Iowa City is a beacon for foodies alike, calling everyone into the best restaurants around. For 12 years, Midwest One Bank has reached out to local restaurants in the area to participate in the Taste of Iowa City. Each restaurant creates their own small booth and showcases some of their favorite dishes. My friends and I went to check it out, and picked some of our favorite restaurants to highlight here!
Basta: Basta is one of my favorite date night restaurants in Iowa City. They have everything from homemade pasta, to a tiramisu that tastes like clouds melting in your mouth. The dishes that they chose to feature were beef and pork meatballs. They have a little bit of a kick of spice, super tender, and I basically licked the sauce off the plate at the end. I would have liked a little more melted cheese. Overall I would rate it a 7/10.
Bread Garden: When I think of Bread Garden, I think of a high class deli or something similar to the food they serve at Whole Foods. My favorite thing, which they did not have out, is their gelato. My friends and I tried a couple of different options from the spread that they had out. Anna decided to make the #healthychoice and get the caprese salad, while I sprung for the lemon cake. She loved her salad, my cake was a little lack luster. Overall I give it a 5/10.
Gene’s: Gene’s is the bar that is attached to the hotel, the Graduate. While I’ve never eaten here before the Taste of IC, I will definitely be going back specifically for this slushi shown above. We were walking around, dying of thirst from tasting all the food, and stumbled across this gem. Gene’s used Wild Culture Kombutcha to create a sour, fruity drink. If you didn’t know, Kombutchu has great health benefits for you too, which is even more reason to check it out! The slushi alone gets a 10/10.
Goosetown Cafe: I did not get a chance to try the cafe out at the Taste of IC, but they did have a booth that served bellinis! That morning my boyfriend and I got to check them out for brunch. I ordered the vegetable risotto that was full of fresh cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and pickled red onions. The beautiful dish is pictured above as the header for this article. Next time, I am definitely going to go back to try their shrimp and gruyere grits!
Graze: Last, but certainly not least, is Graze. I went to the festival for the sole reason of getting their Chicken Lips. I know it sounds weird, but it’s basically like a giant, extremely crispy buffalo chicken tender. They’re spicy and juicy and I could die happy knowing I got to eat them. Graze is also known for their amazing martinis. The grape or Godiva ones are to die for! Obviously, an 11/10 for me.
A big thank you to Anna for modeling all these pictures. Not only can people read how delicious the food was, but see how Instagrammable it is too! The Taste of Iowa City is a great event for students to come out and see what foods these restaurants have to offer. Even though I didn’t try them at this event, there are a bunch of other great places in Iowa City that I love to go to that deserve honorable mentions. Some of these restaurants are Dumpling Darling, Pullman Bar and Diner, Joseph’s and The Vue. This is a great annual event that you don’t want to miss!