Tweet

As an avid diner at Des Moines food hotspots and an experienced fine dining server, I was excited to try out Ankeny’s new bustling bakery and kitchen, The Fletcher Full Service Kitchen and Bar. With some of my girlfriends in tow, we arrived at The Fletcher and could not help but notice the grand scale of the establishment. The Fletcher opened less than five months ago and gave new life to the old Dahl’s Food grocery store location. It is now a full service kitchen, bakery and bar where they specialize in homemade entrees and brick oven pizzas.

Upon entering the restaurant, I thought it was inviting to see signs with specials/hours listed with fun chalk art and “F” themed décor surrounding the entryway. It grabbed my attention, and the aromas coming from the restaurant were making my stomach growl! Hanging chalkboards with handmade colorful art and old time leather chairs furnished the inside. Remnants from the industrial framing of the building can be seen, but my eye was more intrigued by the many televisions filling the walls. It was interesting to see the remodel of the old meat counter into the open kitchen visible to guests. One may also notice the multi-room layout of the establishment; with every nook and cranny you may find yourself in there is a sense of collectiveness and warmth.

Trust me when I say I want to give a good review because there were so many interesting aspects of this place; however, our experience was lacking when it came to the service and the food. Being a new restaurant, we had high hopes of being informed of what is good to get and how dishes are prepared. Awkwardly, our server was inexperienced and uninformed of the best sellers, suggestions and history behind The Fletcher’s creation.  The Fletcher seemed to have many young, inexperienced staff members who were uninformed of the company they were hired to serve.

The Fletcher prides itself on their ingredients mainly being sourced from local markets and throughout Iowa, so I was surprised to be unimpressed and frankly disappointed in some of the dishes we ordered.  To start off, we ordered their cheese curds, bone-in naked Asian wings, and their pork belly nachos. The smoked pork belly nachos and cheese curds were an instant hit within our group, despite the sour cream being drizzled all over the nachos when we initially requested it for on the side. The Asian wings were lacking flavor and the amount of meat on the wings was not worth the price.

Unsatisfied, we decided to order their Reuben with house fries, the French onion soup and braised short ribs. Although the French onion soup was a tad too salty, it was still filling and piping hot. The Reuben was another disappointment for the group due to the unfamiliar seasoning on this classic sandwich. Though the flavor was good, the braised short ribs were short of appetizing as they were dry and hard to cut even with a knife.

To end our time at The Fletcher, we decided to order the chocolate cake dessert with strawberry and peanut butter drizzle paired with vanilla bean ice cream. Being a bakery, you would hope that they would thrive in their breads and baked goods, but unfortunately we were disappointed once more. The cake was difficult to cut, incredibly dry and lacking flavor outside of the drizzled toppings and fresh ice cream.

As a whole, I think The Fletcher has a prime location with endearing qualities, but I see where improvements could be made. If The Fletcher wants to be a good restaurant, one simple change would be to hire experienced staff in order to inform new customers of what The Fletcher is and personally takes of in house dishes. Additionally, The Fletcher needs to concentrate on the quality of dishes they are sending from the kitchen to the tables. If The Fletcher doesn’t shape up, they’re doomed.