North Shore Foodie Finds

The Wall of Weird Sandwiches at Little Louie's

Why order a hot dog when you can have a fowler?

There are two menus at Little Louie's at 1342 Shermer Rd. in Northbrook — one with standard burgers and hot dogs and everything else you would expect from a fast food joint. The other menu is less typical, offering items called McLovin, Ace Ventura and La Bubba Rosa.  The weird wall of sandwiches at Little Louie's has about 20 different items inspired by flavors, movies and whatever else might be on owner Peter Weiss's mind at the time.  "Everything that up there is good and it sells," Weiss said. "Some people come in and just order off the wall."  The 45-year-old business hasn't always offered quirky, movie-inspired sandwiches. Weiss came up with the idea after he bought the restaurant 15 years ago.  "I'm all about flavors," Weiss said. "…

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Glencoe Business Helps Families Grow Food

The Organic Gardener also works with schools, restaurants and nonprofits.

Glencoe's The Organic Gardener has built 500 gardens around the Chicago area and provided advice for more than 1,000 more, but it all started in Jeanne Pinsof Nolan's parents' backyard. A Winnetka native, Nolan spent 17 years working on organic farms around the country after graduating from New Trier High School. "When I was 17, I was struck with a fierce case of idealism and wanting to change the world," Nolan said. "I really went searching for a life that was focused on addressing some of the problems with the environment and society, particularly in relation to the earth and the way it was being destroyed on so many levels." Nolan's mother found her an apprenticeship program at a commune in Southern California, and when she returned …

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New Dance Studio for Babies Opening in Winnetka

Baby Take a Bow will open at 805 Elm St. on November 12.

Twirling toddlers and dancing babies will soon be a regular scene at a new dance studio in downtown Winnetka.  Baby Take a Bow, which offers a dance curriculum ranging from ballet to hip hop for students from infants to preteens, is expected to open on Monday, November 12.  The Winnetka studio will be Baby Take a Bow’s second location; the first opened in Chicago’s Roscoe Village in 2011.  “I was looking at Evanston, Wilmette, and Winnetka [for the second location], when I got to Winnetka, that’s when my search ended,” owner Kristen Ramirez said.  The 31-year-old says she fell in love with Winnetka’s neighborhood feel, “it’s like a small city within a cute, beautiful community.”  She chose the space at 805 Elm St. because it felt similar …

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