With food that is fresh and well prepared, dining at the Bistro Montage is quite satisfying. The menu features items like foie gras on chunks of apple-filled spring rolls, and beef medallions served with blue cheese mashed potatoes and green beans ­ remember this is the heartland! The décor is tasteful and features red walls and tiled floors as well as a montage of black and white artistic photography along the walls. One of the restaurant's highlights is its flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. The service is friendly and accessible, and the clientele is diverse. Casual dress attire.

This elegant Italian restaurant is actually located on a busy street of a strip malls and generic commercial properties. The cuisine is exceptional, and the ambience is intimate. Cosi Cucina provides diners a choice of wood-burning oven favorites. Menu items range from pizza and seafood to flavorful focaccia breads and pastas. This Italian grill's décor features a contemporary look, while its cuisine is quite innovative. Plus, the menu offers over 50 kinds of wines.

Pale terracotta and lime-green walls add to the Mediterranean ambience of this quaint eatery. Although located in a residential strip mall, Mosaix Restaurant and Wine Bar is well worth the drive to the west side of Des Moines. The food is exceptional and features appetizers such as crab cakes, Moroccan prawns, and escargot. Entrée choices include paella with scallops, mussels or shrimp, as well as Pesces Spada, which is an encrusted swordfish with calamata olives and pine nuts. Casual dress attire.

Nautical touches and an animal mural add to the ambience at this local Italian American restaurant. The Noah's Ark menu choices range from live lobster and calzones to homemade ravioli and steaks. Entrées are made fresh from family recipes. The décor features a nautical motif and wooden tables and chairs. Private rooms are also available. The restaurant is convenient to downtown, and the service is good.

This combination restaurant and wine bar is a popular hangout. The food is good and features choices like gourmet pastas, pizzas and sandwiches. In addition to an impressive wine selection, Pasticceria also offers diners a choice of lattes and cappuccinos. The décor is contemporary and showcases terracotta walls and hunter green trim. The restaurant also has wire-trimmed baskets along the windows and a roomy ambience.