Meet the upscale Iowa restaurant that the New York Times called ‘compelling’

One restaurant in Iowa earned accolades from the New York Times on its list of 50 restaurants that excite the food editors right now nationwide.

The Webster, the upscale restaurant that features seasonal American dishes and a menu from owner Sam Gelman, made the list representing Iowa.

Gelman and his wife, Reine, opened the Iowa City restaurant in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic. Sam, who grew up in Iowa City and left to train at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, remembers dining at the Pearson Drug Store that once sat in the space The Webster now occupies across from Mercy Hospital. Gelman recalled eating at the drug store with his father and grandfather, an orthopedic surgeon who worked at the hospital and became the namesake for the restaurant.

Riene, the location’s general manager and co-owner, worked at Eleven Madison Park and Craft in New York City before the couple decided to open a restaurant in Iowa.

What did the New York Times say about The Webster?

“We can’t help but feel that cities and towns in the United States are better to eat in today than they have ever been,” the New York Times wrote.

While the Times does not call out any particular dishes at The Webster, writer Brett Anderson does reference Sam Gelman’s background as a “top lieutenant in the chef David Chang’s restaurant group” as a draw to the restaurant.

“With its window-lined dining room and vibrant, Asian-accented, often locally sourced dishes, the Webster treats Mr. Gelman’s hometown as an asset, and serves as a compelling enticement to visit this cosmopolitan corner of the Midwest,” Anderson wrote. 

What’s on the menu at The Webster?

The Webster’s website lauds seasonal ingredients but notes that “we don’t limit ourselves to the strict confines of what is found on Iowa soil.” Some items, such as a roasted trout, may remain on the menu but its vegetables change with the “bounty of the seasons.”

Gelman describes the restaurant as “a relaxed, family friendly, upscale atmosphere.”

One section of the menu includes pastas, such as a rigatoni with kale pesto and ricotta salata and a casarecce with smoked wagyu beef and summer squash. At this time of year, the grilled Wisconsin trout comes with corn, bacon and chanterelles. Other entrees include a roasted monkfish with speck and green beans, Grimm Farm chicken thigh with roasted tomato, and a Beelers pork chop with cherry and dandelion.

Desserts can change daily and recently included a lemon yuzu curd, a panna cotta, and chocolate and passionfruit tart.

More: Take a look inside Either/Or, the new restaurant from the owners of Lua that opens Friday

Where to find The Webster

Location: 202 N. Linn St., Iowa City

Contact: https://www.thewebsteric.com/ or 319-800-0720

Hours: Open Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5:30 to 10 p.m.

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. You can reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.