Burger Jones

If there is one restaurant that has been getting the PR in the past two months, it has to be Burger Jones, down near Lake Calhoun, and brought to us by the restaurant geniuses at Parasole. I hadn't even tried to stop in yet as, on my daily drive home from work, I can see the folks hungrily waiting outside, rain or shine. I decided to let some of the glitz and glamour tone down, or, let's be realistic, I was waiting until I actually had the time and the patience to wait.

On Friday night, G.P. and I headed over to Burger Jones fully prepared for the long list that confronted us. Unexpectedly, however, a couple got up from the bar and we were able to immediately sit down rather than wait an hour (or two). It was not surprisingly crazy busy with the servers and bartenders in constant stressful movement. This was not a place to come to relax and take a break from your day. Given the crowd, once we sat down at the bar, it took quite a while for us to get served. Once we got the bartender's attention, we quickly full-on ordered rather than try to do drinks first, then food. Let's keep their attention while we have it!!

The menu is online so no need to repeat it here. Comfort food to the nth degree. G.P went for the Green Chile Cheeseburger and I for the veggie burger option, the Birkenstocker (I didn't see a trademark attribute on this... my lawyer would pass out). To accompany this, we looked at each other and threw health consciousness straight out the window and ordered both cheese curds and french fries. My Birkenstocker was pretty good - not the very best homemade veggie burger I have ever had but still good enough to order again. I liked that it had some black beans in it but I didn't like that it was still mushy with the texture not well distinguished from the bun itself. I did like the buns though, covered in crunchy sesame seeds and apparently homemade. A nice touch.

I have to say that I REALLY enjoyed the cheese curds. They had a little too much breading but when you found the curd itself, it was mighty fine cheese. And dipped in the smoky ketchup, it was perfect (okay, now someone break my heart and tell me there is bacon in that ketchup... just go ahead and do it...). Even more fun was putting the cheese curd onto the burger, like the bartender recommended. Delicious! I think I crave these curds and any man is welcome to take me on a cheese curd date to Burger Jones.

We tried the regular fries as a starting point - future visits to hit the other two varieties available. But I wanted to start with the basic fries. Quite good but in this day and age of truffle oil on everything, I think souped up fries are starting to grow on me. They just seemed so plain compared to the curds and fancy burgers.

The one thing I found disappointing at Burger Jones was the house pinot grigio. Basically, it was gross. If it is indicative of the other house wines available (poured from those oversized bottles), avoid them at all costs. More thought could have gone into finding burger friendly wine rather than just cheap wine. Parasole should know better!

Basically, Burger Jones is worth a visit but patience is required.

Thumbs Up: Fun menu, awesome cheese curds, lively atmosphere
Thumbs Down: Mushy veggie burger, crowded, wine list

Burger Jones 3200 West Lake Street Minneapolis www.burgerjones.com

Moto-I

Moto-i is arguably one of the closest watering holes to my home. I think the Country Bar might win, with BLB in close second, but Moto-I is new and shiny so I have been spending a lot of time over there recently. And now they have a pretty sweet new rooftop and thus far the crowd has been thankfully different than those over at the Uptown Drink and Cowboy Slim’s.

So, what is my take on the place after the initial visit post?

I think Moto-i is still trying to figure out its identity and it might take a little while longer. Is it a bar? (lots of bar space) Is it a sake brewery? (they are pretty obsessed with marketing that) Or is it a restaurant? (the menu is wide-reaching and more than a bar menu but not incredibly delicious). I just don’t think that you can be everything to everybody and survive in this cut throat world.

On the bar side of things, it is great place for groups – they have large tables, a variety of spaces throughout the multi-floor restaurant, people can each spend a lot or a little and the waitstaff has no qualms about splitting up checks. All of my group experiences have simply been extremely accommodating. They also have a shuffleboard table and aggressive happy hour specials. That is very bar.

On the sake side of things, they are very serious about their sake. Personally, I just haven’t taken the time to really immerse myself in sake yet. I like it just fine but don’t ask me to tell you anything about it! But the waitstaff will certainly be able to inundate you with information if you do decide to go down that route at Moto-i.

As to the food, the only thing I truly crave on the menu thus far is the tofu bun made with ponzu, cabbage, sweet chili and pickled carrot. It is little, yummy and different. I have tried the dumplings (fine), the lotus and taro chips (underwhelming), and the Coconut Vegetable Lemongrass Stir-fry (cloyingly bad). But I really enjoy the variety of vegetarian options and even though it isn’t the best food in the world, I am never unhappy with having something to eat there (except for that stir-fry, which I am not the only person I know that thought it was horrible).

I have used Moto-I for business meetings, dates, birthday dinners and drinks with friends. It is a little bit of everything. But if people asked me for the best food in the city, the best special occasion restaurant, the best date place or the best bar, Moto-i probably wouldn’t top my list in any of these. Right now, to me, Moto-i is a little bit like my local Starbucks except that it serves alcohol. But look what happened to Starbucks when they tried to be a bit too much of everything (coffee, tea, breakfast, smoothies, drive-through etc).

Moto-I 2940 Lyndale Ave S Minneapolis www.moto-i.com

The "Free" French Cocktail Party

It is always so tempting to take the free stuff.

Recently, a seemingly fun one rolled into my inbox from House Party, an marketing agency that convinces people to throw parties to promote different products. This one got me intrigued: the French Government wanted “Moi” to throw a French Cocktail Party for my friends! It is kind of funny that the French Government would do so much (in collaboration with French food and wine companies) to support French products but I like food and wine, an exciting party kit was going to be mailed to me and so I was an easy sell. I applied (apparently thousands of people did), I won the lottery, and I got assigned one of the parties. I had to write a blog on House Party, upload thoughts and images, and send online invitations to my friends. And then I waited for my party kit.

The kit was excitingly heavy when it arrived and I opened to it to find a vast amount of red, white and blue decorations. I could have decorated my entire condo building with streamers and balloons. In addition, there was an apron, some booklets, lots of magnets and a very nice corkscrew and music CD. I turned the box upside down, shook it, waiting for the food and wine to fall out. No such luck, just a couple of coupons for discounts at online vendors.

It was too late. I had to send out the invitations to the party before the actual box arrived. So, my friends, yes, I was going to have to still have a party for my friends. AND pay for it all.

Off to the stores. I hit Byerly’s , Lunds and Whole Foods searching for French products. Interesting to note that there are no French chocolates at any of these stores. Valrhona, where are you in the Twin Cities?

I bought a ton of cheese and wine, Evian and Volvic, baked a galette, spent hours on fresh ratatouille, and plattered some LU cookies (arguably French now that they are owned by Kraft). I supported the French, just like they wanted me to because I couldn’t cancel the party on my friends. I even convinced my Fresh cosmetics friends (they are owned by Louis Vuitton, French you know) to send me samples for goodie bags.

While the party itself was quite the hit (and fun!) and the spread of food as yummy as it comes, I think I learned my lesson about taking the free stuff. It is never actually free.

Town Talk Diner

It has been a year and a half plus since my last post on Town Talk Diner and a lot has happened since then. Most notably, TTD was sold and their bar/bartenders had started getting quite a bit of buzz for their talents. Last Tuesday, my book club at Riverview Wine Bar was a bit of a flop because, while they had wine, they were not serving food that night. After a hefty pour of wine, I got in my car to drive home and realized I really needed to eat something. My Garmin led me down East Lake and my stomach lurched on the brakes in front of Town Talk Diner.

I sat right down at the bar and was immediately coddled by the bartenders, a lovely feeling for a hungry (and thirsty) girl.

Considering the publicity surrounding their bartenders recently, the cocktail menu is surprisingly short. I wonder if they have a separate (more secret) one like La Belle Vie does but I failed to ask since I was immediately drawn to a berry purple drink with tinges of herbs. I would like to tell you what the name of this drink was but I assumed I would be able to go to the website after my meal and read the description. But, alas, all of the menu functions on the TTD website are down. My food quickly arrived: the truffled macaroni and cheese with artichoke hearts and peppers. This was a mighty nice macaroni and cheese with lots of texture and flavor. I actually really liked that it wasn’t baked all fancy with a crust. It was literally a souped of version of cheesy elbow macaroni. The bartenders also let me taste a delicious adult milkshake with peanut butter, chocolate, banana and other yummy goodness that I will consider my dessert that night. My belly was very happy although I did have to take a cholesterol test the next day so my doctor may not be…

So, along comes Friday and AdS and I are pondering where to have dinner. She mentions that she has never been to TTD and it wasn’t far from where we were so TTD got two stops in one week. On this occasion, I wasn’t inspired by any of the other cocktail choices (don’t get me near tequila or whiskey thanks to high school and college experiences or I might gag) and instead stuck to wine. The only reason I ordered the Organic Tempeh Sandwich was because I wanted to dip it into the Tomato Gorgonzola Soup. The sandwich was just as unexciting as the last time I had it years ago but the soup was certainly different and interesting. Every other bite, I was “mmm-ing” and then I would forget that it wasn’t plain tomato soup so on the next bite I would be surprised and my brain would shout “what is that weird flavor in your soup?”. It was as exciting as a soup experience can get. AdS had the Pulled Pork Sandwich, which she thought was good although too similar-tasting to the kind you can buy in the tub at the store. She was a bit suspicious. But she did love the pickle and slaw accompaniment.

The crowd at TTD was quite fun and “Uptown” in spirit – lots of piercings, tattoos, and leaving the table to go outside and smoke. Remember, even though I have no tattoos and piercings, I do live in Uptown and love being surrounded by it so I thought this was all great fun. It might scare your kids though and, notably, there were no kids in the room at all, even though it is a “diner”. This is not exactly the Edina Grill.

My conclusion on all of this: Town Talk Diner is basically the same exact place that it was before it was bought. I noticed no differences and the food was still at the same level, pretty good. The Town Talk Diner lives on.

Thumbs Up: Efficient service at the bar and in the restaurant, Uptown vibe, good mac and cheese
Thumbs Down: Short cocktail list

Town Talk Diner 2707 ½ East Lake Street Minneapolis www.towntalkdiner.com

Red Savoy's Pizza Uptown

I am quite confident that I could eat pizza everyday for a very long time and not get tired of it. Especially because within the Uptown area, there is more pizza variety than should reasonably be allowed in such a small geography. Just off the top of my head: Leaning Tower of Pizza, Uptown Pizza, Galactic Pizza, Pizza Luce, Topper’s Pizza, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, Davanni’s, and Soho Café. If we gaze over the lake, we even have Punch Pizza and the pizza counter at Whole Foods. And, since I love pizza so much, I am perfectly happy to report that we now have a Red Savoy’s in Uptown too.

Red Savoy’s was always one of those places in St Paul that seemed too far away every time I want to eat pizza. It requires planning and typically pizza consumption is an unplanned meal choice. When I saw the news that Red Savoy’s was open in Uptown, it was an easy Sunday night dinner choice. AdS and I met up at the former Golooney’s location on Hennepin, noted the lack of beer and opted for take-out, rather than eat in.

The place was seriously hopping, more panicked than anything else. Apparently hitting up the new pizza joint in Uptown was not an original idea. They were literally out of bread for all of their sandwiches... Good thing we were there for the pizza.

The options are a regular or large pizza – no slices. The regular isn’t all that huge but the large is big. Me being vegetarian and AdS clearly not, we looked at each other, thought about half and half-ing the pizza and then saw the smallish regular size and each ordered our own. That didn’t make this the most affordable pizza experience. The total for my regular pizza with mushrooms, tomatoes and garlic was $13+. At the end of my dinner, there was about ¼ of it left and arguably I have a good appetite but it isn’t that big. So…. not “cheap” pizza.

We waited and waited and waited. About 35 minutes. That’s a long time for take-out.

Once we got our pizzas, we headed to my patio, cracked open some Crispin Ciders and dug in.

Red Savoy’s is a Minnesota pizza – thin crust and cut into squares. What makes it different than the others in town is the spicy red sauce. I liked that sauce. It has great zing. I was fine with the crust – nothing special. But I wasn’t in love with the toppings – they were in bigger chunks, making it more challenging to actually eat the pizza and get topping in every bite without having to chew around pieces.

Basically, two weekends ago, I ate a pizza with the same topics (minus the garlic) at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park and I liked it better. And it came a lot faster.

But Park Tavern doesn’t deliver to Uptown. Red Savoy’s does.

Thumbs Up: Great zippy sauce
Thumbs Down: Not the best toppings, loooong wait

Red Savoy’s Uptown 2329 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis www.savoyuptown.com

Food Lit: Summer Reading

I love my Kindle. That doesn't mean I don't love hard, woody-smelling real books too, but I I read voraciously and the Kindle has been a godsend. Before my Kindle I was schlepping 6 books with me on each of my one to two week business trips. Now I just have my cute, bitty Kindle. But the benefits have been even more than that: it syncs to the Kindle app on my iPhone and it is amazing to use while eating. With a real book you have to hold it open or risk always flipping to the photo section of the book. On the other hand, the Kindle just sits right there and allows you to eat and drink with two hands. People, my life has changed. I love my Kindle.

Consequently, I have read quite a few books recently. So here are some options for your summer reading:

If you are going to read one book from the list of five in this post, read Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life. In this book, Wizenberg welcomes us into her life in an open and honest manner that is simply so touching that I am honored that she shared so much with me. There are tears of happiness and of sorrow in this story. There is also romance (through her blog!!!) and amazing sounding recipes. While I was skeptical of a blogger writing a wonderful book, this is officially the first book I have read on my Kindle that I am also going to buy in real life. I was that impassioned to want to cook the recipes of her life.

Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food is the follow-up to the amazingly successful Omnivore's Dilemma. Right now Pollan is THE authority on the anti-industrial food movement. Basically, to be an educated gourmet/foodie, you have to read his books or you will look pretty stupid at your next dinner party. Is it a beautiful book that will, in its literary nature, change your life? No. But read it. It is good for you.

If you asked me who I wish I was, the answer is Ruth Reichl. Gourmet Magazine is amazing and I will buy anything Reichl writes. Not Becoming My Mother is definitively less food and more about the Mom relationship. It is touching (a bit like her going through therapy) and very, very short. If you are looking for the food stories you know and love from Reichl, skip it.

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti has pretty much convinced me that I should make sure to do something pretty amazing before I attempt to write a book. I kept waiting for the action and I kept missing it. Basically, we simply get Giulia Melucci's relationship woes and name-dropping New York lifestyle with no happy ending. The redemption for this book comes in the Italian recipes that are so simple and sound delicious. It made me hungry although I admit I haven't made any of them yet. What does that say?

David Lebovitz, a pastry chef, picks up and moves across the Atlantic to start a new life in Paris. A Sweet Life in Paris is the story of his transition and adventures living in a new city. While it is a sweet book with some joyful moments, especially for those of us that know and love Paris, it was just missing something. Unlike A Homemade Life, Lebovitz just doesn't open his life and mind up the way that Wizenberg did. I kept craving it and he never gave. I still don't feel like I know him very well and I found that entirely disappointing.

Taste of the Nation HOTList is SOLD OUT!

Tonight's Taste of the Nation HOTList is Sold Out! How great is that? We have already raised more than $15,000 to help end childhood hunger in Minnesota and we will raise even more at the event itself.

It is just so warmly overwhelming that in times like these where the economy is uncertain that so many people, restaurants and corporations are still willing to open their wallets and give to a cause that truly hits. THANK YOU.

Tonight's event is really going to be outstanding. If you are in the media and want to stop by and cover it, please let me know and I will have passes available (twincitieseats@gmail.com). It will be worth it alone for the mixology duel - - there have been rumors of cocktail practicing going on all week over at La Belle Vie...

See you tonight!

Taste of the Nation HOTList this Friday!!!

On Friday night, you can go to the Walker Art Center CuisinArt event with Wolfgang Puck for $1,250 per ticket. A little rich for your blood? Mine too. It looks amazing but I still have student loans.

Did I mention that Taste of the Nation HOTList is also on Friday night? For $38-48 per ticket (a $1,200 savings for your Friday night!!!), you get beer and cocktails, food to taste, a mixology duel and so much more. And 100% of the ticket proceeds go to fight childhood hunger.

Buy your tickets now: www.tasteofthenation.org/minneapolis

Sidetrip: Madrid

While I may have started Memorial Day weekend in New Orleans, by Monday afternoon I was stepping off the plane in Madrid and into one of the weirder hotels I have stayed in over the years, the FOXA M30 Suites. Most European hotel rooms are, like the cars, serving sizes and shower curtains, quite petite. This room, however, was massive and contained heavy wooden furniture, couches, a desk, and a full shower with tub. And, did I mention that it was all Chinese themed? And the thing that really freaked me out was that my room the past two nights in the historic New Orleans B&B I was in also had an Asian theme. Talk about offputting.

There are aspects of Spanish cuisine that simply don’t agree with me. And this was highlighted by my one dinner out in Spain at Donde Marian, a restaurant specializing in Basque cuisine.

Let’s start with the vegetables: over oiled, overcooked and mushy is how, on repeated trips to Spain, my vegetables tend to arrive. Dare I suggest that the reason there is often pork added to vegetables in Spain is because of this tendency to cook the real flavor out thm? Now is when you are going to yell and me and tell me not to judge another culture’s cuisine! Well, dammit, I am judging because I don’t want any more mushy vegetables in Spain. The fresh vegetables in the markets are lovely in Spain and I cry to see the artichokes and asparagus floppy and soppy.

Moving on, I also just can’t agree with the concept of white asparagus. Is it not a little cruel to force asparagus to be white, covering it with plastic sheeting or hiding it underground in order for it to achieve its celebrated ivory hue? If the flavor was amazing, I could maybe give in, but we aren’t talking foie gras here (or so my non-vegetarian friends would say). Instead, I think white asparagus are a bit bland and mushy.

Okay, I have been mean enough so I suppose I should mention a couple of things I do love about the Spanish cuisine. The manchego is excellent and I love being served cheese for breakfast, especially when there is quince involved. The yogurt in Europe is a far cry better than what we have the States. I eat as much yogurt as possible when I travel – I think it keeps me with a healthy belly given my tendency to try new foods. Let’s just say, with the cheese and the yogurt, I make it a point never to skip breakfast.

A few more likes: the wine (smooth, great value), tortilla espanol (potatoes, onions, and eggs, sometimes even served in a sandwich, mmmm), Valencia oranges and juice, churros and chocolate.

But I am actually a vegetarian who loves vegetables. And right now, I pity the vegetables in Spain.

Am I missing something? A region or restaurant, perhaps, where my joy in Spanish vegetables can be restored?

Sidetrip: New Orleans

I have a love affair with New Orleans and every time I visit, I consider staying. To me it is the US city that is least like the US but is still so very American. The culture has a laissez-faire seen nowhere else and a unique history and cuisine, but the story is still one of poverty, immigration, and resounding spirit that epitomizes America as I see it. Many people cringe at the thought of New Orleans, picturing only the bawdiness of Bourbon Street and ravaged damage of Katrina. These aspects can’t be, and shouldn’t be ignored because undoubtedly make New Orleans the city that it is. But there is also the Garden District with its stately homes and Magazine St shopping, the plantations down River Road, fascinating cemeteries to roam, and did I mention the amazing food?

I am constantly reminded that I am getting older, and no reminder is more keen for a single woman about to turn thirty, than the sudden influx of babies. Those friends that were married two (or less even) years ago have moved to their next stage of adulthood, accompanied by fancy strollers, mommy blogs, and childcare conundrums. This last bit is where my trip to New Orleans fits in. How do you go on a multiple day business trip with a young baby? Why, you bring the auntie, of course. So, I packed up from Minnesota and met my sister-in-law and my 9 month old niece in New Orleans for two days of baby-sitting and two days of play.

This was my first visit back to New Orleans since Katrina and since my itinerary never took me to hard hit areas, it was difficult for me to physically see the impact of Katrina on New Orleans. Instead, the impact I was able to detect was one more based on mentality – of people who were determined to move on and make the city a better place than it even once was. This is illustrated by the many new restaurants that have sprung as well as those that have chosen to stick around, working hard to reopen for their faithful fans and displaying a confidence that there is a future for New Orleans. Gumbo Tales was a great book to have read prior to this trip as my eyes were open to the rich culinary history of the area and how it managed to survive the storm.

We started at the Renaissance Arts Hotel in the Central Business District, a thoroughly modern business hotel but in an area conveniently walk-able to many locations in town. After a morning spent bonding with my niece, we met up with her mother for lunch at Café Adelaide in the Loews Hotel, a restaurant owned by the Commander’s Palace groups of restaurants. We had a simply delightful lunch with amazing service. The dining room was filled to bubbling with “ladies who lunch” and we fell right in stride, although sadly bypassing the $0.25 martinis (limit 3 per person)! We split a chop salad (minus the bacon, which they plated on the side for my companion) which was well dressed and chopped perfectly. I typically don’t love cream dressings on salads, but this variation felt bright rather than dairy heavy. I moved on to a specially prepared veggie dish that included eggplant slices with some Cajun-type seasoning. The vegetables were well-prepared and beautifully presented. It was a perfect welcome to New Orleans to accompany the other classic entrée on the table of shrimp and grits.

Many rounds of “Wheels on the Bus” later, the three of us headed over to John Besh’s more casual bistro restaurant Luke. While I had wanted to visit Besh’s famed August on this visit, the baby wasn’t going to allow us to make that happen, so this was a great compromise. Given his celebrity chef-dom, I was surprised that the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy but we enjoyed the attention of our high-energy server. The moment I mentioned I was vegetarian he began passionately espousing the off-menu vegetarian option, a homemade veggie burger topped with caramelized onions and three types of cheese, served with frites. I was a very easy sell, but not before also starting with a beet salad, which contained some of the most mild lovely beets I have ever had. The veggie burger was the size of my head and wonderfully full of different textures and sweet and salty flavors. It may arguably be the best veggie burger, period. The “real” burger was also massive and eaten with gusto by the young mom across from me. By the time we wiped our fingers clean, we could barely stand up to roll the stroller back to the hotel.

At mid-day Thursday, meetings were over and we moved to a B&B in the Garden District, the Sully Mansion. Before shopping down Magazine Street, we stopped in for lunch at Café Rani’s courtyard. While the menu was vegetarian-friendly and heavy with salads and other lighter options, I was pressed to find it inspiring.

On the other hand, we were quite inspired post-shopping by the gelato and French-style macaroons at Sucre. This pastel dream of a shop seduced us with its sugary offerings and fabulous setting. Gelato is certainly on trend in New Orleans as evidenced by the dessert menus we read all weekend and another gelato shop barely two doors down from Sucre.

On Magazine Street is also where I had my most disappointing meal in New Orleans at a restaurant and wine bar called Coquette. It was a beautiful corner space with outdoor sidewalk tables and we were seriously excited by all of the morel dishes on the menu, my brother and sister-in-law just having finished a weekend of morel hunting in Northern Michigan. I started with a bibb salad with goat cheese and pecans, which was quite nice. But then my main dish, a “stew” composed of ramps and morels, was barely edible because it was so sandy. The distinct flavor morels was also somehow masked rather than highlighted. However, while I found my gritty main disappointing, my brother instead thought his suckling pig was delicious (he showed up just in time off the airplane to order dinner). After a strawberry and rhubarb crisp and milk chocolate beignets were served for dessert, I did start to wonder whether morels, ramps and rhubarb are even local to New Orleans?

On Friday, we drove out of the city to explore the plantations on the River Road. After a morning touring Laura Plantation and learning about Creole culture, we stopped for some classic fried fish at B&C Seafood Market. While my brother feasted on everything from alligator to crawfish, I enjoyed the authentic surroundings and delicious peach and Vidalia onion hot sauce which I smothered onto my hush puppies and corn nuggets. I regret not purchasing a bottle. A little bit of deep fried heaven, followed up by mint juleps on the porch of the Oak Alley Plantation.

After the baby fell asleep, we scooted in for a late reservation at husband and wife-teamed restaurant Mila. This modern New Orleans cuisine took us all by surprise, in a good way, especially as a last minute stand in for August! It started on a good foot, with a bottle of Brancott Pinot Noir. New Zealand is starting to make some great Pinots. We received a beautiful basket of warm bread, accompanied by a bean spread and butter in cute little cast iron pots. My brother tried Mila’s signature deconstructed Oysters Rockefeller as his appetizer while we quizzed one another on all of the famous and signature dishes of New Orleans (click here). My arugula salad with blue cheese was tasty albeit the leaves were so large to require some seriously annoying tabletop chopping (I think the kitchen should do that!). The most unique dish belonged to my brother: a smoked tuna that literally filled our tablespace with the scent of smoke. My homemade sweet potato pappardelle with shitake mushrooms was also richly flavored and something new for my palate. For dessert we shared the “Root Beer Float”, another bit of deconstruction that I would call a root beer float ice cream sandwich made with root beer sorbet and gingersnap wafers. It was not mouth-wateringly delectable but it was definitely new and interesting. Our service here was mixed, with our server being extremely helpful and incredibly knowledgeable while the bussing staff was not well trained. Overall, I felt like this restaurant was a great symbol of the new New Orleans; young people working hard and motivated to serve New Orleans’ great food but in an updated, fresh way.

On Saturday, we visited the new Southern Food & Beverage Museum. While the exhibits were turning over while we were there, I really enjoyed the exhibit on the history of New Orleans food and cuisine. We poked our heads into the Museum of the American Cocktail as well but there was so much going on in the small museum within a museum, that a tour would have been the right way to take in this section. After all the talk of tasso, red beans, gumbo, king cake, seafood and beignets, we immediately went from there to a snack at Café du Monde (the real one, not the one in the horrible Riverwalk Mall where the museum sits).

Our final dinner in New Orleans ended up being a bit of a disaster. With flights the next morning, we booked an early dinner time which corresponded baby fussy time. We drove out to Uptown to try out Dante’s Kitchen, run by a local foods advocate and former chef at Commander’s Palace. The restaurant was in a cute house a little off the tourist track, making it feel like we were dining with locals. We started with the fresh heirloom tomato salad, which my brother quickly said was his first taste of good tomatoes for 2009. I concurred as we certainly haven’t hit tomato season yet in either NYC (his home) or Minnesota. I followed this up with the fresh veggie plate, which was part hit, part miss. The squash, whose virtues the waiter extolled, was so dolled up with dried oregano that I couldn’t swallow it but the petite string beans were done with the perfect hint of garlic. Hit or miss, yes, but undeniably fresh. Serving sizes here were large with my sister-in-law’s “chicken roasted under a brick” easily looking like half a chicken. My brother sucked the bones dry on this chicken and also really enjoyed his two appetizers. I also must not forget to note that the fresh blueberry and strawberry gelatos were amazing, apparently from a nearby gelato spot called Gelato Pazzo!!! Overall, it was a nice meal although many many interruptions with the baby – I felt lots of guilt for the baby screams and giggles, walks in and out of the restaurant, and finally the Mommy having to be fed her dessert in the car because it got to be too much.

And so there is was, four foodie-ful days in New Orleans and there were still so many places we didn’t make it to. I would love to have revisited Bayona, Herbsaint, and Commander’s Palace and also tried Lilette, August, Green Goddess, and aaa. And, I have no doubt that the next time I go back there will be even more new (and “old made new”) places to try.

Taste of the Nation June 12

I am so excited to tell you all that this year we are having two Taste of the Nation events in Minneapolis. The first is Friday, June 12 from 7-11 pm at Hotel Minneapolis and the second will be on Sunday, September 13 at Graves 601 Hotel.

The events are incredibly different but both raise money to help end childhood hunger. In fact, 100% of ticket sales from these events go to charity. Locally we are granting the money we raise to three incredible organizations Second Harvest Heartland, Minnesota Food Share, and the Legal Services Advocacy Project. With 1 in 10 Minnesota children estimated to live in poverty, we want to make a difference on the ground, right here, right now.

Friday, June 12th's event will be an incredibly fun night out in Downtown Minneapolis! Tastes from your favorite restaurants including will be paired with beer, wine and cocktails. At the $48 event ticket price (there is a $38 option as well), we are able to offer you a selective open bar all evening featuring Stella Artois, Leffe and Hoegaarten beer and specialty cocktails from Finlandia. This is a great value (for a good cause!), considering what you might spend out on the town on a Friday night.

The highlight of the evening will be a live mixology duel between mixologists Birk Grudem from Bradstreet Craftshouse and Johnny Michaels from La Belle Vie. The drinks will be scored by on taste, aroma and appearance by a group of VIP judges to include media personalities and one lucky audience member. The competition will be led by the evening’s Emcee, Tim Laird, Chief Entertaining Officer of Brown-Forman. Sersiously, I can't wait to see this!!!

After all of the food and dueling, enjoy the rest of the evening sipping your drinks, mingling with the young professional crowd, and maybe even a little dancing to the live DJ.

Lots more information on the event and tickets are available for sale here.

AND Save the Date for Sunday, September 13th for the foodie event of the season, where one of twenty top chefs in the Twin Cities prepare a tableside 5 course dinner for you and your table of ten. And a fabulous auction to tickle your foodie tastebuds. Tickets (starting at $150) will go on sale in July!

If you have any questions or would like to have your restaurant participate next week or in September, please feel free to pop me a line at twincitieseats@gmail.com.