“Great restaurants are, of course, nothing but mouth-brothels.  There is no point in going to them if one intends to keep one’s belt buckled.”  ~Frederic Raphael

Good Morning from New Orleans!  I hope you have all had a great week.  I am looking forward to going home tonight…to see my family…to sleep in my bed…and to eat food I like!  LOL  (Seriously…the food down here just isn’t my thing.  Sorry!)

If there is one thing I love about living in Iowa City, it is the plethora of great restaurants!  Sure, I can do the every day chain restaurants (fave: Panera!) every now and then, but having phenomenal local restaurants sprinkled all over town has been a blessing.  Truthfully, after leaving Minneapolis to  move to Iowa City, the last thing I expected to find was great food (seriously….in Iowa?!).  Boy was I wrong. 

While there are several I could rave about, a consistent favorite over my last 7 yrs in Iowa City has been ATLAS.  I.Love.The.Atlas.   For those of you who live in the area, I am sure you can agree.  For those of you who haven’t been…give it a try!  A  few of my favorites are below.

Appetizer:  Chips and Salas (seems simple enough, right?)  This salsa is soo good!  It has a smoky chipotle twist.

Other great apps include the Black Bean Hummus, Boulder Rolls, and BBQ Shrimp Voodoo.  Tasty!

My favorite salad (though also on the app menu): The Atlas Mixed Greens w/ Champagne Vinaigrette (the croutons are awesome!)

And my favorite main course:  The Atlas Mac N Cheese!!  (the slow roasted tomatoes on top are to die for! I always order extra. LOL)

Of special note:  the lunch menu offers a “Mini Mac” option….which is plenty!  The dinner portion is definitely enough to feed 2 (if you are up for sharing.)

 

Or if you are like me…taking some home for leftovers is always good too!  (Just don’t forget some extra tomato topping to go.)

Other dinners/lunches that tempt me include the Buffalo Chicken Burrito & Tomato Bisque Soup.  But I’m not going to lie, I have a hard time wavering from the Mac N Cheese.  So.Good.

Take a break from the kitchen this weekend and treat yourself to dinner out.  Support a local restaurant.  They are hard to beat!

Indulge.  In Life.  In Love.  In Food.