Korean Bar-B-Que & Sushi 3075 N. Reserve • 327-0731 We invite you to visit our contemporary Korean-Japanese restaurant and enjoy it’s warm atmosphere. Full Sushi Bar. Korean bar-b-que at your table. Beer and Wine. $$-$$$ Liquid Planet 223 N. Higgins Ave. • 541-4541 From Latté to Lassî, Water to Wine, Tea Cup to Tea Pot, Liquid Planet has the best beverage offering this side of Neptune -- with a special focus on allnatural, organic, and sustainability. Their distinctive and healthy smoothie menu is worth the visit too! Quick and delicious breakfast and lunch is always ready to go; pastries, croissants, bagels, breakfast burritos, wraps, salads, and soups. Open 8 am to 10 pm daily. $-$$ Orange Street Food Farm 701 S. Orange St. 543-3188 Don't feel like cooking? Pick up some fried chicken, made to order sandwiches, fresh deli salads, & sliced meats and cheeses. Or mix and match items from our hot case. Need some dessert with that? Our bakery makes cookies, cakes, and brownies that are ready when you are. $-$$ Paul’s Pancake Parlor 2305 Brooks 728-9071 (Tremper’s Shopping Center) Check out our home cooked lunch and dinner specials or try one of 17 varieties of pancakes. Our famous breakfast is served all day! Monday is all you can eat spaghetti for $6.95. Wednesday is turkey night with all of the trimmings for $6.95. Eat in or take-out. M-F 6am-7pm, Sat/Sun 7am-4pm. $–$$. Pearl Café & Bakery 231 E. Front St. • 541-0231 Country French Specialties, Bison, Elk, Fresh Fish Daily, delicious salads and appetizers. Breads and desserts baked in house. Reservations recommended for the warm & inviting dining areas, or drop in for a quick bite in the wine bar. Now, you may go to our website Pearlcafe.US to make reservations or buy gift certificates, while there check out our gorgeous wedding and specialty cakes. Open Mon-Sat at 5:00. $$-$$$ Red Robin 2901 Brooks Street • 830-3170 www.redrobin.com Half the price, twice the fun! Halfy Hour at the Southgate Mall Red Robin®! Half price bar drinks Monday – Friday, 4-6 p.m. and Monday – Saturday, 9-10 p.m. Enjoy a drink with one of our insanely delicious Gourmet Burgers, Bottomless Steak Fries. Or, snack on one of our shareable starters with friends! $-$$ SA WAD DEE 221 W. Broadway 543-9966 Sa-Wa-Dee offers traditional Thai cuisine in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Choose from a selection of five Thai curries, Pad Thai, delicious Thai soups, and an assortment of tan-
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talizing entrees. Featuring fresh ingredients and authentic Thai flavors-no MSG! See for yourself why Thai food is a deliciously different change from other Asian cuisines. Now serving Beer and Wine! $-$$ Scotty’s Table 131 S. Higgins Ave. 549-2790 Share a meal on our park side patio or within the warm elegance of our location at the historic Wilma Building. Enjoy our seasonal menu of classic Mediterranean and European fare with a contemporary American twist, featuring the freshest local ingredients. Serving lunch Tues-Sat 11:00-2:30, and dinner Tues.-Sat. 5:00-Close. Beer and Wine available. $$-$$$ Sean Kelly’s 130 West Pine 542–1471 Located in the heart of downtown. Open for Lunch and Dinner, featuring a Sat.-Sun. Brunch 11-2pm. Great Fresh food With Huge Portions. Featuring locally produced specials as well as international cuisine and traditional Irish fare. FULL BAR, BEER, WINE, MARTINIS, 100% SMOKE FREE. "Where the Gaelic and the Garlic Mix!" $-$$ The Stone of Accord 4951 N. Reserve St. 830-3210 Serving Award Winning Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinners 7 days a week! All of your favorite Irish classics, plus a daily selection of Chef's specialties. A fully stocked bar, wine and liquor store and the Emerald Casino make The Stone of Accord the perfect place for an enjoyable meal. 6:30am-2:00am $-$$ NOT JUST SUSHI Sushi Hana Downtown offering a new idea for your dining experience. Meat, poultry, vegetables and grain are a large part of Japanese cuisine. We also love our fried comfort food too. Open 7 days a week for Lunch and Dinner. Corner of Pine & Higgins. 549-7979. $$–$$$ Uptown Diner 120 N. Higgins 542-2449 Step into the past at this 50's style downtown diner. Breakfast is served all day. Daily Lunch Specials. All Soups, including our famous Tomato Soup, are made from scratch. Voted best milkshakes in Missoula for 14 straight years. Great Food, Great Service, Great Fun!! Monday Sunday 8a.m. - 3p.m. $-$$ Westside Lanes 1615 Wyoming 721-5263 Visit us for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner served 8 AM to 9 PM. Try our homemade soups, pizzas, and specials. We serve 100% Angus beef and use fryer oil with zero trans fats, so visit us any time for great food and good fun. $-$$
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ASKARI Natural curiosity
Q
What’s the difference between “organic” and “natural” as food labels? —Confused Consumer
Both words have very different meanings, depending on the context. In chemistry terms, many of the pesticides and herbicides prohibited under organic certification are, technically speaking, organic molecules—which merely means they are carbonbased. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic is an evolving definition originally based on the kinds of foods grown on small, diverse farms that don’t use chemicals. Big ag wanted in on the lucrative organic market, so the USDA certification system was created to codify the label. While certified organic farms can now be vast monocultures worked by underpaid immigrants, they still must adhere to basic sustainable agriculture principles like having a soil building program, not using agrichemicals, not confining livestock and, more recently, allowing livestock access to pasture.
A
The “natural” label, on the other hand, mandates little in the way of how the food is raised, and only regulates how it’s processed. Thus, an animal raised in confinement, that was routinely dosed with antibiotics for non-therapeutic reasons, and regularly ate another animal’s fecal material in its food, could still be labeled “natural” as long as the flesh isn’t processed with chemicals after the animal is slaughtered. That’s not exactly what most people have in mind when they think of “natural” food. Ironically, a recent survey found many consumers choose “natural” over “organic,” either because they think it’s more “natural,” or because they think it’s less expensive, neither of which tend to be true. Of course, the dictionary definition of natural: “present in or produced by nature,” is a bit squirrelly. What isn’t ultimately produced by nature? Everything, thus, could be considered natural, including corn that was genetically engineered to produce organic chemicals. Send your food and garden queries to flash@flashinthepan.net
Missoula Independent
Page 21 April 1–April 8, 2010