Outdoor Dining Guide for Champaign-Urbana

When the weather is beautiful and you want to eat outside, do the same few hot spots always come to mind? Ever wished you could go to one "directory" and peruse all of the outdoor dining possibilities? Well, thanks to a suggestion from a reader of CT, I am hereby making your wish come true. Here's hoping I've thought of at least some options you either didn't know about or had forgotten.

Did you know that there are more than 70 restaurants, bars, cafes, and coffee shops at which you can soak up the great outdoors while eating and/or drinking something delicious in C-U?! That's the number I came up with, and I'm sure that there are some spots I've missed. Without further ado, I give you the list, by location (I hope you enjoy my location designations; I decided to go big-city with it). The business names are links to either the establishments' Web sites or to my own or other reviews.

Now, not all outdoor dining around C-U is created equal, of course. Represented in the following list is everything from large, secluded patios shaded by umbrellas and filled with flowers to a few tables on the sidewalk.

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Champaign—Downtown

Aroma Cafe
bacaro
The Blind Pig Co.
The Blind Pig Brewery
Boltini Lounge
Cakes on Walnut
Cafe Kopi
Cowboy Monkey
The Esquire Lounge
Guido's
Jim Gould
Jupiter's Pizzeria & Billiards
Ko-Fusion
Luna
Mike & Molly's (drinks only; no food served)
Pekara Bakery
Radio Maria
Seven Saints

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Champaign—Near North

Bentley's Pub
Carmon's Crêperie
Escobar's

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Champaign—North Central

Chevy's Fresh Mex
Dos Reales
Guadalajara
McAlister's Deli
Panera Bread
Taco Loco

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Champaign—West Central

Cozy's Custard and Junior's Burgers
El Toro Bravo

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Champaign—Near South

The Clark Bar
Fat City Bar and Grill
Fiesta Cafe
Fireside Bar and Grill
Jarling's Custard Cup
Mas Amigos
T.G.I. Friday's

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Campustown

Bread Company on Goodwin
Cold Stone Creamery
Espresso Royale (Daniel St.)
Espresso Royale (corner Oregon & Goodwin)
Geovanti's
Joe's Brewery
Legends
Manolo's Pizza & Empanadas
Potbelly Sandwich Works
Starbucks

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Champaign—South Central

Atlanta Bread Company
Biaggi's
Culver's
Houlihan's at the iHotel
Panera Bread
Le Peep
Sun Singer Wine Bar Cafe
El Toro on Neil St.

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Champaign—Southwest

AnSun Chinese and New American Cuisine
Billy Barooz
Istanbul Mediterranean Restaurant
Jupiter's at the Crossing

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Urbana—Downtown

Bunny's Tavern
Courier Cafe
Crane Alley Bar and Restaurant
La Gourmandise Bistro on Main
The Great Impasta
The Iron Post
Mirabelle Fine Pastries
Siam Terrace
Silvercreek (greenhouse)
Strawberry Fields
V. Picasso

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Urbana—North Central

El Toro
Hickory River Smokehouse (no patio, but there's a sunroom)

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Urbana—Far North

Prairie Fruits Farm Dinners on the Farm

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Urbana—Southeast

Milo's
Kennedy's at Stone Creek

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Honorable Mentions—Nice Try!

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House
The Seaboat

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Where are your favorite outdoor dining destinations in C-U? It's about that time...

Vegetarian-Vegan Restaurant on Wheels Coming to Farmers' Market

Yes, folks, it's vegetarian and vegan "cowboy food" on wheels. Isn't the truck adorable? Right down to the gingham-topped stools (you can eat your chow right there), the cactus on the counter, and the jalapeno-pepper cowboy with a lasso. A coworker friend of mine has started this mobile food business, and you can find him (and his wife, his partner in the endeavor) this Saturday, May 1, at the Urbana farmers' market (a.k.a. The Market at the Square—Lincoln Square, that is).

Neil, a native of the Lone Star state, and Hilary have been working their fingers to the bone for many months, developing and testing recipes, in order to bring you some mighty tasty yet meatless chuckwagon fare. We tasted some of the offerings last week at a trial run event, and we give it a big thumbs-up—even Keith, who's known for his love of all things beef, thoroughly enjoyed his meal.

Keith sampled the Sloppy Cowboy Joe, pictured above. The sloppy part consists of TVP crumbles in a zesty (but not spicy) sauce. Keith said something to the effect that if he hadn't known there wasn't meat in there, we wouldn't have known there wasn't meat in there. We had our Joe topped with dill pickle slices and onions, which I encourage you to do also, unless you have to kiss someone directly after eating. The sandwich came with VT's homemade chipotle cole slaw and organic tortilla chips.

I ordered the Vaquero Veggie Wrap, and I loved it. The chipotle cole slaw, plus organic baby spinach and shredded cheese, nestle inside a whole-wheat tortilla. This is a light, fresh, and delicious "sandwich" that's also served with tortilla chips.

The chili was very nice, too. There are no soy meat substitutes in the chili, it's just a good, old-fashioned, all-veggie dish. Kidney beans and corn in a mildly spicy, tomato-based sauce will make you feel like you're home on the range. I had mine topped with onions, cheese, and crumbled chips (if you leave off the cheese, the chili is vegan).

And because I'm just that way, I also tried the Texas BBQ Wrap. How do they do BBQ without meat, you ask. Quite well, in fact. Veggie-tofu crumbles are cooked in their secret sauce and then wrapped up in a tortilla. I asked for baby spinach with mine. The BBQ wrap is served with a side of the chipotle "outlaw slaw."

Other offerings include a BLT wrap made with Fakin' Bacon and chipotle mayo, pinto beans with brown rice (I had a nibble of the pintos and they are the next thing I'm ordering, highly recommended), and a fruit-and-cream-cheese wrap (samples of this wrap were set out at the trial run and were gobbled up before I could get my hands on a piece).

The items we sampled came from the lunch menu; Veggie Trails also offers a variety of breakfast foods, including a soy chorizo and egg wrap, "buckaroo" breakfast fruit wrap, free-range-egg tacos, and veggie chili topped with an egg.

And when you're finished with your food from this veggie-cowboy operation, you can feel extra-good about it, because it's not served or packaged in a ton of styrofoam. Neil and Hilary have gone the extra couple of miles and have invested in recycled, recyclable, biodegradable paper products. I think that shows an admirable level of caring and commitment, and cowboy hats off to them for helping their patrons do the right thing.

As if all of that were not enough, Neil and Hilary are also the creators of V-Jerky: marinated, spiced tofu that's dehydrated to resemble (well, sort of) beef jerky. It's chewy and a little spicy. It's also 100% organic, vegan, AND gluten-free. You can pick yourself up a package of this meatless, high-protein snack at the Veggie Trails truck, and it's also sold at the Common Ground Food Co-op at Lincoln Square and at Strawberry Fields Natural Foods in Urbana. Or if you'd prefer, you can order it online at the V-Jerky/Veggie Trails Web site.

Veggie Trails Vegetarian Cowboy Cuisine (and V-Jerky)
Mobile Food Concessions and Catering
217-493-4607
Check the Web site for more details

Food, Wine, and Music Kick Off Artists Against AIDs Show

Last night Keith and I attended the "jazzy reception" for this year's AAA show. The show is housed on the second floor of the new M2 building in downtown Champaign—a grand space that provided plenty of room to showcase an enormous amount and variety of local artists' work. Paintings, pottery, sculpture, and jewelry—it was a feast for the eyes.

And speaking of feasts: Of course, I had to take pictures of the food to show you. Provided for the reception, as always, by Bob Rowe and his Classic Events Catering team, the hors d'oeuvres were gorgeous. If you're one of the people who has asked me about where to go for catering in C-U, consider yourself informed.

Naturally, this being spring, there was asparagus. Tender-crisp spears in a light dressing were garnished with tiny olives, lemon zest, grape tomatoes, and crumbled blue cheese.

A very pleasant and distinguished-looking server was slicing tender, juicy beef tenderloin, which he encouraged us to place on slices of fresh bread and top with a creamy horseradish sauce.

There was also the requisite cheese and fruit platter, very ART-fully arranged.

Plus wonderfully fresh and light veggie wraps, accompanied by a sweet sauce

and platters full of lemony shrimp with cocktail sauce.

I told you it was a feast! Yikes. Between eating the hors d-oeuvres, drinking wine, catching up with friends old and new, and grooving to the smooth-jazz sounds the band was laying down, I almost forgot to look at the art.

But seriously, folks. There was art, and lots of it. I mentioned the jewelry earlier; here's some of it:

And I mentioned sculpture; look at the finely wrought metal herons in the photo below. In that shot you can see also the lovely view of the plaza where Jim Gould and Ko-Fusion are located afforded by the many large windows in the gallery space. Both the natural light and the lighting provided for the show by hard-working and dedicated volunteers were stunning.

Last night's reception was a fundraiser for GCAP, the Greater Community AIDs Project, so you had to buy a ticket to go to that one. But tonight is the grand opening reception, at which there will be more food, more wine, more music, and, um, the art, so do yourself a favor and take yourself to the M2 building (suggested donation for tonight's reception is $5). Park in the adjacent Hill Street parking garage and you're just steps away from this fabulous show.

The show runs all weekend, through Monday. Don't miss it!

Artists Against AIDs Art Show (proceeds benefit direct services to people in the Champaign-Urbana area):

• Friday, April 23, from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m.: Entertainment, hors d’oeuvres, and wine
• Saturday, April 24, from 1 p.m. until 10 p.m.
• Sunday, April 25, from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m.
• Monday, April 26, from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Quick Bite: Chilaquiles at Guadalajara

You can call it breakfast nachos. Or you can call it a big mess—and that's what it is. A big, tasty mess of fried tortillas, a red (or green) sauce, chicken, and cheese (and sometimes sour cream). I had this version, which also included a side of guacamole, at Guadalajara, the restaurant that took the place of Real Hacienda on Bloomington Road in Champaign.

As you may know, I'm an aficionado of chilaquiles. The dish as served at Guadalajara is not spicy at all—the sauce is very bland, and the cheese very mild—but I liked it. There was lots of tender, almost shredded chicken in there, which you can't really see in the photo. When you feel like something filling and cheesy and a little crunchy, this is your comfort food. If you have a hangover, it will definitely be the ticket. Want it spicy? Pour on the hot sauce. Next time I'd ask for refried beans on the side instead of rice, because I like beans with this mess.

Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant
912 W. Bloomington Road
Champaign, IL
217-355-2060
Open 11 a.m. to 12 midnight Monday through Saturday
Guadalajara is on Facebook

Novel Food Spring 2010: Fish and Chips

For this edition of Novel Food, the literary-culinary event that Simona (of the food blog Briciole) and I started in 2007, I made a meal inspired by Never Let Me Go. I found the novel so powerful and so haunting that I wanted to use it for this event, even though food is not described in any detail whatsoever in the story.

Penned by British author Kazuo Ishiguro (who also wrote a little something called The Remains of the Day), Never Let Me Go can be categorized as science fiction, but, as one reviewer noted, the novel is no more about the science-fictiony topic (which I can't divulge) than The Remains of the Day was about butlering. The science-fiction premise is a way of exploring "what we all go through," as Ishiguro said in an interview—that is, how to live knowing there will be an end to life; how to deal with duty versus desire, compassion versus revulsion, forgiveness versus resentment; and how to balance nostalgia with the present moment. It explores what it means to be human in a very surprising and timely way. Time magazine chose Never Let Me Go as one of the 100 best novels from 1923 to the present.

The reason I can't divulge the details of the story is that to do so would be to spoil it for you, and I wouldn't want to do that, whether you plan to read the book or see the movie coming out later this year. I don't know how successfully the secret will be kept, but I urge you to make every effort to avoid reviews containing spoilers. The author does such a beautiful job of allowing us to discover, along with the characters, what their lives are about, that it's only fair to let him take us on that journey without foreknowledge.

The main characters are Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy. They're students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school in the English countryside—a school meant for a very special class of children (as the story progresses, we find out just what it is that makes them special). Loss is a recurring theme in the novel, and it's represented in one way by a geographical location: the county of Norfolk. Kathy, Ruth, Tommy, and the other students are taught about the various regions of England by one of their teachers (or "guardians," in the parlance of the novel).

Anyway, the point is, there was a gap in Miss Emily's calendar collection: none of them had a single picture of Norfolk. We had these same lectures repeated a number of times, and I'd always wonder if this time she'd found a picture of Norfolk, but it was always the same. She'd wave her pointer over the map and say, as a sort of afterthought: "And over here, we've got Norfolk. . . . You see, because it's stuck out here on the east on this hump jutting into the sea, it's not on the way to anywhere. . . . For that reason, it's a peaceful corner of England, rather nice. But it's also something of a lost corner."

The students, 12 or 13 years old at the time, and having never been beyond the boundaries of Hailsham, believed that Norfolk was literally a place where things that had gone missing would end up—one enormous Lost and Found.

What was important to us, as Ruth said one evening when we were sitting in that tiled room in Dover, looking out at the sunset, was that "when we lost something precious, and we'd looked and looked and still couldn't find it, then we didn't have to be completely heartbroken. We still had that last bit of comfort, thinking one day, when we were grown up, and we were free to travel around the country, we could always go and find it again in Norfolk."

When they're teenagers old enough to drive, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy do travel to Norfolk, and you'll have to read the book to find out what happens there. For our purposes here I'll pick out the fact that they stop at a seaside cafe for lunch. Although what they ate isn't mentioned, given that they're at the beach and that there are "frying smells" in the cafe, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine that they ordered fish and chips. And that's what I made in honor of the book.

I got the recipe from a young Englishwoman—via Recipezaar. Her mother had written it down on the back of an envelope in 1952, and that was good enough for me. I'll let you go to the Recipezaar site to get it:

Real English Fish and Chips with Yorkshire Beer Batter recipe

I followed the recipe almost exactly, except I found that I needed a full 12-ounce bottle of beer for the batter—a bit more than the 8 ounces mentioned there (I used Bass ale, naturally). I also added about 2 teaspoons of Tony's Cajun Seasoning to the batter.

The fish and chips were a smashing success! We actually made them two days in a row, because I'd bought two kinds of fish in case one didn't work out. So the first day we feasted on deep-fried halibut, which was extra-special and just luscious. The second day we snacked on deep-fried tilapia, and it was delicious, too: Golden brown and crispy outside with tender, juicy, steamed fish on the inside. We also used the fry-twice method for the chips—er, fries, and they turned out well too. I credit not only the great recipe but also our brand-new deep fryer.

I bought an English brand of malt vinegar to sprinkle on the fish and chips, and I made a vegetable dish called mushy peas. Doesn't that sound appetizing? I read that it's a standard side for fish and chips and I had to try it, albeit with fresh peas rather than the dried ones used in the traditional English dish. All you do to make (one version of) mushy peas is saute one bunch of chopped scallions in butter and oil, along with a handful of chopped fresh mint, until the onions are soft, then throw a 16-ounce bag of frozen peas and a little water into the skillet. Cover and steam till the peas are soft, then mash the mixture with a potato masher and add butter, salt, and pepper to taste.

But enough about me and my novel food. Six other bloggers joined Simona and me for the event; I'll present one-half of the roundup linking to their submissions here, and Simona will show off the other three on her blog.

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Ginny, of the blog Just Get Floury, made apricot-and-Brie souffles in honor of Tom Wolfe's devastatingly funny-sad novel of 1980s excess The Bonfire of the Vanities. If you haven't read that book, I recommend it (but don't bother with the movie that was made from it).

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Nupur, of One Hot Stove, found baking inspiration in the novel Baking Cakes in Kigali, by Gaile Parkin. The plot device, as Nupur describes it, reminds me somewhat of the novels of Maeve Binchy, even though Binchy writes about Ireland and this novel is set in Rwanda.

If you're vegetarian or vegan, you'll be especially drawn to the banana-walnut spelt bread that Nupur made from the Vegan Yum-Yum cookbook.

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Adele, The Basil Queen,created a fabulous pasta dish of ravioli filled with fresh pea puree in honor of Spending, a tale by Mary Gordon about "the connection between art, money, and desire." Both the novel and the pasta sound intriguing and delicious.

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Simona, my partner in this event, made an orange risotto, which she paired with scallops. Her inspiration was Michael Dibdin's mystery novel Back to Bologna, featuring police inspector Aurelio Zen, which sounds like a must-read.

Be sure to also peruse Simona's half of the roundup for this spring edition of Novel Food. She has several more edible and readable delights there for you to savor.

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Many thanks to all of you who submitted posts; it's always so interesting and fun to hear about the books you're reading and the food you're eating. Until next time!

New Restaurant Coming Soon to Royal Plaza

Update April 21, 2010: There is now a giant "Opening Soon!" banner hanging in front of the building, so this restaurant may be in operation sooner than I guessed in my post below. ~Lisa

Did you know that there's a new sign up on the building that most recently housed Papa George, and before that, Pickles, and well before that, The Ground Round? I noticed the sign last week and snapped a shot. As you can see, a Chinese restaurant is now in the works. I peeked inside, and the interior has been completely gutted—bar taken out and all. I think this is a very good thing, as the space desperately needed a total makeover.

Eeek! I hear some of you shrieking. Another Chinese restaurant?!? It does seem as if we probably have enough Chinese food around C-U already, and yet, this spot might prove to be one of the best, if not the best of the bunch.

In recent months I've had messages from several people who read this blog, and, using my finely honed investigative prowess, I've determined that the owners of this dining establishment are going to be none other than the family who owned and ran Mandarin Wok on Green Street for many years, lately of The Wok in Mahomet. This is also a very good thing, because I've heard so much about how fantastic the food was at both places (unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I never ate at Mandarin Wok while it was still under this family's ownership, and though I had every good intention, I never made it to The Wok in Mahomet while they operated that little dining spot, either). Thus, based on the praise that has been heaped on their other restaurants, I have high hopes for this one.

Now: I could be dead wrong here about the new owners of what is to be Golden Harbor. Time will tell. I don't have a projected opening date, but judging by what I saw of the interior last week, I'd estimate that it's still a couple of months off.

Please God, don't let it be another buffet!

Golden Harbor Authentic Chinese Cuisine
505 South Neil Street (in Royal Plaza)
Champaign, IL
(This restaurant is not yet open; look for an opening in the near future)

Ginger Asian Bistro

Food—Japanese, Thai, Chinese
Drink—Beer and wine, specialty cocktails, sake infusions
Location—North Neil, near Marketplace Mall
Atmosphere—Old-timey Chinese restaurant, with hints of Tiki bar
Service—Enthusiastic; servers could be more knowledgeable
Patio seating—No
Vegetarian-friendly—Yes
Child-friendly—Yes
Group-friendly—Yes

The building housing the new Ginger Asian Bistro has seen a lot of changes. In its current incarnation, a plain and uninteresting exterior becomes, once you're inside, an interior that's been designed with care. Mosaics and palm plants, lacquer and screens, a pretty bar overhung with a faux thatched awning, warm colors, soft lighting, comfortable seating, and discreetly closed wood blinds help you forget that you're on a rather unattractive stretch of Neil Street next to a La Quinta Inn and across from a shopping mall.

I've visited Ginger several times now, and I'll tell you about the dishes I sampled. On my first visit, for lunch, I ordered pork gyoza (Japanese dumplings) and the teriyaki chicken lunch special. The gyoza, while a tad overdone on the bottom, were tasty and light, not greasy, and the dipping sauce was zesty and delicious.

The teriyaki chicken was served on an iron skillet-dish and consisted of sliced breast of tender chicken sprinkled with sesame seeds and accompanied by fresh steamed vegetables, steamed rice, and soup or salad (forgive the bad photo; the steam rising from the dish got in the way).

While I enjoyed this special, I found it somewhat lackluster. The teriyaki sauce was mild and sweet, and everything—chicken, rice, and vegetables—seemed very fresh. However, the chicken could've used more browning. There were none of the almost charred, crispy bits I expect from teriyaki chicken, and the flavor of the sauce was rather bland and uninteresting. Even so, I left feeling like I'd eaten a very healthy lunch.

On my second visit for lunch, my companion and I ordered agedashi tofu and what was described on the menu as a Thai spiced chicken wrap. Unfortunately, we were disappointed in both dishes. The tofu had not been fried well; it was not particularly crispy outside, nor was it golden brown, and the inside seemed heavy. Again, the dipping sauce was tasty, but it couldn't save this appetizer.

The "Thai spiced" chicken wrap consisted of pieces of chicken sauteed with vegetables and served with lettuce leaves. We could detect none of the mint leaf, chili pepper, scallion, or fresh lime juice mentioned on the menu. The chicken mixture was bland and had none of the flavors I associate with Thai dishes in it.

We also ordered pad Thai with shrimp and tom kha gai (Thai chicken soup with coconut milk). The tom kha gai was a disaster. It arrived bubbly and frothy, as if it had just come out of a blender, and it tasted as if the cook had simply opened a can of coconut milk and had poured it into the bowl along with some pieces of chicken. We took a few bites and were unable to eat any more of it.

The shrimp pad Thai was better, although again, the flavor was quite different from that of pad Thai I've had at other Thai restaurants. There were a healthy number of shrimp, and the dish was garnished with peanuts, a wedge of lime, and bean sprouts, but the overall effect was somehow off. This pad Thai would certainly not tempt me away from the versions available at any of the Thai restaurants around C-U.

My last visit was for dinner. Some of the dishes my friends and I ordered included the chirashi platter (assorted sashimi with rice, pictured above) and the yellowtail serrano, the honey chicken, and the hibachi steak. The sashimi on the platter was good, not the best in town by any means, but good. The yellowtail appetizer (slices of yellowtail with citrus vinegar and serrano chiles) was delicious.

The hibachi filet mignon was quite nice. My steak was perfectly cooked had a good flavor and the one piece of shrimp tempura that accompanied it was large and wonderfully crispy. This dish also came with soup or salad, vegetables, and rice.

At dinner we also tried some cocktails; I had one involving pineapple that I found too sweet. We  sampled the sake infusions, as well; one made with berries was reminiscent of cough syrup, we all agreed, but the pineapple infusion was more subtle and was not overly sweet.

The Ginger menu needs some reorganization; the various dishes and appetizers seem scattered all over the place, and it's difficult to follow. Some of the appetizers, for example, were not listed under the Appetizers heading but were in the Salads section. Sushi seems to be listed in several different places, and Thai dishes as well. I think it would help if the owners listed all of the Japanese dishes together, including appetizers, and all of the Thai and Chinese dishes similarly, so that customers can get a better feel for the choices in each category.

Lunch specials are very reasonably priced; one involves TWO maki rolls for $10 or three for $12 (served with salad). I haven't tried any sushi rolls at Ginger yet but if you like them, you'll probably want to check out this special.

Have you been to Ginger? If so, let me know what you had and how you liked it. You can see the entire menu on the Web site (but don't expect to find the cocktails listed there on offer at the restaurant; the cocktail menu at the restaurant is very different from the one online).

Ginger Asian Bistro
1902 Center Drive (just west of Marketplace Mall)
Champaign, IL
217-352-6688
Open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Reflections on Trader Joe's and Local Groceries

Some time ago, I was invited to join a Facebook group of locals who are trying to convince the honchos at Trader Joe's to open a store in our area. Now, I've never actually set foot in a Trader Joe's, but I joined the group, perhaps unthinkingly, seeing as how the store comes highly recommended by any number of my friends, family, and acquaintances.

A friend recently visited a Trader Joe's in a neighboring state, and she offered to bring things to me from the store. As I considered what to ask her to bring, a question formed, Carrie Bradshaw style, in my mind:

Do we really need a Trader Joe's in C-U, or do we just think we do?

In thinking about how to answer that question, let's begin by looking at the items that my friend brought from TJ's. From left to right and front to back, we've got pitted Kalamata olives, lemon-pepper pappardelle, frozen artichoke hearts, frozen avocado halves, wild blueberries, a jar of red and yellow roasted peppers, a jar of tomato topping to make bruschetta with, a bag of frozen shrimp gyoza, and a jar of red pepper spread with eggplant and garlic. Oh, and hiding in the back on the left is a bottle of Shiraz.

That entire haul set me back only $26.00, which seems pretty cheap. And it was wonderful for my friend to bring it all to me (thanks again, S!). But looking over the items, I couldn't help but think about the many local groceries we already have in town, and so I went out on a little hunting expedition for similar items and to compare prices.

At Strawberry Fields in Urbana, I found frozen blueberries similar to the ones from TJ's. They were wild and certified organic, and as you can see, they cost $6.35 for 10 ounces. The TJ's bluberries were also wild and organic, and they cost $1.99 for 16 ounces. Hmm. Quite a price differential, there.

The fire-roasted red and yellow peppers from TJ's cost $3.98 for 12 ounces. Strawberry Fields had a 12-ounce jar for $6.99 (but they were organically grown).

World Harvest international grocery in Champaign had roasted yellow peppers, a 12-ounce jar, for $3.98, and the same size jar of roasted red peppers for $4.39. So, the peppers at World Harvest were basically the same price as at TJ's.

The Trader Joe's pitted Kalamata olives (from Greece, packed in extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar) went for $5.98 for a 12-ounce jar. An 8.5-ounce jar of pitted Kalamatas at Strawberry Fields (packed in brine, not olive oil) was priced at $4.99.

At World Harvest international grocery in Champaign, an 8-ounce jar of Greek pitted Kalamatas in olive oil went for $4.99. A price disparity, yes, but not a huge one.

The red-pepper-and-eggplant spread with garlic (product of Bulgaria, 12 ounces) from Trader Joe's cost $3.98; I found the same spread (product of Serbia, if I remember correctly) in a 19-ounce jar at World Harvest priced at $3.99. Actually cheaper at World Harvest.

Bruschetta toppings abound everywhere; the Trader Joe's version cost $4.58 for a 12-ounce jar (tomatoes, canola oil, garlic, vinegar, basil). At World Harvest, I found at least a half-dozen varieties and types of bruschetta toppings, most made with olive oil. A 12-ounce jar of one brand went for $7.99, but there was also an Italian brand priced at $5.99 for 17 ounces.

Concerning pastas, World Harvest has one of the largest selections around (though of course the Art Mart in Urbana also carries lots of specialty pastas). WH didn't have lemon-pepper pasta, but they did have all kinds of other choices, from whole-wheat and organic

to artisan-type pastas.

The TJ's pasta went for $1.99 for an 8-ounce bag; at World Harvest, you can get Al Dente three-pepper or lemon-chive fettucine (12 ounces) for $4.49. You can also get a 16-ounce box of De Cecco pasta, a very good brand, for $3.99.

Dumpling-wise, the TJ's shrimp gyoza was priced at $4.29 for 16 ounces (~15 pieces); shrimp gyoza at WH went for $6.99 for 24-25 pieces.

So. It appears that yes, for some items, maybe even many items, Trader Joe's is going to be cheaper. Which isn't surprising, given that, with 339 stores nationwide and counting, they can market their own brands and get volume pricing. I am not at all hostile to Trader Joe's, believe me. However, much like the Applebee's restaurant chain, TJ's describes itself as "your neighborhood grocery store."

I must beg to differ there. My neighborhood grocery stores are Am-Ko, Annapoorna, Art Mart, Chang's, Cheese and Crackers, Common Ground, El Charro, Far East, Green Onion, Lee's, Mas Amigos, Mirsung, Natural Gourmet, Old Time Meat and Deli, Strawberry Fields, Sun Singer, and World Harvest. The people who own and operate these stores live in Champaign-Urbana, and most have been committed to bringing a wide variety of quality food items to us for many years (in the case of Art Mart, since 1958; Am-Ko and World Harvest have been around forever, too, as has Chang's, Lee's, the food co-op, and the Natural Gourmet).

One friend told me that she likes the cheese selection at Trader Joe's. Fair enough; I love cheese myself. World Harvest International Grocery carries something like 10,000 items in the store, including a wide variety of cheeses from many countries. The Art Mart and Sun Singer carry many interesting types of cheeses from all over the world, as well, and the new Cheese and Crackers store in Champaign already carries roughly 250 kinds.

And it's not just about pasta, cured meats, chocolates, and cheeses; at stores all around town you can find natural cosmetics and other beauty products, environmentally friendly cleaning products, other household items, kitchenware, cookware, dishware, and more.

Which brings me again to my question: Do we need a Trader Joe's in C-U, or do we just think we do?

Do we simply want to abandon our old toys for new ones, or is there a real need in this community? In addition, will Trader Joe's carry Prairie Fruits Farm goat cheese or Rubens chocolate (the world-class chocolates made in Mahomet)? Pekara or Mirabelle breads and pastries? Blue Moon Farm produce? The local groceries we already have do.

I know that this post may ruffle some feathers. My intention here is not to judge anyone who wants a TJ's in town, or to be confrontational. My purpose in writing the post is just to think out loud, to ponder the potential impact of a TJ's on our truly local grocery stores, and to invite others to share their thoughts as well. Thanks for any opinions you may want to leave in the comments; friendly discussion of these issues is surely a good thing.