Scared Panda » Chicago

Fourth Quarter Growing Home Donation

Clint — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:32:25 +0000

I’m both happy and sad to announce that we made our final donation to Growing Home today. This was the biggest donation that we’ve ever given to them and we want give a big thank you to everyone who bought a tee last year. It’s because of you guys that we were able to help Growing Home provide job training and access to healthy food to those in need.

Looking forward to a great 2012.

Happy Birthday, Clint

Clint — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:41:35 +0000

In honor of Clint’s birthday, we give you this.

Third Quarter Donation to Growing Home

Clint — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:30:14 +0000

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who bought a t-shirt from us this past quarter – and every other quarter for that matter. Your purchase helped Growing Home provide employment and job training to those Chicagoans in need. In case you didn’t know, when you buy a Scared Panda t-shirt you’re not only getting a sweet t-shirt, but you are helping our nonprofit partner, Growing Home, provide job training to individuals with one or more barriers to employment. We donate 10% of every sale to Growing Home who utilize these donations by providing green jobs through their organic agriculture business.

From Katie, me and all the people at Growing Home, we’d like to say thanks. If you are interested in volunteering yourselves they have a number of openings you can apply to. Or if you’d rather donate to the cause, check out their donation page on their website for more information.

Chicago The Great: Logan Square/Wicker Park/Bucktown

Clint — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 01:27:01 +0000

These are the hip “cool” kids neighborhoods that I never got to live in. You could compare em to Williamsburg or The Mission but with the friendliness of the Midwest. There are some great bars and restaurants all over here and you can get there from downtown from the Blue line or a quick cab ride. The intersection of Damen & Milwaukee is what is shown in background of the Chaotic Peace t-shirt.

Longmen & Eagle - Probably my #2 favorite restaurant in Chicago.

The Whistler - Best cocktails in the city. There’s no sign or anything, just look for people outside a non nondescript building. If there is a wait dont worry, it goes quick.

Lula Cafe - Brunch and just about any other meal is perfect. Local organic thing.

Map Room - Great beers and can get crowded. Look for the Tamale Guy.

Bongo Room - Hooray brunch!

Chipp Inn - Neighborhood bar.

Quencher’s - Another really good beer bar. Get the tater tot pizza. A quick walk from the Whistler if you’re looking to bar hop it.

Big Star - Don’t eat here. It’s over priced and not very good. They do have a great selection of Bourbon though.

Quencher’s – Another really good beer bar. Get the tater tot pizza. A quick walk from the Whistler and Chipp Inn if you’re looking to bar hop it.

The Southern – have only had drinks, brunch is supposed to be amazing.

Takashi – delicious. Go for dinner.

Hot Chocolate – Hot chocolate and mac and cheese.

What did we miss? Let us know in the comments.

Photo from David Hilowitz on Flickr

Chicago The Great: Lakeview

Clint — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:54:14 +0000

Although we don’t live in Chicago anymore, it’s still a place that is fresh in our minds and close to our hearts. A lot of friends have been taking trips there lately so we compiled a list of our favorite places, by neighborhood, to grab a bite (or drink) for them to check out. And now, we want to share it with you. To kick things off lets start with the ‘hood that we called home, Lakeview. Enjoy!

Finley Dunne’s – Awesome neighborhood bar. Fantastic place to hang out and the staff is top notch.
DMK Burger Bar - Organic grass fed burgers, incredible fries and good craft beers. Get the bison burger with blueberry compote and an order of truffle parmesan fries. Every burger is amazing and they have awesome seasonal specials.
Murphy’s Red Hots – Chicago style hot dogs.
Cafe El Tapatio – Great Mexican food. Sit on the patio
Southport Grocery – Brunch. Amazing.
Kanela Breakfast Club – Great brunch. Nice patio.
Jake’s Pub – My favorite neighborhood bar in Chicago. Awesome beer list.
Duke of Perth – Scottish. Whiskey. Good Beer. All you can eat fish and chips on Fridays and Wednesdays. No TVs
Tony’s Tex Mex – Little taco joint that serves some of the best late night tacos around. Kate loves the vegetarian fajita burrito.
Pick-me-up Café: Amazing sandwiches, pancakes, everything. BEST hot chocolate. Open 24 hours on the weekends
Twist – Great tapas. Not exactly Spanish style, but delicious.
Uncommon Ground: Great cocktails with local and healthy food. Good for brunch or dinner.
Sheffields – Good beer and BBQ. Avoid it on the weekends.
Paulina’s Market – Local butcher, weird hours. Great meat.
The Globe Pub – The best place to watch soccer in Chicago.

This doesn’t come close to covering everything that we loved so much in Lakeview, but if it’s a pretty solid start.

Vacation: Chicago & Minnesota

Clint — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:29:44 +0000

This weekend we’re taking a Midwest adventure. First stop: Chicago. We’ll be in Chicago all weekend hanging out with friends and eating a whole bunch of delicious food. I’m looking at you Claudio. I can’t believe it’s been close to five months since we’ve been back there. Man, that is too long if you ask me. We both really miss it there, especially the people. After Chicago we’re jumping a jet plane up to Minnesota to spend a much needed week of relaxing with our families.

During our time in ‘sota we’re gonna take in a Twins game, catch a Trampled By Turtles show and meetup with some local artists. This trip is a big one for us as we are going to be exploring the city and doing a lot of thinking about where we want to take Scared Panda in the next couple years. I really want to tell you more but I can’t, I’ll tell you more later.

So, check back in when we have pictures and great stories from the trip.

Happy Fourth Of July!

Clint — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:19:04 +0000

Happy fourth of July everybody. We’ll eat a Nathan’s Famous for ya!

Pic courtesy of our buddy TheeErin

Panda In The City: Tax Day!

Clint — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:59:34 +0000

The other day was tax day here in the states, here’s to hoping you all got your taxes in on time. And for anyone who had to pay up, don’t worry you’re not alone. Pandas gotta pay the tax man too.

Giving Back: The First Donation To Growing Home

Clint — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 03:40:11 +0000

April 1st was the beginning of the second quarter and the day we made our first donation to Growing Home. Awesome, right? So, a huge thank you goes out to all of you who bought tees this quarter. In case you didn’t know, 10% of your purchase is now on the way to helping the good people at Growing Home accomplish their goals.

If you are interested in learning more about Growing Home, sign up for their e-newsletter. An added bonus: everyone who signs up for Growing Home’s e-news mailing list between now and April 15th is entered into a drawing to receive a FREE summer CSA share.

Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is a farming model that directly links consumers and producers. Our members support the farm by making an up-front payment at the beginning of the growing season that contributes to the farm’s operating budget. In return, members receive a weekly share of the farm’s produce, and are invited to participate in farm events including our monthly potlucks, our harvest celebration, and are welcome to come visit the farm to u-pick berries or volunteer.

Growing Home’s summer CSA shares are 18 weeks long, and can reasonably feed a family of 3-4 who eat a medium amount of vegetables.

You can find out more about the Giveaway here, or sign up for a spring, fall, or even summer CSA share here.

Panda In The City: I Got My Eye On You

Clint — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 03:21:37 +0000

This pictures makes me laugh whenever I see it. Mr. Panda looks so confused. And how could he not, with those big panda hands and giant panda head. He doesn’t have a clue how to make it through that turnstile.