Road Trip:

Even though summer’s not creeping in, are you tired of this town yet? Well if so, we have a couple of ideas for a little getaway.

Sept. 24 – 28: Phil Palisoul will be cracking ribs at the Funny Bone in Des Moines. Shows run Wednesday – Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and also at 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Sept. 27 – The ConQuest Mixed Martial Arts Fighting Championship will be held at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines at 7 p.m. If you’re interested in some high quality knock down, drag out entertainment, you can get more information by visiting www.myspace.com/conquestfc .

Sept. 27 – The Iowa Hawkeyes will be taking on the Northwestern Wildcats at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:05 a.m.

Sept. 28 – If you are a NASCAR fan, or if you just “wanna go fast,” you may appreciate the Camping World RV 400 presented by Coleman. If you can’t make it down to the Kansas Speedway to hear it in person, you can catch the race on ABC starting at 1 p.m.

Check It:

This week’s focus is on the concert calendar. There are some pretty amazing shows coming to the area, and we don’t want you to miss out on any of these musical smorgasbords.

Sept. 25 – Mindless Self Indulgence will be playing at the Val Air Ballroom in Des Moines. Tickets are on sale for $17.50.

Oct. 1 – ZZ Top will be rocking The Midland by AMC down in Kansas City, Miss. The show has quite a price range, with tickets from $37.50 to $502.50.

Oct. 3 – Relient K, Ludo, This Providence and House of Heroes have a show at the Val Air Ballroom. Tickets are cheap at only $16 for a four-band show.

Oct. 3 – Weezer, Angels and Airwaves, and Tokyo Police Club will be lighting up the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis. If you can make the trip, tickets will only set you back $38-48.

Oct. 18 – Panic! At the Disco will be headlining with Dashboard Confessional, Plain White T’s and The Cab. If you want to see this show you will have to road trip out to Lincoln, Neb. Be sure to get your tickets ahead of time for only $35.95.

Oct. 26 – They’re back! Metallica will be blowing up the stage at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Tickets are on sale now and will likely sell out.

The Dish:

Are you ever in the mood for something other than cold pizza or left-over mac-n-cheese? Hopefully these ideas will tantalize your taste buds.

Chat Noir Café specializes in affordable French-Euro cuisine. You can drop by their location at 644 18th St. in Des Moines or call ahead for dinner reservations at (515) 244 – 1353.

Junko Japanese Café has amazing sushi for even more amazing prices. They are located near Nolan Plaza in downtown Des Moines at 400 Locust St. Call (515) 244 – 1234 for directions.

Big Daddy’s Barbeque is said to have some of the best homemade BBQ sauce in Des Moines. You can find them at 1000 East 14th St. or give them a ring at (515) 262 – 0352.