TaKo (pronounced "Taco") is a Tex-Mex and Korean barbecue restaurant that just opened on the patio at Boomer’s Bicycle Lounge. (They are sharing spaces but are separately owned.)

Details: Its menu describes the food as "Tex-Mex meets Far East with a little fusion mixed in."

• There are more than a dozen handmade sauces, many with ginger and garlic.
• The food is inspired by owner Jenny Symonds' Korean heritage and her childhood roots in southern California, where she learned to cook Mexican eats, she told Axios.

I ate there last Friday, the first day that its full menu was offered, and tried:

• Candied bacon burrito: Garlic fried rice, scrambled eggs, candied bacon, seasoned spinach, mozzarella and "dynamite sauce." ($12)
• Japjae Mandu: Fried Korean dumplings filled with glass noodles and veggies. ($7)
• Tilted Handlebar: Casamigos Blanco Tequila, lime and agave juice, fresh blackberries, basil and chopped serrano peppers. ($8 on the Boomer's menu)

The verdict: This spot is for you if you like full flavor and some heat. (I'm going back for the Korean fried chicken, which is hand breaded and twice fried.)

Hours: Monday-Thursday: 11am-2pm and 4pm-8 pm; Friday: 11am-2pm and 4pm-9pm; Saturday: 11am-9pm; Sunday 11am-7pm.

• 265 50th St., West Des Moines. www.TaKoLyfe.com, 1-888-840-8256.

In the coming weeks, Iowa farmers should find out whether or not they'll have to comply with a proposition approved by California voters to prohibit sales of pork, eggs and veal that do not meet certain production standards.

Details: Proposition 12 takes effect next year and generally prohibits an animal from being confined in a manner that prevents lying down, standing up or fully extending its limbs. The proposition:

• Requires at least 24 square feet of space per sow. (The typical is currently between 16-18, according to the National Pork Producers Council.)
• Prohibits breeding stalls, often a metal enclosure that a sow can be kept in for weeks after delivery.
• Mandates cage-free housing systems for egg-laying hens.

Federal and state recommendations to pause using the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine have complicated Iowa’s pandemic recovery.

Why it matters: The single-dose vaccine was critical in helping inoculate communities that are sometimes difficult to reach or schedule for two shots, including college students and homeless populations.

Construction of a relocated $68 million DART operations and maintenance facility could begin as early as next year.

Why it matters: It’s a major development that will change the face of multiple areas of DSM.