🌟 Good morning, Des Moines!
Your weekly nudge to get out, feel connected, and love where you live.
In this week’s AroundDSM:
🍣 A happy hour that can absolutely double as dinner especially when signature rolls are $11.95.
🛍️ More than 100 closets, serious markdowns, and only a few days to shop before it all disappears.
📊 One very brave PowerPoint could help your single friend find love. Or at least give the bar a good story.
🍽️ Restaurant Spotlight
Wasabi | 2301 Rocklyn Drive, Urbandale |
Photo: Wasabi Urbandale Sushi L-R (Marilyn Monroll, Crunchy Crab Roll, Rock N Roll) plus Korean Fried Chicken | Emily Johnson
🍣 Happy Hour That Turned Into Dinner – We stopped into Wasabi for happy hour and very quickly decided to just make a meal of it. Their signature rolls are $11.95 during happy hour, so naturally we ordered three: the Marilyn Monroll with spicy tuna, spicy salmon, avocado, seared white tuna and garlic sambal; the fried Rock N Roll loaded with kani, tuna, cream cheese, mango and all the good sauces; and the Crunchy Crab Roll with shrimp tempura, avocado, mango, kani and honey wasabi sauce. Perfection.
🍗 Come Hungry Or Bring Friends – We added the Korean fried chicken starter, and between that and the sushi, it was plenty for three of us. Plenty as in we still went home with leftovers, which feels like a pretty solid happy-hour victory. Drinks held their own, too. They make a mean lemon drop martini (my weakness) and the pinot noir pour was generous.
🍸 The Vibe Was Just as Good as the Food – The staff was genuinely welcoming, and the restaurant had that perfect kind of busy energy where the room feels lively without being chaotic. Happy hour runs Monday–Friday from 3–6 pm and is dine-in only, so this is a great excuse to wrap up work and head straight to sushi. 👉 View the menu here.
SPECIAL DEAL: Sundays & Mondays through Nov. 30, 2026!
🤝 Partner Spotlight: heyhae Gel Nail Strips
Want a cute fall manicure without the salon appointment?
heyhae gel nail strips come in fun seasonal designs, apply at home, and don’t require an LED lamp. Easy, polished, and very low-commitment which is exactly my kind of beauty routine. And mine lasted 2 weeks! #ad
🎉 Top 5 Things to Do
Photo: Statem!nt Pop Up Consignment Sale | https://statemint.com/locations/west-des-moines/
The best bets handpicked for your week:
🛍️ Statem!nt Pop Up Consignment for Adults | Horizon Events Center Ballroom, Clive
If digging through one great closet is fun, imagine more than 100 of them in one place. Statem!nt is back with gently used men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, jewelry, hats, designer finds, everyday brands and discounts of roughly 40–80% off retail all for just a few days before it disappears again.
Friday and most of Saturday are free to shop, while ticketed shoppers can get early access during Thursday’s charity presale, Saturday night’s After Dark half-price preview, and Sunday morning’s presale. Sunday is also half-off day, so bargain hunters, you know what to do.
| Thursday, Oct. 8th–Sunday, Oct. 11th | Times vary | Free admission during regular shopping hours; select presales ticketed | https://statemint.com/locations/west-des-moines/ |
🎸 That Arena Rock Show | Val Air Ballroom
Big hair is optional. Singing along is not. That Arena Rock Show brings the gloriously over-the-top energy of ’70s and ’80s arena rock to Val Air with classics from AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and more.
If your ideal Thursday night includes guitar solos, power vocals and songs you already know every word to, this one practically plans itself.
| Thursday, Oct. 8th | Doors 6 pm; Show 7:30 pm | Tickets Required | https://www.axs.com |
🔮 Tarot Basics | School of Metaphysics, Des Moines
Tarot-curious? This relaxed, beginner-friendly evening is a nice place to start. You’ll learn about the cards, simple reading techniques, how intuition fits in, and the basics of a three-card spread before getting time to practice for yourself.
No experience is necessary, and you can bring your own deck if you have one. Parking behind the house is limited, with additional parking nearby on 37th.
| Thursday, Oct. 8th | 7:30–9 pm | FREE | https://www.facebook.com/share/1dpJfspV2Z/ |
🪴 Fall Houseplant Garage Sale | 3214 45th Street, Des Moines
Plant people, clear some windowsill space. Eight local vendors are bringing more than 1,000 plants to this third annual garage sale, with everything from easy-care favorites and rooted cuttings to less-common collector finds.
The best part is right there in the name: garage sale prices. Bring a plant-loving friend, a little patience for choosing favorites, and small bills if you plan to pay cash.
| Saturday, Oct. 10th | 10 am–4 pm | https://www.facebook.com/share/1je6YZT2hB/ |
📊 Hype Your Homie | Bevy’s Tavern, West Des Moines
Finally, a legitimate reason to create a 14-slide PowerPoint about your single friend. Hype Your Homie puts friends onstage to make an extremely enthusiastic case for why their chosen homie is an absolute catch including dating résumé, childhood photos, questionable statistics and wildly unnecessary graphs encouraged.
Come to present or simply enjoy the chaos. There’s also a social hour from 7–8 pm and again from 10–11 pm with half-off drinks, so even the audience gets rewarded.
| Saturday, Oct. 10th | Social Hour 7–8 pm; Show 8 pm; After Party 10–11 pm | https://www.facebook.com/share/1C8Smuq21v/ |
🐾 Pet Pick-Me-Up
Now get out there, Des Moines!
With local love,
Emily
AroundDSM
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