North Shore Foodie Finds

Passover or St. Patrick's, Leonard's Bakery Has The Sweets

The 25-year-old bakery on Dundee Road offers an assortment of desserts for practically any holiday.

I walked into Leonard's Bakery at 2776 Dundee Rd. in Northbrook and immediately witnessed a man telling the owner his "chocolate donuts are the best." He was an older man, probably one who's had a lot of donuts in his time.  Perhaps the man was just being polite, but it didn't seem that way. Leonard's owner, Marc Becker, said that particular customer is from New York and knows a thing or two about donuts.  Becker opened the bakery on Aug. 13, 1987, named it after his father and runs it like a family business. Marc's sister, Bonnie, works by his side. His wife, Judy, first inspired him to open the shop, and his loyal team of clerks and bakers stick around for years at time. Leonard's is gearing up for Passover and St. Patrick's Day, …

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5 Fun Ideas to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

Amaze your kids with these fun St. Patrick's Day recipes and activities

St. Patrick’s Day seems to get bigger every year and is definitely growing in popularity as a holiday for kids. I’m not Irish, but any excuse for having fun with my family seems like a reason to celebrate. You certainly don’t have to be Irish to have fun with the color green, shamrock shapes, hunts for gold, or tricky Leprechauns. Just like the Christmas Holiday Elf on the Shelf tradition, you can be really creative with the idea that leprechauns play tricks on kids. After all, they are tiny, green, greedy, and grumpy. Back when my daughter was in day care, her very clever teacher decided to have the kids decorate the room for St. Patrick’s Day. When they came back the next morning, the “Leprechaun” had played a trick on them and shrunken …

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Gerhard’s Provides St. Patrick’s Day Treats

Local bakery can take care of Irish soda bread, sweet treats and more.

Anyone looking to sweeten up a St. Patrick’s Day celebration needs look no further than Gerhard’s in Lake Forest. Irish soda bread is available every day through St. Patrick’s Day starting today. The bakery advertises it as a “moist and fluffy buttermilk bread with raisins and a sprinkling of rock sugar.” Anyone worried about Gerhard’s running out can place an order for soda bread or other treats. Looking for something sweeter? You can buy or order Bailey’s Irish Cream mouse, a chocolate and lime cake or shamrock cookies. For more details see the picture of the sign in the door with this story. For complete Lake Forest News, sign up for our free newsletter,"like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

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VIDEO: How to Make St. Patrick's Day Martinis

Mike Pruitt and Brendan Egan from The Vine in Grayslake shares three green martini recipes and explains why martinis are so expensive.

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Learn How To Make St. Patrick's Day Martinis Tonight At The Vine

Learn how to make a great St. Patrick's Day martini during Patch's “Ask the Expert" session at Grayslake Martini and Wine Bar.

Come out to The Vine Martini and Wine Bar in Grayslake for the first "Ask the Expert" series. Enjoy this interactive demonstration where you can learn how to make St. Patrick's Day martinis and win prizes. All for free! The event is open to the public so bring a group of friends. People who attend can win special Patch prizes, a $50 gift certificate to The Vine, and more. Join Patch for our new “Ask the Expert” series tonight. When: 6-7 p.m. Monday, March 12 Where: The Vine Martini and Wine Bar, 101 Center Street, in downtown Grayslake Cost: Free  Why Go: Brendan Egan, bartender, and Mike Pruitt, co-owner, will show you how to create an Emerald Isle martini and a Dublin Apple martini. Of course, there will be samples! The event is FREE, …

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Ask The Expert: How To Make St. Patrick’s Day Martinis

Come out for the Patch regional “Ask the Expert” event to learn how to make the perfect martini, just in time for your St. Pat’s party.

Are you looking forward to celebrating St. Patrick's Day, but tired of the same old drinks? Wouldn't it be great to have an expert bartender teach you how to shake up your drink selections just in time for your own St. Pat's party?  Join Patch for our new “Ask the Expert” series. When: 6-7p.m. Monday, March 12 Where: The Vine Martini and Wine Bar, 101 Center Street, in downtown Grayslake Cost: Free  Why Go: Brendan Egan, bartender, and Mike Pruitt, co-owner, will be making the drinks and demonstrating how to make a couple of great martinis. They will show you how to create an Emerald Isle martini and a Dublin Apple martini. Of course, there will be samples of the martinis. The event is FREE, interactive, and open to anyone from Grayslake …

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Best Of Patch: Places To Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is just a few weeks away and we want to know where is the perfect place to celebrate the holiday when we're all Irish for a day.

We are approaching St. Patrick's Day, a favorite holiday for the Irish and the Irish-for-a-day folks. In our Best Of Patch competition, tell us where you think is the best place to celebrate this special holiday. Here are a few of our favorite places in Grayslake, Libertyville and Lake Forest to get you started. If we're leaving one from these communities off of the list, let us know in the comments and we'll add it: Voting in the poll below is open until 9 a.m. Friday. Ties will be broken by whichever business has the most positive comments in the section below. We will announce the winner at noon Friday. So tell us where is the best spot to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. And don't forget to tell us why you love that spot in the comments …

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Marcia Sagendorph

9:39 pm on Monday, February 27, 2012

Alright - Bridie McKenna's sounds about as Irish as you can get! And run by an Irish couple? Perfect. Thanks for letting us know. Now spread the word and get out the vote!   more ›

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Share Your Photos: Happy St. Patrick's Day

District 67 is going green in welcoming its students Thursday.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! How about sharing some of your 'green' photos with Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch. Go ahead and post them to this document. To do so, you need to register on the site. Simply click on Sign Up at the top of the website on the right side, enter your e-mail address and a password, and a confirmation e-mail will be sent to your e-mail address. Now you can upload your photos, and share the green.

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