Elijah Decious

Changes from a former Cobble Hill manager and her chef husband are hitting Caucho’s menu with a new name in store.

Asks for tips have gotten more widespread. In this week’s Curious Iowa from The Gazette, a look at why, and what experts say you should be tipping.

The new Bolt Barbershop makeover at Franklin Middle School offers haircuts to kids who can’t get them outside of school. But that’s just a little bit off the top of what the program does for students in their most formative years.

Irish-themed restaurants and bars are nothing new in America. But at Olde Brick House pub in Cedar Rapids, you won’t find the cheap caricatures of Ireland that have long plagued many attempts.

The shop specializes in hand-painted artisan chocolates, homemade cakes and cupcakes, and specialties like tiramisu.

A new menu update, released on Oct. 23, brings back some of the old favorites that were popular during their previous tenure, like seared tuna, the Black & Bleu burger, spinach artichoke dip and Monterrey flatbread.

With over 30 locations, Hokkaido Ramen House will join two other new restaurants filling out vacant spaces in Coralville’s Iowa River Landing.

The restaurant cited barriers to profitability as they worked to get off the ground through the pandemic and derecho. Operators thanked their loyal customers, referring them to Midnight Smoker BBQ in NewBo City Market for “top notch ‘que.”

Over its five-year course in the Czech Village, Chef Samuel Charles made a name for Rodina by pioneering Midwest comfort food as its own distinct category of cuisine. He was named Chef of the Year in 2021 by the Iowa Restaurant Association and earned a semifinalist nod for the 2023 James Beard Award.

Eli Ward is betting his tenacity and skill will set him apart among dozens of talented singers for a shot at $100,000 and a record deal.

Bertram Road’s “Blue Bridge” in Cedar Rapids has found a new home in Indian Creek Nature Center after an unsuccessful attempt to transport it in April.

From bibimbap and kimbap to bulgogi wraps, Oja offers a curation of the essentials from South Korean cuisine.

The Bep Teahouse’s menu offers fruit teas, boba milk teas with traditional, chewy tapioca pearls, and other smoothies.

The pizzeria with a rare, imported Czech beer closed with a two-day notice over the weekend.

A new sculpture park along one of Mount Vernon’s trails hopes to add more value to the city’s art scene with plans for future growth.