Foodie File

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2014-02-25T18:07:17Z

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F3: Top Rack

2014-02-07T21:53:40Z

This Fresh Forkin’ Friday I have a bit of a rant, and if you haven’t seen the finale of this season of Top Chef, you may want to scroll past. Many people on the Twitter were frustrated and mad at the outcome, with unseasoned, red-nosed, shouty frat boy Nick winning over the consistent, much-loved, humble island girl Nina. I’m actually one who thinks we can’t possibly know who should have won for dish’s sake; we didn’t taste the food. We can surmise by the judges reactions and engage as spectators, but we’ll really never know who had the best tasting dish. That’s not really my issue. My issue was with the Padma bikini shot in the beginning of the episode. Not only did she burst out of the ocean surf with a tiny bikini, but then proceeded to greet the chefs and set up the challenge in said string bikini top. Don’t get me wrong, girl looks goooood (especially after having a kid, rock it!), and I wouldn’t begrudge the shot if this were Top Maxim, but it’s not. Can you imagine the chefs when she popped into the room? Where do you look? How uncomfortable for them to have to concentrate on avoiding the deadly rack-stare at a woman who is there not to jiggle, but to judge their food and decide their fate! Would it have been appropriate for Tom Colicchio to greet them wearing nothing but a thong? Can you imagine! All I’m saying is that in this year, when we’ve seen women undervalued in the food world by big media, that it showed me just what they think women are best for, and it wasn’t her educated opinion. So, did it shock me that the fratty was crowned? Sadly, after they set the tone, not a bit. This is one female in the industry who will have her future Wednesday nights open.

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OPENS

Travail and The Rookery is open in Robbinsdale! The space is awesome and really cut into three parts. Travail in the front of the new building is tasting menu only and looks a lot like the old space. The back of the space is The Rookery which IS NOT A SANDWICH SHOP but an a la carte eating space, with cool curved tables and a different menu of just-as-Travailian plates. In middle, joining them together is the bar area where you can cop a squat and get a killah cocktail and watch the action on all sides. There haven’t been lines this week, but you know how a weekend jams it, so get there while the getting is good!

Bars Bakery has opened their skyway spot in St. Paul’s Alliance Bank center. Stop in for one of the donut muffins . . . you deserve it.

Big Wood Brewery opens their taproom today in White Bear Lake. Consider sneaking over to Pizzeria Pezzo for deep dish or Red Lantern Sushi for drunken ramen if you need it.

NEWS

Coming soon to the former Heidi’s space in Lyn-Lake . . . is Lago Tacos. The shop that has been jam-packed in Excelsior is opening a second location in the city, construction should begin soon with a proposed opening in the spring.

Lots of sushi rumors have been floating around lately, but I can finally confirm that Fuji-Ya has been sold and is NOT closing. The original family has owned the pioneering sushi shop for 55 years, but due to health reasons have decided to sell. The new owners have bought the name and recipes, and plan to keep it open and running. They are all hoping for a smooth transition, and plan to celebrate the shop’s longevity this summer with a 55th anniversary party.

And both Hard Rock Cafe and the 400 Bar are opening in the Mall of America. So there’s that.

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What kind of Lay’s do you like? Toothpaste and Orange Juice? Cat Fur and Aluminum Foil?

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The Northern Lights Rare Beer Festival, which will be held on March 29th, will start selling tickets today at NOON. Seeing that it will feature rare, vintage, and specialty beers you gotta think it’s going to sell out. Get.

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Haute Dish is having a sour beer dinner on Monday that looks COOL . . . and also you should sign up for the Eric Anderson Pop Up on Feb. 18 at Haute Dish. DMG and I went the other night and it was a lovely insight into what we can expect from this talented chef. Ham stock with quail egg is still something I’m craving.

Images from Travail Kitchen, Lago Tacos Facebook, Katherine Harris

F3: Super Doggin

2014-01-31T20:46:28Z

This Fresh Forkin’ Friday before Super Bowl, I’m plotting my Dog Bar. I think I’ll throw a bunch of franks onto the grill, then let people dress them as they may. I always think it’s good to provide some guidance for those who might fearfully default to ketchup and mustard. I might suggest instead, on a dog, why not try:

Rooster mayo, shredded cheese, giardinara, and a fried egg … The Morning Has Broken Dog
Cream cheese (split the dog and pipe it down the middle with a caulking gun), chopped pickles, salt ‘n’ vinegar potato chips, and bacon … The Salty Dog
Cheese sauce (make your own!), tots, crumbled Cheetos, and green onions … The Cheese Game
Buffalo sauce, blue cheese, cucumbers, cilantro, avocado … The Shut Up Jake
Spinach, feta, tzatziki, onions … The Diet Coke Dog

Because if you’re going to eat trashy, go big or go home.

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CLOSES

Nami, that Warehouse District sushi spot on 3rd, has closed after 13 years (really, it was that long?). Apparently there are already new tenants for the space which will remain closed for remodel.

NEWS

Corner Table is moving down the block, y’all. And the old spot will become the fried chicken situation we have so long deserved (we hope).

Alex Roberts also bought a building, his Alma building, and plans expansion!

OPENS

You’ve probably seen the cute little bags of locally made dried pasta at your co-op or market, but now Sunrise Creative Gourmet has its own shop in St. Paul. The store carries way more than pasta (they’ve been busy in their 100 years of business) including products from iron range pals, such as Fraboni’s meats (yes, porketta), as well as other local producers.

Did I forget to mention that Little Szechuan opened in the UofM’s Stadium Village area?

Or that Boom Island Brewing is opening their new digs and tap room this weekend?

And Ngon Bistro is back in business after some major ice damage repair work. Clink a drink with your pho.

If you’re MOA bound, The Pizza Studio just opened. Create your master-pizza!!! (that’s a one-time freebie from me, pizza people.)

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Town Hall is having their annual chili cook-off at the Lanes this Sunday. Get in and throw a few frames while your crock pot is heating up, but stay focused there’s $500 in prizes on the line. Your $10 gets you a beer and all the chili you can sample.

Consider that a warm-up gig if you plan to go high-falutin’. The Northern Clay Centers annual chili cook off is on Feb. 6, and pottery people are serious about chili. Go early for the free workshop where you make your own chili bowl, then stay for the chili and the fun. (PRO TIP: Jim Norton is a judge, and I hear he’s just mad for smokin’ hot ghost pepper chili.)

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If you are going to order in for the Superb Owl … check out

Blue Door Pub has your wing situation handled. Lotsa flavors, a full tray is $44 and feeds 12-14.
Victory 44 is throwing a Korean BBQ for the cool kids to pick up. $225 for a whole feast that includes roasted pork shoulder and fixin’s for 6-8.
Brasa’s deal is their smoked chicken wings with dipping sauces for $9.95/dozen (and they’re gluten-free, fyi).
Surdyk’s will sell you meatballs in sweet-hot BBQ sauce for $20/dozen.

NEWS: Corner Table Moving AND Opening New Fried Chicken Situation

2014-01-30T17:08:19Z

Nick Rancone and Thomas Boemer, plotting. Photo by Eliesa Johnson

I like scoop as a birthday present. Last night I learned some really great news.

First of all, Nick and Chenny Rancone, who bought Corner Table from Scott Pampuch a few years back, have formally made Executive Chef Thomas Boemer a partner in the company. Good for them, since he’s been killing it in that tiny kitchen.

Now the bigger news, the three of them have purchased the former La Chaya Bistro building just down the block, on the corner of 46th and Nicollet and plan to relocate Corner Table to that spot and be open by mid-March. I got to walk through the space with them and it so clean and fresh that really, there’s just a bit of cosmetic surgery to be done so that there can be counter seating along the line and some semblance of a bar created. The bigger size, plus the bonus of parking and patio potential made this a deal they couldn’t pass up. The partners are planning expanded dinner service, open Mon-Sat, and adding weekend brunch service.

And fear not, there will be a kitchen table. The legendary multi-course tastings that go until you say stop will continue in the new space. You’ll be able to watch construction progress on their website which will be getting a new identity with the move.

But what of the original space? They’re keeping it and relaunching it as a casual neighborhood southern bistro (yet to be named) that will open sometime later, in the summer. Don’t call it barbecue, Rancone and Boemer want it to be more of a home-cooking eatery with hush puppies, fried chicken cobbler (biscuit pot pie!), fried chicken, and other comforting southern dishes. There’s talk of putting together pick-up picnic baskets (which I hope they do). Boemer will be executive chef of both spots, but they plan to bring in a chef de cuisine to help keep things going in the right direction. They both said that it’s important to them that the new spots maintain the same standards and practices that have brought them their loyal fans.

Can’t. Wait.

F3: Super Bars

2014-01-24T18:31:22Z

There’s gotta be a fork in there somewhere.

This Fresh Forkin’ Friday I have a question for you. How do you feel when out of town media types pick your bests? USA Today came out with a list of Top 10 Sports Bars in the country, and our Bar 508 made the cut. Good for them, but is it really our best representative? It seems like the dude stayed close to sporting arenas and did some Googling, just saying. This seems really important given there are super games afoot, so off the top of my head I’d have to call out Herkimer (especially for Packer Fans), Nomad/Brit’s for the World Cup Hooligans this June, Bunny’s for the sheer mass of people drinking bloodies, but for overall what about Mac’s Industrial (with spicy onion strings and a killah Reuben)? Or Crooked Pint with it’s massive screen? Pourhouse for sheer number of TVs? Or Shamrocks for the best wings in the whole damn world? What say you … leave it in the comments if you have time between pinning pictures of your ultimate snack stadium.

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OPENS

Vellee Deli is opening their pop-up in Crema Cafe today, so your wait for Dragon Melt quesadillas and Curritos are over! Kick winter, with three kicks please. They are open today at 6pm, but regular hours will be 5-10pm, Th-Su.

Grain Stack is open at MIA. Taking the place of the former Mezzanine restaurant, this one has a MUCH sassier menu: salmon pastrami sandwich, ham & pickle tots, fried chicken sandwich on a buttermilk biscuit. The Dogwood bar is also open and ready to serve in the lobby, but Half-Pint is still underway. I’m totally checking the chaperone box on my kid’s field trip permission slip next month.

Day Block Brewing will open on Monday. The brewpub which has taken over the former Spill the Wine space on Washington is clean and sleek and ready to serve six house brews and a bunch of rad specialty pizzas. I tried the Northern Discovery IPA, made with a rare wild Wisconsin hop, and it was rather captivating.

Also, did you see the new cheese bar in Stillwater? The Wedge & Wheel is open.

Also, Rusty Taco has opened in Maple Grove and The Salad Bar has opened in the City Center skyway.

NEWS

It looks like Vomhof is willing to make it public. We’ve been hearing that The Lexington has been in the process of being sold back to Rick Webb for some time, and the neighborhood is all chattering about it, but no one would confirm.

Also, Kristin Tyborski is no longer in the kitchen at The Dakota, Derik Moran remains as the sole lead. Congrats to Kristin on her new kid!

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I’m a huge fan of the Art Sled Rally happening on Saturday. Best way to warm up after? Skip Matt’s (the line will be huge) and head down to Marla’s Caribbean for some belly warming roti and a sweet serving of REAL hospitality.

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The fancy kids at North Star Bartenders Guild are throwing a little mixer. Their version of a winter carnival involves cocktails, fortune tellers, burlesque dancers, and games. The $10 ticket goes towards the very cool Hold Your Horses charity.

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And Monday night is Hot Chicks Night at The Rabbit Hole. From 4-10pm it’s an ALL YOU CAN EAT chicken situation. Wings, 21-spiced fried strips, crispy thighs and more for $25. Call for rezzies.

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If you’ve heard people raving about Raclette but have yet to get in on the tradition of melty cheese goodness … you’re in luck. France 44 is willing to show you the ropes, they’ll be demoing the technique and serving plates of the cheese with accompaniments (cornichon, prosciutto, crusty bread) this weekend in Minneapolis, Fr 3-6pm and Sa 1-5pm, $18 serves two.

NOW OPEN: The Salad Bar

2014-01-23T20:40:54Z

Salad. Bar. Raised.

The Salad Bar has finally opened in City Center in downtown Minneapolis. This is important news for those of us who troll the skyway in search of good greens and maybe some hearts of palm.

The salad kiosk concept is very Chipotle-esque. You get in line and start by choosing your greens (arugula, spinach, iceberg, or romaine) for a custom salad or by choosing from the menu of specialty salads (i.e. Cobb, Greek, etc.). They move your salad bowl down the line so that you may add veggies and grains, then proteins and cheeses. Finally, with your bowl brimming, they dump it on a cutting board and chop the bajeezus out of it with a mezzaluna. They scrape that into a metal bowl and toss it with your dressing of choice before putting it back into the deep, tulip-shaped plastic bowl. And there it is, you’re gone. A basic salad with four veggie/grain toppings starts at $6, with protein, premiums, and cheese adding to the bill. My spinach salad with tomatoes, onions, celery, avocado, feta, and grilled chicken was $9, and it was a pretty big bowl.

My salad was good and fresh, some of the things I would have picked (cucumbers, hearts of palm!) were out, but there was still A LOT of goodies to choose from. As a shortish human, I will add that the plexiglass sneeze-guards seem a bit high, so high that I found it hard to communicate with the shortish humans on the other side making my salad. That, coupled with the chopping noise from the choppers, made communication a bit rough (leading to some unfortunate beets on my salad) … but Amazons and Nordic Olympians should be fine. I will certainly go back (especially when shopping for shiny baubles at nearby Len) and am excited to try a few of the specialties.

First Bite: The Wedge & Wheel Cheese Bar

2014-01-20T21:41:30Z

Yeah, we have a cheese bar now. The Wedge & Wheel has opened up in Stillwater as a cheese shop/bar just off the main street.

There’s an airy feel to Chris Kohtz’s tiny shop, due to the huge sunny windows and spare but classic blue and white design. Cheese doesn’t need a lot of fringe, people. There’s only a few small cases at the counter, but they are packed to brimming with cheese, salumi, and artisan products.

Sure you can sample before you buy, just like any other cheese shop, but these guys really want you to think of them as a cheese bar: a place where you can settle in and hang out with the cheese. What that means is that you can order a flight of cheeses (be they American regionals from say Vermont, a selection of European beauties, or a caution-to-the-wind selection chosen by the cheesemonger), an adult beverage (bottles of local beer, small list of wines), and cop a squat at one of the cafe tables while you really get to know the cheese. The flights are nicely sized portions, the Curd & Cured option I chose came with a pretty big hunk of Humboldt Fog, some La Quercia prosciutto, a Wisconsin gouda, and some Italian salami with sliced baguettes and fig jam for $13. That’s my perfect lunch. There’s also a daily grilled cheese sandwich option—the one I had with Kingsley cheddar on seedy bread was just the right amount of gooey.

The selections of cheeses themselves have some great breadth, from local Star Thrower Farm Tomme to the Pyranees’ Abbaye de Belloc which I’m fondue-addicted to. There’s a lot to love, but there’s not the sprawling depth of selection, just yet. Only open for a few weeks, W&W has big plans that include classes, tastings, private events and of course, more cheese.

Erick Harcey is OUT at Parka, Changing Victory 44, and Launching Bent Arrow

2014-01-15T19:37:26Z

A little bit of news for the fans of Parka, Victory 44 and the like. Erick Harcey is leaving the partnership of Stock & Badge.

Harcey teamed up with Greg Hoyt of Dogwood Coffee and Steve Horton of Rustica to form Stock & Badge, whose first project was launching Parka in the Forage Modern Workshop. Their mission was to bring together quality products and launch a whole host of eateries and food collaborations all around the metro.

Harcey sent me a note explaining that effective immediately he will no longer be acting Executive Chef for Stock & Badge, which includes Parka, Rustica, Dogwood, Half Pint (the kid-friendly new spot for the MIA), and Grain Stack (the planned evolution of MIA’s Mezzanine space). He plans to stay on as a partner, but will be taking a sabbatical from day to day operations.

“In what I could chalk up to as a critical point of my personal culinary journey, with agreement from my family and business partners, I came to a point in which I could keep growing with the company and open more incredible casual restaurant spots and coffee bars, or stop and reinspire. I feel very blessed that my partners and friends in Stock and Badge agree that it is important I reset and get back to cooking.”

Harcey plans to rededicate his time to Victory 44 (under the company name Foodcrafters) in order to reconnect to his cooks and the line while he makes some significant changes in the place.

“Over the next few months you will see Victory 44 evolve into a restaurant that will really be much more family/casual oriented. The menu will be built around the fantastic perfect burger with a exciting kids menu and some larger format meals for 2-4 focused around whole animal butchery. You will see new dishes like dry aged salisbury steak with bone marrow jus and smoked aligote potatoes, or our version of vongole. In addition to the incredible meat offerings you will also see a strong emphasis on exciting vegetable cookery. We will build our takeout/ provisions aspect of Victory 44 coffee bar and build a restaurant that is family affordable. We will start taking reservations at all times. We will be transitioning away from tasting menus but the food will stay exciting, comfortable and progressive.”

Wow. All this along with the news that Harcey will be taking over the former In Season space (across from Cafe Maude) and launching a restaurant called Bent Arrow. Harcey says that it will be more like the original Victory 44, small and intense with chef-driven menus on blackboards that change often. Harcey plans to be behind that line several nights a week.

SNEAK PEEK: Coup d’Etat

2014-01-13T22:36:40Z

Photo by Caitlin Abrams

Dara and I got the scoop on the soon to open Uptown newbie.

Chefs Nick O’Leary and Tyler Shipton were founding members of Travail, but then went on to open one of the top new restaurants of 2013, Borough, with its excellent cocktail bar Parlour, run by Jesse Held. It’s a mighty team, date night finesse, lots of energy, and cocktails on par with the best in the nation. Now for their next act they take on Uptown with Coup D’Etat, a 300 seat, multi-level, indoor-outdoor visionary cocktail restaurant and more scheduled to open next week.

Nick O’Leary says the food will not be like Borough, with the elaborately constructed plates, but nor will it be a chicken wing bar. “No burgers, no tacos, no sandwiches, no wings—it seems like every place in Uptown has a burger and bad chicken wings, we wanted to do something else.” Like what? “Real food that’s comfortable to people in the neighborhood: Polenta, arincini balls, flatiron steak, a half roast chicken, salt crusted loup de mer, tuna crudo, gnocchi, pastas from scratch,” said O’Leary. “When I look around, I see a lot of people moving to Uptown right out of college, and I think people want another option besides pretty bad chicken wings.” But there will bar food—at the walk-up window which faces the Lagoon. This window will be a true street-food window, says O’Leary, it will actually be street food meant to consume on the street. And there in the window: “A bad-ass burger, tacos, pizza by the slice, anything we like, we’ll put it on the chalkboard and sell it from the window.” That should make summer in Uptown more fun.

Tuna crudo with breakfast radish and blood orange.

Pork belly with potato butter, cabbage, and caraway.

Fried brandade with piri piri and capers.

The drinks will be a shift from Borough as well. Jesse Held’s new team, which includes veteran mixers Shawn Jones and Trish Gavin, will be pouring more of a European style cocktail. To them that means a lighter, more refreshing drink that doesn’t play heavy-handed with the booze (though there will be drinks with punch). Look for more cocktails that are meant to be paired with menu items as well.

Not As Cool Hand Luke: This riff on whiskey sour combines Spanish vanilla, lemon, and cherry flavors as well.

Duck, Duck, Grey Duck: An Old Fashioned style tequila-based libation combining an Earl Grey tea infusion and flavors of the Caribbean.

Coup d’Etat has its media preview today, and opens next week after training parties. 2923 Girard Ave. S., Mpls., 612-354-3575, coupdetatmpls.com

NOW OPEN: Patrick’s in Maple Grove

2014-01-15T14:51:13Z

Patrick’s Restaurant & Bakery is now open in the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes, in what was formerly a California Pizza Kitchen. What a welcome change for this area.

The space has been overhauled and now evokes a bright sunny French cafe with yellow walls, a white marble bar, bakery cases staked with treats, and a full kitchen. On one side you have the bar and cafe seating, at which the full menu can be ordered from the counter. On the other side are dark booths and tables, which come with servers.

The menu starts with breakfast that includes Patrick’s omelet croissant, eggs Florentine, and serious French toast. Lunch and dinner follow with sandwiches and salads, plus a line-up of six versions of quiche, the already cultish Patou burgers (which are burgers sliced and served on fresh toasted baguettes … some with sassy cornichon!), and a few tarte flambé as promised. From the pizza oven, the tartes are crisp flatbreads, traditionally topped lightly with creme fraiche, bacon, and onion. They have five versions on the menu including two dessert options, I’m excited for the one with sauteed bananas, chocolate chips, and creme fraiche flambeéd with dark rum.

After 5 p.m. the bigger plates come out: beef Bourguignon, coq au vin, halibut Napoleon, steak frites. And the full bar has cocktail specials for happy hour and snack specials on crab cakes, coquilles St. Jaques, baked brie, and sliders.

Never mind the cases jammed with croissant, brioche, danish, éclair, opera cake, cheesecake, napoleon, tiramisu, chocolate tart . . . yikes. People leaving the nearby megamovieplex should be psyched that there’s a non-chain eatery cooking adult food (and real cake!) within a few strides.