Category > Good Eats and Tasty Treats
There was a time when sushi was perceived as exotic and foreign. Raw fish? Isn’t that down-right un-American? Today, sushi is available everywhere in Champaign-Urbana – even at your local grocery store (i.e. Schnucks and County Market). So who serves up the best sushi in town? The answer, according to our niece Allison and her best friend Anna, is Yellowfin. The foodie world is divided between sushi virgins and sushi connoisseurs (with very few people in between). In the …
A perk of teaching at Parkland College is the privilege of participating in international exchange programs. Recently we met Danny and Leni, two Indonesian exchange students who are here as part of a U.S. state department-sponsored program. Danny and Leni told us that they missed their favorite foods from home, so we invited them over one evening so that they could teach us how to make a few authentic Indonesian dishes. Danny suggested three courses – a traditional Indonesian …
With all the hullabaloo about Carmon’s in downtown Champaign reopening as a crêperie, we thought it would be a good time to revisit Champaign’s first crêperie in to compare. Originally called Tout Sweet, the brightly lit little café is hidden inside the College Corner Mall on the corner of Fourth and Green Streets. About a year ago, Tout Sweet was transformed into The Crêpe Café with a new owner and an expanded menu. They weren’t kidding when they said …
Salads are best when the veggies are fresh — direct from the farmer’s market. But even in winter, I find myself needing a good salad every now and then. Fortunately, it’s pomegranate season so there’s no excuse for not finding something to do with this wonderful fruit. Although pomegranate juice is available year-round, the fresh fruits themselves only show up for a few short months in winter. The fruit is a pain to peel and the seeds are a …
Whenever my wife Bonnie and I take an excursion to big cities such as Chicago or St. Louis, we look for dining opportunities not available in our little towns. Since there are no Ethiopian restaurants in Champaign-Urbana, we try to find an excuse to stop at Ethiopian Diamond in Chicago or Meskerem in St. Louis to satisfy our taste buds for Northern African flavors. Ethiopian cuisine has heady, intense flavors and unusual spice combinations. The sloppy portions are usually …
With Strawberry Fields remodeling their cafe, despairing foodies have one less quality place to lunch. Fortunately, Sunsinger Wine Bar Cafe is doing quite well, and they are welcoming those in need of exceptional sandwiches, soups, salads, snacks and desserts. Lunch in a wine store? Why not? There’s something snobby and decadent about being surrounded by racks and racks of expensive wines while sampling a duck liver pate or a jerk chicken wrap.
On festive holidays when there’s a large party to feed, turkey usually comes to mind. For those of us who just can’t seem to conform to this tradition, a whole leg of lamb might be the perfect alternative. This simple German/Jewish recipe doesn’t take a lot of effort, makes a great impression and tastes fabulous. Round off the meal with roasted potatoes, garlic green beans and mint jelly, and you have a great main course. Serve shrimp cocktail for …
A sure sign that a city is worth living in is the presence of Chinese dim sum at local restaurants. Champaign-Urbana now has two dim sum restaurants: Eastern Taste and Mandarin Wok – both owned by the Yang family. Dim sum is Chinese-style tapas, small plates of appetizers usually served with tea for breakfast. In the United States, dim sum (loosely translated as “a touch of the heart”) is more often served as weekend brunch at bustling Chinatown palaces …
Recently, I sat down with myself to talk about what it means to be a foodie. It was right after indulging in a homemade lamb pilaf, and the mood was relaxed. So I began with the most obvious question.
Most Recent Food Comments
it’s quite choice. looking forward to seeing how it and its patronage grow and develop over the course of the year. could be a neat little ecosystem.
“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
I think it’s neat that SP has turned rightward, now espousing a Tea Party-style frustration with government regulations & taxes.
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Most Recent Comments
High-profile whining. AKA Lobbying.
it’s quite choice. looking forward to seeing how it and its patronage grow and develop over the course of the year. could be a neat little ecosystem.
“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Super cool! Excellent track, Excellent band.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I’m in the middle (or the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it) of re-reading Slaughterhouse Five. What a great companion column.
Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
I think it’s neat that SP has turned rightward, now espousing a Tea Party-style frustration with government regulations & taxes.
This makes me so sad. (Happy to live in Urbana, though!) Crave Truck has been a GREAT addition to the food choices in C-U, and it’d be a travesty to chase them away. This town should be supporting small businesses. I’m glad to hear that they’ll still…
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High-profile whining. AKA Lobbying.