Bobalicious might just be the kind of place Anthony Bourdain is always searching for—a family-run, hole-in-the-wall, authentic pho joint. Rather difficult to locate, Bobalicious is attached to a Deli Mart service station out on Highway 6, across from Paul’s Discount. […]
When golfing, Kent Ball will drink Miller Lite because it’s refreshing, watery and usually cheaper than bottled water. It is a beer, he said, that he does not have to think about on hot, sunny days; all he needs to […]
How does a middle-class working mother splurge? Retail therapy? No, not shoes—if I can’t wear them to work or at home then why bother? Not handbags—they will just get Gatorade spilled on them. Concert tickets—nah, too tired to leave the […]
September is a time for football (oh, sacred game) and funk. Brettanomyces funk, that is. Affectionately known as Brett, Brettanomyces is a strain of yeast used in many Belgian beers. It imparts a dank funkiness commonly described as being similar […]
As I enter downtown Iowa City’s newest lunch spot (the Java House’s recent expansion into the space next door) I find myself in a pleasant space painted a sophisticated charcoal gray with enlarged vintage photos of Iowa City hanging on […]
At first, Brian Sekafetz thought the Moose Lodge was a place where old men drank beer. However, since becoming a member in 1996, he has learned it is about more than drinks with buddies. So much more, in fact, it […]
For me, summer is synonymous with lawn mowing and lawnmower lager. As a kid, my summer breaks were spent playing basketball in the driveway and mowing lawns up and down my block. I mowed a neighbor’s lawn just about every […]
Much like buffalo wings and fixed-gear bicycles, IPA has a mystique I cannot understand. Everyone loves it but I have no clue why. When I asked John’s Grocery bier guy Joe Hotek to explain it, he shrugged his shoulders. Is […]
As the weather warms and backyard gardens begin to sprout, locals are asked to consider a very basic question: Where does our food come from? To some, there’s an easy answer, which is “the grocery store.” It is, however, a […]
Serving temperature: 50-54º F Alcohol content: 5.6 percent ABV. Food pairings: Bill Manley, a product development manager at Sierra Nevada, told me the chefs at the brewery’s restaurant commonly pair Pale Ale with grilled meat, mushrooms and fresh garden vegetables. […]
On March 28, the 2nd annual Top Chef: Downtown competition will be a live version of what all of us merely witness on Bravo. Iowa City’s top chefs and bartenders will be exhibiting their culinary talent and mixologist wizardry from 5 to 7 […]
Like a good Catholic and Bavarian, I imagine the Pope will relax with a brew or two after Saint Patrick’s Day Mass—and I guarantee he will not be drinking Guinness. Instead, he will probably kick back a couple bottles of […]
