Since 2012, The Lost Cuban in Cedar Rapids has been consistently serving flavorful Cuban favorites, garnering well-deserved buzz along way. The restaurant’s dining room is colorful and clean, free from the clutter of knickknacks. Customers order at the register, and friendly, helpful servers bring the food out to the table when it’s ready (which doesn’t […]
The Iowa City area has seen many restaurants open in recent months, and one of these noteworthy newcomers is Haveli Indian Cuisine in Coralville (943 25th Ave.). With upwards of 120 items on the menu, I’ll admit I felt overwhelmed on my first visit. But after being warmly welcomed on multiple occasions, I decided to […]
Located in the heart of downtown Iowa City in the space formerly occupied by Iron Hawk, Osaka Japanese Restaurant opened in fall of 2014 and has a large menu that seems to be fairly cut-and-dried as far as Japanese cuisine goes around here: lunchtime bento boxes, soups, salads, sashimi, nigiri, sushi rolls, katsu, dumplings, tempura, […]
When the lights are shining, and it’s filled with diners, I am thankful for Orchard Green Lounge. On a recent evening, my dining partner and I nabbed a parking spot outside the back entrance of Orchard Green Restaurant (521 S. Gilbert St.). Upon entering, we were greeted by a host stationed at the desk at […]
Coralville’s new American grill, 30hop (900 East 2nd Ave., Coralville), is enormous, with two stories and a rooftop patio that’s open in warmer months. The boards above the bar—lumber salvaged from an old barn—add to the restaurant’s spacious feeling. I found myself juggling 30hop’s conflicting aesthetics: It presents an unresolved conversation between old and new, […]
Food gains the title of ‘good’ from its context. Often we obsess over a meal not for the food itself but due to the story behind the ingredients, the pleasant company or the innovative presentation. A late-season apple tastes sweeter when it is the last one plucked from a tree before the frost hits. Eggs, […]
Moshi moshi! Irrashaimase! If you’re greeted at a sushi restaurant by by three men in immaculate chef’s whites calling out from behind the small sushi bar, “irrashaimase!” (roughly translating to “welcome” in Japanese) and “moshi moshi,” trust that you are in good hands. At Sushiya — North Liberty’s newest Pan-Asian restaurant focusing on approachable Japanese […]
Kalona Brewing Company 405 B Avenue, Kalona, Iowa Over the past year, the number of craft breweries in Iowa has grown from 40 to 52, with seven more currently in the planning stages of opening. This increase reflects a nationwide trend in both the food and beverage worlds of returning to local and small-scale production […]
It’s no coincidence that people who live in hotter climates enjoy fiery cuisine year-round; it’s basic science: Spicy food makes you sweat; sweat makes you cool down. The aptly named Thai Spice has the best green curry in town, but I don’t find it to be unbearably spicy; the coconut milk cuts the heat with […]
You know that first perfect spring day after the endless winter? That cloudless day of birdsong, bike rides and bunnies; of budding flowers offering up their sweet stink to bees and passersby? That’s the day that makes many people fall (back) in love with Iowa City, and it’s the day we know the Farmers Market […]
When you’re allergic to gluten, going out to eat can be a giant pain in the pancreas. While pizza, sandwiches and pasta are clearly off limits for those that can’t eat wheat, the foe of those with this allergy, complex sauces and even the least suspicious salad dressings often contain gluten. I know what you […]
If you’ve ever had a hangover and you live in Iowa City, there’s a good chance you’ve already eaten food from Szechuan House, which offers delivery service. Their hangover standbys like orange chicken, crab Rangoon and pork fried rice are all solidly comparable to those at other Americanized Chinese places in town; however, there are […]