Unexpected Travail

Last night our Robbinsdale boys gave us a tour down memory lane.  We rented a car service to drive around Robbinsdale, the oldest suburb in Minneapolis and saw their old houses and hangouts.  We followed that with dinner at Travail Kitchen & Amusements, a new American gastropub.  We had a reservation at the "hot tub" table, a round booth sitting on an elevated platform that was just perfect for eight.  Mike, our waiter, indicated that as part of our tasting menu, the food would come in dishes to be shared for each couple with a number of amuse bouche in between.  

In total we had 17 courses and they were all surprising, terrific and in many ways unexpected.  Most definitely a place worth visiting again.  Below are pictures of our courses (except one of the desserts that somehow I missed, a Cheesecake lemon shots streusel).

Olive Bomb

Chinese deep fried beans with miso emulsion

Beet salad w prosciutto and walnut purée

Reuben cheese fondue corned beef thousand island dressing
with sauerkraut and pumpernickel cracker

Shrimp banh mi with ponzu sauce

Brisket with pickled radish and conish pickels horseradish
yogurt sauce and sous vide egg yolk

Sunchoke soup with popovers and chive mouse

Tortellini with ham and cheddar foam

Scallops with fried cream grits, micro sunflower sprouts and powder chorizo

Sea bass with carrot orange purée, navy beans and fish fume
foam, black béarnaise and chive powder

Potato gnocchi with egg yolk creme fraiche and bacon

Rabbit leg stuffed with sausage and wrapped in pancetta
with balsamic reduction and butternut squash purée

Black  currant dipping dots

Pork tenderloin with asian daikon radish pork belly sous vide egg yolk

Fudge browny with peanut butter powder and lemon macaroon

Liquid nitrogen frozen dipping dots with chocolate
ganache and jalapeño marshmallow

Two of our Robbinsdale boys with Kelly

Gold Medal Challenge - Part II

Last Sunday was part two of the Gold Medal Challenge part of the Icebreaker Half Marathon and Marathon at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, WI.  Earning the gold medal required running the half on Saturday and then the full on Sunday.  You also got the bronze for the half and the silver for the full, so running both races nets you three medals.  For those addicted to the metal as I am, a pretty good deal, even if it requires a 11 hour drive round trip (the last 3 hours in icy rain).

Anyway, having spent the last night having dinner at the very terrific Christie's Bar & Grill, I got up early and headed to the Olympic facility where the event takes place. The race started at 8:00AM after a beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner by a local singer.  

One of the laps around the ice
skating ring during the Marathon

There isn't much to add about the full that was not mentioned on the blog entry for the half.  Basically the same terrain and temperature controlled weather, just twice the length (96 laps).  I will add that this was my third (out of 17 marathons) in which I did not take a walking step.  Running end to end is easy when there are no uphills (no excuses).  I am also glad that the ankle that had been bothering me since New York did not affect me in the least.

When running by the projector you can check your lap count

I completed the full in 4:11:13 placing 57 out of 117.  A pretty average run for me.  I do have to say, I enjoy a run in which you get to see the lead runners several times over (even cheer for them as the y pass you).  Usually they take off before you and never get to see them from the corral.  By the time you finish, they are long gone (awards and all).

I also enjoyed the volunteers, who handed you your water bottle on request and provided lap counts when asked.  Really an awesome bunch.     

It is a tad for from home, but I think the event is definitely a fan one to attempt again.  Two technical T-shirts and three medals also help.

A marathon runner at an Olympic facility wearing the
silver and gold medals earned for the event

A Milwaukee Gem: Christie's Bar & Grill

Christie's Bar & Grill, Milwaukee, WI

The night before the Icebreaker Marathon, I find myself alone in Milwaukee and frankly, I don't feel like a plate of pasta at the diner that is next to my very inexpensive hotel.  I do a few online searches and find something interesting.  Just a few miles from my hotel, there is a place called Christie's Bar & Grill that has a 5 star rating on Yelp.com with 33 reviews.  With that many reviews, it is rare to get that high a score.  So after reading a few of them, I decide to give it a try.

The place is in a residential neighborhood and looks like just one other house that had an awning added along with a few neon lights.  I am advised by somebody in Yelp to go early, otherwise the wait will be long.  I arrive at 5:15, just a few minutes after they open.  Behind the bar is Jason, very hard working and MC extraordinaire who keeps the conversation going and even gets the customers talking to each other.  The other only member of the staff is Jason's mother, who is back in the kitchen.  At 64 years of age, she doesn't move fast (Jason informs several times), but the food is very much worth it.

Calamari

I start with a glass of cabernet and some calamari with an Asian sauce.  I find the calamari a tad overcooked, but not bad.  The sauce is terrific.  Gingery and sweet with a touch of acidity to cut the grease of the calamari.  Not a bad start, but nothing to write a blog article about.

As I have my appetizer, dishes keep coming from the kitchen.  For each order, Jason walks to the kitchen, peeks inside and places the order, which invariably starts with "Mom!"  Every dish is great looking and very large, easy to share.  I am alone, so opt for a Shrimp Po'boy.  I also get a second glass of wine.  Not wise the night before a marathon, so I compensate drinking a few glasses of water.

As Jason places the sandwich in front of me he also brings a stack of no less than 8 or 10 napkins.  I initially find it unnecessary, but later find out they turn out to be barely enough.  Looking at the Sandwich I suddenly understand the ratings on Yelp.  It looks great!  My neighbor at the bar looks at it and says: "Damn, I was going to order that!  I will have to come back to get one."

Shrimp Po'boy, truly delicious

The shrimp is crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked (flash fried) on the inside... juicy and with a nice crunch.  The sauce is spicy and plentiful (hence the need for napkins).  Probably not a good idea for a pre-marathon dinner, so I order a third glass of wine to compensate :-)

I enjoy my entree while I listen and participate in the conversation.  I soon realize I was wise to come early and order soon.  A trickle of customers come in during the time I am there and they are at some point met with a proposed 90 minute wait, to which most of them respond leaving to find another place for dinner.  Even those at the bar are in for a long wait.  I end up staying 2-1/2 hours, but I am in no hurry.  At one point, a single entree comes for the couple sitting next to me.  Jason says: "Food is going to come out like a Chinese restaurant so if it comes out start eating 'cause there is only one mom back there."  Everybody seems to be fun with it.

Really a must-visit establishment if you happen to be in Milwaukee.  The food is great the atmosphere is warm and friendly (in the time I was there I must have shaken his hand 4 times) and Jason is truly the star making the place what it is.  OK... the food was also incredible.  As I leave, I ask Jason if I can take his picture for my blog.  While I do it I mentioned to him that it is rare to have such a high rating on Yelp with 33 reviews.  His response is simply: "All I have is a bar with food and two bathrooms".  I think he has much more than that.

Jason, bartender, food runner and MC extraordinaire

Gold Medal Challenge - Part I

Currently I am spending my weekend in Wisconsin. I am participating in the Icebreaker's Gold Medal Challenge. This interesting event has a number of races held at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee.

Running around the ice skating ring at Pettit National Ice Center

In addition to a 5K which I just found out took place on Friday afternoon or evening, the key events are a half marathon held on Saturday and a Marathon held on Sunday morning. Those running the half get a bronze medal. Those running the full get a silver medal. And those running both races get a gold medal.


Of course I am trying for both. Otherwise I am not sure I would have endured the 5 hour drive to get here.

This morning I run the half. Because of the number of participants on the 1/2 marathon,they actually hold two races on Saturday. Mine started at 7:00 AM and I have to say I had a ball.

The course is the outer track on the ice skating arena, right outside the ice ring. A half a marathon requires 47 and 1/2 laps. The very center of the arena has two ice squares; one for hockey and one for free ice skating. Almost right from the start we got to see a group of kids playing hockey and another group of kids doing pirouettes. The speed skating ring had a Zamboni running around that brought some excitement to the run.

1/2 Marathon Bronze medal

The track is very nice. The inner area is used for fast runners, so with the exception of my time passing, I spent most of my time on the outside. A group of volunteers hand you your water bottle on request and take it at the next lap, about 2:20 min later. The race is chipped and a large LCD projector displays runners and their lap count. You can also ask for your count and get it on the next pass.

About an hour into the race, the Zamboni was done preparing the speed ice ring and a small number of speed skaters in Flash Gordon-like outfits took on the course for additional entertainment.

The time went fast. I completed the first race in 1:50:05 (8:25 min/miles), finishing 71 out of 111 runners in this wave. My overall place will be higher, since the organizers requested that the faster runners participate on the first wave (and had to finish in under 2 hours). Leaving the second wave for those that either didn't want to get up early or run slower. (Note: final tally placed me #80 or 222, certainly a better number.)

Because of the venue, the indoor wheater conditions were great for running. The temperature and humidity controlled environment helped not just keep the ice solid, but also the runners form overheating. In fact, after I finished I decided to stick around to see the second wave start from the bleachers. I didn't last long. Between my wet clothes and the frigid temperatures I left after they had done no more than 4 or 5 laps.

Breakfast at The Broken Yolk

Following a tradition of mine. I asked a volunteer for a local breakfast establishment and was directed to The Broken Yolk, a little whole in the wall/college type of place where you order at the counter and can get breakfast all day. For just $12 I got chocolate milk and a large plate containing three eggs, hash browns, sausage, toast and a side of bacon that had no less than 6 strips. Yeah... I was hungry.

Now I am back at my very cheap hotel room icing my ankle (which has been bothering me a tad since the New York Marathon last November) and watching the South Carolina primary on CNN making time until tomorrow's marathon. I will make sure to follow up with a post soon after the race.