Proudfoot & Bird

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Room That Carries Its Own History

Proudfoot & Bird takes its name from the original architects of Hotel Fort Des Moines, and the space makes that heritage tangible. Marble staircases, intricate gold ceiling inlays, and a grand circular bar set the tone — a room that feels like a different era without feeling frozen in one. Semi-private dining rooms offer quieter corners for those who want them, while the bar draws a livelier crowd through happy hour and beyond.

American Cooking with a Precise Hand

The menu is rooted in American fine dining, built around ingredients that are locally sourced and fresh. Handmade pasta, seafood, poultry, and prime-cut beef form the backbone of dinner service. Happy hour at the bar runs its own focused menu — oysters at the raw bar, Sakura Farms pork belly burnt ends with smoked marcona almonds and chipotle bourbon caramel, Iberico rabbit meatballs in fenugreek tomato sauce with house-made farmer's cheese, and a black truffle ricotta baked with local honey and griddled sourdough. These are not afterthoughts; they reflect the same kitchen sensibility as the full dinner program.

A Wine List Worth the Recognition

The wine program earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2022 — a distinction that holds up when you look at the list. Selections span Champagne houses like Billecart-Salmon and Dom Pérignon, alongside more unexpected pours: a Timorasso from Piemonte, a Tannat Reserva from Uruguay, a Grüner Veltliner from Austria's Kamptal. A house sommelier curates a featured wine of the moment, and wine pairings are a natural extension of what the kitchen is doing. The depth here is genuine, not decorative.

Private Dining and Special Occasions

The semi-private rooms make Proudfoot & Bird a natural fit for private parties and special occasions. The setting — grand but not cold — works for celebrations, business dinners, and anything in between that calls for a proper table in a room with some weight to it.