One of the best restaurants in Des Moines is closing permanently this month

Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register
·2 min read
Dry-aged duck with chicken-stuffed morels, wood sorrels and topped with a sauce made with duck bones and chilis at Proof in Des Moines, Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
Dry-aged duck with chicken-stuffed morels, wood sorrels and topped with a sauce made with duck bones and chilis at Proof in Des Moines, Tuesday, March 22, 2022.

Proof, one of the best restaurants in Des Moines, closes permanently after service on Nov. 19. The elevated dining experience specializes in multi-course tasting menus of new American fare in downtown Des Moines in a casual environment.

"The last three years have been a special opportunity to experience the incredible creativity and dedication of chefs Diego (Rodriguez-Negrete) and Megan (Snyder), GM Joe (Buckley), our superb staff, and everyone who helped us get to where we are today. They have created memories of food, wine, and cocktails that will last a lifetime and their talents are unmatched anywhere," restaurant management wrote in an email to customers on Thursday.

Diego Rodriguez-Negrete became the executive chef at Proof in 2019.
Diego Rodriguez-Negrete became the executive chef at Proof in 2019.

Rodriguez-Negrete, who became the executive chef in 2019 at age 21, continued the Second Saturday tradition, where the restaurant serves a prix fixe multi-course menu blind.

When the pandemic forced restaurants to close, Proof turned to takeout service with everything from sandwiches and slow-cooked brisket and tacos to go. Customers could also order boxes of ingredients to cook Proof-quality dishes at home by following along with a video.

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Just recently, the restaurant started offering smaller four-course tasting menus filled with Bell & Evans chicken and steelhead trout along with a separate menu of dishes meant to share, such as mushroom tartine, sweet potato gnocchi and heirloom beets. Recently the restaurant added wagyu beef to the menu.

Pastry chef Snyder creates dishes such as salted caramel custard and Carolina gold rice pudding that paid just as much attention to detail and the main menu.

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Carly Ross opened Proof in September 2008. Chef Sean Wilson bought the restaurant from Ross in 2012. In July 2019, Wilson sold the restaurant after nine years in the kitchen. Ross operated Prairie Canary Restaurant & Bar in Grinnell until 2014, while Wilson now handles the food and beverage program at the Hotel Fort Des Moines.

Wilson helped elevate the restaurant into the national spotlight, and was named a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef Midwest three times.

Just this September, Proof was named one of the 33 essential restaurants in Des Moines by the Des Moines Register.

The restaurant at 1301 Locust St. in Des Moines is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. with a happy hour on Wednesday and Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.

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Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tasting menu restaurant Proof closes in Des Moines on Nov. 19.