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The Dish on Food and Drink Establishments

Fine Dining & Steakhouses

The Beach House (Decatur, IL)
Bombay Indian Grill
The English Hedgerow Bistro (lunch)
Escobar's
Escobar's (brunch)
The Great Impasta
The Hideaway of the Woods
Jim Gould (breakfast)
Jim Gould (brunch)
Ko-Fusion
Luna
Milo's
Possum Trot Supper Club
Radio Maria (brunch)
Silvercreek (dinner)
Silvercreek (brunch)
The Spice Box (Kentucky Derby dinner)
The Spice Box (Valentine's Day dinner)
Timpone's

Casual Spots

American

The Apple Dumplin'
Big Mouth's
Black Dog Smoke and Ale House
Black Dog Smoke and Ale House (daily lunch specials)
Derald's Catering Truck
La Gourmandise Bistro on Main (breakfast and lunch)
Houlihan's
Howbowda Bagel
Illini Pancakes and Grill (formerly El Torero; breakfast)
Le Peep (breakfast and lunch)
Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop
McAlister's Deli
Old Time Meat & Deli
Seaboat
Strawberry Fields Natural Food Market
Wonderdogs

Chinese

First Wok
Green Jade
Mandarin Wok

French & Spanish

The Bread Company on Goodwin
Café Luna (brunch; old location—see Luna, under Fine Dining, for review of new location)
Café Luna (dinner; old location—see Luna, under Fine Dining, for review of new location)
Carmon's Crêperie
V. Picasso

Indian

Bombay Indian Grill
Zyggyz Grill

Italian

Biaggi's
The Great Impasta
Manzella's Italian Patio
Papa Del's
Vinny's East Coast Pizzeria

Japanese

Sushi Kame
Yellowfin
Yellowfin: Second Helping

Jewish Deli

Shapiro's (Indianapolis)

Korean

B-Won
Good Fella

Mexican

El Charro Taqueria and Grocery
Fiesta Cafe
Mas Amigos

Mediterranean/Middle Eastern

Holy Land Mediterranean Grill
Jerusalem

Pan-Asian

Cravings

Thai

Nitaya Thai
Thara Thai

Vietnamese

Saigon
Xinh Xinh Cafe

Bars & Clubs

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House
Cowboy Monkey
Esquire Lounge
Mike & Molly's
Seven Saints
Silvercreek "Appy Hour"

Bakeries & Sweets Shops

Atlanta Bread Company
Cakes on Walnut
Cocomero Frozen Yogurt
Cold Stone Creamery
Jarling's Custard Cup
Mirabelle Fine Pastries
Popped Bliss
Rubens Chocolates
Stewart's Artisan Breads and Desserts

Quick Bites (short reviews)

Bacaro
A Breakfast Taste Test: Starbucks vs. McDonald's
Empanadas at Manolo's Pizza & Empanadas
Farmers' Market Breakfasts at The Great Impasta
Ko-Fusion Lobster-Tail Roll
Ko-Fusion Birthday Dinner
Siam Terrace
Thara Thai
Xinh Xinh Cafe


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The Recipes

Recipes from Local Chefs

Alisa DeMarco's Farmers' Market Recipes

Braised short ribs agrodolce
Breakfast tacos
Fettucine alla Champaignese
Italian white bean and sausage stew with fennel and butternut squash
Round steak with Guinness and onions

How Do You Make That? Confessions of C-U Chefs

The Apple Dumplin's breaded tomatoes
Alexander's Steakhouse mushrooms
Biaggi's focaccia
Black Dog Smoke and Ale House twice-baked potato casserole
Carmon's curried cauliflower soup
The Clark Bar's shrimp and pesto potato martini
Escobar's cream of corn soup with lime, cilantro, and poblanos
Luna's sangria
Real Hacienda's cheese dip

Other Recipes

Appetizers and Snacks

Artichoke hearts with lemon
Artichokes, Roman style
Boiled peanuts
Calia e simenza (roasted chickpeas and pumpkin seeds)
Doubles
Figs stuffed with goat cheese
Fried green tomatoes
Garlic shrimp
Hummus
Kale and fava bean quasi-samosas
Ming Ming's potstickers
Paprika-glazed baby back ribs
Parmesan crisps
Parmesan toasts
Potato saffron omelet
Quesadilla with roast chicken, green zebra salsa, and two cheeses
Rose-fleshed radish pickles
Sherried mushroom empanadas
Shrimp ceviche
Smoked salmon and salmon roe on crispy potato pancakes with horseradish cream and pickled onions
Stuffed grape leaves 1
Stuffed grape leaves 2
Tortilla chips
Turkish zucchini pancakes

Breakfast and Brunch

Migas

Dips and Spreads

Carmelized onion dip
Don't-stuff-squash-blossoms-with-this dip
Fromage fort
Goat cheese spread with roasted red peppers
Green zebra salsa
My guacamole
Hummus
Pebre
Pimento cheese
Red tomato salsa
Roasted red pepper hummus

Salads

Basil potato salad
Fennel and pink-orange salad
French potato salad
Fresh corn salad
Grandma's coleslaw
Grilled lemon chicken salad
Italian antipasto salad
Lemony chicken salad with tarragon
Lentil Salad with Spinach, Chevre, and Curry Tarragon Dressing
Niçoise salad
Orange and Kalamata olive salad
Sesame and cilantro vermicelli salad
Steak-lover's salad
Taco salad
Thai grilled beef salad
White bean salad with tuna and artichoke hearts

Sauces and Salad Dressings

Cilantro pesto
Cranberry sauce with port and cinnamon
Cumberland sauce
Dijon dressing
Fresh blackberry syrup
Grandma's dressing
Green seasoning
Quick meat sauce for pasta
Red-wine vinaigrette
Roasted tomato sauce
Thai-style vinaigrette
Velvet tomato catsup

Soups and Stews

Beef and butternut squash stew
Beet and braised beef soup
Blackeyed peas and ham
Butternut squash soup with roasted red-pepper purée
Cheddar corn chowder
Cioppino
Curried lentil and butternut squash soup
Escarole and chickpea soup with pesto
Escarole, sausage, and white bean stew
Everyday Yellow Dal
Gazpacho
Gazpacho de Cordobés
Green chile stew with pork
Lentil soup
Mexican turkey stew
Minestrone
Pastina in broth
Portuguese kale soup
Portuguese kale soup (with lamb Italian sausage, smoked paprika, and chickpeas)
Roasted eggplant soup with tomato
Rosemary white bean soup
Short ribs vegetable soup
Signor Corsi chickpea soup
Smoky pumpkin soup
Vegetable-bean soup
White bean and greens soup

Main Dishes

Beef

Beef and butternut squash stew
Beef braised in wine
Beef stroganoff
Boeuf en Daube
Braciola
Hamburger casserole
Hanger steak in Jamaican marinade (jerk)
Hungarian goulash
Indian Brown Beef Stew
Italian beef
Italian pot roast with polenta
Meatloaf
Pot roast extraordinaire
Pot roast with onion sauce
Red-wine-braised beef brisket with horseradish sauce and Aunt Rifka's flying disks
Ribeye steaks marinated in coffee
Ribeye with Bearnaise butter
Roast beef hash with fried eggs
Ropa vieja (old clothes)
Skirt steak with chimichurri sauce
Slow-Cooker Barbecued Beef Brisket
Smoky stewed beef with tomato and chickpeas
Stir-fried ginger and beef with vegetables
Stuffed grape leaves
Swiss steak
Tater-Tot hot dish
Thai-style basil beef
Thai grilled beef salad
Tri-tip tacos with cowboy beans

Poultry

Caribbean stewed chicken
Chicken fricassee
Chicken with garlic
Chicken paprikás
Elise Bauer's chicken marinara
Fried chicken
Grilled lemon chicken
Pan-roasted chicken with eggplant and zucchini
Quesadilla with roast chicken, green zebra salsa, and two cheeses
Roasted chicken on the grill
Roasted free-range turkey with herbs
Thai chicken with fresh basil

Fish and Seafood

Cioppino
Garlic shrimp
Grilled Corvina
Ham and shrimp jambalaya
Shrimp ceviche
Swordfish, Capri style

Pork

Baked sweet potatoes with ham and cheese
Caribbean-style black-eyed peas in the Crock-Pot
Carolina pulled pork sandwiches
Crock-Pot carnitas
Ham and shrimp jambalaya
Italian-style roast pork "lo mein"
Paprika-glazed baby back ribs
Pork loin with lemon
Pork tacos
Pork tenderloin en croute
Pork tenderloin with herbs
Ribs and potatoes
Sausages and green lentils with tomato salsa
Serebyanka (a.k.a. Lescó)
Six-hour roast pork
Slow-cooker pinto beans and ham
Spicy braised cabbage with Italian sausage
Spicy Moorish kabobs
Spicy pork and eggplant
Stewed red cabbage with Italian sausage and white beans
Tinga

Lamb

Afghan lamb kebabs
Roasted lamb and lacinato kale

Vegetarian

Butternut squash in fresh green curry
Curried cauliflower and potatoes
Eggplant parmigiana
Fettucine with broccoli and Gorgonzola sauce
Irish Cheddar and stout fondue
Italian-style white beans
Kale and fava bean quasi-samosas
Mushroom, radicchio, and smoked mozzarella lasagne
Pasta with winter squash and tomatoes
Pav bhaji (Indian mixed vegetables)
Penne with arugula and fresh tomatoes
Potato saffron omelet with pebre
Ratatouille
Shredded cabbage with lima beans, Indian style
Spaghetti squash with Parmigiano-Reggiano
Spinach and cheese polenta casserole
Stuffed grape leaves
Turkish zucchini pancakes

Pasta

Bucatini all'Amatriciana (pasta with cured pork jowl)
Fettucine Bolognese
Gnocchi with sausage and spinach
Italian-style roast pork "lo mein"
Mushroom, radicchio, and smoked mozzarella lasagne
Linguine with Michael Chiarello's mother's tomato sauce
Tortellini with green beans and fried peppers
Pasta 'ncasciata
Pasta with tomato-butter sauce
Pasta with winter squash and tomatoes
Penne with arugula and fresh tomatoes
Rigatoni with meat sauce
Rotini with short rib ragù

Side Dishes

Beans

Boston baked beans
Cowboy beans
Gigantes (giant Greek white beans)
Green beans with parsley and garlic
Italian-style white beans
Refried beans
Rice and pigeon peas in coconut milk
Swiss chard and chickpeas

Potatoes

Baked sweet potatoes and ham with cheese
Biba's potatoes
Curried cauliflower and potatoes
Fennel and potato gratin

Rice

Coconut-lemon rice
Lemon rice
Rice and pigeon peas in coconut milk
Rice with fresh basil and mozzarella cheese

Vegetables

Braised mustard greens with bacon and golden raisins
Butternut squash curry
Collard greens
Cranberry sauce with port and cinnamon
Fried green tomatoes
Hashed Brussels sprouts with lemon
Heirloom tomato tartlets
Moroccan carrot salad
The Neelys' braised mustard greens
Pav bhaji (Indian mixed vegetables)
Ratatouille
Roasted asparagus
Roasted fennel with Parmesan cheese
Roasted red and yellow beets with goat cheese and lemon-tarragon vinaigrette
Romanesco broccoli with mustard seeds and horseradish
Sabzi (Afghan spinach)
Slow-roasted tomatoes
Spaghetti squash with Parmigiano-Reggiano
Spicy cauliflower with braised tomato
Swiss chard and chickpeas
Turkish zucchini pancakes

Breads

Focaccia

Desserts and Other Sweet Things

Apple pie
Baked figs with salted ice cream
Chocolate-chip hot-cross buns
Cinnamon crumb surprise
Easy chocolate truffles for a novice
Jelly doughnuts
Lemon squares
New York cheesecake
White-peach sherbet

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Miscellaneous Treats and Special Events

Cooking Classes

Everyday Indian Cooking
How to Make and Use Paneer
Pho
Pasta

Dinners on Prairie Fruits Farm

Smoke-roasted lamb feast, summer 2008
"The Whole Hog," summer 2009

Food Poetry

Cioppino
Why I Have a Crush on You, UPS Man
Ham and Cheese on Rye
Patty's Charcoal Drive-in
Lessons
The Time Between Ordering and Eating
Linguini
Splitting an Order

From the Pantry

Ben & Jerry's Mission to Marzipan
Boylan Brand Sodas
Nathan's kosher dill pickles
Smoked salt
Smoked Spanish paprika
Starbucks Via
Stash brand chai
Stash lemon-ginger tea

Julia Child Birthday Celebrations

2006
2007
2008
2009

Novel Food

Autumn 2007
Winter 2007
Spring 2008
Summer 2008
Autumn 2008
Winter 2008
Spring 2009
Summer 2009

Book Reviews

The Apprentice, by Jacques Pepin
The Food of Love, by Anthony Capella
Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois & Surrounding States, by Joe McFarland and Greg Mueller

Oscar Contests

2007
2008
2009


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