Review: Des Moines' Zombie Burger & Drink Lab

What did I do this week during my vacation? Drove five hours to Des Moines, Iowa of course! And why would I spend more than $100 in gas and $215 on my husband's speeding ticket to go to the center of corn country? Well, because it is the home to the one and only zombie-themed burger joint!

When you pull up outside of Des Moines' Zombie Burger and Drink Lab, it doesn't look like anything particularly special. Its innocuous reflective windows blend into the other store fronts of the capital's down town area. But once you enter, you will be immediately impressed by the amount of detail and class devoted to crafting this zombie-themed eatery.

The decor is urban and metallic, but not dirty or grungy. This isn't the type of place where you fear that they've failed their last ten health inspections. The art on the walls is new, bright, and well placed. The staff are alternative, pierced and inked...but also showered and well put together. Even though it's a zombie burger joint, someone clearly put a fair amount of time and energy into the interior decorating. The restaurant boasts two or three beautiful zombie comic murals made especially for the restaurant. The artist was, impressively, Ron J. Wagner. He is known for comics such as The Punisher, Nth Man, and Batman: Legends of the Dark Night.

When it comes to seating, you have two choices. You can either sit in the carry out area or the dine in area. We ate in the dine in area, but I'd suggest saving the money on tip and just grabbing a booth in the carry out area. There's no difference between the two menus, except that you may not be able to get alcohol in the carry out area. If that's not a deciding factor for you, be assured that there's just as much of a zombie touch in either of the dining rooms.

We were very impressed with the service. The server was very nice, and the entire tattooed staff seemed happy to be at work...genuinely happy, not TGIFridays happy. The food was served very quickly and drinks were refilled before they were even half empty. Given the greasy, fried nature of this food, a full glass was a must.

When it comes to reviewing the food, I have to admit a bias up front. My husband and I are both vegetarians, so we went with the veggie burger. Their veggie patty was vegetable based rather than soy based, and therefore it was completely inedible in my opinion. Still, their burgers involve so much fried goodness, that they were honestly good and filling even once I pulled off the patty. My guess is that these burgers would have been beyond delicious with a beef patty.

We got four burgers: The Walking Ched, They're Coming to Get You Barbara, Juan of the Dead, and Planet Terror. This was a mistake. These burgers are so big and so fried that you really shouldn't endeavor to eat more than one. We ended up never getting to the Juan of the Dead and I didn't even bite into the Planet Terror. The Walking Ched was my personal favorite. The bun is made out of deep fried patties of macaroni and cheese...yes...you read that correctly. The burger is then topped by even more mac and cheese, cheese, etc.

Once I let the food digest for a few minutes, I was up for a delicious shake for the road home. I opted for the Tallahassee, a milkshake that combines vanilla ice cream, cherry kool aid powder, and (of course) an entire twinkie. This was the best part of the meal for sure. It was a good combination of flavors, and you could definitely taste the little bits of twinkie blended in! Tallahassee would have been proud.

So should you drive all the way out to Des Moines to visit this little gem? No. That would be silly. Who the heck would do that? lol. But if you happen to be in the area, I highly recommend this as a pit stop. It would be worth a little detour. It was a little busy though, even at 5pm on a Tuesday, so I would suggest calling ahead during peak hours.

Also, if you get a chance to try the spiked milk shakes, let me know how they were! We were so full that we didn't get to try everything we wanted to! Also, we were driving. lol.

Cultural Study: Zombieland vs. Shaun of the Dead

Ever watched Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead in the same day? If you ever get a chance, you might notice that in addition to being absolutely phenomenal zombie flicks, they, when looked at as a set, say a great deal about the differing cultures of America and the UK.

Zombieland (2009)

First, look at the idea of safety as put forth by each movie. In Shaun of the Dead, safety takes the form of the local tavern. This makes complete sense, as the pub is often a center of socialization and culture in smaller town British life. For years, the pub has meant more to British society than simply a place to drink.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

In Zombieland, the characters look to the flashy thrill of a theme park for their safety and security. It might be a leap, but to me this seems to say something about America’s eternal youth, its ability to take comfort in both innocence, familiarity and flash.

Zombieland (2009)

The weapons are also a huge commentary on our two societies. In Shaun of the Dead, the heroes wield cricket bats. When they finally procure a gun in the climactic moments of the show, no one knows how to use it in the slightest. The Brits are not a gun-toting group. Their policemen carry batons for goodness sake. 

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

In Zombieland, everyone has a gun. The freaking twelve year old is proficient in her usage of a shotgun. America loves their guns, and this is abundantly clear in Zombieland.

Zombieland (2009)

Next, look at the theme. In Shaun of the Dead there’s an emphasis on family. Shaun’s first instinct is to pick up “mum”. The urban setting only compounds a feeling of togetherness and familiarity. It’s an island and you’re never far from the ones you love. Hell, I once took a bus from Edinburgh to London that took a measly 7 hours.

But in America, we’re all spread out. Our families live days and days away from us, and there is a far greater sense of isolation and independence. This theme seems to be the central thesis of Zombieland. Americans are cut off, disconnected, isolated. Just look at the film’s barren landscape. Nothing says “new frontier” like the Southwest. Also, the characters are not only almost all strangers, but they also refuse to share names with one another. Now that’s isolated.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Lastly, there are the final moments of each film. You don’t get a better microcosm of British and American culture than that. SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t seen these movies, stop reading now.

The Brits are an older civilization. They’re tougher, more used to the cruel humanity of the world than us: their thin-skinned, toddler children. We still want the world to be a happy place, while they’ve been convinced of its villainy and ugliness for centuries. And that is completely mirrored in these films. 

Shaun of the Dead isn’t afraid to kill of the vast majority of the cast in a single, Romero-esque montage of gore. It seems to actually look forward to it. But Zombieland can’t bear to part with any of its heroes. Even when Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) volunteers to be a clearly suicidal distraction for the zombies, he manages to somehow make it out of the fracas intact. Us Americans, this isn’t the first time we needed a rosy ending, and it won’t be the last.

Zombieland (2009)

So that’s that. My overly analytical take on Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead, two of the best zombie movies ever made. Who knew zombie flicks could say so much and be so funny at the same time? Or maybe I’m just thinking WAY too much into it. Lol. Probably.

Pictures of Shaun of the Dead were acquired from IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365748/mediaindex) and are copyright of Rogue Pictures (2004)

Pictures of Zombieland were acquired from IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1156398/mediaindex) and are copyright of Columbia Pictures (2009)