Emily Salmonson thinks the pandemic brought plant fanatics out of the woodworks. After months of quarantine, people dove into recreation, emerging as hikers or bikers, or they brought the outdoor indoors, becoming plant parents. “I have just huge love of plants. I’ve always had plants just around me growing up. My mother had tons of […]
Food & Drink
Posted inBread & Butter Dining Guide
Six days a week, 52 weeks a year, Iowa City’s Free Lunch Program continues to meet hungry neighbors where they are
An open door, a full plate, no questions asked. It’s a simple, humble mission, but for everyone involved with the Free Lunch Program (FLP), from the diners to the directors, it is less about charity than collaboration, enriching the life of both server and guest. This is a truth strongly felt by Diane Platte, one […]
Posted inBread & Butter Dining Guide
Brewed, French-pressed or poured-over, here are some of the best caffeine peddlers in the CRANDIC
Neighborhood coffee joints have remained a source of comfort and caffeine during these uncertain times. The CRANDIC area is overflowing with options, many new to the scene, while others recently expanded or pivoted to meet community needs. Daydrink 125 S Dubuque St, Iowa City View Website Daydrink opened in September of 2020 within the Basic […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Test your beer puppeteering skills at Des Moines Oktoberfest this weekend
Des Moines Oktoberfest will return this weekend with new events, an impressive list of beers and the promise of a great time. Always held the last full weekend of September, Des Moines Oktoberfest is a beer-centered block party that takes place south of Court Avenue on 4th Street. In 2017, organizers added the Party Plaza […]
Posted inBread & Butter Dining Guide
COVID-19 changed Iowa’s dining industry. Will restaurants (and customers) continue to remain flexible?
In 2019, the restaurant industry in Iowa was flying high. According to the Iowa Restaurant Association, there were close to 6,500 restaurants and bars across the state. Nearly 155,000 people worked in the restaurant and bar industry that year. Just over 100,000 were working in restaurants in Iowa in 2014. “The food world was king,” […]
Posted inBread & Butter Dining Guide
The world at your forktips: 15 international restaurants and markets throughout the CRANDIC
From empanadas to masala, jollof rice to donburi, let these international eateries take your tastebuds on a trip. Pinoy Cafe 1100 3rd St SE, Cedar Rapids 319-343-8081 View Website Blanche Vega’s Filipino restaurant, Pinoy Cafe, got its start in a small spot in Cedar Rapids’ NewBo City Market in 2018. Vega graduated to a slightly […]
Posted inBread & Butter Dining Guide
Trendy diets are doctor-prescribed treatment for some Iowa patients
It’s likely you’ve heard buzzwords like keto and paleo over the past few years. They’ve become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, popularized in bestselling books and specialty food products. Flashy advertorials featuring celebrities and social media influencers proclaim that going keto changed their lives, helping them to “lose weight and feel more energized!” What often […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Diners on North Linn Street now have access to free public wi-fi
Limited free wi-fi is now available in the block-long dining area on North Linn Street. It’s the fourth outdoor, free public wi-fi spot in Iowa City, provided through a partnership between the city and ImOn Communications. The same public wi-fi is available on the Ped Mall and in two city parks, Chauncey Swan and Riverfront […]
Posted inBread & Butter Dining Guide
Restaurateurs look to local creatives to elevate their exterior
Even if you’re in it for the food and drink, a good view never hurts. At restaurants across the CRANDIC, that view is enhanced by artists. The confluence of art and food is visible in everything from grab-and-go items eaten on brightly painted picnic benches dotting Iowa City’s downtown, to an intentional sit-down meal (with […]
Posted inCOVID-19
‘Microfood’ operations flourished in the pandemic, from home bakers to couriers
The COVID-19 pandemic taught many of us how to switch gears and pivot. In March 2020, as the regular 9-to-5 ruptured, many people quit their desk and retail jobs and started doing the things they’d always wanted to do, either as a side hustle or completely new beginning. “As a person who works in the […]
Posted inBread & Butter Dining Guide
Where are the best chicken wings? Ask the Iowa City Wingmen
Since 2019, the original Iowa City Wingmen (Jeff Mannix and Brian Johannesen) have tirelessly scoured the Iowa City chicken wing scene in search of that perfect combination of flavor and texture with the intent of crowning the ultimate, most bodacious chicken wing in Iowa City. Well, that’s a bit dramatic. We mostly just like chicken […]
Posted inBread & Butter Dining Guide
Breakfast spots with colorful kids meals (and not just menu coloring)
Is it just us or is it harder to get out of bed at the end of the week? Our parents have tried a bunch of ways to try to get us up. By Friday morning, nothing but a guarantee of unlimited screen time could get us moving. That is until they started holding a […]
