[vc_row class=”bb-row”][vc_column][vc_column_text] Iowa has it all. We have the corn, barley, wheat and rye; we have the cattle who love a good meal of post-fermented mash; we have the Iowans who work hard and savor good things. Raise a glass and cheers to the finer things in life. Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery 1441 Marak […]
Bread & Butter Dining Guide
Worth the drive: Jefferson County Ciderworks
[vc_row class=”bb-row”][vc_column][vc_column_text] Jefferson County Ciderworks is a place ripe for a daytrip from the Iowa City area and is definitely worth the drive. Jesse Narducci and Katie Greenfield have put their own twist on the brewery concept and created an idyllic escape from the trappings of city life on the outskirts of Fairfield. Offering handcrafted […]
Diet restrictions? These local establishments have you covered
[vc_row class=”bb-row”][vc_column][vc_column_text] Those of us keeping close watch on what goes in our bodies don’t have to feel like outsiders on the foodie scene. With a nod to those with dietary restrictions, these local establishments can truly provide something for everyone, without compromising flavor. The Wedge Pizzeria 517 S Riverside Dr, Iowa City Beloved fan-favorite […]
LV Recommends: 4 places to hone your culinary skills in the Iowa City area
[vc_row class=”bb-row”][vc_column][vc_column_text] Sharpen your knife skills and add a few pages to the old recipe book. With these culinary classes, you’ll be sauteéing and flambéing like a seasoned line cook in no time. Iowa City Scratch Cookery 1123 E College St, Iowa City, 319-631-8824 Chef Thomas McCoy offers customers an opportunity to take back their […]
Wine all the time: A best case scenario
[vc_row class=”bb-row”][vc_column][vc_column_text] Five years ago, Robert Morey founded Best Case Wines, a wine importing and wholesale company. He tells us how he became an importer and shares some tips for choosing great wine. How did you become a wine importer? I started working at New Pioneer Food Co-op back when they had a member volunteer […]
LV Recommends: 4 markets in the Iowa City area to satisfy your international delights
[vc_row class=”bb-row”][vc_column][vc_column_text] At these area grocers, international delights require no plane ticket. Saigon Market 803 2nd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids Bring any Asian-inspired recipe to Saigon Market, and their friendly staff will happily help you navigate the store’s shelves to find the ingredients you need. From daikon radish to juicy lychee, Saigon Market is Cedar […]
2017 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) guide for the Iowa City area
[vc_row class=”bb-row”][vc_column][vc_column_text] Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is a direct to consumer process that connects community members with local farmers and growers. Community members pay to reserve a share of the farms produce early in the season, which lets farmers properly gauge the community’s needs for the coming season. In turn, community members receive regular […]
Local restaurant industry vets dish on their favorite guilty pleasures, unusual ingredients and more
[vc_row class=”bb-row”][vc_column][vc_column_text] Three local industry people — Ben Smart, head chef at Big Grove Brewery, Stephanie Sunberg, server at Clinton Street Social Club, and Carrie Schumacher, co-owner at Cobble Hill and Caucho — weigh in on what fuels them, what they’re listening to and how they bring their own personalities into culinary and service work. […]
Seed-saving: Growers work to preserve heirloom food for future generations
[vc_row class=”bb-row”][vc_column][vc_column_text] On a Northeast Iowa farm and in backyards across the nation, Seed Savers Exchange preserves heirloom varietals and their stories for future generations. In 1975, Diane Ott Whealy received a gift from her grandfather: the seeds of the German Pink tomato and Grandpa Ott’s morning glory. Whealy wrote a letter to Mother Earth […]
LV Recommends: 5 places to snag premium pizza in the Iowa City area
[vc_row class=”bb-row”][vc_column][vc_column_text] These pies are just what you’re looking for. Need Pizza 207 2nd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids Offering slices over lunch for office-dwellers and with late-night hours for bar-hoppers, this pizza place delivers what downtown Cedar Rapids was in search of. If you’re not on-the-go, grab a table and order a whole pizza to […]
How one Linn County farm is blazing a trail for a growing regional industry
[vc_row class=”bb-row”][vc_column][vc_column_text] On their Linn County farm, Lea and Denny Rehberg raise shrimp alongside heirloom pigs, blazing a trail for a growing regional industry. Overnight, Styrofoam coolers of 20,000 post-larval shrimp arrive from the Florida Keys to the Rehberg family farm in Walker, Iowa. “They’re about the size of your eyelash when you get ‘em,” […]
2017 Guide: A-Z Restaurants in the Iowa City area and Cedar Rapids
[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]There’s something in this index for most palates and budgets, and each location listed was selected by editors for the unique character it brings to our area. Price is based on a scale of $ to $$$$ and accounts for each establishment’s average price for a meal from the dinner menu (where applicable), and […]

