When La Bahia Grill participated in the annual Champaign County Area Restaurant Week last year, this Mexican restaurant was new to downtown Champaign for the first time.
Wait until you see what owners Mageli Azilla and Leon Carmona have in store for their second venture at Restaurant Week – coming up from January 27th to February 4th.
They’re still finalizing the menu, Azilla said, but the plan is to offer two appetizers, two entrees (one of which is a new dish) and two desserts.
This will be the seventh annual Restaurant Week, a nine-day celebration of restaurants in Champaign County serving up — Filipino, Indian, Cambodian, Thai, Laotian, Mexican, Caribbean, Italian, Zambian, vegetarian, vegan, soul food, farm-to-table according to Champaign County Tours. And standard US fare.
Each year, more restaurants participate, so watch for the agency’s growing list of participating restaurants next month, according to Terry Rifstek, Champaign County’s vice president of marketing and community engagement.
Azila La Bahia Grill at 132 W. Church St., C, said it plans to offer nachos supreme and papas locas for appetizers, a mix of seafood in a house-made sauce and an as-yet-unnamed new dish. (But maybe there’s a volcano, Spanish for volcano, azilla) for both entrees and churros and fried cheesecake (chimichanga style) for dessert.
Labahia Grill recently added breakfast to its menu. The restaurant is now open for breakfast from 1am to 3pm, lunch from 11am to 3pm and dinner until closing at 3pm.
Restaurant patrons interested in participating in Restaurant Week can view a list of participating restaurants at visitchampaigncounty.org/events/restaurant-week, then check for reservations or carry-out options.
And share pictures of your dining experience with #CCRestaurant week for a chance to win a $100 gift card to a Champaign County restaurant of your choice.
Holiday gifts from Amerin
Ameren Illinois has announced that it has awarded $120,000 to 12 nonprofit organizations in its service area through the Ameren Cares program.
Two of the $10,000 grants in the area include The Well Experience, Urbana, and Survivor Resource Center, Danville.
Special game day
Where are you watching the Illinois vs Mississippi State game on Monday morning?
The folks at Aspen Tap House in Champagne hope she goes their way.
Manager Rachel Rosenbaum said the restaurant/bar will open Monday morning at 10 a.m., an hour before the 11 a.m. game.
“We want to give Champaign-Urbana the best opportunity to see every game,” she said.
Burgers are buy one, get one free during the game.
Rosenbaum said she doesn’t know how many people are expected. Monday morning is when most people work. Then again, she said a lot of people were still on winter break.
“But we plan to gather a large crowd,” she said.
Homemade chocolate
Introducing Chikondi Craft Chocolate, a new Savoy based Miranda Church and Shawnae Cook.
The chocolate is described as “bean-to-bar” using single-source cacao beans, with “fine quality cocoa” as the star ingredient.
Chikondi sources fair trade cacao beans from tropical countries, and uses a process of hand sorting and carefully roasting each part to “bring out the original’s distinct flavor profile,” according to the business website.
“The beans are crushed to remove their outer shell and then stone-ground with organic cane sugar and cocoa butter for at least 24 hours and turned into shells and other chicondi delicacies,” he continues.
Cacao Roastery is owned by two husbands, Dan Church and Phillip Cook.
The chocolate is made in a commercial kitchen in Savoy and sold online in three-ounce chocolate bars, Dan and Miranda Church said.
The business is also offering pop-up markets and classes.
An event is coming up: A chocolate and whiskey pairing event is set for Jan. 27 at CU, 51 E. Main St., C.
It includes a brief history of the chocolate making and artisan process used at Chikondi and an overview of the various whiskeys, followed by samples of various chocolate and whiskey pairings.
Miranda Church Chicondi Dessert Chocolate, a dessert drink currently available at Maize Mexican Grill Maize, 100 N. Chestnut St, C
