restaurant review – cafe maude

The following post is written by Featured Contributor, Liza.

 

A few weeks ago we went out for a grown-up dinner (this only happens a few times a year in our worlds right now) with our BF’s  to celebrate Matt’s Birthday.  Here are the BF’s Matt and Heather, aren’t they adorable?

Heather and I were brainstorming about places we would like to try and she suggested Cafe Maude.  I had heard great things about it and was excited to try it.  Here is a pic of the hubs and myself.

Here are the deets…

Atmosphere – We had made reservations and thank goodness we did because it was PACKED!  The vibe is very dark, cozy and warm; very bistro like.  Highly recommend making reservations especially since this was a Friday night.

Service – This is our big complaint.  Our server was definitely a bit slow.  We ordered several small plates that we shared and the time between courses was too long.  Not sure who to blame here the server or the kitchen staff?

Drinks – Their drink list was pretty fabulous.  Being the pregnant one, I opted for a mocktail – the strawberry starlight.  It was very refreshing and delish.  Matt order a margarita…ok maybe a couple.  This was a big deal as he typically orders something much more girly like a cosmpolitan =)  Heather drank the Natasha which was a blackberry cosmo.  The hubs ordered the Double Double.  The title says it all as it is heavy on the scotch and all you need is one.  Ever since traveling to Scotland last year he has become a real scotch lover and this didn’t disappoint.  He was toasty in no time.

Food – We started with hoisin spare ribs, grilled asparagus and house cut fries.  They were all delish but the spare ribs were superb!  Now I am not typically a rib kind of girl (I know, I know…) but these were AMAZING.  Seriously, I could have eaten a whole plate by myself.

Then we moved onto grilled hanger steak and mac and cheese.  Rob and Matt have a serious love for mac and cheese so this was a must order.  It was good with a lot of lemon in it which was surprising but we decided we liked it.  The steak was great as well, it really melted in your mouth.
The mac and cheese went so fast that we ordered another bowl and another order of fries (because the pregnant lady was craving them – therefore no questions asked).  However had we known it would have taken so long to arrive, we probably would have just skipped it for dessert.

It being a birthday of course we had to have dessert. Again Cafe Maude didn’t disappoint.  Matt and Heather ordered the milk and cookies.  It was a HUGE platter, more than enough to share.  And the milk was melted vanilla bean ice cream.  It was awesome.  Rob and I shared the hazelnut chocolate torte – it was ok, nothing to write home about though.

Overall Experience – It was a great night with awesome company.  The food was good and we would for sure go back.  Though for us it is more of a celebratory occasion kind of place but for some it could appeal even on a weeknight.

Have you been to Cafe Maude?  What was your experience like?

a little bit of blog love

This weekend was pretty dang awesome. How was yours?

Apparently I needed to complain about my spring training for it to turn around. Willa and I had a fantastic 10 mile run on Saturday that was really key to get both us back into being enthusiastic about training. The 50 degree and sunny weather was key in our spirit lifting run. Yay for spring!

In addition to the great run, I also helped out at a Triathlon 101 clinic put on by Trinona (I’m completely biased, but this is the best triathlon MN has to offer). It is so fun to see newbies to the sport. They are so excited/nervous/anxious and are so fun to talk to.

I also got a much needed massage, finished the taxes and managed to relax with Brette. And as I write this, I’m enjoying pizza (sans meat and cheese) and some red wine. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect weekend.

I thought it would be fun to share with you some recipes and articles that caught my eye recently on other blogs. In addition to reading cookbooks and multiple cooking magazines, I read a LOT of food blogs. It’s a little ridiculous. There is just so much great content out there. So here are a few things you might like.

Articles

• Dana (from Dana Treat) did a great post on the Vegetarian Dilemma trying to figure out “why does it feel like the perception of vegetarianism is stuck in the 1970’s?” I agree with her thoughts.
• Jennie (from In Jennie’s Kitchen) wrote a great piece on the obligation to eat locally and organically if you can. I couldn’t agree more. Included is a yummy looking recipe for a french onion tart.
• Matt (from No Meat Athlete) recently went vegan and posted his grocery list and his thoughts on vegan junk food. He posted this right after Willa’s post on the “What do you eat?” question. Kind of funny.
• Speaking of No Meat Athlete, contributor Susan Lacke did a review of some Pear iZUMi apparel and shoes. Part of the post included a giveaway for a pair of Pear iZUMi shoes of your choice. Guess who won? Yep, that would be me. I’m supper pumped. I’m trying the isotranisitions which will make me super fast in the duathlon I’m doing in May.
• Gena (from Chosing Raw) did a very interesting guest post on JL goes Vegan on the ethics of being a vegan. This angle was not why I’m doing vegan lent, but I thought it was very well written and thought provoking.

Recipes

• I’ve been making Emily’s (from the Daily Garnish) Homemade Energy Drink for every long run and I feel so much better about making my own than buying Gatorade. Plus, it’s delish. I prefer to use grape juice in mine, but I’m sure any juice would work.
• Heidi (from 101 Cookbooks) is responsible for my absolute favorite recipe for tempeh to date. Brette loves it too. It’s quick, easy and delicious.
• I can’t wait to make these no bake vegan date squares from Angela at Oh She Glows. I have a serious crush on medjool dates.

 

That’s a good list for now. If this is something you like, I’d be happy to post links to things I find interesting more often…just let me know.

 

What have you been reading lately that you found thought provoking or appetite arousing?

restaurant review: ecopolitan

I’ve been aware of the uptown restaurant Ecopolitan for quite some time. I always wrote it off as “way to hippy for me”. I knew they were a raw vegan restaurant and to me that was scary.

Meghan has been trying to get me to go there for awhile and somehow I managed not to schedule that gathering. However, with vegan lent , I knew it was bound to happen. So, Meghan, Willa and I (the MN vegan lent briggade) made a date to go check it out.

Ecopolitan is more than just a restaurant. It is also a Juice Bar, Wine bar and an Eco-shop. It’s a non-profit organization which promotes Eco-Raw Living, which according to their web site is an “educated lifestyle that harmonizes health science, nutrition, ecology, and community to promote a sustainable future on Earth” They provide many different Health Services, “uncooking” classes, lectures, eco-stay retreats and more.  You can check out their website for more details, as I’m going to just focus on the food.

Meghan had eaten there before and couldn’t say enough about it. As a long time vegetarian, she loves that she can order anything on the menu without haveing to ask for modifications. I totally get that. I, however, was still skeptical. Mainly that I was going to stick out as a sore thumb.

So, how did it go?

Pretty well, actually. I’m not saying that I’m going to be going there on a weekly basis, but overall, the experience was better than I expected. The company helped, of course.

So, let me break this down….

Atmosphere: Ecopolitan is in an old house so that’s kind of cute. The two front rooms serve as the dining room and the kitchen and pre-made items and smoothie bar are in the back. The table and chairs reminded me of what I picked up at a garage sale to furnish my first apartment, but they seemed to fit well for this place. It was full the whole time we were there (on a Monday), but it wasn’t overly loud. It definitely has a laid back vibe.

Service: Here’s where they lost me. Our waitress was very nice and gave excellent recommendations. Can you sense a but coming your way? It’s a big one. Everything there literally moves at a snails pace. Maybe that’s supposed to be part of the charm, but it did not work on me. It took forever to get our main courses. In fact, in total our meal took 2 1/2 hours – and it wasn’t because we were gabbing away like crazy…it just took that long to get our food. What doesn’t make sense to me about this is that this is a RAW restaurant. Meaning – they didn’t have to actually cook my food, just assemble it. And, it seemed like many of the components of our dishes were likely made ahead of time. So, what gives? Does this laid back vibe mean slow-mo in the kitchen? Apparently. I probably wouldn’t mind had it been a Friday or Saturday night. But it was a Monday and I turn into a pumpkin at 9 p.m., so this really got on my nerves.

Food:

The food was tasty and very different. I really want you to be able to see what it looked like, but my photos are horrible. I’m going to show them to you anyway so you get the gist. Apparently the cough and cold I was suffering from made me forget the basic functions of a camera.

We ordered the Cashew “Cheese” Log for an appetizer. Here is the description: Rolled in sun-dried tomatoes, olives, & fresh basil. Served with balsamic onions & flax crackers. It tasted a lot like a vegetable cream cheese spread and it was pretty tasty with the flax crackers. I would have never known it was made with cashews.

We each ordered a different entree so we could all sample a few things.

My dish was the favorite of the evening and was a recommendation of our waitress:

ECO-SAUSAGE PIZZA – Macadamia-cashew “cheese”, walnut eco-sausage, bell pepper, marinated mushrooms, onion, & ginger marinara sauce.

It was so good and tasted and smelled a heck of a lot like pizza. If I go back, I’ll be ordering that again.

Meghan had the next best at the table:

PESTO PASTA – Pine nut pesto on zucchini noodles with tomato, bell pepper, marinated mushrooms, & walnuts. Served on balsamic- vinaigrette-dressed spinach.

The zucchini noodles were very fun and came with a lot less guilt than a pile full of pasta and we all really enjoyed the dish. It had plenty of flavor….thought not as much as my pizza.

Then there was Willa’s dish:

NOT-CHO “CHEESE” PLATE – Pine nut “cheese” on greens with bell pepper, cucumber, marinated mushrooms, onion, cilantro, cashew “sour cream,” & hot sauce. Served with eco-chips.

I think we were all most intrigued about this dish. It is served over kale so to me it looked more like a salad with a few chips on the side. More chips would’ve been welcomed at the table. My main issue with the dish was the spice. Now, I know I’m a wuss when it comes to spice, but I have gotten so much better the past few years. This, however, was way to much for me. One bite was all I could handle. Willa, the who has the ability to eat habaneros as a snack, didn’t have a problem with the spice, but it wasn’t her (or Meghan’s) favorite either. I don’t think any of us would order it again.

While we were eating we saw a gigantic sundae-type dish come out, so we immediately asked about it and then ordered it. Eating a raw food meal I think automatically means you get dessert.

We did check out the pre-made desserts in the case, but nothing really looked that great. Plus, I think we were sold on the sundae as soon as we saw it.

The parfait was whipped frozen bananas and strawberries that were served in a glass coated with a coconut-date spread and nuts. We all really liked it, but weren’t necessarily blown away. You could make something just as tasty (and maybe better) at home following this recipe as your base.

So, what’s the overall opinion?

Some may find it a bit spendy compared to other restaurants (my two pieces of pizza were $15), but they used quality ingredients so that certainly didn’t bother me at all.

I think if you are a vegetarian or vegan you will love this place and appreciate the options. You might like it on a more regular basis. I think it’s an interesting experience for others to try as well – especially if you’re an adventuresome eater. I would go back if invited, but because of the sloooooowwwwww service, I won’t be running there every week. Though if Meghan figures out how to make their pizza at home, I would be really happy.

I also realized I’m far from anyone giving me a “hippy” label, but I can happily be a guest among them.

Have you been to Ecopolitan or a similar type restaurant? What did you think?

restaurant review: travail

It’s been 10 days since I dined at Travail and I still haven’t stopped thinking about it. Before I get into any details, you must know that it was the coolest dining experience I’ve had here in the twin cities. Hands down.

But, let me back up.

Three different people told me about this restaurant before I dined there. None of those people had dined there either – they had just heard about it and thought it sounded like a place I would like. In fact my friend Emily insisted I go immediately and blog about it ASAP. She doesn’t mess around so I got it on the calendar.

A few things to know about Travail.

1. They don’t take reservations (which I find slightly annoying with any restaurant).

2. They are in Robbinsdale.

3. Everyone is talking about them.  Rick Nelson loved it, they made many best-of lists for 2010, and most recently, chefs Mike Brown and James Winberg are up for Food and Wine’s The People’s Best New Chef 2011. Not too shabby.

We don’t venture out into the burbs for dining out often, much less to Robbinsdale, but with all this hype and friend’s to repay for dog sitting, we set a date.

We went on a Thursday at 6 p.m. I arrived at 5:55 and snagged the last table for 4. There were still plenty of bar seats available that overlooked the extremely open kitchen.

I was greeted by one of the chef’s who obliged my request for something hot (it was 5 below outside!) by bringing me a mug of hot water with lemon. In his words, it was “hotter than sh!t – please be careful”.

After Brette and our dates, Meghan and Tommy arrived, we ordered a bottle of wine and asked for an overview of the menu (which is only up on a big chalkboard – nothing printed).

Our waiter (who is also the chef – everyone is one in the same) strongly suggested the tasting menu for two because it’s always different and always awesome. They agreed to do a vegetarian tasting for Meghan and Tommy and Brette and I went with the traditional meat version. Did I mention that this was a 10-course tasting menu? And that it was $60 per couple? Deal of the century.

Okay, before I start gushing about the food, let me mention a few things that I think our important.

The atmosphere was cozy, quaint and hip. There was a buzz, but we didn’t have to shout. As I mentioned, the kitchen is open – in fact, right in front. I loved being able to watch them in action.

I had heard mixed reviews on the service. We didn’t have any issues with the service. There are literally 10 chefs in the kitchen. Whoever makes your dish brings it out to you and explains it in great detail (and with great pride). There was only one extended pause between courses, but it was a welcome break for our stomachs. Plus the course they brought out next was one of the most amazing visually – I’m sure it took some time.

The chefs themselves were young, bearded (Brette was fascinated by this, of course) and looked like they were having a ball.

Based on the food that was delivered to our table, fun = fabulous.

There was not a course that we didn’t enjoy. Our least favorites were still good. How awesome is that?

So, I’m going to share with you some of our most favorites. To go through all 20 courses that came across the table would be a bit much. Not to mention time-consuming for this chic.

We will start with the meat-eating team.

This dish started as a bowl with a soft-boiled egg that had been fried along with some other crispy goodness and then they poured potato leek soup over the stop. It was all I could not to dip my face in the bowl. I loved that the egg was fried and that the yolk was still runny. Runny yolks rule! The soup was perfectly seasoned. I think there may have been doling spoons.

What you see here is some steak tartare (in the middle), beef carpaccio (on the side), mustard, cornichons, caper berries, deviled quail egg and the skateboard ramp cracker.  This was the first time either of us had tried steak tartare and we both loved it. The seasoning was super tasty and I loved it with a little bit of mustard.

What is this craziness? This plate included sweet potato puree, cherry sauce, polenta cakes, a large slice of foie gras, sweet potato chips and marshmallow meringue. Think of the sweet potato marshmallow dish from Thanksgiving meets Top Chef. It took Brette a mental leap of faith to eat the foie gras, but once he had all of those flavors together, he was a happy camper. The combo of sweet and savory was in perfect balance. Although, I would’ve had more marshmallow meringues. They just melted in your mouth right along side the foie gras. Well done fellas.

I think this was my favorite plate. They called it the chicken plate. It featured three mini chicken burgers. The chicken served as the bun with the burger in the middle. There was also a very tasty piece of pork belly, a sous vide egg (runny yolk!), farro and brussels sprouts. I loved everything on this plate. This could have been a perfect meal on its own.

For team veggie:

Blue cheese tater tots. Accompanied by a house made ketchup that Meghan could not get enough of. So we asked for more and they happily brought it. I think the ketchup out shined the tots, but what’s not to love about tater tots with blue cheese in them?

The white dish. It was simply beautiful. And very white. Tofu with coconut sauce, and daikon a few different ways. The bite I had was very coconut-y. Therefore, I loved it. So did they.

Is this not the coolest veggie plate you’ve ever seen? The tower in the middle? That’s carrot foam. There are a sea of other seasonal vegetables on the plate as you can see and some peeled grapes. Peeling grapes seems like a thankless job. The presentation on this bad boy was top-notch. Seriously, I thought TV cameras were going to jump out at any second.

This cheese plate was beyond amazing. This would’ve been a meal in itself, but no – just one course. Out of 10. The cheese plate included a goat’s milk brie, a gouda, a cheddar and a camembert. To compliment the cheese, you had your pick of apple butter, pear butter, fig butter, and of course, the skateboard ramp crackers. There was a lot of swooning going on at our table.

And for dessert:

Chocolate mousse, peanut butter mousse, banana ice cream, caramelized bananas and banana bread.  This was a great ending. The peanut butter mousse was my personal favorite, but I think the banana ice cream was the overall winner at the table.

So, those are the highlights. The above represents about half of our meal. The other half was also very good, just not as good as these. We were stuffed to the gills when we left. Can I mention again the at the 10 course tasting menu for 2 is just $60? That is a phenomenal bargain for absolutely amazing food.

Meghan gave them major props for coming up with a vegetarian tasting menu on the fly that was more than just adequate. She was beside herself with glee. Neither of us have stopped talking about it since.

The best part for me is that even though the food is super fancy, Travail does not come off as pretentious or uppity at all. All crowds are welcome as evident by the gentleman that came in a sweatpants and a Carhartt.

If you take good food seriously, go there immediately. Take your time and enjoy. Better yet, take someone with you and order the tasting menu.

If you have been there already, what did you think?

restaurant review: the corner table

Last night, Anne and Pat took us out to celebrate our anniversary. This is a tradition between us. Anne and I were each other’s maid of honor and so we always take the other out for their anniversary. This creates an excuse for us to go try new (or a favorite) restaurant at least twice a year. I love that.

I was even more excited to be going to the Corner Table. It is on my list of food goals for the year and I’ve been reading about it for more than a couple of years. They are known for their commitment to the local food scene and have gotten consistent great reviews from all of the local critics. Chef, Scott Pampuch, is very well regarded and an expert at braising. Who doesn’t like an excellent braise?

Anne attempted to make a reservation, but they only take reservations for groups of 6 or more. So, when we arrived at 7:15, there was a 45 minute wait. What I think is funny about a place that takes limited reservations, is that there is no place to wait. The restaurant is small and unless you want to sit on someone’s lap, there just isn’t a good spot. We opted to go across the street for a pre-dinner coffee and tea. We were trying to figure out the upside to not taking reservations for smaller tables. I have never worked in a restaurant so I don’t know all the insider stuff. Can someone tell me why you wouldn’t want reservations? It wasn’t a deal breaker for us by any means, we are just curious to the reason.

Atmosphere:

We all agreed the atmosphere was great. It was cozy and warm which is appreciated when the temperature is below zero. It was buzzing because it was busy, but we could hear each other just fine. No outdoor voices needed. Brette described it as a cozy South Minneapolis nieighborhood spot. Yep, that about sums it up. I also loved that you could glimpse into the kitchen, that everything was clean, and that there were real towels in the bathroom. It’s the little things.

Service:

Again, top marks. The hostess was very nice and agreed to call us when our table was ready. This wasn’t necessary as we got kicked out of the coffee shop when they closed so we had to go back a bit early. She took our coats, which I thought was a nice touch. Our server was excellent. She was very enthusiastic without being annoying. She stopped by the appropriate number of times and never made us feel rushed. Plus, she had a great explanation of the pork belly dish.

Food:

Amazing. That’s what I’m going with. I know, it’s a bold word, but I really thought my food was amazing.

We started with the nosh plate that included pickled tomatillos, fresh sausage, mustard, apples and crostini. We devoured it. The mustard was my favorite…spread on bread. So good.

Then on the main courses.

Both Pat and I ordered the special. It was a braised rabbit over big house-made noodles, carrots, parsnips and foie gras butter. It was a lot like a chicken noodle soup except so much better. The rabbit was super tasty, the noodles were perfect and the broth was addicting. Neither of us left a drop in our bowl. The next time I have a cold, I would like to eat that. Actually, I’d like to eat it when I don’t have a cold too.

Brette had his fingers crossed that there was a lamb dish on the menu. He was in luck. And, it was fantastic. He graciously offered me a bite and it was very tasty. The lamb was braised and also came with kick butt noodles. I really liked the carrot chips on top.

Anne opted for the pork belly. It came on top of yellow lentil dal and was piled high with seasonal vegetables. Anne was very happy based on her empty plate at the end of the night.

Did you notice that all of the dishes are pretty much the same color? This is not surprising. There is not much ‘in season’ in Minnesota right now. However, root vegetables like carrots and parsnips keep well so it’s no surprise that they were the vegetables on each of our plates. This is not a place where you will find asparagus or heirloom tomatoes in January. They really stick to what’s available. Nice work Corner Table. You made Minnesota winter fresh and tasty.

We loved The Corner Table. We all agreed we would go back (and often). Brette pointed out that it would be a great place to bring out of town guests. It highlights the local farms, a great local chef, and a great neighborhood.

It is tradition when the four of us go out together that we end the evening with ice cream. Even when the temps are beyond frigid, we go for it. Minnesotans are hearty. We headed to Sebastian Joe’s where we had plenty of company. I had the Mounds ice cream and it was one of the best flavors I’ve had there. I restrained from ordering another.

The key to eating ice cream in the winter is to keep your coat on. Brette had the hazelnut. I snuck a lick and that too was good. It tasted just like hazelnuts!

Anne also had the Mounds and Pat went with the chocolate chip….which was gone by the time I took the photo.

It was a great evening. We are so lucky to have great friends who also enjoy good food. Thanks guys!

restaurant review: barrio

This weekend we had the pleasure of dining out with our friends, BK and Carin. They wanted to takes us out as a thank you for watching their dog, Carter. We did not argue or complain, we just asked when and where we should show up.

Barrio in Minneapolis was the pick. They had never been there and Brette and I had just been there once for happy hour and had been wanting to go back ever since.

We had a fabulous time thanks to perfect company and the restaurant itself.

Let me break it down.

Atmosphere:

Carin described it as “moody”. She meant that the atmosphere worked for both a romantic dinner, dinner with friends, or a fun time at the bar. We were seated upstairs which was a bit quieter, but you could still feel the energy from the activity downstairs at the bar. It’s definitely a hip place, but not hip enough where I didn’t fit in.

Service:

I liked our server a lot. He scored major points when he asked us if we thought it was too loud and turned down the music that was blaring  from the speaker right above us.  From there, he gave us plenty of time to chat and make our menu picks. He answered all of our questions and offered suggestions when we asked. When we asked about dessert, the tone he used in his response “we just have churros”, was enough to know what he thought about them. I like that. I don’t want to waste my time (or the calories) on a dessert that isn’t that great.

Food:

Most of the things on the menu are either small plates or tacos. There are about 4 or 5 larger plates that I’m assuming are more entree sized. The small plates makes it easy to order a number of different things to try which is the route we went. I think we all liked everything we ate. There was not one thing that we didn’t finish. Some of the favorites of the table:

• Guacamole with homemade corn tortilla chips. I love that their guacamole has radish slices in it. It adds a different crunch.
• Pork Belly Tacos – both Brette and BK were big fans.
• The Roasted Beet Salad with goat cheese and peanuts. The peanuts were different from the traditional beet salad. I really loved this salad.Like really.
• Sugarcane Skewered Tequila Shrimp – very well cooked and super tasty.
• Crab Empanadas with salsa verde and avocado – I liked these a lot more than I thought I would

Like I said, we liked everything we ate, these are just some of the highlights.

I would be remiss not to mention the drinks. This is a tequila bar for pete’s sake. When in Rome! I opted for the Trinity Margarita and somehow managed to sip it through most of  the meal. I can see where it would be easy to have 3 or 4 of those bad boys. It was limey and delicious. BK tried both the Caesar Chavez (their classic margarita) and the Enter the Dragon (a spicy passion fruit version) and he was happy with both. Brette went with the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – tequila with a tamarind cinnamon cola. He thought it was very tasty and would order it again. Carin, being with child, ordered the Midnight Sun, a tangy blood orange soda. She felt it was missing some tang that it had promised. However, it was nice to have some different non-alcoholic options.

As I mentioned above, the dessert option was not very enthusiastically described. We opted to go down the street to Zelo for some after dinner drinks and dessert. It was a good choice. Between the four of us, we split the Budino (molten chocolate cake with vanilla gelato), the Carmel Apple Crisp, and a Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake. They were all excellent and we nearly licked the plates. I think the Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake was the winner with the table. It was a perfect ending to a fun night out.

I would absolutely recommend Barrio. It is a fun place for happy hour, dinner, or just a nice tequila when nothing else will do.

Have you been to Barrio? What did you think?

3 brief reviews

We spent the long weekend in Duluth and actually dined out twice, so I thought I’d do a brief recap restaurant review here.

Lake Avenue Cafe

Friday night we went to dinner with my brother and sister in law. They had never been to the Lake Ave Cafe; Pat and I had been there once about a year ago. Locals have good things to say about it, and we were pleased with our experience last year. This time though, I wasn’t so impressed. I thought the entrees were a bit overpriced. I ordered the ratatouille. It was fine, but nothing special. It was my first time having ratatouille though, so I have nothing to compare it to. (I have a feeling that Jen’s would be better though!) Pat had the falafel platter and says “it was alright. It was fine.” Brother ordered the coq a vin, which he said was good but that he was still hungry after he was finished. Sister in law ordered the ox tail lasagna and described the dish as “rich and kind of greasy.”

We had a reservation for 8:00pm which was not needed- the place was empty. Could be due to us dining out the evening after Thanksgiving- not sure. For not being at all busy that night, the waitress was a bit inattentive, but that didn’t really bother me. Oh! Shortly after we sat down, the mayor of Duluth and the mayor of Minneapolis (and spouses) were just leaving.

I’d go back, maybe just for drinks and a light meal though.

Zeitgeist Arts Cafe

This place is a pretty sweet addition to downtown Duluth. It’s a restaurant, live performance theater, and movie theater all in one building. We dined at the restaurant Saturday night with some high school friends and their spouses. I thought the atmosphere of the place was great, and our waitress did a good job with our large party and the musical chairs we played after we ordered our drinks. She also comped my friend’s meal after putting in an order for the wrong thing with the kitchen. I hadn’t eaten much all day (except for the delicious turkey soup my mom made for lunch) so I was pretty hungry and decided to go with the prix fixe menu. I went with the parsnip and apple soup as my first course, and thought it was decent- maybe a bit bland. My next course was the mesclun salad, which was nothing special (the dressing seemed like it came from a bottle.) My entree was the pork chop, which can only be described as nearly impossible to cut. This may have been poor ordering on my part (the chef suggested it done medium, and I ordered it medium well) or perhaps it was simply a tough cut of meat, but the pork chop was not too enjoyable, especially with the weird shriveled peach things on top. For dessert I had the chocolate torte, and I liked that. I also liked the deconstructed banana cream pie that others ordered. Most others at our table ordered burgers or sandwiches, and I’d probably go that route next time too. My glass of Malbec was heavenly, I might add. And I’d love to catch a film at the theater sometime.

All in all, yes I’d go back.

Culver’s

We stopped at Culver’s in Forest Lake on our drive back to Minneapolis today. The natives were getting restless so we decided to pick our poison in fast food establishments so as to avert a tantrum/potty accident/hunger meltdown in the backseat. We had cheeseburgers and fries and soft drinks (the kid had milk). The cheese is American. The fries are crinkle. The cola is Pepsi. Not much more to say. I think Culver’s is better than McDonald’s. Is that saying much?

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Last year: Jen recaps Thanksgiving

dual restaurant review: Red Stag Supperclub

She said. She said. was out on the town this past weekend. After months of finding a date that worked, we were finally able to take Anne and Pat out for their 10 year wedding anniversary. 10 years! That is definitely worth celebrating.

Brette and I had been to the Red Stag Supperclub recently and loved it and thought it was perfect for such an occasion. As usual, we’ll break it down for you in terms of atmosphere, service, and of course, the food.

Atmosphere:

Anne says: There was flannel! I would describe the atmosphere as “urban hipster supper-clubby kitschy-casual.” It was darkish, kinda noisy, with lots of activity.

Jen says: I agree with Anne’s description. I loved the supper club feeling, the variety of people and clothing, and the overall vibe.

Service:

Anne says: Our waitress was attentive, friendly, and informative. Gave her opinion on her favorite dish on the menu, which is always appreciated. Let us take our time ordering; we weren’t rushed at all.

Jen says: One thing I really appreciated is that before she gave her opinion on her favorite dishes, she didn’t say, “well, everything is good here”. That bugs me. They did a great job keeping our water glasses full and checking in regularly. On a side note, I loved that you could get still or sparkling water (at no charge) and you indicated your preference by which side of your coaster was flipped up. Bubbly water flowing free? Yes please.

Food:

Anne says: So much on the menu sounded really good. I had a hard time deciding what to order because I wanted to try lots of it. For starters we had the smelt fries (so not my thing, but the rest of the table liked them) and the truffled kettle corn, which was good. I was debating between ordering the squash ravioli, the roasted chicken, and the limousin burger. After much discussion at our table about the pros and cons of ordering ravioli in a restaurant (namely, the portions are typically quite small), I decided to go with the roasted chicken. I was not disappointed. It was served with polenta and kale and was very tasty and satisfying. The men both ordered the beef stroganoff, and I think they were both quite pleased with it. Jen will tell you about her meal. Oh! And Red Stag has an extensive drink/wine/beer menu. I had a cool, refreshing glass of sangria. I had it downed before my meal arrived, so yeah, I liked it.

Smelt Fries

Jen says: Smelt fries! I was so happy there was someone else there that was excited to order them (thanks Pat!). I mean, don’t you just have to order something like that? They were super tasty – little fried fish that I preferred dipped in ketchup. I loved the truffled kettle corn too. It is so different and distinct. I don’t know if they use a truffle butter or oil, but whatever it is, it works. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go there without ordering a bowl. I too struggled with the main dish trying to decide between the burger and the swordfish that was on special. I ended up going with the swordfish since I would likely never make it at home. It came with an olive relish and red pepper sauce and it was super tasty. All of our meals were so good, that I completely forgot to take a photo of the entrees!

I opted for a glass of red wine (the Syrah), and Brette wanted me to mention that he thoroughly enjoyed his Old Fashioned. I think ordering an Old Fashioned at a supper club is completely appropriate and almost mandatory.

All in all, we all really liked the Red Stag. I would absolutely recommend it to others and would welcome an excuse to go again. I would advise making reservations as both times we’ve been there, it’s been very busy.

And then there was ice cream….

It pretty much goes without saying that when the four of us go out for dinner, we will end the evening with a trip to a local ice cream shop. I mean really, is there anything better than good ice cream?

We headed to Izzy’s and were not disappointed.

Anne says: I *heart* ice cream. I had the cinnamon ice cream with a chocolate izzy scoop in a waffle cone. (With a sample of the bubble gum for dessert). Izzy’s makes a most excellent cinnamon ice cream. And their chocolate is TDF.

Jen says: My heart rate just increased thinking about a trip to Izzy’s! I opted for the pumpkin ice cream with a cinnamon izzy scoop in a waffle cone. Side note: for Christmas one year, Brette gave me a pint of pumpkin ice cream from Izzy’s in my stocking. Hands down the best stocking stuffer I’ve ever received.  The pumpkin is my favorite flavor. If you live in the area and have a chance, head over there ASAP.

Have you been to Red Stag? What did you think?

One year ago: food for thought on coffee shops

restaurant review: Heartland Restaurant

There are benefits to dog-sitting. And I’m not just talking about the joy of having another dog in the house along with that dog’s quirks and that dog’s hair.

We recently dog-sat for our friend’s black lab, Dakota. As a thank you, they wanted to take us out for dinner. We would never argue with that – in fact, that is a rad thank you gift. They really wowed me when they said they wanted to take us to Heartland. They had recently dined there and said to each other, “Jen and Brette would really like this place”.

They know us too well. I’ve been wanting to go there for years – literally. Since the first time I heard about Lenny Russo and his local amazingness, I’ve wanted to eat there.  I’m not really sure why I haven’t. I kept thinking I needed to save it for a special occasion because I was certain it was “super fancy”. Lenny was nominated a James Beard award this year for Best Chef – Midwest…he’s kind of a big deal. He’s been on the ‘local’ seen since forever. Since before I even knew there was a local scene and never thought about where my food came from. He has always known it’s the cool thing to do.

Heartland recently moved to a new location in downtown St. Paul, right across from the farmer’s market. Since I never experienced the previous location, I cannot compare the two, but I will, of course, share my opinion of the new location.

Another cool thing about Heartland is they recently opened their Farm Direct Market in an adjoining space. They will be selling products from the farms they work with along with things they make at the restaurant… soups, stocks, etc. Neat, huh?

Back to our evening. Meet our gracious hosts, Chuck and Jaime:

Aren’t they cute?

Fun fact: I think the whole first year I knew Chuck, I didn’t know his real name. We just called him “the freshman”.

I guess that’s what you do when you’re a super cool junior in college.Hopefully I’ve grown up some in the last 13 years.

I’ll be dividing my review into our standard three areas: atmosphere, service, and the food.

The Atmosphere:

The restaurant is a lot bigger than I had anticipated.  There was plenty of room to have the tables spaced out a bit so that you weren’t sitting on your neighbor’s lap. The noise level was perfect. Lots of “buzz”, but  quiet enough that our fellow diners didn’t have to listen to the in-depth discussion about how to organize and divide MN Twins season tickets for 2011.

Everything was very clean and I loved the big island in the middle of the dining room where the servers could get new silverware, wine glasses, and the wine itself. Just like a home kitchen, it seemed to be the hub.  The decor was very comfortable and homey. Nothing stood out to much which was somewhat comforting to me. Sometimes fancy or wacky decorations make me feel to ‘uncool’ to be there.

Not the best photo, but you can kind of see the island over Brette’s shoulder.

Service:

Our server, Matt, was wonderful. Now, I need to come clean on this. Matt could have provided the worst service ever and I would still say he’s wonderful. His Barry White voice was almost hypnotizing. I loved listening to him talk. I was tempted to ask him to explain every single dish on the menu. Lucky for us, he also happened to provide good service and was very attentive.

Although Matt was attentive, it took an incredible amount of time for our food to arrive. We had a 7 p.m. reservation and our first course did not arrive until 8:30. We were there until about 9:40. Had this been a Friday or Saturday night, I would not have cared as much, but it was a Wednesday, so it seemed a bit much. I don’t know if this is a normal thing at the Heartland or if they were a cook down. It certainly wasn’t a deal breaker.

The Food:

I think the opinion was unanimous. The food was fantastic.

Their menu changes every single day based on what is available from the farms they work with. I love that.

They have two pre-fix options; the flora and the fauna. This makes it so easy for a vegetarian to get a great meal without stressing over the menu and asking for substitutions. I ordered the flora since it was just easier and I didn’t have to make any decisions on the rest of the menu; where everything looked amazing.

My first course was a wild rice salad with preserved blueberries, butternut squash, a mizuna pistou and arugula sprouts.

It was beautiful and I loved it. The blueberries were so fun to find. They blended in with the wild rice so you couldn’t really see them, so it was always a surprise to bite into one.

My second course is the number one reason I went with the flora pre fix menu. A Savory apple bread pudding with a goat cheese béchamel and shoestring butternut squash.

If you do get to Heartland and there is a version of this on the menu – please get it. It was all I could do not to lick the plate.

I couldn’t wait for the photo – I had to try the béchamel STAT!

It was the perfect size portion. I mean, I wanted more of it, but it would have put me into a coma. The bread was just soft enough to absorb flavors, but it didn’t disintegrate in your mouth. I loved the soft apple chunks along with the crispy butternut squash on top. The textures were perfect. I might just have to try to recreate something like this.

My dessert course: Gateau marjolaine, sheep’s milk ricotta,zestar apple, hazelnut genoise and brandied prune. If you’re like me, you don’t know what half of those things are. Just know you’ll like it.It’s a big cookie sandwich! What made the dish really stand out was the brandied prune – which I was originally very skeptical of. If you had a little bit of it with each bite, it made everything else taste better.

I liked everything that I ate.

The boys both had the Fauna pre-fix menu and raved about the catfish and the lamb dish. Jaime went the ala carte route and really liked the broccoli soup and the wild boar chop. I think it’s fun to say, “I’ll have the wild boar chop please.”  :)

As a table we shared an appetizer of Wild Boar Braunschweiger. This is no grocery store mystery braunschweiger. This was made in house and was very tasty with the other accompaniments on the plate.

I would definitely recommend Heartland. The food is fancier than your local pub, but it is delicious and reasonably priced. It’s a great place for a special occasion, but I think also perfect for a Wednesday evening with friends. Sometimes a little bit of fancy is a good thing, especially when it tastes this good.

Have you been to Heartland? What did you think?

on the road: seattle part 2

Time for part 2 of our trip to Seattle. If you need to catch up on part 1, please go here.

Before we left for Seattle, everyone we talked to that had been there said we HAD to go to the market. That would be the famous Pike’s Place Market.

Now, I love markets. As you know I have a routine about the local markets here in Minneapolis.

This is one of those markets that is open every single day. I was most excited about visiting Pike’s Place. In fact, I made Brette promise me a whole day there. In the back of my mind, however, I wondered if I was going to be disappointed. It had been built up sooo much. It’s like being the last one to go see what everyone says is the ‘best movie ever made’ and thinking it was just okay. Brette was even more worried of this phenomenon than I was. He was expecting a number of vendors would be selling “crap” that they didn’t even make.

Thankfully, we were not disappointed. Just the opposite. We were ecstatic and loved everything about the market (except maybe the crowds) and went there not just one day, but every single day we were there. Sometimes more than once!

I learned from a vendor that you must prove that you make/grow/produce the product you sell. There are five vendors who have been grandfathered in but other than that, you have to prove yourself. I love that.

They have everything at this market from the famous fish guys, produce, jewelry, restaurants, flowers, honey, nuts, wood products and a zillion other things.

The famous fish guys

OMG Peaches! That’s how the guy described them to me and he was right, the first word’s out of my mouth were “Oh my God!”.

Brette’s favorite street performer.

Yes, we had two cameras along.

It was near the market that we found many of the more casual restaurants to enjoy. The food in this part of town is nothing short of amazing. I don’t think you could go wrong with any of the options around. Just follow your nose to whatever smells the best. Here are a few places our noses took us to.

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese:

Brette picked this one for lunch. The menu had a number of sandwiches featuring cheese that they make right there on site – and you can even watch them make it! I started up a conversation with the gentleman behind me who turned out to be a local who worked near by. He goes to Beecher’s a couple times per week. He made me try a sample of their mac and cheese (well, made is strong word. It didn’t take much convincing) and he helped me decide on sandwich.  All of their sandwiches are of the grilled cheese variety. Mine featured their flagship cheese along with tomatoes and basil. Brette went with one that also had the flagship cheese along with soft shell crab. They were the perfect food to eat while standing against a wall and watching the hustle and bustle of the market. We were very satisfied. On a side note: the Seward Co-op is now selling Beecher’s Flagship Cheese!

Pike Place Chowder:

This is also right in the middle of the market craziness but absolutely worth seeking out.

They have a variety of chowders including a classic clam chowder, a manhattan version and even a vegan version!

We both opted for the special which was a crab and oyster chowder. Brette got his in a bread bowl and I opted for a regular bowl along with a market salad which was chock full of fresh veggies from the market. We didn’t speak much while we were eating. It was that good. It was piping hot with lots of crab and oyster chunks and the creamy broth was soul-warming and it didn’t come across as super heavy. This would be on my “must go back to” list for the next time I’m there.

Piroshki on 3rd

We first saw Piroshki at the market and then on the way back to the hotel we noticed they had another location right next door. I loved the name and I loved the smell coming from the door, so we stopped in for breakfast one day. The woman working who I assume was one of the owners was adorable. Brette could have listened to her russian accent all day long. She was great at helping us pick our piroshki.

So what are piroshki? According to the Piroshki web site, they are small baked or fried turnovers or dumplings with savory meat, vegetable or fruit filling. They use recipes from Russia where they were originated. We ordered a sweet and a savory plus coffee which she insisted came with cookies. Who was I to argue?

When I asked what her favorite savory was, she answered quickly that it was whatever one just came out of the oven. So, we went with that – the spinach, egg and cheese. Our sweet was a rhubarb filling in a butter flake crust.

a blurry view of the spinach, egg and cheese

I thought they were both super tasty and if I lived next door to this place, I would likely try whatever was fresh from the oven on any given day. I think Brette would too as long as he could listen to her talk.

Cafe Campagne

This cute french cafe was on many people’s list as a place to go. I like cute french cafes so it didn’t take much convincing. We ended up eating there twice. Once for breakfast and once for brunch. The service was not super fast, but I really enjoyed the food there. Our first meal wasn’t anything crazy spectacular but I loved that they had plain yogurt and house made granola. It was perfect for me that day. So was the chocolate croissant.

The day we were there for brunch was after our 8 mile run along the scenic waterfront. We were hungry and ready to eat.

I ordered: OMELETTE AU BASILIC French rolled omelette filled with basil, topped with fresh tomato compote, served with chicken and pork sausage. It was hands down the best omelet I ever ate. Perfectly cooked so it just melted in my mouth. The make their own sausage and after not having meat for so long, it was a great way to get reacquainted.

Brette ordered: BURGER D’AGNEAU* Lamb burger with grilled balsamic onions, roasted red peppers, aïoli and pommes frites.

He pretty much went into a food coma afterward. To say he enjoyed himself would be a massive understatement. He didn’t make it all the way through the mound of pomme frites but it was a very solid effort.

I would go back to Cafe Campagne (am I sounding like a broken record yet?). I loved the atmosphere and I half expected to be able to speak french just from being there.

Now for Safeco field.  We’re pretty big Twins fan and we love being able to go to games at different stadiums. We really liked Safeco, but it’s not as nice as our brand new Target Field here in Minneapolis. I know, I know. They are 10 years apart in age and the new one is always going to be nicer. I get it. Still, have you been to Target Field? It’s so awesome!

It was a nice cool night for a game and of course while we were there we had to try the stadium food specialties.

I heard a rumor they had sushi. I was expecting the pre packaged sushi you find at the grocery store, but was surprised to see the gals at Rice n’ Roll, rolling sushi to order. Sure, it took forever, but it was darn tasty. How many times can you eat sushi and watch a live baseball game?

Brette followed his nose to the field specialty – the garlic fries! Good gads, the garlic on these suckers was crazy! There was easily a whole head of garlic on these fries. We did not make-out like teenagers that night.

Instead we watched the Twins BEAT the Mariners and had a leisurly stroll back to our hotel.

Why yes, we are wearing the same sweatshirt. No, we did not communicate clearly what we were packing for the trip.

One last food find I must mention for Anne’s sake. I missed her on this trip as she and Pat are great travel buddies. One thing about Anne is that she can sniff out ice cream shops better than anyone. Being on my own, I had to make her proud.

I found one! It was even Gelato! It was pretty fantastic too. I tried a dish of the chocolate along with the marscapone. Anne – it was great. I was only sad you weren’t there to enjoy it with me!

This was such a wonderful weekend getaway. We really liked Seattle despite the hills we were not expecting. I had no idea Seattle was hilly. Why didn’t anyone warn me?  I could spend a whole post just on the hills and the giant one Brette forced me to climb.

If you have a chance to visit Seattle, I would highly recommend it. How can you not love views like this?