EarlOfSandwich's Profile
Locally owned family friendly suggestions in Bloomington area?
Shantytown is a little bar/burger place tucked away on a side street in Bloomington. Enjoyable burgers.
A strip mall on the SW corner of I-494 and Portland Avenue has three places we enjoy:
La Mixteca mexican, India Cafe, and Kabobs Indian. Not much for atmosphere, especially Kabobs, which tries to turn a fluorescent lit waiting area for a take out place into a "dining room," but the chow is good.
We have taken our now 6-year-old girl to all of these places over the past few years.
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Kabobs Restaurant and Meat Shop
7814 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420
TBS India Cafe
7826 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420
Mixteca La
7822 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420
Shantytown Grill
8512 Pillsbury Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420
Good chaat in MSP?
We went to Curry Up on the way out of town on Christmas Eve. The Countess ordered Bhel Puri (pretty tasty!) and the owner mentioned they do All-You-Can-Eat chaat each Tuesday and Thursday night from 6-9PM. Looking at their poster for said event, there are several varieties of chaat available, $7.99 for adults. I will definitely try that if I get the opportunity.
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Curry Up
13601 Grove Drive, Maple Grove, MN 55311
Looking for a Good Indian Buffet
Two recent reviews from Heavy Table:
Kabob's (downtown in Gaviidae Common)
http://heavytable.com/ather-jameel-of-kabobs-indian-grill/
Curry Up in Maple Grove:
http://heavytable.com/curryups-chaat-buffet/
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Curry Up
13601 Grove Drive, Maple Grove, MN 55311
Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives might be returning to Minnesota
I have never seen this show (must be on cable TV?), so I don't know if these fit the format, but a couple of places that have very unattractive surroundings but very yummy food:
The 311 E. Lake St. location of La Pineda Tacos. Whenever I go in there I think that I am entering an old basement boiler room, yet I find the burritos to be better than any others in town, including the other (nicer looking) Pineda locations.
Kabobs at 7814 Portland Ave. in Bloomington. A flourescent-lit takeout vestibule trying to function as a dining room! But oh-so-good Indian food.
For that matter, the entire Town & Country strip mall where Kabobs is located is interesting to me. I enjoy Kabobs, India Cafe (only a bit of a step up from Kabobs in ambiance), and La Mixteca mexican. There are also a broasted chicken place and a chow mein place, which I have never tried and may be decent or awful for all I know. All five of these establishments are almost in a row, with only the tax place separating Kabobs from the rest. There is also an Indian grocery store.
MSP- The Anchor Fish & Chips
Thanks for the review! We arrived at 5:45 and the queue was already out the door and the wife and kid were not going to wait, so we went to Pak Zam Zam. Looking forward to trying The Anchor. With 652 Facebook fans waiting several weeks for word of opening, I was not surpised that they were immediately slammed.
Chow destinations between MSP and Ferryville, WI?
Along Hwy 35 a few miles north of Ferryville, there is an English pub, which serves British and Anglo_Indian pub food:
http://redlionvictory.com/
I have no idea if it is any good but I am very curious about it! Hopefully you can check it out and report back!
(MSP) - Maple Grove - Any banh mi or pho?
I had the opportunity to try Kabobs in Maple Grove. Looked like pretty much the same menu as in Bloomington, but a lot larger and more attractive dining space.
I had a Rava Masala dosa. They do NOT sell dosas and utthapam at the other location "because they don't have enough room down there," according to the server. I liked the spices and cilantro bits coating the inside of the dosa-- it looked like they sprinkled it on while the dosa was cooking on the pan (I assume dosas are made like giant crepes) and it sort of bakes into the surface. The filling was tasty, too.
The standout for me was the sambar, which had a delicious piquant flavor. To be honest, I usually don't like the flavor of the sambar at any other Indian restaurant, and I have tried a lot of them because they usually include a bowl of it along with a thali or a dosa. This sounds gross, but the flavor usually reminds me of an ashtray. THIS sambar was different-- I could have eaten a couple more bowls of it and still asked for more.
(MSP) - Maple Grove - Any banh mi or pho?
Here are a couple of places that may fit your bill for something non-chain, although they are Indian rather than Vietnamese:
http://www.curryupfoods.com/
13601 Grove Drive
Maple Grove, MN 55311
Curry Up is an Indian food market and restaurant, and I love me a dosa almost as much as a banh mi (although it is more difficult to eat while driving!).
There is also Kabob's Restaurant across the street:
Kabobs Maple Grove
(763) 494-6925
8085 Wedgewood Ln N, Maple Grove, MN
I haven't eaten there, but according to the website http://www.thekabobs.com/ it is related to Kabob's on Portland in Bloomington, which to me is a good sign.
MSP- The Anchor Fish & Chips
The "counter intelligence" column in the Taste section of today's Strib has a bit on The Anchor.
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/taste/50227882.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU
Says they are opening "early August." I'm stoked.
MSP- The Anchor Fish & Chips
Thanks for the website link, jbanana! That didn't come up in my Google search.
Fish & Chips
Battered Sausage & Chips
Pasties
Shepherds Pie
Grass-Fed Burger
Curried Chips
Gravy Chips...
I am really looking forward to this!
MSP- The Anchor Fish & Chips
The City Pages' Hot Dish blog has a list of "COMING SOON" restaurants:
http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2009/06/month_in_review_1.php#more
One in particular caught my eye:
The Anchor Fish & Chips, Minneapolis
I have heard nothing about it , but the words "Fish & Chips" set off a Pavlovian response in my salivary glands. One lives in hope that finally we will have a GREAT f&c place around here.
Anyone know anything about The Anchor, like when they will open? All i know is what i could find on the internetz. Googling the name brings up this bit of city business:
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/2009-meetings/20090612/Docs/The-Anchor-Rept.pdf
Which tells us, among other things:
ADDRESS: 302 13th Avenue Northeast (same block as Erte)
The applicant seeks approval of an On-Sale Wine with Strong Beer, Class E License to be operated in conjunction with the restaurant...
The premises cover one level for a total of about 900 square feet of restaurant as well as about 450 square feet for the kitchen, coolers, and storage. ...The main floor is at street level and has seating for 35 people at two-top tables and a food service counter that seats five people. ...
SIDEWALK CAFE
There will be a sidewalk cafe with three tables that seat two people each with a total of six seats. The sidewalk cafe is on 13th Avenue Northeast. Proposed hours for the sidewalk cafe are 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM Tuesday through Friday; and 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM Saturday and Sunday.
OPERATIONS
The overall management of the restaurant will be provided by Kathryn Hayes who has worked in Irish restaurants in Paris and New York. ...
The menu will include Irish specialties including fish and chips ranging in prices from $1.50 to $7.50. The proposed hours of operation for inside the restaurant are 4:00 PM to 1:00 AM Tuesday through Friday; and 10:00 AM to 1:00 AM Saturday and Sunday.
Sounds like it could be good! I look forward to this place opening!
EoS
MSP: L'Ecosse
Kilgore: If I recall, they have not launched a dinner menu yet BUT they are open at supper time. Just serving the lunch menu. No alcohol yet (expected June)--that's what the licence is about.
MSP: L'Ecosse
Thanks for creating the place link, Bob. i was in too much of a hurry. Tha'ts my excuse for all the typos, too.
One touch that I loved with the fish and chips was that it was served with a garnish of arugula leaves, which I love, and which tasted very good in combo with the f&c. I was never much for chomping on parsley garnishes.
MSP: L'Ecosse
We went to try L'Ecosse the other day. This new place is located at 4810 Chicago Avenue, in between Pepitos and Adrians. The space had previously been a rather uninspiring brakfast/lunch cafe. L'Ecosse is in a "soft opening" mode right now.
CNN did a piece on the chef, David MacFarlane;
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/04/16/white.house.economy.chef/index.h
David was born in Scotland (thus the "L'Ecosse" name) and moved to the US as a kid (no Scottish accent, alas!). He was a White House chef in the Clinton era.
The space looks much nicer than in its previous incarnations but they have not yet replaced the old signs above the awning. Behind the bar there are some bits of memorabilia from David's stint at the White House.
The menu is inexpensive (I think all under $10) breakfast and sandwich type fare. Talking to the Chef and his wife/co-owner Christine, they said that despite David's inlcination to start with dinner and later expand to other meals, when they asked around the neighborhood most people expressed a desire for a breakfast place, so that is what they are doing first. They say the beer and wine licence will be coming in June.
Being a Brit-o-phile, I was eager to try the fish and chips and meat pies on offer. The Countess tried the meat pie and my tiny sample tasted like "more." i will be trying that next time! I had the fish and chips. Only $8, and seemed like good quality fish, but the batter seemed not as greasy as I would like. For some, that may be a plus. The fries were very obviously cut and made fresh there and were delicious. They were American size fries rather than thicker British "chips."
Service by young waiter was, friendly bur unpolished. I was rather charmed by what seems to be a family effort and hope they do well. We look forward to trying breakfast there.
[MSP] 3/50 Project: Grassroots Economic Stimulus--which three local restaurants will you chose?
Took the family to Midtown Global Market last night and was sad to see the empty spaces where before there had been Bymore Meats, United Noodle (at least they still have their main location, right?), and the Italian ice place.
If we could count all MGMkt merchants as a single business for purposes of 3/50 I think we could swing that. Heck, between Los Ocampo, Pham's, and the meat market we spent $50 in one trip. Perhaps all our $150/month could be spread around the MgMkt businesses.
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Midtown Global Market
920 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407
[MSP] 3/50 Project: Grassroots Economic Stimulus--which three local restaurants will you chose?
TDQ, I think that 417 East Lake Street is the address of Lake Plaza, which is very similar to Mercado Central and includes a food court with several places. It is likely that this was the original Los Ocampo.
Two years ago on the Lake Street taqueria crawl chowdown and we went into another Mexican marketplace right down the street, but this was smaller and had only one snack stand-- one of us purchased an interesting beverage of some sort and we walked on to the next place. I had confused this other marketplace with Lake Plaza, which is much larger and has a food court as large as Mercado Central's (or perhaps larger).
We should do another taqueria crawl!
Still thinking about my 3/50.
PS: Lake Plaza seems like a hidden gem, because it dosn't look like much from the outside--I just happened to go in one day and was surprised to find a big marketplace and food court. It doesn't get the attention that Mercado Central gets.
MKE TO MSP CORRIDOR I-90 & I-94
I have driven this stretch a hundred times and have yet to find a Holy Grail, a place right off the interstate that has chow so good it would be a destination in itself. That said, here are some places I have at least enjoyed, roughly in order of their location on a trip from MKE to MSP:
Teddywedgers Pasties in Madison at the corner of State Street right accross from the capitol. This is my favorite chowish destination on this list, but being downtown it is a 10-15 minute drive off the interstate. This is a tiny little takeout place, though, and there are many other of good restaurants along State Street. so if you are going to the center of Madison anyway there are many choices.
Pine Cone (I have eaten at the Hwy 51 exit just north of Madison, but there is also one at the Johnson Creek exit just a half hour west of MKE).
Martha's Lyndo Inn Cafe, Lyndon Station (only a half mile off Interstate)
At the Mauston exit we enjoyed an Italian/Greek restaurant on the strip of restaurants on 82. Its on your left as you drive toward downtown Mauston on 82 (south side of 82) just past the Culver's only a half mile off the interstate. Some name like Roman Palace. Can't find it in web searches. Only CJ's Italian comes up and thats not the place. Wonderful rolls.
Monk's Bar in the Dells-- burgers!
Target Bluff German Haus at the Camp Douglas exit (with the rock that looks like a castle)-- can't really vouch for the food--its been too many years and I can't remember, but the place is a hoot, so I'd be willing to try it again.
The Bog (Warren Exit, a few miles north of Tomah, so just past your halfway point).
Northfield exit (exit 98): We enjoyed Jackies Inn Bar & Grill--Just a little small town bar & grill, but decent hamburgers and delicious greasy homemade potato chips. We only went there because DeeDee's Diner next door was closed (it being suppertime and the diner open breakfast-lunch only). Still haven't tried DeeDees
I have become so disillusioned with Norske Nook food that if I was stopping for a meal in Osseo, I would rather try one of the Bar & Grill places on Main Street (and then perhaps get pie at the Nook).
And of course there is a Culvers at almost every other exit, which is good food for what they do. But its a chain, so where's the fun in that?
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Pine Cone Restaurant
6162 US Highway 51, De Forest, WI 53532
Myles Teddywedgers Cornish
101 State St, Madison, WI 53703
Martha's Lyndo Inn Cafe
111 E Flint St, Lyndon Station, WI 53944
Monk's Bar
220 Broadway, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965
Bog
3514 Blarney Rd, Warrens, WI 54666
Target Bluff German Haus
1216 State Road 208, Camp Douglas, WI
MSP: Q Fanatic BBQ and Grill
On Saturday afternoon I went to Q Fanatic in Champlin. James Norton recently raved about the place in City Pages:
http://www.citypages.com/2008-10-29/restaurants/grill-crazy/
It is counter service, but there is plenty of restaurant seating. I hear that this space had been a pizza/spaghetti place before.
I ordered the daily sandwich special, which was a rib tip sandwich. The meat was tender and tasty, good enough that I would have been happy with this sandwich without any sauce. It is standard procedure at Q Fanatic to serve the sauce on the side. They have a bunch of sauces, including some interesting weird ones (Espresso BBQ, Spicy Pepper Vodka BBQ). I opted for Vinegard BBQ and the friendly and helpful guy at the counter asked me "you know what that is, right?" "Sure, its thin." "Yup, its just flavored vinegar, and a lot of people are surprised by that."
I opted to dip my sandwich in the sauce rather than pour it on, and there were probably beads of sweat on my forehead as i got to the bottom of the little plasic cup where most of the hot pepper bits had sunk to. But I couldn't stop! Soooo good!
The bread was an oblong french or italian type roll, and it was substantial enough to not disintegrate filled with big ol' chunks of meat, yet was not at all tough or chewy. Also, the crust did not flake all over the place like the mini baguettes of a bánh mì. Best of all, it seemed to have been toasted or perhaps placed on the grill, which was delicious.
The sandwich was $4.95, which included chips and coleslaw. They say that they mix it fresh when it is ordered, and the coarse cut cabbage was nice and crisp, and the creamy dressing had a nice vinegar tang to it which I loved. You may gather that I like vinegar! I could really see having a pulled pork sandwich "Memphis style" (with the slaw on top of the meat) here and not even needing any sauce.
You can swap the chips for a side for a dollar extra. There are a whole bunch of interesting looking sides, including more fresh prepared to order items. Norton's review calls the place "unabashedly hard core."
I look forward to trying more of the meats, sauces, and sides!
website (with menu): http://qfanatic.com/
Cheers,
EoS
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Q fanatic BBQ
180 Miller Rd, Champlin, MN 55316
Looking for a good buffet in MSP
I liked the look of the buffet at Curry Up in Maple Grove. Also, they make a dhosa for you when you have the buffet. Sadly, I did not have time to dine there when I stopped to see the place, but it looked like a very good Indian buffet. Open every day for lunch and supper, I think.
Bonus: it is attached to a grocery store, including a sweets counter, so you can pick up your favorite Indian treats.
Extra bonus: I love restaurants that are attached to Indian (or Korean, or Mexican) grocery stores, and don't mind that many have a dumpy cinderblock and flourescent light sort of ambiance. However, Curry Up's restaurant is really quite attractive.
http://www.curryupfoods.com/
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Curryup Foods
13601 Grove Dr, Osseo, MN
La Belle Crepe - Minneapolis
Geez, even at the crepe pace at the MegaMall (Magic Pan?-- next to Tucci Benuch) makes the crepes to order. If the crepes are not made on a crepe griddle (or whatever the thing is called) when you order it, I see no reason to go to the place.
MSP: Fasika chowdown report
My thanks to the 14 chowhounds gathered to chow down at Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant in St. Paul. http://www.fasika.com
I hear that "Fasika" means "feast," and feast we did. I had a great time conversing with fellow 'hounds and the food was delicious. I would say it was the best Ethiopian food that I have ever had.
I will get the ball rolling by listing the menu items that we ordered, and hopefully some of the other participants can chime in with specifics on some of the items.
Take a look at http://www.fasika.com/menu.html
We had:
#4 ZILZIL TIBS
#9 FASIKA SPECIAL TIBS (shown on the website menu as "KURT ZILZIL")
#16 DORO WOT
#20 BEEF COMBO PLATTER
#21 LAMB COMBO PLATTER
#23 ASA KITFO
#26 MOJA ASA
#32 VEGI SAMPLER
Various people also tried Harar Beer and Hakim Stout from Ethiopia, and Addis tea from Ethiopia. All the food barely fit on the narrow table and we filled up to *here*. However, even after people semed to push back from the table I shamelessly kept swooping back into the wreckage of the combo platters for those sauce-soaked sections of injera!
Usually when eating at an Ethiopian restaurant with chowspouse, we have the combo platter, but this gathering let us all sample items that are not usually included on the platters. Standouts for me included the Moja Asa--pan fried catfish-- so good! Also the Zilzil Tibs-- rather spicy long strips of beef with a crispy almost deep-fried texture. We had two hot hot plates of tibs (#4 and #9) and one was somewhat spicier and that was my favorite. We *think* that it was the #4.
Cheers,
Eo'S
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Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant (duplicate)
510 Snelling Ave, N St Paul, MN
Himalayan Chowdown Report [MSP]
Thanks for the After Action Report! I have nothing to add to kolgrim's excellent descriptions of the establishment and the particular dishes we tried. I will say this was the first chowdown for half of the dozen 'hounds present (including kolgrim) and it was a delight to meet everyone.
MSP : Sen Yai Sen Lek
Fellow 'hound djohnson22 and I dined there last night. Jim, I was also struck by the atmosphere of the place. The professional design/decor is quite a contrast from the dumpy low-budget -decor places (nonetheless beloved my myself for their chow) along Central. I had a hard time picturing Palm Court Caribbean in this space even though I had eaten there in the past. Too good for Central Avenue? Good question, but the place was hopping last night! DOZENS of happy diners. The staff I chatted with said it was just word-of-mouth, and that lunchtime was very busy also this week.
I had my old favorite and Thai restaurant calibration dish Pad Thai. Very respectable version! D ordered the night's special, a Green Curry that I got to taste and I am still obsessing about how tasty it was. Also, insteaf of just rice, it was served with a side of nice crispy cooked vegetables and some of that addictive thai beef jerky.
(MSP) Quiet bar for a book club
The Local has a sweet little room where on a Sunday morning I saw a club meeting (Twin Cities British or something?). It has a glass door which can be closed, so even if the place had some noise on a Wednesday night this little room would be ideal. Looked good for a dozen people, if I recall correctly. Come to think of it, there are probably several spaces at The Local which would work, but the room that I am thinking of is located along the south side (go in the front door off Nicollet and turn right, then head towards the back and its halfway back against the right/south wall).
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The Local
931 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Bahn Xeo (MSP)
SerenTori is located on 34th Avenue right where it meets the Crosstown. Right at the corner of the frontage road there is a little brick stripmall consisting of the restaurant between a superette and a laundromat. Singapore! (or the Singapore! building--I can't tell if it is still open) is a few blocks north on 34th.
There is a very low-rent apartment complex right next to SerenTori which really sets the tone for the immediate neighborhood squeezed against the edge of the Crosstown and the airport, even though the (comparatively) hoity-toity Nokomis area with Al Vento and the like is just north. So it just seems like they are struggling there. Of course, I haven't been there for a couple of months, and have neglected to write about it here.
I like Jee, the owner/chef, and her girls Serenity and Satori are about the age of my little girl and are often there, so they all play together.
I spoke with another chowhound who lives in the neighborhood and was not favorably impressed, but I have liked the things I tried.
Haven't tried some of these things, yet. Perhaps worth a chowdown:
Four Regions Sampler
Chef choice of authentic dishes from Laos, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese $29.95
Vientiane Street-Side Meal
Beef Jerky (original/sweet) or Roast Hen (half) Papaya Salad (Mild, medium, hot), Sticky Rice $16.95
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SerenTori Restuarant
Minneapolis, MN, Minneapolis, MN
Bahn Xeo (MSP)
I had the Banh Xeo at SerenTori and enjoyed it. The outside had just the right amount of crispy char--not at all burnt, but you know it was off the griddle. Came with a pile of accompanying sprouts and cilantro
Thanks for alerting us to Iggers' blog entry on this place, Anne. I had not seen it. Here is the url:
http://www.rakemag.com/blogs/breaking-bread
I rather like SerenTori --especially that they have Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian, and Thai dishes. I even like the fish & chips. I worry about its viability. Location does not seem good and there never seem to be any customers besides us.
Best Irish/English Pub Food in Minneapolis?
Sadly, I don't think that there is anyplace in the Twin Cities with outstandingly good or authentic British/Irish pub food. Of course, back in Blighty, many (but not all) pubs have terrible food, too!
Just one really great UK style Chippy here would be nirvana. If it happened to also be a pub, all the better.
http://merlinsrest.com/
I like Merlin's Rest for being an English/Welsh/Scottish/Irish friendly neighborhood pub. The best thing they have is Fuller's ESB on tap. It's Mother's Milk! That first gulp from your pint always has a wonderful, almost herbal complexity to it. The best food item was the Cornish Pasty--I was favorably impressed by one I tried a couple months ago. Really nice flaky crust, and OK filling. Some rather tasteless gravy came along with it. They sell fish & chips either "american style" or "british style." I tried british style and they were wrapped in wax-paper like fake newspaper and they were soggy. I tried breakfast there one Sunday--the food was Downright Scary.
Brit's also has Fuller's ESB on tap. It is an all around more impressive place, especially the bowling green up on their terrace. If you are based downtown it will be much easier to get to than Merlin's Rest. Also they have Scotch Eggs. So, I think Brit's answer's the Cebollita's stated desires better.
The Local is also downtown and has a very impressive interior. Love that traditional pub woodwork! I had Sunday brunch there and enjoyed a trditional Full Irish Breakfast, complete with rasher bacon, Black Pudding and White Pudding. I know a lot of people don't like a British/irish Full Breakfast but if you do then here's the place for you. They also had a little brunch buffet that looked wholly unremarkable to me.
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SerenTori Restuarant
Minneapolis, MN, Minneapolis, MN
MSP - Gandhi Mahal
In addition to the "first look" in the blog, James Norton reviewed Gandhi Mahal (the short "a la carte" review) in the City Pages today:
http://www.citypages.com/2008-06-18/restaurants/love-indian-food-take-a-trip-to-gandhi-mahal/
MSP: Tam Tam's African Restaurant
Went to Tam Tam's again last group in a group of five before we went to hear Gogol Bordello at the Cabooze. All enjoyed the chow, including the vegetarian in the group who had the Eland's Platter (or is it Eland's Feast?), a multi-course meal like the Lion's Feast, only all vegetarian and for one person.
One fact to add is that they do have wine and bottled beer, which I had missed before. Ask Sally for a list if you don't get one. Wines are inexpensive-- I think the Reisling and Sauvignon Blanc that we had were like $16 per bottle. Beers included basic domestic (Miller, IIRC) as well as Guiness (yay!) and Tusker Beer from Kenya.
Check for five people was $105 before tip, and that included our two bottles of wine and a Tusker.
I noted before that there did not seem to be many customers, which is why our group rendezvoused here. However, last night (Thursday) business seemed to clip along with at least a half dozen parties of two during the time we were there.
EoS
MSP: Tam Tam's African Restaurant
Last August, Chowhound tvdxer wrote an excellent report on several places including Tam Tam's African Restaurant in this thread: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/428244
A friend & I were going to see a show at the Triple Rock last night, and we decided to eat supper at Tam Tam's a few doors down. We enjoyed it greatly and recommend this place to all chowhounds.
Menu is here on the website: http://www.tamtamsrestaurant.com/
I like that they have menu sections featuring dishes from different regions of Africa.
Looked like it is a husband/wife operation, but I don't know this for certain. Sally from Uganda was the front of house and was very friendly and enjoyable to talk with.
We ordered "The Lion's Feast (serves two)" and as is often the case in these wonderful little restaurants it was a stunning amount of food that really could fill three people.
Starter course was two each of sambosas (ground beef filling) and Tambo chicken pies. These were somewhat plain and would benefit from a dipping souce or chutney, but good enough nonetheless. CHOWTIP: if I were to order The Lion's Feast again, I might be tempted to have them just wrap the chicken pie up to take home for later because it is like a 6" pasty. In my book, this is more of a lunch than an "appetizer!" Then I might have a better chance of making a dent in the rest of the dinner.
Next came a plate with some good collard greens and the starch. You can choose rice, chapati, ugali, or injera. We opted for ugali since we had never had it. Similar to tvdxer's experience, Sally asked if we'd like to split the ugali half-and-half with another type, so we also got chapatis. I might opt for injera next time since it would really sop up the good stew. The ugali (aka fu-fu, I think?) was a heavy, dense dumpling bigger than a baby's head with pretty much zero flavor, but wonderful in the sauce of the Hunter's stew that was also served at this time. Sally said that ugali is poor people's food in Africa and that if there is nothing else, at least the ugali will fill you up.
Next was the Tam Tam's stew. We ordered medium spicy and it still had a pleasant zing. With a choice of beef, chicken, or goat we opted for the goat, of course. Served in chpped pieces on the bone (as menu says all their meat is), it was really really good. Possibly the best goat I have ever had.
We were sated by this point, but then came the Hunter's Ribs. Da-yum! This platter looked like the brontosaurus ribs at the Bedrock Drive-Inn that tipped over the Flinststones' car. Two giant ribs which each had a couple of giant flaps or wings that seemed to have been butterflyed open. Each of these cut off of the rib easily and were like a delicious steak. Seared salt-rubbed exterior, and the fatty bits were delicious. Sally had come out and asked if we wanted the ribs medium well or well done or what. We said "oh no no no! We don't need them well done at all." And they were juicy and just a tiny bit pink inside the tasty charred outside. I'd call it medium and I would not have minded medium rare if they can still get that beautiful crunchy charred yet flavorful and juicy exterior. Succulent and flavorful!
A tasty pico de gallo came out with the ribs, and I would compare the combination favorably with my best grilled tri-tip with salsa experiences in California.
Sally had warned that it takes 45 minutes to prepare the ribs but we had plenty of time, and the course was well timed after the others anyway--we were still eating stew.
We obtained to-go boxes for the ribs, and I just enjoyed the heck out of working the rest of the meat off that bone for lunch today. This is AFTER I had eaten the equivalent of two steaks off it, mind you.
The bill for our feast for "two" was $33.00 even, including tax.
Yes, we had to have a piece of bacon at the Triple Rock since it was Wednesday night and they set out baskets of free bacon on the bar, but it damn near killed us after all that meat.
EoS
Place links is being cranky, so here is the address:
Tam Tam's African Restaurant
605 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA
