Taste of Thailand

It isn’t often that I get to escape my office for lunch out in Minnesota but on a beautiful spring day, that is just what I did, heading downtown and meeting up with a friend for lunch at Taste of Thailand.

I was hours from heading back out of town for another global spin, and if there is one thing that I find that I crave when I am gone it is Southeast Asian food and particularly the flavors of Thai. Maybe it’s the unique sweet and spicy combination or, perhaps more likely, my body is craving the protein and veggie fix that comes after days often meeting heavy with catered carbs and coffee. This time I decided to preempt the craving and suggested Thai for lunch.

Taste of Thailand is arguably on the worst block of Downtown Minneapolis, the one with the dead Chevy’s on the one corner, Gameworks and Seven on another, and grungy bus stops lining the entire block fromHennepin and Nicollet. When I have had overseas colleagues stay at the Marriott, they definitely think the drug culture of Minnesota is pervasive. I don’t walk down this block by myself at night.

My initial impression of Taste of Thailand brought in a bit of this street feel. The dining room felt grimy. Maybe it was one of the first bright days of spring/summer but the sunlight was clearly showing a room that wasn’t sparking. I had to wipe trash off of my chair to sit. We were also not far from an empty steam table, which, in its forlornness, was downright depressing. I felt a little embarrassed that I had suggested this location to my clean cut downtown companion. Hopefully he just thought I was “adventuresome”.

The menu is vast, offering many combinations and noodle dishes with the pick your protein option. Slightly hilarious was the commentary on several dishes noting that they were Twin Cities favorites. I love the Twin Cities but would I trust the dining opinions of the masses? Remember, this is the city where Perkins often tops the best breakfast lists.

I selected a veggie combination with tofu that I couldn’t pronounce and there is no menu online for me to refer to. I have a vague memory of #42 or #43. It was a combination of vegetables, some sauce, and obviously not memorable. The portion was also quite large for lunch. Unfortunately, I also feel like our wait for the food to arrive was a tad longer that I would like to see at lunch too. I don’t think my companion was all that impressed either.

Basically, I think lunching downtowners are better off heading out a bit further to one of the downtown Sawatdee location to get their Thai fix. The food is a bit better and the service definitely faster. And just think, those extra few blocks might make you appear adventuresome.

Thumbs Up: Convenient location
Thumbs Down: Not a pretty location, unmemorable food, a bit dirty

Taste of Thailand 11 S 7th Street Minneapolis

Risotto

I felt sorry for Lyn-Lake. The road construction lasted forever and sent a number of places out of business. But things are definitely coming back to life. While we lost La Bodega and Machu Picchu, we have seen Tiger Sushi, Moto-I, and Zen Contemporary Asian all come to life. And now joining this scene is Risotto.

Would you like to guess the highlight of the menu at Risotto? You guessed it. Apps and Salads, two full sections of Risotto selections (Arborio and Carnaroli), and a few Entrees. Simple, although more expensive than I had anticipated, with the risottos resting in the $14+ category. The wine list, by comparison, was quite affordable with a lot of Italians, both by the glass and bottle.

The restaurant was clearly not expecting quite so many customers on this particular Saturday night. As it is a recession and all, I can’t blame them! Consequently, they had one server and a bartender on duty. I must put a big props out there right now to that server. I have NEVER seen someone work so hard before. He was running ragged working to please everyone. He earned every penny of his tips that night.

Considering the heavy risotto course to follow, we bypassed appetizers and went for salads instead, both ordering the most basic on the menu: the fantasia with almonds, apples and raisins, topped with crumbled asiago. I found it so odd that there were raisins on that salad, and more raisins than there was anything else. I don’t think I have ever been to a “nicer” restaurant and had a salad with raisins, instead always equating that ingredient to all-you-can-eat salad bars. I mean, I like raisins and all. It just seemed odd. Is there a trend in Italian food that I am missing?

There is one risotto on the menu without meat or seafood: a prosecco, spinach, sautéed shallot and four cheese cheese combination. It was creamy and just a bit al dente, just the way I like it and the way risotto should be. The flavor combination of “cheese and onions” was also different and highly likeable in risotto. I didn’t even notice spinach with the richness of cheese and onions. My mind kept wandering towards happy fondue memories thanks to the hint of wine. The serving size was also generous – considering the heavy nature of the dish, I wasn’t able to finish it and could have brought it home if I wasn’t heading out on the town after the meal!

What would I have done to improve this dish? Considering that we are rolling into summer and risotto is such a heavy dish, I personally would have had the non-meat option be heavier in fresh vegetables. My meal just felt very “winter” and, boy, am I ready for summer!

The space of Risotto is small and intimate, but open. It is a great size dining room to be able to focus on the food and create relationships – in fact, the chef was out and asking how people liked his food, actually asking for feedback. It was refreshing! One small catch should be to turn the lights down a bit. They caught this around 9:30pm but until that time the bright lights were definitely atmosphere distracting. Also to note: it was a reverberating room in terms of sound. I had to “pardon” to my companion to the extent that I was starting to think I might be going a bit deaf and even pondered a hearing exam appointment again today.

Overall, I am excited to have Risotto in town, especially given that our Italian options are quite limited compared to most cities. Give it a try, let me know what you think.

Thumbs Up: The Risotto (thank goodness, huh?), Nice and Small Dining Room, Eager-to-Please Service
Thumbs Down: Raisins?, a bit Loud, Give us some Mood Lighting

Risotto 610 W Lake Street Minneapolis www.risottomn.com

Sidetrip: Los Cabos, Mexico

Swine Flu? Bah humbug. I admit it. I went to Mexico. And got banned from the office. But, seriously, for the entire time I was there early in May, there were ZERO cases of Swine Flu in Cabo. And pretty much zero tourists too…

I spent the week as a guest of KS and family at their home in Cabo del Sol, watching the pinks of the sunrise each morning over the Ocean Course’s rocky beach before turning over and going back to sleep to the sound of waves. Heaven is the sound of waves and nature when you sleep. The hum air conditioners practically offend me (I turned mine on once last summer in Minneapolis, preferring the city nature of sirens and busses).

Given the H1N1 situation, we ventured out only a few times, instead enjoying homemade tacos, quesadillas, and guacamole barefoot and suntanned for lunch and specialties such as Chiles Relenos and Enchiladas over dinners.

And did I mention the wonderful breakfasts of fruit salads heavy with passion fruit and mango? Huevos Rancheros too.

Now I am hungry.

One venture out of the Casa took us to the spa (or golf) and lunch at Querencia, a country club up in the hills with an amazing view and luxurious spa. As we looked down over the coast, I ate an odd lunch pizza studded with carrots, picturing what an amazing backdrop this would be for a wedding.

On another evening, we headed over for sunset drinks at La Esperanza, an exclusive “Jennifer Aniston”-style Auberge resort. It was bleakly desolate of guests (unless they were avoiding the paparazzi) but still held on to its amazing view. We sipped our way down their list of signature cocktails while I dreamed of the day I could afford a room.

Now, don’t get thinking that this was an all-classy Mexico getaway or anything. It is always good to mix it up, which we sufficiently did with the Jungle Jim’s Booze Cruise. My comments must end here in order for you to maintain your respect for me. If you are my friend, there is a video on Facebook. Enough said.

Incredibly refreshed.

It has been a long time since I felt that way after a trip. So many of my travels are for work or, if not for work, filled with edgy adventure. Interrupted by only a few conference calls, all I had to do here was go along for the unbelievably relaxing ride. A big thank you to my hosts.

Harry's Food and Cocktails

Twins vs Tigers. Where to head before the game? I stared out the front door of yoga straight at Harry’s Food and Cocktails and thought “what the heck, it’s so close”.

My last visits to Harry’s Food and Cocktails had been under Stephen Brown’s short tenure at the stove. Since then, I had heard nothing that was tempting me back.

And no wonder.

Our food was unremarkable and the service was awful.

Sitting out in the spring sun on the patio, we started with the with artichoke dip. The distinguishing flavor was mayonnaise. Heavy on the mayo and limited on taste. And the bread it was served with was chewy and tough, making it hard to eat. Honestly, I ate it but felt kind of gross the whole time.

We moved on to burgers – mine a veggie Harry’s Burger with “special sauce”, caramelized onions, and cheese. Weirdly the server asked me whether I wanted tomato and lettuce with the burger. Um, don’t burgers just come with those items? I also couldn’t taste anything distinguishing in the special sauce. Basically, it was just nothing special. BW also admitted disappointment with his turducken burger, which was sloppy.

As to service, they disappeared for long periods, we had to flag down someone that wasn’t our server and they brought out the burgers before we were finished with the appetizer.

So, what can I say? Based on this visit, I have no plans to go back and, if I did, it would only be to sit on their huge patio and have a few drinks. Sorry, Harry’s.

Thumbs Up: Huge patio, tower of Schlitz bottles at entry
Thumbs Down: Bland and unremarkable food, dismal service

Harry’s Food and Cocktails 500 Washington Ave S Minneapolis http://www.harrysfood.com/

Butter

Butter is part bakery, but mostly a coffeeshop and cafe at 36th and Grand in South Minneapolis. I have unreasonably been attracted to Butter because of its name. Butter. Mmmm..... butter.

I still remember my first discovery of buttercream frosting. It was early in high school and I was working at a pastry shop in Grosse Pointe, MI. I would arrive after school and hope for the next three hours that we wouldn't sell out of the exceptionally wonderful goodies that the pastry chef prepared in between the cigarettes she sucked in the alley most of the day. If there were items left at the end of the day, I got to take them home. I learned a lot on that job including traditional cake combinations and how liquors are used for flavoring and are not just for illicit swigs from parents' liquor cabinets. I was educated on buttery croissants and fruity danish and watched many a wedding cake cause panic and sweat. But, most memorably, I discovered buttercream… and the patience required to truly enjoy it.

It may look like regular frosting but don't forget to keep your cake in the fridge and then take it out an hour before serving, allowing that butter-heavy frosting to warm up into sugary, buttery goodness. I still remember the blank stares of unknowing customers who were affronted when told to keep their cakes in the fridge and then allow it to temper. But for the lucky sole who was willing to pay the high price and then exercise patience, the reward was remarkable. A wonderful, perfect buttercream frosting.

Now you understand me and why I have been so intrigued with Butter.

But I also didn't want to tempt fate and be disappointed. Plus, we all know that whatever is being made with butter - whether the scones or the cupcakes or anything else - will sit at an unfortunate part of my body that I just like to call the Buddha. May it not simply be safer to avoid the temptation and Butter altogether? Yeah right.

On my first trip to Butter, I looked at the cupcakes, “self controlled”, and ordered a scone and quiche. I settled in at the counter with my coffee and scone. The scone was filled with blueberries and tasty, although not the best scone I have ever had. I could, though, taste the butter! And then I waited and waited and waited. Let's just say that this is one slow kitchen. And all for a slice of quiche, something precooked and simply cut to order. The quiche was quiche. A little dry. The cupcakes looked better.

It was my second trip to Butter. I stared at the cupcakes again. Nope, you cannot do it! No cupcakes at 10am on a Sunday morning. Self-scolding was effective; I ordered a Huevos Burrito and then waited and waited and waited. It was a mighty good breakfast burrito to wait for, though, and it was the size of my left calf. I didn't eat for the next 11 hours and no way was a cupcake going to tempt me on the way out of Butter. I could hardly walk thanks to breakfast burrito catharsis.

Then I opened my mailbox and there was a coupon! A coupon!! I must use a coupon; don't want to let it go to waste, you know. No excuses left. Time to get my "Buy One, Get One Free" cupcakes! Before heading to the office, I stopped off and picked up a Red Velvet and a Lemon. I sat them on my desk for two hours to make sure they were room temperature then brought them down for a coffee break with some expert cupcake tasters – three girlfriends.

Consensus: Neither of the frostings were actually Buttercream but they were good! The RedVelvet had the traditional Cream Cheese frosting with butter that we could taste. Smooth, creamy, tasty. The Lemon was filled with lemon curd (best part!) and topped with a marshmallow cream type, meringue-y frosting. The Red Velvet frosting was the better of the two. As to the cake itself, it was dry. Which led us to the conversation on why it seems like all esteemed cupcakes are dry – Cupcake in Minneapolis, Sweet Magnolias in New York City. We were raised craving more of the Supermoist variety… with Buttercream, of course.

Thumbs Up: Fun and casual coffeeshop atmosphere, open kitchen to watch the prep and baking, huge breakfast burrito, nice frostings
Thumbs Down: Long waits on weekend brunch for food, cupcakes a little dry for my taste

Butter 3544 Grand Ave S Minneapolis www.butterbakerycafe.com

Bali

I don't think I had ever had Indonesian food prior to venturing over to one of our newer restaurants on Eat Street, Bali. And, as it was a last minute destination for dinner, I also held no expectations. To my surprise and delight, I have to say, I really enjoyed it.

The space is open and welcoming - a little more high end that many of the restaurants on Eat Street but not as pretentious as the Azia behemoth several blocks down. We were seated next to the "fireplace", where candles were burning rather than wood or gas. Considering it was a rainy spring day, it was a nice touch of brightness and charm.

A cocktail was definitely of order, especially after perusing their list of fruity specialties. I easily settled on the Lychee Martini, a drink that has brought me down in pain on multiple occasions as it tastes so good you just don't realize how many you are drinking (note to SB and PB, sorry about that at your wedding...). The drink did not let me down.

Indonesian Deviled Eggs? I mean, seriously, how could we not order them? They were deep friend eggs, split and deviled, with a bit of kicky sauce drizzled on the plate. Nothing craveable, but certainly interesting.

On the other hand, the two entrees I split with my friends were both fantastic. In fact, I wish I had them right now sitting in front of me, hot and smelling delicious. First, there was a tofu dish with carrots and vegetables in a sweet peanut sauce. The hot fried tofu and crispy strings of vegetables picked up the peanut sauce with a sponge-like heavy hand. It was a rich and smooth dish. In fact, it was the perfect accompaniment to the more powerfully flavored eggplant entree. This dish reminded me of the Chinese staple "eggplant in garlic sauce", one of my guilty vegetarian pleasures. The sauce was thinner than the Chinese variation but the heat was turned on here in a more pepper-y (versus garlicky) way. This is the dish I a seriously craving, however the peanut sauce from the other was a perfect counterbalance to the heat. It might have to be both or none at all.

Our service was diligent and great all night - what more can I say other than that I am excited to go back and try more items from the menu! Of course, don't get too excited and click on the link below expecting your mouth to water... the menu online is definitely out of date.

Thumbs Up: Good service, flavorful food, easy atmosphere
Thumbs Down: Out of date website

Bali 1410 Nicollet Ave S Minneapolis www.balimpls.com

Dulono's Pizza

I admit it, I have high standards and you all love to call me on it. I like Business Class upgrades, the best Wedge produce, smart men who make witty conversation and nice restaurants. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like good food regardless of where it comes from. And, I got to tell you, the more I eat Dulono’s Pizza, the more I like it.

Apparently, in addition to smart men, I have a soft spot for Minnesota pizza. I really and truly love Lake Harriet Pizza, Park Tavern pizza and Dulono’s Pizza. Certainly a heck of a lot more than I like Papa John’s, Domino’s and anything else you can order via text message. As a non-Minnesota native who grew up thinking that the only pizza was Little Caesar’s Pizza, who would have thought that this could happen?

How the heck did this happen?

Could it be the lovely atmosphere of these local watering holes? Hmmmm….

Let’s talk about Dulono’s. The wood paneling is from a 50s basement, the plastic snowman is definitely 80s happy and you can even listen to live bluegrass while playing Buck Hunter. Kitschy for sure but definitely fun. Or let’s peak in at Lake Harriet Pizza. Never mind, do not look in there or you may never order their yummy pizza again (add the garlic!)! My kind of places? Arguably not.

Maybe, then, it is the quaint squares that made me fall in love with Minnesota pizza? It is so easy to have just one more little piece and not feel guilty… and it is nice and thin crusted so not too many calories at all, I am sure. As a pizza “fork and knifer” myself, I also like that I don’t get any weird looks for cutting this pizza as it is seriously troublesome to try to pick up when loaded with veggies and cheese.

But what makes me really love Minnesota Pizza? It is the combination of D. All of the Above. We are talking about the cracker thin - but not too crisp - crust that is greatly outweighed by cheese and toppings. And don’t forget the toppings that cozy right up to the edge and, of course, cut into little square pieces. One more thing that is hugely important – it is delivered by someone to my cozy Minnesota home in -30 degrees with a smile or served at my table accompanied by a sloshing pitcher of beer.

Dulono’s is the winner in my book but not for any good pizza reason. I love the kitsch and the location (my neighborhood). Is there a better Minnesota Pizza that I need to try?

Thumbs Up: Great Minnesota Pizza, Kitsch, Bluegrass
Thumbs Down: Slow Delivery, Sometimes TOO lowkey

Dulono’s Pizza 607 W Lake Street Minneapolis www.dulonospizzamn.com

Sidetrip: Buenos Aires, Argentina

I was incredibly excited to visit Argentina for the first time – from both a work and personal perspective. For weeks before, my dreams were laced with Dulce de Leche and Madonna’s voice serenading me with the songs from Evita. And then the day was finally here… I fell asleep on a flight leaving Dallas in Spring and woke up in a beautiful Buenos Aires autumn.

With work starting on Monday morning, I arrived early on Saturday to explore what little of Buenos Aires life I could see in two days. And I had wonderful company, with MM flying down from NYC to join me for my short adventure.

We started in Palermo where our room at the adorable boutique Miravida Soho Hotel and Wine Bar wasn’t quite ready. Despite our overnight flight griminess, we set off to wander the leafy streets and scrounge up coffee and breakfast. We stopped off at a café on Ave Santa Fe and the Botanical Gardens and firsthand immediately experienced two key trends of food and dining in Argentina. First, Argentinia is filled with “light” options on menus and on grocery store shelves. Looking good is quite important! Although I must say that our toast, yogurt, cream cheese and coffee was maybe more “light” in title than in reality! Second, we learned quickly that service in restaurants tends to be more of a game of jumping up and down and waving someone down than anywhere else I have ever been in the world. It was literally amazing how well the servers in Argentina can ignore tables. It was a practice in patience!

After spiffying up back at the hotel, we went off to explore San Telmo (the heart of Tango), and then over to the amazing cemetery in Recoleta. We stopped for a quick botana (snack!) at the historic Bar El Federal in San Telmo with its huge historic bar and long history (since 1864). My tostada of grilled cheese was a fun snack but I was distracted watching our tour guide have a version of hot chocolate called a submarino, where you actually get a chocolate bar to melt into hot milk. My mouth was watering as he sipped his chocolate and nibbled on the ever-present Argentinean medialunas (mini croissants).

After Recoleta, it was absolutely necessary to have gelato. This was one of the items that had been floating in my Dulce de Leche dreams. Everyone who returns from Argentina talks about the gelato and I have to tell you, it did not disappoint! We stopped at Un Alta Volta where I tried the Dulce de Leche con Brownies. It was fantastic – sweet, creamy, and filled with brownie chunks! I finished it quickly and couldn’t wait for the next day in order to be able to reasonably buy gelato again.

After a glass of wine in our hotel wine bar, dinner on Saturday was at Casa Cruz in Palermo, a beautiful and trendy restaurant in Palermo Soho. We started with cocktails in the lounge and then moved back into the dining room where we were treated to arguably the best meal we had in Argentina. The food was fresh and on season and I loved that they had vegetarian options, including a wonderful goat cheese tart with fresh tomato to start. MM enjoyed her sea bass and for dessert, we shared an uber rich chocolate dessert with dulce de leche and the plate of mini cookies and treats that accompanied the check. A wonderful first night in Argentina.

Sunday found us back out on the streets of Buenos Aires wondering around the federal buildings, the gorgeous cathedral (from the inside!) and the infamous pink house. As we ventured up the Ave de Mayo, we stopped for coffee and a snack at the historic Café Tortoni (1858). Filled with tourists, yes, but a nice break for our feet and just one of those places that a good tourist is not allowed to skip!

Official touring complete, we walked back to San Telmo to find lunch and to explore the amazing Sunday antiques market. If only I could bring home one of those chandeliers! I was drooling as we passed booth after booth filled with just what I have been looking for for my condo a hemisphere away from home. We stopped for an Italian lunch at Amici Miel, where we drank wine and I enjoyed fresh spinach and ricotta tortelli in a butter and parmesan sauce. It was a beautiful day to have a relaxed, lingering meal literally over the crowds of the Plaza Dorrego. And, yes, gelato for dessert at Freddo, which was good but nowhere near as rich and delicious as Volta.

Later in the evening, we stood waiting outside (as is the tradition) at La Cabrera in Palermo. It was time for MM to have her steak. And boy did she get a steak the size of her head! For me, simple grilled veggie skewers but the side dishes made up for it all! Hot dishes, cold dishes, so so many dishes to taste and try. From butternut squash, to potato salads, to cole slaw, to marinated veggies, to eggs, to etc etc. Good and just so much to taste and sample. It was an awesome experience! From La Cabrera, we were off to the sensual tango show at the Philippe Starck designed Faena Hotel + Universe in Puerto Madero, the modern harbor neighborhood of the city. A great way to end an amazing weekend in Buenos Aires.

While I worked the rest of the week, it doesn’t mean I didn’t also get to eat! Many, many empanadas from Delicity for lunches filled my belly with more carbs than I had eaten in a year. One night we ventured for Italian at Bice in Puerto Madero (near the Hilton where I stayed the rest of the week and was very, well, Hilton). I had no idea that Bice was a chain but we enjoyed it nonetheless, sitting on the patio, drinking Torrentes (my new favorite summer wine! Very similar to a New Zealan Sauvignon Blanc), eating caprese and eggplant rigatoni. A work dinner took me to Cabana las Lilas where I wasn’t impressed with the service or my salad but did enjoy the grilled provolone and the panqueque filled with dulce de leche for dessert. On our final night in Buenos Aires, I anticipated a great dinner at 647 Dinner Club based on reviews at Chowhound. The cavernous space was practically empty and the food wasn’t memorable in a good way - my corn flavored risotto was an odd combination that I just couldn’t wrap my arms around. Sad.

Good thing I made up for that last meal by buying an obscene amount of alfajores (dulce de leche filled cookies) and dulce de leche itself in duty free!