Yes, it’s a self-take.

Camping…one of the few situations where you can take a seemingly random assortment of foods, throw them together in a pan, stick it in the fire and be drooling before you take your first bite.

The setting was a bluff overlooking miles of forest in Black River State Forrest, Wisconsin. The occasion was a bachelor party with one of my best, and oldest friends. The ingredients were an onion, brats, beans, apples, salt and pepper, basil and some pretty crappy Canadian Whisky. The result – a feast that anywhere else would be laughed at. But out in the woods, in the middle of nowhere after hiking for 5 miles, it was a fine meal that I wouldn’t have traded for a steak.

Overlooking the forest.

I don’t know what it is about camping that makes food taste so much better, but it sure does. Maybe it’s the hard work to prepare it. Maybe it’s the fresh air and earthy aroma. Perhaps the fire makes it more natural. OR maybe it’s knowing that if you don’t eat this, there really isn’t anything else. Probably a combination of all of that. Sometimes I feel that I was born in the wrong time. I think I would be more than happy as an early settler of the United States, working the land and living off of it. Camping gets me as close to that feeling as possible – the feeling of the way it once was where you worked all day for your next meal and could go to bed tired and satisfied. Now I can push a button and have my dinner ready in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. It just takes away a little of the holistic experience of food when it takes longer to eat your meal than it does to prepare it…

Dinner and the fire it came from.

…But not when you’re camping.

Three criteria make a restaurant great or not. 1) Food Quality 2) Environment 3) Value. That’s it. Those are the three qualities I judge restaurants on, period. I’ll explain each one a bit, but first I want to disclaim that this is a subjective process. The title of this post is not “The Top 5 Restaurants….”, it is “MY Top 5 Restaurants…”. Now, on to context around my rating criteria.

1) Food Quality

This one is probably the most self-explanatory of the three. It’s basically just judging the freshness and quality of the actual food I’m eating. If it’s doctored up with too much salt or other seasoning, over/under cooked, or a certain texture not normally associated with the item (think rubberish beef patties or crunchy muskmelon), it gets a low rating in the quality category.

2) Environment

Does the environment match the food type and support the activity of food-ish ilk? I might illustrate this best by example. Take the restaurant Chipotle. One of the more popular restaurants of the current time. Chipotle serves gourmet burritos and tacos. They are going for the Mexican effect. Yet their restaurant design is industrial and cold, not at all what you’d associate with Mexican cuisine. Therefore, despite high marks for food quality (for a quick-service restaurant), they get a poor environment grade. Plus, have you ever really listened to the music they play? Not exactly marimba music. On the flip side, the Wienery (see my previous review of the Wienery) is exactly what you’d expect for a hot-dog dive. The place is basically a walk-in hot dog cart.

3) Value

Am I getting what I expect to get based on what I am paying is the question this category is trying to judge. If I paid for a lightly seasoned, perfectly grilled prime rib with fresh, in-season veggies, made from scratch bread and a fine wine but received a cold plate of food resembling something from Applebee’s 2-for-$20 menu, it’s an F for value. Value is important and really is a pretty standard measure of the overall experience received at a restaurant.

So now that you have my criteria, here are My Top 5 Restaurants in the Twin Cities (in no particular order):

photo by Brasa

1. Brasa (Northeast Minneapolis) – Rotisserie Meats

Brasa is chefed (I think I just made that word up) by award-winner Alex Roberts. The food quality is excellent. Environment is perfect – an old garage setting for gorging on primal meats. The value is really what makes it great. You can have a ton of food, and variety since you order sides separate, for a low price. Oh, and if George Foreman eats there, so do I.

2. The Anchor Fish & Chips (Northeast Minneapolis) – ummm, Fish & Chips

photo by The Anchor

Go in. Sit down. Order a fish & chips with a beer, grab the jar of vinegar, and you’ll be in heaven. The setting matches the Northeast community togetherness with the fast-paced clip of being semi-downtown. Open kitchen and bar make it a super casual place to have a quite filling meal for a reasonable price (check environment and value). The quality is tough to judge since it’s fried, but based on flavor, it passes! The only thing I caution you on is that it gets busy and there are limited seats so be prepared to wait….but it’s worth it!

3. Jax Cafe (Northeast Minneapolis) – Steakhouse

photo by Jax Cafe

Only been here once, but it is awesome. Highly recommended by many friends, Jax Cafe is the perfect high-class steakhouse. It’s in an old brick building that isn’t too much to look at from the outside, but inside it has dark wood trim to accent the brick walls, white table cloths, a fire-place and a great patio. The service is exceptional and the menu is full of mouth-watering meats. My rib eye came out on a warm plate and was just crusted on the exterior, yet had a red and juicy center. The prices are high enough to make this a special occasion only outing, but worth it.

4. Cafe Latte (Grand Avenue) – Deli and Desserts

photo by IfYouCanStomachIt

Probably the best first-date spot in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Could be casual or semi-dressy. A variety of deli favorites, and all made-from-scratch, await you as you build your meal while moving along the counter cafeteria-style. And after you fill up on soup, salad, sandwich or one of their specialty pizzas, your stomach will make plenty of room once you see their assortment of cakes and cheesecakes. Their vanilla-strawberry cheesecake is the best cheesecake I have ever had.

5. Black Sheep Pizza (Saint Paul) – Coal Fired Pizza

photo by Black Sheep Pizza

Although I haven’t been here much, I’m adding it because it I need a pizza place. Not only is this a great spot for pizza, downtown Saint Paul ½ level below the street, it uses coal to bake the pizzas. This adds history to the restaurant as coal fired the first pizza ovens in the US. The pizzas, while different, are not too crazy that you won’t want to try them. I recommend the Meatball, Ricotta and Garlic.

Here they are:

What’s the key? Well, there isn’t ONE secret. It’s really all in the ingredients (gee – what a revelation).

The really cool part is you can really make this your own in many ways. Here is the recipe I used along with a bunch of options for mix-ins to personalize it.

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Grilled Black Bean Burger - makes 6
Based on a variation of a quite solid Black Bean Burger Recipe from Taste of Home Grill It!

2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, rinsed
1 onion, finely diced
2 eggs
½ cup finely crushed tortilla chips
½ cup homemade breadcrumbs (Panko works fine too)
¼ of a green pepper, finely diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 clove garlic, minced

optional mix-ins (use best judgement on amounts):
red pepper, tabasco sauce, lime juice, frozen corn, jalapeño bean dip, substitute 1 can black beans for 1 can other bean (garbanzo, red, kidney)

In a large bowl, mash the beans and add all other ingredients. Mix well. Form into patties and grill. Important: make sure the grill is clean and lubricated. Grill one pineapple slice per burger.

Sauce:
½ cup mayo
3 diced green onions
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Mix all ingredients into small bowl and spoon onto burger. Top with a grilled pineapple slice.

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If you’re reading this and are skeptical, I know…I was too at one time. Give these guys a chance and you’ll become a believe too. Trust me.

The new restaurant look is both modern and inviting. The brand message of pizza and beer shines through quite well. The updated decor, brighter interior, wall paint colors and seating exhibit less of a drab, pub-style atmosphere present at the old Old Chicago restaurants.

The new menus were clean and easy to read. They sent the subtle message that the ingredients were fresh and dishes homemade. While some of the same old classic items were still present, there were some new items that appealed, again, to the younger, more health-conscious demographic. The separate beer menu was extensive and highlighted their local brews (one of which I ordered).

The service was very friendly and our server had great recommendations. One of which was the veggie nachos. Made with “noodle chips”, they were truly amazing (pictured below). My wife and I were joined at Old Chicago with a couple of good friends – Lindsay and Bjork. Lindsay is a fellow foodie over at Pinch of Yum. I asked Lindsay for a quote to describe the food. Her response:

Yum.

- Lindsay, Pinch of Yum

Thanks for that vain critique Lindsay.

My only criticism of the “new” Old Chicago, is that their menu seemed to move away from pizza as the anchor of the restaurant. I was complaining to my table companions (who had to sit through my critiquing everything that happened), that I was disappointed with this apparent menu diversification when my ‘Oh My Spaghetti Pie‘ arrived. One bite and I was assured that the added diversity was a good thing.

Now, on to the winner…….Congratulations Tania J! I had 27 total entries (comments, shares, likes) and the random number chosen was 5. Here’s proof for those of you who don’t believe me:

Tania, I would recommend the Oh My Spaghetti Pie along with the Veggie Nachos. You can’t go wrong (unless you hate rich pasta and delicious cheese). Thanks to everyone who entered. Maybe you should go drown your sorrows in a pint of Alaskan Amber Ale at the new Old Chicago.

Here’s how the night went down:

I had just graduated from Northwestern College (which is a dry campus) and my roommate wanted to take me out for a drink (Apparently he did not abide by the rules of the college, despite rooming for two years with a Resident Assistant…me). I agreed to go and he took me to Old Chicago. I asked him why Old Chicago and he said it was because they had so many beers on tap and he was determined to find one I liked. Old Chicago actually has 110 beers to pick from. After trying a few different flights (a sampler-platter of sorts where you can choose four 4-ounce servings), I decided I liked the darker ales and choose Moose Drool Brown Ale. I enjoyed it and despite the prompting of my roommate, I stopped at one…again, get over it.

Being an American and born and raised in Wisconsin my upbringing dictates I love pizza and beer. Thus, I’ve been back to Old Chicago multiple times for their calzones, which are probably the best among chain restaurants, and great beer selection. I am also in marketing and am particularly interested in the food industry so I enjoy reviewing restaurants and analyzing their marketing practices. Remember my post on the McDonald’s refresh? So, when I found out Old Chicago was going through a rebrand, I was interested. Even better, Old Chicago’s first store refresh was today in Eden Prairie, MN – not too far from my home.

For their Grand Re-Opening, they are doing something that restaurants have done for quite some time which works – giving free food to the first XX people at the opening. Buffalo Wild Wings does this at many of their store openings. As does McDonald’s. However, Old Chicago Eden Prairie has out done all other store opening by offering the first 100 people free pizza for a year! 

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to cover the Grand Re-Opening which took place today at 11am…which also means you missed it. But, you can see photos of the event (and the new store look) on Old Chicago Eden Prairie’s Facebook Page. It appeared to be a successful event; no doubt helped by the fact that it was 75 degrees and sunny!

While I couldn’t participate in the Grand Re-Opening, I am able to offer one lucky reader of my blog a Free $25 Old Chicago Gift Card! If you are a fan of pizza, beer and free gift cards, this is your chance to fulfill your dream (ok, maybe not – but close for some).

To Enter

Each action is one entry – so logic would dictate that if you do all three, you’ll have a better chance to win.

1. View the new menu (pdf) and leave a comment with what item on the new menu you would order with your gift card (mine would most certainly be the Meat Me Calzone).

2. Share this post via Twitter with hashtag #ICANSTOMACHIT

3. Like this post on Facebook or WordPress and mention you liked it in your comment.

The contest will run for 1 week, ending Monday evening 3/26 at 9pm CST at which time I’ll post the winner. In addition to posting the winner, I’ll also post a review of Old Chicago’s rebrand. Since the first rebranded store opened today, I need to visit before I can provide my professional opinion. For now, I’ll give you the new logo. I think it’s a huge improvement on the old one:

Molly and I sat down to this plate of warm, gooey mozzarella sticks that had just come out of the hot oil and in about 5 minutes had completely consumed 16 ounces of cheese. This was supposed to be our appetizer and turned into the entrée!

The recipe couldn’t be simpler…

Homemade Mozzarella Sticks (recipe by Giada De Laurentis)

Ingredients
1 cups Italian-style breadcrumbs
1 cups grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
1 16 oz. block of pasteurized mozzarella cheese (cut into sticks approximately 4 inches long x ½ inch thick)
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
1-2 cups Marinara Sauce (for dipping)

Directions
Mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and salt in a bowl. Dip the cheese sticks into the egg to coat. Coat the cheese sticks in the breadcrumb and cheese mixture – patting to ensure it sticks all around. Place the sticks on a baking sheet or plate. (you can freeze these, covered, for up to 2 days!)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot. In batches of 4-5, fry the mozzarella sticks for about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate.

It’s a good idea to eat these quickly as they cool rather fast. You can always microwave them for about 20 secs. to warm them up if needed.