Alba - Des Moines

Our first time dining here. Our server was fantastic, very attentive without being intrusive. Food timing of our appetizers, salad, entree, and dessert was perfect. All the dishes we had were truly delicious. My hanger steak was perfectly cooked and the potato pave was an awesome side. Decent wine list and great ambience. We will definitely dine here again soon.

We had dinner at Alba to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We split an appetizer of Maryland lump crab on brioche toast with pea pistou that was delicious. My husband ordered gnocchi with prawns and savored every bite, with a side of potato pave that we shared. The pave was fantastic: creamy inside and delightfully crisp outside, served in a small cast iron skillet. I ordered duck ragu, which was served over house-made papardelle with Pico Limon olives and cherry tomatoes. Absolutely outstanding! We splurged on dessert; my husband raved over his pot de creme and I savored every bite of my snickerdoodle creme brulee. Our server was delightful: well-informed about every item on the menu, attentive without hovering, friendly with a wonderful sense of humor.

We celebrated our anniversary last night at Alba and it was the best choice for dinner. My wife and I each had a steak, a side, a salad, and a dessert. Every person on the crew, from our waiter to the host ensured we had everything we needed, cleared plates, filled water, etc. All of the food was meticulous and delicious. I would highly recommend Alba for your next dinner choice.

Maybe I caught them on an off day but the food we got was pretty poor. The meats tasted at best low quality and and in the case of the prawns tasted as though they'd gone bad. None of the dishes seemed to have any salt and while I understand you can add salt at the table for the prices charged I think it's fair to expect that food will be seasoned. Overall just a big let down.

This is a mixed review. We really love this restaurant and want to see it succeed. Service is great, ambience is great, the dining room is very pleasant. The issue is with some of the dishes. The pasta dish was excellent. The gnocchi were pillows of cloud. The sauces were very tasty and luxurious. The fish was a little overdone and dry. The vegetables however were severely underdone and inedible. This spoiled at least two dishes. If you make soup, would you undercook the root veg? I think not. So why serve plates with hard carrots and turnips? Root veg need cooking to bring out their flavor and to aid digestion. I felt a little sad leaving the restaurant and a little annoyed that myself and my companion ate only some of our dinner.