Breaking Bad at Aquatennial

To celebrate Aquatennial, we are invited to Mr White's house (his real name).  It is not however Mr White who is cooking, but rather Mrs White.  It appears, Mr White does not have the right lab equipment to prepare his specialty....

There is no loss however, the menu will please just about anyone.  We start with a beet salad, artfully presented in stacked circles with goat cheese (and a touch of mascarpone), pistachios and a tarragon sauce.  Great start.

The soup that follows is just about the perfect way to warm up the stomach for the main entree.  Asparagus soup with some gruyere pastries (with we devour and alarming speed).

The man in entree is a grilled flank steak (I guess Mr White did cook after all) served as a salad with greens and grilled corn and topped with a chimichurri sauce.   The combination is just what the warm summer night is asking for.  The steak is cooked to perfection and the lightness of the salad (as opposed to a heavy starch) results in a great pairing.

Before we get to dessert we are interrupted by a number explosions outside.  Are they gunshots?  Has the DEA finally figure out that Mr White is Heisenberg?  Not at all, the Aquatennial fireworks will postpone our craving for a sweet ending to this meal.  Back from the light and sound show courtesy of Target, we find a berry tiramisu in a jar.  The mascarpone topping is sweet as can be but held at bay by the tartness and acidity of the berries and then rescued again by the sweetness often lady fingers.  The espresso will be served on the side courtesy of Mr White (who clearly remembers the coffee making instructions for chemist colleague Gale Boetticher, because it it heavenly).

The evening is over when Mr White says it's over.  We leave with stomachs full, minds stimulated by the conversation, and the feeling that we somehow dodged a bullet.

Thanks Mr and Mrs White for a great evening.

Alma's Soul

Just realized I have never created a post for Restaurant Alma.  A jewel just a few blocks from home and one of my favorite restaurants in the Twin Cities.  Alma has a menu that changes four times a year and never, never disappoints.  The short menu includes five each of appetizers, first course and second course and offers a special to get one of each for $48.  Always a difficult selection.

Last night we headed to Alma, a last minute decision, and enjoyed these delicacies:

• Crispy Soft Cooked Egg with watercress, snap peas, oyster mushrooms & xo sauce
• Parmesan Flan with crispy artichokes, black olives & maple syrup
• Mussel & Squid "Fideos" with tomato, saffron & aioli 
• Crispy Bean Pancake with prawns, sesame & scallion sauce 
• Sauteed Halibut with herb sauce, wine braised artichokes & carrots 

My favorites were the parmesan flan (salty in a very good way and a great combination of flavors), the crispy bean pancake (very inventive and great texture) and the herb sauce that came with the halibut (the fish itself had beautiful color, but could have used a minute less in the oven, as it was a tad dry).

If you've never tried Alma, it is time to go.  

Lyon, 2012

Lyon was a terrific place.  Our first time in France, we didn't know what to expect.  We found the people warm, the food warm and inviting and the city beautiful.  From the medieval neighborhood to the street market every day except Mondays (picture below), we loved every inch of it (or every centimeter, since they use the metric system).

I do have to say that the French would be very surprised in learning what has been done around the world musically in the last 30 years.  I say this because all their radio stations and restaurants/bars play music almost exclusively from the 60s and 70s.  I think they would enjoy all the new music.

We ate wonderful things all over Lyon, but if I had to choose one, it probably would be this.  Pork meat encased in a pastry with aspic on top.  The one in the picture was purchased at the street market, but you could find them everywhere.  Instead of pistachios, you can find mushrooms or peppercorns, etc.  All delicious.  We are going to have to try more of France...

Dinner at the Craftsman

We found The Craftsman quite by accident several years ago and try to go there with some frequency.  The decor is warm with mission-style furniture and Frank Lloyd-Write touches throughout.  The menu is heavy on local, in-season and organic ingredients.  It always reminds me of Heartland, recent winner of the coveted James Beard Award and a subject of this blog.  Although The Craftsman has similar quality and ingredients but a lower price endless populous atmosphere.

Last night it was dinner with our friends and neighbors Warren and Chelle.  What a great time.  We started with a long conversation that seemed it could have gone for days, but our of hunger, I diverted my attention to the menu to get some nourishment.  We started sharing the charcuterie plate and a large cheese plate with some tempranillo.  The star was definitely the     charcuterie plate with great cured meats and pate/terrine like meats including pork, duck and rabbit.

For the main entree Chelle and I opted for the rabbit confit with polenta croutons and honey.  Although my rabbit was slightly dry (I like my birds just cooked), the flavor was spot-on and the croutons were delicious.   Warren's duck looked terrific and as he pointed out later, he cleaned the bone.  That good it was.  Sharon had a carbonara of which I got a taste and enjoyed the delicious, salty taste of pancetta.

We didn't try the desserts (probably because of all the bread we had with the apps), but I have in the past and they are in keeping with the rest of the menu.  Really a terrific place worth to continue to patronize.

Italian Adventure

Probably our favorite place in the world to eat... Italy.  Pasta, pizza, lots of seafood and the best coffee in the world.  What's not to like?  This year we visited Milan and Florence, with short stops at places like Siena, San Gimignano and other little towns.  We did not have a bad meal.  The rainy and cold-ish weather could not put a damper (as much as it tried) to such a wonderful vacation.  Below are pics of the best things we ate...

Spinach and sausage pizza on our way to the center of Milan

Fritto Misto - Including what was by far the most tender calamari we ever ate

Fresh pasta with vegetables at a little bistro downtown Milan

An appetizer at Il Gnoccho Fritto, one of the most fun places we ate at

A great antipasto in Florence.  At the top (below the cheese) is bread with
Lardo.  Yep, that's basically lard (unrendered pork fat).  Delicious!

A little snack at Florence's Mercato Centrale.  Sausage, chicken, onion,
red peppers and bread.  All skewered and cooked in the oven.  

Our last dinner in Milan at a Michelin rated Sicilian restaurant specialized
in seafood.  Pictured is their Crudo plate (raw fish drizzled with olive oil
salt and pepper).  The shrimp was so fresh it reminded us of the raw sweet
shrimp we had in Japan.  The olive oil didn't hurt at all :-)

Doppio macchiato (our beverage of choice, a double shot of espresso with
a touch of milk).  The croisant had just come out of the oven.  This was the
last one we had before heading to the airport. 

Naviglio Grande in Milan.  A great, great area to live, eat and relax.  Our
apartment was just a few blocks on the left side.  Would move there
in a heart beat.   Maybe one day...

European Trip 2012 - Geneva

Not our first stop on our European spring tour, but I have not posted anything for a while and I am afraid to lose my two readers :-)

....


We did not think much of Geneva.  Sharon and I are far more in tune with the latin cultures of southern Europe and find little charm on the efficient and professional feel of places like Switzerland.  We took a walk and got lost taking a few wrong turns and ended up at a nice cafe close to the river.  The best part of this part of the trip was Cafe du Paris on Rue de Mont Blanc a recommendation from Bob that really saved the trip.

The place is right by the train station and has a single item on the menu entrecôte et frites.  As you are seated, the waitress asked for the temperature (medium rare for us) and what wine we wanted.  She then asked how many glasses we wanted to select the size of carafe to bring.

The salad that comes first thing is terrific.  It is just lettuce, fresh and nicely dressed with a little but of mustard.  The steak is served on a metal tray that sits on top of a table top burner/warmer.  It is served with herbed butter.  LOTS of herbed butter. As I see the serving platter I wonder how the couple in the neighboring table is managing to soak up all the butter with bread.  Seems too much.  Turns out it wasn't so.  The steak is tender and delicious.  The frites are great and we end up getting a second serving.  Soaked in the herbed butter are even better.  A second serving of bread also helps.  By the time they take the tray away, I don't think it will need much cleaning.

Dessert for Sharon was a mocha ice cream with cognac flambé. Not sure if it had a lot of cognac or if they didn't burn it long enough (probably a combination of the two), but it was like having a couple of shots with the ice cream.  I had a white chocolate mousse with a raspberry sauce that was pretty good too.

The next morning we get up early, have breakfast at the hotel and head back to Lyon.  We miss France and Italy. A day in Geneva was any for us, but will be forever grateful to Bob for his restaurant recommendation. Definitely the highlight of Geneva.

Entrecôte at Cafe du Paris

As a side note, we bought it fun to track the cost of Big Macs in Europe (no, we didn't even enter any McDonalds, it was just an interesting factoid to check on the European economy and inflation).  Here is what we saw (all prices in $USD):

• Geneva, Switzerland    $14.86
• Lyon, France                $10.98
• Florence, Italy                 $8.39
• USA                               $3.50 

Raw Food Diet - Day Six - The End

The sixth day of our raw food diet is also the last one.  Kobe Beef Steak Tartare served with a shaved raw asparagus salad with Manchego cheese.  The salad was inspired on a salad we had at Bar La Grassa last summer that was out of this world.  Large, raw asparagus are shaved on a mandolin on the long end.  Then they are tossed with a fresh dressing (in our case made with some home-made tarragon mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon salt and pepper.)  To that we added some julienne Peppadew peppers and shaved Manchego cheese.  It came out great.

The tartare was good, but the recipe I found resulted in too much orange zest, although the truffle oil was a nice touch.  

All an all, the diet was an interesting experiment, but we found it to be very limiting.  We are food people and can deal with the usual diet that reduces quantities of certain ingredients, but in this case, entire categories were eliminated.  Our stove missed us too much.  The big bad wolf is back!

Kobe Beef Tartare with Raw Asparagus Salad

Raw Food Diet - Day 4 - A Night at the Ecopolitan

For a Midwest city, Minneapolis has its fare share of good restaurants (making it a cool place in yet another way ;-)  What we did not expect is a place like the Ecopolitan right on Lyndale two blocks passed The Wedge.  This is a restaurant dedicated to organic, vegan, gluten free and raw food.  That applies to every item on their menu.

I have to say I had low expectations.  Sharon and I went there out of necessity.  We were on day four of a Raw Food Diet shenanigan and decided to go there as soon as we heard about the place.  We are used to going out to dinner with some regularity and this raw for diet was making it rather difficult.

For appetizers we started with an easy guacamole and salsa.  Perhaps not much of a stretch, since this is a dish that is never cooked.  The challenge was perhaps on the crackers.  Made in their kitchen, these tostadas are made out of sunflower seeds and a variety of other seeds.  They had the perfect crunch and did not add too much flavor to the guacamole (in my opinion, an issue with the raw flax seed crackers, or at least the ones sold at Whole Foods.)

We ordered a second appetizer that had more of a challenge: humus.  Traditional humus is made with cooked chickpeas that are usually cooked.  Anyway, this particular humus was made with zucchini and garlic (we are leading that zucchini is a staple in raw food, (whuddathonk?) This was DELICIOUS.  In some ways better than the original, with a more vibrant flavor.  This raised the expectations considerably for the entrees.

The Lentil Faux Taco Meat Salad was made with cashew sour cream.  Served with mixed greens, this salad was flavorful and very fresh.  I might have added chopped black olives for an extra flavor kick that would have been well suited to the dish, but overall it was a very successful dish.  So much so, that we made our way to The Wedge afterwards trying to find some of the lentil faux taco meat.  BTW, we couldn't.

Last, we ordered a zucchini Pesto Pasta over spinach.  There is really no pasta on this dish, but rather the zucchinis are cut in long strips like spaghetti.  The pesto was terrific and very creamy (I have a feeling it was not made with pine nuts, but can't say for sure.)  We shared and devoured all the courses and ended up so full that could not go for dessert, although there was a coconut cream pie (vegan, organic, raw and gluten free) that looked pretty good.

The place is most definitely worth a visit (I know we will be there again even after our Raw Food Diet is a funny memory.)  If you go there, know that they have a small parking lot in the back that you access through the alley.

Raw Food Diet - Day 3 - Finally a Home Run

Day three of our Raw Food Diet was a home run.  Of course it was thanks to Sharon.  Had lots of fruit and nuts for breakfast and lunch was just the leftover gazpacho made for the previous night but dinner was pretty awesome.  Sharon worked some magic with great fish we got at Coastal Seafoods (in my view the only place to buy fish in the Twin Cities).

To start she made a tomato salad with avocado, sweet barnea olive oil and salt.  That hit the spot, and it was just the start.  A seaweed roll stuffed with vegetables (shredded zucchini, bean sprouts, avocado and a soy sauce sauce) was heavenly.  The Atlantic salmon sashimi was heartily and very fresh.  Served with soy sauce (to which she expertly added some sugar, garlic and some other goodness) and wasabi.  But the star of the night was the scallop sashimi.  She drizzle them with olive oil, lemon juice and a little but of salt.  Those were sweet and delicious.  Gotta have them again.

For dessert we had some yogurt with raw granola (make from sprouted grains), honey and fresh berries.

I badly needed a meal like this.  It gave us encouragement to continue with this experiment.  Go Sharon!

Sharon's Awesome Sashimi Dinner

Raw Food Diet - Day 2

The second day of our Raw Food Diet adventure was tough.  Somehow breakfast and lunch were not very satisfying.  I was OK with the breakfast of fruit and nuts and the salad lunch, but really craved a little piece of bread with the salad.  By the way, you can eat A LOT of lettuce before you can say you are full (I tried and didn't reach that point).  

Anyway, I was looking forward to dinner and that turned out fairly successful.  We started with some home made gazpacho.  That is always good (although I missed the croutons).  The dehydrated sweet potato chips from Whole Foods proved a major disappointment.  Nota good sign when you miss baked potato chips (never a big fan.)

The star of the night was the barramundi ceviche.  I used 1/2 pound of small diced barramundi, lots of lime juice, tomato seeds (discarded from the gazpacho), red bell pepper, cilantro, jalapeño and salt & pepper.  Not bad at all with the avocado.  I found the flaxseed a tad too string, but Sharon likes them.  

Not bad, but need to fine-tune.  Satisfaction level is only mid-point.

(clockwise from the top left) Sweet Potato Chips, Ceviche,
Gazpacho, Flaxseed Chips and Avocados

Going Raw for Milano City Marathon - Day 1

Next month is the Milano City Marathon (yep, that's Milan Italy, totally psyched).  So Sharon and I decided to prepare by going on a raw food diet, a diet based on uncooked and unprocessed food.  No item can be cooked above 104 degrees.  

Our plan was to cleanse our bodies, lose a couple of pounds (which we will most definitely pack during our trip to Italy) and in general discover a new (although temporary) way of eating.  We both have friends that have tried them before and decided to give it a go.  (If any of them reads this, please feel free to offer some recipes.  That goes for you Tim.)

Literature on this diet is plentiful on the internet, and there is also opposing views as to whether animal protein can or cannot be included.  Most sites include a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, nuts, raw grains and legumes, free of alcohol and caffeine and that may include eggs and milk products (as long as unpasteurized) as well as raw fish (sashimi, ceviche) and are meat (carpaccio, tartare).  Of course, chicken is out :-)

What I like the most is the challenge.  It really forces us to look at food completely differently.  A trip to the grocery store is very different when you can skip most of the aisles.  As we were planning it, I headed to Whole Foods for some help.  Almost by accident and right at the entrance I found a whole shelf of raw products.  Power bars, flaxseed crackers, granola, sweet potato chips (dehydrated rather than fried or baked), nut products and even cookies (made with dehydrated fruits, pressed nuts and carob).  I loaded on those at a pretty penny, but for sure the idea was to use those as a treat, to make it fun.  The full intent is to focus on fresh produce as well as lots of fresh fish and some raw beef tartare.

The cheese shop at Whole Foods was conveniently labeled indicating what cheeses had been made with pasteurized milk.  The selection of unpasteurized cheeses was small but sufficient.  We have been drinking almond milk for some time now, so we are good there, but were completely unable to find yogurt made from unpasteurized milk (I will confess that that is the one item we decided to cheat on... I was not ready to give up having a little bit of plain yogurt with berries, honey and granola after dinner.)

Day one was good.  Fruit for breakfast, a salad for lunch and found a good recipe for Raw Zucchini Pad Thai (pictured below).  This was actually delicious.  Shredded zucchini, bean sprouts, red bell pepper, chopped almonds, cilantro, lime, olive oil, salt and pepper.  We will make it again and probably add some jalapeño.  

Raw Zucchini Pad Thai

A good start, but certainly challenging in that it is very limiting.  More so for us that will eat just about anything and enjoy eating out.  Will we last three weeks as planned?  Stay tuned.

Another Night at the Butcher Block

Last Tuesday we visited the Butcher Block with our good friends Debbie and Steve.  This Minneapolis Rome inspired trattoria is just a few blocks from home, so we make our way to this terrific establishment every few weeks and never regret it.  

The place is welcoming and cozy, very fitting to the Northeast scene.  Chef Filippo Caffari (formerly at I Nonni) is a skilled master butcher that really knows his way around the kitchen.  His tomato sauces have a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity (my bet is on San Marzano tomatoes as the key ingredient).  You cannot go wrong with anything that has them.  

Sharon had Gnocchi with Wild Boar Ragu that was heavenly.  The gnocchi were light and tender and the ragu was hearty enough to stand on its own as a dish.  A very balanced dish.  Debbie's Spaghetti and Meatballs (made with pork and ricotta) were plentiful and a testament to the mastery of chef Filippo's tomato sauces.

Steve and I ordered the Veal Liver Marsala (I have to confess that is what I usually order.  In fact this dish made its way into this blog on an earlier although rather brief post.)  This is the only place I have visited where you are asked for temperature on the liver (medium-rare for me).  The tender veal liver is served over mashed potatoes and accompanied with the most delicious Marsala wine sauce.  Topping the liver with sautéed crimini mushrooms really highlights the earthy profile of the dish.  I can't recommend this dish enough.  

Last Tuesday we didn't have appetizers, but from previous visits I can really recommend the Grilled Octopus (a favorite of Sharon's) and the Eggplant Saporite, served with artichoke, fennel and gorgonzola.  The Butcher Block is nothing if not consistent (one of the best compliments I think you can give to a good restaurant).  It really never disappoints.  I know we will make our way back there before too long.

Chef Filippo Caffari and his kitchen crew

I ❤ Heartland

We finally made our way to Heartland at it's new location.  We frequented Heartland when we were living in St Paul, but had yet to see the new place by the Farmer's Market.  A reminder came last year when they won the prestigious James Beard award for Best Chef for a Midwest restaurant.

If you are unfamiliar with the place it is a must visit.  They specialize in indigenous and cultivated ingredients from the Canadian and American Midwest that are artfully combined on a menu that changes daily.  The new locale is warm and welcoming in a renovated building that we once looked at when we were considering moving to a loft.  In fact it is large enough to accommodate a not-so-small Farm Direct Market (or deli) with fresh produce and home-made canned delicacies.  Brick walls and large wooden beams running through the ceiling give the place the right ambience.

The food did not disappoint.  The menu maintains the Flora and Fauna options from the old location (two tasting menu options offered at a good price; one vegetarian and one with animal protein).  The lamb ordered by our friend Mike was so beautifully cooked that drove me to write this post.  Sharon had a trout over bok choy that was crispy, light and delicate.

I ordered a traditional cassoutlet, a rich, slow-cooked casserole originating in the south of France, containing white haricot beans, pork sausage, pork, and topped with a duck leg confit.  The picture did not turn our very clear, but I would highly recommend it if you are into beans and stews.

Lamb, beautifully cooked

Trout and bok choy

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

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