Blue Door Farm Stand: A welcome addition to the Lincoln Park Neighborhood

We love our neighborhood, but until recently the casual dinning options left a little to be desired.  The recent addition of a few new places, including Blue Door Farm Stand, is changing that for the better.

The location, right on Armitage among all the shops, couldn't be better, and the atmosphere, food, americano ;) and owners make the entire experience one we'll be going back for…probably weekly.

Chicago Chef's Table Cookbook

I'm really excited about the new book Chicago Chef's Table with recipes from top Chicago chef's and restaurants.  This would be a great Mother's Day or Father's Day gift.  Especially anxious to try the recipe from a favorite vegetarian spot, Mana Food Bar.  Mana is a cute little spot with a patio in Wicker Park near all the great shopping and restaurants on Division.  

Mana Food Bar’s Sesame Noodles with Peanut Dressing

Serves four
Ingredients
For the peanut dressing
2 tbsp. sesame seed paste (a.k.a. tahini)
1 tsp. creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. ginger, chopped
1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. Sriracha or other hot sauce
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1½ tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. rice vinegar
Salt to taste
For the sesame noodles and garnish
1 8-oz. bag Chinese yellow noodles, cooked according to instructions and chilled
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
12 pea pods, shredded
1 c. daikon sprouts
½ c. roasted peanuts, chopped
1. In a food processor or blender, add first six dressing ingredients and pulse until coarsely blended.
2. Slowly add oil and continue to pulse. Pour in soy sauce and rice vinegar and pulse until smooth and creamy.
3. In a large bowl, place noodles, carrot, and pea pods. Add dressing and toss until well combined. Garnish with sprouts and peanuts.½ c. roasted peanuts, chopped

Nana

There is a fantastic "green" restaurant called Nana that I recently discovered thanks to a great friend.  Located in Bridgeport, it's outside of our normal stomping grounds, but a welcomed change of scenery.  Nana is a family-owned, organic restaurant offering choices for those who are not only passionate about great tasting food, but who are also passionate about where their food comes from.  Nana, named after the owners' grandmother, sources ingredients from numerous local farms, artisan craftsmen and suppliers. 

The space is sunny and fresh, but with a warmth second only to the food!

And you've gotta love the local art for sale on the walls!

My photos of the food do NOT do it justice!  Everything on the seasonal menu sounded amazing.  The dishes we tried did not disappoint!

Everyone was very happy with their Nana experience!

whole treatment

Whole Foods recently started rating their meat on the basis of how the animals are treated.  I applaud this step, especially since it's meant to help improve the treatment of animals and overall standards in the industry.  Whole Foods explains that just getting to a rating of 1 is " a huge accomplishment in the industry! Step 1 requires more from our farmers and ranchers than we have ever asked before.  Here's the scale: 1. No crates, no cages, no crowding 2. Enriched Environment 3. Enhanced Outdoor Access 4. Pasture Centered  5. Animal Centered 5/5+.  I didn't look at the entire case, but in the poultry section, the highest rating I saw today was a 2, which  is good....I guess, but it makes me want to know more about where my food is coming from, especially my meat.  Why weren't there more "5"s?  One way to find out more is to check with your loal farmer's market that sells meat, poultry and or fish.  In Chicago, Green City Market's website is a great place to start.

going green in redbird nation

We spent some time in St. Louis this week visiting with friends and family.  As usual, we took some time to eat and play, this time in the Historic Tower Grove South Neighborhood, and found a few green gems...

Local Harvest Cafe

Historic Tower Grove South Neighborhood

3137 Morgan Ford Road
St. Louis, MO 63116

The goal at Local Harvest Grocery and Cafe is that 50% of their products come from within 150 miles of St. Louis.  Their passion ensures the freshest food, support for their community and a lighter carbon footprint....an admirable goal that more restaurants and grocery stores should aspire to!  Oh, and the food was delicious...and we tried a lot of it!

Blue Brick Renovation & Construction

Blue Brick Renovation & Construction  is a company started by brothers born and raised in St. Louis.  They have extensive experience with eco-friendly and energy efficient green building.  Recently Blue Brick completed this home, one of the greenest ever built in St. Louis and currently LEED platinum applied.   It is located near the Historic Tower Grove South neighborhood (by Local Harvest).

Vintage Haberdashery

3181 Morgandford Road

Fabulous vintage clothing and costumes

I also stumbled up St. Louis Green, a website listing all that's green in St.Louis from restaurants and boutiques to events and jobs.

snow day

Snow days are the BEST when you're a kid, but when you have a 10 month old, being snowed in can be enough to make anyone go a little crazy.  When the wind and snow finally died down this afternoon, we ventured out for a look at what "The Blizzard of 2011" really did to us....

this car on Halsted may be there until June!

on our way to Tilli's for lunch (one of the only places open and kid friendly), 

we had to walk down the middle of the streets,

on our way home, the sidewalks were looking pretty good...

we wouldn't have made it anywhere without the BOB! 

 

the perfect photo op...

My little Hambino was loving the snow...

A great & memorable day after all!

indulge

Yesterday was a good food day!  We had a family outing to Urban Burger Bar for a little nosh and a pint.  They use ingredients and meats from local farms and serve beers from local breweries.  The three of us split the grass fed burger (best for the animal & for us) with pepper jack cheese, avocado, onion and BBQ sauce...yum!  They also gave us a small (free) side of hummus for Sam.  The restaurant is kid friendly, but also adult friendly and fun.  It's right across the street from the new Lincoln Park Apple Store...a happening corner these days! 

PS: dinner at Longman & Eagle...post to come