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!