it appeared on the website for opening weekend (November 10-11, 2023):
The Haunt menu from https://slaughterhousedm.com/haunt
The drinks at $9 seemed very reasonable for specialty drinks at a themed bar. Beers (on tap or craft) and Seltzers were $6, and domestic beers were $4.
The speciality drinks are available in “HAUNTED” (alcohol) or “EXORCISED” (non-alcoholic) versions. In addition to the specialty drinks, the full bar (which had two bartenders working during out visit) can make anything you want — like a boring rum and cola.
There are two unusual items that stand out: Clown Rounds (spiked snow cones) and Transylvanian Absinthe Service. The absinthe service featured an interesting presentation that most have probably never seen, let alone experienced.
Lefty and Trig Biggs explain Transylvanian Absinthe Service.
I am no absinthe expert, but there is something about an absinthe cup and an absinthe spoon and a sugar cube and fire. It was quite the presentation. We only watched it this time, but plan to order one on our next visit.
Sugar cube versus fire.Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.
We were impressed that on opening weekend the bartenders could actually make every drink we ordered. This shouldn’t even need to be mentioned, but we visited a major theme park Halloween experience earlier this year and found their bartenders had to go look up how to make their drinks. Kudos to the bar staff here for being so well prepared.
Blood and piss on tap, or the bartended can make you something less embarrassing to order.
Currently, the bar is open to the public only on Friday and Saturday nights. There will be certain private events/nights that require a special key to access. These keys are going to be made available in a variety of ways, such as by having folks complete missions in the real world (go somewhere, look for something, ask a certain question, etc.). It sounds a bit like an ARG (alternate reality game).
On special nights, we were told that the white “skull” sign outside will change colors to indicate a special key holder event. We can’t wait to learn more about these.
The Haunt key, needed for access to special events.
In conclusion, the drinks are great, the prices are very reasonable, the service is fantastic, and the theming is Hollywood-quality. The Haunt would feel right at home at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. (Thought it is actually far, far better than any of the Halloween bars we saw at Universal this year.)
We can’t wait to get back and continue working our way through the menu. Great job, Lefty, Trig and all the Slaughterhouse crew that helped make this place a reality. Opening weekend felt like a polished bar that had been running smoothly for years. We wish you great success with the project.
P.S. – Without spoiling things, let’s just say you should make sure you visit the restrooms.
Video
The Haunt – November 11, 2023 (Horizontal version)
Work has finally begun on the Doing Des Moines video series. I started podcasting back in August 2005, and in 2007 I had plans to add a new video podcast focusing on things going on here. Other shows took priority (including one I was being paid to do by a Toyota marketing firm) so Doing Des Moines never happened.
Maybe this time it will. Work has at least begun on ideas for the video intro/outro and theme song. You can see the very rough prototypes over at the new Doing Des Moines YouTube channel:
Doing Des Moines rough intro/outro version 2
I will be adding a form for folks to send in suggestions of places I should interview. Until then, leave a comment here or find me on the DDM Facebook Page.
COMMENTERS CHECK YOUR INBOX
