10.29.08
New Coralville restaurants
Check out these stories on new restaurants in Coralville:
- The former owner of Indian Mix grocery store has opened Clay Pot, an Indian fusion restaurant. Story on Corridor Buzz
- The new Agave Bar & Grill features “an extensive tequilla bar.” Corridor Buzz and Press Citizen.
10.27.08
Celebrate Benz’s return with tasting events
Have you been back to Benz yet? If not, this is the week to welcome back downtown Cedar Rapids’ wine, beer, spirits and gourmet food store. They’re filling this week with grand opening events, starting with a re-grand opening beer tasting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday:
“While we were recovering from the flood, we were able to help bring in some great new brews to the state of Iowa. Come sample from the selection of our favorite new arrivals. We will pair these new beer arrivals with some of our new cheeses and delicious snacks from Benz.”
Admission is $10/person, and includes a coupon for 10 percent off any food items or beer tasted during the tasting.
The re-grand opening celebration will continue through Sunday with daily wine tastings and food samples. Here is the schedule:
- Wine Tastings, Thursday and Friday 2 to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.
- Artisan and International Cheese Tasting, 3 to 4:30 p.m. Friday*
- European Breads & Olive Oil Tasting, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday
- Artisan and International Cheese Tasting, 3 to 4 p.m. Sunday*
*Featuring Different Cheeses and Meats Friday and Sunday
Other news from flood-affected food businesses:
10.23.08
Play with your food
Why didn’t I think of this when I had more CSA vegetables than I could eat?
10.20.08
What’s your cooking obsession?
photo from mon1que on flickr
I love this essay from Lee Stokes Hilton from Sunday’s New York Times: For This Baker, the Cookie Is a Canvas
I’m going into the city today,” I say.
“What for?” my husband asks.
“Sprinkles.”
I admit it: I am obsessed with sprinkles. I began to suspect as much when I went shopping for storage containers to hold my jars of jimmies, nonpareils, sanding sugars, edible glitter, and three different sizes of silver and gold dragées. I could barely fit them all into two of those large plastic drawers from Bed, Bath and Beyond.
This is not a cupcake obsession. I know cupcakes are a hot item these days, but I’m talking about cookies — rollout cookies in shapes to suit any occasion.
My neighbor says she’s having a Western-themed party, and I have visions of cacti bristling with emerald-green jimmies, cowboy hats in white or blue-black sanding sugar, boots, jalapeños, and silver stars shining with dragées. Before the thought has jelled, I hear myself say, “Want me to make cookies?”
Do you have a kitchen obession? Share it here.
CSA, week 20
I’m a little behind, but here is the enormous final share we received from our CSA last week: lots of garlic and shallots, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, celeriac, a sweet potato, acorn squash, carnival squash, butternut squash, some greens and cilantro.
CSA, week 20
For a wrap-up of my and Carly’s first CSA experience, check out my column in tomorrow’s Gazette.
10.16.08
Vive le French food!
Croissant du Jour
Hello Hoopla readers! Since the premiere issue of Eastern Iowa’s young adult publication featured a review of one of my favorite CR spots, Croissant du Jour, I wanted to let you in on a secret: The cafe also serves dinner. But only once a month. To get in, you have to make a reservation… and schedule your dinner plans around their serving times. But it’s so worth it. (Plus, you get to BYO wine.)
Croissant du Jour’s dinners are prix fixe dinners, meaning you get a pre-set multi-course meal for a fixed price. There, usually about $40 to $50. (Plus, $5 corking fee if you bring a beverage.)
If you’ve been for breakfast or lunch — or even if you haven’t — I’d encourage you to splurge on one of the cafe’s dinners. This month’s menu sounds so good I’ve been kicking myself for having already made other plans for Oct. 25.
See the menu and get more details at www.croissantdujour.biz (To find the menu, go to the home page, and scroll down to the bottom of the page.)
10.15.08
blend is back! (soon)
Just got this news in an e-mail: Downtown CR’s blend is re-opening next weekend:
blend is reopening!
Help us celebrate Saturday, October 25th, 2008!
Join us for complimentary appetizers and wine tasting.
Doors open to the public at 6:00 p.m.
Live Jazz entertainment from 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. and drink specials all night!
Dinner service will not be available.
Regular Lunch and Dinner service will begin on Monday, October 27th, 2008.
10.14.08
Cupcake photos
Mix-and-Match robot cupcakes, from the amazing hello_naomi on flickr
These cupcakes make me miss summer already! From Bakerella on flickr
Cupcakes take the cake
Since today’s column was all about cupcakes, I now present the top 3 reasons to love The Cupcake:
1. You get to eat an ENTIRE (cup)CAKE in one sitting. All by yourself. No sharing required.
2. An excellent cake-to-frosting ratio.
3. Endless potential for cute, clever and creative designs.
The column hasn’t been posted to GazetteOnline yet, but you can find it in the e-edition here (registration required). Or you can get a quick hit of the highlights:
1. “Hello, Cupcake,” a book of cute, clever and creative cupcake decorating ideas, rocks.
2. It inspired “Cupcake Sunday” from 1:30 to 3 p.m. this Sunday at the Cedar Rapids Barnes & Noble. Activities include cupcake decorating contests, cupcake decorating demonstrations, a children’s book reading (“If You Give a Cat a Cupcake”), and, of course, a chance to peruse the store’s growing collection of cupcake cookbooks.
Back to “Hello, Cupcake.” A couple of weeks ago I made these fantastic Spaghetti and Meatball cupcakes.
Spaghetti & Meatball Cupcakes
They were incredibly easy. Except for one thing: The book recommends using a zip-top plastic bag to pipe frosting: My frosting burst the side seam of the bag not once, but twice. Lesson learned: Don’t use so much pressure while piping frosting OR use freezer bags OR use pastry bags; this is what they were designed for.
Here is a video of author/food stylist Karen Tack demonstrating the Spaghetti and Meatball cupcakes.
Click “keep reading” to see the recipe.
10.13.08
Flooded restaurant/coffee shop updates
According to recent Gazette stories:
- Coffee Emporium, Blue Strawberry and Cedar Rapids Coffee Co. all plan to reopen in downtown Cedar Rapids by the end of next month. Click here for the story.
- Also in downtown CR, Victor’s Place, Sub City and Deb’s Ice Cream & Deli have reopened, Blend
image from Metahari on flickr
and Zins are still working on rebuilding, Mr. Beans is going “delay the decision (to rebuild downtown) indefinitely,” and Dee’s Japanese & American Cafe will not be back. For the whole story, click here.
According to recent Corridor Buzz stories:
- Coralville’s Old Chicago is back, with new menu items. Click here for more.
- Wig & Pen is still working on rebuilding and Yummy’s Gourmet Cakes is moving to a new location. For more, click here.
- The space that used to house Mondo’s Tomato Pie will become an “invasion fusion” restaurant, combining Vietnamese and California cuisine. Click here for more.
