Food & Wine Magazine Runs Deep Profile on Eau Claire
Food & Wine (a nationally syndicated, monthly magazine founded in 1978) published a remarkable profile of Eau Claire's restaurant scene on Oct. 29. The magazine – which is well-known for featuring taste-making recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, and more – seems to have taken a long look at the city, acknowledging its place in small town America and its "no-bull factory town" roots, while also digging deeper to realize there's more going on than outsiders may realize. They say ...
"... it all happens in flashes, in little pockets and on certain days, or even merely at certain times of the day—this is a city with a population of just 65,000, after all, much of it geographically divorced from the city center, where so many of the most interesting things have happened, lately—the uninitiated visitor might not immediately grasp just exactly what is going on, and when they do, they might be taken by surprise, wondering how a relatively quiet town like Eau Claire could vibe so modern, so cool, and not just college cool (there’s a big state school here), but so much more than that."
Many locals may cringe when a food-n-travel writer describes how Eau Claire "vibes so modern," but hey, it's nice to be appreciated.
As usual, the writeup mentions Justin Vernon and the Eaux Claires music festival, but it seems obvious the writer (David Landsel) really actually spent some time here, and he's discovered more than the buzzworthy (and sometimes backlash-inducing) namechecks we're so used to seeing by now.
Besides the rivers and trails and Eau Claire's downtown area, the article touches on The Lismore Hotel, Just Local Food Cooperative, SHIFT Cyclery & Coffee Bar, The Oxbow Hotel, The Pablo Center, and the Downtown Farmers Market.
The writer goes more in depth on specific establishments like The Lakely ("a laidback restaurant elevating Midwestern favorites"), Mona Lisa's ("the city’s most essential restaurant"), Forage (a "space where very good and delicious things are happening"), The Brewing Projekt ("the outfit you will hear the most about"), and The Informalist (an "attractive, modern restaurant").
Getting coverage in national-level media is no longer new for Eau Claire, but you can probably count the Food & Wine feature apart from the others. This is a huge magazine and it's a glowing review. Above all else, it's yet another reminder that many, many people are working to make this city a place of which to be proud.
There's a lot of ground left for us to cover, but as mentioned, it's nice to be appreciated along the way.
