misterpatrick's Profile
Penninsula on Eat Street
The menu is really hit and miss, but the hits are generally really good. What others have said here pretty much. Tofu is always really, really nice. The tofu hot pot is excellent as is the golden spicy tofu. The kway teow is also good but many of the noodle dishes miss the mark. Their roti is also fantastic.
I'd also mention the laksa which is a spicy citrusy noodle soup with bits of mackerel. Really delicious and unique. That alone is a fantastic lunch.
St. Paul trip...Sole Cafe or Ngon Bistro?
Two very different places. Both very good, really depends what you're in the mood for. Sole is authentic Korean, Ngon is reinterpretations of Vietnamese and more upscale. I'd say toss a coin and pick one and do the other next time.
Restaurants South of Florence
Hello all,
headed to Italy next week and would love some recommendations. We'll be in Lerici and on Lake Como but I'll start separate topics for those. We're getting a house for a week just south of Florence. I have plenty of places to go in Florence proper, but was looking for some gems south of the city. We're near Chiesanuova, Galluzzo, Montebuoni etc. We'll actually have a car this time which will be a change as last time we were in the area we took buses.
Also love to hear about any specialty food markets in the area you might be familiar with. For example, I am crazy about porcini so any restaurants or shops specializing in those would be great. I'm not sure what I exactly mean by that, but maybe a butcher that specializes in pigs that only eat chestnuts and porcini or something. It should be the season now so am really looking forward to that.
Grazie!
Your Help is Needed - Homi Restaurante - St. Paul
I'll head over this week. Thanks for the heads-up.
Mexican - vegetarian-friendly, or at least pescatarian?
Great one! I'd forgotten about Our Lady. I'm going this Friday gosh durnit.
Another place I haven't been to in awoke but may still be good is El Amanacer on Concord across the street from El Burrito. They had an excellent dish of sautéed vegetables in annato and deep fried whole tilapia. If they are no longer the same you can head over to El Burrito. Whic by the way, has a great roasted corn stand out back.
West Saint Paul
Great stuff. I've only ever hapd the Korean stuff at Lucky and it is a nice change of pace. I don't really do buffets, but I'll check out El Taquito. I speak bad Spanish so I'm they'll enjoy that.
I mostly enjoy smaller places with unique menus. For example I love somemof the pupusarerias on the east side.
Another great place not far off Robert is Jerabeks. Cafe con Amore also opened up their new place on Smith.
West Saint Paul
Hi all,
just got a house in West Saint Paul and I've love to hear any recommendations for restaurants in the area. I'm just off Robert and am moving from Lowertown so am familiar with a lot of places in the area (Lucky China, Beirut, El Burrito Mercado) but am curious about some of the Mexican, Asian and other restaurants around here.
Some I've seen but haven't yet tried include Pho Saigon, Pineda, Fireside Lounge, Chula Vista, Cici's Pizza. I'll report back if I visit any of them.
-----
Fireside Lounge
1288 Robert St S, Saint Paul, MN 55118
El Burrito Mercado
175 Cesar Chavez St Ste 2, Saint Paul, MN 55107
Cici's Pizza
1292 Town Centre Dr, Saint Paul, MN 55123
Big Changes at Cosetta's
I used to shop at the market all the time but it's been pretty much worthless for the last several years - everything is really horribly overpriced. You used to be able to get great candies, and cheap oil, bread and cheese and now it's all insane. Same thing happened with Buon Giorno. Are there any affordable Italian groceries left in the Twin Cities?
Mexican - vegetarian-friendly, or at least pescatarian?
Hit the restaurants on Fridays over Lent. You'll always find vegetarian or fish options. I just at El Burrito Mercado in St. Paul and they have a whole page of lenten specials including chile rellenos etc. They also do some lovely vegetarian dishes. Many places serve nopales (cactus) and other vegetarian options, you just have to know what to look for. You can get veggies or mushrooms on everything at Los Ocampo which is delicious.
-----
El Burrito Mercado
175 Cesar Chavez St, St Paul, MN 55107
Favorite Asian Grocery Store in St. Paul?
Dragon Star, United Noodle and Kim's on Snelling in St. Pau and Dong Yang in Columbia Heights (or is it Hilltop?). Each has things the other doesn't. Kim's has a great selection or frozen dumplings, Dong Yang has a bigger selection of fish cake. Dragon Star is great for Japanese and Indonesian while Dragon Star has a better deal of produce and fish.
-----
Snelling Cafe
638 Snelling Ave N, Saint Paul, MN 55104
New Years Resolution: Explore Vietnamese Restaurants in MSP
Thanks queue4ever, I'll definitely check Phuong Trang out!
-----
Phuong Trang
8072 Brooklyn Blvd, Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
New Years Resolution: Explore Vietnamese Restaurants in MSP
Let us know if you find Ca Kho To - or Clay Pot Fish. One of the standards of Vietnamese cooking.
I've actually always been pretty disappointing with Vietnamese restaurants in the Twin Cities. We get great pho and banh mi, but none of the real exciting dishes of the cuisine. It seems like we get a couple examples of good street food here, but not even that much variety.
I'd love to be proven wrong, but have yet to see great Vietnamese here.
Faces Mears Park
I've eaten a Faces about a dozen times as I work about a block away. I've really enjoyed it and think they are doing a great job. That being said, Fhima's restaurants all seem to start out strong and then go downhill. He has a history of not paying his employees and that was one of the big issues at LoTo. The first few months were great, then things started getting really, really inconsistent. Let's hope his new focus at Faces works out because when things are clicking, they make some lovely food.
I really like the Asian tuna melt and the fries are wonderful.
Quick visit to Minneapolis/St. Paul: Maria's Cafe, Sever's Corn Maze, Peninsula, May Day Cafe, Kingfield Farmer's Market, Bangkok Thai Deli
I eat a Peninsula about once a month and usually have great experiences. I agree, their tofu is spectacular – really great and you can't go wrong with a hot pot or the golden spicy tofu. I also had the shrimp with belecan which was lovely and the asam laksa soup is always wonderful.
Where to buy duck fat and truffle salt in MSP?
Heartand Deli does carry duck fat and other little specialties like high-fat butter from Hope, gláce, court bouillon etc.
Finding Belacan in the TC's
Hello all,
I need to resupply on belacan (dried Malaysian shrimp paste that comes in a brick). United Noodle usually has it but don't at the moment. Anyone know who else carries Malaysian or Indonesian items?
The packages usually look like this:
http://www.efooddepot.com/products/north_south/3107/belacan_%28dried_shrimp_paste%29__hypen__10oz.html
-----
United Noodles
920 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN
Looking for Breakfast/Lunch along hwy 63.
Perfect! I'll check it out. I'm also doing the Birkie this year and that sounds like a lovely ritual for afterward.
Looking for Breakfast/Lunch along hwy 63.
Hello all,
headed up to Bayfield with the family in a couple weeks. I usually take 35 up, but this time we'll be taking hwy 63 in Wisconsin. Can anyone recommend something good and unique along the way? Looking for a late breakfast or lunch. Cities along the route include Cumberland, Spooner, Hayward, Shell Lake, Cable and many other little places.
Thanks!
Indian grocery?
I prefer Pooja and the new chaat restaurant inside makes the trip worth it. They do carry amchoor whole and in powder form. Adds that special tang to you chole for those who are curious. It's basically dried green mango powder. Good stuff.
I actually made a drive over to the Indian place in Woodbury as I was curious if there was a store near St. Paul as I live downtown. It was pretty small and had limited hours. Your best bet is to head to down to Central Avenue.
-----
Woodbury Cafe
803 Bielenberg Dr, Saint Paul, MN 55125
Making kimchi
I actually cut them in strips and boil them in noodle soup for about a minute. I've never made them in the like they do in a lot of this dishes at Dong Yang. My guess is you just thaw and toss in whatever you're making as they are already cooked. Let me know if you find some other method that is tasty.
Making kimchi
A lot of Korean recipes are quite simple to make. For example, kimchi jigae is one of my favorites to make and can be done in about 20 minutes. Here's a quick recipe. I'll often add a can of tuna. Also popular is adding pork belly.
Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)
Ingredients
1 to 1.5 cups kimchi
kimchi juice
1 pack tofu
2 stalks green onions/scallions
1/2 of large onion
2 shallots
2 -3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp.
oil
2 cups water
approximately 1/4 cup gochujang (red pepper paste)
2 - 3 tbsp gochugaru (red pepper flakes)
1 tsp. dashida (Korean dashi made with anchovies)- optional, you can get it powdered
Directions
Prior to cooking, prepare the following.
Roughly chop kimchi into smaller chunks
Cube tofu into bite sized pieces
Slice scallions on a bias (on an angle) into 1-inch long slices
Chop onion into smaller slices
Mince garlic (use pre-minced if possible)
Slice chili pepper on a bias
In pot, add a little bit of oil. Add minced garlic and onion to flavor the oil.
Add in kimchi chunks and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes (this will help the soup cook faster). Add in water (approximately 2 cups serves 4 individual servings). Bring heat up to high and boil for a few minutes. Add one scoop (a little less than 1/4 cup) of gochujang (red pepper paste) and stir until dissolved. Add a couple tablespoons of gochugaru (red pepper flakes). Let it cook on medium heat for approximately 5 to 7 minutes (this will allow for the kimchi to cook through). Stir occasionally. Taste and if needed, re-season with kimchi juice and dashida. Then add in tofu and let it cook for another 4 minutes or so before adding in the scallions.
Heartland Moving
I saw the title of the post and was thinking how sad it'll when they move to Minneapolis as I grew up in their current neighborhood. Then I saw that they're moving to Lowertown and was extremely pleased as I live in Lowertown. It'll be great to have them here and especially for brunch as we really don't have any great options down here. Great stuff!
Kaffir lime leaves
Good points, though I was thinking of doing the Kafir in a pot indoors (maybe outdoors in the summer) rather than planting outside. If you're really after the leaves a container plant is all you really need. My curry leaf tree is about four years old and has always been indoors.
Kaffir lime leaves
You can also get Kaffir Lime trees at Logee's which I done in the past. I've also gotten curry leaf tree's from them to keep a fresh supply on hand. Unfortunately, looks like they are out of stock as well, but you could check with them on when they'll be back in.
http://logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=C2016-2
Current Korean in MSP?
For those who are geeky like me, I have a photo of the menu at Dong Yang. I usually take photos of things with my phone so I can study them later and find hidden gems.
Current Korean in MSP?
Lucky China is nice. The jjajangmien is good as are the other Chinese-Korean offerings. The Chinese food there appears to be standard mall Chinese. You need to ask for the Korean menu. No banchan other than a plate of kimchi. Dong Yang is great. I haven't been to Korea and have only eaten at a few places in California to compare, but I really love their stuff. If I lived closer, I'd go all the time.
From people who are familiar with Korean food there, I'd love to hear what you've had that was good. I've had and enjoyed the mackerel is spicy sauce, rice cake, sundubu (not on the menu seafood stew), kimchi jigae, seafood pancake and a squid dish I can't remember. I always see things on other tables and want them immediately.
I haven't been to King's but keep meaning to go.
Stymie, the tofu you had was probably not tofu but a pressed fishcake that is very popular. It looks a lot like thin strips of tofu though. You can get it in the freezer case.
I agree that the restaurants on Snelling are sadly disappointing. I've tried over the years but they just don't use good ingredients, take shortcuts and have marginal banchan. The banchan at Dong Yang's are always excellent.
-----
Lucky China
1375 Robert St S, Saint Paul, MN 55118
Snelling Cafe
638 Snelling Ave N, Saint Paul, MN 55104
Trader Joe's MSP - Crushing Disappointment (very long rant)
I got the TJ's every once-in-awhile to get some nuts and other snacks. I've noticed that over the past year many of their name brand items (chocolates for example) have been replaced by house brands. Too bad, though their house brands aren't all awful though I've had a few that were horrible.
My biggest annoyance is the checkout staff seems to be coached to always pick one item out of your purchase and comment "Have you had these before, they're amazing!". It just feels so canned. I prefer shopping at the co-op or one of the many great ethnic grocery stores in town.
Just adding my bit to the pile-on here.
Pasta Making Classes in the Twin Cities
Hello all,
I'm interested in taking a pasta making class in the Twin Cities. I've made pasta plenty of times but would like to get some new tricks and shapes, and hopefully, find a class that isn't all pasta machine or stand-mixer based. I've looked at Cooks of Crocus Hill and Kitchen Window. Who else offers classes locally? Have you taken a pasta course there and how was it?
Thanks!
-----
Cooks of Crocus Hill
3925 W 50th St, Minneapolis, MN 55424
Kitchen Window
3001 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408
