Food Memories

I'll finish up the Restaurant Week 2008 series one of these days. There is something more important to report today.

Krua Thailand has changed owners. I've heard some information from a reputable source about why the switch occurred but don't feel quite right about posting it.

At any rate, I'm even more sad to report that the restaurant has suffered considerably. Half of the menu is gone. The "Special Menu" is completely nonexistent now. Upon realizing that I was no longer going to be able to have the sausage that I once loved as a starter, I just went with spring rolls. The spring rolls came out on a plate that looked like it had been covered with chopped supermarket bag salad. This was not an attractive presentation in the least and even more irritating when these bits of lettuce were sticking to the outside of the rolls.

This brings me to the service. Staff have completely changed over and the servers are completely inept. Granted, they are young, but if you're going to have children be on the front line of the restaurant they should be trained.

For my entree, I decided to go with the Pad Thai. It's not anywhere near as good as it used to be, in fact I've made better Pad Thai at home from scratch.

I spent the rest of my day moping around, saddened by the loss of what was once my favorite restaurant. Many won't understand how I feel, but food is attached to many good memories for me. Krua was a place I took family and friends and never had an unpleasant experience at. For me, there was no better way to start a weekend than with a small group of friends at Krua with too many bottles of wine.

As long as I'm feeling nostalgic, here are some of my other favorite food memories:

Elk and Grahams 10 (not together, of course) remind me of Cue. I've
only been there once, and it was when Lenny Russo was running the place.
The whole meal seemed like a dream it was so perfect.

Any time I drink Monmousseau Vouvray I remember Vincent. Vincent is a
place I'd like to go to more often, and was the first place I experienced
Vouvray, which is now one of my favorite table whites.

Good Mexican food (which is ridiculously hard to find around
here), always reminds me of California. I used to spend a week or
so in the Coachella Valley every winter.

St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc reminds me of sushi dates and parties at
Nami.

Finally, everywhere serves some sort of seared Ahi dish now, but my
favorite is the Black and Bleu at the Dock Cafe in Stillwater. It has been
and will be my standard.

The thing is, all of these places can still be experienced. There is nothing in my price range that will match the food, service, personality, and personalization that Krua offered.

Little Szechuan

This would be my third trip to this particular establishment. Those previous being recorded by my esteemed collegue JMJ.

There is not much left to be said about the place past those first few words. Even when there are few customers in their well decorated eating area the service is incredibly inept. They clearly have had no training or have no desire to actually serve the customers outside of purveying the food and subsequently the bill. It is difficult to rouse their attention for simple needs through the course of the meal, and they don't even give you a cursory glance to see if it is to your liking.

In fact, the best service we got at the place was from the mexican busboy who brought us water and tea. He was at least friendly. (He even called us "amigo," although that did ruin the chinese restaurant feel...)

At least the waitress spoke english.

Oh well.

As for the food, what they actually had in stock was quite good. (I had ordered three things before one of them was available...) I was served Chairman Mao Pork, which is mostly pigfat with little bits of meat attached. It was like eating some sort of pork jello.

Delicious.

It is unfortunate that such great food comes from a place that has such a poor staff.

Next time this happens we're killing one of the goldfish.

Restaurant Week Part 2: Vincent - A Restaurant (dinner)

DISCLAIMER: Since I am writing this a few weeks after, my memory of each meal's ingredients may not be perfect.

Part 1

Wednesday brought us back to Vincent - A Restaurant for dinner. Seating was seamless, as it was for past visits. For those of you who have not been and plan on going, be aware that Vincent is one of those rare restaurants in existence that will offer a black napkin in place of a white one if it will blends better with your clothing and doesn't leave other-colored lint. It's a slightly pretentious, slightly amusing touch that often confuses people. At any rate, our server was professional and chatty, which was nice since we had to wait a few moments for the rest of our party to arrive.

We had a 2006 Monmousseau Vouvray, one of our house favorites. For some reason it tasted better than any bottle I've ever had in a store. Perhaps it was just affected by our mood. Our server took care to keep it in an ice bucket while we waited for our party to arrive.

After the rest of our group arrived, bread arrived swiftly, along with our first course. The choices were between the Ezilda soup, or Le Grande Salad. Most in our party had the wonderful signature soup, one of our party chose the salad, and while he commented that it was one of the better salads he had ever had, he also remembered that one doesn't make friends with salad.

The second course was a choice between seared sea scallops with leeks and fingerling potatoes with an orange sauce or beef tenderloin medallions with sun-dried tomatoes, chickpea fries, and a tarragon sauce. The scallops set a standard for many of us, that is, one of our party stated that the meal had "ruined scallops" for him since any scallop thereafter would be inferior. I was also impressed with the dish as a whole, the leeks and orange sauce contrasted nicely, and the thinly sliced fingerling potatoes were a delicate balance of tenderness.

Those who had the beef course enjoyed their meals as well, however one of our party was unfortunately plagued by a tough section. They seemed very impressed by the chickpea fries also.

The third course was a choice between a cheese plate or Vincent's signature dessert, again the vanilla-bean ice cream, chocolate sauce, and Madeleine cookies. We all opted for the dessert. The man helping serve the dessert course described the dessert in the exact phrase that I would use: "simple, but wonderful."

Service throughout most of the meal was perfect, but unfortunately faltered at the end. One of our party requested coffee with dessert, and it was brought after dessert. Our server seemed a bit preoccupied with another table that had came in after us and it was difficult to get her attention for the check. Other than that hiccup, everything from the valet and coat-check at the beginning to the coat-check and valet at the end worked quite nicely. Vincent - A Restaurant is a place I wish I could go to more often.

Websites:

http://vincentarestaurant.com/index.php

http://www.mspmag.com//

The Machine Shed

Just when I thought that I'd had my fill of farm-themed family restaurants, The Machine Shed came to prove me wrong again. Filled to the brim with effigies of cows, pigs, and other foodstuffs, walls lined with toy tractors (for sale at a reasonable price) and other tourist crap, The Machine Shed does not fail to be a corny slice of Americana.

Fortunately, it also does not fail to be delicious.

The meal offered to me was a barbecue beef sandwich with swiss cheese and chips on the side, served with fried mushrooms as an appetizer.

The fried mushrooms were by far the best I have ever eaten in my life. They were not the cute little button mushrooms of your grandpa's restaurant, no sir. These were some form of much larger mushroom (a little bigger than a silver dollar around) with a flakey, greasy, wonderful breading. They oozed a little when you bit into them. They came with a tangy orange sauce that I did not use, but imagined to be good as well.

The sandwhich was alright. It was on their "homemade" freshly baked bread, but the actual barbecue beef could have come out of a make-at-home microwavable tub. The chips weren't anything special either. They weren't bad, they just didn't "wow" me. Although really, after the mushrooms I don't think they could have.

The service wasn't great either. It was slow, and the waitress seemed to have better things to do. What was most offensive, however, was that when I requested a coke the waitress raised no complaint, but when she turned to leave she muttered, "Pepsi, right?" She was already walking away without seeing if I actually confirmed this to be my drink of choice. First, it was rude of her to ask and not actually wait for a response, second, I would have rather had tea than pepsi, if they didn't have cokes. This upset me.

I imagine, were I to go back to this fairly priced family eatery, I will not have that trouble again, however.

Restaurant Week Part 1: Saffron Restaurant & Lounge, Vincent - A Restaurant (lunch), and La Belle Vie

DISCLAIMER: Since I am writing this a few weeks after, my memory of each meal's ingredients may not be perfect.

Mpls. St. Paul Magazine had their Best of the Best Restaurant Week the last week of February this year. None of my friends or I really knew what it was, but upon further reading it seemed like a good idea.

Many of the best restaurants in the area offer tasting menus for the week. Dinners are three courses and USD 30. This gives people like myself an opportunity to sample some of the best food the area has to offer without spending the usual amount it would cost to eat at such places. Lunches are also available at some restaurants.

I made reservations for four people every evening at six restaurants. As the week neared, restaurants posted their menus. Our Sunday spot, Crave, was canceled because their menu did not look particularly compelling.

The response from people I invited to participate in Restaurant Week was much greater than expected and reservations had to be quickly altered to accommodate larger parties. Reservations had initially been made using OpenTable, but modifying reservations required phone calls. La Belle Vie was the only restaurant that did not use OpenTable for the week.

Saffron Restaurant & Lounge kicked off our week. Located in downtown Minneapolis, the space is casually decorated and inviting. The moderately dim restaurant encourages relaxed conversation. Our server explained the menu well and sold us on starting with a couple of mezze dishes. Mezze at Saffron are tapas style small servings. We went with what our server said was their signature mezze, an Artichoke Tagine which was flavorful, tender, and a nice teaser. We also ordered the lamb brain, which came out more battered and fried than any of us had expected, on top of a tomato confit. The lamb brain was not nearly the adventure we were expecting, as the dominant flavor was the breading.

The first course of our meal garnered mixed responses. While it was a nice soup, I thought there was simply too much broth and not enough substance. One of our party thought the broth was just too sweet, while the other two members of our party loved it. This may be because they had decided to go with the USD 12 wine pairing for the evening. I had sips as each course came out and the pairings were absolutely perfect for each course. The soup, for those who care to know was called the "Jerusalem Artichoke" soup. It came plated in a hugely over-sized bowl, with a sweet, creamy broth under a small centerpiece of smoked salmon and wisps of fried onion. I felt that if there had been more salmon and onion it would have balanced out the sweet broth better.

The second course was easily the highlight of the night. A perfectly seasoned and cooked duck breast over a bed of saffron couscous with apricots and pistachios. Every bite of that dish was mesmerizing. It was paired with a lovely Pinot Noir that I can still recall, the nose had a hint of ripe strawberry, the body started with strawberry, moved to darker fruits, and finished with a slight hint of mushroom-like earthiness.

The final course was a coconut and almond cake with blood orange and hibiscus sorbet. The cake was fine, but nothing special, and too dense for one of our party's taste. The sorbet was an experience in of itself, sweet, tangy, and delicious.

Overall, I thought it was a good experience, but going back next year would depend on the menu. Service was a touch on the slow side, but attentive enough for a relaxed meal. What was notable was the fact that the restaurant was about a third full. Granted, it's a new restaurant and it was a Monday, but I was still surprised.

Tuesday brought me to Vincent - A Restaurant for lunch with co-workers. Vincent was offering a simple two course lunch menu for USD 10. Choices were a salad, croque monsieur with Chef Vincent's signature Ezilda soup (named after his grandmother, I think), or what I chose, which was a grilled chicken breast on top of a pancetta and pea risotto. All choices came with his signature dessert as the second course, vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate sauce and Madeleine cookies. Everyone seemed quite pleased with their meals.

The lunch was definitely worth the cold walk, and Vincent being on the corner of Nicollet Mall and 11th Street in Minneapolis gave a fine view of the city, bright in the winter sun. Service was perfect for lunch, our server explained the menu artfully, if not a bit theatrically. I told him we were in a bit of a time crunch, as we were, and he and his team accommodated with such efficiency that we were able to relax a bit after our meal before heading back to the parking ramp. Another thing to note is their two-course lunch tasting menu is usually USD 12.50, making this an excellent place for lunch any day of the week, provided you don't mind also paying for parking. This day they seemed to be doing a brisk lunch business. If I worked downtown, I'd be there for lunch at least weekly.

Tuesday evening was the meal I had most been looking forward to, at La Belle Vie. La Belle Vie moved to Minneapolis fairly recently, having been in Stillwater for a few years. The Minneapolis location is simply stunning. Service was flawless from start to finish, the initial call checked through everything a restaurant should know before someone dines with them. I was a bit put-off by the fact they weren't allowing OpenTable, but it turned out not to be a hassle making reservations at all. A team of valets attended to our vehicle and everyone we met had a warm smile on their face. The lounge was ornately appointed, a mixture of near-baroque with modern seating and a reasonably sized bar. I was surprised at how young our order-taking server looked, however she took perfect care of us and explained the menu with skill.

The scene was simply casual, beautiful, and sexy. The lighting was warm, perfect, and the space encouraged light chatter. The food was perfect, however the portions were a bit undersized - more on that later. We started with some foie gras and grilled bread. The foie gras itself had a lovely flavor to it, and was complimented by a sweet and tangy orange marmalade.

After the foie gras was an amuse-bouche of a simple, delicious cheese pastry puff. One of my companions commented that it tasted like the best Cheez-It ever. The first course was a piece of poached turbot with tarragon on top of a small bed of greens, topped with lobster and trout roe. The fish itself was perfect, mild, with a lovely texture. The roe added a fine amount of flavor and salt. The second course was a fantastic Taleggio stuffed Agnolotti, plated with beets and a hazelnut emulsion. The highlight of the plate though was a line of fifteen year old balsamic vinegar. I can't quite describe what it tasted like, other than perfection.

The third and final course for the night was a medallion of grilled beef tendorloin on a celeryroot fondue, with beech mushrooms and a crispy veal sweetbread. Everything about it was perfect. No one in our party had ever had sweetbreads before, and it was an experience I'd gladly repeat. The server who brought each course explained each dish with great passion and enthusiasm that was at the same time amusing while piquing interest in each plate.

I was disappointed in La Belle Vie's treatment of restaurant week. While every plate was perfectly executed and wonderful, they had simply taken their five course restaurant menu and chopped two courses off. Every other restaurant we went to that week had well thought out menus and the meals were reasonably satisfying in size. I am not one that equates quality with portion size, but leaving La Belle Vie, I was not only not full, but still hungry. Going back next year will depend on the menu, and with the knowledge that extra courses may need to be tacked on. All of that said, the atmosphere and the unparalleled service will probably convince me to go back next year.

Websites:

http://www.mspmag.com//

http://www.saffronmpls.com/

http://www.vincentarestaurant.com/

http://www.labellevie.us/

Vincent, a Restaurant

What, you mean I have to dress up to go to this place? It is bad enough that they even require me to wear clothing at all, much less dress clothes! I mean, "I" am paying "them" for services, not the other way around.

I'm never going back here.

Is that chocolate?

All is forgiven.

Thoughts I have had at Vincent.


The restaurant was quiet and tastefully appointed, the staff was professional while at the same time being warm and pleasant. The food was very good, if'n you don't mind the portions being very small. I left the restaurant feeling pleasantly fed, but I was also tempted to visit a nearby Famous Dave's afterwards so that I would feel genuinely full. I hear this is how rich people eat "all the time." I wonder why so many of them are fat. The only reason I did not go to the aforesaid barbecue joint of note is that I ate about three loaves of bread through the course of the meal.

This brings me to my next comment. The meal took an incredibly long time, and this fact allowed me to consume that much of the free bread. There were long pauses of service in between each course, which gave me plenty of time to do things I am not usually accustomed to doing when eating a meal. Things like speaking and making eye contact. It was unnerving. Again, I have been informed that this is what rich people often do, but for me, it was boring. Perhaps if the meal was going to be the one source of entertainment for the night it would be preferable, but I for one would have rather been served a bit more briskly.

Anyway, perhaps the greatest part of the meal for me was dessert, which was two scoops of vanilla ice cream topped with molten chocolate with little puffy cookies on the side. What made this memorable to me was that a well-dressed gentleman came around the table and poured the chocolate from a little pot to your liking. The ice cream was served in what was basically a coffee cup, so I quipped, "Just top it off, I'll find the ice cream later." To my surprise, he did, or would have if I hadn't stopped him. Either way the chocolate was level and the ice cream was nowhere to be found without some excavation on my part.

This place is awesome.

Bigi Est! Est!! Est!!! Di Montefiascone Secco

This is a wine that holds a special place in my heart. In the middle of Umbria in the heart of Italy lies a little town called Orvieto. Orvieto has many stories of great and miraculous things that have happened in it. St. Thomas Aquinas preached many of his sermons in its Duomo, A Eucharistic miracle even took place here. Another one of its notable characteristics is its wine. This region and this town are known wide and far for having (arguably) the best white wine in the world. So upon my trip to Italy last year, and a brief day stop in Orvieto, I purchased one of the most famous and longest lived wines of the Umbrian region. Truly, it was a magnificent wine, and since drinking that bottle with some friends in Florence, I have been dying to try some again.

I had that pleasure just a few days ago. A friend had just returned from Italy, and she brought some Est! Est!! Est!!! with her.

Est! Est!! Est!!! has a wonderful story behind it. This particular version is courtesy of The Wine Buyer.

Around 1100 A.D., Bishop Fugger was traveling from Germany to Rome for the coronation of Henry V. The Bishop sent his quartermaster ahead to scout out inns that had good food and wine. He would write “Est!” (Latin for "This is it!") on the walls of the best inns. He was so impressed with Montefiascone that he wrote Est!Est!!Est!!! on the wall of an inn there. Needless to say, the Bishop agreed and never made it to the coronation. He spent the rest of his life in Montefiascone. Local inhabitants, on the anniversary of the Bishop's death, pour a cask of Est! Est!! Est!!! on his grave in celebration of the notoriety he brought to their wine.

The company, Bigi, is based in Orvieto, but their vines for this particular wine are from Montefiascone. Est! Est!! Est!!! Secco is a Malvasia Trebbiano varietal mix with perfect balance. The color is reminiscent of a honeyed wine, something one would expect of a sweet desert wine, but a sugary wine this is not. The nose is a mix of ripe berries and spring flowers, with overarching notes of jam and oak.

The body is something on which to linger. Expressive grapes mixed with medium amounts of oak make for a truly unique experience. The nose does not belie the body, the jam and flowery notes make themselves present toward the back of the tongue. Another interesting feature is that the wine has a slight bubbliness about it, biting slightly but very pleasantly. A carbonated wine this is not, rather the mixture of flavors coming together create this wonderful effect from a still wine. The wine finishes subtly, quickly, and rather than a disappointment at its departure, it leaves one with a desire for more. A desire in my case, that has lasted over a year.

In all, I am in love with this wine, and at 7.99 a bottle, I challenge you to find a better white wine for under $100.

I leave you with an image I took while visiting Orvieto in January 2007.Ah Italia, que bella.

Brasa Premium Rotisserie

Anyone who spends time in the Twin Cities knows that Northeast Minneapolis just isn't generally the nicest of places. This is life. Gunslinger would like to tell you it is a perfectly fine place to drop one's pants wherever one wants to, however this is not true.

That said, I have a few friends who live in the area so I end up spending time there whether I really want to or not. I've passed by Brasa many times, one of my usual dining companions and I have spoken of going there a few times, it just never happened.

I am glad we went and will be making future trips back. Brasa has a ridiculously inadequate parking lot, but there is plenty of nearby street parking available. The outside is reminiscent of the things it once was (reportedly a gas station/biker bar) by shape, but that is where the similarities end. The inside will remind one of Chipotle - bright, minimal, yet comfortable enough for a casual meal.

The menu is quite simple. One can order various quantities of locally, sustainably raised chicken or pork. There are various sides, and there are some simple combination options. Since this was our first visit, the three of us had a whole chicken and a few sides.

It was far too much food for us, but we tried to eat it all because it was lovely. The chicken was perfectly cooked, the right balance of moisture, very little fat, and crispy skin. The side of the day was a barley rice with vegetables and curry. We were given a sample of it and immediately decided to get more. We also had cheese grits, crispy yuca, and their creamed corn bread. I can't express enough how simply and perfectly prepared everything was. Our meals were washed down with fresh squeezed lemonade. For those who desire proper drinks, Brasa has a very carefully selected wine and beer selection.

The prices were more than fair given the goodness and quantities. We had enough to comfortably feed 5 people for less than USD 50, even after a generous tip to our perfect server.

It is also important to note that Brasa is able to offer this fantastic fare at good prices while making sure that the food is all-natural/organic, fair, and sustainable.

The restaurant itself was quite busy, which is good to see because we plan on going to Brasa relatively regularly.

Website: http://brasa.us/

India Palace

Having just obtained scriptures for the Bodhisattva, we were quite famished, and although I had transcended the need for the pleasures of food I thought a treat may have been in order. Seeing an Indian food restaurant nearby, my companion lowered us down upon his mystic cloud that we might dine. "India Palace!" My excitable companion exclaimed, "Truly a place for the likes of us!"

This place was neither a palace nor India. These are two incongruities that made me wonder if we'd been had. There was a light facade of Indianess cluttering the walls. Decorative wood panels covered the windows and various paintings describing what I can only imagine as traditional Indian pastimes and poses covered otherwise unimaginative walls. The architecture, if stripped bare of its decoration would suggest the site was a Perkins reincarnated as an ethnic food restaurant. This seam in the appearance would cause an uncomfortable incongruity in people who notice and care about that sort of thing.

I didn't.

The server had a certain ineptitude that suggested he achieved his position through family or ethnicity rather than any skill or desire to be a waiter. For example, when my companion asked what the waiter would recommend the waiter said, "Take all the time you need." He then departed promptly. Also, several times he attempted to place dishes on the table without removing used plates. This was problematic, as the table was not large enough to accommodate both.

The food was good. All of it was very mildly spiced, but what it lacked in robust flavor it made up for in complexity and delightful subtlety. The appetizers were all fried, featuring potatoes, peas, cheese, and breaded meat. All were very good. The main dishes were slightly more complex, although my companion's looked like, in his words, "Goose shit." (It was meat in a stewed spinach, I could not disagree with his assessment.)

One disappointment with the flavor is that although we had asked for "Hot" level spiciness, barely any heat presented itself. I guess they figured we were foolish Minnesotans who don't know how to handle themselves.

Nothing was spectacular, but it was good and presumably authentic. I'm not sure if I would bother again.

My companion did have one question which still haunts me-

"Why do they serve beef?"

Harry Singh's Original Caribbean Restaurant

The Twin Cities area is filled with grossly under-appreciated, truly authentic ethnic restaurants serving up perfect food, albeit in run-down, dingy looking spaces. Harry Singh's Original Caribbean Restaurant is another one.

I've been to Harry Singh's twice, and both times have spent some time afterwards in pain. This is a good thing.

As stated, the space is small and really not very nice looking. There is not a double door where there should be one, so every time the door is opened cold winter air rushes in and freezes all the patrons who are otherwise sweating due to the heat of the food. The wall on one side is a large mural of Minneapolis which then flows into some sort of country scene. The other wall has two smaller murals with pictures, newspaper articles, and well-deserved awards beside. The tables are glass topped with menus placed beneath the glass. The chairs look like they might have came from the overflow seating of a church.

The food and the feel make it all worth it. Robyn makes sure everyone has plenty of water and is friendly, making everyone feel at home. Harry comes out on occasion and is very gracious and appreciative of all customers. He also gently pokes fun at people who challenge how spicy he can make a meal.

Yes, the food, the main reason why I will keep going back to Harry Singh's. The food inspires masochism to an unparalleled level. Food can be ordered to whatever spice level a person wants, except the jerk dishes, which simply cannot come mild. Follow this guideline: order your food average. Harry makes and bottles a homemade sauce with which you can add spice if desired.

The menu is intimidating until Robyn explains the menu items and/or you look at the large sign in front of the kitchen window explaining what "Roti" is. I'm not going to explain it, other than it is delicious and should be the first thing you try when you go there. Most people will be able to share one and leave moderately full. I finish them in one sitting because they are delicious. There are a few homemade drinks which are all unique to the city and wonderful in their own ways.

Harry also makes some rice dishes which are incredibly good and very colorful, with various protein options. Taye Povs ordered one of these and requested it be made as spicy hot as possible. Robyn looked at me, and asked "really?" I affirmed Taye's request and chuckled as I ordered an average spice Roti with a bottle of hot sauce.

Taye challenged Harry, and Harry kicked Taye around the block for the next few days. I took one bite of Taye's meal and did not feel good until later the next afternoon. This is where the masochism comes in though. Harry's meals are not just straight heat, one can still taste the wonderful flavors, so one keeps going.

This is the part where I implore you to support genuine food made by people who really want to deliver a proper ethnic meal. So, go to Harry Singh's.

Website: http://www.harrysinghs.com/