What a season for the Des Moines dining scene: Eatery A swung its doors open on Ingersoll Avenue last month; now, the equally ambitious Malo is set to do the same tomorrow at the Des Moines Social Club's new home.

Malo literally means "bad," but it can also mean naughty, and it's this more playful sense of the word that inspired the restaurant's name. But make no mistake--while a little erotic art here and Hemingway-era rum drinks there make a nod toward naughtiness, Malo isn't the kind of sexy hideaway to head to with someone you shouldn't be with.

Because, like Django and Centro (other restaurants overseen by the Orchestrate Hospitality), this boldly colorful 6,000-square-foot venue is the next see-and-be-seen hot spot. Everyone from your mother to the mayor will likely be popping by, so what happens at Malo might not stay at Malo.

The menu celebrates the flavors of Latin America, and you'll find plenty of familiar-sounding dishes (tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas), as well as a few signature finds. Selections like Nacho Daddy's Mac & Cheese (with salsa blanca and fried tortilla strips) and the Tijuana Trainwreck (chorizo, tomatillos, crème and a fried egg) offer the kind of playful heartiness that diners expect at Orchestrate venues like Django and Zombie Burger.

I had the good luck to taste some of chef Scott Stroud's creations at a few happy-hour preview events. The guacamole rivaled any in town, and the bright and sweet Mexican shrimp cocktail tells me that "fresh" might become a buzzword here, too.

Housed in the former downtown firehouse, Malo is at 900 Mulberry St.; 244-5000.

Thank you, Paul Turner and Meals from the Heartland, for making our community better--and inspiring us to do the same.

For those who missed it, the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines held its annual lunch yesterday and presented the fourth annual Better Together Awards. The awards honor "social capital"--defined as the ability to connect and collaborate with diverse groups to make positive change.

Turner picked up the individual award, which includes $1,000 for the nonprofit of his choice. A community organizer for 27 years, Turner has spent the last 10 as lead organizer for A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy (AMOS), helping the nonprofit grow from 12 to 29 members, which consist of diverse religious and advocacy organizations. At AMOS, Turner has focused on training Iowans for living-wage jobs, juvenile justice reform and mental health, among other issues. Learn more here.

Meals from the Heartland, which recently opened the Patty Cownie Center, its packaging center and warehouse in West Des Moines, received the $2,500 organizational award. With a goal of "empowering people to save the starving," the group works with volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to package meals for people around the world and in Central Iowa. Last year, 33,000 volunteers packaged 8.7 million meals. For more information, click here.

"The big craze is the fairy-garden style," says Jeri Sims, who runs Gateway Market's floral department with her sister, Jody Elwell. (The pair owned Petal Perfect in Valley Junction for 14 years.) Fairy-garden terrariums are popular with all ages, Sims says, and can include trimmings such as animals (dogs, birds), accessories (bicycles, chairs), architectural features (stone pathways) and miscellaneous items (seashells). "They have so much inside them, you can look for a while and still see new things," Sims says. In the past, terrariums were pretty much limited to plants and rocks, she adds.   

Grace Zhenhuan Yang has donated more than 500 hours to local nonprofit organizations as a way to say "thank you," she says, for the help and friendship she received after leaving her native China in 2003 to attend graduate school at Drake University. Yang, a creative design specialist, was one of four Iowans to receive the Passport to Prosperity award last year.

The award highlights the significant contributions immigrants and refugees bring to our communities. Sponsored by the Iowa International Center, it celebrates individuals who have lived in the state at least five years and are making an impact in areas such as business, education, the arts, nonprofit work and cultural organizations. Know someone who deserves recognition? Download the nomination form here and submit it by the May 26 deadline. Winners will be honored at a Sept. 27 gala at Drake University's Olmsted Center. -K.C.