hasday1's Profile
MSP - Via (Edina)
Ditto to all above. Went there last weekend since we were in the area. I thought I had heard good things, but maybe I was mistaken. Walking in, the decor was lovely, they definitely put some money and effort into the space. In fact, it was strikingly similar to Mission decor-wise.
The menu was a different story however. I knew the experience wasn't going to be stellar when I looked over the beer list and didn't notice anything that wouldn't be served at an average wedding or corporate event. I think the beer list can say a lot about a restaurant.
We ended up sitting in the dining room. When I asked about the smaller menu that I had seen when I first came in, our server told us that it was the bar menu (even though it wasn't labeled as such). I asked if we could be seated at the bar instead. She complied and wasn't rude, but there was a certain robotic-ness to her. The dining room menu read like a hotel or country club menu. Nothing remotely intriguing and not a single entree under $22. The average was around $30. Even the average starter was between $10 and $14 despite all being fixtures on the Applebee's carside-to-go menu.
Once we got to the bar, we ordered - I had the "Shaved Rib-Eye with Horseradish Cream." My wife got a flat bread pizza. The food came out in about 3 minutes somehow despite being a musy Saturday night. I like quick service, but I have a hard time believing any of our meals were done a la minute. I was right - my wife's flat bread tasted warmed over and my sandwich was not unlike the prime rib sandwich at quizno's except this was served on stale bread. On the bright side, my side salad was quite good.
Total bill for sandwich, 1 beer, fries, and pizza = $50.
The guys that own this place were recently named "Restauranteurs of the Year" by MSP Mag. If they can somehow sustain churning out mediocre meals for top-end prices, they've certainly earned that title. What an irritating dining experience.
Anyone tried "Archer Farms" brand?
I've never tried the hot chocolate mix, but I have tried a number Archer farms products. So far, I've loved their roast beef, kettle fried turkey, parmesan garlic potato chips, frozen pizza, pistchio-cherry granola bars, blueberry flax cereal, coffee, dried fruit strips, italian soda, pasta, and plenty of others.
So far, the only things i've tried that were bad were salsa, yogurt, take-and-bake bread, regular white bread, and tea.
While not all of their products are slam dunks, on the whole, they deliver a great value for the price.
Adding salt to the water you cook spaghetti in: does it really make any difference?
Not true (unless you are using a negligible amount of salt). This is evidenced by the fact that adding salt to boiling water causes the water to stop boiling. Depending on the concentration of salt, the amount of water, and the power of your stove, it can take up to 60 seconds to bring it back to a boil. It really shouldn't matter timewise if you add the water at the beginning or once it starts boiling or if you add it at the beginning. The water has to reach the elevated boiling point regardless. The time it takes to reach this point is fixed in relation to you salt adding strategy.
Oh, it DOES make a difference.
What is the best steak?
I personally prefer hanger steak to skirt steak. I think it's more naturally tender and has such a pronounced beef flavor. If it's on a menu, it's what I'm ordering.
Heinz ketchup-do you prefer any other?
Nothing worse than going to a friend or relative's house and they break out the bottle of hunts. You know you're getting some Hydrox for dessert at that point. Heinz 4ever!
What foods do restaurants most frequently mess up?
Elaborating on the bad bread thing, there are so many times that restaurants serve ICE COLD butter with the bread. This is my greatest met peeve because it's so easy to fix.
Chili Ideas
Yeah, I got a similar sort of response. There were a lot of confused looking faces peering into my crock of chili during the judging. Afterwards though, a few people that showed up to the event late, after the judging, were raving about my chili and how they didn't even think it was close.
It's one of those things - if I had it to do all over again, I'd probably make a pretty similar chili. My guess is that if I tried to make a chili that I thought other people would like, I'd still end up in last (and be stuck with a bunch of sucky leftovers).
Chili Ideas
I'm glad to hear your experiences with chili in MN have been better than mine. I just couldn't overlook how similar all the other chilis were. I just figured the other ones were the way Minnesotans like their chili. Glad to hear that this may have been an isolated incident.
Chili Ideas
Got a good lesson in cooking for your audience.
I incorporated a lot of these ideas and came up with a GREAT chili. Nice consistency, nice slow heat, with some smokey flavor and great depth (if I must say so myself)... Unfortunately, I am here in Minnnesota (I'm a transplant) and am unfamiliar with chili practices here. I made sure to dial back the spice level and add some beans to appease the locals. Apparently I didn't do enough appeasing because I finished in second to last. Just goes to show you how much regional differences plays a part in when it comes to things like chili. For those who are interested, Minnesota chili apparently is very tomatoey, fairly sweet, and contains little to no actual chiles. It more resembles a lousy ragout that anything else. Win some you lose some. Thanks again for all your advice, it may not have netted me a medal, but I can now make a mean batch of chili. I'm gonna eat some right now!!
Panera: Pretty Poor
Boy, I'd hate to get too off topic here, but I like your point about Potbelly. Flavorful meats, good bread, made to order and about half the price of Panera. I think this is what happens when you try to do too much. Bagels, sandwiches, soups, bread, coffee, salads, and baked goods? All in one place? There's virtually no way to pull that off, at least not for cheap. Look at all the successful chains that are actually good (IMO) - In and Out, Chipotle, Potbelly. All have a very limited menu, but do what they do very well.
Truffle oil
Give truffle salt a whirl. I think it has a much more intense truffly aroma and I think you get more aroma for your money, too. Use it on all the same things mentioned above - eggs, asparagus, mushrooms, split pea soup...
ISO Best darn Meatloaf EVER...PERIOD!
Food and Wine just had a great pork meatloaf recipe not too long ago. It involved pureeing some prociutto and bacon, mixing that in with the meat which gave the finished product a wonderful meaty, salty flavor. I've made a lot of meat loafs in my day and this one stands out.
Four 1-inch-thick slices of Italian bread, crusts removed, bread soaked in 1 cup of milk and squeezed dry
4 ounces sliced bacon
4 ounces sliced prosciutto
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
4 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 roasted red pepper from a jar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 pounds lean ground pork
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 cup tomato puree
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/2 cup prepared plain hummus
Stocking a Bar - What should I have on hand?
Fris (pronounced "freeze") is a great mid-range vodka choice.
About $20 for a 1.75 litre and just as good if not better than
slightly higher priced vokdas like Skyy and Absolute.
Out of my element in Sonoma, please help.
I was out there in November. Keller's new place in Yountville called ad hoc was great. 4 course, family style. The chocolate bread pudding they served for dessert (not family style) was out of this world. Affordable, too - 50 bucks a person.
Chili Ideas
Regarding adding chocolate, would you add toward the beginning of cooking, right when you add all of the liquid? how much cocoa in relation to meat? Would a tbsp per lb of meat be too much?
Chili Ideas
This isn't a licenced chili cookoff or anything like that. Just a bunch of friends getting together. So there are no rules really. Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. It sounds like what everyone agrees on is to use a custom blend of chiles and not chili powder and to use whole beef and not ground.
Love the idea about adding some chorizo. My new plan of attack goes something like this: Brown short ribs all over in batches. Start browning some chorizo. Add 2 chopped onions, one green pepper, and several cloves of garlic. Cook till soft. Add a bottle or two of beer and cook down. Add some of the chili mixture - i will include some chipotles in adobo, fresno, poblano, cayenne, and plenty of toasted, ground cumin. Add beef stock, and small can of tomatoes, small can of beans and bring to simmer. Add beef back to pot. Simmer covered for about 2 hours, adding some more of the chili mixture part way through. Simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Take out ribs and cut meat into bit sized pieces. Add back to the pot. Season with salt, a couple spoonfuls of demi-glace, a little vinegar, a splash of tequilla, and more cayenne if necessary.
I've compiled a lot of different people's ideas. My hope is for a bowl that balances the meaty, smoky flavors, with a good bit of acidity, and a little bit of a mystery, "what is that flavor", kind of thing from the beer and tequilla.
Anyone looking for a great mandoline?
I will second the Mafter recommendation. Sharp blades, even handles tough stuff like julienneing celery root. I received mine as a gift, so I couldn't tell you how much to pay or where to get it from. Great tip about the cut proof glove - the pusher is very awkward to work with.
Chili Ideas
I'm going to a chili cook-off next month and I'm looking for some ideas that'll set mine apart. I've only made chili a couple times and both times they were pretty traditional - ground beef, chili powder, canned tomatoes etc. One idea I had was to do a mix of meats - some ground chuck, and also braise some whole beef short ribs on the bone in the chili and shred the meat at the end. I'm not sure how this would work texture-wise in a chili so I'd be curious to find out if someone else has tried this. My other idea was to add in some veal demiglace at the end, just to up the meaty factor a little bit more.
Any other chili tips?
Do you remember the first dish you ever cooked?
Chicken au poivre. A disaster of epic proportions! I hastenly read the recipe and mistook the phrase "add a tbsp of butter to a non-stick pan" for "add a stick of butter to a pan." Instead of seasoning the chicken cutlets with ground pepper, I pounded the whole peppercorns into chicken using a meat tenderizer. Not sure how I thought that would turn out well. The end result was an unbelievably buttery, salty sauce with peppercorn studded chicken. I still remember watching as my parents tried to choke it down, while picking peppercorns out of their teeth. It's a wonder they let me back in the kitchen after that. I was 12.
