Blog Archives

Beckett’s reopens under new name, ownership

Posted on by
11

Owners of the former Beckett’s Public House, near the intersection of Edgewood and Blairsferry Roads, sent this e-mail Friday:

“Over the past four months lots of changes have been taking place at what was Beckett’s Public House, substantially the name and ownership. First off we would like to thank you for the loyalty and patience that you gave to Beckett’s over the past two years. We are anticipating on reopening in early September. We hope to see you all at the completely remodeled restaurant, featuring the onyx island bar, brick walls, elevated floor layout, and unique ceiling designs.
Dan Marquardt has retained main ownership of what is now Zeppelin’s. Dan was the owner of the Irish Democrat for 20 plus years. Justin Zehr will remain head chef, and some of the favorite signature items from the Beckett’s menu, will be back! Once again, thank you.”

Check out their new Web site at www.zeppelinscr.com

And stay tuned for more information.

Zins reopening today (June 11) at 4:15

Posted on by
Reply

Zins Restaurant re-opens at exact anniversary of closure 

When Zins Restaurant was forced by rising floodwaters to close at 4:15 p.m. on June 11, 2008, owners Amy Wyss and Lee Belfield had no idea when they would reopen.

 

It turns out the answer is exactly one year later – to the minute.

 

A tablecloth from Zins in downtown Cedar Rapids shows evidence of the place setting that remained on the table as floodwaters overtook the restaurant last week. Photographed by Liz Martin of The Gazette on Tuesday, June 17, 2008.

A tablecloth from Zins in downtown Cedar Rapids shows evidence of the place setting that remained on the table as floodwaters overtook the restaurant last week. Photographed by Liz Martin of The Gazette on Tuesday, June 17, 2008.

 

 

At 4:15 PM today (June 11) the Zins Restaurant flag will fly above the entrance again, symbolizing the reopening of the restaurant to the public, with a new full menu and wine selection. Zins is known for its small plate menu; their wine storage system (Oz Winebar) that allows for more wines to be purchased by the glass or flights; and for a philosophy of hospitality and service unparalleled in the area.

 

“When we closed, we had no idea what the damages would amount to or how we would surmount the challenges the flood brought,” says Belfield. “And while we never imagined the extent of the damage, we also could not have imaged the extent of the help we have gotten from our friends and supporters in this remarkable community.”

 

The restaurant will be open for dinner this evening, Friday and Saturday evenings and for brunch on Sunday. Full, regular hours, including lunch, will begin Tuesday June 16. Reservations are available at 319-363-ZINS (9467).

 

Unusual artwork unveiled this evening

 

Shortly after the re-opening at 4:15, artifact-turned-artwork will be unveiled that symbolizes the sudden devastation the restaurant experienced. The public is invited to attend the unveiling of this piece.

 

 

 

In the Kitchen with Borge Zierke

Posted on by
Reply

Borge Zierke, 43, North Liberty
Chef/owner @ The Fireside

Why did you want to become a chef?
I needed something to do after I got out of the military and the culinary arts program at Des Moines Area Community College intrigued me. Once I got in, I found it was something I really liked to do.

Where did you go from there?
While I was in school at DMACC, I worked at the Greenbriar in Johnson. Then I moved to Iowa City, and worked at a lot of unique restaurants that are no longer in business, and at the State Room at the UI. I went on to Southeast Missouri State University and the Oxford University Club in Oxford, Mississippi – that’s where I learned the ins and outs of Southern cuisine. From there, I took a job at Mason’s Restaurant in eastern Maryland. My wife had an opportunity to come back to Iowa to run a non-profit organization, and after eating at the Fireside Grill in Kalona and talking to the owner, I was hired as a consultant chef, and three weeks later, the owners offered to sell me the restaurant.

I heard a rumor that you cooked for the cast and crew of “Wedding Crashers” and “Failure to Launch” while you were in Maryland. What types of dishes did you prepare for them?
We served them lunch and dinner. They pretty much ordered off the menu. I can tell you that Owen Wilson likes his rare tuna tartar and well-done burgers. I did also have opportunity to cook for Donald Rumsfeld, and every time he came in he had foes GRAS, and one time he had a double portion.

Back to Fireside: You recently relocated the restaurant from Kalona to North Liberty. Did you keep the same menu?
We kept pretty much the same lunch menu and added an online to-go lunch menu. You order online, you pay online, and we’ll give you a pickup time and the food is ready for you. All the menu items are designed to travel well and/or reheat well. The dinner menu, we significantly increased the level and the quality, because we knew that we had the clientele here to be able to offer more higher-end steaks and entrees.

What’s the most popular dish at Fireside?
At lunch, the gourmet burgers and The Beast, a prime rib panini with Brie or blue cheese, caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms. At night, I would say one of our more popular dishes, other than prime rib, would be the Shrimp Rachel. It’s sauteed shrimp and smoked sausage on bucatini pasta, and we use a curried carrot bisque as a sauce base.

After having worked in so many restaurants, what’s the best thing about owning your own?
It’s bittersweet. It’s a lot of work, a lot of hours, a lot of sacrifice, but there’s so much more freedom in your decision making and freedom in your menu. This menu is definitely a conglomeration of my past.

- Anne

Anne Kapler lives in Cedar Rapids, works in Iowa City, and shamelessly plans all her road trips around dining and food shopping. Visit her blog at www.pearvana.com

Details: The Fireside, 420 Community Dr., North Liberty; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, dinner: 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday to Saturday and breakfast and lunch: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday; call (319) 626-3456 and online at www.firesidenorthliberty.com

In The Kitchen @ Gringos

Posted on by
Reply

 

Cody Haeffner, 28, Cedar Rapids
General Manager/Cook @ Gringos
Cory Fritz, 27, Cedar Rapids
Manager/Cook @ Gringos

You two have been here awhile. What attracts you to the locally owned side of Gringos versus chain restaurants?
Cody: There’s a less rigid structure here. You definitely have the ability to make decisions without answering to a corporate ladder.
Cory: I really appreciate the family atmosphere. Everyone is supportive and want to see you advance.

Your roles seem to interchange. How you keep track of who is where during a “rush?”
Cory: There’s always one of us on the floor and one of us in the

Cory Haeffner, manager, and Cody Fritz, general manager at Gringo's Mexican Restaurant at 207 1st Ave SE in Cedar Rapids.

Cory Haeffner, manager, and Cody Fritz, general manager at Gringo

back. You have to be able to look at the situation and know things could change in an instant, but we’re used to it, and we have it down to an effective system.
Cody: Our whole staff, including kitchen, have been with us for quite awhile. We all know what it takes to work. Being on the floor is being in the nerve center of it all, easy access to handling any situations that could come up.

Cody: It’s been great to see so many things come back, and our hope is it keeps coming. We made the decision to rebuild downtown after the flood because of the potential and the fact that we know how to capitalize on what happens around us. The events are a great way to bring in people who have never been to Gringos.

A lot of your business comes from those attending downtown events. Are you ready for summer?

What are you most proud of in your time with Gringos?
Cory: The fact that I’ve learned so much about the dynamics of a restaurant and that I’ve been able to grow here. I started out washing dishes and am happy where I’ve been able to go since.
Cody: I am proud to be able to support my family from my work here. There’s great stability, yet we’re having fun. Best of both worlds.

Your most popular dish is the Seafood Enchilada. What’s its story?
Chris’ (owner, Chris Burhans) dad was a traveling musician and when he retired he brought back all of his favorite recipes he picked up on the road. The Seafood Enchilada was one of them. It’s definitely a staple menu item.

- Quinn

Clean Plate Club heads to Devotay

Posted on by
Reply

Devotay
Hopelessly devoted

The Linn Street area in Iowa City is a wealth of dining experiences. The more I explore (yes, I’ve gotten even braver since my last trip), the more I find to love in downtown Iowa City.

Devotay is consistently on local “best-of” lists and I’ve heard their name bandied about when discussing great places to eat in Iowa City. So with all the hype, I expected a bit of snobbery upon going in.

Snobbery was not on the menu. The interior is cozy with a bohemian chic vibe. Plants are flourishing on the sills of big bright windows, and swathes of rich fabric hang from the ceiling.

I was looking for a light lunch so I ordered a variety of hot tapas. Rarely do I want an entire steak but I am more than satisfied eating a bite of steak. Tapas let you nibble to your heart’s content.

I had the sourdough bread with roasted garlic oil, albondigas (bison meatballs in tomato-pepper sauce), three cheese quesadilla and aceitunas (assorted grilled olives). Every bite was interesting and unique and I was never bored as each course kept building.

The albondigas were zesty, warm and smothered in a bright fresh tomato sauce. The cheese quesadilla was far from ordinary. The combination of cheeses created a truly flavorful experience as opposed to the bland rubber you get from say, a Taco Bell quesadilla.

Devotay certainly lived up to its reputation and I can’t wait to go back for another (or several) bite.

- Andrea

Details: Devotay, 117 North Linn St., Iowa City; eat-in; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday; (319) 354-1001 and www.devotay.net

Kathleen’s Fave Five

Posted on by
Reply

Kathleen Pegg, 27, Cedar Rapids
Manager Communications & Research @ Priority One

Downtown Farmers Market
Kari Lammer took me to the first downtown Farmers Market post-flood, and I absolutely fell in love. We had a pretty impressive farmers market back home (in Detroit), but the quality and variety of produce, baked goods, flowers and crafts available here is unbelievable. My favorite booth by far is From Scratch. Their banana cupcakes? TO DIE FOR. Amazing. I took my husband and my dog to the downtown market a few weeks later and we had lemonade from Brewed Awakenings and breakfast burritos from Victors. We also picked up local honey and tons of local produce. It was a great way to learn about the area. I had no idea there were so many wineries in Iowa! Definitely a great place to start for people new in town.
Downtown Farmers Market
Downtown, Cedar Rapids
www.rebuilddowntowncr.org

Amana Colonies
My parents came to visit us over Labor Day weekend and we decided to check out the Iowa Festival of Beers at Millstream Brewery in the Amana Colonies. My parents now want to move to Iowa. We had a BLAST. Not only did we enjoy the live music, tasty snacks and amazing craft and home brews, but we decided to have dinner at the Ox Yoke Inn. It was some of the best food I’ve ever had.
Amana Colonies
www.amanacolonies.com

Helen G. Nassif YMCA
One of the first things my husband and I did when we moved here was join a gym. I wish we would have waited. The downtown Y is beautiful and has everything you need for a complete workout. I love that they have an indoor track, great equipment and classes. I can’t think of another place that gives you access to so many different options.
Helen G. Nassif YMCA
207 Seventh Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids
www.crmetroymca.org

Irish Democrat
Can you tell I like food? My first few weeks here, people in the office kept talking about the ID and these weird things called cheesy wontons. Finally, someone brought them in for an office party; the mystery was solved and I was hooked! My husband and I went to the ID that weekend and gorged ourselves on cheesy wontons. Now whenever one of us has a really bad day, the other one picks them up on the way home from work. Cheesy wontons always make the day better!
Irish Democrat
3207 First Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids
www.irishdemocrat.net

Cedar Rapids Kernels
About a week and a half after the flood, my husband and I visited Cedar Rapids so that I could do some interviews and we could look for a dog-friendly apartment. This was my first trip to Cedar Rapids, and on our second night in town we went to a Kernels game. I knew immediately I was going to like it here. The weather was beautiful, the game was great and the beer was cheap. What more could you ask for? I even bought a T-shirt and wore it proudly to my husband’s goodbye party the next weekend.
Cedar Rapids Kernels
950 Rockford Rd. SW, Cedar Rapids
www.kernels.com

Clean Plate Club heads to the Motley Cow Café

Posted on by
Reply

Taming the wild streets of IC in search of the Cow

Time for another personal confession: Iowa City frightens me. It frightens me in a grandma-navigating-cable-television or woman-who’s-never-pumped-gas-before sort of way. I think it’s all the one-way streets. Or it could be the fact that the only parking is parallel between beat-up Honda Civics and Chevy Cavaliers. Either way, the city renders me helpless and lost like a little puppy.

Fortunately, my worldly and Iowa City-savvy friend, Caitlin, offered to go out for dinner with me and do the driving. With my protective bubble securely in place we went to the Motley Cow Café.

Motley Cow is a chic, upscale restaurant that sources as many local products as possible. The menu is fresh and diverse with a blend of flavors that highlight the best the Midwest has to offer.

From the menu I chose the broiled wild stripe bass over porcini lentils in a smoked paprika broth with pineapple slices, topped with kale and pine nuts. The bass was juicy and delicate and contrasted nicely against the saltiness of the kale followed by a sweet hit of the pineapple.

The dessert menu was equally unique so Caitlin and I split the cardamom funnel cake topped with root beer ice cream and cherry cordial. I’ve never felt so sophisticated eating a funnel cake.

Thanks to Caitlin for gently coaxing me out of my comfort zone and for doing the driving. I’m hoping next time she shows me how to use one of those crazy pumping gas machines.

Fill-up fee: $30
Details: Motley Cow Cafe, 160 North Linn Street, Iowa City; eat-in; 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday; call (319) 688-9177; online at www.motleycowcafe.com

In the Kitchen with Adin Wheat @ Cedar River Landing

Posted on by
2

 

Adin Wheat, 35, Cedar Rapids

Chef @ Cedar River Landing

You’ve only been in Cedar Rapids a few months. What brought you here?
Long story, but I’ll try. I’m originally from New England. I fell in love with cooking when I was 13. I started working as a dishwasher at a little restaurant in New Hampshire, moved on to seafood houses in Maine then even lived in Italy for 9 months. My aunt and I opened up a place (Café Dodici) in Washington, Iowa about five years back. I decided to venture on and ended up with an opportunity in Cedar Rapids. I love food and am always hungry. The answer’s always been obvious.

Cedar River Landing is also new to town. How’s that going?
The response has been great. So far so good. People love the food, and they keep coming back. Just the other day a lady brought me fresh alligator game she got while in Florida.

Uh … what?
She was so jazzed by our menu combination, she was inspired to bring (some alligator) back for the cause. We have an assortment of basic menu items (hamburgers, chicken strips, fries) but take it further and offer some classic Creole and Cajun options, like crawfish, jambalaya, oyster shots, alligator fries
and more.
What have been some of the challenges and pleasant surprises of launching a new restaurant?
The biggest challenge was the very essence of rebuilding. We’re literally in the middle of a flood impacted area, so just getting it together and keeping it together. For a pleasant surprise I’d have to go with how busy we’ve been. Between the flood and tough economic times, it’s been nice to see consistent traffic. What it comes down to is: the area, particularly our neighborhood, needed something like Cedar River Landing and we were able to respond.

What can someone find at Cedar River Landing on a busy night?
Beyond the food, there’s always something to do, like live music, happy hour or good conversation at the bar.

I can’t wait for this answer. What’s the most popular dish on the menu?
It’s a toss up between the crawfish bites (go to HooplaNow.com for a recipe) or the alligator fries. Most people start out curious about either one and ended up liking one or the other.

- QUINN

 

Fill-up fee: under $10

Details: 301 F ave. NW, Cedar rapids; eat-in; 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Sunday; call 319-364-1854

DC’s River Walk Pub & Eatery opens TODAY

Posted on by
4

We just got a peek of DC’s River Walk Pub & Eatery, Cedar Rapids newest bar/restaurant, which opens today in the space once home to Bistro on First and more recently Kostantinos at 411 1st St. SE.

Their Grand Opening Celebration will be on St. Patrick’s Day, with Jeff Bruner taking the stage at 3 p.m.

Today though, owner Dave Carey gave us a quick tour as the kitchen, wait and bar staff filled the last ketchup bottles and rolled the final few pieces of silverware.

Dave is part owner in a half dozen or so bars in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Des Moines, including a DC’s in Iowa City. He’s had a lot of opening days. But this one is different, he says.

For one, DC’s Riverwalk is all his. No partners. He’s the only one on the line.

For another, the road to today has been a long one.

DC’s was a week from opening in June, when the floods hit. The waters destroyed everything, even the flat-screens hung high on the walls. So he had to start over, from scratch.

The result is a wide-open space with a large U-shaped bar. There’s a main dining area to the right of the bar. More tables are up a step in an area partitioned by railings flanked with faux street lanterns. Original brick walls lend to the pub atmosphere as well.

To the back of the space is a large game room with more tables, a pool table, games and more flat screens.

Dave says the menu is the same as Third Base Brewery, with the addition of shrimp, salmon, pork chops and steak entrees. Order from the full menu until 10 p.m., appetizers until 11 p.m.

Details: 411 1st St. SE, Cedar Rapids; eat-in or carry out; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday; call (319) 362-0310; Facebook and MySpace

Clean Plate Club heads to Vino’s

Posted on by
1

Vino’s: Cedar Rapids own Little Italy

There’s something about Italian food that makes me all warm and snuggly inside. It could be the pasta carbs giving me a brief burst of energy followed by a screeching crash of sedation. Or possibly the chemistry of

Vino's Ristorante

Vino's Ristorante

tomatoes and garlic permeating the senses. Either way, I’m happy.

Vino’s is the quintessential warm and snuggly Italian restaurant. It’s hidden in the dingy Town and Country strip mall, which is the case with some of Cedar Rapids finest gems. Just look for a disheveled parking lot and cloudy windows and you’ll come across something delicious.

But beyond the potholes and tattoo shops there is an oasis of pasta and prosciutto. Vino’s has an intimate atmosphere with moody lighting, clean linens on the tables and soft music playing. Our waitress has worked at Vino’s for 16 years. Clearly it’s a labor of love.

Dinner began with a salad and primo house Italian dressing accompanied by a mound of buttery, crispy garlic bread. Looking for something traditional, yet with a little kick, I ordered Spicy Penne A La Vodka. Tender tiger shrimp and spicy Italian sausage tossed with a vodka tomato cream sauce over penne pasta.

It was smooth and creamy and a perfect mix of tiger-y surf and sausage-y turf. I tend to like my surf with a bit of ‘grrrrr.’

And be sure to end your evening with a nightcap next door at R.G. Books Lounge. It’s a great little bar with loads of books on the walls. A great place whether you’re a bookworm or tequila worm.

– Andrea

Details: Vino’s Ristorante & R.G. Books Lounge, 3611 First Ave SE, Cedar Rapids; eat-in; 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday; call (319) 363-7550; online at http://vinosristorante.com