Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Celebrate Father’s Day with Brunch and Dinner at Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook

Looking for the perfect Father’s Day gift? Treat Dad to a family celebration and delicious brunch buffet from 10 am to 2 pm on Sunday, June 19 at Prairie Grass Cafe (601 Skokie Blvd.; Northbrook, IL; 847-205-4433). The buffet is $48 per adult and $18 per child ages 10 and under (tax, gratuity, and beverage not included). Prairie Grass Cafe’s regular dinner menu, augmented with entrée and cocktail specials, will be offered from 5 p.m. to closing.


Guests will have a variety of delicious options to satisfy any craving. There will be made to order options including an omelet and crepe station. The feast continues with a terrific selection of salads including a Tomato, Avocado & Cucumber Salad with Fresh Basil and Blue Cheese Crumbles followed by a Dad-favorite Ancho Marinated Skirt Steak or a Slow Roasted Salmon over Balsamic Glazed “River Valley Ranch” Mushrooms and much more! For the grand finale, a variety of pastries and desserts will be offered including mini crème brûlées and a warm berry crumble.Omelette Station

For Father’s Day Brunch and dinner reservations, call 847-205-4433.




Father’s Day Brunch Menu
June 19th, 2016, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
$48 Adult/$18 Children age 10 and under
Dinner Hours on Father's Day
5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
(tax, gratuity and beverage not included)

    Caesar Salad with Homemade Caesar Dressing and Shave Parmesan
    Tomato, Avocado & Cucumber Salad with Fresh Basil and Blue Cheese Crumbles
    Grilled vegetable platter with basil remoulade and balsamic reduction
    Roasted Trio of Cauliflower with Spicy Sauce
    White Beans and Rainbow Swiss Chard with Broccoli, Rapini and Toasted Bread Crumbs 
    Sliced-to-Order Ancho Marinated Skirt Steak
    Sautéed Pink Shrimp with Leeks, Poblano Peppers, and Cilantro
    Slow Roasted Salmon over Balsamic Glazed “River Valley Ranch” Mushrooms
    Roasted BBQ Pork with Platter of Homemade Biscuits
    Oven Roasted Potatoes
    Warm Pesto Green Bean Salad
 
    Omelets station: Peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, ham & spinach
    Signature crepe station: Valrhona chocolate, strawberries, jam, Nutella, whipped cream
    Waffles made to order, maple syrup
    Applewood Smoked Bacon / Homemade Breakfast Sausage    Mini breakfast pastries
    Mini Chocolate Croissants
    Cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, and pineapple
    Mixed berries
    Mini Crème Brûlées
    Chocolate cup cakes
    Warm berry crumble
    Strawberry cream pie


About Prairie Grass Cafe

Prairie Grass Cafe (601 Skokie Blvd.; Northbrook, IL; 847-205-4433) supports Chicago’s Green City Market and local sustainable farms, selecting the freshest ingredients to reflect the season. Prairie Grass Cafe currently serves lunch Monday - Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner Monday through Sunday. Dinner is served Tuesday - Thursday from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Monday and Sunday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Prairie Grass Cafe also serves breakfast Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Light fare is available in the bar Monday through Friday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or to make a reservation, please call (847) 205-4433 or visit prairiegrasscafe.com. Follow Prairie Grass Cafe news at newsline360.com/prairiegrasscafe and on

Facebook at Facebook.com/PrairieGrassCafe.

Coffee Rolls lowres300Shepherd’s Pie

10 am to 2 pm on Sunday, June 19 at Prairie Grass Cafe (601 Skokie Blvd.; Northbrook, IL; 847-205-4433). The buffet is $48 per adult and $18 per child ages 10 and under (tax, gratuity, and beverage not included). Prairie Grass Cafe’s regular dinner menu, augmented with entrée and cocktail specials, will be offered from 5 p.m. to closing.

Monday, May 23, 2016

NANDO’S NEW MENU ITEMS BRING ON THE CRAVING

CELEBRATING ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY IN CHICAGO, NANDO’S BRINGS MORE PERI TO THE PEOPLE WITH NEW SKEWERS, VEGGIES, GRILLED CHICKEN SANDWICHES AND LEMONADES

CHICAGO, May 19, 2016 – It has been said that Nando’s PERi-PERi’s spicy flame-grilled chicken is addictive. (It might have been us who said it.) And now there are more reasons than ever to feed your healthy PERi-PERi addiction. Today, in honor of its one-year anniversary in the Chicago market, Nando’s is introducing more than a half dozen new menu items that are sure to get you craving.

Beyond the classics, Nando’s fans in Chicago, Naperville and Oak Park can now choose among the Thigh and Mighty Sandwich, the Quinoa Salad, Chicken Skewers, Chicken Thighs, and Roasted Vegetables. And just in time for warm weather and picnic season, there are two new specialty beverages, too—Pineapple Lemonade and Blood Orange and Mango Lemonade. Talk about your big decisions.

•    The Thigh and Mighty Sandwich features two succulent, flame-grilled boneless PERi-PERi thighs stacked on a toasted Portuguese roll with arugula, tomato, pickled red onions and PERinaise. It’s a mouth-watering addition to Nando’s famous offerings.
•    Quinoa Salad is tailor-made for flavor fanatics. It comes loaded with roasted squash, generous chunks of avocado, cherry tomatoes and black quinoa. It’s served on lightly dressed greens with crumbled goat cheese and roasted seeds.
•    Chicken Skewers are succulent kabobs of flavor. Skin-on flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken alternates with onions and roasted red peppers on skewers.
•    Nando’s Chicken Thighs are tender boneless PERi-PERi thighs, flame-grilled with the skin on.
•    Roasted Vegetables. Chunky mixed peppers, red onions and zucchini lightly tossed in a rich tomato dressing. Braised Brussel Sprouts, too, when in season!
•    Pineapple Lemonade is a batch-made blend of caramelized pineapple, lemon and lime
•    Blood Orange and Mango Lemonade is a refreshing concoction of mango, blood oranges, lemon and lime

Nando’s PERi-PERi, the South African-Portuguese restaurant known worldwide for its spicy flame-grilled chicken, has built an intensely loyal following by providing fresh food in a relaxed atmosphere with friendly service. PERi-PERi, or African Bird’s Eye Chili, is the heart and soul of the Nando’s experience.

“We marinate our chicken in PERi-PERi for at least 24 hours, so the flavor goes right through to the bone,” said Burton Heiss, CEO of Nando’s PERi-PERi USA. “Then we grill it over an op
en flame it and baste it with PERi-PERi sauce to our customers’ preferred spice. That’s what makes our chicken so addictive.”

Every Nando’s is painstakingly designed and completely unique, with earthy textures and bright colors that reflect its sunny African-Portuguese heritage. With thousands of pieces of original works of art that are a constant reminder of where the restaurant came from, Nando’s has become the largest collector of South African contemporary art in the world.

Nando’s first Chicago location opened in May 2015 on West Randolph Street in the West Loop and was an instant smash hit. Other locations quickly followed and today there are Nando’s in the West Loop, Wabash, Lakeview, Clybourn Corridor/Lincoln Park, Naperville and Oak Park.

Nando’s first Chicago location opened in May 2015 on West Randolph Street in the West Loop and was an instant smash hit. Other locations quickly followed and today there are Nando’s in the West Loop, Wabash, Lakeview, Clybourn Corridor/Lincoln Park, Naperville and Oak Park.

About Nando’s PERi-PERi
The first Nando’s restaurant opened its doors in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since then, the Nando’s flame has spread to 23 countries on five continents. Nando’s is known worldwide for its succulent PERi-PERi chicken, marinated for 24 hours, flame-grilled to perfection, and basted to the customer’s preferred flavor and spice. It’s equally renowned for its spicy PERi-PERi, the Bird’s Eye chili pepper that indigenous Africans introduced to the Portuguese centuries ago.

Nando’s PERi-PERi made its U.S. debut in 2008 with the opening of its first location in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, DC.  Nando’s PERi-PERi now operates 31 restaurants in and around Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia and Chicago. For more information, please visit www.nandosperiperi.com, follow @NandosUSA on Twitter or Like Us at Nando’s PERi-PERi USA.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Three top picks for Chicago's Restaurant Week 2016

Chicago Restaurant week is here!  Over 350 restaurants will offer special dining deals from January 22 through February 4. This annual two-week culinary celebration offers prix fixe menus starting at $22 for lunch and $33 and/or $44 for dinner (excluding beverages, tax, and gratuity).
Check out our favorite participants below!

Bella Bacinos (75 E. Wacker Dr.)
Try Bella Bacinos (75 E. Wacker Dr., Chicago; 312-263-0070) for both lunch and dinner during 
restaurant week. For lunch, Bella Bacinos is offering a roasted red pepper soup, Tuscan minestrone, or insalata mista to start. Next, guests have a choice of three of their signature Pizza Cups Milano, which were featured at the 2015 world’s fair in Milan, Italy, and a dessert of tiramisu or a cannoli ($22). For dinner, the prix fixe menu includes two salad options, choice of veal scallopini, grilled salmon, or rigatoni Napoletana pasta, and dessert of tiramisu or flourless chocolate cake ($33/$44 with wine pairings).

Ixcateco Grill (3402 W. Montrose Ave.)
Don’t miss the authentic Southern Mexican cuisine at Ixcateco Grill (3402 W. Montrose St., Chicago; 773-539-5887) for dinner during restaurant week. To start, guests can choose between a Mixed Salad with mangoes, goat cheese, and cashews with an agave ginger dressing or Miniature Sopes topped with slow-roasted Poultry Carnitas. The entrée includes either Pollo en Red Mole or Lomo de Puerco, adobo marinated wood grilled pork loin with in a tomatillo orange sauce. Finally, guests will finish the evening with house-made Pecan Flan ($33).

Osteria La Madia (59 W. Grand Ave.)
Another Italian favorite, Osteria La Madia (59 W. Grand St., Chicago; 312-329-0400) is also offering
both lunch and dinner during restaurant week. Guests will begin with an Anti Pasto, choosing from items such as fire roasted crispy artichokes or cheesy tomato fondue. Then, there will be a choice of salad, such as the arugula salad with local apples in a walnut vinaigrette, or the Roasted Heirloom Beet Salad. The entrée includes several choices from La Madia’s Pizza and Pasta Menu, including the Tagliatelle all’Amatriciana or the triple pepperoni pizza with white truffle oil ($22 lunch, $33 for three course dinner, $44 for four course dinner).


Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Prairie Grass Cafe's Sarah Stegner and Farmer Tracey Vowell return to Immanuel Lutheran Church Winter Farmers Market in Evanston January 16



 Chef Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe is continuing her support of local farmers this winter as she
Tracey Vowell and Sarah Stegner_300and chef turned farmer Tracey Vowell of Three Sisters Garden is serving a special brunch and selling unique food items twice a month at the Immanuel Lutheran Church Winter Farmers' Market in Evanston (616 Lake St., Evanston, IL 60201-4413). The next market is January 16.

The duo has prepared a menu for the Winter Market that’s delicious, and environmentally responsible using ingredients from local farms. The menu features produce and grains from Three Sisters Garden, Genesis Growers, Catalpa Grove Farm, Nichols Farm, Bennison’s Bakery and others. 

Oak Cakes_300First on the menu is the Three Sisters Garden Oatmeal Cake with Maple Creek Farm Bacon and Maple Valley Coop Maple Syrup ($6.50). Next is the Creamy Three Sisters Garden Cheese Grits or Smashed Pinto Beans with Scrambled Genesis Growers Eggs ($6).

Next is Prairie Grass Cafe Chef George Bumbaris’ Signature White Bean and Homemade Sausage Soup, with meat provided from Catalpa Grove Farm ($6). For something light try the Three Sisters Garden Salad with Pea Shoots, Baby Kale, Apples from Nichols Farm, Candied Pecans, Roasted Squash, with a unique Apple Cider Vinaigrette from Ellis Family Farm ($8). Next is a classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich with bread from Bennison’s Bakery and local cheese and tomatoes from Mighty Vine Tomatoes ($6). Last but definitely not least, is the Pulled Maple Creek Farms Pork Sandwich with Apple and Winter Radish Slaw ($8).
For dessert try Sarah’s Mom’s Pecan Pie ($5.50/slice $32/full); Heirloom Squash Coffee Cake ($5); CrispPecan Pie_300 Oat Cookies ($6 for 6) or Gluten Free Pecan Oak Crackers ($4). To accompany your dessert, don’t forget to grab a glass of Chef Stegner’s unique Pecan milk ($5) or take home a pint for $12. The Winter Farmers Market (Immanuel Lutheran Church, 616 Lake St., Evanston, Illinois 60201-4413) hours are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. January 16 & 30, February 13 & 27, March 12 & 19, and April 9 & 23.
The Immanuel Lutheran Church Winter Farmers' Market is part of the Evanston Farmers' Markets. Participation in this Winter Market provides healthy options to a community of hungry local customers; it supports hungry people in need.  Each vendor donates $50 for each market day to support the Immanuel Lutheran Church congregation’s involvement in local, national, and global anti-hunger initiatives.
 
Preliminary recipients include: Hillside Church Food Pantry Evanston, Shelter for Domestic Violence Services of the YWCA Evanston/North Shore, Battered Women and Their Children, and World Hunger Appeal of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).  As in years past, the Hillside Food Pantry, will continue to collect farmer/vendor excess products at the end of every market to be sure they are placed in the hands of people who need them.

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