Db Cooper's Profile
Best Breakfast Ever - Your Favorites
For cheap, nothing outdoes the all-day at Mickeys. Those hash browns fried in lard are like no other in the Twin Cities.
On the high end, no other brunch in town touches The Lake Elmo Inn in this diner's book. Huge variety all done at the highest level.
What are you cooking for Valentines day?
The beauty of that meal is so much can be made a day ahead making it easier to time and finish it on Valentines Day. The only thing I really have to make that night is the surf portion and the puff pastry.
What are you cooking for Valentines day?
Soup to start, a crab bisque with hush puppies to dunk.
Main course is "surf and turf". Surf will be lobster tails served with a beurre blanc over roasted asparagus. The Turf will be beef short ribs braised in red wine with gremolata over crispy cheddar polenta.
Dessert is a hot fudge puff pastry with whip cream.
Fast, Romantic Valentine's dinner ideas needed!
Steamed Lobster Tails are the easiest thing in the world. You don't even need a fancy steamer. You can MacGyver one from things you probably already have in your kitchen. Here's what you do:
-Get two lobster tails and thaw them if necessary. Or more if you want to really say love. My wife and I usually do two per person, but it's not required.
-Take your largest pot and fill bottom with water. You need about two inches. Then take a cereal bowl and put it in the bottom and put a bread plate on top of the bowl. If your pot is big enough, you can use a dinner plate. You just want it to fit inside and lay flat on top of the bowl.
-Start your burner and bring the water to a boil. Don't worry if the bowl shakes a bit. It won't break. Once it's boiling, add a little salt to the water. You should be able to slide the salt down where the plate doesn't touch the sides of the pot.
-Season your lobster tails with a bit of salt and pepper. Or Old Bay if you have it. Put them on the plate that you inserted so that they can steam. Put a cover on the top of the pot, and let them go for 10 to 15 minutes until the shells have turned bright red and meat is cooked thru. The meat should have a shiny, almost translucent look.
-Serve them hot with melted garlic butter and a lemon wedge. You can add a side salad, mashed potato, cheddar cheese rice, or cous cous which are all pretty quick and easy to do. Serve with a nice chilled bottle of white wine or champagne.
Easiest thing in the world to make and nothing says love more than lobster.
lamb shanks...roasted or braised?
If your oil is hot, it takes about 15 minutes to brown them. You have to turn them three times total. It doesn't have to be perfect on the outside, just a good start. Depending on how many you have and the size of your Dutch oven, may have to work in batches. But it isn't that big a pain and in no way takes hours unless you are browning a huge amount, something 99.9% of home cooks aren't doing.
Spare Ribs -- Low and Slow on a Charcoal Grill
One note if you are cooking ribs flat, without a stand. Be sure to lay them with bones facing up. Most of the fat is near those bones. As it melts, it will run down thru the meat.
For ribs, the magic number is 200-225 degrees.
I usually smoke mine for 2-3 hours. I then wrap them in foil and cook them for another hour or two which seems to make them even more moist.
I serve em dry. When they are this good, they don't need any sauce.
lamb shanks...roasted or braised?
Braised in red wine is the way to go.
That said, make sure you brown the shanks well before you add the wine and braise them. That's the secret to great braised meat.
Sunday night only in St Paul
Actually, I wouldn't eat at Famous Dave's if someone paid me. Same goes for every other BBQ joint in this town. We just don't do BBQ well in the Twin Cities. It isn't a sin, there are only a few places in this county that do. That's why I invested in a quality smoker. I can just do it myself.
Larger point was sending a tourist to a take out joint vs a restaurant is questionable to me. I'd just be honest that this isnt a BBQ town and suggest a burger joint which there are multiple quality options.
Sunday night only in St Paul
So you would send an out of town visitor to a BBQ Restarant that has no tables and four seats tops by the window? And in, let's be honest, a tougher part of town?
Big Daddy's isn't a restaurant. It's a takeout joint. If I wanted to eat takeout in my hotel room, I'd order room service.
Sunday night only in St Paul
You can only do so much on these boards to try and convince people where to go eat. And MSPD, the St Paul Famous Dave's isn't like any of the ones in Manhattan. The food might be similar, but that's about it. In terms of design, atmosphere, and entertainment, it's not a comparison.
Sunday night only in St Paul
Famous Dave's is what it is, chain BBQ. You can do better and you can do worse. I'm not a fan as his sauces are far too sweet for my tastes. But if you catch it right, you can get decent ribs from time to time. BBQ isn't a Twin Cities specialty.
20 lb. Pork Butt needs to be turned into pulled pork...help!
http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/perfect_pulled_pork.html
That link will help and there are others the site that will guide you through cooking it in the oven. If you do just one thing, cook it low and slow.
20 lb. Pork Butt needs to be turned into pulled pork...help!
If you have a grill, smoke it for the first two or three hours at 225 to 250 over hickory and maple chips. Then transfer to electric oven to finish. At 225, you need about an hour per pound.
Pork loin - major fails lately
I often do the same thing, I make slits and stuff it with garlic and herbs. To cook it, I first sear it off on my cooktop for about 10 minutes until its good and brown. I then transfer it to the oven which is set about 400 or 425. While I'm searing, I'll usually put a meatloaf pan with a cup of beef stock in the oven. Once I'm done searing, I transfer the loin to the meatloaf pan and let it cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. It almost always comes out perfectly pink in the middle. Most times, I serve it with a raspberry or blueberry gastrique.
Sunday night only in St Paul
If the OP is a New York foodie, I'm guessing there is little doubt they have eaten at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Dan Barber's restaurant. It's pretty much the exact same thing Heartland is trying to do. And as much as I enjoy Heartland, it isn't in the same league yet as Blue Hill.
You can't go wrong with either Heartland or Meritage. But for my dollar, I think Russell is playing at a higher level these days.
Sunday night only in St Paul
I'd suggest a cocktail at The St. Paul Grill (it's an institution and every outlaw who called St. Paul home drank there at one time or another) followed by dinner at Meritage. While I like and respect Lenny, Meritage is doing things with seafood these days that is better than anyone. It's a can't miss.
Gino's East or Lou Malnati's?
I've got a fever. And the only cure.....is more Lou's.
What's with the salt & pepper shakers and Sriracha at every table in MSP?
The tongue is firmly planted in cheek considering the restaurants of today. That being said, ten or fifteen years ago, the quality of dining in this town almost demanded that salt and pepper be on every table. Things have changed and for the better, but I think the tradition started as a passive MN thing. "Oh, you decide how much spice you want on your food. Far be it for us to do it for you. It's your call." It's sort of just the way we are.
Totally with you on the Siracha take. It started in those columns where people ask chefs what was in their fridge and almost all of them would say, "The Rooster." From there, it took off with the hipsters and the foodies and thus you see it on tables today. And it isn't just trendy restaurants either as I had it served as a side for my Coney Dogs at The Gopher Bar too. Let's face it, NOTHING is trendy about the Gopher.
What's with the salt & pepper shakers and Sriracha at every table in MSP?
Really, you don't find S/P at 90% of the restaurants in SF? That has always been the tradition here. Maybe it's because 90% of the food here has no seasoning so they figured they'd just let you do it yourself. Let's face it, nordic countries aren't known for heavy spice and that's the heritage of most people around here. But every restaurant in town has always had S/P available since I've been around.
As for Siracha, that's newer. I think it is because that's a "chef's sauce" and restaurants want to have it available to show chefs and other foodies in the know their street cred.
rib roast: how to cook
Whatever you do, buy a quality meat thermometer. You can't cook it to the perfect point without one.
Need Dinner Recommendation
Some of my favorite affordable choices:
-First Course in South Minneapolis
-Tapas/Small Plates at The Sample Room in NE
-The Pot Roast or anything else at The Modern Cafe in NE
-Pub Favorites (Fish Chips/Sheps Pie) at Anchor Bar in NE
-Eli's Fine Food and Cocktails on Hennepin Downtown
-Cafe Biaggio (Italian) on University/280
-The Brass Rail in Grandy for Broasted Chicken...Ok, just kidding, but it's worth the drive
-The Loring Pasta Bar for dinner/Kitty Kat Klub for drinks in Dinkytown
There's a decent list to start. All have pretty good food at what I consider to be fair and reasonable prices. I left off Cafe Vin since you nixed French. Let us know where you decide to go.
Not To Boast Or Anything...
Why don't you just take him to one of the cities best like EMP, Per Se, or Le Bernardin. One, those places are uses to having celebrities dining there. Two, nobody will give two rats behinds who you are with because the food will be a bigger attraction than who's eating it. It's either that or find a private room. I know Madonna had a private room at The Modern the last time we ate there. When we left out the door, what seemed like a million camera bulbs went off. I didn't even realize that she was right behind us with her entourage.
Ok, in all honestly, I didn't even know it was her until later. I had to ask one of the paparzzi.
Le Veau d'Or - How to Best Explain It
I live in Minneapolis/St. Paul. We are a step above the chains, but cost of living here is significantly lower so incomes are lower and therefore, budgets tighter while dining out. Most fine-dining restaurants here in this market have app prices around $10 (for two) and average entree prices around $25. There are a couple that are higher, but that's the average.
Charlie Trotter's Closing
I lived off a combiation of Lipton's Pamesean Rice and Sauce and Chicken Ramen Noodles. You mix those two together and you get a carbo load that could get you through a marathon.....and it didn't taste half bad either.
Trotter's will be missed. Like a great athlete, it may have lost a step with age. But in it's prime, it brought the town to a whole new level in terms of cuisine. Just like we only remember MJ during his days with the Bulls and not the Wizards, we should strive to do the same with Charlie Trotters.
Le Veau d'Or - How to Best Explain It
I thought it was a heck of deal for what you get, but I also live in a town where the most people will pay for an app plus dinner is $30, so my scale is different from those who live there. You are definitely getting four-stars on the value scale.
Midtown restaurant - casual romantic - mid price
Too funny. For my trip last month, we ate at the Modern for dinner one night and Le Veau d'Or the next. I guess I did a pretty good job on the planning side before we went!!!! I liked them both, for very different reasons. But most of all, the modern vs old school NYC was what sticks most in my mind.
Great place to eat in Eden Prairie
Unless they paid their back taxes, they aren't getting anything according to the State Liquor postings. The only other thing I could see them doing is opening under new ownership (and possibly new name) which would allow deliveries to start again.
Let's see what Friday brings....
Great place to eat in Eden Prairie
I heard the EP Ale House is out of business? Can anyone confirm?
What's missing from MSP's culinary landscape?
An Italian Beef Sandwich. The ones I've had around here are an embarassment to the name. Like the Philly Cheesesteak, it isn't rocket science. But everyone I've had around here is either drier than the desert or the bun is so weak it can't handle the dip. It just shouldn't be that hard to get right.
Doner Kabob in The Cities?
I think it's because Filfilah's uses a Tahini sauce where most places in Europe lean more towards the yogurt based sauces. That's why I wrote the Filfilah isn't a "true" Doner as I know it.
I'm not saying Black Sea's is a great Doner. But I do know they are the only one using the standard process and actually calling it Doner. So if you want to try one as close to authentic as you'll find, I think it's your best bet. But finding a Doner here that is as good as Europe is about as futile an exercise as trying to find an Italian Beef as good as the one in Chicago or a cheesesteak to rival Philly. It's just not in the cards.
