Aposto was in an 1880 Victorian mansion with dimmed lights and a seasonally changing menu.  The concept was created by restauranteur Tony Lemmo offering modern classical Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.  The place was formerly called Cafe di Scala but reopened under the present name in Jan 2016.  The new name was chosen because it means “everything is right.”  They are proud of their wine list and cocktail program.  USA Today named it one of the most romantic restaurants in America this year.  Black cloths cover the tables on the wood floors with views out the many windows and music in the background.  There was a bar for seating and also a patio.  A mix of ages and dress was in the guests, many of which were celebrating that special occasion.  It may not be the best ever but for Des Moines it’s a winner and if you’re in the area you should get a reservation and try it.

Set-up

Food

We each had a Cardini salad which was their version of a Caesar salad.  It was made with Romaine, toasted romano, tomato, and bread crumbs with Caesar dressing. Their twist was crumbling the croutons so you had a bit of crisp with every bite.  The lettuce also had good crunch and the small tomatoes had flavor but the mix could have used more lemon or vinegar to accent the ingredients.  Overall it was good.

We split Lemmo’s cavatelli which was made with marinara, house calabrian sausage, romano and ground fennel.  The thick pasta was cooked perfectly and delicious with the herby sausage.  Lots of fennel in the mix but no spiciness.  A good one.

We also split the osso bucco – a lamb shank with roasted brussels sprouts, goat cheese polenta and mint gremolata.  The savory meat was nice and the creamy polenta good.  The brussels were well browned but edible.  The jus from the well done lamb (that seemed more like a neck cut than shoulder cut) was quite savory and good with the meat and polenta.  One serving was plenty for two.

The bundt cake was a lemon poppy seed cake topped with Genepy strawberries and vanilla whipped cream.  The tasty strawberries  were good with the cream but the cake was a tad dry for a bundt cake.  It was fine and a good sweet fix but not great.  Still it was plenty sweet for satisfying end to the meal.