Oh no no no! Someone said a relish tray was basically "crudites" and I only meant to say that they aren't that. I completely love your relish tray fandom and concur.

edit:
I went back and read too..the poster said "crudos" nonetheless I meant no disrespect to you or them.

I did read your thread Beach Chick. It's not crudites!

That sounds so perfect. Wine cheese balls. Funny my husband is making chopped liver (chicken liver pate) right now. It's a tradition. I was born in 1965 so relish trays are a fond but distant memory. I just remembered there was a place with deviled ham.

We're grilling steaks for Christmas Eve (in upper midwest this is a bit of a feat because it'll be at most 20F..) Been thinking of relish trays at fancy restaurants we used to go to when we were little. Usually there were pickles (black) olives, carrot sticks, celery sticks and rye krisp crackers and breadsticks in little packages.

The good ones had those things plus things like radishes, scallions, pickled herring, pickled peppers, cheese, salami.
what else? e.g I read that there's a place in Vermont that serves the above with a dip made from cottage cheese and horseradish.

In town and would like to take our son and his girlfriend to lunch somewhere today (sunday)
They live in Brooklyn/Williamsburg and it could be somewhere there but could be in Manhattan Lower East Side-ish. Was thinking maybe Freeman's but would it be impossible to get in on this sort of notice?
Anyway that sort of place (interesting atmosphere and good food) and price point. Oh, the GF is a vegetarian but a pretty flexible one. Thanks!

So I've been studiously checking my 'want to go' places in various posts to prepare for an upcoming nyc trip. I assumed I'd be able to ultimately see/print a map with all my want to gos listed..at the very least a map.. but actually assumed I'd be able to get a map with all my 'wants' with a key and addresses?

Maybe I've overlooked the button or link or whtever but Please tell me it's true!

Thanks!

Sen Yai Sen Lek. All kinds of people rave about it..I would say beyond rave, they adore it.
The first (and only) time we ate there I was literally stunned by the fact that so many people urged us to go there. Everything we had (and there were 4 of us and we tried lots of things) was awful; or ranging from completely flavorless to awful. One person in our party compared his cashew chicken to canned La Choy chow mein. It didn't even taste like thai food. On top of that it's SOO expensive! the only thing I can think is that they're very kid-friendly and a lot of the people who recommend it have small kids. That and I've heard the owners are very nice. I'm still mystified though....

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Sen Yai Sen Lek
2422 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418

*disclaimer* I'm 5th generation St. Paul so I apologize in advance if I get overwrought. I simply must comment though...ok deep breathh.

Wow you ventured to University Ave. and ended up at Bonnie's?! It is as you say "ok". I think this was your most positive "review"? You can eat *much* better for $7 on University ave. but I get the feeling you're not much on basic, authentic (read stellar and transcendent) ethnic places given your touchstones; Chez Colette and Sherlock's Home. (CC had good food I guess but I only went there on a high school french class field trip and for my great aunt's 70th birthday brunch in 1981 and I think I had some bangers and waffle fries at SH in the early 90s)

I could recommend lots of St. Paul places (as others have attempted) but I don't think any of them are what you're after..You kind of seem hellbent on going to mediocre/yucksville places so you can go.."oh this was so.. not.. good! . Ok, Mickey's is not a chain and it may be an "institution" but I only ate there once in like 1976 before the shrine circus with my dad. Mostly (I'm with soupkitten) I'd say get a photo of Mickey's, heck even do an oil pastel of the dang place but don't eat there. ..I don't know..by the way all cabdrivers can break a hundred and I don't really think Meritage is all that either (I've been twice and both times was mystified by the buzz..)

I could go on (and on) but my husband says I have to stop. I have this rabid St. Paul loyalty that I can't seem to keep in check. I'm dying to steer you towards my favorites but I'm afraid my fair city has already been set up for failure somehow.

I agree about Marina. Good but not great. I've heard people rave about it too but I think that's mostly based on their specials and lunch buffet prices rather than taste. It's ok of you're in the neighborhood but not worth a special trip if you ask me..

Definitely the Parm Reg rinds..but I've branched from there and put in rinds of all kinds of fancy cheeses to all kinds of soups that need thickening or just a little flavor. I made my 93yr old Grandma's irish vegetable soup(rutabagas and cabbage play a big part) recipe for her couple months ago and threw in a manchego and a gouda rind and she loved it! She said it was the best version of "her soup" she'd ever had.

I also agree with all parts of celery and I have a bone bag in the fridge. I can just take out a bone when I need to flavor a stock or sauce. I love this thread!

Well here's what we ended up with..It was definitely a fusion of the ideas here and what I had on hand because it was 10 below here. I had the start of the soup with the above ingredients (ham,ginger,onions lime leaf, I did saute the ginger and onions before adding) I added one potato because I thought it would give it a hearty quality. After it simmered for an hour I added @ 1T fishsauce and 1T white vinegar and a little bit of tamarind paste. Kind of weird sounding but it ended up really nice. I served it with a plate of cilantro, lime wedges, chopped chilis, green onion and shrimp paste.

Next time I would omit the potatoes and maybe add a little tomato. It was a little heavier than what I would have liked (ham is already heavy) I think I would rather have had a lighter more subtle broth..almost like a Vietnamese Pho and probably more like your recipes. I want to try both these recipes. I think it's interesting that they both have the ham paired with some sort of subtle seafood undertone. I wouldn't have thought of those flavors together. I've never cooked with winter melon and I would like to. I love the filipino vinegar salty sweet thing and have made a lot of Adobo, courtesy of my friend from college who grew up on Guam and in the Philippines. Thanks for your responses.

Wow. what a beautiful looking recipe. I knew there would be something and I know someone would have it. I have cooked my ham bone and ham with some ginger and onions and lime leaves and it's in the fridge so I think I can still do this. Thank you!

I have a ham bone and some ham that I've had in the freezer for a couple weeks. Usually I'd make some sort of bean w/ham soup or something. I'd like to try something with asian flavors but I
haven't found a soup recipe. I know there are ham recipes in Filiipino cooking but I haven't found a soup. Any ideas or recipes? Authentic is best. Thanks!

OMG! as they say..We ate at Mediterranean Deli (above) last wednesday and I agree. I have to say that Gyros is one of my favorite things to eat in the world..but it has to be a good one. Nothing more heartbreaking than craving a gyros sandwich and getting that soggy listless meat and sour cream mess a la Dino's (sorry to the person who likes it..) I've had Gyros everywhere possible in MSP and as JimG says above nothing comes close. We had a Gyros Sand and a Falafel Sand (the Falafel was among the best I've had too..my husband doesn't even like Falfel and he was going crazy over it) We just kept looking at each other going "this is so good..this is amazing" etc..I liked it for all the reasons Jim G. did but I would probably put that sauce higher on the list. Spicy and flavorful and fresh. They were really friendly and sweet too. So, don't be put off by the somewhat dingy exterior. That night it was being run by a woman and her son and daughters. Not sure if she's the owner.. I can't wait to go back and try some of the other stuff on the menu. You gotta go..

Perfect ! It makes sense that they're considered streetfood. I didn't know about the coconut milk though! The Nam Jim sauce is almost exactly what I make so maybe it's the coconut milk I've been missing. Now that the mystery is solved I recommend you try this too!

Thanks!

Here is MSP (mpls/st.paul) but I asked the question there a year or so ago and no one was able to answer (this dish was around about 15 yrs ago..) The restaurant still exists but the dish does not. The owner said that the chef who made the Daikon thing had gone back to Thailand and they didn't make it anymore. Mostly I wanted to see if it was a Thai dish that anyone had ever had anywhere..Maybe I'll try the Thailand boards. At any rate if this sounds good to anyone I can relay the recipe..I know it doesn't *sound* very good but, oh my, it really is.

So there used to be this Thai Restaurant here that made these things. At the time they were my favorite thing in the world. Basically it's Daikon radish cut into matchsticks and peanuts dipped into a basic batter and fried, then served with a sweet/sour/spicy sauce.

First, has anyone ever had these anywhere else? Or know anything about them? I've looked all over for the recipe but haven't ever found anything. So, I'm thinking they're either so authentic that there's not recipes on google in english or this place made them up.

Second, If you do know about them, how do you make the sauce? I have the fritters pretty well figured out but never have quite nailed the sauce. Any info about this heavenly thing would be
so appreciated.

Yes, I do that kind of math in my head regarding restaurant vs grocery too. It does make sense. Also, this summer I've paid $28 for steaks (not including sides) in restaurants that were not good, so in that way it makes even more sense. I think we'll try the comparison with a WF ribeye and a Seward Coop ribeye this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out...

I really think those prices at Whole Foods are INsane..unless they're the best steaks ever..We have yet to try the Seward Coop Steaks but that's definitely our next get. Maybe we'll get a Seward ribeye and a WF ribeye and compare. I'd do that just to see if they're justified for charging that price. All I know is I got 2 ribeyes from the WF meat counter in St. Paul and it was pushing $50! I sheepishly handed them back and said sorry, I had no idea. Interestingly, the meat counter guy was very cool and said "no problem, these steaks really add up.."

yeah we've done that..bought the bone in or boneless ribroast and cut it up ourselves (even from cub..) it's usually a couple bucks less a pound that way and you can make them as thick as you want. The thickness of the cut is usually a pretty big consideration for us..

Mitch, yeah Seward is practically St. Paul. I think by limiting to St. Paul I was trying to avoid having lots of people say Clancy's. Linden Hills is not easy to get to from almost anywhere. I might call Hill and Vale and see if they have them at Mississippi Market. Maybe we'll try Von Hanson's again too.. haven't been there in awhile.

Really BigE? Festival's better than Lund's or Byerly's? We'll have to give them a try too because $20/lb seems kind of obscene these days...

I know we're supposed to be economizing but we've had way too many economical/crappy steaks this summer (including at restaurants) What's your favorite butcher or grocery for a steak splurge? Near St. Paul and east metro is a big plus but we'll go wherever at this point. Is there a good bet at the St. Paul Farmer's Market? It seems like most vendors have only frozen which makes sense but I don't think that's what we're after..Whole Foods steaks always look really good but we haven't had them. They're also really pricey which would be fine for the splurge aspect if this is what others agree would fit the bill. I would love all your big meaty opinions on this...

Yes it can. I just made this last night!

Agreed. there's lots of stuff I miss about Campiello; their pizzas are so underrated. For us, they rival Punch which is saying something. Really, almost any of their wood oven stuff...then again their pastas and salads are incredible too....(our son thought we were going to Camp Yellow when he was little, which sounded infinitely more appealing to him) Unfortunately there's almost nothing that will get me to Eden Prairie that isn't completely mandatory. My last 3 trips have been Attorney appt, Dr. appt, and data recovery..Thus, I don't associate EP with fun or relaxation or really anything that I want to do in my free time.

You are not the only one. That type of Gnocchi (at least done well) is very rare in these parts. I think I had some that was pretty good at Campiello once but they're closed. I had some at Pazzaluna that was pretty good. Really though, that kind is an art. I've never lived on the East Coast so really the only good gnocchi like that was in Italy. Funny, I was thinking of making that kind of gnocchi on this chilly july day..I'm sure there are still Italian grandmas and grandpas in East St. Paul who know how to do this right. I wish there was a homey, semi low brow restaurant where you could get it..

There are 2 and both are really simple.

Avocado Chevre Dip

This one always gets raves. I got the recipe from a friend I think she told me once where she got it but I can't remember anymore..

One lg ripe avocado.
about 1/3 cup Chevre cheese
1Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

in a flat soup or pasta bowl mash avocado with fork until there are no lumps
(you could probably use a food processor for this but I never have..)

add lemon juice as you go to keep avocado green
add the goat cheese and combine until the mixture is well
blended (it will be a beautiful pale green color and about
the consistency of hummus)
stir in salt and pepper to taste
smooth evenly in the bowl

serve with toasted baguette slices

I think I'm going to have to make this one soon..I'm craving it now!

Bacon Horseradish dip

4-6 strips cooked bacon chopped pretty fine
2 cups sour cream
Prepared Horseradish to taste (we like alot..)
Salt (not too much since the bacon is salty) and Cracked black pepper

Combine and serve chilled. Potato chips are the best thing with this..Everyone really loves it.

I just found out recently that the Little Oven is owned by the Morellis.(as in Morelli's market ) I can't believe I didn't know it before . It does make sense though because the sauce they sell at Morelli's is my favorite and I love the Little Oven's too. They also sell frozen pizzas at Morelli's that are completely amazing just like Little Oven..!

I drove by this place yesterday which I have lots of times. I noticed this time though that it said they have to-go sandwiches. As far as I could tell, driving by and not actually stopping they have a gyro sand, kibbeh, falafel, and tabbouleh salad. Like I said though, the car was moving.

I looked at their website today and the picture of the bread looks really good! (i'm a complete sucker for this kind of thing..) The website is a little weird and doesn't mention the sandwiches.
Anyone have any feedback about this place? I'm longing for more middle eastern in saint paul.

http://www.stpaulflatbread.com/

Ohh my..if the Gnocchi didn't hold a candle to Meritage's version (which I find gluey and inedible..) then it was definitely an off night. I've actually not experienced any of the negs you mentioned except maybe as it relates to the cauliflower which, at times, has been a little limp..As I've said I'm comparing it to Lupa in New York which was the first time I'd ever had cauliflower like that. I sometimes think I make trips to New York just for that dish so it really isn't fair of me to compare the two..

tap water in the 651 is far superior jfood ( this confuses me as I think I should be referring to myself in third person as well..what are the rules? ) when I was living in 612 there was a horrible fishy taste every time there was a heavy rain..or actually even a rain at all. Even as a palate-less 20-something I could not abide. A call to the city confirmed that there was some sort of run off, river thing or something...ewww.