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AMAZING GRACE
PRINCETON WELCOMES THE ARRIVAL OF CAFE GRACE Story and Photos by Stephanie Jaquins
Marci Salzmann’s flair for Midwest comfort food has arrived in Princeton. AMAZING Grace In January, she opened Cafe Grace at 1009 N. Main St. Salzmann learned to cook from her husband, Eran, who has owned Cafe 129 in Sheffield since 2008.
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“I followed in my husband’s footsteps,” Salzmann says.
While the concept of Cafe Grace is the same as Cafe 129, visitors will find the menu is different.
“Certain staples like our bread pudding or our mashed potatoes that we’re known for, you still have to go to Sheffield to get those,” she says.
She aims to introduce new customer favorites in Princeton, such as her citrus-glazed salmon, chorizo- and shrimp-topped pork ribeye with garlic honey cilantro cream sauce, and breaded chicken Parmesan baked over noodles for dinner. Lunch favorites include a jumbo tenderloin; an apple, ham and Brie panini with apple butter; and the turkey Rachel, which is a turkey sandwich on marble rye with Swiss cheese, coleslaw and thousand island dressing. You’ll also find breakfast, soup, salad and Sunday brunch.
When customers visit her restaurant, Salzmann hopes they find it cozy. The dining area is split into three spaces, each with a large black chandelier. The larger middle space has a wide, brick fireplace.
“We receive lots of compliments on the structure of the building,” she says.
The building is what drew Salzmann to Princeton.
“I happened to see the place for lease. I said, ‘Let’s go check it out.’ It looked like a cool building from the outside,” she notes. “Once inside, I thought it would be awesome.”
808 LaSalle Street, Ottawa, IL 815.324.9549
CAFE GRACE 1009 N. Main St., Princeton 815-872-4000 Facebook: Cafe Grace
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Built in 1910, the one-story Arts and Crafts Mission Revival structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Initially a meeting house for Princeton’s chapter of the American Woman’s League, it was later owned by the city from 1920 to 1980. It has been privately owned since.
The cafe is named after Eran’s greatgrandmother Grace, who loved to cook.
In researching the history of the building, however, they also found a former member of the American Woman’s League, one who was very active in the organization, was also named Grace.
So the name feels like a good fit all around. C S R
polished. modern. casual.
UPTOWN GRILL
AMERICAN CUISINE WITH THE MOST EXTENSIVE MENU STARVED ROCK COUNTRY HAS TO OFFER SATISFYING APPETITES SINCE 1985
FULL MENU EVERYDAY • SERVING LUNCH THRU DINNER KITCHEN & BAR SERVING LATE CUT & AGED STEAKS IN-HOUSE • FRESH SEAFOOD & OYSTERS GOURMET BURGERS & SANDWICHES CRAFT BREWS • LARGE WINE SELECTION PRIVATE BANQUET ROOM • LIVE MUSIC KID FRIENDLY FOOD • PATIO DINING • DOGS WELCOME
815.224.4545 • 601 FIRST STREET • LASALLE
