DINERS, DRIVE-INS & DIVES DESTINATION BOUND

Darin and I made a trip to Iowa to visit with his daughter who will soon be graduating from college at Drake University, and couldn't wait to find some 'Diners, Drive-ins & Dives' with Guy Fieri locations along the way.  We had a four-hour drive to discuss all the options we would have on our journey, and we were NOT disappointed.  As I drove to Iowa, Darin scrolled through pages and pages of destinations we could visit, so we had plenty of time to figure discuss the foods we wanted to try, and look at star ratings before we made our final decision.

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Photo by Kelly Cordes
Photo by Kelly Cordes
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THE FLYING MANGO

We finally decided to try out the food at 'The Flying Mango', located in Des Moines, Iowa. The Flying Mango was featured on the first episode of Season 22 entitled: Fish, Fries & Feet. 

Photo by Kelly Cordes
Photo by Kelly Cordes
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A LONG DRIVE DESERVES A DELICIOUS DRINK

I was hungry and thirsty by the time we arrived at The Flying Mango, so I decided to try a margarita. It definitely hit the spot. I thought it was a good size margarita. It was well made with salt on the rim and on the rocks.

 

Photo by Darin Dorholt
Photo by Darin Dorholt
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'THE REDNECK SURF-N-TURF'

Pictured above is 'Redneck Surt-N-Turf', which features a delicious blackened cajun catfish, loin back ribs, tasty cornbread, and savory red beans and rice. $28.

Photo by Darin Dorholt
Photo by Darin Dorholt
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'WHAT GUY HAD'

Of course, I wanted to try all the things that Guy Fieri tried when he stopped at The Flying Mango. This was called 'What Guy Had." It was a combination plate of Memphis-style loin back ribs, a catfish cake, red beans and rice, and collard greens. The dish was $25 and I thought that the generous portions of food were well worth the price.

 

Photo by Darin Dorholt
Photo by Darin Dorholt
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'THE CHICKEN DINNER'

Darin's daughter loves chicken. They definitely provide you with a heaping 1/2 chicken plus two sides of your choice for $18.

DESSERTS

The menu clearly stated that you MUST save room for dessert; and unfortunately, after drinking a margarita, and having all that food, I absolutely didn't have any room left for dessert. However, if you go there, you may want to try the Southwest Chocolate Cake, Grandma Irene's Red Hot, or The White Chocolate Bread Pudding. Yum!!!

 

Ethan Miller
Ethan Miller
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REVIEWS

The Flying Mango has almost 400 reviews on Yelp and a 4.5-star rating.  I felt like the food was great for the price, but don't know exactly what the drinks cost, and think that may have driven up our price a bit. I wish I would have tasted their desserts because they looked amazing. Would I recommend stopping here? Yes. The staff was friendly and attentive, and I believe the owner of the restaurant was also there, as he was stopping at every table, and made sure that he spoke to everyone before they left the restaurant.  if you stop here please let me know! Share your experience and pictures using your APP.

 

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