North Side to add seafood and meat hybrid to neighborhood

Andy Mitchell, [email protected]

March 5, 2018

Diners sit at the bar inside Motley Cow Cafe on Monday, May 1, 2017. Chef and Owner, David Wieseneck, is closing Motley Cow after operating the restaurant for 15 years. (The Daily Iowan/Ben Smith)

This spring, Iowa City will see a longtime niche filled with a new restaurant called Meat and Seafood Company, which will be located on Linn Street.

The new restaurant and market will be an addition to Iowa City’s North Side neighborhood, taking the place of the Motley Cow Café, which closed in June after 18 years.

Nancy Bird, the executive director of the Iowa City Downtown District, said there is a lot of anticipation about the upcoming establishment.

“Whenever we have a fresh new concept that comes in, it invigorates the community and people want to try it,” Bird said. “I think it will be a fresh boost for the North Side neighborhood.”

According to parent company MAiNGREDIENT’s press release, the restaurant is set to open later this year.

With the logo image of a cow with a fish in its mouth, Meat and Seafood holds itself as a hybrid in more ways than one.

The press release said that Meat and Seafood would aim to emphasize a social vibe with the establishment’s layout and atmosphere. The release also said the restaurant will be for both private dining and open market shopping.

MAiNGREDIENT calls itself a growth-based media and imagination company and has operations in the food, beverage, and entertainment industry.

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The North Liberty-based company also owns another Iowa City attraction, Eden Lounge. Bird spoke highly of MAiNGREDIENT, saying it has a good business model and provides quality service. MAiNGREDIENT also owns North Liberty’s Beer Burger.

The press release emphasized freshness. The seafood would be provided by shipping company Boston Fish Market. The release said that because of its location, not that far from O’Hare, “All fish served takes fewer than 24 hours to get to the kitchen.”

The release also said that the seafood shipments would come from all coastal areas, including Alaska, Canada, South America, Europe, the Pacific islands, and the Mediterranean.

MAiNGREDIENT has also partnered with Stock Yards Meat Packing Co. to handle the meat.

“I am impressed with what our team has put together and excited in the buildup that has taken place in the North Side Marketplace,” said John B. Burchert, the founder and CEO of MAiNGREDIENT, in the press release.

“We are truly excited to bring to life a new MAiNGREDIENT concept and creation of another 50 jobs.”

Seth Dudley, the general manager for North Side eatery Hamburg Inn, said that he sees the potential for it to succeed.

“I think there’s certainly a market for it,” Dudley said. “There hasn’t been anything like it in the area for some time.”

While parking space in the area is limited, Dudley said, he could see Meat and Seafood being successful with the amount of foot traffic that comes through the area.