Posted by Tammy at 10:00 am
Apr 212010
Did you get a golden ticket?
This Saturday, 3 Floyds Brewery hosts its annual Dark Lord Day. If you were lucky enough to buy golden tickets for Dark Lord brew, then you sat at your computer for most of St. Patrick’s Day and have some pent-up beer love. We’re right there with you.
We were listening to the Twitter traffic when the sale was on and created a list of people who claimed to get tickets or said they were attending the event. If you want to follow that lucky bunch, here’s a link to the list. Alternatively, you can sip your bitter dregs/Miller Light and follow the #dld2010 hashtag to see the chatter of happy, slurred tweets as the day progresses.
We are definitely live tweeting our first Dark Lord Day experience and will be talking to people at the event. So hit us up @chicagobites if you’re going — we’d love to meet up with other Dark Lord golden ticket holders and people who love 3 Floyds brew. Cheers!
A tuna tostada and calamari can be a full meal. Photo courtesy of SJ Compton
Appetizers and desserts are sometimes the best things on the menu, so it’s ironic how often they get passed by or overlooked in favor of main dishes. Luckily, summertime lends itself to lighter fare so you have the perfect excuse to eat nothing but starters and dessert!
That’s what we did during a recent visit to Prairie Moon in Evanston. This self-proclaimed all-American restaurant serves gargantuan appetizer portions that make for hearty meals to share. We ordered the tuna tostada, Haas guacamole, and north end calamari along with a round or two of excellent libations. We then topped off our feast with coconut pie.
The food was average (especially the pie), but the attentive service and nice patio space helped make the overall experience hit the spot.
Follow our example and indulge in the menu extras next time you get the urge. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, Prairie Moon is a good and affordable place to do that. I’d go back!
Prairie Moon
1502 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 864-8328
Get directions
Posted by Tammy at 4:00 pm
Jun 232009
Noodles are a popular choice at the food court.
We trekked out to Arlington Heights over the weekend to browse the aisles of Mitsuwa Marketplace and to grab a bit of lunch at the food court. Even though Mitsuwa is a Japanese chain, they have Korean and Chinese shops in their court yard as well as hamburgers and ice cream. Looking around the food court, most patrons came for the steaming ramen or cheap sushi.
The udon noodles with prawns were served brutally hot and came with a side of pickles.
One of the problems with the food court is that almost all of the food stations are cash only. However, the sushi station is run by the grocery store, so you can grab some sushi and then go through the check-out line before joining your friends. I like to do this because it gives me a chance to pick-up one of the many odd-ball drinks from their beverage cooler. My favorites are the fruit sodas sealed with glass marbles that you’re supposed to pushed into the bottle. Rattle + drink, what could be better?
A variety-pack of sushi is priced to sell but isn't the best quality available.
You should definitely eat at the food court first even though the food quality is about the same as an American food court. Eat so you don’t load your shopping cart full of Strawberry Pocky, salty snacks with dried fish or value packs of miso soup.
Mitsuwa | Shrimp Dumpings The shrimp dumpings were a little bland, but much better than a Happy Meal.
In addition to Japanese housewares and kitchen staples, Mitsuwa has an excellent selection of seafood and produce. We have it on good authority, however, that Tensuke Market in Elk Grove has fresher fish. It’s a short drive away from Mitsuwa so you owe it to yourself to do a side-by-side comparison.
Mitsuwa Marketplace
100 E Algonquin Rd
Arlington Hts, IL 60005-4618
Tensuke Market
3 Arlington Heights Rd.
Elk Grove Village, IL
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