Category > Restaurant & Bar Reviews
Let me be clear: Kaiyo has the best sushi I have ever tasted. And speaking as a Chicago native, with access to extremely fresh fish, that is saying something. The buffet is $17.95 which comes to just under $21.00 with a beverage. The sushi was amazingly fresh tasting. The owner says that it's because the seafood is flown into Chicago then delivered to Champaign twice a week. The sushi is also prepared no more the thirty minutes before opening …
| Campus has KAM's and Chipotle, Urbana has the homely downtown with Crane Alley and the Courier, Champaign touches on the gourmet urban with Bacaro and Jim Gould's, and Savoy has... Dairy Queen and the abandoned Spaghetti Shop. Pretty much the only reasons to come out to Savoy are for the movie theater and Friar Tuck's. Food, generally, is left to be desired elsewhere. Even then, I have a M.O. when it comes to eating in Champaign-Urbana: I drive up …
One of the blessings (and curses, depending on how you look at it) of working on campus is there is no shortage of delicious noms to choose from on the lunch hour. Working smack dab in the middle of Green Street, I don't have to venture far at all to indulge in Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Sushi... But most days I am good, and I pack my lunch, especially in this cold weather when even a five minute jaunt for …
About a year ago, Editor supreme Joel Gillespie and I whimsically dined at the newly opened Xinh Xinh Cafe in Urbana. Its location was suspect; parked in the Schnuck's Plaza on Vine and Main in downtown Urbana, next to fast food Chinese, Quizno's, and Papa Murphy's, we didn't see reason to give it much promise. But then we ate. And ate, and ate. And by the meal's end, we were talking with Shai Mauth, the owner and head chef, …
Part of living in Champaign-Urbana — and not just stopping over for a degree — is coming to terms with a few certainties related to our cultural and geographical landscape. Feel free to lament the lack of a natural body of water, or the fact that we don't play host to a Minor League baseball team; these are things we have to drive to find because of choosing to live in a "micro-urban" location. Perhaps you are upset by …
When Benjamin Franklin said, "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy," it is doubtful whether he knew what a cliche his statement would become. And yet, last night, literally hundreds of Champaign-Urbanians came to The Blind Pig Brewery (known also as The Piglet) to partake of that cliche — to guzzle down a pint or two of life-affirming, locally-brewed booze.
When Jack's Grill Mediterranean Cuisine opened this January, it had more than a few people in the community really excited by the prospect of an honest-to-goodness Middle Eastern joint outside of campus town. Oh sure, the walls were bare, there were only like four tables and 12 chairs, the wait was egregiously long at times, and there was lamb's blood dripping from a plate of kebabs onto the bottom of their meat cooler, in plain sight of the customer …
Over our artisanal cheese platter, my friend Marla and I reminisced with V. Picasso owner Victor Fuentes about the days when Thursday was El Matador night. We first met and became friends with Victor when he worked at the restaurant. That was ten years ago. My friend (and Marla's sister) Mindy and I had just moved here from Los Angeles, and our Thursday night El Matador get-togethers served to mark the difference between the place we had just left …
I turn 30 years old next week on Monday, for whatever that's worth. It's a landmark, I suppose. In any event, my wife asked me what I'd like to do for it, and whether or not I'd like for her to have a party in celebration. I told her, "Sure. I'd love to, that's very thoughtful." When she asked what I'd like to do, I decided that I'd like to get a steak at, arguably, the greatest place in …
This last weekend I hopped in the ol' DeLorean and took a trip to Old Chicago. So strap in and lets go for a journey. Maybe I am exaggerating a little, but the recently opened restaurant piqued my interest, so I took the opportunity to check it out. Occupying the prime real estate that used to be Smokey Bones (and most recently empty for the last few years) at 1910 N. Neil St. in Champaign, Old Chicago fashions itself …
Most Recent Food Comments
Nice article, Emily! When I get to the CU area, I’ll be sure to give this place a try.
Sorry about the lack of address and hours. All I can say is duuuh
“...who aren’t so savvy with the google…“ You know, the way I’m not so savvy with the typing. That page I linked is one of the best things I’ve seen on the internet, though.
Yeah, I did a little googling and found it. I’d forgotten that there was finally something going into the Boston’s space. But when I was reading the article I was thinking that that kind of info would have been nice for the people who savvy with the google: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/facebook_wants_to_be_your_one_true_login.php#comments
Mike — Here you are: http://champaign-taste.blogspot.com/2010/03/kaiyo-japanese-restaurant.html
I am embarrassed to say that I gorged on sushi at Kaiyó over the weekend. (Who wants to eat one more grain of vinegar-scented rice? Not I!) In any event, if you’re looking for quantity over quality, Kaiyó is the place to go. ...if you’re looking for…
Some basic info like location and hours would be awesome for articles like this.
The sushi has been great everytime I have been there. The rest of the food varied. I hope the uneveness is just growning pains because when it is all good the resturant is amazing. For the price you can always find something to eat that is tasty.…
I find this very interesting, as I went there twice and definitely had a different experience. The first time I went the sushi was OK, the second time I went the sushi was terrible, the service was terrible, and the place didn’t seem clean. I will definitely…
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Ok, just tell me when I can exhale - Just curious, since all the globalists, carbon traders, and pretty much anyone with copious amounts of wealth have weighed in on population reduction in recent years, i was wondering what yer magic number was. Some of the more…
ESPN360!!!!! For those that don’t know, you can watch the ESPNs’ games on your puter.
...and given the lack of smiley emoticons i chose to employ, that reads far more sarcastically than i ever intended (my apologies). i actually find this to be a great article and an interesting discussion, seriously : )
Once it leaves the basement, it is then called what? hmmm…....could it be mainstream? accessible? appealing on a mass-level? POP??? Quickly it will become a fad, over-saturate the media, and piss people off. Then everyone can write articles based on how that shit sucks, too. chickens are…
So John is seeing all comments as being authored by John. I am seeing all comments as authored by me. The first comment was Mysterious McDade who evidently acquired an Optimism Hat and is now seeing how it fits.
No, everyone is me! Muahahaha! I so didn’t make that first comment so I thought maybe someone was trying to get my goat, adding me to the staff. I hope jumping to that conclusion is forgivable. Yeah, uh, I guess I should say that I swear I…
I have reached Nirvana, I guess. Everyone is me.
Something weird is happening.
WTF guys? Does impersonating a user in the comments section run afoul of your commenting policy?
In general, I think music is much more interesting now than in 1995. I definitely am very glad contemporary music has expanded beyond the four-piece rock lineup that dominated much of the 90’s. The point of the above isn’t so much about a sound or an instrument…
2010 is not 1995. I’m not sure why anyone would expect a music scene to remain stationary as the world of popular music moves around it. Also, today, making popular music with mainstream appeal and being innovative and cutting-edge are usually exact opposites.
I didn’t know that the LED was created here. That’s awesome.
It’s a total shame this is only during working hours! It sounds great, but I’m one of those who can’t slip away very readily during the 9-to-5. Next time, a request: weekend events, please?
Nuts. Sorry I saw this, um, 15 minutes before CULitFest (my term!) begins. However, one deficit - no beer. SP.com 1, UIUC 0. In all seriousness, hope it goes well!
This is federal money, yes. But it is money going to a network that is going to be owned by an inter-governmental of the two cities and the University, not by the federal government. If you’re worried about the local governments spying on us, that’s fine, but…
Prediction: Selection Sunday 2011, Illinois will be vying for a real #1 seed.
bhrama- thanks for the promo. it is true, crane and badger will be playing on friday at mike and mollys w/ the chemicals and tractor kings. we will be playing first. show starts at 10pm. come on out. rock will be had.
Heard there is a new rock band (Crane & Badger-2nd show) playing @ Mike’s this Friday night. Certified rock-styley.
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I like Kaiyo A LOT, but at Sushi Kame (next to the art theatre) you can get an absolute shitload of good sushi, plus miso, and a bit of noodles in a vineagar cucumber salad for $21, and you know it was made just for you. I…