Old Capitol Mall
Downtown Iowa City
December 2007
A cheap place to get sushi to go.
Located in the Old Capitol Mall’s food area, this place is small, with a few stools to sit at, facing the sushi chefs. I got an unagi roll (freshwater eel). It came in 6 normal size pieces + 2 ends for $4.77, including tax. Whether you eat there or not, it comes in a stryofoam container with soy sauce in a plastic container. They also put wasabi and pickled ginger in it. You can get ice water in a Styrofoam cup. I have eaten a lot of quality sushi, so I might be pickier than most, but I thought the rice wasn’t as sticky as it should be, but the wasabi was good.
Environmentally: Not good. Everything is disposable, not even recyclable.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Baldy’s
Downtown Iowa City
December 2007
Great atmosphere.
I like going to Baldy’s when I have a whole hour for lunch. This place has a great atmosphere- old desks and lamps, decorated with mirrors and windows on the brick walls. It is in an old downtown building, very narrow and long. It’s amazing that someone had the vision to turn such a place into a restaurant! Eating here is like eating at the library, and I like to find a cozy table and read my book while I eat, I even get annoyed when other people come in and talk louder than “library” voice. Then I remind myself that I’m not actually in the library.
You go up to the counter to order your wrap. I recommend any of the veggie wraps, they seem to be more filling. I got the one of the chicken wraps one time and it didn’t seem like it had as much stuff in it. I especially like the garden burger wrap. They come warm with chips and a cookie for about $7. They also have some beer on tap there.
To “wrap” it up, the food is decent, the atmosphere is excellent.
Environmentally: The wraps are in tinfoil on wax paper in a re-usable basket.
December 2007
Great atmosphere.
I like going to Baldy’s when I have a whole hour for lunch. This place has a great atmosphere- old desks and lamps, decorated with mirrors and windows on the brick walls. It is in an old downtown building, very narrow and long. It’s amazing that someone had the vision to turn such a place into a restaurant! Eating here is like eating at the library, and I like to find a cozy table and read my book while I eat, I even get annoyed when other people come in and talk louder than “library” voice. Then I remind myself that I’m not actually in the library.
You go up to the counter to order your wrap. I recommend any of the veggie wraps, they seem to be more filling. I got the one of the chicken wraps one time and it didn’t seem like it had as much stuff in it. I especially like the garden burger wrap. They come warm with chips and a cookie for about $7. They also have some beer on tap there.
To “wrap” it up, the food is decent, the atmosphere is excellent.
Environmentally: The wraps are in tinfoil on wax paper in a re-usable basket.
Mama’s Kitchen
Downtown Iowa City
December 2007
This new restaurant took over the Record Collector’s location near the ped mall. They have a convenience store style going in the main section, with the kitchen in the back. You can get a salad, choosing 1 of 4 types of lettuce (or a mixture) and 5 ingredients out of a large list. The salad costs $6.50, and if you choose any protein items, they cost extra. They also have small containers of soup for $3, and they usually have a pretty good selection of soup. Everything comes with a side of bread. The food is good and the people there are very friendly. Unfortantely, my two experiences haven’t been so good. When I got a salad, they left out 1 ingredient, the most important in my opinion: the avocados. And when I got soup, it was barely luke warm and it had turned cold by the time I finished it.
Environmetally, they aren’t so good. There is no room to eat there, so all food is in to go containers. The salads come in large clam shell containers, made of paper, and not Styrofoam, which is good, as long as people are recycling them when they are done. The soup also comes in paper containers.
December 2007
This new restaurant took over the Record Collector’s location near the ped mall. They have a convenience store style going in the main section, with the kitchen in the back. You can get a salad, choosing 1 of 4 types of lettuce (or a mixture) and 5 ingredients out of a large list. The salad costs $6.50, and if you choose any protein items, they cost extra. They also have small containers of soup for $3, and they usually have a pretty good selection of soup. Everything comes with a side of bread. The food is good and the people there are very friendly. Unfortantely, my two experiences haven’t been so good. When I got a salad, they left out 1 ingredient, the most important in my opinion: the avocados. And when I got soup, it was barely luke warm and it had turned cold by the time I finished it.
Environmetally, they aren’t so good. There is no room to eat there, so all food is in to go containers. The salads come in large clam shell containers, made of paper, and not Styrofoam, which is good, as long as people are recycling them when they are done. The soup also comes in paper containers.
Which Wich?
Downtown Iowa City
December 2007
This is a unique chain restaurant that’s new to the Iowa City area. I had heard people raving about it before I decided to check it out myself. You walk in and look at a wall giving you many options. Then you grab a bag and a sharpie and check off the circles for which ingredients you want on your sandwich. For example, On the vegetarian bag, you choose the main ingredient: Hummus & Bell Peppers, Tomato & Avocado, Triple Cheese Melt, Black Bean Patty, Elvis Wich (Peanut Butter, Honey & Banana). Then you choose white or wheat bread, five different cheeses, four mustards, 4 mayos, 8 spreads/sauces, 3 onions, 13 veggies, 7 oils & spices, and for 75 cents extra, you can get bacon, avocado, pickle spears, more meat or more cheese. Write your name on the bag, walk around the wall, pay for it, and then your sandwich comes in the bag you filled out!
The sandwich I had was pretty good, and I would bring others to this place who haven’t been there before so that they could experience the different style of ordering the food. I also recommend the house chips, like Pancheros- they put chips in their own bag.
Environmentally: not so good. The sandwich comes in the paper bag you filled out, but it also comes wrapped in paper, then in tin foil in that bag, and it doesn’t matter whether you are eating in or taking it to go, it still creates a lot of waste.
December 2007
This is a unique chain restaurant that’s new to the Iowa City area. I had heard people raving about it before I decided to check it out myself. You walk in and look at a wall giving you many options. Then you grab a bag and a sharpie and check off the circles for which ingredients you want on your sandwich. For example, On the vegetarian bag, you choose the main ingredient: Hummus & Bell Peppers, Tomato & Avocado, Triple Cheese Melt, Black Bean Patty, Elvis Wich (Peanut Butter, Honey & Banana). Then you choose white or wheat bread, five different cheeses, four mustards, 4 mayos, 8 spreads/sauces, 3 onions, 13 veggies, 7 oils & spices, and for 75 cents extra, you can get bacon, avocado, pickle spears, more meat or more cheese. Write your name on the bag, walk around the wall, pay for it, and then your sandwich comes in the bag you filled out!
The sandwich I had was pretty good, and I would bring others to this place who haven’t been there before so that they could experience the different style of ordering the food. I also recommend the house chips, like Pancheros- they put chips in their own bag.
Environmentally: not so good. The sandwich comes in the paper bag you filled out, but it also comes wrapped in paper, then in tin foil in that bag, and it doesn’t matter whether you are eating in or taking it to go, it still creates a lot of waste.
Pancheros
Downtown Iowa City location
December 2007
Most Panchero’s locations I’ve been in are very colorful places, with attractive floor tiles and colorful artwork of abstract peppers and things on the walls. While the downtown location has the artwork, the floor is a drab off-white tile. But the uniqueness of this small restaurant makes up for the uninteresting floor. There aren’t as many places to sit, and sometimes you are pretty close to your fellow eaters, but there is an upstairs area that is unique, and almost exciting to eat at! After accending up the stairs, there are a couple of tables with 3 chairs at them, up against the wall. If you turn and continue going up, there are 2 booths to sit at. From these, you can look down into the downstairs eating area, or enjoy the color of the pipes against the color of the walls.
Unfortuantly, even with the special ambiance of the upstairs of downtown’s Panchero’s, you’ll find less Cholula bottles. My guess is that it has something to do with being near campus, some students are testing the 5 finger discount. To those students: the rest of us really appreciate restaurants like Panchero’s serving quality hot sauce like Cholula, and we would like there to be plenty for us when we go there. If you need to steal something, try jelly packets at the diner.
I usually get the burrito with ½ chicken and ½ veggie for about $6. If you say chicken and veggie, they’ll give you twice as much and charge you extra. But if you say half & half, that’s what you get for the same price. However, this doesn’t work on quesadillas. I tried, and it was explained to me that they put 1 scoop of each on these and can’t do half.
The tortillas are pressed fresh on their “Dough Pro” and they taste great.
Their chips come in their own bags and are a pretty good deal for 50 cents.
Environmentally: They use recycled napkins. If you get the food to stay, they put it on reusable plates. The only throw away items are the plastic forks and salsa containers.
December 2007
Most Panchero’s locations I’ve been in are very colorful places, with attractive floor tiles and colorful artwork of abstract peppers and things on the walls. While the downtown location has the artwork, the floor is a drab off-white tile. But the uniqueness of this small restaurant makes up for the uninteresting floor. There aren’t as many places to sit, and sometimes you are pretty close to your fellow eaters, but there is an upstairs area that is unique, and almost exciting to eat at! After accending up the stairs, there are a couple of tables with 3 chairs at them, up against the wall. If you turn and continue going up, there are 2 booths to sit at. From these, you can look down into the downstairs eating area, or enjoy the color of the pipes against the color of the walls.
Unfortuantly, even with the special ambiance of the upstairs of downtown’s Panchero’s, you’ll find less Cholula bottles. My guess is that it has something to do with being near campus, some students are testing the 5 finger discount. To those students: the rest of us really appreciate restaurants like Panchero’s serving quality hot sauce like Cholula, and we would like there to be plenty for us when we go there. If you need to steal something, try jelly packets at the diner.
I usually get the burrito with ½ chicken and ½ veggie for about $6. If you say chicken and veggie, they’ll give you twice as much and charge you extra. But if you say half & half, that’s what you get for the same price. However, this doesn’t work on quesadillas. I tried, and it was explained to me that they put 1 scoop of each on these and can’t do half.
The tortillas are pressed fresh on their “Dough Pro” and they taste great.
Their chips come in their own bags and are a pretty good deal for 50 cents.
Environmentally: They use recycled napkins. If you get the food to stay, they put it on reusable plates. The only throw away items are the plastic forks and salsa containers.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Cinnamon Apple Pancakes
This is a recipe I made up on my own, heavily relying on the pancake recipe from The Joy of Cooking.
Ingredients:
¾ c unbleached white flour
¾ c whole wheat flour
3 T raw sugar
1 ¾ t baking powder
1 t salt
half or more of an apple, diced
A couple shakes of cinnamon, ground
2 eggs, cage free
1 1/8 c milk, hormone free
1 T butter, unsalted
Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
Melt butter in your cast iron butter dish over a burner on the stove. If you don’t own a microwave and your toaster oven is broken, that’s how I roll…..
Beat eggs and scrape out the shell pieces. Add milk. Add butter and stir as you add it.
Add the liquids all at once to the dry ingredients. Add the diced apples. (I don’t peel my apple, but I do like to remove the core). Stir just enough so that you don’t have clumps of flour.
Let the mixture sit for awhile. It’s got baking powder in it so it needs to do its thing.
Heat up your griddle. I have a non-stick one that doesn’t require any oil or butter. It’s amazing. It’s not Teflon, but you still have to be careful not to scratch it.
I’ve been cooking pancakes for years almost every weekend. Therefore, I’m pretty awesome at knowing exactly when to flip the pancake. Look for bubbles to begin forming. If you aren’t sure, test a corner and see if it is going to stay together. Practice makes perfect. That’s why I’m perfect.
I like to make several individual batches of the dry ingredients so that it’s quick and easy at 11:30 am. Sometimes, on weekend mornings when I finally roll out of bed and think about food, I’m more motivated to make something if it’s quick and easy and there isn’t much measuring involved. I also always have gifts to give friends & family when I visit! Homemade pancake mix!
You are probably going to make several pancakes, especially if you’re one of those crazies who
likes little tiny pancakes stacked on the plate. I like plate-sized pancakes, and I find them easier to make, but that’s me. So you should go buy a pancake/tortilla warmer.This is one of those kitchen items I bought and immediately I didn’t know how I had survived so long without owning such an amazing piece of equipment. You know what I’m talking about- when you go to a Mexican restaurant and get fajitas and they bring the tortillas in a little version of this thing to keep them all warm. It really works great- once all the pancakes are made, you bring the warmer to the table and they are all equally hot! (Don’t leave them in there too long, though- the condensation will make them soggy!) Serve them with really expensive real maple syrup and butter. Refrigerate the leftover pancakes and eat them cold with no toppings. I’m not kidding- they are awesome that way too, especially with coffee or black tea.
Cake #6: The Barefoot Contessa’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake
On February 28, I made my first coffee cake. It was a disaster. But not entirely. Here’s the story.
I decided to make 2 cakes, one with butter, the other with applesauce. Because I found that subbing applesauce for butter doesn’t work too well in pound cakes, I thought I would attempt that experiment again on coffee cakes. And I had a pot luck to go to, so I didn’t cut any cake recipes in half, Hence, the disaster. I did learn a valuable lesson though. Are you intrigued to read on?
The butter version was first. I creamed the butter and sugar a lot. Then I added eggs and a mixture of the dry ingredients. Meanwhile, I made the “streusel” and learned that “streusel” is a German word that refers to a crumb topping made of butter, flour and sugar, sometimes combined with spices and chopped nuts. It made me think of those frozen toaster streudels I ate when I was a kid, but this is totally different. No frosting out of a plastic bag to squeeze onto the toasted pop tart.
The streusel called for flour, cinnamon, salt, butter, chopped walnuts and light brown sugar. I just happened to go to the little Amish town of Kalona
I mixed up the streusel (which, I’ve just learned, is a difficult word to type. Streusel. Try it.) by hand, squeezing all the little chunks of cold butter and mushing it up until it looked satisfyingly like a crumb texture. I made a double batch and just split it between the two cakes. Then I poured the thick batter into the bundt pan (half of it), added ¾ cup of the streusel, added the rest of the batter, and topped it with the streusel.
I then made the applesauce version and did the same, only using the (much smaller) tube pan. I discovered that I had more batter than the pan would hold, so I filled it up and then put the remaining batter with a little streusel in a small ceramic bowl..JPG)
This is where the disaster comes in. Apparently you can’t fill the tube pan to the brim with some cakes (Melissa does mention this in her book, I just didn’t listen). This is the type of cake that rises a little, even though it’s a coffee cake and you wouldn’t expect it to. So- the cake pretty much spent an hour oozing over the sides of the pan and onto the bottom of the oven, until the entire house was filled with smoke and we had the doors open and the fan going. In February. In Iowa
But both cakes turned out to be edible- I just had to let the applesauce cake’s pan soak in hot soapy water for 2 days. I took the butter version to a potluck in which half of the food was dessert. I learned two things.
- Don’t take a coffee cake to a pot luck where there are lots of other desserts containing lots of attractive looking chocolate.
- If you do take a coffee cake to a pot luck, do not give it a title with “sour cream”. Even though you know it’s a key ingredient, to those who don’t make a lot of cake, the words “sour cream” and “coffee cake” do not sound appetizing together.
If you want to show up at a potluck with a dish and take most of it home with you, so that you can take it to work the next day and be a hero among your co-workers, then ignore those 2 rules and go for it!
You can also substitute yogurt, or flavored yogurt for the sour cream, but I still wouldn’t include it in the title. I would just call this a Walnut Coffee Cake and tell people about the sour cream only if they ask.
The result of my experiment: I really liked the applesauce version! It has a much different texture than the butter version, and it seems to have more flavor. I think coffee cakes are definitely going to be made with applesauce in my house, especially if I am planning on making them to eat at breakfast (with my coffee). If I ever get crazy enough to do that sort of thing. This particular cake, even if I had made just one, took for freakin’ ever!
Oh, it also called for a glaze of confectioners’ sugar and real maple syrup. I have both of those ingredients, and I’m curious how it would taste, but I never did get around to making it. The cake was good without it and you really can only spend so much time in a smoky kitchen.
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