Cafe Maude – Minneapolis, Minnesota

I have had Cafe Maude on my list of newer places to try for a while and finally had the opportunity to try it. Overall I was very pleased with the experience.

http://www.cafemaude.com/

We went on a Sunday evening and the place was filled with diners. The host was very accommodating. We had noticed a booth had opened up in the back and even though we were a party of two, he was able to accommodate our request to sit there. Service for that matter was also really good. Our server knew the menu very well and was able to make good recommendations.

The restaurant in my opinion is one of the more successful attempts at what seems to be the latest dining trend the “neighborhood bistro”. A comfortable environment where you can get a decent glass of wine, a range of interesting entrees and you don’t need to spend a ton of money or get dressed up. Not really fine dining but not your neighborhood burger bar either. While I do enjoy this type of restaurant, I do wish that the twin cities could support a broader fine dining, non-steakhouse scene. Cafe Maude offers a great environment along with live entertainment a couple nights a week. They also serve breakfast, brunch and lunch and seemed family friendly. I noticed a stack of high chairs in the corner.

The majority of the current dinner menu is on the heavier side (appropriate for winter), featuring a collection of wood grilled meats, a variety of interesting sides and a cheese menu(a personal favorite of mine). They also feature a collection of specials that looked intriguing.

We decided to start with entrees, order a side dish and save room for dessert. I began with a glass of Louis Latour Pinot Noir. I ordered the Fennel crusted braised short ribs with roasted garlic baby red mashed potatoes and Hacker Pschorr battered onion rings. It was perfect comfort food on a cold night. Portions are not overwhelming in size and the short ribs were nicely done. I am not sure how the fennel was worked in but the ribs were flavorful. They do a nice twist on the mashed potatoes by cooking them on the griddle before serving creating a crust almost like hash browns would have. In my opinion the onion rings were the best part of this dish. They were lightly battered and not overcooked. I think that onion haters would even enjoy them.

We also tried their Hamburger. We added grilled mushrooms and St. Andre Cheese. The burger had a wonderful smoky flavor to it. They have a wide selection of condiments you can add including a fried egg. We also chose the caramelized brussel sprouts. They were served with a fresh salad of apple and beets. If you like brussel sprouts I highly recommend this dish.

For dessert we tried the chocolate pistachio torte with pistachio ice cream. I enjoyed this because it was not too rich and was perfect for the two of us to share. It came with a spearmint sauce drizzled on the plate along with crushed pistachios. The next time we go back I would like to try their chocolate and hazelnut fried raviolis. This seems like a unique dessert that I have yet to see anywhere on a menu.

Overall Cafe Maude offers a nice dining experience. I would highly recommend making a reservation, though they do have a nice bar area and waiting area to hang out and have a drink before you are seated if you are feeling spontaneous. They also have a free parking lot next to the building and there was plenty of off street parking available. I’ll be going back for lunch next.

Grand Café – Minneapolis, MN – Brunch

We were in the neighborhood and knew that the Grand Café served brunch on the weekends so we decided to give it a try.

http://www.grandcafempls.com

My last trip to the Grand Café was not bad but it was not great either. Of the 4 entrees we tried one was amazing and the others were average. My assessment was that the service was so slow that the food sat out too long. For a pan seared duck breast this is not good thing.

I am not one that enjoys rushing a meal, in fact I do really enjoy a break between courses to take a few breaths, sip some wine and enjoy the conversation. But service at this restaurant has been consistently slow both times I have been there. The wait staff was very nice and knowledgeable, just not all that efficient when it comes to empty wine glasses and getting the plates from the kitchen to the diners.

The food for brunch this time was stellar. The Huevoes Rancheros were magnificent. Their version is more French inspired and features Quesadillas filled with Berkshire Pork Confit, Oaxaca Cheese, Two Eggs Your Way (I had mine over easy), Mole, Black Beans, Cilantro, Sour Cream. Out of the kitchen the dish is actually fairly mild, the mole is nicely balanced and not too spicy. Mexican and southwestern food lovers might find this dish on the bland side. They bring you some condiments if you feel the need to add more heat.

I was really impressed with the preparation and attention to detail. The dish was nicely layered and all the ingredients were fresh (except the pork) and high quality. I would highly recommend this if you go there for brunch.

We also tried the steel cut oats. This is a dish that I would normally not order in a restaurant because after all it is oatmeal. This was not your run of the mill oatmeal. It came with a side of apples and Devonshire cream. Mixing these into the hot oatmeal was divine.

I am excited to go back there again soon for dinner and brunch for that matter. I really like their dedication to high quality local ingredients. I am hoping the service will become more efficient as time goes on.

Heidi’s Restaurant – Minneapolis, MN

I was really excited to try Stewart Woodman’s new restaurant Heidi’s this weekend. Hoping that I would have an amazing dining experience to report after my Dining for Sport Holiday hiatus.

I am certain the food at Heidi’s is very good. Unfortunately even with a reservation we were not able to dine there. My assessment is that they are still working out the kinks in the system. The space is small and can’t handle many diners waiting for a table even with a reservation.

We made the mistake of showing up 10 minutes early for our 8pm reservation. I knew we were in trouble when the Prada wearing host said to the couple next to us. “Your reservation was at 7:45 right?” He seated them a few minutes after 8:00 and was buying glasses of wine for the the other party of two who had been waiting even longer.

At 8:15 he came back to us and said “I am going to create a space over here for you”. And he moved a table next to the coat rack and set up the place settings. The table was near the front door and every time it opened we froze. I was able to handle this since I was looking at the menu now. I had my eye on the fingerling potato salad and poached pheasant. At 8:25 our server came, gave us some water and told us about the special. He seemed frazzled. He said “I will be right back to take your order”. Then it really went downhill. At 8:30 a party of 6 entered, then a party of 4 and then another party of 2. We had the luxury of having all of them standing around our table waiting to be seated. Neither one of us thought that we would be giving an eating or dining etiquette demonstration so we got up and left at 8:35 (yes I went straight to jP’s). As we were walking out the door even more people were coming in.

The menu is very reasonably priced. I also thought the wine selections were very nice and I am going to go out on a limb and say that the food is probably really good too. I could smell the truffles when I walked in the door. But 35 minutes past our reservation time and we only had water along with our table in the waiting area was not how I pictured my Saturday evening.

I will make a return visit to Heidi’s but only on a Tuesday or Wednesday (they are not open on Mondays) and only when the hype dies down a bit.

Nina Wong (Chindian) + Andrew (jP American Bistro) = Brilliant Company Event

I was dining at my favorite Minneapolis restaurant and asked Andrew if he knew anyone that could cater an 80-100 person event at my office. Without hesitation he said “you should talk to Nina Wong, she does some really amazing Asian/Indian fusion. And oh by the way…I can run the bar.” I thought “wow” that is a fantastic idea.

Nina and Andrew were an amazing team. Nina created a collection of 7 impressive passed hors d’oeuvres. Andew designed custom cocktails and paired wine and beer.

The menu included:

• King Crab California Rolls
• Spicy Peanut Chicken Skewers
• Tofu Spring Rolls
• Shrimp Toasts with Ginger Mustard Aioli
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Wontons
• Tuna Tartar on Thin Rice Crackers
• Indian Curry Beef Puff

Each item was skillfully prepared and reasonably easy to eat without silverware. My favorite in the group was the tuna. It was flavorful and fresh. Six actually made a nice dinner. The pumpkin cream cheese wontons were a nice touch of Fall comfort food and worked well with the Asian theme. I also enjoyed the California rolls. Along with the tuna they created a nice sushi experience.

I highly recommend going to Nina’s Minneapolis restaurant Chindian Café.

The food and the drinks were perfectly matched and a nice change from the standard catered fare. We had Andew pair a white and red wine along with a light and dark beer selection. The showstoppers were Andrew’s custom made cocktails. He did a variation on a gin and tonic complete with house made pickled fennel, cucumber and mango. He also created a Vodka drink with Apple cider, sour and some secret ingredients he would not disclose. You’ll have to go to jPs and ask him for one. This drink really surprised me because I don’t like vodka all that much. The initial idea of it with Apple Cider seemed like an odd combination. The end product was a light and refreshing drink with just a hint of fall.

What impressed me most about Nina and her team was how smooth and tactical they were. Service was flawless and professional. Before the event she surveyed our space and made recommendations for tables, bar placement and traffic flow. All of the rental equipment was handled and they left our office in the same condition it was in when they got there. What was even more impressive was the fact that the servers were all really friendly and they made our guests feel at home. If you are looking to create an event I highly recommend the Nina + Andrew dynamic duo…. guaranteed success.

Grand Café – Minneapolis, MN

I was looking forward to my visit to the Grand Café, knowing that the concept was similar to its former incarnation as Bakery on Grand. I was a big fan of their rustic, fresh, understated approach to both their menu and wine list. Grand Café is similar but different.

http://www.grandcafempls.com

We made a reservation at 7:15. When we arrived the place was busy. The restaurant itself is a nice, warm space. They have made some nice improvements, but kept the overall layout and approach.

My first impression was that they were unorganized. It took us a while to find someone willing to help us get to our table. Not a single employee would acknowledge that we were obviously waiting to be seated. Finally the host showed up and brought us to our table after about 5 or so minutes.

Like I said earlier. I thought the environment was really nice. They have thought about the details to make it a nice dining experience. The flatware, and plates are well thought and fit with their theme in an appropriate, not trying too hard way.

It was way too dark for me to take any iPhone pictures. I have a new policy. 1. If I can’t get a good shot I won’t take one. 2. I will not ever use a flash in a fine dining restaurant. So no picutures this time it was too dark.

We started with several first courses. The warm beet salad was excellent. It is a nice combination of pears, goat cheese, honey and walnuts.  We also tried the Creamy Leek Tart. It was  really good. I especially enjoyed the roasted tomato and poached egg that came along with it. This would be a wonderful brunch or breakfast dish. The leeks were not overpowering. I think diners who don’t care for onions would even enjoy this.  Another star at the table was the trio of Canapés. They change regularly and offer a range of flavors.

For entrees I went with the duck special. It was a pan-seared duck breast served with fingerling potatoes and braised greens. The duck was cold and not all that exciting. The potatoes were good. I think the dish would have been better if it would have been served to me sooner. Overall, it was not nearly as good as the Kobe Brisket. This was great comfort food. Don’t miss this one if you go. It was tender and flavorful served with beautiful porcini mushrooms and mashed potatoes.

The pork loin chop was also good. Not stellar but good. I think this dish also suffered from sitting too long before it was served. I enjoyed the apple chutney with cranberry and rappini it came with. The last entrée we tried was a special containing trout. It closely resembled salmon so I stayed away (allergic to salmon). It was reported that it was OK, but would not order it again.

Desserts were excellent. We tried the pumpkin cheesecake and the Bete Noire. I actually preferred the cheesecake. It was served as a round with the crust more like a cookie on top. The Bete Noir was a dense chocolate cake served with blackberries and citrus crème anglaise. It was just enough for a taste without being overwhelming.

The wine list at Grand Café is appropriate. There are some nice selections and range in terms of variety and price. It is clear that they have taken  time to carefully select wines that work well with the menu.

Service was my biggest complaint along with the entrees. It was very slow. Our server was very nice, but we waited a really long time between courses and my entrée was served cold. I also had to point out to the server that we were not charged for the $50 bottle of Burgundy I ordered. Whoops.

I would recommend ordering off the menu and staying away from the specials. Both dishes that came from the regular menu were good. I would not order the fish or the duck again.

Cue at the Guthrie – Minneapolis, Lunch

I recently had lunch at Cue at the Guthrie. Only having experienced dinner there, (when it first opened) I thought lunch would be fun. It was very clear to me that this restaurant is now really only intended for the theater crowd (even though they say they are not). In fact based on the number of  tables that were occupied,  (5 I believe) it surprises me that they are even open for lunch. If you are looking for a place to go and don’t want crowds but you are not overly concerned about being wowed by the food, Cue is a good place to go.

http://www.cueatguthrie.com/

I have heard mixed reviews overall about Cue in general. My dinner experience there months back was good. Lunch…not so much. What impressed me most about my dinner experience was that the food did not feel like it was “catered” or produced by room service. Lunch felt like something you would get at a conference or large scale catered event.

There was a group of 5 of us. Most started with the soup of the day. It was a wild mushroom soup. The soup was not bad, just not anything really all that interesting. Not to knock Lund’s and Byerly’s (2 of my favorite places), but the soup at Cue was about equal to what you would get there in the deli. It seemed as though (I can’t be sure), it was frozen and reheated.

For my entrée I had the pork sandwich. It was dry. That is all I am going to say. Nothing else needs to be said. I did enjoy the orzo pasta salad that it came with. This was for me the best part of this meal.

Others had the salmon and reported it was fine. Seemed a bit over cooked to me, but I happened to be with my wife who ENJOYS OVER COOKED SALMON (that is for the person who recently left a very irritating comment on my blog). We all skipped dessert and went right to coffee.

I think it would be really difficult for Cue at the Guthrie to attract a lunch crowd unless there was a matinee. It is too far from downtown to walk there and back during the lunch hour.The space if really nice and we were able to have a quiet lunch. Though it did feel weird at 1:15 when we were the only people in the restaurant. It will take a bit to get me back there for dinner.

Cafe Ena – Minneapolis, MN

I have been a big fan of El Meson for a while and I was excited to try their new sister restaurant Café Ena. The restaurant opened in May and serves “Latin fusion” cuisine. There are a lot of similarities to El Meson though I think Ena focuses more on Mexican inspired cuisine where El Meson has more of a Caribbean theme to the cuisine

www.cafeena.com/

We arrived at the restaurant on time for our reservation. I heard the hostess tell the people in front of us (who did not have a reservation) that there was a 45 minute wait for a table. The place was packed with a lot of people waiting in the lobby for a table. If you go I would recommend trying to get in on Open Table first. With a reservation we were seated immediately.

The restaurant is very nice inside. It feels a bit more upscale then El Meson does. The  tables are fairly close together but not close enough to be irritating. My first impression of the menu was there were a lot of choices. The dishes seemed very complex. It was too dark to get readable photographs of anything so I skipped it.

We started with 2 appetizers. Cafe Ena was featuring a carrot ginger soup … “sopa del Dia”. We also tried the Tamal. The soup was quite good, very flavorful and of perfect consistency. The cup sized portion was just enough. The Tamal, described on the menu as a traditional Oaxacan tamal filled with chicken in a dark mole sauce wrapped in a banana leaf garnished with Cojita cheese was OK. Though I thought the mole seemed a bit lifeless. The filling was in the same category. It was prepared well, it just seemed to lack energy and flavor.

For entrees we tried the Atun which was a corriander-crusted ahi tuna served over serano mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, in an orange bell pepper cream sauce, garnished with a green apple fennel slaw.

I had a lot of problems with this dish.

The tuna was seared rare. I love seared tuna. My problem with the dish was that the pieces were too thick. The outside was seared but the inside was ice cold. Way too cold. Thinner pieces seared rare would have been a much better experience. The cream sauce was boring and I could only taste apple in the slaw…the fennel seemed non-existent. The serano in the potatoes was tame and did not seem to add much value. Overall a pretty blah experience.

We also tried the Cararon which was Procsciutto-wrapped jumbo shrimp served with red pepper mashed potatoes, sautéed artichokes, grilled asparagus, and peppers in a lemon caper butter sauce. I thought this one was better then the tuna but overall fairly average. In my opinion there was too much going on and the plate lacked focus. The shrimp and procsiutto were cooked well.

We skipped dessert and went right for the check.

Service was excellent at Café Ena. The server knew the menu and wine list well and was able to make good recommendations and pairings. Even though the restaurant was busy, we never waited a long time for anything. The wine selection is also really nice. I found the selections to be diverse, reasonably priced and worked well with the menu.

I think Café Ena is a good neighborhood restaurant. I had much higher expectations based on the number of times I have eaten at El Meson. Looking at how crowded it was, I would assume that the majority of the diners lived nearby and it is a convenient location. I don’t think I would go out of my way to dine there. Though I would be really happy to have them near my house….since the closest restaurant to me happens to be a Perkins.

Peninsula Restaurant – Minneapolis, Whole Fish Preparation

I have been wanting to try one of the whole steamed fish preparations at Peninsula Restaurant and finally got the opportunity to do so. They offer 5 different steamed fish types to choose from including Red Snapper, Chilean Sea Bass (not whole), Flounder or Walleye. Those of you who want to try this but don’t want to deal with a whole fish should choose the Sea Bass. (Though a whole steamed sea bass would be spectacular, I am not sure there is a steaming device or appetite large enough for this).

We tried the house special “Peninsula Steamed Fish” with Red Snapper. This was a very mild dish lightly steamed in soy sauce. The fish was delicious. But be warned it is presented table side with the head and tail.

On my next visit I would like to try one with a bit more heat. If you like it hot I would go for one of the whole fish with curry or tamarind sauce. Here is a direct link to their online menu.

a Rebours Restaurant Closes

Just learned that a Rebours restaurant in St. Paul has closed. I had some great lunches there in the past few months. I think the location was just a challenging situation for them. The food there was excellent.

I guess Fhima closed as well but that is not as much of a loss or a shock. Went there 2 times and thought it was just as average as all the other Fhima restaurants that have now also closed.

 Read about the closing here

La Crema – 2003 Sonoma Coast Syrah

I am not normally a big syrah fan, but I opened this the other night and thought it was really good. Especially considering its price point at $18. Not sure if you can still pick up a 2003. I have had mine in the cellar for a while. It appears that the 2004 is currently available on their web site. I enjoyed this Syrah due to how mellow it was. It was very smooth and fruity with just enough of that leathery Syrah taste that at times I find overpowering with food. I served mine with a grilled beef tenderloin with orange chipotle vinaigrette accompanied by sauteed fennel and yellow squash. It seemed to work fairly well.

Via Restaurant – Edina, Minnesota

We decided to try the latest addition to the Edina restaurant scene. Via has taken over the old Pizzeria Uno space located on France Avenue across from Southdale. Via is run by the same company that operates Mission and Atlas Bar and Grill.

http://www.viacafebar.com/

I have dined at Mission several times but only for lunch. I find the food and the atmosphere good. Though I am still bitter about the fact that it is the old Aquavit space and well…it STILL hurts me that its gone. But not to fault the folks at Mission, it is a great location for a restaurant and they do a nice job.

Now on to Via. I had some preliminary expectations about the Restaurant. Mostly that it would be Mission with a different name. Boy was I wrong. We had our first dinner there on the second day it was open. Usually day 2 of any new restaurant reveals the tough spots in the service and food. Not so at Via. Granted the dining room was about 1/3 full. So it was not all that busy. The service was almost too good. They were almost too attentive. The space itself is gorgeous. It has a huge 3 room dining area along with a large bar with plenty of table seating and a patio bar with fire pit.

Our server was very knowledgeable about both the menu and the wine list. We tried several dishes on his recommendation. Our starters included the Coconut Rock Shrimp and the Crab Wontons. The shrimp were prepared well and the range of dipping sauces were nice. My favorite one was the Mango Ginger sauce. The hot chilli sauce was nothing all that unusual. The Lemon Herb sauce was fine but not all that interesting either when compared to the Mango sauce. My biggest complaint about this dish was that the presentation was boring.

The crab wontons were also good. They were served with curry pineapple and basil. I think this is a great dish to share. Also a good one if you just want to have appetizers and drinks in the bar.

For entrees we tried the Halibut with golden tomatoes, lemon marmalade, haricot vert and fingerling potatoes. This was delicious. I was curious about the marmalade and how that would be integrated into the dish. It added a nice lemon overtone that was not overpowering. The fish was perfectly prepared along with the potatoes and green beans. I would highly recommend this.

We also ordered the grilled salmon with soba noodle salad, shitake mushroom lobster broth and thai basil. I did not sample this due to my salmon allergy but my wife was very pleased with it.

For dessert we ordered the mint ice box cake. It was a chocolate covered and came with a raspberry sauce. I enjoyed this because it was chocolate but not to heavy. How can you really go wrong with chocolate, raspberry and mint.

We made a second trip to Via for Sunday brunch. This time we had a bit different experience with the service. It was very slow which was challenging since my 3 year old was with us. Via is kid friendly but not in an Edina Grill kind of way and personally I think that is OK. They offer a menu for kids, and seem to have a reasonable selection. My son loved his blueberry pancakes. We tried the asparagus prosciutto omlette. I found the eggs to be very good, but the toast was over toasted and the potatoes were way over cooked. I think they had been sitting in a warmer somewhere for a really long time. Coffee was outstanding. Our server was not nearly as attentive as the dinner service. Must be that the B team is on Sunday Brunch.

Overall, I think Via is going to be a very successful restaurant. It will be interesting to see how they evolve over the next 6-8 months.

Peninsula Restaurant Minneapolis – Return Visit

We had a very nice dinner at Peninsula recently. I had only been there for lunch in the past and I wanted to try more of their extensive menu. I find it difficult to remember the dishes by their authentic name so I will also give you the English translation. They have the entire menu on their web site.

http://www.peninsulamalaysiancuisine.com/

We started with 2 appetizers. The first was ACHAR (Malaysian pickled vegetable salad with peanut sauce). This was a recommendation from the person I was dining with. I did not like this at all. Not because it was not prepared properly. It was just not for me. It is like a cold, curry pickled vegetable concoction that was somewhat chalky and covered with peanuts. If you like those combinations (at the time I thought I did) you’ll love this.

We also tried the PENANG LOH BAK (Crispy fried spiced pork roll, taro, fried tofu & shrimp pancakes). This was really good. The fried pork roll was nicely prepared. I am not a big tofu fan but it worked nicely with the dipping sauces it came with. It also had pickled, ducks eggs. They are the black wedge-shaped objects next to the spoon in the photo. This would be an intimidating thing for most Minnesota diners. I will eat almost anything at least once … so I tried them. I have to say they were not what I was expecting. They were light and flavorful and tasted very much like hard boiled eggs.

For entrees we tried the THAI GREEN CURRY SHRIMP (Thai coconut curry with Thai eggplant, lemongrass, green beans, peppers, fresh basil leaves & shrimp). This was fantastic. The curry was spicy but not overwhelming . All of the ingredients were really fresh and perfectly cooked. I could eat this dish 3-4 times a week. They did a really nice job on the shrimp. If you go and you like coconut curry it is a must order item in my opinion.

We also ordered the VOLCANO PORK RIBS (Fried & served with Malaysian barbeque sauce). The dish is presented flaming. It is difficult to see in the photo. All around the aluminum foil is a low burning blue flame. The ribs were baby back ribs covered in a sweet sauce. I enjoyed them but would not order this as my entrée since it comes with no vegetables at all. It was a nice dish to share.

Peninsula has a nice selection of Asian beer. I was more impressed with the fact that the beer was fresh and did not smell skunky from improper storage. It seems like every time I order a beer of this variety in a restaurant it is bad. I rarely drink wine with this type of food so it was a nice detail.

Overall I think that Peninsula offers some of the best Asian food in the city.

The World’s Best Risotto Cake

OK so I stopped into JPs for a drink and they were kind enough to let me sample their new Risotto Cake with Duck Confit. This was making me really disappointed that I was going somewhere else for dinner. I really enjoyed this dish it would be a great starter on a warm day. Light, fresh and flavorful. The sweet corn and sherry vinaigrette were a nice touch.

Thanks Andrew!

Also…if you are in the mood for a nice Red Burgundy I would highly recommend the domaine noellat, fixin ’02. It is a very versatile wine and seems to go well with most things on the menu.

Saffron Restaurant- Minneapolis, MN

We had an awesome meal at Saffron Restaurant in Minneapolis. Saffron is a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Inspired restaurant with a French sensibility.

www.saffronmpls.com

The restaurant is located on 3rd street North right across the street from 112 Eatery in the old Jazzmine’s space. Those that have lived in the city for a while will remember that Café Solo also occupied that space at one time. There are few fine if any fine dining restaurants that offer this type of cuisine in the Twin Cities. What impressed me most was our server’s understanding of the menu and his ability to pair wines with the dishes. He recommended that we share all the dishes. This was a nice way to evaluate the range of the menu. We will be going back again to sample more of the menu.

Our server recommend several items. We started with the traditional Mezze. It was a collection of small plates that included Turkish Olives, A cucumber salad with Persian cheese, a spicy eggplant concoction that I can’t remember the name of , hummus and a perfectly prepared breaded scallop. The scallop was the hero of the bunch. I highly recommend this if you go and they are offering it.

Next we shared the Green Salad. While the title does not sound all that inspiring, the dish was really good. Simple in presentation served with roasted grapes, banyuls vinegar and goat cheese fritters. If you are a goat cheese fan you’ll love this.

We also tried the Blue Crab Salad with Spicy Curry, Avocado and Citrus. This was a nice dish for a hot day. It worked reasonably well with the White Bordeaux the server recommended. The curry was not all that spicy but it was flavorful. I enjoyed the hints of citrus throughout.

We decided to share a main course and went with Beef Strip Loin. It came with a smoked potato gratin, oyster mushrooms and a taleggio fondue. I was sold as soon as I saw talleggio fondue. There was no way I was leaving there without trying that. I love tallegio and it is not often that I see it used as an ingredient item on a menu. I am a big fan of using it in risotto. Needless to say it was really good with perfectly prepared beef and potatoes. Our server paired a huge Malbec with this and yes it was as big an chewy as the cheese was.

For dessert, we tried their chocolate mousse cake. Overall I would say that dessert was the weakest part of the meal. It was good but nothing about it blew me away. I would have been fine with more Taleggio fondue and a spoon.

I will be interested to see how this restaurant evolves. The location is difficult and parking can be challenging and inconvenient even though the 4th street ramp is nearby. It is great to see a new fine dining restaurant that is not a bistro, Asian or Italian inspired. I have my fingers crossed for a more formal tasting menu a Saffron in the future.

JP American Bistro – Minneapolis MN – Summer Harvest Menu

Just received the new Summer menu from JP’s. Looks like some interesting new stuff on there. I am particularly happy to see a new hangar steak preparation.

MALTAGLIATI WITH SMOKED CHICKEN AND SWEET CORN TOSSEDIN A ROASTED RED PEPPER HARISSA SAUCE 21.00

OVEN-ROASTED CHICKEN BREAST GLAZED WITH FERMENTED BLACK BEAN SAUCE SERVED WITH STEAMED RICE AND PICKLED MANGO SALAD 23.50

GRILLED ALL-NATURAL PORK TENDERLOIN WITH A SOUR CHERRY SAUCE ON YUKON GOLD POTATO PURÉE WITH BROWN BUTTER SPINACH 26.00

SUSHI-GRADE TUNA BURGER ON A BIRCHWOOD CAFE SESAME ROLL WITH SRIRACHA MAYONAISSE AND SERVED WITH POMMES FRITES, RED ONION AND TOMATO 14.50

PAPPARDELLE WITH GRILLED EGGPLANT AND ZUCCHINI IN A FRESH TOMATO SAUCE WITH PARMESAN 18.00

OVEN-ROASTED STAR PRAIRIE TROUT STUFFED WITH ROCK SHRIMP, CORN BREAD AND CARAMELIZED RED ONION, SERVED WITH A CUCUMBER/FENNEL SALAD 26.50

HANGAR STEAK SMOTHERED WITH HOISIN BARBEQUE SAUCE ON YUKON GOLD POTATO PURÉE WITH PICKLED VEGETABLE SALAD 27.50

POTATO GNOCCHI TOSSED WITH BASIL PESTO AND TOPPED WITH PARMESAN 20.00

for reservations please visit our website www.jpamericanbistro.com or call 612-824-9300

Brix St. Louis Park, MN – Return Visit

We first went to Brix last September. After my visit there I decided to wait for a while and make a return visit to see if they had made any improvement. I had been getting some feedback that others had decent experiences there.

http://www.brixwine.com

Overall our return visit to Brix was better. A big reason for this was our server Damon. He seemed to be fairly knowledgeable and made some good wine and food recommendations.

The wine selection seemed to be improved. My biggest complaint is that they do not have any vintage designation for any of the bottles. I guess I can understand this for a $20 bottle of Walnut Crest. But for a $250 bottle of Opus One…it seems odd and as if they are hiding the fact that they can’t turn over their wine inventory…Or they carry a very limited inventory.

Brix does offer a large selection of wine for $20 per bottle. I think this is a nice way for someone interested in learning about wine to experiment with the different varietals. The bottles I did recognize can be purchased in the store for under $7.

We began our meal by sharing the Goat Cheese. There were 2 goat cheese medallions encrusted with pecans served with crostini and rosemary honey. It was a nice way to begin the meal.

Next we move onto the salad trio. The beet and arugula salad was good. Fresh and seasoned well. The golden and red beets gave it a nice contrast. The Cesar was not good at all. It was overdressed and tasted fishy. Not in a good salty anchovy way but in an old not so fresh anchovy way. The Pear and Gorgonzola spinach salad was good. My only complaint was that the pears were hard, woody and added no value to the salad.

We went with the specials for the main courses. We tried the Citrus Copper River Salmon and the Chilean Sea Bass Cartoccio. Our server recommended we order the Salmon medium well instead of the chef recommended medium rare. I still question whether this was because the fish was not as fresh as they would have liked or because like he said “cooking it more will make it pick up more smokiness”. It was reported that the dish was very good. I am highly allergic to salmon so I did not try it.

The Sea Bass was good. It cam baked in parchment paper. The potatoes and vegetables were prepared well. I thought they did a nice job on this one. Damon paired a very nice pinot grigio with this. I am not usually a fan of this variety but it worked well with the dish.

We ended up skipping dessert and went for cappuccinos instead. They were fine. Not great but not bad either.

Overall Brix is a better restaurant then it was 9 months ago. I still think that a restaurant that is focused on wine needs to take the wine more seriously. Another thing that bugged me was they brought our entrees before we were finished with our middle course. Since we only ate 2 of the 3 salads in the trio…it felt as though we were being rushed. I also had to wait halfway through my main course for another glass of wine. Wine by the glass is one of the highest margin items in a restaurant. You would think they would want to sell me as many as possible.

If I were in the neighborhood and looking for a quick bite, I’d probably go back to Brix. That said…if I want a psudo-Italian meal of this variety, my first choice would be Caio Bella.

Restaurant Alma – Minneapolis, MN

Got out of my Open Table rut and made a reservation at Restaurant Alma the traditional way…by phone. Under the radar in a lot of ways, I think Restaurant Alma represents one of the best fine dining values Minneapolis has to offer.

http://www.restaurantalma.com/

I really like the fact that they offer a 3 course fixed price menu that allows you to choose from a selection of dishes ($42). I think they describe themselves very accurately on their web site by saying

“Our food at Alma is selected from the best fresh, seasonal, organic ingredients available. We are committed to supporting local farms, producers and conservation efforts. The menu is distinctly “New American” style, offering a diverse range of flavors of both old world and new.”

It is clear to me that the ingredients are the best anyone can find around here. I also liked the fact that they were nice people to deal with. Our experience there was genuine, not too trendy and I felt that they were really passionate about the food.

We sampled 7 different courses from the menu that included:

First Courses
Smoked Chicken & Watercress Salad
roasted beets, tarragon mayo, fresh horseradish

Marinated Yellowtail Tuna
scallion oil, pickled vidalia, baby cilantro

Middle Courses
Heirloom Yellow Corn Grits
sauce of wild mushrooms & leeks, poached quail egg

Braised Lamb & Sticky Rice
“rendang” sauce, braised greens, fried shallot

Main Courses
Grilled Hawaiian Blue Marlin
arugula, baby artichokes, orange, bagna cauda

Gently Cooked Wild King Salmon
potato butter, asparagus, toasted sesame, dashi broth

Dessert
Almond Lavender Panna Cotta

blueberries, candied almonds

There was not a course on the list that I did not enjoy. Though to be honest I did not try the salmon due to the fact that I am allergic to it. The stand out dishes in my opinion were the marinated yellow tail. This was exceptionally fresh and a great way to open. The fish was not cooked but marinated. I found the pickled vidlia a nice complement.

The Heirloom Yellow corn grits were a huge surprise to me. This is not something that I would usually order. It was light and flavorful. The grits had a great texture that worked well with the wild mushrooms. The perfectly poached quail egg was a very nice added bonus.

The most delicate dish we had was the Almond Lavender Panna Cotta. It was beautifully balanced floral/nutty/creamy flavor. If they have this on the menu and you want something besides chocolate…it is a must have item. Coffee was outstanding as well.

Apparently chef Alexander Roberts’ new rotisserie, Brasa, is now open at 600 East Hennepin. The phone number is 612-379-4909 and the hours of operation are 11a.m.-11p.m. Mon-Sat.

I would be interested to know if anyone has dined there and what their experience was.

The Herkimer – Minneapolis, MN

I have been to The Herkimer at least 400 times. Well not really but let’s just say I have experienced all of their menu changes over the years. Not familiar with Herkimer…its the only brew pub in Uptown.

Historically I have not been a big fan of their house made beer but I will say that they make MUCH better beer overall then Granite City. Granite City in my opinion does not have a single good beer on tap.

My least favorite Herkimer beer is the Red Flyer. I am a HUGE fan of this style of beer but there has always been something wrong with the Herkimer version. Someone described it perfectly the other day when they said it tastes “soapy”.

http://www.theherkimer.com

With all that said… I went to Herkimer last week and I was very pleased with 3 things.

1. I enjoyed their Weiss. In my opinion they do a fantastic job with this beer. It is light and fresh, fruity and perfect for sitting out on their patio. I love this beer.
2. They had a Tuscan Grilled Chicken Sandwich that was also really good. It had roasted red peppers, provolone and sun dried tomato pesto. It was cooked perfectly and was a nice alternative to their burger. I really hope they keep this on the menu. Note: the puerco sandwich is also good.
3. They have a new beer (since the last time I was there) called Sky Pilot. I am not usually a fan of Pilsner, but this one was outstanding. I can see why they won a gold medal for it. I found it complex and refreshing. It also went exceptionally well with my sandwich.

Herkimer now takes reservations on Open Table. From what I understand they serve a good breakfast as well. Parking right now is challenging due to road construction….

Crave Restaurant Edina – Return Visit

In my last review of Crave I gave it an average review. Nothing special or outstanding stood out to me about the place. And…I think they were also still getting the system down and working out the kinks in the process. Our dishes were either under seasoned or way over seasoned.

http://www.cravemn.com/

We were looking for something nearby that would take an Open Table reservation because we had our 3 year old with us. So we went back for another visit. I highly recommend making a reservation online. In fact the host thanked us for doing so.

During this visit to Crave, I finally figured out that the genius behind it. My mistake was approaching the place with a fine dining eye. Coming in with a family made me think about it from a different perspective.

We were able to order a fairly sophisticated pasta dish, made to order sushi and a brick oven pizza all at the same time. Each person at the table was satisfied with their dish including my son. Each person received what they wanted or at least close to it. My wife had her low fat sushi. I had been “craving” pasta so I tried the farfalle & cream. Not the greatest pasta dish I have ever had, but it was excellent for a family dinner in a Mall on Thursday night. My son’s pizza was better then any other “kids” menu pizza I have tasted so far.

My conclusion…

I think Crave is the perfect Mall restaurant. In fact from a business perspective it is the perfect suburban-Minneapolis-formula-mall-restaurant.

It has it all:
- Good food that isn’t too challenging for the average diner
- Wines everyone can pronounce
- A large selection to choose from
- Decent service
- Good options for kids

The secret is don’t go in there expecting to order Grilled leg of lamb with red quinoa, brown butter spinach/arugula salad dressed with orange miso. You’ll need to travel to JP’s for that.

A Rebours Restaurant – St. Paul, Minnesota

THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED

I have recently had 2 excellent lunches at A Rebours Restaurant in St. Paul. The restaurant is located in the Hamm Building Near 6th and St. Peter. On Both occasions I ordered the daily special.

http://www.areboursrestaurant.com/

A Rebours offers a wide variety of specials along with a regular menu. The restaurant features simple, traditional French Cuisine. I was very impressed with the quality of ingredients they use and the attention to detail in the preparation. The first time I went I ordered the beef short ribs. What a treat this was. It was perfectly prepared with a nice hint if fresh thyme and herbs. The sauce was rich but not too heavy. My only regret was that it was a work day and I could not pair a nice big juicy red wine with it.

The dish I had for my second visit was even more impressive. This time they began with a small lightly dressed greens salad. It was simple and fresh. Then I moved to the halibut served over Jasmine rice with sun dried tomatoes and tarragon. What I enjoyed the most about my experience at this restaurant is the simplicity of the ingredients and how clear the flavors were in each dish I have tried.

The restaurant is tight in terms of space. Tables are close together and it tends to be fairly noisy. I prefer it for lunch for this reason.