Star City Blog / Food

Review: thé Cup

By Cory Kibler and Alexis Abel

thé Cup is a small, charming café and bakery at 643 S. 25th Street.  It’s somewhat hidden from the crowd, residing in the red-bricked Bottler's Building near the Arts & Humanities Focus School and Lincoln High School. Conveniently, there are two bike trails that practically take you to the restaurant's doorstep -- one along the Capital Parkway and the other runs along the east side of the spillway.

The café is open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m.-4 p.m., and on Saturday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. thé Cup (which means “tea cup” in French) specializes in fair-trade coffees and teas and organic baked goods. 

Judy a la Carte: Summer Dinners with an Asian Flair

By Judy Gilliard, “Judy a la carte”

That typical late-summer heat is hanging in the air and if you’re looking for a fun way to counter it, I have the answer--a dinner party with an Asian twist. We are finding that more and more chefs are including Asian flavors in their cuisines and I have followed suit by always keeping hoisin sauce, low sodium soy sauce, pickled ginger and five spice in my pantry of staples.  

A good drink that compliments any Asian theme is ZIPANG, a naturally carbonated Sake which has a sweet, yet refreshingly light flavor. Other choices could include a French Sparkling wine, Louis Bouillot Brut and for beer lovers, Kirin Japanese Beer.

Vegetarian Series Review: Grateful Bread

By Cory Kibler

As you may have guessed from the name, Grateful Bread (located at 1625 South 17th Street) is a laid back and exceptionally quirky restaurant.  You might even go so far as to say that it is “hippie-friendly,” and that label would somehow be simultaneously accurate and totally uninformative of Grateful Bread’s unique charm. 

Yes, it’s a space with strange colorful decorations, and yes, they only accept cash, but the dishes transcend any sort of label you might wish to peg to them.

Judy a la Carte: Scallops, A Seafood Delight

By Judy Gilliard, “Judy a la carte”

Ah, summer days and nights with sunny days and warm evenings.  During the summer, we tend to enjoy lighter meals that are bright and crisp.  Seafood fits the bill, especially the popular scallop, which is low in fat and easy to prepare.

Sea scallops, a type of mollusc, are the largest of the scallops. [Note: The term "scallop" refers to the entire sea creature, but the part that is commonly eaten is the round adductor muscle that holds the two halves of the shell together.]  You usually get approximately 10-20 sea scallops in one pound. They can be bought fresh or frozen. Scallops freeze well, so if they are on sale or you buy too many, freeze them for later use. The raw meats are creamy white in color, or sometimes slightly orange due to the food (algae) they consume.  Scallops have a distinct, sweet odor when they are fresh.