Haunted by a fridge full of boring beer? Creep over to the store and pick up an Iowa brew to pair with your favorite horror subgenre. Supernatural Horror The Exorcist (1973), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Ringu (1998), The Babadook (2014) Drink: Electric Banshee American Stout (ReUnion Brewery, Coralville) Electric Banshee is a pleasant, […]
Food & Drink
Recipe: Iowa Pork Fries

No matter what you call it (pork fries, cowboy caviar, Rocky Mountain oysters, prairie oysters), or how you prepare it (broiled, smoked, fried, accompanied with a variety of sauce options), at the end of the day, you’re eating a testicle. Rocky Mountain oysters were one of the first “exotic” foods I tried. I was 14 […]
Wilson’s Orchard evolves their image with a focus on new crops, sustainability

Since Wilson’s Apple Orchard first opened to the public 35 years ago, the visitor experience has been centered around exactly what you would expect: apples. Over the last four decades, thousands of visitors have journeyed to the orchard in autumn to pick apples, sip apple cider slushies, eat apple turnovers and buy Wilson’s merch featuring […]
Barbecue to the rescue: Willie Fairley plans to feed derecho victims ‘until everyone’s back on their feet’

Willie Fairley’s phone has not stopped ringing. Fairley told Little Village he’s gotten calls from “all over the world” letting him know they appreciate the work he’s doing and asking how they can support him. Fairley, owner of Willie Ray’s Q Shack in Cedar Rapids, has been making hundreds of free meals for people impacted […]
Reynolds: Bars in Johnson and Linn County must shut down due to COVID-19 spike

Downtown Iowa City bars that saw dozens of college-age patrons line up outside their doors just days ago must close up by 5 p.m. this Thursday, by order of the governor. In a new proclamation of disaster emergency Gov. Kim Reynolds signed on Thursday morning, the state is requiring “bars, taverns, wineries, breweries, distilleries, night […]
LV Recommends: E’s Gluten Free Bakery

Maybe I’m not the best person to review a gluten-free bakery. My body does not seem to have an adverse reaction to gluten. I have not suffered countless loaves of bread that taste like cardboard boxes. I haven’t choked down gritty, hard-as-rocks cookies in pretend enjoyment. But maybe because I haven’t tasted exactly how terrible […]
El Banditos is moving in with Billy’s High Hat Diner

Iowa City’s Northside Neighborhood has seen a number of changes recently, from the establishment of a temporary mini pedestrian mall to the debut of a racial justice-focused mural on the side of the new Market House building on North Linn Street. On Wednesday, a Northside business announced another big change. Mexican restaurant El Banditos is […]
LV Recommends: Rodney’s Jamaican Jerk & BBQ
The Mill is closing after nearly 60 years in Iowa City
Put your money where your mouth is: Black-owned restaurants in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area

The Eastern Iowa area is blessed to be home to a plethora of businesses owned and operated by black chefs and entrepreneurs. We’ve sung their praises in these pages before, but we haven’t covered them all yet—something that we aim to rectify in coming issues. In celebration of our black community, we’ll be focusing on […]
Wine, dine and donate: Brix contributes more than $13,000 to fellow downtown businesses and arts organizations

When Nick Craig, owner of Brix Cheese Shop and Wine Bar in Iowa City’s Northside Neighborhood, was making plans for his girlfriend’s April 19 birthday, he knew the couple couldn’t celebrate the way they would under normal circumstances. He and Lacy Laughton would usually mark the occasion by going to a performance or eating at […]
Life without restaurants

“It is a happy condition of affairs that philosophers, poets, merchants and artists can join together at a dinner, and without a blush perform the function of feeding themselves open in public.” –Lin Yutang, The Importance of Living On March 13, I consumed one of my last meals in a restaurant for the foreseeable future. […]