LiaM's Profile
Another TC's sojourn begins.
How are you ordering your eggs? I also hate underdone whites. At some point I switched to ordering over-easy and the problem has become far more rare.
roasted pig for reception
I know I've seen the chef at the Modern do a whole roasted pig before. Don't know if he caters but it might be worth a call.
Need a Dinner Rec or Two for a First Time Visitor
From the airport you can take the light rail to downtown Minneapolis quite easily if you have time, I think it takes 20-25 minutes each way. This would give you a lot more options.
Where to buy "Game" meat in the Twin Cities?
Seward Co-op often has elk or bison in the meat case and they usually have rabbit frozen. I've also gotten rabbit from the Bar 5 stand at the Farmers Market.
Where's the beef?
I'd second the suggestion of the Bulldog NE. I'm partial to the Junk burger there (mushrooms, bacon & cheese). Buster's on 28th does a pretty solid burger, too, and of course the Nook is one of the classic JL places.
Thursday night 21st birthday celebration ideas in Twin Cities?
Downtown seems like the most natural option for this sort of outing. If you're going high end I think it would be fun to start at the La Belle Vie lounge for interesting cocktails and food. If you want to keep things on the cheaper side, I don't know if it's considered great Thai or anything like that, but the King and I lounge usually has food that I like, family-style so you and a bunch of friends can share things, again interesting cocktails, and usually a DJ (not a lot of dancing but it can add to the ambiance). And then you won't be too far from Nicollet Ave or the Warehouse district to walk to the next place.
First Avenue has a Ritmo Caliente dance night on the 17th, I haven't been to one but it seems like it might be fun.
Live Lobsters?
I remember seeing them at the Lunds in Uptown not too long ago, you might give them a call and check.
Visit to Minneapolis
It would help to know what area you'll be staying in, how far you're willing to travel, what kinds of things you like, etc.
Without any particular restrictions, I'd say the places you should really try to get to are Ngon Bistro (Vietnamese/French), the Craftsman (mostly local/seasonal American), and Al's Breakfast (eggs, pancakes, etc.). Maybe Bachelor Farmer which is upscale Nordic (I haven't been yet but I hear it's good). Bangkok Thai Deli and Hmongtown if those are cuisines you'd enjoy.
Fun place for B-day dinner for 15 yr old boys
I guess it depends what they're into, but I think sitting in the bar at Masu could be pretty fun for them. Good food, kung fu movies, casual.
What happened to Midtown Global Market?
I've been to MGM many times and have never run into panhandlers there. Although to be honest I don't think the mere presence of a panhandler is a very big deal. If you don't want to talk to someone, most of the time all you have to do is to keep walking (now and then you might run into something truly obnoxious, of course).
True Thai needs a face lift and it is not alone
LeeAnn Chin regularly wins best Chinese in Readers' Choice polls. They are generally not to be taken too seriously, IMO.
Great produce that won't break the budget?
The Produce Exchange at Midtown Global Market is worth checking out.
Blood Sausage - Served or For Sale.
Clancy's sometimes has blood sausage. And as someone mentioned, the Seward Co-op. Their sausages are usually good, though I haven't had the blood sausage there.
What's with the salt & pepper shakers and Sriracha at every table in MSP?
What I meant by my reference to nordic heritage is that although there is a stereotype that we eat nothing but bland things in white sauces, this is not (or at least no longer) true. At the same time, there is a wide range of preferences, and I think many cooks in MSP probably accept that what they consider perfectly seasoned might not be what every customer considers perfectly seasoned.
Yes, I would be more surprised to find S&P on the table at Heidi's, Meritage, etc. than at the places you've visited.
What's with the salt & pepper shakers and Sriracha at every table in MSP?
For S&P I'd guess the reasoning is so that customers can adjust the salt and pepper levels to their preference. At more upscale or chef-driven restaurants than those on your list, I think you'd be less likely to find S&P offered (other than the waiter with the grinder), with the idea that the dish is seasoned as it should be in the kitchen.
While many people do have nordic heritage as DB Cooper mentions, we are all pretty used to Vietnamese food by now and lots of people like to add some spice to things. Others don't, so it's there as an option. I think people especially like Sriracha on fried foods.
Why don't restaurants in SF put them on the table, anyway?
Best Old School Spaghetti and Meatballs?
The place itself isn't entirely old school, but Rinata makes a very fine and classic spaghetti and meatball dish.
What's missing from MSP's culinary landscape?
Right on. The more people and support we can bring to the good food in this town, the more of it there will be. Happy New Year to you and your pasta maker!
What's missing from MSP's culinary landscape?
It might not appeal to absolutely everyone, but the Hard Times Cafe is open until 4 a.m. Which is not 24 hour, but certainly very late night.
Merlin's Rest
Do you mean the food specifically? or the place in general? I haven't eaten there, but I find it a nice place to stop in for a beer now and then.
Open on Christmas Day
BLB is a fine place for drinks and such, but I have to say I have had very mixed experiences with the food.
Here's a City Pages column from a couple years ago that seems like it's probably still helpful:
http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2009/12/top_5_twin_citi.php
speaking of closings
If a pizza place can't make bank right next to a college campus, they must be doing something really wrong.
What's missing from MSP's culinary landscape?
Exactly, and I think there are definitely restaurants that try to focus on local ingredients who deserve a lot of support for it: Craftsman, Ngon, Heartland, Lucia's, and many others. Still, use of local ingredients doesn't seem to translate into something like a recognizably Minnesotan, or maybe even Midwestern cuisine or dish. Something you won't find somewhere else.
I think maybe Haute Dish has made the most effort in this direction with their Tater Tot hotdish. I like the idea of going back to our old, despised roots, reinventing the things our grandparents made, maybe with the influence of new communities here now. I like the Vietnamese/French/local theme at Ngon a lot.
Re: mitch's point, I've heard the regulations on making preserves and especially aged meats can be pretty onerous, too. In a place with a short growing season, good preserves would be another thing to emphasize in the winter months.
What's missing from MSP's culinary landscape?
There's a general lack of real French restaurants, general and regional. I'd love to see a real Breton-style crêperie here, or something like a bouchon lyonnais. There are several places that are good and have some French influence or a few of the classics, but there's nothing I'd call classic French.
But again, I'd far rather see people work on making "Minnesota cuisine" mean something instead of imitating something else.
What's missing from MSP's culinary landscape?
100% agreed. There's really no point in trying to reproduce NY pizza or Philly cheese steaks; the people from there aren't going to be happy unless they're there, anyway. It's far more important to me that we try to forge our own culinary identity than that we try to fill in some imagined gap.
We do well on restaurants from current immigrant communities, it seems like, but not so great on previous ones. I'd definitely like to see more northern and eastern European foods. Scandinavian food seems to be getting trendy, anyway, so it's a shame we don't have more of it.
There was a Finnish cafe on Como in St. Paul, I think. Not an area that I go to often, so I don't know if it's still there. I think it was run by Solveig Tofte, who is now at Sun Street Breads.
Favorite Coffee Shop?
Bordertown Coffee (16th Ave. and 4th St. SE) has some big comfy chairs, good coffee and baked goods, very friendly staff (I think it's run by some sort of student group that lives in the upper part of the building). Part of why I like it is that it's close to my work, but it also fits my standard mental image of what a coffee shop is supposed to look like. Worth checking out.
Rye Delicatessen - Minneapolis
I went there for their trial opening last weekend and thought most of what we had was quite good (we didn't get a completely free choice of food, but it was free so obviously that was fine). We liked the patty melt and the blintzes, and we got a sample of the corned beef that we liked very much, too. I didn't find it lacking in salt but maybe they aren't totally consistent yet. We didn't love the omelette ("double yolk egg omelette" sounds good but I think there's a tradeoff in the texture) but this is a place I'd probably go to for sandwiches anyway.
We also got a bag of bagels and cream cheese to go and I thought they were really good. I don't think I'm any kind of bagel connoisseur but I enjoyed them.
Where to buy beef heart and tongue?
The Seward Co-op usually has beef tongues and hearts frozen and occasionally fresh at $1.99 per pound.
Where to purchase Ida Reds or Northern Spys in Mpls-St. Paul?
There are a few apple sellers at the St. Paul Farmer's Market who have a lot of different kinds of apples, though I can't recall if they have these particular kinds. You might also try the co-ops.
You can probably use any baking apple for a tarte tatin, though. Zestars, Granny Smiths, Regent, whatever.
any good breakfast sandwiches in MSP??
Yesterday I went to Ngon for brunch. My companion ordered the Croque Madame: gorgeous slices of pork belly with cheese and a fried egg on grilled baguette. We both thought it was fabulous (I traded him some of my ribeye pho for a couple bites). It came with sweet potato fries and I think maybe some sri racha aioli. I'd highly recommend it.
if you're a twin cities milk lover
I'm a big fan of the Cedar Summit Farms 2% milk I get at the Seward.
