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Matt 12:00 pm on April 10, 2010 Permalink | Reply
Tags: Beer (3), Downtown (14), Iowa City Food

Brews at Bread Garden

The weather was so nice last night that we decided to head downtown and find a patio to have some drinks on. The problem is that for the first couple of weeks of spring, when the weather turns, if you go downtown past 4 p.m. you are most likely not going to find a good spot on a patio (especially on a Friday). I wanted to have some good beers and maybe a little bit to eat, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I also didn’t want to have to wait forever to get a drink or have to listen to a bunch of college kids complain about the Cubs giving up a grand slam in the bottom of the 8th and losing to the Reds.

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makenzie 4:54 pm on April 10, 2010 Permalink | Reply

i LOVE the tuscan tomato. it is the best!!
Cara 10:39 pm on April 10, 2010 Permalink | Reply

Did you mean Rachel got some vino? Cuz if she got a wino, I want his name…..
Jen 2:52 pm on April 12, 2010 Permalink | Reply

Yum, the Bread Garden’s Tuscan Tomato IS the best soup known to man. Sounds like you guys had a fun night!

Matt 10:00 am on January 14, 2010 Permalink | Reply
Tags: Downtown (14), Iowa City Food

Masala

Sunday was my first day back in Iowa City since the holidays, and upon waking up I was faced with one of the toughest decision I have had to make in quite a while: where should I go eat lunch? It really didn’t take me long to come up with a place worthy enough to fill the void left by my nearly month long hiatus from Iowa City.

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Matt, and Abby are discussing. Toggle Comments
- Abby 11:56 am on January 15, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  
  I sure hope it tastes good because I’m a little unsure of how it looks!
- Matt 3:37 pm on January 15, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  
  Yeah the food is great!
Matt 11:40 am on December 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply
Tags: Iowa City Food

Pizza and Pints at Wig and Pen

We decided to celebrate the end of my semester by going out to for dinner and some drinks. Originally we planned on going to Cactus, a mexican restaurant that we heard was worth trying out. On our way there, we mad a last minute decision to go to Wig and Pen instead. That turned out to be a really good decision.

I had been to Wig and Pen once before to have a few early morning drinks before a basketball game. It was a while ago and don’t remember anything except that it was packed. The same could be said when we went there last Tuesday. I was surprised to see every table in the place filled up. We put our name down and were told that it was about a 20 minute wait. Luckily, there happened to be a few seats at the bar. I got a New Castle and Rachel got her favorite, amaretto and diet.

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Lindsay, OFer, and Cara are discussing. Toggle Comments
- Cara 8:39 am on December 28, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  Thanks for this post. I’ve driven past Wig and Pen many times and noted the interesting exterior and wondered how the food was. I’ll definitely give the food a try.
- OFer 11:31 am on January 9, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  
  I think their Pizza is great. The “Wig and Pen East” which is the east-side delivery only location is great.
- Lindsay 3:44 pm on May 11, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  
  BUT…the plastic lawn chairs are a part of the charm of Wig and Pen.
  Try their cheese fries with ranch dressing. YUM-O!
  And we love love love their chicago style pizza.
  Hopefully you’re still in IC to enjoy.
  We now are in Texas, and our tummies groan for Wing and Pen.
Matt 7:30 am on December 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply
Tags: Breakfast (3), Downtown (14), Iowa City Food

A Bluebird Breakfast

Last week we decided to stretch out our money a little bit and go out for breakfast and lunch instead of just going out to dinner. We decided to go to back to Bluebird Diner because I was craving their biscuits and gravy. Luckily we got there at a good time and got right in. Usually it is pretty busy, especially on a Sunday morning, but somehow we were even lucky enough to find a parking spot without driving in circles for ten minutes.

The inside of the Bluebird is nice and open, yet it still feels pretty cozy inside even with all of those crazy mirrors. But its not a bad crazy, they are actually pretty cool and some of them are really BIG! I also like the boomerang designs on the tables.

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Ofer, and Jen are discussing. Toggle Comments
- Jen 9:43 am on December 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  That breakfast looks so good! I have only been to the Bluebird Diner for lunch but it was delicious (I had the smoked chicken salad). I would definitely like to try it out for breakfast sometime!
- Ofer 11:07 am on December 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  Bluebird does a good job. I wish they did breakfast all day. The burgers are good too.
Matt 10:45 am on December 15, 2009 Permalink | Reply
Tags: Downtown (14), Iowa City Food

Saturday afternoon Oasis

So on Saturday we went to Oasis Falafel for lunch. I hate to say it, but after living in Iowa City for almost 5 years, I had never been there before last Saturday. I always make sure to buy some of Oasis’ hummus every time I go to the co-op, but have never made it to try out their falafels.

I creeped on the menu the day before going, and pretty much knew what I wanted before we got there. I really wanted to order just about everything they had, but I settled on the kebab plate. It came with my choice of meat and two sides.

I chose gyro meat with falafel and babba ganoush for my two sides. I had no idea what babba ganoush was but I wanted to use it in a sentence, so I ordered it. Come to find out, babba ganoush is eggplant based, and it is extremely good!
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IowaCityFan, Matt, J and 4 others are discussing. Toggle Comments
- Jen 1:57 pm on December 15, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  I really want to try this place! Glad you had a good experience.
- Abby 6:43 pm on December 15, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  I love Babaganoosh! I use to eat with my friend Sara at a place called Jeresulam cafe in KC and we’d get that and their hummus all the time. Good stuff! I want to eat there if I decide to ever come and visit my siblings in that god awful town..:)
- Cara 8:53 pm on December 15, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  This place sounds really good! I wish they would open one in Des Moines. Thanks for the review and the pictures. I even love the chalkboard menu. P.S. I should start stocking up on sauces for your holiday visit, eh?
- flutterbyblue 11:41 am on December 16, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  I absolutely LOVE Oasis. My favorite is the falafal pita with everything on it. I always pile on the toppings (the pickled cabbage and mango sauce are my two favorites.) I don’t know how they make their hummus, but I actually like it far better than any of the standard store-bought brands. So glad they sell it at Hyvee…:^)
- Jen 9:41 am on December 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  Just had to update, I tried the Falafel pita yesterday and it was so tasty! I can’t wait to drag my husband there for lunch again sometime very soon.
- J 11:15 am on December 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  5 years in IC and you never set foot in Oasis?
  look back on those 5 years with shame.
  Everything at Oasis is amazing and the owners and crew are awesome.
- Matt 11:22 am on December 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  Haha yeah. Shame isn’t even the right word to describe the feeling of loss inside of me after I realized those are 5 years I just wont get beck. Next time I go I think I might just have to buy one of their cool shirts and hope it makes up for it (which it wont).
- IowaCityFan 10:38 pm on June 11, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  
  I LOVED Oasis in Iowa City after living there 6 years. I cannot believe Des Moines does not have anything close to it. This was a very sad day when I realized this a week after I moved to Des Moines.
Matt 2:14 pm on November 22, 2009 Permalink | Reply
Tags: Iowa City Food

Popo for Din-din

I have been craving some sushi lately so Rachel and I decided to go to Sushi Popo to get some dinner a few nights ago. We went on Friday night around 6:30 and we got a table soon after we got there. I noticed that they sat couples in one room and larger groups in another. I thought that was kind of nice because the room we were in was a much different atmosphere than the area with larger groups.

We started off with some spring rolls. They were really tasty (and HOT!). I couldn’t wait for them to cool down so I burnt my mouth after I took the first bite. It was worth it though. Okay, no it wasn’t.

When we get sushi, we usually each choose 2 rolls. I chose the spicy scallop roll and the hurricane (salmon, crawfish, and cucumber). Rachel chose the dynamite (fried shrimp, fried squash, and cream cheese) and the spider roll (soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber, and masago).
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amy, Matt, and Ofer are discussing. Toggle Comments
- Ofer 11:43 am on December 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  You gotta try Oyama Sushi (eastside, in Sycamore Mall parking lot), its some of the best Sushi I’ve had anywhere in the US.
- Matt 3:56 pm on December 17, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  Yeah I have heard they are a great place. I’ll have to try them soon!
- amy 1:59 am on February 1, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  
  def. will have to try oyama. I’d stopped going to Sushi Popo, brought my daughter there tonight, though. Terrible service, just as it’s been for the last few months. That one dark-haired waitress is the worst — forgets the orders, takes forever to see if they’re actually being prepared, wanders around totally inattentive, brings the wrong food and drinks. Tonight we waited over half an hour for food and finally left without my meal. Still had to chase the waitress with the check so I could pay, and she and the other waitress had some kind of ten-car pileup at the cash register. Place was less than half full. I’ve wondered before if all the staff is on drugs. Place has gone to hell since that one manager left — he was always Johnny-on-the-spot, very attentive.