It’s not often that I visit four restaurants over the course of three days, but that’s just how things worked out late last week! Between Wednesday, August 13th and Friday, August 15th, I tried four restaurants that I have never been to before: one in Mount Vernon and three in Iowa City.
We’ll start with Mount Vernon!
Lincoln Wine Bar
A few weeks ago, I was invited out to a girls’ night at Cedar Ridge Distillery in Swisher. When I arrived, I learned that one of the gals had initially tried to make reservations for Lincoln Wine Barin Mount Vernon, but they were already full. We planned to have our next girls’ night at Lincoln Wine Bar, and, this time, the reservations were made almost a month in advance.
Lincoln Wine Bar was recognized earlier this summer as one of the 50 best pizza places in the entire US, so it’s no wonder they’re always busy! We went on Wednesday night, which I found out later was because they offer half-price bottles on wine on Wednesdays. Our end of the table ordered the Sonoroso Sweet Red, which was ridiculously good.
The food menu at Lincoln Wine Bar is pretty simple. There are a few different salads and appetizers available, but the main draw is the wood-fired pizza. My friend and I ordered the Burrata Caprese to start, and then shared the Smoked Margherita Pizza. Both items were as good as I expected them to be! I’m already planning my next visit.
Next up: Iowa City!
Estella’s Fresh Mex
Last Thursday and Friday, Brain, his daughter Carly, and I were down in Iowa City for our annual Radiothon for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. While we normally stay at the hotel on Melrose right across from Kinnick Stadium, a slight mishap landed us in Downtown Iowa City at a hotel called Element. It was a really nice hotel that ended up feeling more like an apartment! My room had a couch, a dining table, a full-size fridge, a stove top, and even a dishwasher!
I don’t get down to Iowa City very often, so when I do, I make sure I go out of my way to eat somewhere that I’ve never been before. We normally avoid the Ped Mall because parking the enormous KHAK truck can be a bit of a challenge, but because we were already staying in that area, we took advantage of the situation and ate all our meals down there! Our first stop on Friday afternoon was right across the street from the hotel: Estella’s Fresh Mex…