The Rake: Breaking Bread

Papa's Pizza: Classic Italian-American

Jeremy Iggers — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:21:11 -0500

My recent posting about Sauced, the new neighborhood bistro in north Minneapolis brought some enthusiastic comments from neighbors, and a slightly disgruntled note from Mick Brogan, owner of the nearby Papa's Pizza & Pasta.

Southern Swing: Gastronomic Gems in Rochester and Decorah

Jeremy Iggers — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:26:36 -0500

Carol and I got really lucky last night. We were on our way back to the Cities from visiting her folks on the farm, not too far from Decorah, when we decided to stop for dinner in Rochester. I wanted to check out Söntés, the new tapas bar and restaurant at 4 3rd St. SW, 507-292-1628. The lucky part was, ordinarily, Söntés isn’t open on Sundays, but they made an exception for Mothers Day. And the food itself was really delightful. We had been

Mother's Day: A Stupid, Manipulative Holiday

Ann Bauer — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:10:12 -0500

I think we're all in agreement (aren't we?) that Mother's Day as it is currently practiced is by far the most commercial, needlessly costly, guilt-induding holiday of all time. For years, I've insisted it was begun by a consortium of greedy florists and greeting card manufacturers, and I've told my children. . . .please. . . .never to observe it.

Acadia Cafe: Shades of the New Riv

Jeremy Iggers — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:23:33 -0500

I felt a twinge of nostalgia the other night when I stopped in for a bite at the Acadia Café, which recently moved from Franklin and Nicollet to Cedar and Riverside. Back in my college days – and for many years after, the space was home to the New Riverside Café, run by an anarchist collective. In the early years, there were no fixed prices – you were supposed to "Eat what you need, pay what you can afford." A sign invited

Take to the Streets

Ann Bauer — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:01:05 -0500

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.

Jade: What's a Critic to Do?

Jeremy Iggers — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:38:50 -0500

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

Get Sauced! A Northside Discovery

Jeremy Iggers — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:59:05 -0500

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

Himalayan. . . .Just Go Already!

Ann Bauer — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:38:34 -0500

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.)

Callaloo and Churrasco: Adventures on 38th St.

Jeremy Iggers — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:39:27 -0500

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.

More Fesenjoon. No Sex.

Ann Bauer — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:04:21 -0500

Back in January, I submitted a blog called Sex and the Fat Man that was about my forthcoming novel in which a large hero has a lot of quality sex and fesenjoon -- the dish over which he and the lady with whom he has all that great sex fall in love.

Heures Joyeuses Chez Vincent

Jeremy Iggers — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:47:47 -0500

I bellied up to the bar at Vincent A Restaurant yesterday evening, and started to dig into what has to rate as the best happy hour deal in town: tap beers and wines by the glass for $3, appetizers for $3.50-$4, and the Vincent burger, stuffed with braised short rib for $8 (regularly $12.75). The happy hour, or heures joyeuses, runs Monday to Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Fallen Temple, Rising Prices

Jeremy Iggers — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:26:45 -0500

Even body sushi couldn't save Temple. I can't say I was really surprised by today's news, reported by WCCO, that Temple Restaurant and Bar has closed - it's a tough market these days. I only made it to Tom Pham's Asian Fusion restaurant a couple of times in the one-and-a-half years that it was open, but I found it gastronomically

Dining Out for Life, and Other Worthy Causes (Updated)

Jeremy Iggers — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:02:39 -0500

Whether your cause is landmine removal in Afghanistan, or supporting people living with HIV/AIDS, there are lots of opportunities in the next week or so to dine well and do good, all at the same time.

Whole Foods Has One Word for You: Paper

Ann Bauer — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:07:32 -0500

Starting this Earth Day — April 20 — you will no longer have the choice of paper or plastic at Whole Foods. It'll be paper, unless you're one of those too-good-to-be-true types who can remember to bring your own reusable string bag. Yes, the world's largest natural foods retailer, which operates nearly 300 stores in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, is doing away with plastic entirely.

Joan Ida: From Hong Kong to Forest Lake

Jeremy Iggers — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:27:45 -0500

Joan Ida, former pastry chef at Goodfellows, and more recently executive chef at Tria in North Oaks, is back in the area after a year of opening Western restaurants in Hong Kong — and about to open a new restaurant in Forest Lake. "It was a great experience," reports Ida. "I got to travel and see all of Asia."

Get Corked for a Cause at FireLake

Ann Bauer — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:07:42 -0500

Let's face it. The economy sucks.

Doesn't matter who you are these days, you're feeling the squeeze. Soaring gas prices, plummeting real estate values, low returns on your mutual funds. So what do you do? You cut out the non-essentials: fine wine, fancy dinners, charitable giving. After all, who has the money to go out to eat or worry about starving children when there are April heat and snow removal bills to pay?

The answer is: You do, at FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar. Tomorrow night.

Namaste Cafe: A Cut Above

Jeremy Iggers — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:35:01 -0500

It sounds like the Namaste Café might have an image problem. A couple of days ago, I emailed a friend and invited her to meet me for Happy Hour at the Nepalese/Indian restaurant and tea house at 2512 Hennepin Ave. S.

"I have never even noticed Namaste," she replied. "They have wine?? It sounds so — vegan?"

Heather Jansz: Still Spicy After All These Years

Jeremy Iggers — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:41:38 -0500

photo by Tom McConnell

Going Wilde

Ann Bauer — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:20:31 -0500

I have to admit, when Wilde Roast Cafe first opened its doors back in 2004, I was a little underwhelmed.

It was, for one thing, hidden -- at the tail end of the "working" segment of East Hennepin, and turned sideways so it was hard to spot. Inside, it was quaint and roomy, with a fireplace and Victorian-style furnishings, plus high tables and Wi-Fi and monstrous desserts. But I just couldn't figure out what it was.

Guess Who's Cooking at the James Beard House

Jeremy Iggers — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 08:18:43 -0500

Guess which local chef is going to be cooking at the James Beard House in New York City in May?

Scott McKee of La Belle Vie?

Nope. Been there, done that.

Doug Flicker of Mission American Kitchen.

Nope.

Give up? It's Christian Ticarro.

Christian who?

The Next Best Thing to Breast

Ann Bauer — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:28:14 -0500

Back in the late 1980's, when I was weaning my oldest child and attending meetings of the breastfeeding network La Leche League, I became convinced that pasteurized milk was the root of all evil.

Hey, I was 22 years old. I'd fed my darling infant nothing but 100 percent pure breastmilk for the first 10 months of his life, and then, for another 9, only bits of organic baby food and pasture-fed meat in addition to on-demand nursings. The thought of putting antibiotic-ridden cow's milk into his perfect little body made me quail.

Mexico Rising: Indio Mexican Cuisine and La Chaya Bistro

Jeremy Iggers — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:43:42 -0500

A couple of talented Mexican-born chefs have opened new restaurants in south Minneapolis that raise the local standards for Mexican cuisine.

Is Italian Garbage Making You Sick?

Ann Bauer — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:32:20 -0500

^{Photo by the Associated Press.}

While in Italy earlier this month, my husband and I cancelled our trip to Naples and headed instead to the north from Rome.

Smyngus Dingus: Bedlam Theatre's Polish Festival

Jeremy Iggers — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:04:50 -0500

This is pretty short notice, but the Bedlam Theatre's Jim Bueche reports that today is Smyngus Dingus, a famous Polish holiday.

Rakish Dinner at Via

Jeremy Iggers — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:00:20 -0500

This Thursday, I plan to be at Via Café and Bar in Edina, along with my co-blogger and wine connoisseur Ann Bauer, for this month's Rake World Flavors dinner.

Cribbage Night at the Grand Café

Jeremy Iggers — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:41:45 -0500

I've got a great week of eating ahead of me, and I hope some of you will be able to join me.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper: Tuscan Princess and Peasant Chef

Ann Bauer — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 10:51:46 -0500

Southern Italy is full of svelte young women running around in black leather coats and exquisite, sharp-pointed shoes who eat pasta every day. I don't know how they do it.

Report from Yucatan

Jeremy Iggers — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:09:32 -0500

After a week of bouncing around the Yucatecan countryside, I have come back with an increased respect for the Mexican eateries we have right here in the Twin Cities. We ate all over the place – from thatched beachfront seafood joints in a quiet fishing village and market stalls in a small colonial town to the kinds of upscale restaurants where white-jacketed waiters prepare guacamole at tableside.

Cat-Man-Do in Saint Paul, Dancing Ganesha in Minneapolis

Jeremy Iggers — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:11:12 -0500

I was pleasantly surprised by my lunchtime visit to Cat-Man-Do, the new Nepali-Tibetan-Indian café at 1659 Grand (just west of Snelling Ave.) in Saint Paul. The menu is pretty limited, compared to most of the local Indian restaurants, with their endless variations on the theme of tandoori, masala, vindaloo and jalfrazee, but Cat-Man-Do does offer some dishes that aren't often found elsewhere.

Eating Christians

Ann Bauer — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:37:40 -0500

I have learned many things after only two days in Rome.

I have learned, for instance, that I, who think of myself as a forthright women — pushy, even — have nothing on the people here who will grab a stranger’s arm and lead her into a restaurant or insist on turning heat on in her hotel room when it is already 80 degrees.