Taste of Arlington Heights | Taste of Arlington Events

Mariano's Fresh Market opened Tuesday at 333 East Benton Place, just north of Millenium Park in downtown Chicago. The store is the fourth Mariano's Fresh Market opened by Roundy's, a well-known major grocer from Wisconsin. Following the opening of  the first store at 802 East Northwest Highway in Arlington Heights in summer 2010, Mariano's Fresh Market stores have popped up in Vernon Hills, and at Western and Roscoe in Chicago. Roundy's CEO Bob Mariano has said that up to eighteen stores are planned for Illinois, with one under construction next to the new Palatine Police Department Headquarters on the former Kmart location, just north of Northwest Highway and Hicks Road.

Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. has recalled about 131,300 pounds of ground beef that was distributed in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin and other states; and is possibly contaminated with E. coli -- an organism with certain strains that can cause food poisoning. The ground beef products being recalled include Kroger-brand ground beef; Butcher's Brand beef and generic label beef, which were all packaged August 23, 2011. The generic beef was distributed in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. The Kroger beef was distributed in Tennessee and Indiana. The Butcher's beef was distributed in North and South Carolina. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the problem Wednesday when Ohio health authorities reported a family in Butler County became ill with E. coli. Ground beef in the family's home tested positive for the bacteria. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium t

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – (September 22, 2011) – Caribou Coffee, the nation’s second-largest coffeehouse operator, today announced the opening of a new store located at 115 West Rand Road in Arlington Heights, Illinois. “We’re thrilled to open up a new store in the Arlington Heights area,” said Dean Torrenga, director of operations for Caribou Coffee. “We chose Arlington Heights as one of the new locations because the community’s characteristics fit well with our brand and offerings. The redevelopment efforts of the nearby downtown and shopping area provide vibrancy and interest, making Arlington Heights a perfect destination for a Caribou Coffee.” “Here at Caribou we are committed to providing guests with an extraordinary experience every time they visit our store,” said Torrenga. “We pride ourselves on being the community place guests love.”

Roundy's Supermarkets (parent company of Mariano's Fresh Market) recalled 360 pounds of breaded chicken breasts sold as "Chef's Collection Chicken Milanese" at select deli counters. While these products have been pulled from the stores, customers are alerted to beware of any product that might have been purchased them before the "Chef's Collection Chicken Milanese" were pulled on Wednesday. Roundy's and Mariano's Fresh Market is advising that customers discard the product and alert the store that the product has been discarded.  The recall was initiated because the select batch of fully-cooked chicken was believed to have not gone through its final cooking stage. This recall affected a limited number of stores. There have been no reports of illness due to consumption of the products.

Autumn is a wonderful time of year. Leaves are falling and it’s harvest time. Children can investigate and enjoy autumn themes in workshops geared just for their age.  All programs are held at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum, 110 W. Fremont, Arlington Heights. How the Make an Apple Pie and See the World will be held on Saturday, October 1, from 1:00-2:30 p.m. Children will read the story written by Marjorie Priceman, investigate ingredients in their original state before they are processed, and make a pie from scratch. A tour of the kitchens in the Museum’s two historic homes is included to see old fashioned kitchen tools.  For ages 4-6 years, $16 park district residents, $20 nonresidents.

Darden Restaurants Inc. is pledging to cut calories and sodium in their meals at Olive Garden, Red Lobster and sister chains by 10 percent by 2016, and 20 percent over a decade. Among promised changes for children: the end of french fries on the menu. A fruit or vegetable side will become standard with kids' meals. One percent milk also will be served, with free refills, unless an alternative beverage is ordered. The kids' menu changes have begun and are to be in place by July 2012 at Darden's 1,900 restaurants in 49 states. Darden also owns LongHorn Steakhouse (Florida only), The Capital Grille (nearest: Rosemont, Lombard, Chicago), Bahama Breeze (Schaumburg), and Seasons 52 (nearest: Schaumburg). The Capital Grille and Seasons 52 do not have children's menus.

Mariano's Fresh Market has announced on their Facebook page that their stores are NOT involved in the current recall of cantaloupes from Colorado because they do not get the cantaloupes from Colorado. See more on Listeria outbreak from ... The Cardinal  Rocky Ford Cantaloupes Suspected in Listeria Outbreak That Has Killed 4 People; Critics Say Bacteria Could Have Come from Anywhere

Chicago restaurant owner Jeff Himmel, 62, of Bravo Restaurants Inc. and owner of the Gino's East, Ed Debevic's and Edwardo's restaurant chains is among the subjects interested in making a bid for Giordano's, the Chicago-based deep-dish pizza chain that filed for bankruptcy February 2011.  The Giordano's chain is expected to be sold for about $40 million. Giordano's main creditor, Fifth Third Bank, is owed $45.5 million.

Jimmy's Place, a favorite of Arlington Heights since about 1958, has been closed per a notice from the Illinois Department of Revenue posted on the door. Jimmy's Place was known for its hot dogs where students from the former Arlington High School used to come in crowds to eat lunch. Owners Jimmy and Mary Lou Stevens would cook hundreds of hot dogs in preparation for the lunch rush. The closing of Arlington High School hurt sales, but the restaurant managed to survive for 27 years following the closing of Arlington High School. After their divorce, Jimmy sold the business to Mary Lou. Jimmy recently returned to help Mary Lou run the business. Many people in town will miss their hot dogs, hamburgers, Italian Beef and bratwursts and fries.

Google announced on its company blog Thursday that it has acquired Zagat, the popular restaurant reviews service. Users will immediately start seeing Zagat’s content integrated in Google searches and Google Maps. A new version to Google Maps version 5.10.0 now lets users add specific photos to Places and automatically shows places they’ve rated 4 or 5 stars on the map, which gives them a better look at places they’ve enjoyed in the past. Users can place photos of food or decor from a restaurant and attach it to the dining location. As of 5:30 p.m. Friday, September 9, 2011, the three restaurants with the top percentages of "Like it" ratings on ZAGAT were La Tasca (92%), Wildfish (77%) and Salsa 17 (76%). See also ... The Official Google Blog Google just got ZAGAT Rated!