Recent University of Iowa graduate, Valentina Carrero, 22, is Iowa City’s newest — and maybe youngest — restaurateur. Just after graduation ceremonies wrapped, Carrero inked the deal with Etre Restaurant Group to purchase downtown Iowa City sushi restaurant, Takanami. The recent Iowa alum figured she would be a social worker after she finished school in […]
Food & Drink
Posted inCommunity/News
First axe-tossing, now frappuccinos: Gateway One Plaza is getting a Starbucks
Construction has begun on a Starbucks at Gateway One Plaza. It is the second new business this year for the strip mall at the corner of Highway 1 and Riverside Drive. Hatchet Jack’s, Iowa City’s first axe-tossing bar, is currently in the final stages of construction and will open soon. The new store will be […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Tickets for the 2018 Farm to Street Dinner go on sale this weekend (updated)
“It will probably sell out within an hour,” said Betsy Potter, director of operations for the Iowa City Downtown District (ICDD). The Farm to Street Dinner is hosted by ICDD, along with the City of Iowa City and Johnson County.
Posted inFood & Drink
A recipe from ‘MasterChef’ contestant Matt Houck
Matthew Houck, Iowa City optometrist and current competitor on FOX’s MasterChef, has your dinner covered: Marinated and grilled maitake mushrooms with potato-chive rosti, butter-braised asparagus and sorrel vinaigrette. Serves 4-5.
Posted inCommunity/News
Goosetown Café to open Wednesday morning
After two days of soft opening and months of preparation, Goosetown Café, brainchild of new restaurateur Peter Kessler, will open to the public for breakfast tomorrow at 7 a.m. “It’s been good to see the shared excitement over the past few days. Lots of our great neighbors have been by to support us,” Kessler told […]
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 inCommunity/News
The Dandy Lion hosts soft opening this weekend
The Dandy Lion, the Ped Mall’s newest dining establishment, will host a soft-opening this weekend. In preparation for their imminent grand opening, partners Lindsay Chastain and Tommy Connolly will open the doors both tonight and Saturday evening for curious customers looking to beat the heat of this weekend’s Iowa Arts Festival
Posted inCommunity/News
John’s Grocery hosting 70th anniversary party
John’s Grocery is celebrating 70 years as a staple of Iowa City’s northside by focusing on what they do best: beer. John’s is hosting an anniversary party in their parking lot from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, offering beer and wine samples from visiting breweries and wineries, as well as chances to win prizes.
Posted inFood & Drink
Local optometrist Matt Houck prepares for his ‘MasterChef’ debut
Iowa City resident Matthew Houck is ready for battle. Next week, he’ll go head-to-head with home chefs from across the country competing for a coveted white apron on FOX’s MasterChef.
Houck, an amateur chef and optometrist at McDonald Optical in Iowa City, applied for a spot on the food-focused reality show last October. A long drive to Nashville for an initial audition required Houcks to prepare a signature dish for a group of judges.
Posted inDining Recommendations
Drink like a patriot
You may not have learned in school, but the U.S. was founded on booze. Celebrate your civic duty by raising a glass to freedom at these Iowa City and Cedar Rapids drinkeries.
Posted inCommunity/News
Casa Azul opens new location in downtown Iowa City
Just in time for Taco Tuesday, Casa Azul Restaurante & Cantina has opened a new location in downtown Iowa City at 335 S Gilbert St. The first Casa Azul in Coralville, owned by Carlos and Allysa Tijerina, is known for its authentic Mexican food, and its 99-cent tacos on Tuesdays. Making sure Casa Azul’s food […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Mitt Romney talks favorite meats, stirs memories of his Iowa donut debacle
Failed 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney is currently running for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Utah, which he currently describes as his home state. (Romney was born and raised in Michigan, served as governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and has spent much of his time at his home in Southern […]
