March 30, 2008 - April 5, 2008

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Your Pathway to Pizza

Filed under: Food

If you're plugged into the local blog scene, you probably already know that Aaron Landry blogs about pizza with an almost frenzied dedication. And you probably already know that Ed Kohler (of The Deets) is one of the most juiced-in dudes within several adjoining counties. But did you know that Kohler has assembled a Google map of Landry's pizza investigations?

Posted by James Norton at April 3, 2008 7:35 PM | Comments (1)

 

Musical Chefs

Filed under: Restaurants

A few updates, in case you're wondering whatever happened to...

-Peter Botcher, who did impressive work at Restaurant Levain and Barbette, has returned to the kitchen of his former mentor, Vincent Francoul, so I'm expecting great things of the spring menu at Vincent.
-Eric Sturtz, formerly chef of Cafe Levain, moved to Duluth and is now cooking at the New Scenic Cafe. Adam Vickerman was promoted as his replacement and has started sourcing more local ingredients and offering Sunday night prix-fixe dinners.

-Justin Frederick, formerly of Grand Cafe is now with Saul Chavez at Masa. Jon Radle came over from Corner Table to head the kitchen and the cafe is now offering tasting menus (call ahead to request) to showcase his talents.
-Greg Westergreen of Clancey's Meat & Fish has returned to cooking at the Nicollet Island Inn.
-David Vlach, who wowed us at the Town Talk Diner, handed the reins to his sous chef, Tor Westgard, and just left for a year in Spain--hopefully he’ll be back.

Posted by Rachel Hutton at April 3, 2008 12:32 PM | Comments (1)

 

Kitchenwarez: Poachpods

Filed under: Gadgets

Unless you're a fan of homemade Eggs Benedict, poached eggs may not be a big part of your kitchen routine. The ins and outs of Hollandaise aside, Eggs Benedict are somewhat fussy breakfast option that can bring a load of class to Easter or New Year's brunches, or that romantic morning-after detox session with a newly made acquaintance.

Although the sauce is the linchpin, the eggs aren't exactly a slam dunk. Poached eggs can go wrong in a number of ways; if the water is at too hard a boil and/or you put the eggs in too quickly, you get a veritable jellyfish of cooked egg white that becomes a drippy mess when you finally haul it ashore with a slotted spoon.

At $10.99 for a set of two at Kitchen Window, the Poachpod offers a relatively ingenious way to make foolproof poached eggs. Each Poachpod is a little silicone bucket that floats partially submerged on the water, cradling an egg. The silicone is thin enough to let heat through to cook the egg, but it slows down the cooking time; poached eggs take about 5 minutes, as opposed to under 2 by the conventional method.

The up side is a less damp, evenly formed, always elegant egg. Cleanup is reduced from an egg-coated pot and slotted spoon to simply a little, easily scrubbed silicone pocket.

Not only do these things make Eggs Benedict easier to execute, they put poached eggs — which are swell on top of toast, for starters — into your regular morning rotation. Is that worth $11? That all depends on your lifestyle, actual and/or desired.

Posted by James Norton at April 3, 2008 9:01 AM | Comments (0)

 

Splendid Table at the Fitz

Filed under: Events

Lynne Rossetto Kasper is going Garrison on us: This Thursday she's staging a public taping of her radio show, The Splendid Table, at the Fitzgerald Theater. The event is intended to promote Kasper's new book, How to Eat Supper, co-authored with producer, Sally Swift, which goes on sale April 8th. Kasper will be joined by Road Food correspondents Jane and Michael Stern and Chris Kimball (Cook's Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen) will play Stump the Cook with an audience member via the phone. If you're a fan of the show, this one's not to be missed--an MPR press release promises "Ms. Kasper's signature brio."

WHEN: 7 p.m. this Thursday, April 3
WHERE: Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange Street, St. Paul
TICKETS: $15 (MPR members receive a discount). Contact the Fitzgerald Theater box office at 651-290-1221 or visit www.fitzgeraldtheater.org.

Posted by Rachel Hutton at April 1, 2008 11:11 AM | Comments (0)

 

Sunday Night Pot Roast at Pittsburgh Blue

Filed under: Food

Sunday nights can be slow in the restaurant business, so it's not a bad time to play around and try out some recurring, customer-building, weekly specials.

Few places in the area have approached the dead zone/opportunity with as much smarts and moxie as Pittsburgh Blue, the relatively new Parasole property out in Maple Grove.

For $8.95 — an amount fractional in terms of the restaurant's other offerings — you can get a share of a table-sized helping of old-school pot roast (two people are needed for a minimum order, and it scales up as needed). It's not much more than a humble cut of beef stewed until forkably tender and served up with carrots, potatoes and small (possibly Bermuda?) onions.

Covered in pan gravy, impeccably seasoned, lip-smackingly moist and flavorful; this is old-school home cooking, available, surprisingly and affordably, at an upscale concept restaurant. The craziest thing is that while the name suggests a load of heavy food, the actual portion sizes are modest and reasonable. The stuff sticks to your ribs, but doesn't bust a gut.

Posted by James Norton at March 31, 2008 10:05 PM | Comments (1)

 

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