What's the best Korean restaurant?

What's the best Korean restaurant in the Twin Cities?

I've heard good things about Hoban in Eagan and King's Korean in Fridley. And there's at least one Korean restaurant on Snelling in St. Paul.

Anyone out there who can advise?

Thanks,
s-mom

soccermom13 in Minneapolis-St. Paul

cheese plates in St Paul or Minneapolis

Barbette used to have a great cheese plate. Is this still the case?

soccermom13 in Minneapolis-St. Paul

What cookbooks have you bought lately? Springtime edition, part 2

Hey Buttertart,
Did you ever choose and make the celebratory cake? If so, which one?
Have you ever made the Sicilian Pistachio Cake in Heavenly Cakes? That one looks so good to me.
s-mom

soccermom13 in Home Cooking

What cookbooks have you bought lately? Springtime edition, part 2

Okay, I told myself I could NOT buy anymore cookbooks. Like many of you, I have a little problem with buying cookbooks. Even though I tell myself it's a harmless habit compared too--say--making meth in the basement, there is a limit, as my mother used to say. My limit is shelf space!

But I did just buy:
*One Big Table (O'Neill)
*Pure Dessert (Alice Medrich--sp?)
*A Passion for Dessert (Emily Luchetti)---I got this one for $1.70. Less than a cup of coffee, so even if I read then give to Goodwill it's fine.

I have not had time to give these more than a quick glance. Anyone want to steer me to some "must make" recipes from these three cookbooks?

soccermom13 in Home Cooking

Minnesota Road Trip

Two that come to mind immediately are Quang on Eat Street (Nicollet in Mpls between 29th Street and Franklin, although I am a St. Paulite and I may have the boundaries wrong. If so, a Mpls 'hound will ---I hope--jump in to give the correct boundaries). Quang has great and very reasonably priced Vietnamese food. Also on Eat Street is Krungthep Thai. I think their food is very good.

In Saint Paul, if you have not been to Cafe Latte on Grand, it's worth a trip. Excellent salads, sandwiches and a great selection of very good desserts. And the best coffee in the Twin Cities is at Koplins on Marshall in St. Paul, just a little east of Cleveland. Your wife will remember those streets :0)

I'll keep thinking.

soccermom13 in Minneapolis-St. Paul

Where should I look for solid "recipes" for drinks?

Thanks for the great info, 'hounds. I really appreciate it.

p.s. Yarm--- I put "recipes" in quote marks because I was not sure if that was the correct term in the world of spirits. Looks like it is the correct term, based on how it was used in the replies to my question, so no quote marks were necessary.

p.s.s. I found some drink recipes at Serious Eats. Do any of you use the recipes on that blog?

soccermom13 in Spirits

Savory Rubarb Recipes?

Kim Ode (MN food writer) has written a book about rhubarb which I think has many savory rhubarb recipes. You can find a couple of her recipes here:

http://www.kim-ode.com/page2/page3/page3.html

soccermom13 in Home Cooking

Where should I look for solid "recipes" for drinks?

I know zippo about mixing good drinks. I do know my way around the kitchen, and I know that some recipes sources are reputable (Joy of Cooking, for example), and others are not --such as some of the recipes on the web that use a lot of processed foods such as Cream of Whatever soup, frozen hash browns, and other ghastly stuff). Is there a reputable source I can use to find good quality "recipes" for mixed drinks?

Thanks.

soccermom13 in Spirits

Molly O'Neill's One Big Table

Care to share any great recipes from this book? I got a copy yesterday at a great price. It's a little heavy to prop on my tummy for nightime reading, but it was so engrossing I didn't mind the weight :0)
Any suggestions you have would be welcome!

soccermom13 in Home Cooking

Saturday Breakfast Ferry Building Market

I don't live in SF, but I'll be visiting this summer (Thurs-Sun, with those days of the week specifically chosen since I can visit the Farmers' Mkt at Ferry Bld TWICE :0) and I will be making a beeline for Primavera Chilaquiles. Hounds on this board steered me to this dish, which is wonderful.

And since I live in MN, I'll be eating lots of the wonderful LOCAL fruits available already in June in California.

soccermom13 in San Francisco Bay Area

What cookbooks have you bought lately? Springtime edition! [old]

I realize I am very late to the party, but I share your dislike for the new food52 layout. I do not use the site as much as I used to bc I hate the layout. HillJ---did they respond when you contacted them?

soccermom13 in Home Cooking

looking for simple, good vodka drinks that are not loaded with calories

CiscoKid (and others)-
Bartender told me yesterday that she thinks gin and grapefruit juice is a very pleasing combo. Do you find this to be true?

Everyone---I got a lot of really good ideas from this thread. Thanks very much.

soccermom13 in Spirits

looking for simple, good vodka drinks that are not loaded with calories

Thank you for all these great ideas. I am going to buy some good gin at Costco (an industrial-sized bottle :0) and then take tinnywatty's suggestion to try a few drinks at a bar to see what I like before I purchase additional ingredients such as elderflower liqueur.

I really appreciate your thoughtful answers.

soccermom13 in Spirits

looking for simple, good vodka drinks that are not loaded with calories

Thanks for these ideas, hounds.

CiscoKid---I asked about vodka drinks because I have a bottle of good quality vodka in the house already. But there is no reason I can't buy a bottle of good gin. I am more than willing to purchase some shelf stable items to use for some good drinks. I'd like to avoid drinks that call for items I'd use just a small amount of and then the rest of the item would go to waste before I use it again (for example, bellinis---I would open a bottle of sparking wine, make one drink, then the rest of the bottle would go to waste because I would probably only make myself a mixed drink once or twice a week.)

I do love gimlets. But Rose's Lime Juice has 10 calories per tsp (240 calories per half cup). That is a lot of calories which carry virtually no nutrients. I think a lot of women who watch their weight have these same concerns---they want a nice drink now and then, are aware that booze itself has a fair number of calories, and so are looking for drinks where the "mix" ingredients aren't too calorific. This can sometimes result in dreadful drinks. There's a restaurant in my city that has a "lower cal" cocktail menu. I ordered one and it was truly dreadful. I know the hounds on this board can give me some ideas for drinks that are delicious and still meet my criteria for being lower cal.

Thanks, hounds.

p.s. Calliope--- I hate jello :0) but that Granny Smith seltzer sounds interesting..... I am in MN, so I will have to check on the availability of Polar brand.

soccermom13 in Spirits

looking for simple, good vodka drinks that are not loaded with calories

Hi Dan,

What is Maraschino? The liquid that is in a jar of maraschino cherries? Other? Thanks for these ideas.

Humm, when I read the "What's wrong with wanting a drink made with vodka?" thread, I found myself wondering if I needed to buy some gin. Maybe I will.

Thanks for these great ideas.

soccermom13 in Spirits

looking for simple, good vodka drinks that are not loaded with calories

Hi Ferret,

Are you a guy? I have this same conversation with my DH :) Here's the difference: a. I don't like coke, but I do like some mixed drinks. b) I like the little buzz I get from alcohol. I get no buzz from coke. 3) I would much rather chew my calories than drink them, but I have not figured out a way to chew booze.

Thanks for the ideas, wyogal and linguafood.

soccermom13 in Spirits

looking for simple, good vodka drinks that are not loaded with calories

Just read this thread "What's wrong with wanting a drink made with vodka?," so I hope I don't sound like a total rube for wanting some good drinks made with vodka.

Here's the deal: I love wine, but DH does not. If I open a bottle, it goes bad before I can drink it. I hate beer. Every once in a while, I'd like to have a drink made with hard liquor since I don't like wasting wine.

I always have good unflavored vodka in the house because I use it in cooking. (For Penne alla Vodka, for example.) I don't have flavored vodka and don't intend to buy any. I don't want to use sugary mixes, like soda pop. I don't want to use diet pop or things like artificially sweetened lemonade. Fruit juices would be fine, because I'd get some nutrients along with the calories. I have some liqueurs at home (Chambord, Triple Sec, etc) that I use for cooking, and I could buy more liqueurs to use in mixed drinks. When I google vodka drinks, I've stumbled across drinks using an elderberry liqueur several times. It's said to be pricey but good.

So far, this is all I've come up with:
vodka plus oj
vodka plus oj plus triple sec
vodka plus grapefruit juice
Bloody Mary's, of course, but I have to be in the right mood :0)

Anyone have additional ideas for me?

Thanks.

soccermom13 in Spirits

Are my picks okay?

Hi Boston Chowhounders,

First of all, thank you so much for so graciously answering my questions. I really appreciate your help.

On Thursday, breakfast was coffee from Barrington Coffee and a sticky roll at Flour. Both were terrific. It rained that day, but I was determined to walk. Walking Charles Street through Beacon Hill was part of my route, but I made a wrong turn and realized I was headed (sort of) for the South End. I capitalized on this error by finding my way to Myers and Chang where I had the charred noodles, broccoli, and chicken dish, which was excellent. I was sorry it was too early to drink, because their mixed drinks looked excellent. We ate dinner at Aquitaine, which was quite good. Three of ordered from the "Beat the Rush" menu, one from the regular menu. The char and steak frites (from the "Beat the Rush" menu) were good, but the best dish was the maple pork tenderloin. Their creme brule was very good.

On Friday, breakfast was a sticky roll at Flour (yes, same breakfast as Thursday, but doggone it those sticky rolls are really good). I also got the bread pudding, which I asked them to warm, but this stuff is so solid only the edges of it were warmed. I ate just a bite or two and realized I did not like their bread pudding at all, so I did not finish it. Probably a good thing, in terms of calorie conrtrol. DH wanted to walk to Fenway Park just to see the opening day excitement. We stopped at Eastern Standard for lunch but it was crazy-busy with Red Sox fans, so we ended up at Casa Razdora for lunch. It was very good. We shared a salad with grilled steak strips, gorgonzola, raisins, walnuts, and very crisp/very fresh lettuce. My only complain was that the dressing was not very flavorful. I wondered if perhaps they had not shaken it before pouring and we got mostly oil. We also ordered a pasta dish called Rosette ("Pasta Sheets Rolled & Stuffed with Cooked Prosciutto & Fontina Cheese in a Cream Sauce"). This was very rich and very good. Casa is tiny--two tables and a few seats by the window. While we were there, most customers appeared to be people who worked in the area and were buying food to take out for lunch back at the office or on a park bench. The food was very reasonable in price. I would definitely eat there again.

Dinner was Bischoff cookies and peanuts on the plane :)

Here are the places where I'd like to eat during our next visit:
Neptune Seafood
Artu for the lamb and roasted eggplant sandwich
Galleria Umberto for arancini and panzarotti
Hungry Mother in Cambridge
Erbuluce
Hammersley's and/or Bistro du Midi

Thanks again, Hounds.

soccermom13 in Greater Boston Area

Are my picks okay?

Hi Boston Hounds,

Ate lunch today at Chacarero's---bbq chicken and beef sandwich. Good but not superlative. That place has quite a following, though---there was a LONG line when we left,

Dinner was at Monica's---I got the Tajarin con Piselli e Prosciutto recommended by ScotchandSirloin and it was indeed terrific. Wonderful pear martini too. DH got the penne, broccoli raab, and sausage pasta which was also very good. (Yea, we kind of violated the rule about not ordering foods at restaurants that we could make well at home, but it was really good.)

We will have some baked goods at Flour tomorrow for breakfast.

For or dinner I am going to make reservations at a bistro in the South End, We think we'll like that more than Myers and Chang. (Although I could pop into Myers and Chang for lunch.) Here are the South End bistro ideas (at least I think they are in the South End---haven't had time to verify yet:
Hammersley's
Bistro Du Midi
Aquitaine
Eastern Standard

Is there a solid favorite in this group of bistros?

Thanks.

soccermom13 in Greater Boston Area

Are my picks okay?

One more question---is the Artu at 89 Charles in Beacon Hill just as good as the one in the North End? Beacon Hill looks closer to Hynes Convention Center. That's where DH will be and he wants to meet me for lunch.

Or maybe we could meet at Chacarero's....

I ne

soccermom13 in Greater Boston Area

Are my picks okay?

Boston Hounds---YOU RULE! Thanks for these wonderful tips.

Question re Chacareo's---Is this at 101 Arch? Close to the Downtown Crossing T stop? Those sandwiches sound awesome!

Scotch and Sirloin---I can't find that dish on their online menu, but I will look hard for it at the restaurant.

Good idea to get good coffee elsewhere then just buy baked goods at Flour. Thanks, Alcachofa.

So, Boston Hounds, if I gave up my quest for bread pudding and just told you I want terrific baked goods or other great breakfast sweets, would you suggest any other spots for me to try for breakfast? (Besides Flour----I am on a pilgrimage to Flour :0)

Thanks.

soccermom13 in Greater Boston Area

Are my picks okay?

Hi Hounds,

Thanks for the additional tips. So far, this is the tentative plan:

**dinners at Monica and Myers and Chang (although I could easily be persuaded to go to Hungry Mother rather than M and C)

**lunches--that lamb and eggplant sandwich at Artu (I will ask them to add peppers too), Neptune lobster roll

**breakfast---Flour and ??? How early does Oleana open? I have read several references to their bread pudding, which, IMHO, would be a great breakfast :0 Edited to add: Just checked the Oleana menu---not open except for dinner and no bread pudding. I must not be remembering place for bread pudding correctly. I will keep looking.

Still a work in progress...... So many places to try, so little time...

Thanks.

soccermom13 in Greater Boston Area

Are my picks okay?

Peg and Foodie,

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Yes, DH is at a conference, so I will definitely explore Beacon Hill and other areas. I read good things about Lola Rokh in other threads so that might be a place I have to sample :0) I will look at Beacon Hill Bistro's menu. I already had Hammersley's on my list of possibilities.

Foodie---I LOVE Joanne Chang's cookbook and I really appreciate your suggestions. I will definitely get an oreo! And probably a sticky bun too. I made her Sticky Buns and they were terrific.

I made reservations for Myers and Chang. Now I just have to go back through the Chow threads to get a sense of what's best to order there.

Thanks again. I really appreciate your help.

soccermom13 in Greater Boston Area

Are my picks okay?

Boston Hounds,
Thank you so very much for your help. I'll let you know where we end up eating.

soccermom13 in Greater Boston Area

Are my picks okay?

Erbaluce does not have their menu on line. There is a note that the menu changes nightly. What are some dishes you have enjoyed there? DH LOVES pasta. Do they offer a few good pasta dishes? How are the prices?

Aquitaine's menu looks good.......

So does Grotto's....

soccermom13 in Greater Boston Area

Are my picks okay?

thanks so much for this info, Pegmeister and Galleria.

Peg--Do you think Neptune would not be a good choice for dinner? Is it too noisy to have a conversation? If Neptune isn't good for dinner, then is there a restaurant in the South End area or in Cambridge that you could recommend? No steak houses. Bistro food would be great. Is there any place in Boston that does a good job with foods of the Southern United States?

Galleria-Bare bones decor and standing in line works for me :0) Any other lunch spots you like? They don't have to be in the North End. I'd like to venture into Cambridge, the South End, and other parts of Boston. As long as walking and/or the T can get me there, I'm game. I'm looking for absolutely wonderful food. I could care less about decor for the lunches. For the dinners, we will be with another couple who may not share my sense of excitement about terrific food in sketchy surroundings :0)

soccermom13 in Greater Boston Area

Are my picks okay?

I will be in Boston this week, Wed noon until Friday around 3 pm.

I am very sad that I have not had time to do my usual obessive-compulsive Chowhound review. Based on a brief review of several threads, I am thinking of these dinner spots:
**Neptune Oyster for seafood. Questions ---Can I get wine or a cocktail there? And they do NOT take reservations, correct? If that is the case, we will get there as soon as we can, give our names and cell number, then wander around in the North End until they call us.
**For Italian, I am thinking Carmen or Vinoteca di Monica. Anyone feel I am making a mistake? I need to make reservations for one of these places, so I hope there is still availability for Wed or Thurs eve for four of us.

Breakfast
**One of Joanne Chang's Flour Bakeries. I love, love, love her cookbook and I want to make a pilgrimage to one of the bakeries.
**any other ideas? I'm not much interested in bacon-eggs-toast places, but rather places with terrific coffee and some delicious baked goods.

Lunch
**Myers and Chang
**I will bring my computer along so I can review more Chowhound threads to get some lunch ideas. I think I read about a lamb and eggplant sandwich somewhere in the North End that sounded heavenly. Also, I think I read about some arancini that sounded heavenly.

I love every kind of food except sushi. I like getting good value so I don't want super expensive places. We are staying right by Faneuil Hall. I am a world class walker and we love public transportation. (No car on this trip.)

If anyone has any great lunch ideas, I'd love to hear them. Sorry for such a sketchy description of what I'm looking for.

Thanks.

soccermom13 in Greater Boston Area

I’m looking for cheap/lower-cost but delicious food---how’s my list?

Okay, I am finally filing a trip report from our November, 2011, four day trip to San Francisco. Please excuse this very tardy response. I am truly grateful for your help, and I will be reviewing this thread again before our next visit to your wonderful, wonderful city in July 2012.

Thursday-
lunch at Ferry Bldg. Farmers' Mkt--Roli Roti Chicken and roasted potatoes--fabulous
dinner at L'Osteria--roasted pork cooked in milk--fabulous
dessert was an egg custard from Golden Gate Bakery

Friday--
am--Tartine bread pudding with fruit (berries? plums?) It was fabulous. DH had a scone, IIRC.
We also got an Alfajores from the bakery at 443 Valencia. Good but not great.
After walking from Tartine to the Pacific Ocean, we had a late lunch at Zuni---drink, hamburger. I love sitting outside at Zuni.
dinner was a picnic in Union Square with Acme Bread, Cowgirl cheese and wine from Ferry Bldg.

Sat
breakfast at Ferry Bldg. Farmers Mkt.--chilaquiles from the vendor in back of the building--can't remember the vendor's name. They were wonderful.
We were so full from breakfast that we did not eat again until having dinner at a party in Berkeley.

Sunday
breakfast was Kouign Amann (more on that later)
lunch--Super Carne Asada burrito from El Farolita---I LOVE LOVE LOVE these burritos.
dinner---a Cowgirl creamery sandwich which we ate at the airport as we waited to board

As you can see, we made only the tiniest dent in sampling what your city has to offer.

I was on a mission to find and sample Kouign Amann. We got one at Bi-Rite and one at the Coffee Bar at 101 Montgomery (where we met the proprietress, who is wonderful, charming, and knowledgeable). I liked these, but while they were good, I'd rather consume my calories in other ways--for example, I'd rather have a 2nd serving of Tartine's bread pudding. The Kouign Amanns were loaded with butter and sugar and just not quite superlative enough to warrant consuming that many calories....

Again, thank you for so generously responding to my many questions. YOU RULE!

p.s. Just realized I never reported on our JULY 2011 trip to San Francisco. I can't find my notes, but I know we ate at Cotogna, which was truly wonderful.

soccermom13 in San Francisco Bay Area

Cream Pie - in search of the ultimate

Thanks, Becca. I ran out of time and ended up making a simple tart ---graham cracker crust, toasted chopped pecans, layer of caramel which turned out perfectly---just at the edge of being too dark and oh-so-good, topped with a chocolate ganache. It was very good. I have your recc for Chang's Chocolate Cream Pie on my "gotta make this soon" list.

soccermom13 in Home Cooking