New Year's Eve 2011 - In Season

In keeping with the tradition we started last year, we picked our favorite restaurant of the year for our New Year's Eve dinner.  We just got back from a fabulous meal at In Season restaurant.  We tend to take the early reservations so we can get in and back home before the crazies get on the roads.  This year we were extra glad as it is raining and soon will be switching over to snow.

 

We arrived a few minutes prior to our reservation and were immediately seated.  We went with the 7 course tasting menu but passed on the wine pairings.  Though I did have a nice glass of Pinot Noir with my first few courses.  The menu was as follows:

• Jorstad Creek Oyster with Preserved Lemon and Sauternes
• Beet Cured Salmon with Quinoa, Blood Orange and Fennel Pollen 
• Black Truffle Risotto 
• Pork Belly “Monte Cristo” with Honeycrisp Apple 
• Monkfish with Salsify, Sauce Romesco and Black Olive Oil 
• Braised Veal Cheek with Aligote Potatoes and Sauce Perigord 
• Vanilla Panna Cotta with Grapefruit Consomme

The oyster was a first for both the hubby and me.  It was actually pretty good.  I'm not sure I would order it on my own, but it was definitely good.

If I were to rank order the food starting with the best, I would go with the Salmon, Veal, Risotto, Pork Belly, Panna Cotta, Monkfish, and the Oyster.  The salmon was a very interesting crisp, fresh dish.  Good news is that we were told it will be on their menu starting in the new year.  Definitely my favorite of the evening.  The veal cheek was awesome.  Braised and very tender - no knife needed.  The rest of the meal was good too - no plates went back with food left on them. 

The hubby would rank the food a bit differently.  His ranking starts with the Panna Cotta and follows with Salmon, Pork Belly, Oyster, Veal, Risotto, and Monkfish.  He would rate the Monkfish higher, but the entire dish was not as good as the rest of the menu. 

This was a great choice for our NYE dinner and solidified in my mind that this was indeed our "restaurant of the year." 

May 2012 bring you new dining experiences!

Happy eating! 

2011 In Review

Last year about this time I did a review of our 2010 restaurants.  For 2011, we actually kept a running list of our restaurants as we went so it is easier to look back at the hits and misses of our restaurant journey. 

With 2 days left in 2011, our tally of new restaurants for 2011 stands at 79 for me and the hubby at 76.  I'm guessing there will be some effort to add another before the calendar turns to 2012. 
There were definite hits and misses out of the list.  Adding a new restaurant doesn't always mean it's a good one!  Below are a few highlights from the year (of note - those in italics are not new this year - still holding on to the "best" title from 2010):

Best overall solo dining experience - 11 Madison Park in New York City

Best overall dining experience - Capital Grille

Best burger - Victory 44

Best donuts - Yo-Yo Donuts

Best breakfast sandwich - Cocoa & Fig's fried egg sandwich

Best hole-in-the-wall surprise hit - The Black Sea (Turkish food)

Best restaurant that I didn't want to try - Midori's Floating World Cafe (still don't like the name)

Best "out of the box thinking" restaurant with the family - Thara Thai in Champaign

Biggest disappointment - BANK - great atmosphere, mediocre food

Our vote for best restaurant of 2011 and where we will dine on New Year's Eve.......

In Season

We enjoyed both of our birthday dinners at In Season and are looking forward to our NYE dinner there as well.  My vote for best chef of 2011 goes to In Season's Don Saunders.
Happy Eating!

Sidetrip: Bayfield, WI

This weekend I took a solo trip up to northern Wisconsin - Bayfield, WI which is situated on Lake Superior.  I stayed in a great B&B that had a wood burning fireplace which I thoroughly enjoyed (I was grateful for the cooler temps so I could do a fire!)

The main attraction are the magnificent Apostle Islands that dot Lake Superior.  I took a chilly, but sunny, boat cruise on Lake Superior around many of the islands.  The fall colors were not exactly at peak, but there were bursts of orange and red dotting the landscape.  I love fall!

I had lunch at a coffee shop in downtown Bayfield.  A nice warm chicken melt sandwich served with potato chips.  The sandwich was good, but nothing remarkable to write about. 

After my day of shopping and boat cruising, I stopped for an early dinner at Ethel's at 250.  Since I was solo, I got seated at a two-top that was unfortunately right by the door.  I understood the rationale of putting me there, but it was a bit chilly when people entered and while people waited to be seated I felt like they were standing right over me. 

I ordered a pizza/salad special.  The salad was much better than I expected.  It was not just iceberg, but rather a spring mix with lots of croutons.  The pizza I ordered was the Bayfield Special.  Basically it was like a Hawaiian pizza but instead of pineapple there were apples.  Plus the pizza sauce had a hint of BBQ in it.  I probably wouldn't get it again if I ever go back there, but I was proud of myself for not just getting a pepperoni pizza.

This area is known for apples, apples, and more apples.  So for dessert I got a piece of homemade apple pie - it was very good.  Definitely worth getting - nice flaky crust and sweet apple filling.  Tomorrow the plan is to explore some of the apple orchards - perhaps another piece of apple pie will be in my future.

Bayfield was well worth the trip!

Happy Eating!

So Many New Restaurants, So Little Time Blogging

I have been to a number of new restaurants over the summer - though my blog does not show this fact.  Some good ones of note are:

Wise Acre Eatery in Linden Hills.  I've been for both weekend brunch and weekday lunch and enjoyed the fresh ingredients and cute decor.  Worth a visit!

Lowbrow - stopped by for a drink and snack, so can't give a full review.  It was ok, but nothing stood out for me.

Aster Cafe - funky little cafe near the river in downtown Mpls.  Had some good drinks and appetizers before the U2 concert this summer.  Nice find!

Red Rossa - when you can't order off the bar menu because you were seated in the restaurant is ridiculous.  No one was in the restaurant except for us.  One item on the bar menu wasn't on the regular menu but no exceptions were to be made so we couldn't order it.  Really, how hard is it to walk the dish a few extra steps.  No need to rush back here, the food was ok, not great.

Spent a week in Virgina this summer with my parents and had a very good lunch at Clementine in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  A nice, artsy restaurant with great food!  Nice find in such a small town.  We also ate at even smaller town restaurants that week - fairly decent food, but Clementine was probably the best meal.

After a bike ride this summer we stopped in The Old Market Deli in Cannon Falls. Their claim to fame besides a tasty Tom Turkey Sandwich and quiche for the hubby, was that President Obama ate there a few days prior to our visit.  Every framed picture in the place was of him.  I noticed when I went to the website they even have him on their website - I wonder if they had to get clearance for that.  Anyway, a nice restaurant in this small town!

We also ventured out to some small towns near us to try some restaurants.  It was our Friday Night Fish Fry tour of 2011 - without the fish.  Many small town restaurants feature the fish on a regular basis.  We had burgers both times.  Pretty good food - I'm sure the fish was fine too.

Aji - a nice little Japanese restaurant worth a visit.  You might want to hurry as the two times we were there it wasn't very busy.  I hope they can make it.  We went recently for happy hour with RFO and she had us trying various sushi.  We're not sushi people in general, but RFO picked some good ones for us newbies!

Midori's Floating World Cafe - I really pushed this restaurant off for as long as I could as I just don't like the name.  However, the hubby convinced me to go for lunch one Friday afternoon and surprise, surprise...it was very good!  Great miso soup and the dish I got was good, albeit not hugely memorable since I can't think of what it was.  (That's my advancing age showing up, not any issue with the food!)  I also had a very nice hot tea to go with my meal.  Definitely worth trying this place.  Still don't like the name, but I'll deal with it. (I also remembered that I don't care for their "logo" either when I went to their website to grab the link.)

I think that pretty much catches me up for the summer.  Looking forward to lots of new restaurants in the queue.

Happy Eating!

Side Trip: Phoenix

I recently took a quiz on the Internet about what hobby I should consider taking up and guess what the result was?  Writing...surprise!  I took that as a clue that perhaps I should write on my blog.  That coupled with a comment on an earlier post made me decide that perhaps I should get blogging....

Each year 3 of us who have been friends FOREVER get together at one of our locations and make a weekend of eating, shopping, gabbing, etc.  Rockies Gal, Arizona Gal, and myself got together this year in sunny Phoenix.  Part of the fun of these get togethers is trying new restaurants.  This year's highlights are reviewed below:

Cowboy Ciao

We visited Cowboy Ciao in Scottsdale for dinner.  According to the website, Cowboy Ciao "presents a Modern American menu with Southwestern and global influences."  We ordered several plates to share for the table. 

First we started with the Stetson Chopped Salad.  It was presented as a deconstructed salad and then the waiter poured the dressing over it and tossed it for us.  It was very good and I had hoped the menu would tell me what all was in it.  Unfortunately I can't remember but I do recall their being raw fish in there - that seemed a bit odd for a chopped salad but perhaps that was the "global influences" at work!

We split the Mushroom Pan Fry (ok, but not nearly as subtle as the mushrooms in my recent post of the Morel Fest).  Too many mushrooms for me to enjoy too much.  The other girls love their fungi though and enjoyed the dish.  The Dungeness Crab Enchiladas were awesome!  Just the right amount of ooey, gooey in a tortilla shell.  My suggestion was the Seared Scallops and Beet Risotto - I found it to be good.  The beet risotto was very red - guess that shouldn't have been a surprise, but it still took a little getting used to.  Not sure the mushroom lovers were too thrilled with my selection.  The nice thing with this meal was that we all tried new things and perhaps expanded our tastes ever so slightly. 

Being a girls weekend definitely requires dessert.  We couldn't decide, so we each got our own and shared.  I got the birthday cake which was a chocolate/cherry layered cake.  Rockies Gal went with the White Chocolate Blondie served with brown butter ice cream, cashew streusel, and a white chocolate sauce.  Arizona Gal went with Housemade Ice Cream and Cookies.  We all agreed that the dessert winner was Rockies Gal.


"Foodies Love Ritz Crackers"

One night we hung out at Arizona Gal's house for dinner and had steaks on the grill.  We also had grilled asparagus and a wonderful potato casserole dish.  I can't remember what it's real name was, but the phrase "funeral casserole" sticks in my mind.  It has everything yummy that a potato casserole could have - cheese whiz or something like that, potatoes and of course crushed up ritz crackers!  While my blog is predominately about eating out at "foodie" restaurants, I'm not above ritz crackers at all.  Quite the opposite, it was great to have a nice meal at home - that was relatively easy to prepare as we chilled in the pool on a hot summer day.

Our last eating occasion together was a sandwich before heading to the airport.  Both Rockies and Arizona gals have eaten at Which Wich Superior Sandwiches.  This was a fun restaurant in which you pick up a brown bag depending on which sandwich you want and then you check off the ingredients you want on your sandwich.  They then toast the sandwich so it's nice and warm and has melted cheese on it.  I went with the Roast Beef and thought it was awesome.  Not long after I got home from the trip did I find out that they are opening one not too terribly far from me.  Well, actually it is too far for me to ever get there, but my hope is that if they have one in the state they may eventually decide to have a couple of more!  If that is the case, surely there will be one near either where I live or work.

A very successful girl's weekend came to a close.  The pressure is on me for next year - they're coming here!  I better get my game on and figure out where to take them for meals!

Happy Eating!

Morel Fest at In Season

We ventured back to In Season a couple of months ago.  You may recall, our first time at the restaurant was in January/February - see my review here.  As I mentioned back then, In Season is a restaurant that uses foods that are "in season" to design their menu.  The idea is that you are eating what is seasonally fresh. 

Those of you who know me very well know that mushrooms and Debbie do not go together.  I have always been the one that says "we can order the pizza with mushrooms...I'll just pick them off."  So, what was I doing going to a mushroom themed dinner at In Season? 

First, the guest chef was Jim Kyndberg.  He was formerly at Bayport Cookery which has gone out of business, but when it was open the hubby and I had several spectacular meals there.  It was exciting to see Jim pop up at In Season with his themed menu - Morel Fest.  Second, it was around the hubby's birthday and this was the pick he had for his dinner. 

We arrived for the last seating of the evening.  They immediately brought us out a glass of champagne to start the meal.  (Nice touch!)  The first course consisted of Morels with Ramp Soubise, Lorette Potatoes and Caraway.  Ramps are a great find over the last few years.  If you see them on a menu, don't shy away from them.  They are a green scallion/ wild onion/ leek type of vegetable and have been highly used among chefs over the last couple of years. 

The second course was a Crispy Pig's Head with Morels, Arugula and Sweet Soy Mustard.  As odd as pig's head might sound, this was actually quite tasty.  During the last year I've literally tasted pig head to feet. 

We then moved on to the Wild King Salmon with Speck, Creamy Polenta, and Morels Ragout.  Speck is an Italian type ham - similar to prosciutto.  This dish was amazing.

The fourth course was Duo of Wild Acres Pekin Duck with Morels, Nettles and Pinot Noir.  I am a bit disheartened to say that not only was I enjoying the morels all evening, but I really liked the duck!  Another food that I didn't think I liked.

Finally we finished with the Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake with Rhubarb, Strawberries, and yes - Morel Ice Cream.  Awesome finish to a great meal!

This dinner just goes to show that what you don't like as a child can change over time...just let yourself be open to the experience!

We are hopeful that In Season might have Jim back for a garlic fest dinner. 

Happy Eating!

Mill Valley Kitchen

Thanks to the generosity of my employer, I was lucky to have today off of work to extend my 4th of July weekend to 4 days.  We decided that we would make use of the day off to try a new restaurant for lunch.

We decided on Mill Valley Kitchen.  This is a relatively new restaurant in the area that promotes itself as a choice for fresh, local, and sustainably sourced ingredients.  Based on the menu that does appear to be the case.

We arrived for a late lunch and found the place to be relatively busy with lots of "ladies lunching."  The hubby and I both thought the interior of the restaurant was very attractive.  You can tell some thought...and expense went into the furniture and table linens. 

There was a variety of options on the menu - main entrees, starters, sandwiches and flatbreads.  I ordered the mixed greens salad which consisted of organic greens, pumpkin seeds, craisins, goat cheese and a red wine vinaigrette.  For my main course I had the Grass Fed Beef Burger.  The hubby got the Roasted Duroc Pork Bahn Mi.  He didn't get a starter because his sandwich came with a small green salad.

We waited for a bit and then our food came out - unfortunately the salad came at the same time as the sandwich.  I had said I wanted to "start with" the salad.  Guess that didn't translate to "bring the salad BEFORE the sandwich" like I thought it would.  To top it off, my sandwich also came with a small green salad.  The menu stated that for the hubby's sandwich, but not mine.  Now I looked somewhat foolish as I sat there with the large mixed green salad on one plate and a burger and more salad on another plate.  I do believe I would have had my recommended 5 servings of vegetables had I actually eaten all of that lettuce.  I managed to eat from both plates and did enjoy both the salad and the burger.  The hubby thought his sandwich was OK, not great.  I tried to get him to eat some of my salad but alas, it was all mine.

The thing about the restaurant that threw me off a bit is that it is decorated simply but elegant and then they were rocking Led Zeppelin overhead.  The clientele skewed to the older crowd and I have trouble believing they were enjoying the music.  Just very odd.

So final review was the atmosphere was pretty good, odd musical choices, food was decent, execution of service was lacking.  Might go back some time, but given the number of restaurant choices available to us, it will not be for awhile.

Happy Eating!

Back to it....

I have been on hiatus after having a fabulous meal in New York City in March.  I had every intention of blogging about my experience at 11 Madison Park, but I could not figure out how to start writing about that experience.  I arrived for lunch on a Friday afternoon and was dining solo.  I decided since I was going all out with the 3 course lunch, I decided to go with the wine pairings as well.  I quickly found out that this dining experience would be like no other I have had.  First the menu was simply a selection of ingredients.  You pick which ones you want and let them know of any allergies and they create your course around that ingredient.  I went with carrot, chicken, and chocolate.  In addition they had various amuses to start with which were delectable!  I really can't do justice to the food so I will simply post some pictures of the items that arrived at my table.



Beet Lollipop - Mmmm!!!

Carrot Course



Chicken

  

Chocolate
























2nd Dessert






After dessert, the manager came over to my table and asked me if she could show me the kitchen!  Of course!!  I was taken back to the kitchen and saw the huge number of people they had back there preparing the wonderful meal.  Then someone came over and made me a final cocktail to send me off.  Not sure what all it had in it, but it was frozen with dry ice.  At one point I said "well, this probably isn't very foodie of me, but this reminds me of pop rocks."  Turned out it WAS pop rocks.  Wild!

So ended a fabulous meal at a fabulous restaurant.  I found out that Eleven Madison Park was named Outstanding Restaurant USA 2011 by the James Beard Foundation.  This is similar to the Oscars for the foodie world.  Well deserved!

Black Sea Restaurant

We went to a Turkish restaurant today and it turns out they bill themselves as the "First Turkish Restaurant in Minnesota."  Black Sea Restaurant is a small, hole in the wall restaurant located near Hamline University.  We walked in between 1:30 - 2:00 and it was packed.  We had to wait about 10 minutes for a table.  Of course it only holds 23 people and that may have included staff.  It was well worth the short wait. 

We started with a hummus plate served with very warm pita chips.  The hummus was very good and tasted very fresh.  We each ordered a pita sandwich or gyro.  I chose chicken and the hubby picked a combination gyro that had lamb, chicken, and beef.  They came out fairly quickly.  The sandwiches were good - the meat was nicely seasoned, the lettuce was crisp, and the onions were powerful.  There may have been a light dressing on the sandwiches but nothing real strong.  Just a good, solid gyro.

The restaurant itself was decorated with pictures from Turkey and various cultural items.  They also sold some small souvenirs like rings, cups and saucers, and beads.  The restaurant was clean and well kept.  I think they do great business from what it seemed like when we were there. 

Happy Eating!

Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market

Reservations for One (RFO) and I had dinner at Heartland Restaurant and Farm Direct Market last night.  It was a great dinner and evening.  The chef, Lenny Russo, has done great things with his new space and direction he has taken with the restaurant and adjoining market.  We arrived a few minutes early which gave us the opportunity to walk around the space.  The restaurant is in an old building with lots of brick and an open atrium up through the middle of the building.  We were seated in the dining room, but the bar is very inviting and would be a great place to go back for a drink or dinner in the bar.  The kitchen is visible to one side of the establishment and there are a few tables right by the kitchen.  I would assume this is where they would do a chef's table.

We were seated promptly and greeted by a server who was well-knowledgeable and very helpful.  I started out with a glass of Malbec while RFO enjoyed a cup of hot tea - Evening in Missoula herbal blend.  We then perused the menu which was full of many options for us.  Heartland features two prix-fixe menus each night.  One is vegetarian and one is not.  The value for the three course meal is too good to pass up with the regular priced plates.  Though the regular plates sounded delicious! 

We both chose the "Flora" (vegetarian) prix-fixe menu.  We had a choice of bread to start with - I chose the wheat roll with green peppercorns.  The green peppercorns gave just a hint of spice occasionally.  The bread was very chewy and dense.  We were served an amuse bouche that was a small puff pastry with a creamy, yummy goodness inside topped with a beet green. 

The appetizer was a wonderful caramelized onion galette, goat cheese mousse, upland cress with a pear vinaigrette.  The crust of the tart was flaky and paired well with the onions.  I think we both would have been happy to have another serving of the galette.

The second course was a mushroom themed ravioli entree.  The dish arrived with three large but thin raviolis filled with hedgehog mushrooms in a hazelnut cream.  The three raviolis were then in a mushroom broth served with fried chantrelle mushrooms.  Historically I am not a mushroom person, but I've determined that it's all in the preparation.  Mushrooms on pizza...I can pass on those.  Mushrooms fixed by Lenny Russo...sign me up!  The only downside was the relatively small portion of ravioli we received.  Though after eating our next course we both were satiated.

The dessert was a presentation of various forms of chocolate.  There was what appeared to be a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but instead it was white chocolate.  There was also a chocolate truffle torte along with other chocolate tastings.  Excellent!

After dinner we went into the market that Heartland runs to see what they had over there.  It was filled with a number of local products, soups/sauces made on the premises, and a full counter of cheeses and meats to purchase for home.  They also have a deli style menu for eating on the premises.  The prices were a bit steep but given the local flavor of the items, the cost did not surprise me too much.

Definitely worth a visit to Heartland!

Happy Eating!

Kona Grill

Always looking for new restaurants, we tried Kona Grill this weekend.  The restaurant has been described as Asian Fusion...though really, what restaurant isn't labeled that these days.  Seems to be an overused name.  Anyway, this restaurant actually did seem to be a good fusion of Asian dishes as well as American fare. 

The restaurant is very large and upon entering you either go to the right into the bar area or to the left where the dining area is located.  Many restaurants have trended toward an "open kitchen."  I liked the look that Kona Grill went with which was a semi-open kitchen.  There was a wall with high windows that allowed us to see into the kitchen, but not hear and smell all that was happening.  The far left wall had the sushi bar and some pretty cool modern looking lighting.  The overall feel of the restaurant was similar to one that you'd find in Las Vegas.

We were seated in a booth and quickly perused the menu.  We went with starters of miso soup and edamame.  Edamame is a new found treat that we enjoy sharing.  They usually are served with a nice coating of salt, sometimes a sauce/glaze and always hot.  Kona's version was nicely salted.  The miso soup was a tasty treat of tofu, seaweed, scallions, and broth.  Yes...I used "tasty treat" in a sentence containing tofu and seaweed.  Again, another new found treat. 

For the main entree, we shared a Truffled Steak Flatbread.  In reality it was a pizza because they had run out of their flatbread and wouldn't have it until Monday.  The pizza was fine.  The description on the menu was grilled steak, mozzarella and danish bleu cheese, baby arugula, gourmet mushrooms, caramelized red onion, and white truffle oil.  The hubby who recognizes all things truffle did not taste any of the truffle oil.  The bleu cheese was recognizable though and not overpowering.  The steak was listed first in the description, but I would say it was limited in use.  There were a lot of "gourmet mushrooms" though - that perhaps were used in place of the steak.  The caramelized red onions were very good and added a nice sweet taste to the flatbread/pizza.  Overall the pizza was good, though not quite what I expected.

Kona Grill was good, though a bit on the pricey side.  $2.55 for a glass of Diet Coke is unreasonable.  All in all it was a good experience.  Though with so many other restaurants to try, I doubt we'll make it back to Kona Grill anytime soon.

Happy Eating!

Asian Bowl

Imagine my surprise when the hubby suggested a new asian restaurant for dinner and it was a two table, mainly carry out restaurant.  I gave it a try even though there was no restroom for public use and I was counting on it after a long commute.

Asian Bowl was a very pleasant surprise.  It's a small store front that specializes mainly in carryout or delivery.  It is a family run restaurant and we had multiple people ask us how we were doing and if we were enjoying our meal.  The service was impeccable!

I ordered the Kung Pao Chicken dinner entree which was served with brown rice, one egg roll, and two cream cheese puffs.  The hubby went with a similar order except with tofu instead of chicken.  Both of our entrees were delivered very hot and fresh.  My Kung Pao was on the mild spice side which was exactly what I wanted.  The chicken pieces were very good, tender and well seasoned.  The rice was fresh and the egg roll was steaming hot.  The cream cheese puffs were fine - I don't normally get them so I didn't have a point of comparison.

This is a nice addition in the area and we will be trying them again!  I wish them the best of luck as they try to make a go of this operation.

Happy Eating!

Mendoberri & The Olive Grove Olive Oil Company

I took a much needed "mental health day" and enjoyed a day of rest and relaxation.  This also included lunch at a relatively new restaurant called Mendoberri. 

The space that Mendoberri occupies is in a nice little housing, business, shopping area that has a fun vibe to it.  The area is more than a strip mall, but not a huge shopping complex.  We arrived and entered the restaurant to a sign that clearly stated that lunch was counter service while dinner is a seated experience.  I appreciated the clear instructions.  I hate going to restaurants and not knowing what you should do - wait to be seated, seat yourself, etc. 

The counter had a refrigerated case that highlighted their offerings as well as sides that could go with salads or sandwiches.  Behind the counter was a wood burning stove which I was ready to crawl inside due to the bitter cold temps outside!  The hubby was ready to order immediately and ordered the grilled ham and cheese sandwich.  I panicked and went with a salad I saw in the case - the Beetie Salad.  We both ordered water.  We took our number and had our choice of a number of empty tables.  (We did arrive early, so I am not commenting on a lack of a lunch crowd.)

We chose a spot not far from a fireplace, but unfortunately not close enough to take advantage of it.  Quite frankly the tables were awkwardly arranged as only one table could take full advantage of the fireplace.  I would have angled the tables differently so more than one table could have some warmth.

The space itself is very large - it appears to be several store fronts all in one, so I suppose if they find their business isn't doing as well as they would like they could sell off sections.  The seating is in an L-shaped format with a private dining room in the back.  There is a large bar area after the lunch counter and staging area.  The restrooms are around the side of the bar but awkwardly laid out in that if someone opens the door people walking by can see more than they would likely care to see.  The ceilings are very tall.  The interior is a light/ lime green color that is pretty soothing and relaxing.  The art work was fine, nothing too remarkable.

Onto the food...

It seemed that we had to wait an inordinate amount of time for our relatively simple lunches.  They arrived after awhile and we had to ask for glasses of water.  Not clear instructions there if we were to get it ourselves or if it would be brought to us with our meal.  Anyway, the food arrived and the hubby was by far the winner!  Of course his meal was hot - a bonus on a frigid day.  The ham and cheese was nicely grilled and served with a side salad of mixed greens with a nice dressing.  The only odd thing about the salad was the addition of one rather large sun-dried tomato chunk. 

My salad was ok.  It was a spinach salad with "slow roasted Chioggia beets", goat cheese and a shallot-balsamic vinaigrette.  Nothing remarkable about the salad.  Occasionally I got a very salty taste which seemed an odd pairing with the beets and cheese.  A crunch factor was definitely missing in this salad.  While beets, goat cheese, and candied walnuts can be "overdone" on menus, there is a purpose for those walnuts!  I missed the crunch.  Additionally for $7.50 a slice of bread with the salad would have been nice. 

The experience was fine.  I wouldn't rush back, but if in the area I would give it a second chance.  It reminded me a bit of the Pairings restaurant.  If Mendoberri's doesn't make it, I think Pairings could take it over and do well.

The highlight of the visit was an after lunch trip over to The Olive Grove Olive Oil Company.  This store is across the "street" from Mendoberri.  If you like olive oil and balsamic vinegar, this is the store to visit!  We walked into the store and were greeted by a friendly, knowledgeable employee who explained how the store worked.  We basically went around and tasted different oils and vinegars and then created our own "sample box" of 4 different kinds.  (I also picked up some nice olive oil based bath products.)  Mendoberri may get another chance mainly because we'll be back at The Olive Grove at some point in the near future.

Happy Eating!

In Season

We tried the new restaurant, In Season, the other night.  The concept is unique and well done.  The menu revolves around what is "in season" at that particular time.  The winter inspiration included such items as butternut squash, clementines, grapefruit, root vegetables, monkfish, oxtail, sunchokes (which is another name for Jerusalem artichokes), and sweet potato. 

Due to the popularity of the restaurant, getting a reservation was a bit of a challenge.  We ended up with a late reservation, so we were definitely hungry when we arrived.  We were seated near the front of the restaurant.  I was concerned at first that we would be cold where we were seated.  However, a nice, heavy tapestry blocked the diners from the opening front door.  The restaurant was decorated with artwork on the walls and small votive candles on the tables.  The table was a nice dark wood and the chairs were very comfortable with a soft cushion seat. 

I ordered a glass of Malbec to start.  We were brought a basket of tasty bread from Rustica Bakery.  The butter stole the show with the honey, lemon, sea salt combination.  Nothing super powerful, but just nicely done and paired well with the crispy bread from Rustica. 

I started with a Butternut Squash soup with Manchego Cheese and Pumpkinseed Oil.  The soup was as I expected...excellent!  The Manchego Cheese added a nice smooth melty center.  Mmmm....  The hubby started with a mixed micro greens salad with olive oil, sherry vinegar, and Parmesan.  He enjoyed the salad as well - the micro greens provided a nice peppery taste to the salad.

My main entree was the Amish Chicken Breast with risotto, sunchokes, and mushrooms.  The sunchokes were a nice semi-sweet crunch.  The risotto was not as creamy as I typically like, but then again it did not seem as heavy either.  The chicken was fall of the bone tender.  Unfortunately I did not get a lot of taste from the chicken.  I think it could have used a little salt.  The hubby went with the Spiced Oxtail wit Creamy Polenta, Kale, and Crisp Serrano.  He seemed to really enjoy the combination.  The oxtail was very tender and had a bit of a kick to it. 

We finished off the evening with dessert.  The hubby went with the small cheese plate.  This was served with 4 different types of cheeses.  The servings were very generous and we wondered what the large plate would have been  like.  I chose to go with the Espresso Semi-Freddo Terrine with "Toblerone" Sauce.  It was topped with cocoa nibs that gave a crunch with each bite.  The Toblerone Sauce was a great tasting chocolate sauce - definitely the highlight of the dish.

We both enjoyed the evening and the restaurant.  While the emphasis on using what's in season is admirable and makes sense, it also makes for a rather limited menu.  This might be a restaurant that is good to get to 4 times a year.  Next up...Spring!

Happy Eating!

January in Review

Well, I thought I was going to get back to my blogging ways with 2011 and here it is February 1st and it's my 3rd post of the year.  What can I say...I was in a bit of a "funk" in January.  Just stumbled across this article which I thought was very fitting for me.  A couple of her changes were things I did in January too.  I tried new recipes and took up snow shoeing! 

Though I was in a bit of a funk, we did manage to start 2011 off with new restaurants.  I'm just going to provide a quick review of the new ones we tried and then will get back to more normal reviews.

We started the year with Sandy's Tavern.  The website claims "Home of the Best Burgers."  While that may be a bit of an overstatement, the burgers were very good!  We had driven by this restaurant a number of times and always thought we should try it.  It was well worth the visit and we'll be back.  We like to find the burger joints!

A few weeks ago we tried Jack's Restaurant for lunch.  I had a very good cup of butternut squash bisque and the Farmer's Pantry salad which consisted of cheese, red onions, carrots, wild rice, greens and a shallot vinaigrette.  The wild rice provided a bit of a crunch with the salad.  The hubby went with the garden nosh plate - lots of different spreads to try.  The bread there was fabulous!

We left Jack's in search of dessert somewhere and stumbled upon the newly reopened Blackbird Cafe.  The old location of this restaurant was destroyed by a fire about a year ago.  We were never huge fans of the old space.  The new space is fabulous!  The hubby was still a tad hungry after the nosh plate, so he ordered the handcut fries with rosemary aioli while I had a very nice cup of earl grey tea.  We then split dessert - the Pecan Bar.  Basically it was pecan pie with vanilla ice cream.  It was so incredibly delicious and sinful!

Cocina del Barrio one day for lunch.  The chicken/black bean tostadas are a must for any visit to the Barrio restaurants!  The corn chowder is also quite tasty.  Nice location, less noisy than the downtown Barrios - definitely plays to the suburban crowd more than the other locations.

We had a mid-week dinner with Reservations for One at Travail Kitchen and Amusement.  Not sure why they don't have their own website yet, but I think even those readers without Facebook can get to the site on Travail.  This restaurant was worth the hype.  It's a gastropub.  Pub like atmosphere with gourmet type dishes.  I can't even begin to describe all of the wonderful plates we tried.  All of it was great!  Definitely will go back there.  They don't take reservations though, so plan ahead and get there early.  We were there when they opened and they had a line waiting within 30 minutes or so.

We visited the new location of Rice Paper.  This restaurant is the reason I now can eat tofu.  The tofu puff appetizers are so tasty that I hold all tofu up to their standards.  I then tried a Delta Bowl with chicken.  Let me tell you, that was a rough dish to try and eat gracefully.  It basically is a soup dish, but with lots of noodles.  Very hard to eat without getting the broth all over.  Live and learn as they say...

Next we tried Raku.  Raku is a Japanese restaurant that has recently opened.  The decor is quite nice.  Soft and quiet.  The food was fine, but I wouldn't rush back to it.  I ordered a tempura dish and it was just too fried for me.  I know that is the what tempura is, but I didn't think about it being quite like that.

Finally, we went to The Hanger Room for brunch.  I had a chicken, arugula, feta omelet that was served with a well-seasoned serving of potatoes.  The potatoes were little cubes, not hash browns, but similar.  I also tried the maple coil sausage from Fischer Farms.  The sausage was the highlight of the meal for me.  It had a nice slightly sweet taste.  The hubby went with the BLT egg sandwich.  It was very good and I think he "won" in the ordering department.  The house cut fries that he had were also very good.  We don't think this location will be open for brunch very long - not busy enough to sustain it.  However, I hope they do well with their dinner offerings.  The food is good and I think they will do well in the restaurant scene.

That's the January recap.  Lots more restaurants to try in the next 11 months.  Stay tuned...

Happy Eating!

2010 in Review

Once again the hubby and I did quite the job of hitting new restaurants.  We really should keep a running list throughout the year and not just wait until January 1 to try and remember - we aren't getting any younger after all!

In our current tally of new restaurants for 2010, I come in at 73, while the hubby comes in at a respectable 67.  Yes, for all of you math whizzes, that is over 1 new restaurant a week.  New restaurants is our hobby!  Maybe for 2011 our hobby will include more gym time as well.

I won't bore you with all of the restaurants we've been too, but will provide a few highlights:

• Best tatertot hotdish/casserole - Haute Dish
• Best burger - Victory 44
• Best pastry - Linzer 46 - Patisserie 46
• Best breakfast sandwich - Cocoa & Fig's fried egg sandwich
• Best pork candy - Subo
• Best surprise find for me - Ghandi Mahal - Indian cuisine
• Best surprise dish for hubby - fettuccine/haricots verts - Corner Table
• Best lemon ricotta hotcakes - Purple Sandpiper
• Biggest disappointment for hubby - Prairie Ale House, followed by Forepaugh's and Giuseppe's
• Biggest disappointment for me - Firelake Grill

Our vote for best restaurant of 2010 and the Startribune's Restaurant of the Year.

(and where we dined on New Year's Eve).......

Piccolo

My NYE review of Piccolo will be posted in the next few days.

Happy Eating in 2011!

Town Hall Brewery

The hubby and I stopped by the second location of Town Hall Brewery recently for a late lunch. We had talked about going to the original location on campus for some time, but just had never made it there.  The new location is more convenient for us and so we gave it a try.

The restaurant space itself is good - the last restaurant to occupy that space had a dark interior, but Town Hall Brewery has lightened up the color.  They have a few TVs for those that want to watch a game.  They don't take over the place though and so we actually could have a conversation without being sidetracked by the television.

We both had the Original Town Hall Burger which was served with french fries.  The burger itself was very well seasoned and I thought I tasted Worcestershire sauce in the mix.  It came with a seasoned mayonnaise that was very good with the burger.  We both only had half of our burger and had the leftovers a day later.  The burger was great the next day as well!

The fries were good.  The hubby liked them better than I did.  They had some kind of batter coating which I don't care for as much.  They were served with a nacho cheese sauce which gave the meal a little zing. 

Nice stop for a late lunch if you are in South Mpls. 

Happy Eating!