Bite and Chew

In a perfect world, lunch would be thus . . .

2011-07-12T19:42:00.000-05:00

Perfectly ripe slices of melon gently embracing succulent parma ham doused in port. Pair that with a crudo raw tuna and seaweed salad studded with chopped mangoes and one perfectly fried squash blossom. Oh - and it must be served on a heart-wrenchingly picturesque island off the coast of Cannes in the south of France. Too much?

Well, if you must eat scrambled eggs?

2011-07-10T21:06:00.005-05:00

Scrambled eggs with shaved truffles and a grilled baguette at Barbette - my go-to for weekend brunch in the 'hood. Just what I need to wash down the fresh baked croissant with strawberry preserves.

Chatterbox Pub Bloody Mary

2011-07-08T20:59:00.000-05:00

In February of last year, we decided to stumble into Chatterbox Pub over in the Corcoran neighborhood of Minneapolis for a cold dreary late Saturday afternoon lunch. We eschewed the board games and classic Atari play for some burgers and a towering good Bloody Mary at the bar with an antipasto-plate-on-a-stick shoved in it. Given their BMs are 1/2 off from 2 - 5pm every day, it was a wise choice on our part, I would say.

2011-07-01T22:04:00.001-05:00

Smoked chicken and grilled romaine with petite peppers

Let me show you my pics . . .

2011-06-27T19:52:00.000-05:00

I find that I'm too busy these days to spend an hour pouring out my heart-felt notions about what I'm eating, cooking or generally craving. This should not be a surprise to anyone given the length between my last several posts.

J the BF has suggested that I should stick with posting the pictures I take of the food I encounter. If I have the time for occasional commentary, then all the better. Here's a sample of the images I could be posting, if only I remembered what they were.

Gilt getting in food? They will get me one way or another.

2011-05-18T07:10:00.005-05:00

I've been relatively good about not shopping up the enticing deals on fashion from Gilt Man, the daily trunk sale on dude duds from the Gilt Group. I may have a harder time with their new offering - Gilt Taste. The new site looks to be a combination of food editorial and offers on premium eats and treats. As they say on the site, " We hope to inspire you to discover ingredients, shop at the market, cook delicious recipes and taste new things."

I got an invite in my email to visit their beta site this morning. $128 for 4 Flannery Beef Private Reserve Boneless Ribeyes? Maybe I won't be shopping there daily (they offer a weekly email with their latest deals and news), but I will be curious to see what this becomes.

Try again - can I just start where I left off

2011-05-17T22:23:00.002-05:00

Technology is not my friend today, so seems like a good day to try to get back in to my blog. In the last year I've been biting, chewing and slurping in places near and far, but have been loathe to find the time to blog on it. So can I just start where I left off? We'll see . . . but some re-branding and a positioning refresh may be in order.

Oh, BTW - if you are in Cancun, go to La Destileria. Touristy but the arrachera and the massive tequila menu are top rate. Puts a smile on my face every time.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Finally, Good Chinese in Uptown - Szechuan Spice

2010-09-06T21:19:00.005-05:00

It took something monumental to get me out of my 6-month blogging drought - discovering a decent new Chinese restaurant in my neighborhood.

Since coming to Minnesota 8 years ago, the only Chinese place that has captured my attention is the Tea House. I'm always impressed with their food, if not the ambiance. While I always enjoy my meals there I've reached the point where in the summer, if I can't walk there, I'm not likely to eat there very often.

Hungry and bored, I by-chance did a Yelp search from my house last week and noticed that a new place called Szechuan Spice had recently taken over the former location of Zen Fusion (a place I only went to once with which I was bitterly disappointed) near the corner of Lyndale Ave and Lake Street. While I couldn't convince J the BF to go that evening (not in the mood) we committed to try it ASAP. After getting caught in a rain storm while walking around Lake Calhoun, we decided it was time for something spicy so we stalked the 10 blocks through the rain to check this place out. So glad we did.

We have been rocking the junk food all weekend so we thought we'd take it easy - if you call ordering three apps and an entree taking it easy. We started with 2 scallion pancakes - standard fare, but something we don't always see on the menu of other places. Take my word for it, you only need one pancake for 2 - 4 people. They were thicker than others I've had, but very crisp and tasty with the standard soy dipping sauce on the side.

Next came the Juicy Mini Crab Buns which were more of a soupy dumpling than a bun. These reminded us of the soup-dumplings we have when we do Dim Sum at Yak Sing in San Francisco. Each dumpling is placed on a Chinese soup spoon. You pierce the dumpling and sip out the flavorful juice and then sprinkle a vinegar sauce on top before slurping down the crab-stuffed yummy morsel. Very fun to eat and this alone could have been dinner for the two of us.

We rounded out the up-front with a bowl of meat stuffed dumplings in spicy sauce. The pile of treats were swimming in a mild sauce and topped with a sweet bean sauce. Very enjoyable, but not our favorite thing in the meal.

For our main, we tried one of the chef's recommendations (i.e. the stuff on page 1 of the menu) the Double Pepper Chicken. The dish had wok crisp strips of chicken lightly glazed with a light salty-spicy sauce and sauteed with an almost intimidating amount of red dried and fresh jalapeno chillies. The flavor was amazing, but the heat crept up on us by the end of dinner. We washed it down with some hot tea to help us forget about our wet socks and pants. All-in-all, a wonderful dining experience.

Szechuan Spice has only been open for about a month, but we hope our neighbors discover it soon and help them to thrive. They don't have an alcohol license yet, but that would be beside the point. The dining room needs some help to warm it up (maybe to break up the space) but overall, two thumbs up. We needed some new flavor in the 'hood.

Berries, Yogurt and a Flip Video Camera? The 1 Minute Smoothie

2010-03-03T16:55:00.003-06:00

Fresh from vacation, I've been sent to a training to learn how to use the vast tools available to me as a marketing professional to leverage the speed of digital for learning and better branding. Today, our assignment was to create a video, upload it to YouTube and create a successful SEM campaign for it.

The campaign is slow going a few hours in, but here's the video for your pleasure. First and (maybe the last time) you see me on YouTube . . . intentionally.

The 1-Minute Smoothie

Be sure to add lots of honey to this recipe. It's pretty tart and not so tasty without it. A splash of tangerine or orange juice also goes a long way. If you come across my search ad on Google, please click on it - there's yet another iPod on the line.

Love and $10 cocktails - Early Valentine's Day at Bradstreet Crafthouse

2010-02-13T11:53:00.004-06:00

I don't know what is says about us when we make a tradition of re-scheduling Valentine's Day to fit our schedules. This tradition started when I was in business school and J was managing a political campaign in Atlanta. We figured Valentine's Day is now one of the most commercially hyped observances out there, so we could celebrate it any day we wanted. I've been working 12+hour days 6 - 7 days a week since the winter holiday (thus the long gap in Bite&Chew posts) so the tradition continues.

Given 2/14 fell on a Sunday, and most of our favorite restaurants only had openings at 4pm or 9:30pm that night, we opted to move it to Friday 2/12 and go relatively casual at Bradstreet Crafthouse at the 601 Graves Hotel. We've found that their menu of small plates can be touch and go, but has much of the refinement and finish that we enjoy at the more splurge-and-spend Cosmos upstairs. Whatever you feel about the food, the massive list of artisan cocktails, all for $10 each, is what gets us frozen Minnesotans excited - read on.

We opted to sit at the bar overlooking the small but efficient open kitchen where we could observe and occasionally chat with the young and lanky cooks as they effortlessly grilled, sauced and garnished a tight array of platters, and trays. Amidst a gift exchange of a bacon watch for me to go with my infamous bacon wallet and a quirky Chumby One for J to satiate his hunger for wi-fi gadgets, we enjoyed two courses of nibbles and cocktails.

To start, we enjoyed a Mediterranean Platter of hummus, olives and marinated feta cheese as well as an order of the Polenta Fries with piquillo pepper sauce and gremolata. Both were beautifully presented. The cheese and hummus were the stars, but the combo of the gremolata and sauce with the crispy strips of polenta was a little underwhelming. That didn't stop us from chomping it all down. I also didn't go too harsh on the food as I enjoyed a tasty and tart Gin Cocktail they call "Three Doors Down" - Death’s Door, Lemon, Rothman & Winter Pear Liqueur, Regans’ Orange Bitters - whew! The bartenders at Bradstreet are some of the best in the Twin Cities, and it shows in every sip.

For the main nosh, we opted for three dishes: Grilled Scallops with what looked to be a relish of edamame, cherry tomatoes and herbs, a Duck Confit Quesadilla with Raclet Cheese and Apple Kimchi, and a plate of buttery rich braised lamb ribs glazed with a sesame soy glaze and a snappy mustard. The ribs were our favorite part of the meal - melt in your mouth flavorful and the mustard was a perfect condiment. J didn't quite "get" what looked like a cold rice thingy that was served on the side, but it helped to cut through the richness of the meat. I washed the food down with my current favorite on the Bradsteet cocktail menu, a Black Walnut Old Fashioned - Bulleit Bourbon, Demerara Syrup, Nux Alpina, Black Walnut Liqueur, House Orange Bitters all served over a slow-melting perfectly shaped single baseball-sized sphere of ice - put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Given I had been up since 4am and worked a 13 hour day, there was no dessert course, but we'll go back and catch that later.

Fried Organic Sweet Potato Pie with Ginger Ice Cream

2010-01-08T22:03:00.001-06:00

Uh, yeah.

Eating this at Shaun's in Atlanta. It would have been better with my
recipe, but, had to try it.

Avoiding a drive to Wayzata - Bisquick Coconut Pancakes

2010-01-01T23:24:00.008-06:00

Recently, I had a little knee surgery which took me off my feet for a few days. It was nothing serious and the recovery has been quick (thanks to lots of ice and some hard-core pain killers), but it kept me bound to the house for a few days. By day three of recovery, both JB and I were a little cabin crazy, so I hobbled into the car and we drove out to the Original Pancake House in Wayzata to treat ourselves to our favorite breakfast treat - a short stack of coconut pancakes. Not all locations of OPH have them on the menu - so we have to go out of our way to get our fix.

A week later, I was back on my feet and my pockets were much lighter after all the bills from surgeons, anesthesiologists, surgery centers and Wal-Greens (plus we had been eating take-out most days while I recovered) so it was time to get back into the kitchen. I still had those coconut pancakes on my mind. Given one of the businesses I manage in my professional life is known and loved by millions for their great pancakes (don't hate - I live and love my brands), I figured I should be able to come close with a home version.

I am still optimizing the recipe so the version I made was so rich, it was hard to get through the whole short-stack of 3 pancakes. I'm suggesting you dilute the coconut milk with regular milk to keep the final product from being perhaps too indulgent. I can't say we won't ever need to go back to the OPH, but now I have another way to scratch that coconut itch without driving out to Wayzata.

Bisquick Toasted Coconut Pancakes Recipe (for 2)
Makes 6 - 7 pancakes

Ingredients:

1 Cup Original Bisquick mix
1 Tbsp Granulated sugar
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 cup Sweetened flaked coconut
1 Egg
1/3 cup Light coconut milk
1/3 cup Skim milk* (more or less depending on how thick you like your batter)
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Almond extract

Instructions:

1) Toast coconut flakes in medium skillet on medium-low heat - tossing often - until lightly browned. Set aside to cool. Reserve 2 Tbsp to sprinkle on finished pancakes.

2) Heat griddle pan to medium heat. Mix Bisquick, sugar, baking powder and most of the coconut flakes with a whisk in a medium bowl until blended.

3) Add coconut milk and egg to dry mixture and beat well until blended. Thin batter with skim milk until batter is still thick, but pourable. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts.

4) Grease heated pan. Pour pancakes on hot griddle in 1/4 cup spoonfuls (use an ice cream scoop if you have it) leaving a couple of inches between pancakes. When edges are dry and bubbles are appearing in the batter, turn pancakes over (about 3 minutes) Cook for 2 more minutes on other side until cooked through and golden.

5) Stack 3 - 4 pancakes per plate. Top with butter and syrup as desired. Sprinkle with reserved coconut and serve immediately.

Baking up the night - cookie gift boxes for the office

2009-12-18T16:04:00.002-06:00

Earlier this week, I completed my annual baking-night where I embarked to bake up some fresh treats to present to my employees and other key folks at the office in lieu of holiday cards or other trinkets. Last year, I took on a rather complicated set of recipes that kept me in the kitchen well past 1am 2 nights in a row in order to crank out those goodies. While I see the sacrifice as part of the sweat equity that puts more meaning into the gifts, I only have so much energy and can't do late night activities that require dexterity and concentration as well as I used to think I could (I'm sure I can just more clearly see what an idiot I am at 1am).

This year, I only had one night to get it all done, so I dispensed with anything that needed overnight chilling or would require fillings and multiple components. This meant skipping the awesome cookie recipes from my quasi mother-in-law (like date-nut pinwheels) due to their labor intensity and my tendency to screw the recipes up along the way.

I prepared last weekend by doing most of my grocery shopping, ensuring I had enough flour (I only use Gold Medal Unbleached all-purpose, since their profits pay my mortgage) and sugar on hand and getting my gift box materials together. I skipped the overpriced stuff at Container Store, and found perfectly good stuff at Litin Paper in North Minneapolis for cheap (gift boxes, bows, labels, etc). J found me some cello bags at Target and that was just what I needed to save me from a frustrating night of wrapping things in Saran Wrap. Completion time this year from turning on the oven to packing the last box - 6 hours (8pm - 2am). At least it was all done in one night. This year's box had 4 items - links to the recipes follow:

Spiced Ginger Cookies

Chocolate-Hazelnut Gooey Butter Cakes

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (J the BF ate 6 of these in the first hour they came out of the oven)

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

All boxes were well received by the lucky 12 who got one this year. I hope the 12th person sees hers. She may have left for the holidays by the time I put it on her desk. Otherwise, she will have a nasty surprise awaiting her in January.

Happy holidays.

Yes, your meat can be too thick - Butterflied Pork Chops with Fig-Pinot Noir Glaze

2009-12-15T18:19:00.001-06:00

When you are faced with the stress of getting dinner on the table in a hurry after a late night at work, you tend to run into little challenges. I recently stumbled home around 8pm after a full day determined to pound out a quick simple meal based on whatever happened to be in the fridge. My only meat option on hand - double thick boneless pork chops - would ordinarily take about 30 minutes to cook due to their size. I wanted to cut the time in half, so I tried my hand at butterflying.

Its a simple idea, but one that I don't do often due to my lack of confidence with my own knife skills. Take a thick piece of meat, cut through it at it's hemisphere (parallel to the board) to within 1/2 an inch of the opposite edge and open it up. Suddenly, you have something thinner and faster cooking. After successfully opening up my chops, I needed to figure out how to put some flavor in the boring other white meat. J the BF suggested smothering them in onions and serving them with apple sauce - a classic presentation, but this was my one moment to be creative for the day, so I decided to take a little more risk. I found a cheap bottle of Pinot Noir in the wine rack and a jar of fig preserves in the fridge. I even had a few shallots on hand. Combined with simple spinach salad, I had an easy, but elegant meal, on the table relatively quickly. Here is the recipe as I recall it, but you may need to play with the amounts to get the flavor balanced to your taste.

Butterflied Pork Chops with Fig & Pinot Noir Glaze

Ingredients:

2 1.5 - 2 inch thick Boneless Pork Chops - Butterflied
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Kosher Salt and Coarse Ground Pepper (to taste)
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium Shallot - finely diced
1/2 cup Pinot Noir wine
2-3 TBLS Fig Preserves
1 tsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp Dijon Mustard

Process:

1) Season Pork Chops with cayenne, salt and pepper

2) Heat Olive Oil in medium saute pan on medium-high heat

3) Pan cook Pork Chops until both sides are well browned and meat is done (aim 145 for medium - 160 for well done is preferred from a safety angle) - about 7 minutes/side. Place cooked chops on a platter and tent with foil

4) Stir the shallots in the hot pan for about 1 minute until softened and slightly browned. Pour in the wine and scrape pan to de-glaze and remove browned bits from pan.

5) Stir in the fig preserves, brown sugar and the mustard until melted and dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce liquid by half until slightly thick glaze forms. Reduce heat; Season sauce with salt and pepper.

6) Place chops and any reserved juices from the platter into the pan with the glaze. Turn the chops a few times to coat and heat for about 2 minutes.

Serve with sauce spooned over the meat and enjoy.

So that's what became of Jitters - Honey, a new bar in Nordeast

2009-12-13T10:28:00.004-06:00

While I'm contemplating cutting back on things like cocktails and bar food for a while, I have to take note of new places to visit nonetheless. Reading my "Strib", I noticed this review for Honey, a recently-opened basement club that has taken the place of Jitters underneath Chiang Mai Thai's new Asian outpost Ginger Hop. While I never went to Jitters often, I liked it's dark exposed walls and the feeling of drinking in some underground club.

According the Tom Horgen (the reviewer) this may mark a continued resurgence of a somewhat classier bar/restaurant row for Nordeast Minneapolis in contrast to the area's many dive bars. I am already a fan of the incumbent establishments like Keegan's, Butcher Block, Punch, Nye's, and Whitey's so this will give even more reason's to trip across the river to nosh and sip. Since they have "chocolate flights" on the menu, J the BF would be more than happy to stay out a little later for cocktails.

After work Tequila at Barrio

2009-12-09T20:19:00.001-06:00

It doesn't take much to get me to say yes to Barrio - my favorite tequila bar in town so here I am with co-workers for an impromptu cocktail. As we speak I am enjoying a great reposado Cazadores with the worst Sangrita I have ever tasted. It's a weeknight so 1 and done.

Hail to the Ham Shop! C.G. Ham's

2009-12-08T18:54:00.001-06:00

When J the BF finds something that he really likes to eat, he gets obsessive about it. For years, he harassed me about his favorite spot for lunch - a deli in a strip mall out in Minnetonka that he kept referring to as "The Ham Shop." I was skeptical - in places like Spain, they have crazy joints like El Museo del Jamon which are massive emporiums to ham and other porky curiosities and you can get some decent bocadillos there, but we don't live in Madrid. On the other side are typical American places like Honey Baked Ham where people go for feast meats pre-cooked, sliced, spiced and ready to stuff down the gullets of your family. Nevertheless, not a place I would go for a good sandwich.

Turns out, what he called "The Ham Shop" is actually C.G. Ham's - a local specialty meat place that happens to also churn out some hella-good sandwiches. Once I was finally convinced to try it, I started singing praises to "The Ham Shop." While there are tons of perfectly good places for lunch in my neighborhood, it doesn't take much arm twisting to get me to drive the 10 miles out to the 'burbs on a Saturday afternoon for one of their unbelievable deli creations.

J, true to his obsessive nature, is addicted to "The Unforgettable" and never veers from ordering it - fresh multigrain bread stuffed with roast turkey, bacon and avocado enriched with sunflower cream cheese spread, tomato and spinach. I have been sampling from their hot and grilled sandwich array - a couple of weeks ago, I enjoyed the beauty pictured here called "Fire in the Belly" - hot corned beef and pastrami with melted pepper jack cheese and spicy mustard on a freshly baked hoagie roll that melts in your mouth. They have a good selection of deli salads and fresh baked desserts as well, but I'm usually happy with the little peppermint patty candies that come with the sandwiches.

Brit style in an Irish Pub - Keegan's

2009-12-06T21:17:00.006-06:00

We did our annual holiday tradition of attending a screening of the winners of the British Ad Awards at the Walker tonight followed by a pub dinner. We normally go to Brit's for fish and chips, but with the crowds of Holidazzle (Minneapolis's odd idea of doing a Christmas parade 4 nights a week for the entire season), downtown MPLS is a zoo on the weekends.

We veered to our preferred pub, Keegan's in Nordeast Mpls, for Newcastle and beer battered fun. I know, its an Irish bar so it doesn't match the British theme, but it tastes just as good.

They have renovated the menu, and added some new sandwiches and entrees (often accompanied by champ - Ireland's version of mashed potatoes). I stuck with my standard 2 piece fish and chips. We even got treated to some live Irish music. Sounds like a good way to spend Sunday evening . . . and there wasn't a Christmas parade in sight.

Weeknight Ribeye fix for 2 - Steak with Parmesan Butter, Balsamic Glaze and Arugula

2009-12-04T17:47:00.000-06:00

I'm laid up this week recovering from knee surgery, so I asked J the BF to attempt to make our favorite weeknight steak meal. A nifty arrangement (courtesy of Epicurious.com) of sliced pan seared rib-eye over arugula and parmesan shavings topped with a simple reduction of shallots, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. It never fails to satisfy and it is among the few recipes we have built for two.

We failed to get it on the table this time though due to yet another rancid steak from Trader Joe's. One day I'll learn my lesson - don't buy anything from the fresh meat case from TJ - stick to the freezers and the shelf stable stuff. Even our favorite places aren't perfect. I guess my local butcher will be getting more business from us from now on.

I still wish I had that dish though, so I'm posting an earlier photo I took to remind me of the dinner that should have been.

Helping my buddy Joel - Places to Eat/Drink in Atlanta

2009-12-03T17:09:00.017-06:00

My friend Joel (on the left in the photo) is thankfully leaving the ranks of the unemployed to take a job in Hotlanta Georgia. I'm a little jealous of him as Atlanta is a great food city. I would probably be big as a house if I still lived there due to all the great options for great (and often cheap) food. He'll be packing up the truck and leaving DC soon, so I wanted to give him a jump on where to go and what to do. I created a punch list to encourage him to get out and taste the city, but my knowledge of the ATL is over seven years old at this point (I moved to the Twin Cities in 2002). Below is a sample of the suggestions I sent him for my picks of places to nosh and sip. Help us out with other suggestions, and I'll pass them on. Moving to a new city is hard enough. Finding places to eat shouldn't be.

Places to eat

La Fonda Latina (Good cheap Latin food - I love the Quesadillas with corn and jalapenos as well as their queso dip) http://www.fellinisatlanta.com/lafonda.html

Daddy D’z (our favorite BBQ in ATL – near Turner Field and ‘da Hood – looks scarier than it is – GO! The ribs are not to be missed) http://www.daddydz.com/

Fatt Matt’s Rib Shack (a more approachable, but very good BBQ place north of Ansley Mall – counter service) http://www.fatmattsribshack.com/

RuSan’s (The McDonalds of sushi in Atlanta – very cheap and pretty good) http://rusans.com/

Flying Biscuit (original location in Candler Park, but Midtown location more convenient – great breakfast, but crowded and a scene) http://www.flyingbiscuit.com/

Thumb’s Up Dinner (Do Breakfast at the Edgewood Ave location – great biscuits and breakfast skillets) http://www.thumbsupdiner.com/

Agave (awesome upscale fusion southwestern cuisine near our old hood in Cabbbagetown) http://www.agaverestaurant.com/

Zocolo (had some good Mexican food when we lived there – do the heaven and hell shrimp quesadillas if they are still on the menu. Mixed reputation according to more recent reviews. If nothing else, try their knock-your-balls-off margaritas http://www.yelp.com/biz/zocalo-mexican-restaurant-atlanta

One Midtown Kitchen (a newer place with an open kitchen, beautiful people and awesome food) http://www.onemidtownkitchen.com/index-home.htm

Taqueria Del Sol (Another place with great cheap food – the line is always long but it moves fast) http://www.taqueriadelsol.com/

The Vortex (The best burgers in Atlanta and a great menu of local beers) http://www.thevortexbarandgrill.com/

Watershed (nationally rated upscale Southern Cuisine purveyor owned by one of the Indigo girls in Decatur) http://www.watershedrestaurant.com/

Two Urban Licks (a downtown spot owned by the One Midtown Kitchen people – haven’t been there, but J, the BF highly recommends it) http://www.twourbanlicks.com/index-home.htm

The Colonnade (an Atlanta institution where the blue hairs, the gays and everyone in between gathers for old-school southern cooking) http://www.colonnadeatl.com/

Mary Mac’s Tearoom (similar idea to The Colonnade – old school Southern cooking and an Atlanta instititution) http://www.marymacs.com/

Eat’s (Our favorite place to eat out while we were students at Emory – very good cheap food – try the jerk chicken and the Jamaican Ginger Beer) http://www.eatsonponce.net/

Partying with the Boys:

Blake’s On the Park (The standard and a classic gay bar behind Outwrite - the gay coffee shop/bookstore. Looks like a double wide with a crowd to match) - http://www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com/

The Heretic (We used to call it the “hairy dick” – make sure it is not a dress code night as the crowd can veer toward the leather/levi’s set) - http://www.hereticatlanta.com/

Mary’s (Very fun and laid back hole-in-the-wall gay bar in East Atlanta) - http://www.marysatlanta.com/

Swinging Richards (where the boys are paid to get nekked) - http://swingingrichards.com/

Woof’s (Atlanta’s main gay sports bar) http://woofsatlanta.com/

Jungle (Atlanta’s big-ass warehouse dance club – go when you are looking to flash your pecs and score with the circuit boy crowd) http://www.jungleclubatlanta.com/

Burkhart’s (When I was in school, this joint was popular with the “chicken” – not sure the scene now, but they had pool tables!) http://www.burkharts.com/

Other Bars / Lounges to chill, nosh and/or slum:

Halo (will look familiar to you if you live in DC, except for the fact that it’s not really a gay place, but still attracts some dudes due to the Midtown location - very mod luxe feel) - http://www.halolounge.com/

The Flatiron (Bar/grill in East Atlanta – J the BF and I loved to go there for late night beer and burgers when I was in grad school – awesome jukebox and very good bar food) http://sites.google.com/site/flatironbar/home

Manuel’s Tavern (Casual tavern where the political movers and shakers in Atlanta can be seen having a pint next to the blue-collar set - in the shadow of the Carter Presidential center) - http://www.manuelstavern.com/

Apres Diem (almost-too-cool-café to be in a strip mall – great cocktails, wine, desserts and some decent dinner items. Good for hanging out with friends when you want to talk and look erudite) - http://www.apresdiem.com/

Joe’s On Juniper (You know the drill - casual laid back place popular with the gay boys for beer, burgers and nachos in Midtown) - http://www.joesatlanta.com/juniper/index.html

The Clermont Lounge (Something in Atlanta you have to do once, but never again. One of my b-school classmates described it as a strip bar for homeless people. I’d also add the hipsters who love them. If she is still there, look for Blondie – the now elderly trans-esque stripper that can crush beer cans with her breasts) - http://www.clermontlounge.net/

Additions, comments, or suggestions? Leave 'em below. Joel will thank you.

Oh yeah - where was I?

2009-12-01T21:30:00.012-06:00

Just because I stopped blogging does not mean I stopped eating. Quite the contrary in fact (unfortunately). 2009 has been a full year of too many cities and too many meals to count, so I focused on eating rather than writing. Maybe a little more of the later would slow me down from the former.

I am finally getting to looking at the bizarre photos of food that I've been amassing this year from all over. Last check had me at 90,000 Delta flight miles this year covering cities like Washington D.C., Atlanta, Tortola, L.A., Denver, St. John, Sacramento, Chicago, Bentonville, New York, Cannes, Paris, Cancun, Roussillon, Montreal, St. Louis, San Francisco, and other places I'd rather soon forget. Each city was a chance to taste something new - and I got to squeeze in a little exploring here at home in the Twin Cities.

While I try to remember what exactly it was I was eating, here's a visual sample:

Happy holidays!

Uptown Happy Hour Tour - yes there was a stop 3 - Bar Abilene

2009-08-26T21:59:00.003-05:00

. . . but we missed happy hour. It was a long night (and subsequent weekend), so it's taken a while to get back to finish the series.

Let's just say we were seriously enjoying the beer and cheap snacks at stop #2, so we lingered. They had Gose, which is a brew the Herkimer rarely releases so I had to get my fill. We were joined by another bud, who proceeded to enjoy more beer and then we met up with his fiancee, Dr. Sam, at Bar Abilene. Abilene, to celebrate it's 11th Anniversary, had just abandoned their "Crazy Happy Hour" deal where everything on the menu was 50% off from 4pm - 7pm everyday. Great way to celebrate - kill the deal that everyone was talking about! They replaced it with a much less compelling offer that left us wondering "are they going to be okay." They are doing extended happy hours this week with $1 taps - if you are so inclined.

Didn't matter - we arrived too late for those specials so we settled for a couple of rounds of margaritas and dinner (but no guacamole, which is really the only reason to go to Abilene). I had their southwestern sliders which were edible, but not something I would have ingested had I not been touring happy hour spots all afternoon.

Happy hour tours are fun, but they defeat the purpose of happy hour in the first place - friends lingering over drinks, bitching about work until the specials expire and you get too "happy" to do anything but stay for dinner and continue to bitch about work until you are too blitzed to care. Then the fun begins.

Stop 2 on the happy hour tour - Herkimer

2009-08-14T18:05:00.002-05:00

Okay, so Moto I and Herkimer are owned by the same folks, but low hangin fruit.

I am having a Gose which is a limited release and among my favorite brews. Other beers are 2 for 1 and there are $4 apps. We are rocking mini corn dogs and tater tots. Bring on the grease!

-- Post From My iPhone

Happy Hour Tour - Moto I

2009-08-14T16:35:00.002-05:00

Trying to sample some of the happy hour opportunities near my home. Friday funday, right? Started at Moto I, a sake brew pub on Lyndale.

Right now they have Summit Scandia for $1, $5 sake and $3 other beers. Noshing on salmon Rangoon, taro shoestrings, and lime fried peanuts.

All tasty and less salty than the other fare.

-- Post From My iPhone

Tickled Pinkberry

2009-05-07T16:30:00.005-05:00

Years ago I kept hearing all this hype about Pinkberry - a frozen yogurt shop whose product inspired something akin to a cult following on the west coast. It has since expanded into a chain making its way all the way over into Asia. While I have visited their web site, got their freaky song stuck in my head, and mapped out locations to visit from LA to NYC (in case I ever had time), I had not yet had the pleasure of tasting the stuff. That changed today.

My assistant manager and I had spent the morning visiting grocery stores in Marina del Rey, CA taking note of prices and product assortments (only on the west coast could you seriously sell pancake mix for $10), and we needed a break. Luckily, there was a little Pinkberry shop nearby.

Calling the place a shop is generous - it was more like an a broom closet where an anime bomb went off with crazy colors and bright happy patterns assailing you from the narrow walls. After tasting a sample, we both settled on the original Pinkberry flavor (which is neither pink nor does it taste much like berries). The also had pomegranate and green tea flavors, but we'll save those for another time.

I had mine topped with white chocolate shavings and Cap'n Crunch cereal. The taste was more tangy and yogurty than standard frozen yogurt. It was incredibly thick, just rich enough to be satifying without making you feel like a fat horse after eating a cup of it. It also melted very little in the 10 minutes between when we picked them up, transported them to our noon meeting and started devouring them, which concerns me just a bit - but it is supposedly all natural . . . .

I can't say it changed my life or turned me into a zealot, but if all frozen yogurt tasted this good, I would certainly eat it more often.

Memphis Gravy Biscuit Overkill

2009-05-02T08:15:00.001-05:00

A note to the food operaters at the Memphis Airport: except for a few
pockets of France and rural Quebec, putting sausage gravy over a
biscuit already stuffed with sausage is generally considered to be
excessive.

Giving out the Brownies before they expire - Palmer House Brownies

2009-05-01T11:13:00.002-05:00

In Bon Apetit, I found this recipe for brownies based on the one used at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago:

http://www.recipezaar.com/palmer-house-brownies-364846

I made them on Sunday and J the BF and I have been nibbling on them all week. After doing some research, I found that brownies last about 5 days if you keep them in the fridge. With the 5 days up and my needing to make room for my neighbor to use my fridge for overflow in anticipation of her Kentucky Derby Party, I decided to bring them in to work. I doubt my co-workers mind eating last weekend's brownies.

Why should writing about food be harder than eating it (plus a bonus of oven roasted broccoli)

2009-04-29T17:05:00.001-05:00

I am expecting myself to change that, at least for my own sake, in short order. Meanwhile, try this treatment for Broccoli which is so much better than steaming that crap - if you eat as much broccoli as I do, you'll love this:

1) Take 2 broccoli crowns - cut them into even mini-spears with florets
2) Preheat an oven to 400 Degrees F
3) Place broccoli in 9X11 baking pan - drizzle with extra-vigin olive oil
4) Sprinkle with coarse kosher salt, a dash of crushed red pepper and 2 crushed cloves of garlic - toss with a set of tongs to coat
5) Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until slightly tender, tossing occasionally

Voila! Never eat mushy boring broccoli again!

Tasting some low-country in the northland - BBQ Shrimp and Grits

2009-02-08T16:48:00.001-06:00

I don't know if I had ever actually eaten BBQ shrimp and grits, but the idea always sounded great. I've spent tons of time in the low-country of South Carolina and coastal Georgia, but if I ever got my hands on some fresh shrimp, they were usually steamed and served from a steel pail with some lemon, cocktail sauce and not a thing more.

I searched high and low for some decent old-fashion grits (good luck finding those in Minneapolis) and finally found something that could work hiding out in the baking section of the local store. I also made the BBQ sauce from scratch - trust me, do this the day before unless you have some extra time on your hands.

As for the result - hoo-weee! This will be making a return appearance on my table. Who knew F&W could do 'down-home'?

Barbecued Shrimp Recipe

Cheese Grits Recipe

Both courtesy of Food and Wine.

A Grand Gift from the Gods - Smoked Pork Chop and Creamed Collards at Grand Cafe

2009-02-07T19:32:00.004-06:00

Both J the BF and I had spent the better part the prior week traveling on business, so getting the strength to go out for decent Friday night date-night meal was tough. Nevertheless, I had reservations at Grand Cafe, and I was set on using them - so glad we did. It was providence for we experienced the most incredible smoked pork chop (tender, meaty, flavorful) served atop creamed collard greens and a potato pavé studded with onion and bacon . I don't know who got the idea of creaming collards, but God bless you! The photo can't do it justice.

On top of this marvel was this delicious prune conserve, which may sound very functional, if not appetizing, but it was a perfect sweet accent to the smokey pork and the creamy bitter greens.

In search of good Mexican - Life after Morelos Mexican Grill

2009-01-27T18:12:00.000-06:00

Several weeks ago, J the BF and I were horrified to discover that our favorite Mexican place, Morelos Mexican Grill had closed. We shouldn't have been surprised. As they changed ownership and somewhere along the way lost their liquor license and started cheapening the dishes, we noticed that the dining room was increasingly empty over the last few months. It's a shame - their Tres Amigos Enchiladas (an enchi-trifecta of ranchera, green chile, and mole-covered heaven) was one of my favorite dishes in the Twin Cities.

Now we are Mexican cuisine refugees. Our over-priced haute-Mexican option, El Indio has apparently been evicted from their space (the place is fully furnished, but the windows are covered in no-trespassing signs). Little Tijuana, a block away from Morelos, is a total barf-fest. I find Pepitos over-rated. I even checked out El Paraiso on my own to see if it was an option as it had good ratings. There was so much cheese in my enchilada, I couldn't taste anything else and became instantly worried about my heart health.

I think I'll agree with the Citypages blog that our best option is Salsa a la Salsa now. We enjoyed their outpost in the Midtown Global Market, so we'll be giving their Eat Street location a visit as it's closer to our neighborhood. When we have an enchilada fix, it needs to be serviced stat! Send us some suggestions for other options if you got 'em - we are desparate.

Brasa – A taste of Atlanta in the Twin Cities

2009-01-26T20:29:00.000-06:00

On one of my December stay-cation days, I met up with J the BF for lunch at Brasa, Restaurant Alma’s more casual outpost in “Nordeast” Minneapolis. Immediately upon stepping through the door, I felt transported back 7 years to my time in Atlanta where places like this could be found all over town.

Brasa calls itself a premium rotisserie. Casual, set in a thoughtfully renovated space (it looked like an old gas station or tire shop), the menu focuses on a simple collection of slow braised and rotisserie cooked pork, beef and chicken served as plates or sandwiches accompanied by irresistible sides like collards, fried plantains, and cheese grits. It’s almost a re-imagined concept of the classic “meat & 3” spots I came to know growing up down south, but they claim their inspiration for the menu as being South American and Caribbean. Most of the food comes from local sources and their site lists their suppliers as "friends". To have friends like these indeed . . .

I enjoyed a spicy slow braised beef plate with the afore-mentioned collards, grits plus a bonus of their crazy-good corn bread with honey butter. It was heaven. Since it was a stay-cation day, I enjoyed a nice cold Rush River "Unforgiven" Ale with my lunch which made the whole meal feel that much more luxurious. The prices are very reasonable and they have an incredible list of desserts which will bring me back up to that part of town soon.

Seafood Sin – Cracked Lobster at Nippers

2009-01-25T17:29:00.004-06:00

Continuing my chronicles of eating across The Abacos, I have to share one of my culinary transgressions. Our boat made a required overnight anchorage at Great Guana Cay the home of an illicit watering pit called Nippers. Nippers has been referred to as a place where otherwise mature people re-live their spring break memories (or create new ones). Judging by the number of drunk 60+ year-old people dancing red-faced in any clear and open space, I could see where they get the reputation.

I’ve heard stories of wilder times during concerts by Caribbean megastar, Barefoot Man. His music plus the diesel powered cocktails drove people who were likely someone’s mom or grandma to strip down to nothing and create havoc in the bar-side pool. I was with J the BF’s family, so there was sure to be no nudity on our part (though I've heard rumors that a member of our party relieved himself in a not-to-friendly place later that night), but we were enjoying liberal quantities of the signature cocktail, the Nipper along with the breathtaking view of the Atlantic breaking on the rocky beach below. My only sin was of a gastronomic nature – fried lobster.

My Southern roots compel me to enjoy most every seafood battered and fried. With my expanding waist, I’ve learned to appreciate a simple and well-grilled fresh fish fillet, but my heart desires the standard bar treats of the Islands – fried fish fingers, conch fritters and anything else that can be served crispy and breaded. In the Bahamas, “cracked” generally means shelled, coarsely chopped, battered and fried. In seeing they had “cracked lobster”, I just had to know. Could two forms of decadence be successfully combined?

My cracked lobster came with a mayo based sauce and a fruit chutney-like dipper as well as cole slaw and fries. To my disappointment, the cracked lobster, while good, was terribly less enjoyable than simply well-cooked lobster with a little butter (which we did for dinner the following evening). It was pretty similar in flavor to cracked conch or anything else battered and fried. Lesson learned - if you love your lobster, down deep fry it - it's not worth it.

Looking for the Lucy that is Juicy?

2009-01-24T16:29:00.006-06:00

Gotta love the narrow-targeted ad prowess of Facebook. I was served an ad for a site focused on where you can find a good Jucy Lucy (a cheese-stuffed burger particularly loved up here in it's birthplace of Minneapolis). Do you think Facebook knows I'm a food-obsessed Minnesotan?

JucyLucyRestaurants.com includes a blog, a map and a Wiki where you can post new locations to find Lucy and all her juiciness. I personally get all my Juicy Lucys from Matt's Bar (topped with fried onions, and served with a glass of beer and a basket of fries - always), but clearly I need to expand my horizons.

Seaside Mac & Cheese “On ‘Da Beach”

2008-12-25T16:54:00.004-06:00

I am in The Abacos for the annual holiday sailing vacation where each anchorage or docking puts us just a short dinghy ride away from fruity rum-riddled cocktails, unbelievable fresh grilled fish sandwiches and deep fried delights like conch fritters and grouper fingers (J the BF’s favorite). During our stop in Hope Town, J’s sisters insisted we take a long beach along the beach to a spot they only referred to as “the mac & cheese place”.

After a 20 minute stomp down an incredible stretch of beach, where we encountered no more than 3 other people, we arrived at “On ‘Da Beach”, a non-descript simple beachside bar set atop the dune attached to a small cluster of vacation condos. The menu consisted of basic grilled items (no fry-daddy here), fruity drinks laced with banana rum and an among the available side dishes on the sandwich menu, a mac & cheese option for an additional $3.

Though J the BF and I shared both a cheeseburger and an incredibly delightful jerked wahoo sandwich, we each insisted on our own order of the mac & cheese. Casserole style, the dish is served in big square hunks like a lasagna with multiple layers of almost over-cooked textured large elbow pasta, a rich custardy and cheesy sauce, diced chilis and peppers and covered with a thick layer sharp cheddar cheese on top. The dish had a pleasant heat to counteract the richness. It was an unexpected, but perfect, accompaniment to our cheeseburger in paradise.

J’s youngest sister asked the server for the recipe and, while she happily agreed to write it down for her, we never got a copy. I think I can come close with some modifications to my mom’s recipe, but without the beach, the sun and the sound of the Atlantic, I’m sure it just won’t taste the same.

The Ugly Truth of Holiday Baking

2008-12-24T09:14:00.009-06:00

I give in to that urge this time of year to drool over pretty pictures of Christmas Cookies hand-wrapped and packaged for thoughtful gifts. Earlier this month, with a stack of recipes in hand and a freshly stocked kitchen full of sugar, butter, flour and eggs, I set out to make those lovely treat boxes I like to hand out as "winter gifts" to my co-workers at this time of year.

In looking at the recipes with their simple mixtures of basics, shaped and formed into magical treats, I fooled myself into thinking - "home-made cookies - easy - no problem." By the end of two straight nights of baking past midnight, I understood why most folks resort to charity gifts or non-descript gift cards as professional gifts. Not as personal or awe inspiring, but it leaves you with a clean kitchen, a full night of sleep and no need to apologize for getting the spice levels wrong. With that, here is my Christmas Eve list of holiday cookies that made it out of my kitchen alive:

Macadamia Butter Cookies with Dried Cranberries - These turn our nice, light and airy and are not at all as dense as a traditional peanut butter cookie. Do not over cook - just get them barely brown.

Spicy Baby Button Cookies - You can add your own seasonings to the powdered sugar at the end to give these cookies your own flair (or spice in my case). I over spiced mine with chipotle chile powder, so I suggest you only use cinnamon if you want some spice added. Give the cookies lots of room on the sheet - they do spread a bit.

Anise Tea Crescents - I've never cooked with Anise as I'm not a licorice fan (which is the predominant flavor in Anise) but these cookies have a sophisticated undercurrent of flavor that allow them to be well received.

Cocoa Hazelnut Gooey Butter Cakes - My adaptation of a Paula Deen dessert, these cream cheese brownies on steroids have 2 sticks of butter stuffed in 'em, but boy are they good!

Date-Nut Pinwheels - These are from a recipe J the BF's mom gave me for her infamous rich well spiced cookies stuffed with dates, walnuts and lemon zest. The trick to these is ensuring your cookie dough is chilled before rolling them out, your filling is at room temp and that you chill the rolls again before you slice and bake them. She left that last piece of advice off the recipe so my pinwheel ended up being date-nut blobs - tasty though!

Date Nut Pinwheels

Cookies Dough:

2 cup Flour

1 1/2 t Baking Powder

1/2 t Salt

1/2 t Ginger

1/2 t Nutmeg

2/3 c Butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

1 t Vanilla

Filling

8oz Pitted Chopped Dates

1/2 Cup Sugar

2 t lemon peel grated

1/2 Cup finely chopped walnuts

1) Combine dry dough ingredients and spices
2) Combine sugar and butter with a stand mixer on medium - add egg and vanilla
3) Add dry ingredients to butter mixture until combined. Chill dough for at least 1 hour
4) Combine filling ingredients (except walnuts) along with 1/2 Cup watter in small heavy saucepan.
5) Heat filling on medium high until thinkened (about 8 minutes) - add Walnuts. Chill to room temperature
6) Divide dough in 1/2 - roll each half into rectangle 8" X 10". Spread with 1/2 each of cooled filling
7) Roll long side of cookies up gently to form logs. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour
8) Slice logs into 1/2 " cookies - bake at 375 until cookies are golden (about 10 minutes)
9) Cool on wire rack or consume as soon as you can handle the cookies without serious burns.

479° - Gourmet Green Popcorn that puts Movie Pop Prices to Shame -

2008-12-19T09:22:00.002-06:00

If you think the price of popcorn at the Movies is nuts, check out what $50 bucks will buy you if you are into Haute Snackage.

479° Popcorn is offering the snack in flavors like Black Truffle & White Cheddar, Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt and Fleur de Sel Caramel. They sell these treats in variety packs that range from around $30 to over $50 for "collections". To further substantiate these prices, they tout almost embarrassingly green credentials such as organic local product sourcing, a minimized carbon footprint and "composting religiously".

I wish I had discovered these sooner as they would be a great gift for J the BF's youngest sister who consumes a diet consisting of little more than microwave popcorn and beer. This could be a way to mature her palate and maybe her outlook on life.

I learned about 479° Popcorn in this week's Springwise (a great newsletter & site full of novel product and service ideas from around the world).

Staycation Lunch at Kafe 421

2008-12-11T17:15:00.001-06:00

I have all this extra vacation time to burn as we get to the end of the year, so I've been taking advantage of short "staycations." J the BF tells me one of his favorite gurus suggests taking a mid-week day-off once a quarter as a great way to break your frame and open you up to new perspectives. I found this is at least true with places to eat.

This month I've been able to try some spots that have been highly rated but are so off my regular path, I'd never be able to enjoy them in the middle of the day. My first "staycation" was on J the BF's 35th birthday. I took him to Kafe 421 in Dinkytown to give us both a new experience. It was rated #1 best lunch spot by Twin Cities Citysearch.com's readers so we went through the trouble of making reservations - it seemed silly for such a casual spot popular for sandwich take-out, but we didn't want to risk wasting the day waiting for a table.

I enjoyed a delicious sandwich called the Lechon - blackened pork tenderloin, grilled onion, roasted peppers, brie, spinach and tarragon aioli on what had to be fresh baked focaccia bread. All I needed was a simple green salad and I was happy. The place had a steady stream of folks coming in for take-out for good reason. The lunch fare is reasonably priced and crosses a broad spectrum of Greek-leaning Mediterranean influences and American comfort food standards so it breaks the frame of your average lunch spot while giving some safety for the ethno-gastronomically challenged (i.e. the meatloaf eaters).

Halleluja - A new site for Food and Wine Mag

2008-12-10T09:58:00.004-06:00

I love reading Food and Wine Magazine (my recipe binder is stuffed with clippings from each issue) but hated the website which I found to be clunky and a bit disorganized. They have recently launched a redesign and at first glance, it's a massive improvement.

Check it!

A Thai Twist on boring old Chicken Soup

2008-12-08T21:46:00.005-06:00

It is firmly winter in Minnesota which means lots of slush, bitter cold wind and on-again-off-again head colds. There's lots of evidence floating around that chicken soup helps with colds, but I've never been able to get excited about chicken soup. Childhood scars may also have something to do with it.

I was tainted against all forms of chicken soup/broth/stock as a 17 year-old kid when I came down with a violent case of mono that lasted for about 5 months. My throat swelled nearly shut at one point such that the only thing I could consume was chicken stock through a straw. My grandma literally kept a chicken boiling for days and would bring me a "sippy" bottle of clear warm poultry juice every 3 or 4 hours which would be my only sustenance. I couldn't stand the smell of chicken broth for most of my 20s.

16 years later, I believe in using lots of chicken stocks in my cooking (usually store bought boxed broths - Progresso and Kitchen Basics are my favorites). I also love making soup this time of year but that had not extended to making chicken soup until I discovered this version from the folks at Cooking Light. It's a Coconut Curry Chicken Soup that has a light coconut milk base loaded with gentle curry spice, hearty chunks of chicken, tender rice noodles and crunchy snow peas. It gives you a great warm feeling all over and does help fight back those ugly colds. I cut time by using a rotisserie chicken for the meat (I prefer the thigh/leg meat), but you could easily poach a couple of chicken breast fillets with some stock and a bay leaf if you must and shred/chop well before adding to the soup.

J the BF and his assistant loved the left-overs. Be warned - the noodles are slurp worthy and splatter a bit. Don't enjoy while wearing that new over-priced top or over your laptop.

Can you just start where you left off

2008-12-08T21:32:00.000-06:00

I am clearly still biting, chewing, and slurping up stuff in places near and far, but have failed to keep my blog up to date. Instead, I've been taking the quick and lazy route of Tweets, foursquare check-ins and BookFace updates to share my passion for things that I can swallow. Can I just start posting to my blog again and keep my 2 - 3 readers even moderately satisfied? We will see - stay tuned!

Steakhouses - not a fan

2008-10-17T20:33:00.004-05:00

I'm sitting in a hotel bar in New York City killing time with a glass of Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel and a bowl of snack mix trying to figure out why I don't like steak houses. I dined at one at the ungodly hour of 6pm this evening (due to the flight schedules of some of my work colleagues). I actually thought the food at Uncle Jack's was quite good. I had a delicious (if overly generous) salad of asperagus, beefsteak tomatoes, basil and roasted shallots that was quite satisfying. The bit of crab cake I sampled was of the highest quality. The 16oz roasted NY strip served perfectly cooked, sliced and along side its bone was among the best I've had. Nevertheless, I'm left with the nagging feeling that I always feel a bit disappointed with myself after a steakhouse meal.

I think the main underlying reason has to do with the situation. I never choose to eat at a steak house on my own. They are usually due to business outings (often while on travel) where I'm with people I need to be with rather than with the people I want to have with me as I'm enjoying great food. It may also be the formulaic nature of a great steakhouse: high grade meats simply prepared, creamed spinach and a hefty bill. You know, I'm just not a fan.

Tragedy - The closing of JP's Bistro and Wine Bar

2008-10-09T18:16:00.004-05:00

I hate re-starting my blog with bad news, but I'm more than a bit distraught at this announcement.

I didn't want to believe it when we encountered a shuttered JP's American Bistro a couple of days ago, but alas, this fine jewel of our neighborhood that I've only begun to appreciate in the last couple of years has closed it's doors.

We'll mourn the loss of that fabulous open face ravioli with preserved lemon, the crack-laden pizza loaded with currants and bacon and the ever-approachable wine-by-the-glass list. My fall just got a little darker.

I can take the dow dropping 40% in a year - but this . . . ?

Wine and Pizza Night

2008-07-22T23:18:00.005-05:00

Since this was likely my last chance to hang out with my new fellow Southern buddy Josh before he moves back to DC, I decided to host an impromptu wine and pizza night. My neighbor and co-worker Ms. Goldberg is also temporarily widowed this week with her husband traveling on business, so I convinced her to bring a couple of cans of Pillsbury Pizza Crust and I'd make her dinner and the three gays would entertain her for the evening. Quite the deal for her.

Anyhoo - the pizzas were fabulous and the wine was equally tasty. The first pizza was amazing and consisted of the following:

1 Can Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza Crust (it's new - try it! It's real good)
1/2 cup of 10 minute tomato sauce (spiked with minced garlic and lots of crushed red pepper - use Muir Glen fire roasted canned whole tomatoes to make the sauce smokier)
2 slices of thin-cut prosciutto - chopped
1/4 cup mixed gourmet sliced mushrooms (baby bella, shitake, oyster, etc)
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a blend of smoked mozzarella and provolone)
20 slices of Turkey Pepperoni

Spread the pizza crust on a 15 X 10 in rimmed baking sheet; spread evenly with slightly cooled tomato sauce; sprinkle with half of the prosciutto, half the mushrooms and about 12 slices of pepperoni.; Sprinkle with 2/3 of the cheese; Sprinkle on the remaining ingredients finishing with the cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown around edges and cheese is bubbly.

I also made a second pizza (Josh was still hungry and demanded another round - how could I say no when the wine was only half-drunk) with regular Pillsbury pizza crust. This time, I subbed in about 4 oz of fresh grated smoked cheddar but kept the other ingredients constant. The crust was a similar depth, but not as flavorful. The new pizza was, however, more pronounced in smokey flavor as the smoked cheddar played up the smoky flavors in the sauce and pushed the cured proscuitto to the forefront.

So what about the wine - I'm still a little foggy on it, but both varieties we enjoyed were quite pleasant:

1) Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet - South Australia 2006 - slightly sweet, very drinkable and smooth table wine with a little oak, berry and cherry-chocolate - perfect for casual eating

2) Natura Syrah - Valle Colchuagua 2005 - a Chilean wine with a twist made from organically grown grapes - this one had a more adventurous dimension created by the vintner's attempt to capture and showcase the terroir of the region. Thick with a little mocha and subtle dark fruit undertones. I didn't enjoy it as much, but it gave some interesting challenges to the palate that I appreciated.

Cosmos gets its due

2008-07-11T18:59:00.001-05:00

J the BF and I love Cosmos at the Graves 601 Hotel, but we are constantly baffled on why no one else eats there. We never have trouble getting a reservation, they have a killer prix fixe deal (especially the 3-course pre-theater menu) and it is one of the most elegant and mod dining rooms in the cities. Given their need to do billboards all over town touting their experience as Manhattan in Minneapolis (how sad is that) I am always in fear of their financial health, but they keep chugging along.

Given all this, I was thrilled to look in the food section of the Star Tribune this week and see a glowing review of Cosmos that extolled the achievements of this gastronomical resource and questioned it's lack of popularity. The article also delved into the molecular gastronomy that the chef likes to throw in to keep things interesting. I'm all for better taste through chemistry! Maybe, more folks will go and discover this gem buried among the schlock of downtown Minneapolis.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/taste/24197004.html?location_refer=Taste:highlightModules:1

A great read on the Chocolate Chip Cookie

2008-07-11T06:37:00.000-05:00

The NYT has done a great article on J the BF's favorite food subject - the chocolate chip cookie. They start with the original Toll House to expounding on some of the more interesting variations to emerge from today's baking experts. Check it!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/09chip.html?ex=1373342400&en=e65af79d36135b2d&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Wet and sloppy sandwich - SF style

2008-07-10T19:33:00.002-05:00

I used to love sloppy joes as a kid, so when I saw a sloppy joe post pop up on Food Gawker, I had to check out a "fresh" approach to the classic sandwich. The post came from "Married with Dinner" and it looks awesome. Ground beef and chorizo with anaheim chiles . . . can't wait to try it, but I'll need to invite over some friends - it looks like it makes enough to choke a horse.

http://marriedwithdinner.com/2008/06/30/lazy-hazy-days/

NYC Day 4 - Pooped out @ Maui Tacos

2008-07-09T23:48:00.002-05:00

Fish Taco @ Maui Tacos, originally uploaded by Jocelyn | McAuliflower.

By Monday, NYC was starting to wear on me and we needed a break from the haute face-stuffing we had been doing. After wandering around the Herald Square area near our hotel and creeping in and out of Koreatown looking for something cheap and simple to eat, we settled on Maui Tacos near the Empire State Buildin g.

It's a chain that we loved when we lived in Decatur, Ga years ago - especially their fruity salsas. I was too pooped to take my own photo, so I'm blog-filching one from flickr. While the fish tacos are great, I think I had some over-stuffed burrito covered in enchilada sauce and cheese. It wasn't very good, but I got a beer and dinner for 2 was just $25, so I wasn't complaining.

NYC Day 3 (about friggin time) - Pasta Pathos and A Return to Craft Bar

2008-07-09T23:06:00.004-05:00

Again, I am a bad bad bad blogger - anyone offering to whip me back into shape so I stay current with my posts? Anyone?

With that, after several weeks and too many meals have passed, I'm going to try to reach back and recall what I devoured in May. The vibrancy of the memories have passed, so my apologies in advance for sketchy, poorly written posts.

Day 3 was Sunday - the first official day of the Stationery Show and I quickly had to sink into the role of sales person and whipping boy. I was a little disturbed at how quickly I started to remember the price points on the hundreds of different items. By the end of the day, I was almost ready to help that little gift shop in Toronto put together a fabulous assortment of women's accessories, travel journals and address books that would drive incremental sales and traffic. Emphasis on almost.

At the show itself, our booth was located near a food area that served pasta tossed to order with random veggies, pre-cooked meats and other toppings for outrageous prices. The pasta was being tossed by cheeky chatty dudes in chef hats that kept dropping half the pasta with each ill-timed flip of the wrist on their saute pans. I think one of the guys was drunk, high or both. When you're hungry, anything tastes okay, so I was grateful for the half-cooked pound of carbs and sauce (with a bread-stick and a butter-laden slice of pound cake). The experience just reinforces the fact that Javits is a pit.

Dinner was much better. We once again went to Tom Colicchio's CraftBar restaurant. We were joined by J the BF's parents who were giddy from an afternoon of shopping at the Armani store. We had some good wine and started with our beloved pecorino fondue with honey, hazelnuts and pepperoncini. My brain falters at remembering the entree, but I'm pretty sure I had the short-ribs. I remember enjoying it, whatever it was.

Yeah, we slept good that night.

NYC Day 2 - Bolognese, live music and a side of breast at Chez Josephine

2008-05-23T22:10:00.003-05:00

The week in NYC was crazy busy, so I've already returned to Minneapolis, but I still have 6 more days of food stories to share - here's the Saturday edition.

We started the second day thinking it would be a quick couple of hours setting the last brand in J the BF's booth at the Stationary show along with a little clean up here and there and we would spend the rest of the day playing. It ended up being a 7 hour day of merchandising, cleaning, dealing with case storage issues and a host of other unexpected time sucks (no lunch break, BTW). Not the Saturday in the city I had envisioned. I was tired and very grouchy by the time we hiked the 8 long blocks back across town from Javits Center back to our hotel to get ready for dinner. We stopped at a Cafe Metro for a sandwich which stood in for a late lunch, but at 4:30pm, I dare say it didn't count.

We took the subway up to Time Square to meet J's parents for dinner at Chez Josephine. Despite having visited NYC several times, I had somehow avoided Time Square at night. Seeing the human moths drawn to the lights beaming everything commercial, tacky and sickeningly beautiful about American culture into space, I gained a new understanding for why I avoided this area. A quick jaunt through the mess got us to the infamous establishment still run by one of Josephine Baker's adopted sons, Jean-Claude, who greeted us warmly upon entry and exit (with a firm squeeze of the shoulder - you gotta love the French).

This was a unique New York experience. We were seated at the rear of the main dining room next to the piano where two elderly black women (each was at least 80 years old) were playing old jazz standards. One stood at the piano and occasionally did vocals while the other didn't miss a beat on the trombone. It was very impressive. The performers were refreshed through the evening as we enjoyed an array of "American" favorites from the menu mixed with French inspired dishes. J's mom went for the Lobster Cassoulet which was divine. J tried "Elvira's Down Home Fried Chicken" which was not earth shattering, but very good in its own right. I went for the spaghetti bolognese (billed as Josephine's favorite on the menu) which was not exceptional, but extremely comforting and led me to finish every morsel on the plate.

While trying to stay focused on the conversation with J's parents, and enjoying an incredible Australian Pinot Noir Rose from Green Point, I was continuously distracted by the nude portrait of Josephine Baker hanging over J's mother's head. I kept thinking of what it would be like to work nightly in a space with a nude of my mom hanging in the dining room of my place of business. I was taught about the "exotic" intrigue the Josephine had generated as an American exile in Europe, but spending just one meal in her restaurant gave me a new appreciation for just how revolutionary Baker was for her time. As for the food, it was definitely worth a re-visit given the unique character of the experience of eating in her restaurant.

NYC Day 1 - Boom and fizzle

2008-05-18T06:35:00.005-05:00

Day 1 in NYC involved waiting in an hour-long line for a taxi at LaGuardia, walking 7 long blocks in the rain (have you ever tried to get a taxi in NYC when it's raining) carrying a 50 lb bag full of notebooks and other assorted stationary products, and then 3 and half hours unloading boxes of product and setting up J's booth for the show. I was ready for some good food as the fried chicken cutlet sandwich I picked up from a food stand in the Javits Convention Center just didn't cut it.

I've been to Boom in Soho a couple of times and enjoyed it's relaxed approach to modern Italian. We were joined by J's parentals (also known as the legal counsel and the evil investors in his company). After I enjoyed a deliciously sweet and fruity white sangria, they were more than eager to join me in sharing a bottle of Libernio (I may have mucked the spelling) which was a blend of Malbec, Cab and Sangiovese. Deliciously lush with a touch of smoke and a smooth palate.

I also had the bruschetta with grilled shrimp and avocado which are perfect little morsels - do not miss these. The rest of my meal was unfortunately disappointing compared to my prior visits. I had some of the mussels done in a tasty tomato broth. The shellfish was just a bit off and a couple of the mussels were a bit over-ripe for my taste. For my entree, I tried their "Filete" which was a fillet of beef in a madeira style sauce with potatoes and greens. The sides were good enough, but the beef itself was way too fatty and grisly. J the BF and his Step-dad both had the lobster ravioli which was just as good as I remembered. I guess I can afford to be boring and order my old favorites when coming back to a desired restaurant in a distant city again.

7 days in NYC

2008-05-16T11:34:00.001-05:00

I am in New York for the next 7 days on a "working vacation". I will be working the National Stationary Show for J the BF's company by day and eating well by night. I am hitting some old faves and trying a few new joints. Walking the streets of Manhattan makes me really hungry so my lose that gut effort will have to wait until I get back.

Yet another social network for foodies - Foodbuzz.com

2008-05-01T07:03:00.002-05:00

I've picked up on yet another new social networking site for foodies that is running in beta (Grouprecipes, another social food site I use has been in beta for well over a year). Foodbuzz bills itself as a user driven site that is built to provide highly relevant content to its community members through their search engine. They combine recipes, blogs, user profiles, videos and restaurant reviews with geographical context (I can filter info down to my neighborhood in Minneapolis) and relevancy/popularity attributes based on the consumption of the content. The goal is to push the most relevant content to the top based on user consumption and needs. Sounds heady and a good idea in principle.

The interface is a bit counter-intuitive to my taste, but I'm going to keep playing with it. Some of the videos and blog posts look pretty good and hopefully, I can start finding some other food-enthusiasts nearby to help me break out of my restaurant rut.

"Pyle-ing" on the coffee and doughnuts in Dallas

2008-04-30T22:02:00.009-05:00

I've been a scofflaw and neglected my blog for the last several weeks while I focused on a blogging project for work. I'm not officially done with that yet, but I needed to start catching up with my Bite & Chew updates before I started forgetting what these pictures on my Blackberry are supposed to suggest. Take for example this mysterious image.

While it may look like a whimsical art project, the fact that it's on a plate should clue you in that this is an incredible, edible dessert creation. I had the pleasure of enjoying (and the pain of not being able to sleep after consuming) this assemblage at Stephan Pyles in Dallas. They simply call it "coffee and doughnuts" but that is clearly a tongue-in-cheek moniker that undercuts this frighteningly decadent reinvention of the working man's classic breakfast combo. The base is a cajeta crème brûlée surrounding a square vessel holding a syrupy espresso flavored hot liquid confection in which sits a skewer of freshly fried powdered doughnuts. After eating this dessert, I didn't mind the fact that I was eating alone at the bar of a fancy restaurant on a business trip. I missed the group dinner earlier that evening at the same restaurant due to tech drama with my corporate blog - why can't every blog platform be as easy as Blogger?

Although the most interesting image I got was the dessert, the rest of the meal was superb. I started my solo meal with a banana empanada with cardamom scented spit roasted suckling pig. Not something I would ever conceive of combining but all I could say was wow! Even the blue corn muffins they served for me to nosh on between courses were incredibly spicy and memorable. My entrèe of barbecued beef short rib with a "criollo" tamale and a dried cherry salsita was enough to ruin every other BBQ beef experience I was to have while in Texas by rendering everything else boring and tasteless in comparison.

Stephan Pyles is a see and be seen-scene, so I was a bit embarrassed to show up in my jeans and polo shirt - bleary eyed from staring and cursing at a laptop for the last several hours. Despite my worn affect, the bar staff couldn't have been nicer. They have a flat screen TV over the bar that, rather than showing a Dallas Mavericks game, broadcasted the live action from the kitchen reflecting their pride in the food and its prep. It was a powerful statement. I even got the chance to chat briefly with an overly friendly rich middle aged couple that was grabbing cocktails before dinner. Nice folks, but they seemed to be moving through the evening in a state of extended foreplay, so I wanted them to keep on moving. They were loving life just a bit too much.

Ah - it's good to be back on my own blog.

Emergency Substitution! Paprika Chicken with Spicy Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce

2008-04-09T21:46:00.004-05:00

I had one of those nights where I got too focused on a project at work and the next thing I know, it's 8:30pm and I'm way behind on my schedule of getting home and getting dinner on the table. Earlier in the evening (in a moment of distraction) I had been playing with the Epicurious Widget on my Facebook profile and found a recipe for Sea Bass with Spicy Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce. I had some sea bass that I had bought on special over the weekend thawing at home, so this simple recipe of pan sautèed fish with a sauce of almonds, roasted peppers and cayenne seemed to be a quick and elegant way to do a late dinner.

As I rushed home to find a starving J the BF writhing on the sofa, I went to the fridge to pull out the fish only to find it was still frozen hard as a rock despite the chance to relax in the fridge all day. I offered to try to nuke-thaw it, but J advised against the danger of destroying a $20 piece of fish. I reached for a couple of nice frozen chicken breasts instead.

I then went to pull together what I needed for the sauce. I had roasted almonds so I threw those in a pan to toast. I know that I did not have any fresh red bells, but I had a huge jar of fire roasted red bell pepper strips which I knew would do just as well as a fresh roasted pepper. Tomato paste, on the other hand was a problem. I thought for sure there was an orphan can of the stuff in my cabinet but I was proven wrong. {Insert series of expletives here}

I pulled myself together and thought creatively - what could take the place of tomato paste in a spicy red sauce - ketchup? No, too sweet and runny. Canned diced tomatoes? No, not the right consistency. I ended up subbing in a few table spoons of sweet chili sauce (tomato based). The sauce, after some tweaking turned out more than palatable.

The chicken needed more help as the original recipe leveraged just salt and pepper seasoning for the assertively flavored sea bass. To bring the nuke-thawed chicken to live, I sprinkled it with sea salt and a generous amount of smoked paprika. In the end, I think I had a totally different recipe, but it was much enjoyed in my house. Here is roughly what the recipe was after I screwed with it.:

3/4 cup fire-roasted jarred red bell pepper strips - drained well
1/4 cup roasted almonds - lightly toasted
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 TBS red wine vinegar
1/4 cup Sweet Tomato Chili Sauce (like Heinz brand)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 6-8oz Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 TBS Smoked Spanish Paprika
Fine Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 TBS Olive Oil

Place first 6 ingredients into food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and generous amounts of paprika on both sides.

Heat 1 TBS Olive Oil in 12-inch non-stick pan over med -high heat

Cook chicken in hot pan 5 - 7 minutes per side until done

Serve chicken with 1 Tbsp of red pepper sauce over top with extra on the side.

This went well with a side of good quality cooked truffle pasta tossed with butter, freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano, salt and pepper and a mixed green salad with a fresh honey Dijon vinaigrette.

Let 'er cook a little longer - Indio Mexican Cuisine

2008-04-06T11:12:00.003-05:00

After much anticipation for Indio - the new Mexican place in Uptown, I failed to follow my own rules of avoiding new restaurants in their first week of being opened. The smells wafting out as I walked past and seeing the warmly candle-lit space that had been empty for months enticed me to give it a try about a week ago. J the BF and I walked over to check it out for a late Friday dinner.

The menu is a mix of usual suspects for appetizers with a Yucatan-inspired upscale portfolio for the main courses. They offer a decent happy hour menu and the cocktail list looks promising. The wine lists is limited, but acceptable. In terms of execution on all this . . . well?

We started with their Huasteco (guacamole) which was very chunky, fresh and flavorful, but served with a scant amount of freshly fried tortilla chips. J had the Flauto de Pato (Duck Flautas) while I veered toward the adobo marinated seared ahi tuna served over roasted mashed potatoes with tequila lime butter and pineapple relish. I found my dish very good, though basic with a slightly messy presentation, while J was not as impressed with his.

While we were relatively pleased with the food, we were victimized by the usual new restaurant blues. J's Diet Coke arrived as a flat metallic syrup over ice, while my cocktail, a Mojito A La Diabla (basically a mojito with chile de arbol) arrived flat and flavorless as well. Clearly, their fountain was not calibrated or working properly. The service was painfully slow, due in part to them having to hand-write and process orders, and our server was awkward, nervous and at one point locked herself out of the back door. Some patron sitting near the back took pity on her and let her back in.

All in all, Indio has promise and the makings of a good neighborhood place (if you don't mind dropping about $50 - $70 for dinner for 2), but we're going to let her simmer for a few weeks to work out the bugs before we go back.

Pork Feijoada at Birchwood Cafe

2008-04-05T16:00:00.002-05:00

"Brazilian black bean stew with smoked ham, bacon, roasted pork shoulder and spiced sausage served with braised greens, fried plantains, cashews and jicama relish, jasmine rice and Birchwood banana bread."

That was the description for the Pork Feijoada scrawled on the constantly changing menu chalkboard at Birchwood Cafe. I had to immediately enter it on my phone and post to BiteandChew so I would remember it, but after eating this stew, it was hard to forget. I find that Birchwood is one of the few restaurants that doesn't need to "romance" the descriptions of its menu items. Their creations are so intriguing, they need only to tell you what's in the dish to get you excited - no sex-ing up of the menu required.

Feijoada is a traditional take on pork and beans in Portugal and Brazil. Birchwood prepared the dish in the Brazilian tradition down to their inspiration for the sides of greens and fried plantains. According to Wikipedia, it is traditionally washed down by cachaça, caipirinha or beer (only beer was on offer at Birchwood). Don't expect to go there looking for it though - their menu changes weekly and I have never seen one of their entrees on the menu repeated, so they may have already moved on to the next adventure.

Mexican in Uptown update

2008-03-20T19:25:00.002-05:00

Got the scoop from Jesse, one of my trainers, on the new Mexican place going in the old Pizza Nea space. It is called El Indio and is run by the same folks that own El Meson and Cafe Ena.

Supposed to be in the tradition of what your Mexican grandma would cook for you, if she happened to be Mexican. They were hoping to open tonight, but they are still waiting for some permits (and they looked like they were trying to make some repairs to the door). Maybe this weekend, but I usually like to wait for a new place to sort itself out before becoming a test case for new staff.

The ticket to voter turnout - cute French guys with Cookies

2008-03-20T16:53:00.003-05:00

I was checking out Dorie Greenspan's "In the Kitchen and on the Road with Dorie" blog looking for baking tips and instead found a picture of a hottie with a tin of cookies. Turns out he was providing cookies to kids at a municipal polling location in Paris to keep them happy as their parents waited to vote. I'm willing to learn a few things from the French . . .

BTW, Dorie's blog is actually very good if you are into baking. Her post on Gingerbread Baby Cakes looks divine!

Mexican coming to Uptown?!

2008-03-18T19:30:00.004-05:00

As if watching Food Network during my cardio workouts wasn't enough to undue my body's war against gravity, it looks like a new Mexican restaurant is going in next door to the Fitness Together training studio where I pay overly pumped dudes to hurt me 2 - 3 times/week. The space was formally occupied by the tasty, but unremarkable Pizza Nea, who closed that location earlier this year. Though renovations are not yet complete, they were training staff tonight so an opening must be imminent.

While my neighborhood (Uptown Minneapolis) is not hurting from loosing yet another pizza joint (we are also over represented with Thai restaurants, sushi places, hair salons and "glass shops"), Mexican Cuisine (and I'm not talking Burritos) has been a painful gap in our walking-distance choices for chow. My brain was too wiped post work-out to remember the name of the new establishment, but I'm intrigued and have high hopes. I'm curious about what they'll do with that Neapolitan wood-fired pizza oven left there by the pizza folks though.

More details to come (Update as of 3/20/08 available here).

Wanna greener salad? Love the Organic Girl.

2008-03-11T08:26:00.002-05:00

Needing a quick mess-free dinner before heading out to Roller Derby, I cruised the produce section at my local Rainbow Grocery and discovered these new Organic Girl organic salad greens and kits packed in hard sided clear containers.

At $4 for a salad kit, they are a bit upscale, but worth it. Not only are the greens organic and triple washed, they come in containers not made with plastic, but with corn. These packs are renewable, sustainable and compostable. The Baby Ceasar with field greens, mini garlic toasts, Parmesan cheese and a light ceasar vinaigrette was very good to boot. More info on their packaging is at iloveorganicgirl.com

Noshing with foodies and drunks - Finds from the Twin Cities Food and Wine Experience

2008-03-10T22:15:00.005-05:00

A few weeks back, we dropped a load of cash to spend a Saturday afternoon roaming a crowded exhibition hall begging for free sips of wine and bits of food. It wasn't a fit of insanity, but rather, the 14th Annual Twin Cities Food and Wine Experience. I've always wanted to go, but am usually out of town on vacation that time of year. As we pushed our vacay back a week this year, we were able to find out what we've been missing.

While the tickets at a face value of $60 are a bit over-priced, you do get the opportunity to taste hundreds of wines, foods and other thrills at your leisure while getting to people-watch to see what tragic fool is going to drop his canapè on himself, or what poor Edina housewife will have to get escorted out by her embarrassed husband. Good times! Furthermore, I actually found some good stuff. Here's my top 10 in no particular order:

1) 4 Vines "Old Vine Cuvee" 2005 Zinfandel - this wine won the "Best Value" award in the Zinfandel category for good reason. Arrestingly delicious. I've already bought (and drunk) 2 bottles of the stuff for about $10 a pop.

2) Il Cuore Cabernet Sauvignon - Found this at the Surdyk's booth - currants, soft tannins with a mild sweet finish - very tasty which says something as I generally don't enjoy Cabs.

3) Pinot Evil Pinot Noir - Another "Best Value" award winner for the show. Really good with forward mineral/stone textures with a cherry & red plum feel to it. Billed as a French table wine.

4) Di Majo Norante Sangiovese 2006 - Another "Best Value" award winner from the imported red category, this wine explodes with pleasurable overtones - smoky rich aroma with bitter chocolate and sour cherry. I love smoky wines so I can't wait to break into this at home.

5) Italian Sodas made with Torani syrups - Okay, this is not a new thing, but I haven't had an Italian soda since I was in college. The Torani folks were sampling deliciously simple and refreshing strawberry sodas that beat the pants off anything you get out of a bottle at the local convenience store. These will be a great refresher for summer afternoons on the balcony. They even gave me a $.50-off coupon.

6) Cedar Planked Brie with Roasted Berries - Kitchen Window had a massive booth and this was one of several finds we discovered here. They were demonstrating and sampling a round of Brie that had been grilled on a cedar plank, covered with grill roasted berries and drizzled with Orange Blossom Honey. If that wasn't enough, they finished it with smoked black pepper. Incredible and delicious.

7) CurrySimple Curry Sauces - Another Kitchen Window find, these fully prepared Thai curry sauces are made fresh in Thailand from local ingredients, vacuum sealed in giant "Capri-Sun" like silver packs and shipped over here for our hedonistic enjoyment. At $6 a pouch, it's not a bargain, but the flavors are so fresh and delicious, it beats out any Thai take-out I've had in the Twin Cities. The Thai Chicken Curry they made with these sauces was intoxicating.

8) Prosciutto, Blue Cheese and Date Wraps - Whole Foods had a poorly staffed booth with fabulous food including these gems - dates stuffed with blue cheese and grilled (how you grill dates without them falling through the grates, I have no idea!).

9) Osso Bucco Bread Pudding with Horseradish Foam and Red Onion Marmalade - B.A.N.K. at the Minneapolis Westin did not impress us with their food on our first visit there, but the sharp-suited dude at the B.A.N.K. booth at the show passionately explained to us that they have a new chef and a new menu that we should come back to try. If this tidbit they had on offer at the show was any indication of what this new chef has done with their rather understated cuisine, I'll be back for sure.

10) Chateau Lamothe White Bordeaux - I am finding myself quite smitten with Bordeaux Blanc and this one was no exception - nice floral peach nose, with a clean pale fruit flavor that made me smile. I have not found this wine yet in my normal wine shops, but I'm going to keep looking.

3-Min "Slow Carb" breakfast from Tim Ferris.

2008-02-29T10:24:00.003-06:00

I love Tim Ferriss's "4-hour workweek" blog. Great life-hacks and ideas, but I didn't realize he was looking to become a food personality as well. He's good looking, so he's got that going for him, but his video demonstrating a 3-minute breakfast is almost 7 minutes long. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd-7a_wdVZk

A melted cheese tray - Warm Pecorino Fondue at Craftbar

2008-02-21T18:36:00.003-06:00

I had some business in NYC a few weeks ago, and this time I worked ahead to get some restaurant recos. My neighbor, Ms. Goldberg, strongly suggested that I check out CraftBar - a creation of high-profile James Beard award winning chef Tom Colicchio (also now infamous as head judge on Top Chef). J the BF happened to have business in NYC at the same time, so we decided to have a pre-Valentine's day date night at this "moderately priced" outpost of Colicchio's Craft empire.

We started the meal with a Warm Pecorino Fondue which was good enough to make your teeth sweat. The dish itself was fascinating in the enticing combination of components of a cheese tray
(cheese, nuts, honey, spicy veggies) into a hot, creamy molten bowl of pleasure. The pecorino was melted along with acacia honey, hazelnuts and pepperoncini. The meal that followed was equally stunning and inspiring (including the warm frissee with gorgonzola and poached egg which I have already been trying the recreate).

Slow food express - Fusilli with Rich Meat Ragù

2008-02-18T21:17:00.004-06:00

Sundays are my favorite day to cook - I get the morning to work out, pick up what I want from the grocery and go to town for the afternoon in the kitchen. Ideally, this would be time for me to execute "slow food" recipes where you take your time to build delicious hearty meals from scratch and let time-intensive technique and methods take over. Somehow, my Sundays rarely afford me that luxury.

Take this past weekend for instance. I got up late on Sunday (10:30am) struggled to get my breakfast in, sampled the Sunday New York Times and slugged my way into the gym. At that point, it was already pushing 3pm (time flies when you're slow) and I still needed to do my French lesson, cook dinner and make a weak attempt to catch up on some work after being in New York for the better part of last week. Further, J the BF had a flight at 9pm, so dinner needed to be served promptly by 7 in order for him to get to the airport in time for his flight.

Long story short, I needed to do a shortcut Sunday dinner. The New York Times Magazine featured a story on "Slow Food" which proclaimed that the secret to making the perfect ragù is time - time to let the meat and vegetables brown and brown and brown again concentrating the flavor and giving you a rich deep pudding-like sauce. My two favorite quotes from the article were:

"Brown food taste good" and
"Crud and scrape . . . crud and scrape."

You have to just read it to get it, but I didn't have time for all the crud and brown and whatever, but a rich hearty meat sauce and pasta was what I was hankering for. Instead, I turned to this recipe for Spaghetti with Rich Meat Ragù in Food and Wine. I subbed Fusilli (which I had on hand) and added a splash of cheap red wine as I had a hard time imagining this sauce with no wine - Ragùs need wine, don't they? Drunk harlot sauces that they are! I also tried to give the meats time to sufficiently brown and did a couple of rounds of "crud & scrape" before I gave up and just had to finish the devilish sauce.

All in all, took about an hour (vs. about 3 hours for a traditional version) and the hint of rosemary made it extra fab. I enjoyed it with a side of baby spinach wilted with garlic, olive oil, and Gorgonzola cheese plus a glass of Big House Red wine. When I have one of those fantasy Sundays, I'll try the slow crud and scrape version. I want to experience this brown food business.

Brrrr! Get some Southern heat up here! - Shaver's Chocolate Pecan Pie

2008-02-11T13:21:00.000-06:00

We woke up on Sunday to 14-below weather with a wind chill of -38 degrees. "Why do we live here, again?" asked J the BF as we jumped out of bed only long enough to turn on the fireplace and rush back under the covers. This is a world away from the Alabama winters I grew up with for sure. At least we were not "up north" this weekend with our neighbors in International Falls, MN who were enjoying an air temp of 40 below (a record, fitting their new official title as "The Nation's Icebox").

This being the Twin Cities, we can't sit at home and hide from the weather. Instead, we get out and visit friends and act as if this sort of weather is normal. Our buddies JH and Dr. Sam host a monthly "soup" party during the winter where we gather at their place to share soup, wine, progressive ideas, art and other Yuppie liberal notions. I usually bring a dessert, so I decided to err toward something Southern to cut through the chill. I have this recipe for Chocolate Pecan Pie that I ripped out of a promotional magazine my mother had in her kitchen. We had it for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, and it was a big hit - a fudgy just sweet-enough chocolate filling studded with loads of crunchy pecans. I love pecan pies because they are so rediculously easy to mix up and get great results.

Shaver's Chocolate Pecan Pie
1/2 c (1 stick) butter
2 squares (2 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c light corn syrup
1/4 c all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 c chopped or whole pecans
1 9 in. unbaked pie crust (I use Pillsbury frozen crusts - regular, not deep dish)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler over hot water.
Pour this into a large bowl and let cool slightly.
Add the beaten eggs, then stir in the sugar, corn syrup, flour, vanilla, and salt. Fold in the pecans.
Pour filling into crust and bake for 30 minutes or until the top looks dry (I cooked mine for about 37 minutes)

Recipe is from Paula Dean's Kitchen Classics (according to blogger Angelninas)

Mmmm, Cake and Goo! Mocha Pudding Cake

2008-01-31T21:54:00.000-06:00

Eric with a C was nice enough to invite me down his place for a casual dinner earlier this month. I thought it was a nice gesture as he know I was flying solo for a while with J the BF traveling on business most of the month. When I got there, I realized he just wanted to show off his amazing Chicken Pot Pie with this pulse-raising pastry crust (dude better be posting that recipe!)

I volunteered to bring dessert so I reverted back to an old standby I used to make all the time when I lived in Atlanta, but fell out of my repertoire - Mocha Pudding Cake. You can mix it up in 10 minutes and it's out of the oven in half an hour. The result, a spongy decadent cake floating atop a rich fudgey warm pudding that screams for a good scoop of ice cream. Since it's a Cooking Light Recipe, maybe frozen yogurt is more "appro-po".

Flu fighting - Spicy Chicken Broth with Tortillas, Avocado and Lime

2008-01-31T21:31:00.000-06:00

J the BF has been spending way too much time on planes this month. He called me before getting on a plane home from San Francisco to warn me that he'd be coming home with a touch of flu. I decided to have a steaming pot of chicken soup waiting for him on arrival.

At some point, I ripped out a recipe for Spicy Chicken Broth with Tortillas, Avocado and Lime from an issue of the now defunct Cargo Magazine (a bible for male consumerism - Rest In Peace Cargo - Men's Vogue is just not an acceptable replacement - who would admit to reading "Men's Vogue" anyway?). Despite the use of 2 jalapeños, the heat is very mild in this sunny alternative to regular chicken soup.

Though Cargo is dead, you can find the recipe posted here on the hbomb blog. Use a mesquite seasoned rotisserie chicken to shave off some prep time and get a little smoky flavor into the soup.

Im Off My Rocker Betty Crocker

2008-01-23T21:58:00.001-06:00

Too busy working to post the latest news from my kitchen, so instead I'm going to post a video that proves that even potty-mouth Teen boys love Betty Crocker.

Spicy Turkey Tacos - Making do with what I've got

2008-01-16T22:01:00.000-06:00

I had originally planned to pick up dinner on the way home so that I could focus my time on working on some overdue projects rather than spilling what's left of my daily life force into a skillet. Knowing that I had some 2 month old ground turkey that I had been thawing from suspended animation in my fridge for the last 2 days, I realized I had better get that stuff cooked up before it crossed over.

I originally planned to make Chili, but I had that on Sunday at a friend's house. Desparate, I raided my pantry and found a can of El Pato Chile Fresco de arbol (spicy mexican style tomato sauce), some corn tortillas, and a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes. Taco night? Why not - here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1lb Lean Ground Turkey
1 can El Pato Chile Fresco de Arbol
1 14.75 oz can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (Muir Glenn are my favorite) - Drained
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp Mexican Hot Chile Powder
1 tsp Cumin

20 Corn Tortillas
Chopped fresh baby spinach or arugula
Reduced fat shredded mexican blend cheese (cheddar, jack, asadero)
Fresh chopped onion and cilantro if desired.

Process:
1) Brown the meat well for about 6 - 8 minutes in large non-stick saute pan at medium-high heat stirring frequently. When half-done, sprinkle with salt, oregano, chile powder and cumin.
2) When all pink is cooked out of meat, drain on paper towels
3) Return meat to hot skillet. Add tomatoes and chile fresco. Stir and reduce heat to low medium - simmer for 6 - 8 minutes stirring frequently.
4) Heat Tortillas according to package directions - keep warm
5) Pile one tortilla on top of a second warmed tortilla. Spoon in turkey filling and top with fresh greens, cheese or other toppings as desired.

Makes 8 - 10 hearty tacos. Be sure to double stack the torillas - unless you like juicy bits of turkey and tomato sauce dripping down your arms.

Mango Batida - Cachaça your fruit, folks.

2008-01-12T14:40:00.001-06:00

Mango Batida, originally uploaded by Samer Farha.

Stumbled onto this through an image on TasteSpotting (gotta give props).

I love mango cocktails - especially sweet spicy one's like my beloved Mango Mariachi Margarita from Bar Abilene. This one (Mango Batida) looks good as well. If you don't stock Cachaça in your bar, you should.

Recipes that feel you? Cookthink.com

2008-01-10T18:29:00.001-06:00

Ran across this tidbit in my Springwise email:
http://www.springwise.com/media_publishing/personalized_cooking_recipes_m/

This site Cookthink has yet another way to search and serve up recipes - by how you feelin' and what your cravin'. Right now I'm haggard and quickly loosing motivation to keep working tonight - what does Cookthink suggest?

Well, I browsed some tag clouds based on mood and selected "energizing, restorative, decadent and pampering" and got: "Spicy Penne with Shrimp and Mint"

The scary thing is, that sounds really good to me - and I think I have everything at home to make it. Maybe there is something to this . . .

Giving up on Hazan's Salmoriglio

2008-01-09T22:46:00.000-06:00

While sailing in the Bahamas over the winter vacation, I was wedded to a beat-up September issue of Food & Wine that was all about Italian. My neighbor has been re-gifting her issues of Food & Wine as well as her Bon Apetite mags to me under the thinly guised hope that I'll cook and invite her over to feast on my labor - hasn't happened quite yet but it's just a matter of time . . .

While several items piqued my curiosity, I was most eager to try a simple treatment for fish courtesy of Marcella Hazan (who is supposedly THE expert on Italian cooking in the US - I've frankly never heard of her, but what do I know?)

This Marinated Fish with Salmoriglio Sauce sounded really good and absurdly simple. Just salt the fish and sprinkle with olive oil, lemon juice and bread crumbs. Then make a basic sauce with fresh herbs, lemon juice, butter and olive oil. After two failed attempts, I've determined that the recipe is flawed in several ways (softened butter will not combine with lemon juice in a mini food processor on it's own for one).

Although with some fight, I was able to pulse in the olive oil and get an acceptable sauce, it occurred to me that this "Salmoriglio" sauce is just butter and olive oil - which separates into this gross grease when poured over hot fish. It's a big fat mess so I did something that is rare for me - I threw the recipe away. I'm moving on to the Gianduja Mousse from that same issue as soon as I can get the time to make it . . . I'm betting for an experience to reignite my passion for Italian.

What else ya gonna do with 2 sticks of butter? Chocolate Hazelnut Gooey Butter Cakes

2007-12-20T22:55:00.000-06:00

Back down South, they love love love Paula Deen. My mother bought me a set of "The Lady and Sons" cookbooks and I could feel my arteries hardening just reading the table of contents. Despite the health consequences, I agree with Paula that "butter makes it better" so I couldn't resist playing with this recipe from her for "Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes."

She offers that you can easily swap out the cake mix base or the filling ingredients. I took her peanut butter suggestion and made my own variation with Nutella (the hazelnut cocoa goo that stole my heart in college - a jar of that and a loaf of bread was the ultimate broke student luxury). To make it extra decadent, I used a Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate Supermoist cake mix and threw in a healthy pinch of ancho chile powder into the cream cheese filling. About a jar of the Nutella stands in for the can of pumpkin in the original recipe.

I think they are supposed to be served warm, but I like to chill them over night and bring 'em up to room temp before serving. They are like cream cheese brownies on speed. It's a fitting end to my holiday baking. I'm now fat enough to float in case I fall off the boat during my sailing vacation in the Bahamas for Christmas.

Betty Crocker

2007-12-19T23:18:00.001-06:00

This video is called Betty Crocker, but . . .

Yeah, I dunno.

Sip and Slurp: History of Breweries in Minnesota - great MPR story

2007-12-19T07:50:00.000-06:00

Sip and Slurp: History of Breweries in Minnesota - great MPR story

New England Clam Chowder that won't make you rounder

2007-12-17T22:57:00.000-06:00

I found a clam chowder recipe that has got the rich taste of my quasi-mother-in-law's version without the heart-stopping pound of bacon that starts the soup and hangs out for the entire ride. J the BF liked it so much, he had to rat me out to his mother (which he promised not to do). No worries - now she is demanding my recipe.

This version is one of the many re-formulations that Cooking Light has been publishing recently where they are taking older recipes and updating them to get more flavor into the dish while keeping many of the nutritional stats in check. It's amazing what a little bacon can do for you.

Homemade in a Hurry - Cake Mix Cookies

2007-12-15T09:48:00.000-06:00

Call me Southern and old fashion, but I never like to show up at someone's home for a party without a hostess gift of some-sort. Usually I stick with a nice bottle of wine, but around the holidays, homemade treats seem more appropriate - but don't fit well with my rush/rush always late lifestyle unless I work ahead.

For a potluck dinner party, I had prepared some smokey mac & cheese the day before and was heating it in the oven before leaving for the event. I got the whim to whip up some warm, fresh baked cookies to bring as a hostess gift - could I do it in 20 minutes with no cookie mix in the house? No problem . . .

Found this recipe for Easy Cake Mix Cookies and I happened to have a box of yellow cake mix in my cabinet that I was never going to use. Threw that in a bowl with some flour, eggs, and oil and I had a batter. Chocolate chips? I thought I had some, but someone must have pilfered them in a chocolate fit, so I substituted a box of chocolate covered cashews that had been re-gifted to me from a work colleague. I made half a dozen monster-size cookies (instead of the dozens of puny ones called for by the recipe from this batter. I slide the cookie sheet into the oven next to the heating mac&cheese. They end up a little bit like muffin tops - very tasty. 20 minutes from start to finish - I never need to go gift-less again!

Macadamia Crusting Mahi Mahi with Alton Brown

2007-12-11T22:17:00.000-06:00

Even with an absurdly short 22 minute workout on the elliptical machine, I got a chance to watch some "Good Eats" - a show I used to hate, but for which I have recently acquired a new appreciation. The fact that the host, Alton Brown, lives in Atlanta is of special appeal to me - he seems to come from good redneck stock.

Anyway . . . . In a recently broadcast show on nuts (Alton swears by cashews, pistachios and Macadamia nuts as the best for cooking due to their neutral flavors) he demonstrates an intriguing method for doing nut crusted roast fish. He actually partially roasts the fish for 5 minutes before pressing the crust onto the fish - something I never would have considered doing. I'm making a point to check out this recipe for Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi next time I'm feeling a little fishy.

Torta Barozzi - Total Chocolate Extreme

2007-12-10T21:27:00.000-06:00

J the BF signed me up for a Splendid Table newsletter after becoming an avid listener to their weekly podcast. You would think that me being the foodie freak in the house, I would have already been a longtime fan of the self proclaimed radio show (hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper) for "people who love to eat." Instead I resisted getting caught up in yet another piece of media I didn't have time to consume - no matter how fascinating the subject matter. Having it thrust upon me so forcibly made me even more resistant. One recipe changed it all - the Torta Barozzi.

Torta Barozzi is a flourless chocolate cake that has its roots in northern Italy. One evening while waiting for friends at a local bar, I was cleaning out the inbox on my BlackBerry and I came across a "Baker's Chronicles" edition of the Splendid Table email that told the story of this mysterious dessert that was the very embodiment of chocolate in all it's dark glory. I've cooked it 3 times in the last month in a quest for chocolate Nirvana. I've come pretty damn close by following Kasper's tips to use only the highest quality chocolates (Scharffen Berger varieties work well) and being sure not to over-cook the cake. It is meant to be fudgey and moist in the middle. The instructions say to serve at room temp, but if you've been storing in the fridge, nuke a slice for about 15 - 20 secs until it is just about to melt - it's rated-R-good.

The original recipe doesn't seem to be on the Splendid Table site, but is available in Kasper's cookbook, The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food. Some dude also posted it up on Recipezaar. If you make it, don't skimp and get the cheap chocolate - it does make a difference. As for me, the voice of Lynne Rossetto Kasper is now my steady weekly companion for my Sunday work-outs.

White Chili fit for the winter

2007-12-09T22:38:00.000-06:00

Now we are firmly in the cold grasp of another Minnesota winter, I've been relying on hearty soups and stews at least once a week as a good seasonal option to knock the cold out of our bones. I've experimented with a Chipotle Turkey chili with Chocolate and revisited last year's mainstay - a yellow pepper pumpkin soup, but I keep coming back to a modified white chili that satisfies oh-so-well this time of year.

I start with this recipe from eatingwell.com and modify it by replacing one of the cans of diced green chiles with a seeded minced canned chipotle pepper. Don't let anyone tell you that white chili is for lightweights. This one sticks to your ribs and warms you out of your mid-winter stupor.

Yummy alternative to a salad from La Brea Bakery

2007-12-09T22:02:00.000-06:00

Pay attention to the suggested recipes that food products put on their packages. Sometimes, you may discover a new favorite. Case in point is this delicious dish I just assembled per the suggestion on a package of La Brea Rosemary and Olive Oil bread I picked up at my local Rainbow. While the Uptown Rainbow is a unapologetically ghetto grocery store, I have to give them props for stepping up the game in their bakery by selling these great La Brea products. They are great for when I don't feel like getting cleaned out by Lund's (the yuppie grocery down the street) for a decent loaf of bread.

Back when there were above freezing temperatures in the Twin Cities, I cut out a small "recipe" off a round of the La Brea bread suggesting that I serve a few toasted slices topped with chopped watercress tossed with olive oil, lemon, garlic and shaved parmesan cheese. According to the package, it would make "an excellent light lunch when served with a glass of Viognier.

I thought it would be a nice light 1st course to my white chili, so I toasted a couple of thick slices, drizzled with olive oil, under the broiler and served the fresh greens on top. I had to be generous with the salt and pepper on the watercress to get a satisfying result, but the combination of the peppery herbs, salty cheese and crispy rosemary bread brought some much needed sunshine into my dining room in spite of the single-digit temps. Paired with a nicely chilled Pinot Grigio, I was reminded of dining al fresco in Rome - something I haven't done in 7 years, but need to find a way to do again very soon.

Swedish Glögg - a drink that delights and then . . .

2007-12-08T23:47:00.000-06:00

My buddy Joel sought to celebrate his Swedish heritage and the first big snow in the Twin Cities by having folks over for a Glögg party. Glögg (or glugg as it was pronounced by our host) is a traditional Swedish mulled wine loaded with spices, dried fruit, nuts, and if you are naughty enough, a healthy splash of vodka. We hear the test batch had a massive portion of vodka, per the recipe Joel had secured from his family (on a newspaper clipping). The guests, were served a safer reduced-vodka version along with a buffet of crackers, cheeses, sliced sausage and Swedish cookies.

The Glögg tasted like a dark old-world winter evening. Served hot - it's deep and rich with port and brandy, loaded with chopped almonds and raisins and heavy with the flavor of prunes. One sip, and any chill from the single digit weather outside immediately faded from my body. While I can't find a copy of the recipe online that mirrors what we were served (there are tons of options), my cup was full of plump raisins and I swear there were prunes in the recipe somewhere. In fact, this old-world drink (good as it was at the time) can get medieval on your ass after the fact, so I'll pass on adding it to my repertoire for a future holiday menu.

Luckily, the Glögg spell passed in time for us to enjoy the Nortec Collective at the Walker Art Center. A mixture of Norteño and techno (more progressive trance than ambient from what I could tell), their music was great stuff but hard to fully enjoy in a theater setting (several folks in the front row created a dance pit to better enjoy the performance). I was just glad my dancing at my seat was due to the music and not the Glögg.

Consuming Corvina at Salut

2007-11-11T21:40:00.000-06:00

After yet another late-night shopping jaunt in Southdale, we popped in to Salut Bar Americain for dinner. Although I adore their steak sandwich, I had already had a double deluxe Butterburger from Culver's that day, so decided to try something from the seafood menu. Corvina was on offer - not a fish I was familiar with, but I decided to give it a shot.

According to some page on Geocities called "Land of Fish", Corvina is also known as white sea bass and is only found in the pacific. It is a preferred firm white fish for use in making true ceviche. Salut had clearly been buying lots of it lately, because it was all over the menu. I had the "Chez Tomas" version which was crispy seared and then served with a white wine and lemon sauce with portabello mushrooms - delicious treated this way. The crust on the fish had an almost grainy texture, but the fish itself was very mild, but substantial. It paired well with the "good" house wine of Fume Blanc. Glad to meet you Corvina - we'll be getting together again soon, I'm sure.

Strange sights & great eats at Sanctuary

2007-11-11T21:12:00.000-06:00

My boss raved to me about the food at Sanctuary, but warned me that "the guy clearly didn't have much $$ to put into decor" so I should be sure not to judge the place on initial impressions. I was taking a prospective employee out for dinner, so I was a little nervous about trying a new place and potentially putting a cloud around this guy's interviews with us the next day. Trusting my boss's taste in food, I took the risk and am glad I did.

Sanctuary occupies one of those new buildings that have popped up near the Guthrie on Washington. The evolution of this neighborhood, with a spate of new condos, restaurants and office spaces, seems to be in full-spite of the horrid Metrodome that continues to cast its shadow over that area of town.

Upon entry, my dinner guest and I were greeted by an enthusiastic short bearded man in what looked like a tux who made very showy and pointed gesticulations of welcome as he showed us to our table. As he swept away, I was wondering where the floor show would occur. From the ceilings hung oddly traditional chandeliers that flirted heavily with kitsch and the place was furnished with high-back antique-y looking chairs that looked like they were swept from an Ozzy Osbourne estate sale. We were seated next to the very chatty bar at the back of the dining room, which was more comfortable then the mostly empty front area where we passed only one dining party of 6 young folks happily noshing amazing looking dishes and drinking wine.

Strangeness aside, it was a great meal. We both started with the carnival squash soup with truffle mouse and pasilla oil. It was exquisitely sweet, earthy and just a touch of spice to warm us out of the cold fall stupor we were in. I went decadent on the entree and opted for a surf&turf special of beef tenderloin with poached lobster in this indescribably good sauce. My life would be so much more complete if I got more lobster. We shared a massive serving of the pumpkin bread pudding with cinnamon ice cream and jalapeño maple sauce (compliments of the house as a thanks for stopping in). The two of us couldn't finish it, but only because of the sensory overload. It was terribly enjoyable and satisfying. Those tables should have been full on a Thursday night, so if you have not been to Sanctuary - go!

Big wiener at women's roller derby

2007-10-22T14:37:00.001-05:00

There is something that is very wrong, but oh so right about selling massive hot dogs at a women's roller derby match. The Minnesota Rollergirls put the hurt on at Roy Wilkins about once a month so check 'em out and get the jumbo dog with a PBR.

Vietnamese ice coffee at Slanted Door

2007-10-13T17:39:00.000-05:00

@ the Slanted Door in the San Francisco ferry building, they serve you a mini brew of coffee dripping into a cup of sweetened condensed milk with a glass of ice on the side so you are getting the freshest ice coffee possible.

Brunchin' with myself @ 17th ST Cafe

2007-10-06T11:15:00.001-05:00

I love croissants. I heart them even more stuffed with eggs, bacon, avocado, and cheese with unlimited mimosas on an sunny morning in DC. I am enjoying a brunch with myself at the 17th St Cafe before returning to Minneapolis this afternoon. The service is a bit spacy, but the people watching is excellent. Food is good too, but everything tastes better with sunshine and champagne.

Drumstick please!

2007-10-04T15:07:00.001-05:00

This was a cup of 'drumstick' flavor ice cream that I bought from a little coffee and treats stall in the Longworth Congressional office building in DC. It was so good I couldn't get the picture taken before I ate it. We should deconstruct flavors and experiences from our childhood ilke this more often.

According to the Edy's website - it is only available May - Aug, so if you see it, stock up!

Spicing up that leftover pork tenderloin a la cauliflower

2007-09-24T21:32:00.001-05:00

pork_tenderloin.jpg, originally uploaded by Cookthinker.

Those folks at Hormel know how to do a number on a piece of meat. They pump those pre-seasoned pork tenderloins with so much stuff, you just can't mess 'em up unless you fail to cook them long enough. Nevertheless, I had half of a peppercorn-spiced variety leftover from the weekend. I had perfectly grilled it on Saturday, so I didn't want to ruin it by nuking it for my Monday meal. It probably would have taken to the microwave just fine, but I wanted to preserve that tender juicy texture as much as possible so it wouldn't "taste" like leftovers.

Getting inspiration from Emeril, of all people, who I had watched earlier in the evening doing a fascinating treatment for cauliflower involving a hot pan, olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and lemon, I decided that may be a good option for my leftover tenderloin.

I cut the meat into into 1 inch thick medallions while heating a couple of turns of olive oil, three cloves of crushed garlic and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper. I added the medallions and sprinkled them with dried Italian seasoning. After they were heated through (about 6 minutes), I turned off the heat and squeezed the juice of half of lemon over the meat to tame the spice and add some citrus. The result was fork tender, more rounded in spice profile and seriously succulent.

Served with some gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce (a frozen emergency meal life-saver from Trader Joe's) and a simple green salad tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and it was a painless elegant meal on the table in 20 minutes. I even had a cheap French Bordeaux from TJ as well to top it off. Who says you can't live large on a Monday night?

Sweet Action in a Kettle of Fish

2007-09-20T09:26:00.001-05:00

Steps away from the infamous Stonewall Inn in New York is a comfy neighborhood pub called Kettle of Fish. With low ceilings, dartboards, and a cluster of comfy worn in brown sofas, it's like hangin' in your buddy's basement rec room.

Tried a Sixpoint "Sweet Action" ale and it a was indeed a "sweet" experience. Slightly sweet and bitter with a good structure. This was listed on a beer menu written in marker on a sheet of paper taped to the bar, so I don't think it is broadly available.

Curry casserole - a Thai hot-dish

2007-09-20T08:45:00.000-05:00

How could I possibly resist something so intriguing on a Thai restaurant's specialties list as a "curry casserole". While in NYC for business, a buddy of mine took me to his favorite Thai place in Chinatown where I got to experience this eastern take on a staple in middle American homes.

It was layered squid, shrimp, fish and other "seafood" in a thick curry spiked sauce. Paired with coconut rice, it was quite good. If I get the name of the place from my friend, I will pass it along..

While I'm promoting my professional projects . . thegoodfoodfight.com

2007-09-17T23:25:00.000-05:00

I've briefly opened the door to my commercial pursuits here, so I'll go ahead and post one more work-related piece of content and then back to bite&chew as normal.

One of my sites, eatbetteramerica.com is seeking to inject a little fun into learning how to eat healthier. To that end, we've created thegoodfoodfight.com

If I tell you too much more, it kind of ruins it, but it's a mess - in a good way.

Calypso Shrimp - don't mess with Betty!

2007-09-13T22:23:00.000-05:00

Work is clearly starting to overtake me, as I'm cooking recipes off the sites I manage for a living. I don't fit into the standard audience profile for these properties, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't take my own medicine now and then.

I ended the day like many of my consumers wondering "what do I make for dinner". Knowing I had a pound of shrimp in the freezer, I pulled up this recipe for Calypso Shrimp. I should have just trusted Betty and followed the recipe, but I had to start mucking with it by switching out the Old El Paso salsa for a spicy mango habenero variety because I wanted more hot & sweet in the citrus bean salsa (didn't work - dish needed the salt of a traditional mild chunky tomato salsa to counter-balance the sweetness of the oranges). I also, on a whim, picked up some imitation lobster meat that was on sale and mixed that in with the shrimp. Big mistake. The crap cooked down, shredded up and basically ruined the dish. The shrimp themselves, however, were very nice!

Sorry Betty, sometimes I can take your stuff up a notch, but I over-reached this time.

Crema's Hidden Magic

2007-09-10T22:29:00.000-05:00

Summer in the Twin Cities is coming to an end and we have many reasons to be a bit down about that. Not the least of which being that I only recently discovered Crema. I've driven past the place a million times, but assumed it was simply an over-done ice-cream joint. With the summer being very short here, I never found time to go check it out.

We walked down one particularly warm evening after reading an article in our local neighborhood paper about their unusual featured flavors like olive oil and other unexpected things in addition to more traditional varieties. I tried their signature "crema" flavor which was suggestive of a iced latte. After grabbing our ice cream, we walked out to the alley dining area and discovered one of the most romantic spaces I've scene in Minneapolis.

In addition to the kitschy lights, there was a babbling fountain and selective foliage interspersed with intimate candle-lit tables and the open sky above. Apparently you can get a limited dinner menu there as well, but we were hard pressed to figure out what that menu was (seemed to be a secret that was only available by request). The ice cream itself was very good by the way.

20.21 - A dinner that stares back

2007-09-10T21:47:00.000-05:00

Earlier this summer, I took a potential employee for my company to Wolfgang Puck's 20.21 at the Walker Art Center for a pre-interview-day dinner. I enjoyed my last meal at 20.21 and I have enjoyed the Puck cuisine at other restaurants, so it seemed to be a safe bet.

My last visit to 20.21 was with J the BF on a very crowded Saturday night. I forget what we were celebrating, but I've been reminded several times since that my ADD that night which seemed to keep pulling my eyes toward the wait staff, as opposed to my BF was not at all appreciated. Besides his irritation, I remember that the place was too loud & chaotic, the tables too small for the elaborate dishes (requiring most of the items to be plated by the servers at the table to prevent disasters) and the food was superb.

This time, it was Wednesday and it was business, so I expected the scene to be less chaotic, but the food equally superb. If I failed to give my dining companion proper attention, it wouldn't be perpetually thrown back in my face. After embarrassing myself getting us lost in the museum trying to find the bloody restaurant, we got in and were seated in a prime location in the signature window overlooking the Downtown vista hovering over the busy street below.

I started with my favorite dish, the crispy calamari salad - perfectly crisp tender bites of calamari over a fresh blend of greens tossed with a sweet/spicy chili sauce that is intoxicating. We ran through a few more mediocre dishes before being greeted by the grotesque disappointment of a whole crispy sea bass. Somehow, they managed to fry any flavor out of the fish to the point that even the fish looked shocked. The server was nice enough to take away the carcass and it's horrified stare before we labored to complete the meal. I fear that 20.21 is moving into that realm of places with great cocktails and tasty apps, but I'm not going to risk the $$s on the main dishes again any time soon.

Shamed into continuity

2007-09-10T21:41:00.001-05:00

I have been informed by J the BF that if I intend to continue to embarrass him in fine restaurants by taking pictures of my meal with my Blackberry, then I am required to continue to blog.

Bite & Chew continues . . . .

Pork Frites @ Salut

2007-08-18T22:02:00.001-05:00

Salut Bar Americain is usually our Saturday post shopping celebration of excess. This time, there was no shopping - just a hunger for good meat and fries.

I wasn't in the mood to blow a $40 wad on steak so I opted for the pork chop frites. Served with this delicious spicy blood orange glaze with enough on the bottom to slop the fries, it was heaven. If you just need meat and potatoes, this is the way to do it folks.

Montreal - The French out there . . . La Chaumiere du Village - St. Agathe des Mon

2007-08-16T21:20:00.000-05:00

We capped off our vacation to Montreal with a weekend in the Laurentian mountains north of the city at a quaint, but slightly quirky gay B&B. For our first night in the mountains, we returned to a great little French restaurant in the little town of Saint Agathe Des Monts simply named La Chaumiere du Village.

While the building itself suggested a converted 1950s home, the food itself was remarkable. 3 of our party of 4 started with a puff pastry appetizer featuring chicken-like wild mushrooms, white and grey shallots (who know there was such a thing) in a creamy white wine sauce sandwiched within a tongue tingling pastry studded with cracked black pepper. The server/pastry shelf, a spry petite little elderly woman who hovered over us throughout the night was tickled to see our delight in her creation.

After a refreshing "gourmand pause" of lime sherbet floating in a shot of gin or vermouth (it was difficult to tell), I was treated to a main course of flank steak paired with a sweet-smoked red wine reduction. I love grilled flank steak, but i struggle to keep from over-cooking it. This was among the best I had ever tasted and the sauce was a work of art unto itself.

Herkimer has got Gose

2007-08-15T21:21:00.001-05:00

If you are in the twin cities, go to Herkimer and get the Gose. It is a cross between a Belgian Wit and a Berliner according to the menu. I'm not sure what that means, but it's good stuff and very distinctive. Maybe it was the orange slice garnish, but to me it's sort of like Blue Moon, if it went to the dark side.