Food & Drink Archives | Little Village

Tacos for Peace: Eat well and help animals affected by Hurricane Florence

Posted on Sep 24, 2018 by Paul Brennan

Tacos are always good, and on Tuesday, anyone with a taste for the vegan version can do good by eating them at Trumpet Blossom Cafe. Every month, Trumpet Blossom, Iowa City’s only all-vegan restaurant, raises funds for nonprofits with Tacos for Peace. Normally it benefits local nonprofits, but on Tuesday, it will be raising money to help A Well-Fed World’s campaign to assist farm sanctuaries that are taking in animals affected by Hurricane Florence. […]

LV Recommends: Szechuan House

Posted on Sep 19, 2018 by Courtenay Bouvier

Maybe you were terrified, as I was, for those few weeks this summer when Szechuan House was suddenly closed, with no warning. How could we gird ourselves against the upcoming Iowa winter with none of the now-familiar comfort of our favorite delicacies? With what would we fend off fall’s hangovers if not with the delivery of spicy and sour garlic chicken? What on earth would we do? […]

Townie Hawk: Snack-sized Big Ten football facts (and drink recommendations) to share at your next tailgate

Posted on Sep 18, 2018 by Stephanie Catlett

Welcome back to football, fans of the sport and/or binge drinking. The Big Ten season opener against Wisconsin glimmers on the horizon, and with it comes the sick dread of unspecified mayhem that only a true Hawkeye fan can understand. Will we play the spoiler to someone else’s championship season (Ohio State last year, anyone?) […]

Farm Cycle 2018 continues the Rad Tour tradition

Posted on Sep 13, 2018 by Courtenay Bouvier

If the weekend forecast is accurate, this Sunday, September 16, will be a perfect day for a late-summer bike ride. Conveniently, Iowa City Bike Library Director Audrey Wiedemeier has already coordinated the local bicycling and culinary event of the season, Farm Cycle — formerly known as RadTour. […]

Yes we can! Why canned beer is best

Posted on Sep 4, 2018 by Emma McClatchey

“From a quality-of-beer perspective, the can in a lot of ways is superior to the bottle,” Andy Joynt, head brewer for Big Grove Brewery, said. “There’s an outdated idea that cans impact the flavor of beer because there was a period of time many, many years ago it did, but that’s no longer the case.” […]

Wild Culture Kombucha is opening a taproom in Iowa City’s north side

Posted on Aug 16, 2018 by Emma McClatchey

Wild Culture Kombucha is expanding beyond growlers, guest taps and a booth at the Iowa City Farmers Market. The low-alcohol probiotic beverages will soon have a permanent home of their own at 210 N Linn St in Iowa City, formerly Sonny’s Northside Tap. Roughly three years after starting their business, Wild Culture owners Rachelle Schmidt […]

LV Recommends: Geyer’s Oven

Posted on Aug 16, 2018 by Jessica Carney

There’s nothing more “Iowa” than eating in the middle of a cornfield. At Geyer’s Oven in Oxford, Iowa (1259 Rohret Rd SW), cows passively watched me enjoy delicious wood-fired pizza made with fresh ingredients such as summer squash and roasted beets. Visitors brought picnic blankets, dogs, wine and other wonderful things to enjoy along with the summer evening outside on the farm. […]

Takanami reopens as a reinvented El Patrón, shortly after the original El Patrón shuts its doors

Posted on Aug 3, 2018 by Emma McClatchey

A little over a month after purchasing Takanami and less than two weeks after announcing the Japanese fusion restaurant would become a taco and tequila joint, owner Valentina Carrero unveiled her restaurant’s new name — and it sounded familiar. The space at 219 Iowa Ave is the new home of El Patrón, a recycling of […]

Family Dinner: Brenda Nations and Art Bettis discuss food justice over food

Posted on Aug 2, 2018 by Helaina Thompson

The good news concerns zucchini: There’s plenty of it. Arguably too much of it, although environmentalists Brenda Nations and Art Bettis (armed with an abundant CSA share and a very tasty summer squash galette recipe torn from the pages of a Better Homes and Gardens) do not seem to mind. The bad news is the […]

Takanami will become a Mexican restaurant (Updated)

Posted on Jul 19, 2018 by Emma McClatchey

July 20, 2018: This article was updated with new comments from Valentina Carrero. After 15 years serving sushi, teppanyaki and Asian-infused entrees, Iowa City’s Takanami will become a Mexican restaurant, new owner Valentina Carrero announced Wednesday. The rebranded business is set to open Aug. 2 in the same location at 219 Iowa Ave. “I have […]

Iowa City MasterChef to host public dinner this Saturday

Posted on Jul 17, 2018 by Frankie Schneckloth

MasterChef Matt and Cesar Tasting Event Kirkwood Culinary Kitchen at NewBo City Market — Saturday, July 21 at 5 p.m. Iowa City-based MasterChef contestant Matt Houck has a collaborative dinner planned for this weekend at the Kirkwood Culinary Kitchen in Cedar Rapids’ NewBo City Market. The intimate eight course dinner was developed with the help […]

Iowa City’s Pizza Ranch will move to the Gateway One Plaza (Updated)

Posted on Jul 10, 2018 by Paul Brennan

Pizza Ranch is headed south. The buffet-style restaurant will be moving from its current location in Iowa City Marketplace (formerly known as Sycamore Mall) to Gateway One Plaza, Pizza Ranch’s corporate office confirmed to Little Village. […]