AnneInMpls's Profile
In search of fresh fava beans
No verified sightings yet (it's too early for true fava season), but keep your eye on Holy Land - the Central Ave grocery store. I have often seen fava beans there in the summer and fall.
Downtown St. Paul Skyway for Lunch?
Oops - just saw this thread. I assume you're still in downtown St P.
If you can see food trucks, you're probably at the Kellogg/St. Peter/Rice Park end of downtown. Me, I'm at the other end (Mears Park), so what's close to me might be a long walk for you, but...
My faves are:
- Maison Darras for panini or quiche & salad. They make awesome cookies.
- Oriental Restaurant (next to Maison D) on Fridays for Korean food.
- Wilbers for banh mi
- Asian Express (or A.E.2 in Galtier) for veg soup & Vietnamese spring rolls
At Miguel's (near Potbelly) looks promising. I've been there once and liked what I had: chickpea-chorizo salad & Turkish grape leaves - from a can, but the good brand (I buy these myself, for parties)p
Christos in the train depot has very good food and a lunch buffet. You can stuff yourself for $12 or $13? (includes a mini piece of baklava).
Out of the skyway - I love Golden's Deli, but haven't been for a year. It's near the Farmers Market. Also near the FM, Heartland has a deli counter with very nice sandwiches, but it's slow, so I've only been once.
Alas, Tanpopo isn't open for lunch, but if you can get at least 8 people together, you can order (48 hrs in advance) an awesome take-out bento lunch for $15. We did that once, and it was worth every penny.
Wilber's has Banh Mi?!?!?
I finally got to Wilber's on Thursday for banh mi. Lovely! I don't know if it was the best banh mi I've ever had, but it was right up there on my Top-Ten list of craveable sandwiches.
They had "proper" bread (flaky and airy - regardless of the wheat and/or rice content) that even survived 20 minutes under my arm as I strolled the skyways. When they made the sandwich, they microwaved the pre-grilled pork, but that meant it was warm (i.e., not cold) when I finally ate my banh mi. The carrots were thick shreds, not julienned; no daikon (or whatever the white vegetable is), but there was a generous amount of carrot to compensate. Best of all, the bread left a multitude of shards and crumbs on my desk - my keyboard will never be the same.
AND THEY HAD SRIRACHA ON THE COUNTER!
Various fillings are available, including chicken, pork, and ?? (veggie, maybe). I had the pork banh mi. I shall return - often - to try the other versions.
cheese plates in St Paul or Minneapolis
I've had great cheese plates at both Alma and Vincent.
Reactions to City Pages "Best of..."???
>> It kind of seems like CityPages didn't put a lot of effort into this one.
Woo, boy - you can say that again. CP has been phoning it in for years. This is a tweet.
Favorite Restaurant to bring out-of-town guests?
A few years ago, I took my visiting family to Chimborazo. They now demand to go there on each and every visit (every 4 months or so). There's no argument from me - I *love* this place! It's tops on my "cheap and fabulous eats" list.
(They really liked Ngon and Brasa, too.)
Has anyone tried Hum Liqueur? Do you like CARDAMOM?
Oh, I'm sorry you can't get it where you are. It seems that it's only in select cites/stores for now. I was rather amazed to find it in Minneapolis, in fact - but we're only 25 miles from Wisconsin, which always picks up the cool trends from Chicago.
I'll do my best to buy lots so that Hum can expand to full national distribution. :-) In the meantime, sounds like you need a road trip!
What to order at Saffron?
My guess is that it would be just fine. The place has good acoustics - not too loud, not too quiet - so happy baby noises shouldn't be a problem.
When we were there, there was a large, multi-generational family about 2 or 3 tables away. There were several kids, ranging in age from maybe 5 or 6 to preteen, happy conversing with each other. We couldn't hear a thing from this table, yet the place is quiet enough for normal conversation.
So I'd say to go with your baby!
St. Paul Food Trucks - 2012 Season
I'm looking forward to this. I think the Monday Food Truck Rally and the Wednesday Food Truck Court are starting the first week of May. Haven't heard anything about the Thursday group.
I haven't been to a food truck for a year and half, so I'm happy that the season is almost here.
City Pages claims that they're updating their Food Truck Map "in April" - but it was last year's version when I checked on Friday. OK, so they've still got a week or so....
Wilber's has Banh Mi?!?!?
Yup, the Friday Korean food (3 or 4 dishes) at the Orient Chinese Restaurant is good stuff. I always feel a pang when I walk past Maison Darras without going in, but they know that they won't see me on a Friday because it's Korean Food Day.
I love the bi bim bop. It's not the best bi bim bop in town, but it's quite respectable - and it's certainly the best bi bim bop in the St. Paul skyways (as far as I know). For those who haven't had BBB yet: bi bim bop is a big bowl of white rice topped with a modest amount of stir-fried (?) beef, plus heaps of 6 or 7 veggies - julienned zucchini, cooked spinach, shredded (and pickled?) daikon, julienned carrots, lightly pickled cabbage, sprouts, and ... (I can't remember what else, but there's more). And then it's topped with a fried egg. Yum-a-rama! Kimchi is available by request.
I'm also fond of their kim bop, which vaguely resembles a hearty Japanese sushi roll, if made with carrots and spinach and beef and egg (many of the bi bim bop ingredients, in fact). It's served at room temp, and is premade and prewrapped on a styrofoam platter. I don't know if this is authentic, but I always get some hot chili oil and soy sauce for dipping.
I think they have Bulgoki, too, but I've never tried it.
Wilber's has Banh Mi?!?!?
Very interesting!
I'm completely uneducated on this topic, other than reading something a few months ago about rice flour in banh mi buns - it was an Internet comment on some smallish town I visited (Duluth? Tacoma? Madison? Nashville? I can't remember) where someone was bemoaning the lack of rice flour in the bread used by only banh mi place in town. They specifically mentioned the lightness and flakiness imparted only by a certain percentage of rice flour. (Though perhaps a good French bakery would have provided a close approximation.) After I returned home, I decided - with a complete lack of research - that my favorite banh mi had that certain je-ne-sais-quoi so elegantly summarized by Chowhound Melanie Wong in another thread: "The very light ones with the shattering crust are made with some rice flour blended with the wheat flour." Specifically, I adore the flaky lightness of the banh mi buns at Saigon and Jasmine Orchid (and few other other places up and down University Ave and Nicollet Ave).
So I can't say for sure that my favorite local banh mi joints use bread containing rice flour. I know only that i love those flaky fly-away shards in the lightest bread from my favorite places.
Back to the topic of Wilber's Banh Mi: I suspect that I'll have to do my own research. I have no problem with that, but it'll have to wait until next week. Friday is Bi Bim Bop / Kim Bop day at the Orient Chinese Restaurant in the Securian Building - Korean food is available on Fridays only, so I can't skip that!
Wilber's has Banh Mi?!?!?
Has anyone tried the new Banh Mi at Wilber's Sandwiches in the St. Paul skyway?
I saw a sign advertising their Banh Mi last week, and figured it was an April Fool's joke. But it's still on the white-board menu this week (along with Vietnamese iced coffee!), so it must be real.
My question: Do they use the right bread - made with rice flour for the all important flakiness and crunch? Or just standard hoagie rolls?
And do they have sriracha?
Search for Alphabet Pasta - Twin Cities
How funny - I assumed that alphabet pasta was available everywhere, but now that I think of it, I've only seen it at Mexican groceries. If you're closer to El Burrito Mercado or another large Mexican grocery, check there before you head to Cub.
Where's the beef?
I don't like beef burgers, but I'm addicted to the bison burger with cheddar cheese at Trotter's Cafe - it's simple and delicious (and the whole wheat bun is fabulous). However, I need to bring my own sriracha to mix half-and-half with the ketchup - that's what would really send this burger over the top.
Genuine Home-Baked Cakes
Antie Angel's looks AWESOME. I see that they had caramel cake yesterday.... moan. Thanks for this wonderful tip!
Has anyone tried Hum Liqueur? Do you like CARDAMOM?
My wonderful husband gave me a bottle of Hum Liqueur as a birthday present. (He tells me that he tracked down the only bottle in the Twin Cities.)
This article inspired me to hint for the liqueur:
http://host.madison.com/entertainment/dining/salud-new-hum-botanical-is-nectar-for-mixologists/article_d478da1c-d312-58d9-bdef-1753053e40f6.html
From the description, I was expecting lots of hibiscus flavor with some spice and ginger. I was hoping it would taste like a rummy, spiced hibiscus tea. But it tastes like *!!!*CARDAMOM*!!!* to me (or CARDAMON, if you prefer). I can kinda taste the hibiscus, too - the other spices and flavors, not so much.
Luckily, I like cardamom. But I'll be using this stuff by the quarter teaspoon (not a problem - it'll last longer that way.) So I need lots of cocktail ideas for my Hum liqueur!
For Easter: The Peeptini
I missed the olive garnish in that first blue cocktail - ewww. Your suggestions for pastel cocktails sound MUCH better. I especially like the idea of a lavender-colored cocktail with a yellow peep as garnish.
And your best tip: Serve the peep on the side. :-) Each year, as peep season approaches, I forget that I really, really, really hate the taste of peeps. But I love the idea of a peep cocktail so much that I might just have to make my own peeps.
Dining Help-Staying at The Depot Renaissance
Nye's food is not good. The atmosphere is great, but if you want Polish food, eat at Kramarczuk's first (across the street). Note that Kramarczuk's isn't up to Chicago's standards, but it's much better than Nye's.
But there are TONS of "must eat" places near your hotel. Check out the threads on this board, HeavyTable.com, and other local reviews, then come back here to ask for specific recommendations.
What to order at Saffron?
By coincidence, Mr. Tastebud & I went to Saffron on Monday night, too. We LOVED it! I'm not surprised that the chef / owner was nominated for a James Beard award. I'll bet he wins one in a year or two.
Here's what we had:
- Lamb Brains (Lovely and creamy and delicate and perfectly cooked)
- Octopus a la Plancha (Wow - very tender, with lots of amazing olive oil and top-quality paprika; this was my favorite dish of the night)
- Marinated Spring Beans & Peas (Fabulous! Tiny, tender fava beans, with peas, lamb bacon, and pecorino cheese - my second-favorite dish)
- Chicken Bisteeya (The best version I've ever had; this was Mr. Tastebud's favorite)
- Moroccan Duck Kofta Tajine (Delicious! It didn't knock our socks off at first, but it grew on us, and we licked the dish clean). We shared the smaller tajine between the two of us, and it was just the right amount.
- Spiced apple trifle with creme fraiche & salted caramel (Again, we licked the dish clean)
I started with a Saffron Rose cocktail, then had a glass or two of Lebanese red wine - a perfect match with the food. Mr. Tastebud was the designated driver, so he stuck to water.
BlauerPlanet, I hope you had a nice meal here, too!
Food on VIA (Canadian rail) versus Amtrak (American rail)
My experience with several Amtrak sleeper trips (6 or 7 in the past few years) and one eastern Via rail trip: I've been pleasantly surprised with Amtrak's food, and was disappointed with ViaRail's food.
Two years ago, Mr. Tastebud and I traveled from Halifax to Toronto - H to Montreal was in a first-class sleeper (aka the "sleeper plus", where food was included in the price). It didn't seem like the choices were anything different or better than for the "plain sleeper" folks. I was NOT impressed by the food (lunch, dinner, and breakfast); Mr. Tastebud said his meals were OK, but mine were just a notch or two above edible.
The Amtrak meals from Buffalo to Chicago to Minneapolis were a noticeable improvement. (Not the breakfast, though - Amtrak breakfasts are just as mediocre as Via's, in my experience.)
So we bought our dinner for the Montreal-to-Toronto leg in the Jean Talon market. THAT was great food! (Too bad Via can't cater the corridor trains with supplies from the Montreal markets.)
Ngon Bistro Virgin
The mussels and sweet potato fries with sriracha aioli are awesome - especially with a Belgian-style beer. For a smaller app, I like the rabbit dumplings, too. I've been very pleased with the fish specials (from the fusion part of the menu). And the chilled noodle salads (bun) are on my regular rotation.
Have a lovely meal!
Great dinner in Monday?
If the dates work, I'd second LauraB's suggestion of Tilia. I think this place can hold its own against Travail - though each has a very different style, of course. Note that I haven't been to Blackbird or Bar La Grassa, so I can't compare them.
Otherwise, perhaps Ngon Vietnamese Bistro in St. Paul? I love the fusion side of the menu, though note that entrees hover around $20.
Another idea: Saffron in downtown Minneapolis. I haven't been since they revised the menu (less expensive) and made the place more casual, but it's on my Try Next list. The entree prices here are irrelevant, because sharing a bunch of appetizers and small plates is the way to go.
Minneaplis suggestions for family of 5
Thanks, MSPD, for a great summary of the Twin Cities' premium ice cream spots! Me, I believe that a kiddie-size (or Izzy-size) scoop of top ice cream is always better than a ton of the more mediocre stuff. And i agree with you on your personal preferences - but again, that's a personal thing.
To get back to the OP's request for "teenager friendly" food - it completely depends on your teenagers, of course, as well as where you're staying in Minneapolis. I assume your kids aren't into exotica (like the best sushi or trying Hmong or Somali food), or else you would have mentioned it. So, assuming the standard burgers/pizza fare, I highly recommend the following inexpensive-to-moderate places:
- Trotters in St. Paul for awesome burgers (buffalo,not beef), great salads, and fabulous baked goods. Plus, it's on the same block as Izzy's Ice Cream Cafe.
- Brasa for chicken, pork, braised beef, and and fabulous southern sides. There's one in N.E. Minneapolis, close to the downtown area, as well as one in St. Paul (Grand Ave).
- Pizza at a place like Punch or Nea or Lola. Punch is all over the Twin Cities (the closest one to downtown Mpls is in on Hennepin in N.E. Mpls, just past the river). Pizza Nea is virtually next door. Pizzeria Lola is in S. Mpls, I think (I've never been there).
- Lunch or a very casual dinner at Birchwood Cafe (near Franklin Ave & West River Blvd in Mpls) - this is one of my favorite casual places for any age or culinary preference. They always have a great - and very creative - turkey burger on the menu. Plus some interesting pizza options (including a standard pepperoni pizza that's one of my favorites). Best of all, your kids might spy some aging hippies like myself for a historical/cultural lesson!
But if you REALLY want hippies - aging or current - you should go to the Seward Cafe on Franklin near Minnehaha (in Minneapolis). They have the best black beans in town. Wave if you see me - I'm a very aging hippie wearing a tie-dye T-shirt and grooving to those awesome black beans.
Minneaplis suggestions for family of 5
Get five single sugar-or-cake cones at Izzy's, rather than five double scoops in handmade waffle cones, and it'll be about half that amount. And well worth it, in my opinion.
Pie for national Pi day
We ended up having a cheese empanada at Chimborazo instead of that key lime pie. Hey, empanada means pie, right?
Pie for national Pi day
Today is Pi Day 2012! Where are you getting your celebratory pie?
Me, I think I'll head over to Seward Co-op for a slice of their awesome key lime pie. Unless Izzy's has Birchwood Key Lime Pie ice cream in their case...
georgian food/restaurants
Moscow on the Hill used to have one dish - Lule Kebab - that I vaguely remember as being Georgian. Not sure, though, and I can't get their web site to show me the current menu, so I don't know if they still offer this dish.
(Travel tip: if you ever get to Chicago, search the boards for info on the Georgian bakery on Devon. Mmmmmmm!)
Minneapolis Ethnic Catering Rundown
What a great idea for a church dinner! This is very helpful info, as I'm looking for inexpensive catering ideas in the near future. And now I'm hungry for tamales, sambusas, fried plantains, and papaya salad (in the same meal).
Attention MSPD - Torta Alert. I repeat, a Torta Alert for Taqeuria Los Paisanos
Sounds like it's time to revive my long-hibernating Torta Quest (I'm searching for a torta as good as the long-ago tortas cubanas from that place at 26th & Nicollet, before they tanked then closed). I work in downtown St. Paul, so a lunch excursion to 7th & Arcade isn't out of the question. Thanks for this great tip!
Moving to Minneapolis
Cheeky Monkey Deli currently has Star Prairie Trout on their dinner menu. (I'm pretty sure that Star Prairie is local.)
The thing is, lots of good restaurants have one or two fish dishes available. (For example, Restaurant Alma usually has a stellar fish selection that changes weekly or monthly.) But a full-blown "seafood" restaurant? Very rare here.
Tapdance, could we interest you in a Juicy Lucy burger?
