As I stepped into Lachele’s Fine Foods, it felt like a blast from the past. With black and white tile flooring, salmon-colored walls and turquoise seating, this hole-in-the-wall diner mixes mid-century modern with a contemporary touch. According to Executive Chef […]
“Checkers?” That was the first question from the waiter as my girlfriend and I slid into a side booth at Tornado’s Pub & Grub. If you grab one of the booths inside the front door, you’re treated to a tabletop […]
Don’t tell Chicago, but Gianna’s stole their sandwich. Signature sandwiches are an edible work of art. Done right, they make our mouths water and our bellies happy. They leave us with warm memories of past road trips, vacations and experiences. […]
Recently, three Little Village staffers lunched at Pho Lucky to get a feel for Iowa City’s newest pho restaurant. Imagine, on a cold winter day, sitting like a warm cat in a big sunny booth right by the south windows of a tidy restaurant while you sip a sweet Vietnamese iced coffee or hot tea and wait for a big bowl of soup. […]
The concept of the Groundswell Cafe in Cedar Rapids (201 3rd Ave SW) is simple: Eat, and if you’d like, leave some extra money to pay for someone else’s meal. Nonprofit Matthew 25 opened the cafe on Oct. 8 […]
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. […]
Gumption. has achieved and perfected the chic, family-friendly breakfast spot with its farm-to-fork food and drink menus. Those menus caters to many different diners, with each plate highlighting local ingredients, from fresh seasonal produce to fresh breads.
[…]
If you’re at that phase of your life when you’re starting to branch out in your cooking (or you’re eating Totino’s pizza rolls while watching Food Network), you’ve noticed how good chefs team up several meats in one dish: jambalaya, […]
One of my favorite autumn activities in eastern Iowa is a visit to Amana. Quaint little shops, the down-home General Store, local theatre, Millstream Brewery and the village’s simple feel make for a great afternoon of shopping and relaxation, and, […]
Brick walls, industrial piping and stamped metal bar backing greet you when you enter Red Vespa in Solon. The vibe of the place is chic, cozy rather than cramped, with an open kitchen that lends a comforting transparency to the […]
When Black Sheep Social Club recommends reservations, they aren’t kidding. The new Cedar Rapids restaurant hummed over the lunch hour on a recent Tuesday. Located in the former Great Furniture Mart building on First Street downtown, the social club opened […]
We sat down to lunch at the newly opened traditional Chinese restaurant Bashu. The waitress brought us a pot of oolong and my buddy, a native Iowan, said, “How do you know if somebody is from New York?” “I don’t […]