HuaGung's Profile
A more specific Thai question
Your quest describes nearly perfectly the conundrum of trying to find a Thai restaurant with a Western atmosphere. Most of the best Thai restaurants I've eaten in in this country, and frankly all of them I've eaten in in Thailand, are focused on the food first and the atmosphere a distant second. I suspect this is because of how most Thai people prefer it. I know this is true for my wife.
My experience is that most tremendously modern and atmosphere laden restaurants in Bangkok are frequented either by much younger hipster types (not intended to be a derogatory term) or the truly wealthy. The VAST majority of everyday restaurants that most everyday Thai folks eat in are exceptionally pedestrian places with great food and resemble Bangkok Thai Deli for atmosphere.
Good luck in your quest. I don't know of any restaurants in this market that meet your spec. The most atmosphere-focused places we have serve tremendously wretched food. The best food comes unadorned. You're probably going to have to make your choice by which end of the scale is most important to you each time you have to choose. How's that for noncommittal?
I will avoid my usual 'distressed' rant about American fascination with Pad Thai as a benchmark for choosing the value of a Thai cook.
Cheers,
Huagung
Take out Thai, S. Minneapolis/Richfield/Bloomington?
+1
Joy's Pattaya will adequately meet the needs of a group that doesn't care about authenticity. The quality of the food is generally good, if a bit on the salty side. There's not much else in SW metro that's going to come even close.
Cheers,
Huagung
Saigon Closed. Reopening "soon" - with new owners
Tried to go on Saturday. Still closed. I have no idea what's happening here, but it's a sad story if they're going down.
On an odd side note, ran into three of the former owners at Brasa a couple weeks back and they expressed great optimism that the new owners were serious and well prepared to take over.
Who knows.
Cheers,
Huagung
Fish with ginger and scallion? Not for me, but for my bride ...
Mandarin Kitchen will cook a fish for you any way you please. You just have to ask. Many of their better offerings are not printed on the menu. My wife and I have eaten fish with ginger and scallions there many times.
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Mandarin Kitchen
8766 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420
Breakfast places in Twin Cities
The buffet at Sunsets in Woodbury hasn't changed in 15 years. It is pedestrian steam-table goo.
Just, yuck...
Cheers,
Huagung
On's Thai Kitchen
two weeks at least and $15,000 she said. Bummer. It's a beast in there. We went yesterday and it was rough. We'll probably wait for the air for another visit (or at least cooler temps).
cheers,
Huagung
Soul Daddy
Didn't mean to infer he had to put anything "into" the project, but rather, after time, he would be liable for the lease which likely would have been structured for a minimum of five years. My guess is that they were given a "temporary to permanent" deal that required the producers to fully build out the space and even provide a rent guarantee through the 'kick out' window. Don't really know one way or the other. The Mall would only have been on the hook for the bad publicity (because they didn't have to put any money IN the space), the producers would have been on the hook for only that portion that their show's production budget required (the build out and opening costs), and when the project was supposed to start paying back the upfront costs (and couldn't) that they had a way to cut their losses.
It could have been much worse for the young man if they had bled this out a year and then stuck him with the turkey and the debts.
By their quick exit, it certainly looks as if they never had any intention of supporting the operation financially beyond startup.
Huagung
Soul Daddy
Bad ideas usually have bad outcomes. Food rent at MOA in that location runs $205 per square foot. A 2500 sq ft restaurant will cost you over $40K per month just for rent. Add labor, utilities, food cost, etc and you have a HUGE hole to crawl out of. I don't know how large that space was, but it probably marginally exceeded 2500 sq ft at a minimum. Who in their right mind thinks a startup restaurant with no advertising or pedigree is going to make that monthly nut? MOA is busy 1.5 days a week for 6 months, 4 days a week over the summer and 7 days a week for two weeks in December. Everyone else believes it's busy 24/7/365 and it most definitely is not. I had a store there for several years and speak from painful experience about what the 'rest of the world' believes the mall offers and what it really does.
As to the lack of support some may think the investors offered, please consider the fact that they most likely negotiated a kick out clause for the lease early enough that they could kill the concept before it killed the guy who was going to have to put his name (and all his assets) on the lease. They might have literally saved him millions by killing it before it got worse.
Feel bad for the guy, but this turkey was doomed.
My $.02
Huagung
Melt-Your-Face-Vegetarian
Ice cream is a vegetable?
I swear I learn more here by accident...
Cheers,
Huagung
Brunch before Beerfest
Yeah, apparently I don't read well. Abu Nader is no one's idea of brunch. Good food, but, dang.
Heading back under the rock, y'all.
Cheers,
Huagung
Brunch before Beerfest
How about Abu Nader? Sweet guy, great great great food. Hole in the wall, disgusting in a good way if you eat enough ;), very near the fairgrounds.
Cheers,
Huagung
The Patriot's Tavern
This is a new place in Stillwater that James Norton recently reviewed on Heavy Table.
http://heavytable.com/patriots-tavern-in-stillwater-mn/
Went there this past weekend and had a mostly positive experience, with a clunker or too tossed in.
The good: Beer. Liftbridge Farm girl at a liter for $7 and a half liter for $4. That's a steal when compared to the same liter at Buffalo Wild Wings will set you back $13.
Burgers. We had the Patriot and and the Firecracker burgers. Both cooked perfectly and dressed beautifully.
Pizza. #1 son had the chicken florentine and pronounced it delicious and crave-worthy.
Fries. Plank style, perfectly cooked and potato tasting. No sense of frozen stuff here at all. Really good. Some of the best fries I've eaten recently.
And the misses:
Chowder. Heavy, dense, potatoey. Not AT ALL, not even close, to the best on offer in the twin cities (as JN had proclaimed it to be). Phil's Tara just down the road offers an infinitely superior chowder for both flavor and finish. Wouldn't order it here again for any amount of love or money. Very disappointed.
Crab Cakes. Greasy and fishy, although generously portioned. In my humble take, they are too heavily breaded. My preference is for my crab cakes to be more crab than cake and to start with a better quality of crab than these possessed. Not bad, just forgettable.
Fried Chicken. #2 son was stoked for this one, but double-fried chicken winds up being an awful lot of bread and grease to chew through before you get to the chicken. The breading was flavorless, but was also very crispy. He said the garlic mashed potatoes it was served with were great. Wouldn't get the chicken again.
Overall thoughts on the place are that it's probably going to be just fine serving the locals good to better food and beer at decent prices. It's no fine dining spot and isn't trying to be. Standard pub fare works better here than the adventurous stuff. I'd go back for burgers and beer anytime.
Cheers,
Huagung
ISO great hot dog place - MSP
Smalley's Big Weiner (I know...) at Smalley's Caribbean BBQ in Stillwater is outstanding. Big beefy dog, sour cream on the bun, slice of crisp bacon alongside the dog, pico de gallo on the top, and chopped scotch bonnet chilis on top of it all. $4 during happy hour in the bar only.
I also loved the Kobe dogs at Tilia. You get two for $10. Dog, bacon, pickled cauliflower, mayo, mustard. Really good.
Cheers,
Huagung
MSP Airport Restaurant Madness
I am in complete agreement with your sentiment, which is why I was surprised, a lot, that Zimmern stuck his neck out on this one. He's been very outspoken for all the reasons you cited. I can't imagine how he envisions overcoming these big limitations.
I wish success for him and all the others. BUT, I am also a cynical schmo who is anxiously waiting for the back-pedaling next winter.
Cheers,
Huagung
Downtown at hotel Minneapolis looking for suggestions...steak one night
Manny's or Capital Grille for steak.
Capital Grille is quieter, great wine list, more refined/fancy.
Manny's is louder, great wine list, more manly in the "you'll know you ate a lot of steak" when you leave kind of way.
Neither is cheap, both offer similar high quality meals. It's more an atmosphere choice from my view.
You might get lucky without a concierge-assisted reservation on short notice, but I'd give your man in the fancy coat a shot to see if they can score you a table if the house tells you they're full.
Cheers and welcome to Minneapolis,
Huagung
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Capital Grille
801 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Los Ocampos, Amazing.
My wife and I observed this same phenomenon here. We noticed that Thai and Chinese foods at mid-tier or lower places here are significantly more expensive here (like about 40%) than in LA or NYC, but that our high-end places like Alma or La Belle Vie, are significantly cheaper than comparable places in NYC or LA. And given the rent disparities between the mentioned cities, it's kind of odd.
Pad Thai in the Twin Cities will run you $9 to $11. In LA and NYC, more like $6 - $8. A well-stocked Szechuan hot pot here will run you $45 for two, in NYC that's more like $35 for the same items. Endless comparisons are available, but I'll stop there.
I don't have an answer for the question, but I'll venture a guess that people here are comfortable with a $25 - $30 lunch tab for two from these mid-tier places and have no real comparison to make with a similar joint in another city. Owners here then charge what the market will bear. Just guessing.
Cheers,
Huagung
MSP Airport Restaurant Madness
International fliers typically arrive at the airport as much as three hours before their flight, leaving them at a minimum about 1.5 - 2 hours to kill in the airport. Given the cosmically distressing fare served on the airplane, it seems a pretty good gamble to me that people will stop and either pick up food to eat on the flight, or consume prior to boarding. The concept is being launched on the Gold concourse near the international departures. I see no issue with making a bold statement by offering presumably better offerings, especially if they're not run by MarriottHost.
As for the other fliers in the airport on layover, it's a no-brainer. Who wouldn't want more and better choices for food? Ever tried to eat at Midway in Chicago? LaGuardia? Newark? MSP is already completely over-run with really bad fast-food food court offerings. Upping the level of expectation for decent food gives me no gas.
As for Zimmern, he's been a pretty outspoken critic of the food and service quality options at the airport, deriding others who have leant their names to really badly managed outlets at the airport. He will have a lot of ego invested, I would imagine, to avoid that happening to him. In any event, it will be interesting to see how the ball swings for all these folks. I wish them well. I travel a lot and will definitely patronize these places once they're running.
Cheers,
Huagung
I want to eat a whole fish
Whatever and wherever you choose to eat your whole fish, just be sure to eat the cheeks. My favorite part!
Cheers,
Huagung
Lychee Ice Cream or Sorbet
I am missing my lovely wife, who is traveling in Thailand right now and enjoying lychee ice cream as often as she sees it in there. It's high season for that fruit in Thailand right now.
Does anyone know if any of our great ice cream shops have available now, or frankly have 'ever' had, lychee ice cream or sorbet? Not interested in the factory made stuff in the asian markets. Have had it, don't want it.
Jonesing for a fresh fix, if ya dig me.
Cheers,
Huagung
Bayport BBQ - New Restaurant Review (Unable to post as such. Their locaion is the former Bayport Cookery and Chowhound hasn't been updated.)
Slow to the party here, but, WOW!
Been there three times in the past two weeks. I've had the brisket each time (once you try it, you'll understand), the pulled chicken, the ribs, and pulled pork. From a pure nirvana standpoint, the brisket is the best bbq I've ever eaten anywhere. I'm no expert and don't mean to imply such. I'm just sayin'. Utterly phenomenal. Moist, deeply smoky, we got some off the lean and some off the fat each time.
The ribs were my second favorite. Meaty, moist, fall-off-the-bone tender and deeply smoky like the brisket (which, duh, it's what they do there...). I love bbq that needs no sauce.
Friends loved the chicken but were non-committal about the pulled pork. Thought it was the weakest of what we tried. It was fine really, just lacked the intense flavor of the rest. The sides we ordered were fine, but don't warrant their own conversation. We had slaw, beans, au gratin potatoes, and a loaf of bread. Had apple crisp and pecan pie for dessert, which, again, oh well. I wouldn't order the desserts again.
And the cheap white whiskey mixed in your lemonade is a wonderful thing.
Best part of the evening for my 15 year old was having the cook who brought out the food say "here you go fellers, think you might like it."
He was right. I'll go back often. It really is that good.
Cheers,
Huagung
A local sighting of Graeter's ice cream! (Lunds in Minnetonka)
It's at Kowalski's in Woodbury too. Counted six flavors at $5.69 ea. At those prices I want someone to scoop it for me...
Sorry. Feeling grumpy today. I'll get over myself shortly.
Cheers,
Huagung
City Pages - Best of 2011
"Nong's Thai cuisine? I haven't been, but I'm skeptical."
Be very skeptical and sit on your wallet. The original purveyor of "how much sugar" can I add to your Thai food before your teeth fall out."
Grumble.
Huagung
Dining up and down University Avenue
I am just now sitting down to a bowl of kaeng pa (#102) with pork-a very spicy non-cocunut curry. It's awesome. The crab dish is great but very messy to eat. Forewarned is...
Her doo dee noodle soup is a great lunch too. Something akin to a sour pho with more kinds of meat. And peanuts.
Cheers,
Huagung
Dining up and down University Avenue
Sorry you went there kevin47. It used to be the cream of local Thai, but was sold a few years back and it's just a miserable little cesspool now. I honestly don't know how they survive.
Give On's another chance if you haven't recently. New menu with photos and a lot of new dishes. They are (slowly, ponderingly) getting their service act together, but the food is really first rate.
Cheers,
Huagung
Los Ocampo in the East Metro
I really like this place. I've been three times now.
I've had the huaraches combo with pastor... really wonderful. The boiled beans on/in it are really good. And I've ordered tacos twice now at lunch, with beef, tongue (sans comment from waiter), pastor, carnitas, the smoked chicken and the last one is failing me, but was the only thing I didn't think was spiffy.
As reported by a few others, the habanero aioli is wonderful and packs just enough of a kick to make me smile foolishly while I chew.
I've found the service cheerful an helpful, the food delicious, and the one margarita a bit subpar (in my world that means too sour and too little tequila).
My picky kids loved the place so we'll be back often. Beats the daylights out of the silly Las Margaritas in Woodbury. Don't ask. Just, go to Los Ocampo. It's a great addition to the east side.
cheers,
Huagung
Saigon Closed for Remodeling
Update from their Facebook page:
"We will be open on Friday :))"
cheers,
Huagung
Saigon Closed for Remodeling
From their Facebook page Feb. 24, 2011:
" To all our friends and customer we greatly apperciate your patronage !!!! But we will be closed for d next 10 days to remodel to make your experience at Saigon more enjoyable . We apologize for any inconvenience we cause you. Once again we thank you"
They were also closed from Feb 8 - 18 to repair a leaking gas line in the building. Draw your own conclusions.
cheers,
Huagung
Khao Soi in Minneapolis??
You can find a decent seasoning mix for Khao Soi by Globo Foods at Dragon Star. The front of the package will say Lobo, but the company that makes it, identified on the back of the package is Globo. It's the same one my mother in law uses in Thailand, and she was born and raised in Chiang Mai. She likes the taste just fine.
You can also buy pickled mustard greens at Dragon Star too which are an essential part of the taste of the finished dish.
Cheers,
Huagung
Khao Soi in Minneapolis??
The khao soi at Sen Yai Sen Lek is an abomination. Try it at Bangkok Thai Deli in St Paul. No where in Minneapolis has that dish.
Cheers,
Huagung
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Sen Yai Sen Lek
2422 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418
