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Review: Taste of Iowa City returns with new contenders, fresh favorites
Here’s what to try downtown

Sep. 5, 2024 6:00 am
IOWA CITY — Having options is not always easy.
This year, 48 restaurants in the downtown and Northside neighborhoods of Iowa City showed up for Taste of Iowa City on Aug. 28 — some for the first time.
But what should you show up for? I put in the legwork to make it easy.
1. Chilled Lobster & Gulf Shrimp Sliders by St. Burch Tavern
This little piggy has been eating a lot of lobster lately. Not even two weeks ago, I was tasked with reviewing a monstrous two-foot lobster roll after I had to slurp down a Hot Cheeto float at the Iowa State Fair. Talk about sea sickness.
But this slider? A breath of salty sea air.
Beautifully delivered with perfect proportions of seafood peeking out from the bun, each bite of lobster or shrimp washed up notes of shallots and herbs in a creamy dijonnaise sauce.
The dressing — think aioli — was light enough to let the lobster shine, but distinct enough to add culinary cohesion to the palate. And, unlike some lobster rolls I’ve tried, it wasn’t too salty.
Each mouthful was punctuated by a contrasting crunch of celery and hints of lemon.
This item does not appear to be a regular fixture on St. Burch’s menu, but let this showing be a positive point of reference for its curation of other seafood offerings on the lunch and dinner menus.
2. Chicken & Waffles by Harry’s Bar & Grill
Food poses a constant question of quality versus quantity. In this simple pleasure, you manage to get both.
As other vendors served bite-sized options on cute little boat-shaped plates, the co-founder and former co-owner of Bluebird Diner in Iowa City was periodically dropping heavy batches of full-sized, fried chicken onto a folding table that didn’t know what it was getting into when it signed up for this shift.
I was taken aback by the weight of this chicken breast on a mini plate, henpecking the poor quarter of a waffle underneath it.
Most of us go to fried chicken for the breading. But here, forget about the breading — this dish isn’t about that. With a slightly-darker-than-average color and softer crunch, it gives proper attention to the meat underneath. The dark breading, tenderly kissed by syrup, adds depth to a buttery waffle dusted in powdered sugar.
3. Hot Honey Bird Dog by ReUnion Brewery
I acknowledge this might not look like much.
“It’s a chicken tendy on a bun, bro,” one passing underclassman said within earshot.
And he was right, in a literal sense.
But at this intersection of American culture came a collision of hot, cold, sweet and spicy. The chicken was juicy, the breading wasn’t overbearing, the sauce pitched in proportionately and the slaw gave a nice crunch on the brioche.
It’s a great value for a punched up, avant-garde chicken sandwich offered in several different flavors. Get it with your beer next time you’re downtown.
4. Lamb Meatballs by Vue Rooftop
This new item on Vue’s menu is worth going out of your way to try, if you want casual lamb.
Fresh, tantalizing and earthy melds with savory and fatty flavors around the ground lamb, filling you in a way other meats cannot.
The sauce coordinates fresh cucumber and dill in a thick, creamy vehicle.
The red pepper coulis underneath was not memorable. But the meatball you will remember, for sure.
5. Hawaiian Sunset Fruit Tea by The Bep Teahouse
A medley of tropical flavors bursts all at once, treating you to something that tastes almost too good to be natural.
Passion fruit, peach and pineapple breach the surface with a flash of lemon. Then, you bite into popping boba, before a nice fruit cocktail adds a refreshing finish at the bottom of the cup.
This wonderfully sweet tea is a great introduction to the teahouse’s varied drink menu.
6. Korean corn dog by The Bep Teahouse
This is not your average corn dog. In fact, it’s meatless.
Instead, this trending novelty is oozing with cheese. It seems to be mozzarella or something with a similar consistency, but don’t quote me on that.
All of it melds with crunchy, cubed potatoes fried to the shell, which makes it look like some sort of mosaic art.
It’s lightly seasoned and relies on that kind of “fried” flavor, but perhaps that’s what the ketchup is for. This also was offered with a Hot Cheeto coating, which I avoided due to my trauma from trying the Hot Cheeto Float at the Iowa State Fair.
7. Karaage Chicken by Pullman Bar & Diner
This crispy, Japanese style of chicken was more bark than bite.
Crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, each bite had a strong lemon flavor that was pleasant. It wasn’t spicy like some of the karaage presentations I’ve had domestically and abroad, making it a nice entry level for those unfamiliar with this preparation.
But the lime kosho aioli for dipping left a little to be desired. It was creamy, but lacked the sharp accent suggested both by its color and its name.
8. Bacon Cheddar Slider by Wilder
I thought it would be worth giving this slider a shot, since Wilder was named for having one of the top 10 burgers this year in the Iowa Beef Industry Council’s Best Burger Contest.
I wasn’t disappointed.
Served with a creamy sauce and a healthy amount of meat, this is a decent size for a slider. The cheese was cheddar, but melted with the consistency of a nice American cheese — the good kind, not the “singles” that can’t legally be called cheese.
The beef is well seasoned. The bun is soft. It made my life easy — not every critique has to be convoluted.
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.