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FOOD

A chat with the Blind Pig’s Jason Ewing

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The Blind Pig in downtown Champaign is one of the premier beer drinking establishments in the Midwest, let alone in Champaign-Urbana. Bartender Jason Ewing, who has served up drafts at the Blind Pig since it opened its doors in 2004, delivers the brews to patrons in a friendly demeanor. Jason, age 35, regularly addresses his customers as "doctor" or "professor," and creates a pleasant drinking atmosphere by rocking deep funk and soul jams through the bars speakers during his …

FOOD

Going for the Gusto with Schlitz’s Classic ‘60s Formula

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On a recent visit to Piccadilly, I noticed Schlitz six-packs prominently displayed with a number of other newly-arrived, quality, American craft beers. This caught my eye for a few reasons. First, Schlitz usually isn't displayed with quality craft brews. Second, I haven't seen a sixer of Schlitz bottles in years. And third, the packaging seemed a little different. I picked up a bottle to have a closer look and discovered, according to the label on the bottle, that I …

FOOD

Tom Sheehan Pours From His Fount of Beer Knowledge, Part Two

Yesterday, I posted the first half of my conversation with Tom Sheehan, bartender extraordinaire at the Esquire Lounge, and residing Champaign-Urbana beer expert. Today, part two of that interview, where Sheehan expounds on Illinois alcohol laws and the local beer culture, among other topics. Smile Politely: That consistency isn’t as important on the craft level. It’s not necessarily a goal at that level. Speaking of Flossmoor, what’s been your career with beer? (Photo by Tracy Popp)

FOOD

Tom Sheehan Pours From His Fount of Beer Knowledge, Part One

Whenever the topic of beer comes up at local watering holes, the name Tom Sheehan is frequently mentioned as the man you really need to talk to if you want to talk about beer. Tom, age 46, was one of the prime players in helping Champaign-Urbana becoming the oasis of quality beer that it is today. His encyclopedic knowledge of beer is ever impressive. Currently, Tom can be found bartending at the Esquire Lounge in downtown Champaign. Tom sat …

FOOD

Plenty of Good Selections on Tap at Bentley’s and Mike ‘N Molly’s

In this edition of “B-double E-double R-U-N, Beer Run,” I’m featuring two of the more comfortable and homey bars in downtown Champaign: Bentley’s Pub and Mike ‘N Molly’s.

FOOD

Beer Variety Abounds at Local Taverns

Champaign-Urbana really is a beer enthusiast’s paradise. Though C-U lacks its own brewery, beer drinkers have virtually hundreds of quality beers to choose from at the local watering holes. Many of the area bars make a concerted effort to provide their customers with a worthy variety of North American craft and choice European beers on tap and in bottles. What’s even better is that a number of bars bring in new selections on a regular basis. In this monthly …

Most Recent Food Comments

Seth Fein avatar

Um. Yeah — check out that “General Disclaimer” at the bottom of the article, folks.

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I highly doubt a single dish is vegan at Bombay.  Most Indian dishes use Ghee(essentially clarrified butter) as the base fat. While I guess they could make some dishes with canola oil, I would for sure ask the exact ingredients before I consumed if you are following a vegan diet.

{username}

Bread Company can do some fantastic vegan dinner dishes!  Several of their pastas are vegan or could be made vegan and their pizzas can be ordered (and taste great) without the cheese.  I also recommend their roasted potatoes and their roasted garlic head appetizer.

{username}

Glad you asked Stuart. In the 1950s (well before they were approved for human use) poultry producers began using subtherapeutic doses of quinolone antibiotics, specifically fluroquinolone, to reduce the incidence of respiratory disease in overcrowded production conditions. In humans, quinolones are a last line of defense antibiotic…

{username}

Hah!  Good one, Joel.   But my question was a serious one.  I only buy eggs from a couple of local organic farmers, so I never thought about antibiotic-free eggs.  I’m assuming that Anna meant the hen was not fed antibiotics, but am not wholly sure. I’m…

Joel Gillespie avatar

That sounds like a setup to a joke at a CSA’s annual banquet. Q: “How can you tell an antibiotic-free egg?“ A: “It just can’t seem to get rid of that cough.“ /shows self out

{username}

I love eating Vietnamese food, and having growing up my entire life eating it, I was excited to go.  I really wanted to like this place because of all of the hype I had heard——unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed.  I got the pho (vietnamese soup) and thought…

{username}

Kaiyo was decent for a sushi buffet, but it definitely isn’t as good as KO fusion.  I thought it was better than any sushi I’ve ever had at a chinese buffet, but was not as good as my least favorite sushi item at KO fusion.  However, I…

{username}

What is an antibiotic-free egg?  And how can you tell?

{username}

Great article. I’ve always found that by making it in the blender, I can be my typical impatient self and pour tons of oil in at once. It’s very forgiving that way, though not fool proof. 

Most Recent Comments

{username}

Have no enough cash to buy a car? You should not worry, because that’s real to get the mortgage loans to solve all the problems. Thus get a auto loan to buy all you require.

{username}

Not sure if it’s been mentioned here, but they’ll also be playing the Old Rock House in St. Louis on May 22

{username}

Interesting about who owns land in the path of the Olympian Drive extension. My comment was in response to ‘Tony C’s remarks about the I-74 expansion. Just who owns land in the 150 [BloomingtonRd]-I-74 corridor?? Because the corridor is zoned for future use as Commercial/Industrial, I am…

{username}

(happy face)

Timbo avatar

Wow, great article.  I wish you the best in your endeavors and hope you have a nice trip.

Seth Fein avatar

Um. Yeah — check out that “General Disclaimer” at the bottom of the article, folks.

{username}

As an adoptee, I can empathize—although I’m not an international adoptee, and I apologize if I’m assuming too much on the nature of your adoption.  You can feel what you feel, but don’t be too hard on yourself.  When I started a search for my birth family,…

{username}

I highly doubt a single dish is vegan at Bombay.  Most Indian dishes use Ghee(essentially clarrified butter) as the base fat. While I guess they could make some dishes with canola oil, I would for sure ask the exact ingredients before I consumed if you are following a vegan diet.

{username}

You’re right!  Every runner, in my opinion, is a real runner.

Mica Swyers avatar

Congratulations on the AG place! In all of your accomplishments, don’t forget what it was like to think a mile was an impossible distance. Getting to the six-mile point takes a lot of training and preparation to acclimate the mind and musculature to so much pounding. Your…

{username}

Sounds like it!

emma reaux avatar

I heading out on my 9 miler before my 10 hour work day right now. Do I have what it takes?

{username}

Nice, killer work pretty man…the channeled, one sided collaborated rhyming poem.  An oft forgot genre.   The ruckus was felt even here in my living room, which is normally a safe haven from ruckus.    

{username}

wait, I was commenting on the wrong thing - sorry - he’s actually a gigantic sellout but who really knows what all this is about.

{username}

If the democrats didn’t have Kucinich, and the republicans didn’t have Ron Paul, where would both these parties really stand? These men actually mean what they say.

{username}

Joel, thank you for the opportunity to answer these questions and have them posted here. I really appreciate it! Yes, I was thrilled to see that Rep. Kucinich flipped today, so he will has committed to voting yes for health reform. I appreciated his comments which seem…

{username}

It appears to me that your reviewer did all that could be expected: she paid her money, saw the play and conveyed her impressions. The review (on the whole, laudatory) may have been rushed, in a generous attempt to publicize the production while it was still available…

{username}

Dan Schreiber’s chocolate is simply the best I’ve ever had.  It’s a whole different ball-game; closer to very high-end wine than anything out of Hershey PA. 

{username}

That settles it… Im going.

{username}

Vosges is pretty decent chocolate, but you should definitely try the locally-produced chocolate from Dan Schreiber, available (regularly?) at Amara, Caffe Paradiso, and Common Ground.  I believe it is or will be at other places soon.

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