Fans of Riverside Theatre’s annual Free Summer Shakespeare productions can look forward to a ray of light in the dark of this year’s tumult. Like most theaters, Riverside has temporarily shuttered in person performances in the interest of public safety. This necessary decision prevents us from gathering in Lower City Park’s Festival Stage this summer […]
K. Michael Moore
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: Rodney’s Jamaican Jerk & BBQ
There is a mystique to food truck dining that’s difficult to describe. If you’re a food truck fan, you know what I mean. It’s an adventure, a quick stop for lunch more satisfying than fast food. Often messy to eat, food truck fare brings us together in the dark after an evening with friends or […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: La Bendición Pupuseria & Restaurante
La Bendición Pupuseria & Restaurante, a family-owned business serving food from El Salvador, opened at the turn of the new year. You can find it in the strip mall at the corner of 1st Avenue and 2nd Street in Coralville, the same building that houses the likes of Chez Grace, Global Market and the late great Nile Ethiopian Restaurant.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Matt & Ben’: Rewriting a Hollywood Bromance
After more than a decade of superhuman blockbusters on the big screen, it’s hard to say if audiences are still hungry for another origin story. Willow Creek Theatre Co., Iowa City’s newest troupe, is staking their claim on the witty retelling of the rise of Hollywood celebrities, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Mindy Kaling and […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: Mexico Lindo
Let’s face an inarguable reality: Iowa City has a lot of Mexican restaurants, most of them very good Mexican restaurants. This article is intended in no way to disparage any of them, but rather to put them on notice. There’s a new kid in town, and this kid — Mexico Lindo (1857 Lower Muscatine Rd, Iowa City) — has come both to stay and to play.
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: Gianna’s Italian Beef
Don’t tell Chicago, but Gianna’s stole their sandwich. Signature sandwiches are an edible work of art. Done right, they make our mouths water and our bellies happy. They leave us with warm memories of past road trips, vacations and experiences. Eastern Iowa has a number of restaurants where one can order an Italian beef sandwich. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: Big’s Iowa Style BBQ & Brew Pub
Mount Vernon has a little-known gem of a restaurant, tucked just down the hill from Main Street: Big’s BBQ (124 2nd Ave NW). From the street, this stately manor would pass for a Cornell professor’s home. But inside waits a tidy little restaurant and brewery serving big flavor. Big’s delivers a surprising variety of delicious […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: The Map Room, a culinary tour of the world
Crossing through the purple entrance curtain into the Map Room is a rewarding experience. Once inside, the modern patron is transformed by the little, nondescript, Cedar Rapids building into a world traveler from another age.
Posted inCommunity/News
Holiday traditions out of eastern Iowa, from conventional to crab legs
No matter our family or personal tradition, we look at the holidays through the lens we choose. We celebrate, we mourn, we do a little of both. I asked four eastern Iowa residents what this holiday season means to them, how they celebrate, what home means. This is what they said.
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: BeerBurger
I love a restaurant that doesn’t need a gimmick: one where the food is good and you can hear the person you’re speaking with — and it’s always nice when you can get a good beer or a milkshake with whiskey in it. BeerBurger in North Liberty is just such a joint. No pretense, just […]
Posted inCommunity/News
LV Recommends: Millstream Bräu Haus
One of my favorite autumn activities in eastern Iowa is a visit to Amana. Quaint little shops, the down-home General Store, local theatre, Millstream Brewery and the village’s simple feel make for a great afternoon of shopping and relaxation, and, of course, eating. There are good options for dining in Amana, and the newest on […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Hooray for ‘Completely Hollywood’
Completely Hollywood — Abridged Old Creamery Theatre, Studio Stage — through Apr. 17 Our culture loves movies. We love our 90+ minute escapes into adventure, romance, intrigue; we love to watch the unreal possibility inherent in effortless true love, a battle in deep space, a fist fight on the roof of a bullet train or […]
