The Rake Magazine

I'm of two minds about street food.

Personally, I find it unsatisfying. I don't like to walk and eat (too messy!), and I hate the taste of wooden sticks and skewers. Yet, there's something about a bustling city street dotted with steaming food stands and vendors that makes me happy. I'll take a stroll the crowd, even if I'm not moved to stop and nosh.

But I'm well aware there are diehard fans of hotdogs in waxed cardboard boats, streetside falafel, and chili-roasted nuts served in canny little paper cones. In fact, the great Calvin Trillin made his mark as a food writer by sniffing out the best little stands from Singapore to New York.

If you're one of Trillin's minions, you're in luck. Because not only is tomorrow (Thursday, May 8) the opening day of MOSAIC Marketplace on the Nicollet Mall, it's actually supposed to be intermittently sunny outside. And — get this — so far as anyone can tell, it isn't going to snow!

Every Thursday from 12 - 5 p.m., these local restaurants will be cooking up global fare:

Manny's Tortas
La Loma Tamales
Pham's Deli &
Holy Land

And there will be live entertainment, too. Tomorrow will be a crisp 64-degree day with a gentle northeastern breeze, plus a troupe of Celtic dancers jigging and reeling their way up and down the mall. Here's the full schedule of acts:

May 8 - St. Paul Irish Dancers
May 15 - Tapestry Folkdance
May 22 - Jawaahir Middle Eastern Dancers
May 29 - UNL Dance Squad
June 5 - Mayan Dancers

Of course, Thursday is also Farmer's Market day on Nicollet, so after you're done eating, watching, and — perhaps — dancing along, you can pick up some fresh asparagus. What could be better than that?

The question I get asked most often, (after "what's your favorite restaurant?") is "do you get recognized a lot when you review restaurants?"

The answer is, sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. When a longtime local restaurateur opens a restaurant in downtown Minneapolis, and staffs it with servers who have been on the local dining scene for ages, then the odds are pretty good that somebody is going to spot me. But if I go to a new theme restaurant in the outer burbs, my anonymity is pretty secure — the typical hostess is about 19 years old, doesn't read restaurant reviews, and wouldn't recognize my name if I handed her a business card.

Ditto most ethnic restaurants.

I suppose it has gotten a little easier to spot me now that The Rake runs a line drawing of me on this blog (see above), but if you had to pick me out of a police lineup, I don't think the picture would be much help. (I'm the guy on the right.)

I used to think that anonymity is really important, but the longer I stay in the restaurant reviewing business, the less convinced I am. There is at least a trade-off involved. On the one hand, when I am anonymous, I don't get any special treatment, but on the other hand, when chefs and restaurateurs know who I am, I sometimes find out stuff that gives me a better sense of what the restaurant has to offer.

Maybe it's more than that — often, what's really the most satisfying part of a dining experience is the human element — learning something about the people who work at the restaurant, and developing a relationship with them — and the detached "secret shopper" approach to restaurant reviewing misses out on that.

At any rate, I stopped in last night at a new ethnic eatery — Jade Asian Bar and Restaurant in the Midtown Global Market at Chicago and E. Lake St., and promptly did get spotted by owner Carl Wong. Wong is the former owner of the Seafood Palace on Nicollet, which I always used to consider one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Twin Cities. (I haven't dined there much since he sold it, so I don't know how good it is these days — if you have dined there, please let me know.) Carl's three-year non-compete agreement expired recently, and he is back in the restaurant business.

Jade — in the space briefly occupied by Chang Bang — turns out to be a nicely styled casual dining restaurant with a menu of traditional and contemporary Chinese cuisine, plus a sushi bar. The sushi bar is only open at night, and for lunch they offer a buffet (nothing particularly impressive, when I tried it.) The bar part isn't open yet, but the license has been approved, and the restaurant will start serving liquor after May 16. Live seafood tanks will also be arriving soon, and will be stocked with everything from lobster to abalone.

At any rate, my wife and I ordered a couple of items off the menu — the deep-fried stuffed seafood tofu ($9.95) and the salted fish with shredded pork and eggplant in casserole (hot pot; $10.95), plus an item on the sushi menu that I had never heard of before — "battleship sushi" — gunkan maki sushi. It turns out that's the name for a kind of sushi that I had seen before — the kind that has a collar of nori, and a filling of sea urchin, or flying fish roe, or other ingredients that need to be held in place. The sushi chef — Tony Sin Tuy — said he would make a special order for me. What arrived at our table a few minutes later was a real work of art (or two works of art, to be precise) — each a narrow band of nori wrapped around a belt of Atlantic salmon, with a filling of sushi rice topped with chopped tempura fried scallops in a spicy mayo, with tobiko roe and a pineapple soy reduction. Tuy calls it Fire & Ice ($5.50), and it is definitely worth asking for.

We had barely finished that delight when another dish arrived, unordered, at our table — a long snake of a specialty roll — a wild caterpillar, we later learned — wrapped in avocado, tuna and ripe mango, filled with spicy shrimp, flavored with Thai seasonings ($10.95). This, too was wonderful.

Then Tuy stopped over and introduced himself. He obviously knew who I was, and he told us a little about himself — he grew up in Minnesota and California, is of Thai and Chinese ancestry, and previously worked at Crave in Edina, where he learned the art of sushi from chef Tony Lam. He really tries to make sure that every specialty sushi specialty he creates is distinctive, different from who diners might get anywhere else, and he works a lof of Thai flavors into his original creations. (Hence, the Thai spices in the wild caterpillar.) I came away from the conversation genuinely impressed. This is a nice guy who takes sushi seriously. It was a conversation that I probably wouldn't have had if I had succeeded in remaining anonymous.

Then comes the other dilemma that goes hand-in-hand with being recognized: the bill arrives, and there's no charge for the sushi. I am a little torn by this because on the one hand, I don't believe in accepting free food, and on the other hand, it can get really expensive to pay for a lot of food that I didn't order, and it also can feel rude to refuse food that somebody with good intensions sends over.

So I tell the waiter that I need to pay for everything that we ate, and the waiter sends me to Carl, who says that the free sushi is from Tony, so I better take it up with him. Tony doesn't want my money, but finally agrees to accept a $10 tip — not quite what the sushi would have cost if I had ordered it off the menu, but enough to salve my conscience. And I warn him that I can't come back unless he agrees to let me pay, next time, for everything I eat.

And I do want to go back — the seafood stuffed tofu and the salted fish, pork and eggplant casserole were both delightful, and there is a lot more on the menu that I would like to try, ranging from the whole Dungeness crab ($19.95) to the barbecue pork with oysters in hotpot ($10.95).

It's in Minneapolis, it's the best restaurant for miles around, and odds are you have never even heard of it.

Sauced, a little neighborhood bistro at 2203 44^th Ave. N. (at Penn Ave.) isn't just the best restaurant in north Minneapolis; it's the only restaurant in north Minneapolis with a menu of contemporary cuisine and a real wine list. Chef John Conklin's menu ranges from spaghetti squash cakes over a red pepper coulis ($9) and seared scallops with a chamomile glaze ($11) to seared salmon with saffron risotto ($18) and grass-fed beef tenderloin over roasted red potatoes with currant demi-glace.

North Minneapolis has some charming little neighborhood cafes, like the Sunnyside, 1825 Glenwood Avenue North; and Milda's, 1720 Glenwood; and Emily's F&M Café, just down the street from Sauced at 2124 44^th Ave., but nothing nearly this ambitious.

When Carol and I stopped by for lunch yesterday, we grazed across the menu, starting with a Caesar salad ($9) and the duo of spreads - smoked salmon with tarragon and pancetta with blue cheese and roasted walnuts, and then moving on to a salad of garlic roasted vegetables with goat cheese, served over a bed of spinach with a balsamic vinaigrette ($10), and an entrée of bucatini with mushrooms, asparagus and caramelized onions in a red pepper cream sauce. We enjoyed it all - the flavors were lively and robust, but still had subtlety and nuance, like the notes of fresh tarragon in the smoked salmon spread. We really didn't have room for the roasted peach-strawberry tart ($8), but we ordered it anyway, and ate every bite.

There is a lot more on the menu that I would like to try, including the shrimp ceviche ($10) and the tarragon mussels ($11), the cold soup duo of cantaloupe peach and tomato gazpacho ($9), and the vegetarian sandwich of avocado, oven-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions and cremini mushrooms, topped with Brie and served on rosemary kalamata bread ($10). You don't have to eat fancy, though; if all you want is a burger and a beer, the menu also offers a couple of Angus beef burgers and a tuna melt, and the selection of tap beers includes Surly Bender, Fuller's ESB, and locally brewed Finnegan's.

Later yesterday afternoon, I called Conklin and asked him about his plans for the restaurant. "We are not looking at doing anything fancy," he told me. "I am not Doug Flicker (chef at Mission American Kitchen), I am not trying to do anything that has never been done before. "I am just trying to take the traditional French mentality and put to good traditional rustic food."

Conklin didn't learn French technique in France, or even at a cooking school. He learned his craft on the job, starting as a dishwasher in small-town Minnesota at the age of 12, and working his way up. He was as a line cook at a Bakers Square in Saint Cloud before going to work for Michael McKay at Gallivan's in Saint Paul; when McKay was hired to open the Sample Room in northeast, Conklin joined him as sous-chef. He credits McKay with teaching him everything he knows about cooking.

Conklin and his wife Tricia Clark, and partner Susie Gilbertsen took over the restaurant in December, but the sign above the door still says Rix, the name of the burger joint that preceded it. He had hoped to have a new sign up by April 1, Conklin told me, but there have been some unanticipated expenses.

These guys are facing an uphill climb. A lot of very good restaurants have failed in north Minneapolis over the years, from Skip's Barbecue and Lucille's Kitchen to Rick's American Café and Coconut Grove. But Conklin is an optimist. He and Tricia bought a house nearby in the Folwell neighborhood, and he is not discouraged by the abundance of For Sale signs nearby. "I see this neighborhood taking off," he told me He sees families starting to migrate across the river from Northeast and buying homes on the north side.

Wouldn't it have been a lot safer to open a place in south Minneapolis? The idea has no appeal for Conklin: "the people in south Minneapolis who can afford $180,000 - $220,000 homes have enough places down there."

Over the weekend, John and I went to a new restaurant on Franklin and 24th called simply Himalayan. To be honest, we didn't have great expectations going in.

Our experience with Tibetan and Nepali food in town has been lukewarm at best. There's Everest on Grand, which is. . . .fine. And there used to be a place on Hennepin Avenue called Tibet's Corner that had wonderful, haunting music but food that tasted strange, Americanized, ketchup-y, and bland. (It was no surprise to us when it closed.)

Last month -- while in Madison, WI, with our son -- I ate at a modest but terrific little Nepali cafe called Himal Chuli and mourned the fact that such simple, clean, authentic ethnic fare had not found its way to the Twin Cities.

Well, now it has!

Himalayan is, perhaps, the most Spartan restaurant I've been inside in my adult life. There was zero investment in creating ambiance: no beaded curtains or pewter elephants or colored lights. This is a small, white box of a room with windows on only one side. There is a buffet table next to the cash register, a smattering of booths and tables, and a single photo of Mt. Everest on the wall.

Yet, it is comfortable. We chose a booth and settled in. There was a lovely, light scent of lamb and spices coming from the kitchen. We ordered two cups of Masala Chiya (spiced tea with milk) and appetizers.

We liked the Kathmandu Momo with meat ($6 for half a dozen), which were soft and savory. But even better were the Wo: lentil pancakes with ginger and fresh cilantro (a steal at four for $4.50). These reminded me of latkes -- only meatier, with flavors from the mountains rather than the steppes.

For our main course, we shared a platter of Choyala with chicken ($11.95), a platter of grilled-to-nearly-blackened meat with peppers, onions, and herbs, and an extra-spicy order of Aaloo Cauli ($9.95): stir-fried potatoes with cauliflower and peas in a rich red sauce. Both were served steaming -- which improves a spicy meal ten-fold for me -- with white rice. It was a cold, rainy night and this meal was filling and satisfying and hot.

Ours, however, was the only table in the place. And this is tragic.

While Himalayan won't win any David Shea design awards, it's exactly what we need in this town to diversify our ethnic food offerings. It's inexpensive and family-owned, serving the simple, traditional food of a region that gets short shrift. But it's also in a location (2401 E. Franklin Avenue) that has some sort of curse over it: restaurant after restaurant has failed to make a go in that spot. Don't let this one be another casualty on the list.

Just go. Now. Shake off that Chipotle habit. Whatever you're doing, stop, put on your shoes, pick up your wallet, and drive over to Seward with a mind to eat something more interesting and support a local businessman who wants nothing more than to make you a great meal.

Or, you can call: 612-332-0880. Himalayan also does takeout.

The Twin Cities' gastronomic bio-diversity seems to be concentrated in three main hot zones: Eat Street (Nicollet Ave.), with its mix of Mexican, Chinese, Vietnamese and German eateries; Central Avenue in northeast Minneapolis, where the blend is Indian, Mexican, Ecuadorian, and Middle Eastern; and University Avenue in Saint Paul, where Vietnamese, Chinese, Cambodian, and Thai restaurants predominate.

But another hot zone seems to be emerging — in recent months, several new ethic restaurants have opened up along East 38^th St. in south Minneapolis and on nearby streets. The former Jamaica Jamaica at 3761 Bloomington Ave. S. is now home to Marla's Caribbean Cuisine. It's a sister restaurant to the original Marla's at Lake and Emerson, but with a different menu — more Caribbean fare and fewer Indian dishes — except for those that have taken root in the East Indies. Marla Jadoonanan herself is now cooking at the new restaurant, and is keeping the Lake St. store open until she can find a buyer.

Some of the new Caribbean dishes on the menu — like the Callaloo, and the salt fish and ackee — are carry-overs from another family restaurant. Marla happens to be the sister of Harry Singh, who has been dishing out Trinidad-style West Indian cuisine at Harry Singh's Original Caribbean Restaurant in various locations for the last three decades. Fans of New Orleans gumbo will love the callaloo, a savory and slimy stew of shrimp, spinach, okra, and spices. Many other favorites from Harry's menu are also featured, including Caribbean curries, Jamaican jerk, Caribbean-style fried rice and chow mein, and a big selection of roti wraps and parathas, stuffed with jerk or curried meats, fish, or vegetarian fillings

A few blocks down, the retro '50s diner at 1024 E. 38^th St. that cycled quickly through incarnations as Mary Eileen's Café and Mazzitello's Restaurant is now La Bahia Picanteria Restaurant. It's got a few tables and a tiny counter. The menu promises Spanish & Italian food, but it's really mostly Ecuadorian, with a little bit of everything else thrown in — a few spaghetti dishes, broasted chicken, buffalo chicken wings, a hamburger, and a burrito. Ecuadorian restaurants are popping up all over town — we now have Sabor Latino and Charly's Polleria in Northeast, Guayaquil and Los Andes on Lake Street. Ecuadorians make up a big part of the local restaurant workforce, or so I am told. La Bahia is small and unassuming, but the waitress and cook were friendly — and maybe a little surprised to see a non-Ecuadorian customer.

My churrasco ($10.50) was typical — a generous portion of thinly sliced grilled marinated top sirloin topped with a savory sauce of grilled onions, peppers, and carrots, accompanied by rice, seasoned French fries, two fried eggs, and half a ripe avocado. There is a lot more that I would like to try — the caldo de bolas — a stuffed plantain dumpling soup traditionally made with beef, that has an odd resemblance to matzo ball soup ($9.25); hornado (roast pork) served with mote (hominy) and llapingacho (fried mashed potatoes with cheese) ($9.25); and ceviche de camarones ($8.25) — a shrimp cocktail marinated with onions, tomatoes and lime. Weekend specials include cows foot soup, catfish soup, and morcilla a la brasa, a grilled homemade Ecuadorian sausage, stuffed with rice and veggies ($9.50).

Not too far away, at 4157 Cedar Ave. S., the former Paradise Pastry Shop is now the Lucuma Bakery & Deli, offering a unique combination of Peruvian, Colombian, and Mexican cuisine. The selection of baked goods in the pastry case looked a bit forlorn, but there is lots to explore on the menu. Breakfast options include Mexican and Peruvian tamales, or chorizo sausage with arepas (Colombian corn cakes.) I haven't tried any of the Mexican burritos, quesadillas, chimichangas, etc., but I can recommend the Peruvian seco de carne ($8.50), chunks of beef in a very savory cilantro and spinach sauce, served with steamed rice. There's lots more that sounds interesting, including the carapulcra, sundried tomatoes in a Peruvian aji salsa ($9.50), and the cau cau, a beef tripe stew with hierba buena sauce ($9.50).