A new job in a new part of town inevitably means having to find new places for lunch. Sure, your typical Corner Bakeries and Potbellys and whatnot abound, but there is no cafeteria in my new building to fix a simple salad and no Hannah's Bretzel or Chicago's Downtown Farmstand (RIP) for my Au Naturale fix.
It was more of an accident than anything else the first time I wandered into Pret a Manger. I had never been inside one before-- it's entirely possible I've never seen one before-- but it's funny how once you discover a place you can't un-discover it. I feel like now I see them everywhere. And that's a good thing! Pret is totally one of those au naturale fast food places that Michael Pollan was referencing when he answered my travel question. They sell sandwiches, salads, soups, and snacky things but everything is made fresh in-house daily, with organic when they can get it, and sourced locally as much as possible. The best part? They don't carry anything over day by day. If they have leftover food at closing, they donate it to local food shelters. As I've said in previous posts: good for my body and my conscience. You can even see how they react in real-time with employees constantly coming out of the back kitchen bearing freshly-made items to restock any items that are running low. It's nice to know that my Farmer's Market salad (my current lunch obsession de jour) hasn't been sitting and wilting since 9am. Only once have I entered to find them out of my choice, and when one friendly employee saw me hovering, he asked what I was waiting for then scurried into the back and had someone prepare the salad for me immediately. Great customer service! The prices are pretty reasonable, too.
Anyway, that's my new discovery and shout out for the day. I'm glad Pret exists, and I'm even more glad I found it in my new work 'hood. I certainly haven't explored all that is out there in regards to other potential au naturale options; I can sometimes become a creature of habit and I expect my current obsession with the Farmers Market salad to last a while until I decide I JUST CAN'T have it one day more. Perhaps as the weather gets better I will be more apt to venture out of the 3 or 4 block radius I've carved for myself. But until then, I've found my fix.
Showing posts with label Chicago's Downtown Farmstand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago's Downtown Farmstand. Show all posts
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Monday, April 25, 2011
Green Grocer Chicago
My last trip to the winter Farmer's Market was about a month ago, right after the Family Farmed Expo. I noticed that the market was much busier than usual, and I wondered if fellow Expo attendees had learned of it's existence there and decided to start patronizing it. I made a mental note to myself to arrive earlier the next week so I would be able to get some eggs before they ran out.
Little did I know that the busy-ness was probably because that day's market was actually the last of the season. D'oh! No wonder it was so busy. I fretted and lamented: the summer farmer's market wasn't to open for another few months. Where could I get the truly local and Au Naturale foodstuffs that only a farmer's market could provide? I preferred to get my eggs, milk and meat there because I could talk to the farmers directly about how they raised their animals, as well as know that I was supporting local farmers directly. And those wheat berry tortillas... I only had one left! Sigh.
Around the same time I had a chance to chat with a former co-worker who now lives downstate in Champaign. She is doing a masters thesis that is focused on sustainable farming/organics/reducing meat consumption (and I know that I'm not getting her thesis exactly right, but you get the idea). I mentioned during our convesation how nice it must be for her to be downstate, amongst all the farmers, and able to practice what she preaches so much easier than it is for me up in the big city. To my surprise, she assumed that it must be easier for me- they don't have much in the way of winter markets down there, really nothing in the way of Whole Foods, and there are some co-ops but she really thought I had more options by being in a metropolis.
How interesting it is to look at something from the outside, right? The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that I can indeed shop and eat Au Naturally despite being hundreds of miles away from the farms. After all, just down the street from my office is Chicago's Downtown Farmstand, which I first mentioned in a very early post. All of their items come from within 250 miles of Chicago. This weekend, I took a quick loop around Green Grocer Chicago, a small organic farmstand very close to my house that I just keep forgetting about. They carry organic, local, and sustainable foodstuffs in a small storefront that's only a short drive further than my local grocery store. Could you cross off your entire shopping list there? Not often. But I could find a variety of chicken, duck, and sausages from farms I recognize, such as Mint Creek Farm, and I walked out with a fresh carton of eggs. Further north in the Logan Square neighborhood you can find Dill Pickle Food Co-op. And don't forget about the Friday Amish storefront with the magic donut holes and other goods.
So I challenge you, oh loyal 3 or 4 readers, to reach out and find your own neighborhood propriators of local and organic products. And share them here! There is no reason that we have to wait for summer markets and CSAs to eat locally and Au Naturale. After all, I've proven to myself that you don't have to look very hard to find a wealth of options under your nose.
Little did I know that the busy-ness was probably because that day's market was actually the last of the season. D'oh! No wonder it was so busy. I fretted and lamented: the summer farmer's market wasn't to open for another few months. Where could I get the truly local and Au Naturale foodstuffs that only a farmer's market could provide? I preferred to get my eggs, milk and meat there because I could talk to the farmers directly about how they raised their animals, as well as know that I was supporting local farmers directly. And those wheat berry tortillas... I only had one left! Sigh.
Around the same time I had a chance to chat with a former co-worker who now lives downstate in Champaign. She is doing a masters thesis that is focused on sustainable farming/organics/reducing meat consumption (and I know that I'm not getting her thesis exactly right, but you get the idea). I mentioned during our convesation how nice it must be for her to be downstate, amongst all the farmers, and able to practice what she preaches so much easier than it is for me up in the big city. To my surprise, she assumed that it must be easier for me- they don't have much in the way of winter markets down there, really nothing in the way of Whole Foods, and there are some co-ops but she really thought I had more options by being in a metropolis.
How interesting it is to look at something from the outside, right? The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that I can indeed shop and eat Au Naturally despite being hundreds of miles away from the farms. After all, just down the street from my office is Chicago's Downtown Farmstand, which I first mentioned in a very early post. All of their items come from within 250 miles of Chicago. This weekend, I took a quick loop around Green Grocer Chicago, a small organic farmstand very close to my house that I just keep forgetting about. They carry organic, local, and sustainable foodstuffs in a small storefront that's only a short drive further than my local grocery store. Could you cross off your entire shopping list there? Not often. But I could find a variety of chicken, duck, and sausages from farms I recognize, such as Mint Creek Farm, and I walked out with a fresh carton of eggs. Further north in the Logan Square neighborhood you can find Dill Pickle Food Co-op. And don't forget about the Friday Amish storefront with the magic donut holes and other goods.
So I challenge you, oh loyal 3 or 4 readers, to reach out and find your own neighborhood propriators of local and organic products. And share them here! There is no reason that we have to wait for summer markets and CSAs to eat locally and Au Naturale. After all, I've proven to myself that you don't have to look very hard to find a wealth of options under your nose.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Benefits of a 3-day Weekend.. and Check Out This Place!
Hi! I must apologize to you, my loyal readers, for disappearing off the blog-map this week. I had big plans to experiment in the kitchen, track my trails, enlighten you to some fabulous Au Naturale recipes... but then my well-intentioned plans got pushed aside for other plans. Mainly, the being-social-with-other -human-beings plans. Oh, well.
I won't bore you with another soul-searching lament about the fact that I ate out this week. A lot. I'm going to just go ahead and assume (or hope) that the higher-end restaurants I ate at make most of their sauces and rubs and marinades in-house. Shall we leave it at that? Okay, sounds good.
However, I will take a moment to brag that I was able to avoid the jelly bellies on the Evil Bar of Doom for the rest of the week, except for Friday evening at about 6:30. I was at work very late for a good cause and had run out of both energy and the raw macaroons. Anyone else seeing a pattern here? I need more snacks at work. I recognize this, however I have yet to do something about it. This is my learning disability.
I also want to give a shout-out to another great place to visit while eating Au Naturale downtown. On Thursday I had every intention of hitting up Hannah's Bretzel for another delicious sandwich, but on my way to a bookstore I passed Chicago's Downtown Farmstand, a wonderful little storefront I discovered this summer on Randolph. I haven't hit it up much this winter well, because, walking down Michigan Ave. in the dead of winter tends to be very windy and cold. But I'm glad I did.
Chicago's Downtown Farmstand specializes in products which are all within 250 miles of Chicago. Many of the farms that visit my summer farmer's market sell there, which makes me very happy. Beyond local and sustainable produce, though, they also offer packaged products from businesses that also reside within the 250 mile radius-- and all, to the extent I can tell, are completely all-natural. Very affordable, too: The pepper, mushroom and cheese pie I picked up there, made by Middle East Bakery and Grocery in Chicago was less than $3. I grabbed a second to keep as a snack in the office fridge. Maybe I am learning, after all.
Now to throw on some clothes and head to Whole Foods to pick up ingredients for experimenting. Yes, the same experimenting I was planning on doing this week. I have a 3-day weekend so this should be fun. Again, stay tuned!
I won't bore you with another soul-searching lament about the fact that I ate out this week. A lot. I'm going to just go ahead and assume (or hope) that the higher-end restaurants I ate at make most of their sauces and rubs and marinades in-house. Shall we leave it at that? Okay, sounds good.
However, I will take a moment to brag that I was able to avoid the jelly bellies on the Evil Bar of Doom for the rest of the week, except for Friday evening at about 6:30. I was at work very late for a good cause and had run out of both energy and the raw macaroons. Anyone else seeing a pattern here? I need more snacks at work. I recognize this, however I have yet to do something about it. This is my learning disability.
I also want to give a shout-out to another great place to visit while eating Au Naturale downtown. On Thursday I had every intention of hitting up Hannah's Bretzel for another delicious sandwich, but on my way to a bookstore I passed Chicago's Downtown Farmstand, a wonderful little storefront I discovered this summer on Randolph. I haven't hit it up much this winter well, because, walking down Michigan Ave. in the dead of winter tends to be very windy and cold. But I'm glad I did.
Chicago's Downtown Farmstand specializes in products which are all within 250 miles of Chicago. Many of the farms that visit my summer farmer's market sell there, which makes me very happy. Beyond local and sustainable produce, though, they also offer packaged products from businesses that also reside within the 250 mile radius-- and all, to the extent I can tell, are completely all-natural. Very affordable, too: The pepper, mushroom and cheese pie I picked up there, made by Middle East Bakery and Grocery in Chicago was less than $3. I grabbed a second to keep as a snack in the office fridge. Maybe I am learning, after all.
Now to throw on some clothes and head to Whole Foods to pick up ingredients for experimenting. Yes, the same experimenting I was planning on doing this week. I have a 3-day weekend so this should be fun. Again, stay tuned!
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