Food Find: Chile Chutney

We are just back from vacation, and this must be said...the Twin Cities has got it goin' on. Yep. I really did say that after a week in San Diego. Call me crazy.


One of the things we've got is Cafe Nepal's amazing Chile Chutney. Now, you may have had her Momos at Mill City Market, but you MUST try the Chile Chutney. It has been the favorite thing in my fridge for the last year. I make sure to always keep it on hand to spice things up. It has a nice heat, and the 'Himalayan Spices' give it a flavor that is downright addictive. Confession: my new obsession is mixing it with Donnay goat cheese for a zesty little spread.


Rashmi, the owner of Cafe Nepal, is also a partner in the new Gorkha Palace. Her momos are on the menu with more varieties than are on offer at the farmer's market, as well as some truly unique dishes. Yak, anyone? I especially like the Potato + Egg Curry, and the Pakoras should not be missed.


Now, I am just waiting for that delicious chutney to show up at the tables! For now, I'll have to get my supply from Mill City Market...but I don' think I'll have to wait too long.

Napa Not-So-Photo Journal

Well, hello! In case you missed it, ahem, I just returned from Napa Valley by way of Sacramento for a little Girls' Weekend. Despite some rainy weather, I was still happy to have temps in the 50's. That's springtime here in Minnesota!! Here's a few of the high (and low) lights.....

Schramsberg Vineyard

The pictures were taken inside a cave with an iPhone. I need say no more.

What a wonderful tour + tasting! The caves are some of the oldest in Napa, and the method for making sparkling wine is much different, and labor intensive, than still wine.

The walls of the cave are lined with bottles

That's au naturale lichen hanging from the ceiling

And finally, the exquisite tasting....

If you have to opportunity, try their Blanc de Blanc (tart + apple) or Blanc de Noir (light blackberry + pear) sparkling wines. Both gorgeous!

Del Dotto Vineyards

Alas, my camera died at the next winery, so no photos of Del Dotto. The barrel tasting was very interesting and plentiful. The wine, superb. However, the whole 'theme park'-iness of Del Dotto would probably prevent me from going back.

Picture gobs of imported Italian marble + mosaics, opera music blaring, and an incongruous disco ball in the over-the-top Venetian tasting room. Overload.

Now, picture the brick lined caves with a small group clustered around oak barrels, sipping and listening intently to the uber-handsome Luis. Much more my style. ;-) By the way, one of the more interesting facts we picked up? A barrel made from a combination of Missouri Oak + French Oak is called a .... MOFO. Yup.

Bouchon

Now, I have to mention the most deflating moment of the whole trip. Bouchon. Wow. I had high expectations (who doesn't when you go to a Thomas Keller restaurant?), but I was majorly underwhelmed. The service was excellent, the presentation beautiful. The food? Eh. That's about the best thing I can say. We did decide to give dessert a chance, and the bouchons were terrific, as were the complimentary profiteroles the chef sent out. The manager was fantastic, and apologized for our meal. All-in-all, I would say that it was an itch that's been scratched... and I won't be hurrying back.

Oxbow Public Market

Our last day in Napa, we spent browsing Oxbow Public Market. Lots of great gems there!

A special thanks to Jennifer at Tillerman's Tea Shop for her suggestions and insight into Napa Restaurants! After our disappointment at Bouchon, we weren't sure we wanted to try Ubuntu or eat at the Market. Supposedly, Ubuntu is having some serious problemos in the kitchen, so we stayed at the Market. Good move!

Food Find: Atlas of Ethical Eating

HeavyTable.com has just released its Atlas of Ethical Eating, a guide to eating + shopping at establishments in the Twin Cities that participate in ethical practices for food. What are the guidelines? In broad terms, the welfare of animals (grass fed, pasture-raised, no hormones), a living wage for employees, and reducing their environmental impact in a variety of ways.

The Atlas is in its infancy, but we look forward to watching it fill up with folks that we will be visiting. Tastebud is thrilled to be included in this list as a caterer with ethical practices. Thanks for taking on this task, Heavy Table! As so many have your commenters have suggested.... when will we get an iPhone app?

Visit HeavyTable.com to view the Atlas for Ethical Eating!

Food Find: Silverwood Park Grand Opening

Well, helloooo! It feels like forever since I've written for the ol' blog. My apologies. Work has been so busy (that's a good thing!), that I have barely had time to do much else.


BUT, I did want to let everyone know about a great new Food Find. Silverwood Park, located on beautiful Silver Lake in St. Anthony, is having their Grand Opening this weekend. What's food got to do with a park? Plenty....


Silverwood is a sustainable park focusing on art + nature, and they are doing something significant with their Coffee Shop. Silverwood is comitted to serving local, sustainable food to their visitors. Local, sustainable, tasty, healthy food. What?!?? Of course, I am a little biased as they have contracted with me and some fellow Kitchen in the Market folks to provide this food. They even have fair trade coffee + tea, so you can go to the park and truly have a great dining experience while you gaze out on Silver Lake. I reently got a cup of their Moroccan Mint green tea, sat in a rocker ont he porch and felt like I was transported to a cabin up North. Really. Relaxing.


Our friends over at the Chef Shack will be there tomorrow serving up even more tasty eats, as well as lots of local artisans and such. If the weather holds, it will be a great day to be at the Park. If you simply can't make it, be sure to give it a go soon. You'll love it!


Here's the details....


http://simplegoodandtasty.com/events/silverwood-park-grand-opening-celebration

Food Find: La Belle Crepe

Nestled in the lower floor of the Medical Arts Building in Downtown Minneapolis, right next to Zelo, is the epitome of the adage 'good things come in small packages'. La Belle Crepe is a gem of restaurant offering 'healthy fast food'. The owner, Alain Lenne, has an extensive background in fine dining and hails from France...which explains the ease with which he works the crowd.

The crepes are divine! I enjoyed a Smoked Salmon Crepe on a recent visit. With smoked salmon and capers, I was a little concerned it may be too salty, but Alain pairs it with goat cheese, fennel and a little apple that brightens up the whole taste. By the time he came around the crowded patio to check on me, my plate was clean. I didn't lick it, but I thought about it.

During the warm months, La Belle Crepe has sidewalk seating which makes for a great bistro setting and fantastic people watching along Nicollet Mall. The restaurant itself is a tiny, slip of a walk-up more suited for take-out in the winter months. They do have a bar for eating inside, but it quickly becomes crowded. My favorite thing about visiting in winter, though, is the sidewalk window where you can watch them make crepes through the steam. It warms me right up, and then I go in for a dessert crepe and coffee. Truly heavenly.

If you haven't visited, do. You won't be disaapointed. Just make sure to visit in both summer AND winter to get the full effect.

La Belle Crepe
825 Nicollet Mall #100
Minneapolis, MN
55402

Food Find: Stabby's Cafe

Okay. So we are pretty excited to have a new neighborhood joint. Especially excited that they serve breakfast all day (open until 3PM), the portions are huge, and it is very kid friendly. What's not to like?

I also have to admit that my two forays to Stabby's Cafe have only included sampling breakfast items. I'm a breakfast gal. Eggs anytime of the day. So, while I have not comprehensively tasted their menu, I can give you a few observations....

1) Their omelets are good and HUGE. Great bang for your buck. They also have as much meat and terrific veggie options you could want.

2) Their gingerbread pancakes rock and are HUGE. Really, really good pancakes. However, I recommend trying the gingerbread sans banana. It lost a little something for me.

3) The kids meals are HUGE. you could totally split this between 2 kids. Or perhaps, order yourself an omelet and snag some of your kid's pancakes. Not that we would ever do that.

4) The burgers looked great and HUGE. Lots o' folks were ordering the burgers and seemed pretty darn happy.

5) Stabby's specialty is something called a Flint Style Coney Island. I am not a hot dog fan, and therefore have not tried it. But, it really doesn't matter because I'm happy to have omelets, hashbrowns and pancakes in my 'hood at a reasonable price. Oh, and good coffee. Very important.

Stabby's Cafe
corner of 42nd Street and Cedar Ave
South Minneapolis

Food Find: EcoMetro

For those without an iPhone (darn it!) and none of those fancy apps, there is a cool local site that offers a bevy of information on green, sustainable topics.

EcoMetro is offered for several cities across the nation, and their Twin Cities site has a feature to find Local, Organic Food near you! Just plug in your zip, mileage radius and viola! You have alist of local places with great food to patronize for that impromtu lunch. They also offer online coupons, gardening advice, product reviews, just about everything. Check them out...

Dine Out For Life

Today only! Dine out at participating locally owned restaurants and a portion of the proceeds goes to support The Aliveness Project.

List of Participating Restaurants

The Aliveness Project

Food Find: Egg Salad

Have you ever heard egg salad described as light? Well, brace yourself. I've found one! On a tip from a neighbor, I sauntered over to Fireroast Mountain Cafe in the Longfellow neighborhood of South Minnie. She had praised their Dilled Egg Salad Sandwich and since I value her foodie sense, I knew she wouldn't steer me wrong. I also found out it is one of the most popular menu items. Loads of fresh dill gives their egg salad a light, springy favor. Served up on whole grain bread that has a touch of sweetness, it is the perfect Spring lunch. And, their location is so close to light rail and the bike trails that you could easily work off the egg salad by getting there under human power. If you like egg salad, I urge you to give it a try. They also have an eclectic menu of burritos, tamales and coffee fare... all made in house with local, organic ingredients!

Fireroast Mountain Cafe
3800 37th Ave. South
Minneapolis, MN 55406
612.724.9895

Food Find: 1st Cup Cafe

I recently met the owner of 1st Cup Cafe, an Ethiopean coffee house in South Minneapolis, and he was telling me about their homemade chai. Well, being such a tea drinker I just had to give it a try, which is what I did this morning. And I have to say, the chai is excellent. Quite a find, actually, Bright with cardamom and sweetended with milk it was just what I needed. Definitely worth a visit.

Located in South Minneapolis off of Minnehaha Ave. between Cub Foods + Target.

(612) 735-8801
2740 Hiawatha Ave

Minneapolis, MN 55407

La Belle Crepe

My promise to introduce you to La Belle Crepe was briefly interrupted by getting macarooned, but today I make good!

Mon amie and I visited La Belle Crepe for something sweet after our Barrio lunch last week. We had long been desiring to sample their crepes, and the opportunity finally presented itself. And oh, what a crepe! Le Belle Crepe is a charming little creperie tucked into the Medical Arts Building on Nicollet Mall downtown. Created by Alain Lenne, it is a perfect way to transport yourself to Paris on a budget. The menu offers crepes sweet and savory, all in the $2-7 range. Oh, and breakfast crepes are served all day! We shared the banana crepe with Nutella, and it was the perfect ending to our little lunch date.

Perhaps the best feature is the large window facing the Mall,where you can watch them make fresh crepes to order. The window steams up seductively, beckoning you to enter this little slice of heaven. Give in.

Coconut Macaroon = Love

OMG.
Go to the Salty Tart at the Midtown Global Market.
Order a coconut macaroon.
Swoon.
Seriously.

Lunch on the Mall

In honor of Restaurant Week, my good friend Kimmie + I journeyed to Nicollet Mall downtown to partake of the offerings at Barrio,the groovy tequila bar that opened last Fall. With a mix of Small Plates, Tacos and Larger plates, there is something to appeal to everyone. The tequila menu is extensive, but (sigh), we did not partake since we both had to return to work. The made to order guac was very good, but it was the chips we couldn't keep our hands off of! They dust them with some yummy spices (cumin + chili powder?) to give them a kick all on their own. My shrimp taco was decent and Kim's Crab Soup was tasty... but needed lots of lime to cover-up the 'fishy' taste.

While we weren't blown away, I'm planning to try again when I can take advantage of the tequila and compadre (chaser for your tequila) offerings. The small plates are perfect for happy hour noshing.

Now, the really special treat was venturing just down the street to La Belle Crepe! I'll tell you all about that tomorrow. It deserves it's own space. :-)

Cheeky Monkey

While not participating in Restaurant Week, the new Cheeky Monkey Deli is worth a visit..soon!
Located on Selby Ave in St. Paul, the Cheeky Monkey provides tasty sandwiches ($10 and under) and imaginative sides to please any palate. My visit was with a friend who has impeccable taste... and a 3 year old. We sampled the Pressed Cuban (with awesome cumin pork), Mushroom Ciabatta Sandwich and the 'Little Monkey' meal, all of which was met with enthusiasm and a promise to be back for more. The casual swanky (cas-swank?) atmosphere appeals to everyone from St. Paul politicos to families with little tykes. Try to score a spot near the fireplace, and pay attention to the artwork. Cheeky monkeys are everywhere. :-)

Cheeky Monkey Deli
525 Selby Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55102
T: 651.224.6066

Restaurant Week March 1-6

In case you didn't know, it is officially Restaurant Week in the Twin Cities! Lunches and Dinners for $10, $20 or $30 at some of the hot spots.

Click here to get the scoop on the offerings around both towns...