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Comic comes home to record second album

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Comedian Tom Garland MC's The Catacombs of Comedy at the Iowa City Yacht Club Monday April 8, 2013. Garland's performance at Penguin's Comedy Club in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, April 18, will be recorded for his second standup album.(Justin Torner/Freelance)

Tom Garland won’t quit.

When a fellow buddy busted school-aged Garland for telling a stolen joke as if it was his own, it didn’t stop the comedy career that he didn’t know he’d begun. After a humor piece the Cedar Rapids resident penned for Xavier High School’s student newspaper incited controversy, Garland continued to seek opportunities to be funny on the page. And even when an audience doesn’t respond favorably to his persona, the 24-year-old comic simply plows forward.

“The guy your roommate always has over,” is how Garland described his stage self. “I think my act comes off a little rough around the edges … It’s almost a delusional winner. In a lot of my jokes, I come out on top even if they’re self-deprecating.”

The reward for Garland’s perseverance? Success, of course. Just a few months shy of his 25th birthday, Garland’s resume includes a stint in Las Vegas opening for Steve-O and Tom Green.

On Thursday, April 18, the spotlight will center on Garland. For the first time he will headline his hometown stage at Cedar Rapids’ Penguin’s Comedy Club and record “Unleashed,” the follow up to his debut comedy release, 2012’s “Leash Your Kids.”

“(It’s) a brand new hour of my standup,” Garland said. “It’s kind of cool because, pretty much, I got done with the last one and began writing the next day.”

The details

  • Tom Garland Live Album Recording
  • 7:30 p.m. April 18
  • Penguins Comedy Club at The Vault
  • Tickets: $5

The album is scheduled for a June release and is slated to include an intro from comedian and former MTV star Andy Milonakis. Much of the material will focus on Garland’s trifecta of universal comedy themes: childhood, food and relationships.

Garland waited until he was 21 to step onstage. He and his friends made some comedic videos but hit a bump when they started getting cold feet about having their names and faces associated with the content in this world where every job applicant is subject to a Google search. Doing stand-up was simply a way for Garland to express his ideas.

He mentioned the idea to his idol Ralphie May after he performed a stellar set at The Englert Theatre in Iowa City – “it was so cool to see him destroy,” Garland recalled – and the comic encouraged his young fan to try it out.

“I thought, honest to God, I’d only do it once or twice,” he said. “I went down there, I got laughs, and it went well.”

Comedian Tom Garland MC's The Catacombs of Comedy at the Iowa City Yacht Club Monday April 8, 2013.(Justin Torner/Freelance)

That was over three years ago and since then, Garland has opened for comedians including BJ Novak and Michael Ian Black and even helped create opportunities for other Iowa City-Cedar Rapids Corridor comics to perform locally.

“Tom came to us a couple of years ago with this idea for an open mic comedy night,” recalled Scott Kading, owner and talent buyer for the Iowa City Yacht Club, via email. “They have evolved into standing-room only nights that are very successful. There was definitely a need in Iowa City for an open mic night and comedy is doing better and better in town.”

Garland now hosts the venue’s weekly comedy night, a duty he’s also filled at Iowa City’s First Avenue Club and Penguin’s.

“He is entertaining and professional and keeps the crowd engaged and the show running smoothly,” Kading wrote.

The comedian is now aiming to step away from being the master of ceremonies. He’s focused on getting TV and syndicated radio opportunities and more shots as the main attraction.

“You constantly want to keep the hype up if you want to stay in it,” Garland said. “For the most part, if I’m the headliner, I’m pretty confident about what I’m bringing to the table.”

Green goodness: A guide to the area’s best guacamole

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guacamole

With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, one must  celebrate fully prepared. You can try and sustain yourself on margaritas and tequila shots alone, but it might make for a very short night. Never fear! We’re here to give you the ultimate guacamole guide.

Guacamole is no second-rate condiment. It’s hearty and lively and when you hit the right one, the avocado-based treat can make for a meal in and of itself. Hoopla fans suggested their faves and we tried them out.

I’ve scoured the area and eaten literally thousands of chips to present you with a comprehensive guide to the top five picks in the Corridor. Many thanks to die-hard Hoopla fans for sharing their faves.

The ratings of the selections are based on three highly unscientific criteria: flavor, freshness and texture.

Find other great Mexican restaurants we’ve been to over the years.

— Andrea

Hacienda Las Glorias

Hacienda has been a local favorite for seemingly centuries, judging by the worn, curious Aspen lodge-like interior of the Center Point location.

Unfortunately, this was my least favorite guac. Overall, it was way too spicy, too smooth, and despite the overwhelming heat, there just wasn’t much flavor. I was looking for any sign of life other than avocado and there wasn’t a single chopped tomato in sight. Good chips, and the salsa was yummy, but just not a guacamole winner for me.

  • Flavor: 2.5
  • Freshness: 3
  • Texture: 2
  • 2.5 out of 5 chips
  • Details: 4317 Center Point Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids, (319) 294-0082

El Super Burrito

This had been my first venture into this little burrito oasis tucked inconspicuously back on the corner of Johnson Avenue and Edgewood Road. Everything about the low ceilings, caged Mexican pastries and no-nonsense décor tell you you’re in here for the food, not the ambiance.

And I’m happy to say, the guacamole is a true winner. In fact, it rated the highest on my chart and comes out as my hands-down favorite. The texture was chunky with cilantro, tomato and onion.

The flavor was bright and clean with enough lime for a kick, and you could tell it was made fresh that day by someone who knows what they’re doing. As I tenderly scooped the last bit onto my nachos, I vowed to come back for more.

  • Flavor: 4
  • Freshness: 4
  • Texture: 4
  • 4 out of 5 chips
  • Details: 3300 Johnson Ave. NW, Cedar Rapids, (319) 366-1181

La Reyna

Rated the 2010 Best Ethnic Food restaurant in Iowa by The Iowa Source magazine, I was super pumped to try out La Reyna.

La Reyna is authentic Mexican in every sense of the word and is carefully watched and tended by Carmen and Carlos Legaspi.

While I can say my lunch was probably the best authentic Mexican meal I’ve had in Iowa, the guac didn’t blow me away. There were plenty of fresh chunks of tomato and cilantro, but the avocado was a bit overly mashed creating for a slightly pasty consistency and there just wasn’t much brightness to the flavor.

I recommend La Reyna a thousand times over for their enchiladas and tacos, but the guac alone isn’t enough to keep me coming back.

  • Flavor: 3
  • Freshness: 4
  • Texture: 3.5
  • 3.5 out of 5 chips
  • Details: 1937 Keokuk St., Iowa City, (319) 358-8182

Mondo’s Saloon

Mondo’s Saloon won as my second favorite guacamole. Because the restaurant is a little more upscale restaurant (to say the least), the guacamole boundaries are pushed a little farther and takes a few more risks. While I love El Super for their success at the no-nonsense approach, I really liked Mondo’s Saloon for going the extra mile with their guac.

If you love avocado, then the huge pieces of it in the guac will blow your mind. There’s also another level of flavor with the addition of what I could discern as is either fire-roasted tomatoes or salsa. The guac had a reddish tinge to it and had many levels of flavor. Mondo’s Saloon also wins in the kick-back-and-party category for their prime downtown Iowa City location and fun atmosphere.

  • Flavor: 4
  • Freshness: 4
  • Texture: 4
  • 4 out of 5 chips
  • Details: 112 East College St., Iowa City, (319) 354-3837

Panchero’s Mexican Grill

As I rule, I avoid reviewing large chain restaurants. They’ve clearly made successes of themselves and don’t need me to toot their horns for them.

For this article though, I’ve made an exception. The burritos and quesadillas are damned good, and the very first Panchero’s opened in Iowa City. Every time I go I get a side of guacamole.

There’s plenty of flavor with enough lime, but after having some really amazing guac I have to say that Panchero’s is good, but not amazing. It’s a little on the overly smooshed side. But with Panchero’s you can’t miss and the guacamole won’t steer you wrong.

  • Flavor: 4
  • Freshness: 3
  • Texture: 3
  • 3 out of 5 chips
  • Details: Multiple Locations, www.pancheros.com

Art of ‘Hugo’ may be on display next year at CRMA

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CEDAR RAPIDS — Audiences and the Academy Awards embraced the artistry of “Hugo” on the big screen this winter. Now the artistry from the book that inspired the 3D blockbuster film is on the horizon for a Cedar Rapids Museum of Art exhibition.

Museum officials are in final negotiations with the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature to host the exhibition “From Houdini to Hugo: The Art of Brian Selznick” in the summer of 2013. 

Selznick wrote and illustrated “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” which sprang into cinemas as  “Hugo”  and captured five Academy Awards on Feb. 26, 2012. In nearly 100 pencil illustrations, pen and ink drawings, and acrylic works, author/illustrator Selznick’s award-winning book work will unfold before the viewer. 

While the entirety of his career will be included in the exhibition, special emphasis has been placed on his 2008 Caldecott Medal winner, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” 

Sean Ulmer, the museum’s curator, says: “Part of our intent in scheduling the exhibition in summer 2013 is not only to continue our long-standing tradition of presenting children’s book illustration as an art form — as we did with the pop-up book show last year and Mary GrandPre of Harry Potter fame in 2008-2009 — but also as a celebration of the opening of the new Cedar Rapids Public Library about that same time directly across Greene Square from us.”

For more information on the exhibition, go to http://nccil.org/experience/artists/Selznick/index.htm 

REVIEW: Orchestra Iowa Chamber concert hits all the right notes

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CEDAR RAPIDS — The music of J.S. Bach, Michael Haydn and Johannes Brahms provided an entertaining evening Saturday at the Orchestra Iowa Opus Concert Cafe in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Orchestra Iowa Concertmaster Takuya Horiuchi, Principal Violist Lisa Ponton, Principal Bass Volkan Orhon and Maestro Tim Hankewich, playing the harpsichord, opened the concert with Bach’s “Trio Sonata in C minor, BMV 526.” With Horiuchi and Ponton engaging in dialogue and playful imitation, accompanied by Hankewich with Orhon providing bassa continua, the selection helped set the musical pace for the remainder of the evening.

Although Michael Haydn is not as well known as his older brother, Joseph, his music was very popular during his lifetime. Haydn’s “Divertimento in C Major for Oboe, Viola and Double Bass,” performed Saturday by Principal Oboe David Hempel and Ponton with Orhon again providing bassa continua, was very enjoyable with its mix of joyous and more somber movements.

Hempel, Ponton and Orhon, building on Bach’s “Trio Sonata in C minor,” prepared the audience for the final selection in Saturday’s “Three’s Company” Orchestra Iowa Chamber series program.

Brahms wrote the “Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano in E-flat Major” in the summer of 1865 after the death of his mother earlier that year. The contrasting moods of the selection vary from a brooding, somber first movement to a lively second movement, until the composer interrupts it with a moody and somber middle section.

Brahms’ third movement is melancholy and deeply moving, most likely as the composer reflected on his mother’s death. It also provides a hint of the main theme in the finale, which celebrates a joyous hunting melody that provides a lively interchange between the horn, violin and piano.

The “Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano” was performed to perfection by Orchestra Iowa Principal Horn Charles Harris, violinist Horiuchi and pianist Hankewich. The selection showcased the talent of all three musicians, who played with a passion that drew equally strong applause from the audience.

While Orchestra Iowa regulars have enjoyed the talents of Harris and Horiuchi for many years, Hankewich dramatically demonstrated that he is a gifted pianist when he is not serving as maestro.

Saturday’s Orchestra Iowa Chamber series concerts at 6 and 8:30 p.m. were sold out, a tribute to the reputation of the performances and the new intimate Opus Concert Cafe.

 

 

Playing for Change

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Clarence Bekker

A band with a worldwide reach embodies its name on several levels.

Playing for Change began as documentary filmmaker Mark Johnson’s grand experiment in 2005 to record the world’s best street musicians playing “Stand By Me” on their corners. His crew built a mobile recording studio and took it from California to nearly every continent, then melded those voices into a video.

It’s now spun into a YouTube phenomenon; a non-profit foundation building music schools in Third World countries; and a fundraising concert tour featuring 10 top musicians from around the globe — all spreading the message of unity through harmony, connecting the world through music.

Luminaries including Bono, Stephen Marley, Ziggy Marley, Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ have collaborated on Playing for Change CDs.

The band is touring 22 cities around North America in February and March, landing at CSPS in Cedar Rapids on Feb. 23.

The musicians didn’t know each other when the project began, but have found their common ground and camaraderie.

“Mark’s message has become all of our messages together,” one of the lead vocalists, Clarence Bekker, 42, says by phone from his home in Barcelona, Spain. “Our different cultures, different musical styles, different backgrounds can come together to make happiness and bring peace, most of all to ourselves, and from there to the world.”

Playing for Change will perform on Feb. 23 at CSPS in Cedar Rapids.

Bekker hasn’t always been a street musician. Born in Suriname in South America, his family moved to Amsterdam when he was 6. At age 18, he became the youngest member of the renown Dutch band, Swing Soul Machine. From there, he spun off to a solo career in dance music as CB Milton, making three albums in the ’90s. Now in Barcelona, he collaborates with bands and local DJs, and at the end of the month, will release his new album, “Old Soul,” evoking the legendary American soul musicians

“I chose some old soul recordings to introduce myself to the big American audience,” he says, “songs that lie near in my heart. I had a lot of fun recording it.”

Bekker’s musical heritage is a blend of tropical beats and soul.

“My upbringing is Caribbean and soul,” he says. “You can hear that in my voice and music, as well. Soul music has always been part of my life. My mother used to listen to a lot of soul. Motown sounds were in our house every day. I played traditional Caribbean music when I started my career.”

In 2000 he decided to travel the world with just his guitar, making music in the streets of India, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and South America.

“That’s where my passion started for playing on the street. After I came back to Barcelona, I started to do some busking here, too, and really loved it.”

He loves the freedom it affords.

“No matter what time or what hour or how I felt, I stood on a street corner and the people would make me happy. People from all different classes. The street doesn’t know races, the street doesn’t say no to anybody,” he says.

“From newborn babies to grandpas and grandmas in their 90s, they would stop to listen to my voice. In no venue would I get an audience like that. People would really appreciate it and really be happy. I had people coming to me with tears in their eyes, really grateful that I’m doing that, which also inspired me to keep it going,” he says.

“I’m giving and I’m taking, and there was a beautiful thing about it.”

The Playing for Change touring band members hail from New Orleans, Detroit, Los Angeles, Congo, South Africa, Spain and New York.

“Most of us have a music background,” he says.

Three have street backgrounds: Jason Tamba and Mermans Mosengo of Congo and Grandpa Elliott of New Orleans.

“Some of the people are really professional professionals,” he says, “but even on the street, you find professionals, and if you’re not yet a professional, you’ll become professional. It’s the talent that counts.”

Audiences are embracing the music and the cause wherever they go.

“Our followers are reasonably educated people concerned about the well-being of the planet and are behind us 100 percent,” Bekker says. “It’s a great thing. Everywhere we go, people really embrace us with arms open wide. Even my old friends in Holland and Spain, when they see the project, they really appreciate it. I see it in their faces and their responses.”

The Playing for Change Foundation, established in 2007, has built seven music schools in Ghana, Mali, Rwanda, South Africa and Nepal, with more in the works. Bekker hasn’t visited the sites, but fully embraces the mission of providing a musical education for children in emerging countries.

“Everyone on this planet should have that to express themselves,” he says. “It also gives them big self-esteem and a secure manner to go about in their life. Music has all these ways to express yourself and is a way to become a real ‘human’ being.

“That’s why it’s important for everyone, especially in Third World countries — to build up their self-esteem and to be able to communicate with people all over the world without having to learn their language,” he says.

“We all speak the language of music. With social media, it’s easier to communicate with all parts of the world. With music, that only makes us stronger.”

 

GET OUT

  • What: Playing for Change
  • When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012
  • Where: CSPS Hall, 1103 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids
  • Tickets: $27 at the door; $22 in advance

 

 

Celebrate Black History Month

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The Only One exhibit runs through the rest of the year at both the Johnson County Historical Society and African American Museum of Iowa.

The black-and-white photograph shows six teenage girls, dressed in track suits, holding tennis rackets.

Five of the girls are white. One is African-American.

That isn’t the only difference, though. Only one of the girls wears glasses. Only one girl has blond hair.

“All of us have been ‘the only one’ at one time or another,” says Michelle Poe, the director of education at the African American Museum of Iowa.

That is the focus of The Only One exhibits at the African American Museum of Iowa in Cedar Rapids and the Johnson County Historical Society in Coralville.

The two-part exhibit, which opened at both museums in January and continues through December, showcases photographs of Iowa’s African-American population. In many of the images, dated from the late 1800s to present day, there is only one person of color in the picture. The pictures show what it was, and in some cases still is, like to be a minority in Iowa.

“I’m still carrying that baggage around that kids today don’t have. They need to know (about), but not experience,” the discrimination, says African American Museum of Iowa Executive Director Tom Moore, who grew up in Ohio.

It was a challenge for the museums to design exhibits that enhanced but did not duplicate each other.

The Only One exhibit took about two years to plan, with the last year focused on gathering images and artifacts to display. Both exhibits also feature oral histories from African-Americans in the area, all who share their experiences being “the only one.”

“The oral histories are effective because the details are exclusive,” Poe says. “You can see what they feel as they tell the story, how their voices change.”

The Only One exhibit runs through the rest of the year at both the Johnson County Historical Society and African American Museum of Iowa.

The exhibits at each museum tell similar stories, with the one at the Johnson County Historical Society focusing on the African-American experience in Johnson County.

“I’ve had people look at the pictures and say ‘Wow, this happened in Johnson County, in my own backyard,’” says Leigh Ann Randak, curator of the Johnson County Historical Society.

Already, several students from Cedar Rapids area school districts have toured the exhibit at the African American Museum of Iowa.

“It makes me wonder why they had to have separate rights,” says Jayden Wood, 9, a third-grader who visited last week with her classmates from Hiawatha Elementary School.

And after viewing an exhibit that showed clubs and organizations African-Americans started because they weren’t allowed to join other groups, she wanted to know: “Why it was so important to keep them separated?”

Those are just the sort of questions this exhibit seeks to evoke.

“People tell me they are stories that need to be told,” Poe says.

The museums also wanted to do more than shine the light on one group.

“We want people to be able to make a connection between their own lives and what’s happening in the photographs, what happened then and what’s happening now,” Poe says.

MORE EVENTS at the AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF IOWA

Feb. 16:  African American History in Iowa presenation at the Hiawatha Public Library. Start in Western Africa and make your way to present day struggle and accomplishments including Iowa’s role as a civil rights leader. 

 Feb. 25: At 11 a.m. “Meet Harriet Tubman.”  Harriet Tubman will talk about her life and the Underground Railroad. 

 From noon to 3 p.m. will be a “Carnvial of Greats” where we’ll have games and activitites about great African Americans.  

OR check out these Black History month events. 

Coffeeshop, book store, photo studio find at home at CSPS Hall

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StudioU Photography

CEDAR RAPIDS  — Heidi Eifferts has been an admirer of Cedar Rapids’ New Bohemia neighborhood for years. Now she’s a tenant.

“We had photographed outside the CSPS hall for years,” said professional photographer Eifferts. “It was just one of our favorite locations because of the old buildings, the textures.”

Eifferts and her husband Troy Eifferts now work there full-time: their StudioU Photography is one of three businesses moving into ground-floor space at CSPS Hall, 1103 Third St. SE. A formal announcement of the businesses’ agreement with Legion Arts, the non-profit owner of CSPS, was made at a press conference Thursday (2/2) morning.

“This is another example of the New Bohemia neighborhood returning with a vengeance,” said F. John Herbert, Legion Arts’ executive director.

“The momentum’s building for the downtown district and the New Bo district,” said Richard Marsceau, co-owner of the Brewed Awakenings coffeehouse, which is expanding to the CSPS building. “It just all fits together. There’s momentum everwhere along the river, I guess, and it’s good to be part of it.”

“It’s such an emerging art and entertainment district,” said Mary Ann Peters, owner of New Bo Books, the third business to take up residence in the historic building’s ground floor. “The things that are happening now and are in the plans give it a whole personality that’s unique.”

Revenue from the tenants’ rent will help cover operating costs at CSPS, the subject of a 16-month, $8 million renovation and expansion after the Floods of 2008.

“We’ve gone from being a pretty small arts organization and a tenants ourselves to a pretty small arts organization that owns the building, so we’ve gone to quite a bit more responsibility,” Herbert said. “The retail spaces on the ground floor will be pretty critical parts of the funding for the building. We’re pretty excited to have three such locally-grounded businesses.”

Professional photographers since 2000, Eifferts and her husband moved to Iowa City from Omaha in 2008. They’ve worked strictly on location since, but decided it’s time to open a studio. Eifferts said they’ve already begun shooting in their new digs, but hope to have a public opening around March 1.

Peters said the entertainment district anchored by CSPS Hall is a natural for her new business, which will carry a broad range of titles from children’s books to the latest best sellers.

“I just saw that neighborhood as ideal for a small independent book store,” she said. “There has been a void here. Except for used book stores, there hasn’t been small bookstores (in Cedar Rapids) since Barnes and Noble opened.”

Peters said her store will  have access to the inventory of Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City. Orders will be placed with Prairie Lights, and New Bo Books will be tied into its sales and records system.

“It’s maybe a model that hasn’t ever been tried before,” said Peters, who expects to hire up to two employees. “That way, there’s not going to be the high learning curve for me. My experience is in libraries and as a consumer of books but I’ve never sold them before.”

Both Peters and Marsceau expect the bookstore and Brewed Awakenings will be natural neighbors.

“It’s a great compliment to our business,” said Marsceau whose coffeeshop will remain in operation at its original location at 1271 First Ave. SE and its satellite location at St. Lukes Hospital . “We look forward to that – we need to have that growing-village feel down there.”

Brewed Awakenings already  serves coffee, beer, wine, and light snacks in CSPS’ second-floor performance space.

Downstairs, “we’re going to have more of a traditional coffee bar,” Marsceau said. “We’ll take some of our best sandwich sellers from here, but we’re going to add some things.”

The new location will employ up to a dozen people.

Cedar Rapids Piano Lounge now The Vault

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Mike Schulte (right) of The SeQuels (cq) plays drums as Bruce Day sings at the former Piano Lounge in May 2011, in southeast Cedar Rapids. (Jim Slosiarek photo)

The new owners of a popular downtown night spot are changing the name and planning to add food.

Scott Webster and Dave Schowalter have purchased The Piano Lounge at 208 Second Ave. SE. They have renamed the entertainment venue The Vault, owing to its location under the U.S Bank building.

Webster and his brother, Chris Webster, have been involved with similar businesses in the Quad Cities and will be bringing a taste of well-known food fare from that part of the state to The Vault.

“We plan to serve Sluggers Pizza, which is an off-breed of Harris Pizza and pretty popular in the Quad Cities,” Scott Webster says. “We wanted to bring something to Cedar Rapids that is different from the pizza that everyone is used to eating.

“We originally tried to get a Cedar Rapids area pizza place to supply it, but they didn’t want it to attract people away from their business, which we can understand.”

On Sunday, The Vault will open at 1 p.m.  prior to the Super Bowl. Sluggers Pizza will be served free on Sunday. The  rest of the food menu will be expanded over time.

Penguin’s Comedy Club has shared space with The Piano Lounge since October 2010 under a three-year contract. That arrangement will continue, according to Scott Webster, who noted that Loni Love, a regular panelist on E!s hit late night show Chelsea Lately, will bring her “Live, Love, Laugh” comedy tour to Penguin’s at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

While some details have yet to be finalized, Scott Webster said The Vault will open at 4 p.m. and close at 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday. He said Sunday hours likely will depend on upcoming sporting events until the football season resumes in the fall.

Most of The Piano Lounge employees will stay, but the staff will be getting used to a new style of operation and management, Scott Webster says.

“They will be going from a little energy to a lot of energy,” he said. “They also will be going from a relaxed job to a little more stressful one.”

Scott Webster said he sees a bright future for downtown Cedar Rapids, despite the severe impact of the Floods of 2008.

“I really feel the downtown area will continue to grow as the Paramount Theatre reopens and other projects are completed,” he said.

The Gilbert Street Piano Lounge in Iowa City, which has separate ownership, will not be affected by the change of ownership at The Vault in Cedar Rapids.

Get loose at the Moose

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Moose McDuffy’s is known for good drinks and a good time, but it also has an extensive menu that goes beyond run-of-the-mill “bar food.”

Owner Randy Duffy says he has always taken pride in serving good drinks and good food at his establishment located at 834 First Ave. NE, and he personally designed the menu. In fact, Duffy recently added to the offerings, all of which are prepared next door at Riley’s Cafe.

Duffy says some of the more popular menu items include their homemade pizzas, burgers, wraps and nachos.

Appetizers include boom boom shrimp (golden fried shrimp covered in a zesty sauce, $8.99), breaded portobellos ($6.99), nachos supreme ($10.99), Santa Fe chicken egg rolls ($6.99), Irish nachos supremo ($10.99) and wings several different ways.

Pizzas are served after 4 p.m. and have a crispy crust. Ranging in price from $10.95 to $12.95, choose from garden, Popeye’s Favorite (fresh spinach, red onion and bacon), bacon cheeseburger, Mediterranean, chicken pesto, meat lovers, chicken club, chicken garlic, Hawaiian delight, buffalo chicken, classic Italian or Moose special (sausage, pepperoni, bacon, red onions, mushrooms, Canadian bacon and jalapenos). Or build your own.

All sandwiches, burgers and wraps are served with waffle fries, cottage cheese, applesauce or soup. For $1 more substitute onion rings, a side salad, macaroni and cheese or mashed potatoes and gravy.

Sandwiches include a Philly cheesesteak ($8.99), hot beef melt ($8.50), Swiss dip ($7.99), Cuban ($8.50), Rueben ($8.50), tenderloin ($7.99), various takes on chicken, tuna two ways. Wraps include a Santa Fe ($7.99), chicken Caesar ($7.99) and bacon cheeseburger ($7.99).

Burgers are made with a half-pound of black angus, cooked medium to well and priced in the $7 to $9 range. Get a traditional burger or order one with toppings like mushroom, onion, chili or bacon. There’s also a fire cracker burger topped with jalapenos, pepper jack cheese and chipotle sauce or the Phat Boy burger, two half-pound patties with bacon, steak sauce, pepper jack cheese and cheddar cheese.

Salads are served with grilled ciabatta bread and range in price from $8.50 to $10.50. Two signature salads are the Moose special with grilled chicken, bacon, black olives, hard boiled egg, mushrooms and croutons) and chicken and goat with grilled chicken, goat cheese, almonds, roasted red peppers, Roma tomatoes and a balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner entrees are served after 5 p.m. and come with a salad and two sides. Choose from rib eye steak or 8-ounce salmon ($12.99), hot beef or hot turkey ($10.99), and grilled chicken breast or country fried steak ($9.99).

Duffy has owned Moose McDuffy’s for 15 years; four years ago he added a party room, a beer garden. Reach them at (319) 369-3917. Daily drink and food specials are at Moosemcduffys.com.

– Amanda Morgan