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June 22, 2008 - June 28, 2008
« June 15, 2008 - June 21, 2008 | Main | June 29, 2008 - July 5, 2008 »I Can't Believe It's Not Paint Thinner Vol. 3
Filed under: I Can't Believe It's Not Paint Thinner
To many indigenous North American cultures, the Thunderbird is mythical creature, a bird of unparalleled strength. Legend had it that the bird was so powerful, its wings flapping caused the thunder. To us, it's a strong white wine that hopefully won't cause any thunder in our intestines. Its label calls it 'The American Classic.'
Jeff Guntzel: It looks like urine of a very well hydrated person.
Everybody takes a drink.
Jessica Armbruster: This is hands down the worst.
Nate Patrin: I feel like I was punched in the face with a Greyhound bus depot.
Ward Rubrecht: This is fine. It's just bad red... Er... white wine.
JG: I don't think I can have any more.
JA: I just broke my flip flop.
Ben Palosaari: I feel something weird in my head, like it's rushing into my eyeballs.
JA: Didn't they used to market this to Europeans? 'Try drinking this, fuckers!'
JG: I'm going to dump this on the sponge in the kitchen and see it makes it smell any better.
WR: You guys are pussies.
BP: The taste in your nose afterward... Like syrup or something. Don't exhale it while swallowing... It's the worst.
NP: I'll do it. (gags)
WR: you guys are fat fucking wusses. And you clearly don't have a sweet tooth.
JA: It's white so it should be paired with chicken or seafood.
NP: OK, so McNuggets or Filet-o-Fish.
WR: MMMMMMMMM
BP: You're fucked up... That is just sick... Do you want more?
WR: No.
BP: Oh, you like it, but you don't want more?
WR: I'll just start drinking the Old Crow whiskey in my backpack.
Nate leaves, and returns with cake.
Ward leaves, returns with a flask, takes pull.
Thunderbird "citrus wine with natural flavors" came in a 750 ml bottle and cost $4.99
Posted by Ben Palosaari at June 27, 2008 3:48 PM | Comments (2)
Your Dish Here
Filed under: Events
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Posted by Rachel Hutton at June 27, 2008 9:03 AM | Comments (2)
Drink of the Week: Wondrous Punch
Filed under: Drink of the Week
I forgot what the waitress told me was in the drink and, to make matters worse, I lost my balance coming out of the restroom, toppled over and somehow lost the napkin on which I had scribbled my notes.
Think that’s bad? That very same night, my friend and drinking connoisseur, in a moment of pure self indulgence, braved not one but two of the commanding cocktails.
Afterwards, she insisted on wearing her bike helmet in the car as another, sober friend, drove her home. He couldn’t help but laugh. Despite her extra precautions to stay safe, she forgot to put on her seatbelt.
Like a college freshman doing the walk of shame, the next day I did what I had to. I picked up my phone and called the restaurant detailing my dilemma. How else would I write a blog without knowing anything about the drink? The man who answered the phone laughed at my hazy memory of the evening.
"That's pretty much it what it does," he said. "It’s pretty potent."
Tell that to the girl wearing her helmet in the car.
Oh, and for the record, here's the recipe:
-One Shot Bacardi Gold
-One Shot Bacardi White
-One Shot Myers rum
-One shot of Bacardi 151
-A small splash of orange pineapple juice
-A small splash of sweet and sour mix
-A pinch of grenadine.
Posted by Beth Walton at June 27, 2008 3:37 AM | Comments (4)
First Look: Kindee Thai
Filed under: Restaurants
Sticking with this week's theme of writing mixed reviews of new restaurants that may or may not enrage the readers of this blog, a few brief words about the Mill District's Kindee Thai restaurant: If you're going to the Guthrie, and you generally view Thai food as a little too challenging, this is exactly the right place for you to eat dinner. This newly opened eatery serves a handful of Thai favorites with all the complicated musky / earthy / vexing notes helpfully edited out, resulting in a sweet + spicy duality that is both easy to comprehend and consume. The decor is pleasant (chic, even — it feels like Brooklyn, in the new, hip sense of the word) and the staff is kind and attentive.
If, however, you are not visiting the Guthrie and/or you like your Thai food with a depth and power that can sometimes be overwhelming, three alternative ideas to consider: Ruam Mit Thai. Amazing Thailand. True Thai.
Posted by James Norton at June 26, 2008 12:39 AM | Comments (2)
Taste of Summer: Sprecher Root Beer
Filed under: Brews, Etc.
Kudos to Sprecher Brewing, of Glendale WI (just north of Milwaukee), whose root beer took top honors in a tasting panel conducted by several New York Times food writers.
I hadn't had Sprecher's root beer in a while, so I picked up a celebratory four-pack at Lunds (it's also available here) Just for fun, I blind-tasted it against a brew I wasn't sure was on the Times' radar--one made by James Page, which is based on the recipe used by Dorothy Molter (the BWCA's last permanent resident, also known as the "root beer lady").
I had a slight preference for the Sprecher's: it has a creamier head, spicier ("rootier"?) flavor, and a bit more carbonation--though I could have used even more of all three variables--and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Posted by Rachel Hutton at June 25, 2008 11:46 PM | Comments (0)
Make it a date: 3 Squares, Laredo's, and Lola's Lakehouse
Filed under: Make it a date
With gas prices this high, it seems extravagant to drive to the western suburbs just dine. But adding a second stop can help justify the trip.
1. 3 Squares: Go shopping in Maple Grove
Poised to overtake the Mall of America in terms of retail square footage--nearly 6 million square feet--Maple Grove is a big box and chain shoppers' paradise.
2. Laredo's: Make a splash at the St. Louis Park Aquatic Center
All inhibitions about feeling too old for a water park will wash away as soon as you and your friends pile on a 3-person innertube and race down the four-story waterslides at the Aquatic Center.
3. Lola's Lakehouse: Visit the MN Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen
With more than 1,000 acres of gardens, landscapes, and natural areas, plus 12.5 miles of paths, there's no shortage of grand greenery at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Irises and peonies are now in full bloom (call the "bloom line" at 952-443-1400 Ext. 5010 for more info). The arboretum also offers classes--J.D. Fratzke, chef of the Strip Club, teaches this Thursday evening (call 952-443-1422 to register). Admission is free on Thursday nights after 4:30 p.m.
**If you'd like to stay up to date on the latest food news, sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter, "The Hot Dish." Just click here to sign up.
Posted by Rachel Hutton at June 25, 2008 12:07 AM | Comments (2)
Road Trip: Greg's Meats
Filed under: Road Trip
Recently, I was driving south on Highway 52, just south of the split with Highway 56 at Hampton, when I came across this mundane looking building:
I looked at my watch. A stop might make me late to my final destination. But "champion sausage"? I pulled into the parking lot.
Inside, Greg's was a solid meatstravaganza: shelves and cases of bologna, bacon, beef sticks, ham, brats, steaks, ground beef, and a million kinds of sausage. I learned that the Greg behind Greg's, Greg Endres, has been processing local meats and wild game for 30 years, with help from several family members. A number of his products have won awards from the American Cured Meat Championships, including the national grand champion summer sausage and beef jerky that I picked out.
Both were classic renditions: good texture, just enough salty sweetness to make them addictive--I can see why Endres was inducted into the Cured Meats National Hall of Fame last year. All in all, a worthwhile stop. I just wish I'd brought a cooler.
**If you'd like to stay up to date on the latest food news, sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter, "The Hot Dish." Just click here to sign up.
Posted by Rachel Hutton at June 23, 2008 9:37 AM | Comments (8)
First Look: Cafe Agri
Filed under: Restaurants
A recent dinner at Kingfield's Cafe Agri revealed an ambitious new place that still has yet to work a few kinks out of the system. In lieu of review -- frankly, I emerged from the meal profoundly confused, and unable to compose anything as organized as a 500-word column -- a few general thoughts about one of the most interesting and frustrating new restaurants to open in quite some time.
Cafe Agri, in a nutshell, is one of them thar organic gluten-free vegan vegetarian locavore sustainable raw food restaurants — except for the trout, although I guess Wisconsin may be close enough to count as "local," and I suppose trout is more or less free of gluten. It's the brainchild of Dan Alvin, who served as executive chef for Ecopolitan and Intelligent Nutrients, and it puts a big emphasis on removing meat from the center of your meal.
In a nutshell, Agri's menu is every rural right-wing hunter's idea of where urban left-wingers eat, except, again, for the trout. If you have an uncle from Grand Forks who you would like to annoy, take him to Cafe Agri. He will scowl at the menu for a good long time, and ask questions like: "What the hell is 'tamari?'" and "What, is gluten poisonous now or something?" and "Doesn't any of these have any meat in them? Can I just get a burger? Does the organic veggie burger just mean it has vegetables on it? Can I ask them to hold the vegetables?"
Before I dig any deeper, a quick note: I've cooked with and enjoyed tofu and tempeh at home. Mock duck is one of my preferred Asian dive restaurant proteins, and I'm a big fan of buying from local farmers whenever humanly (and economically) possible. So if the tenor of this post is perceived as critical, at least know that it's not because I'm a 1950s-era suit-wearing carnivore. Or an easily riled burger-craving uncle.
But I'll give you the punch line to the meal right now:
Immediately after dining at Cafe Agri, my wife and I went home and ordered a pizza.
My wife's trout filet was nicely, if austerely prepared (Agri is anti-sauce, which likely smacks too much of bourgeois pleasure and butter, if the two ideas can even be separated) — but it was miniscule. Kudos for demonstrating that you can plate a tiny portion of food rather than a massive, American fast-food feast... but, there is that whole "food=fuel" problem to be wrestled with.
My hazelnut asparagus and maple-glazed tofu was quite tasty; the balsamic maple glaze was subtle and engaging without being overly sweet, and the hazelnut bits loaned quite a bit of crunch and interest to the asparagus. The entire entree — the TWELVE DOLLAR ENTREE — contained three small squares of tofu, perhaps two inches by two inches by half an inch deep.
Do you know how much tofu you can buy for twelve dollars? Enough bloody tofu for a number of satisfying meals, thank you very much.
Here again, I feel the unpleasant need to discuss my own personal situation. I am not a big eater. When dining out, it's not at all unusual for half my meal to follow me home in a box — sometimes, it's two thirds of a meal. As a writer, I burn far fewer calories than I'd like, and it doesn't take much to feed me.
But, and I swear to God on this, after splitting an appetizer and finishing an entree at Cafe Agri, I was hungrier than when I started the meal. Some of this may be because the meal service took nearly two hours. Some of this may have been because I had to deal with my wife complaining about the two teaspoons of chard* that came with her trout. (Sample dialogue: "Chard is basically free. FREE! Why can't I have more chard?") But honestly, and in Cafe Agri's favor, a lot of it had to do with the fact that the food was good, stimulating, creative and in such scarce supply.
Another dish worth talking about: the beet ribbon salad. A big beautiful pile of raw beet, brazil nuts, mint and walnuts, and some dates -- love the dates. Yes, it was nine dollars, and that would give some people pause for thought. But the dish was nicely executed, creative, and stimulating, if insubstantial. A great appetizer, in other words.
But in its rush to be creative and principled -- more on that in a second -- Cafe Agri neglects a few critical aspects of dining: One, actually feeding people. Two, knowing your mission. Agri's goal seems to be attaching as many adjectives (dairy-free, gluten-free, seasonal, local, raw, heirloom, organic) to as many menu items as possible, but there isn't really one holy guiding aesthetic to the menu. For example: Why was there a kiwi slice sitting on top of the organic rice accompanying the maple-glazed tofu? Try Googling "Minnesota kiwi farm" sometime. Sure, it was probably (possibly?) an organic kiwi, and it's not made of meat.
Seriously: What's the mission...? Serving sustainable food? Assisting people with dietary problems? Providing delicious food? Providing enough food? Offering a good value? Helping people eat locally? These are not all the same thing, and can / do often come into direct conflict. "Pissing off Uncle Ron" seems to be the closest thing Agri has to a concrete gameplan.
Undoubtedly, the heart of Cafe Agri is in the right place, and they're struggling to make a restaurant that is as much of an antithesis to, say, Denny's, as is humanly possible. But doing the opposite of evil isn't always good. Mouse-sized portions, a menu breathless with its own righteousness and dairy-free, gluten-free mac and cheese — which may be delicious, but I will hate, yes, hate on general principle — may well alienate more folks than will be won over by the creativity, high quality of ingredients and good intentions of the chef and staff.
Make no doubt: Minneapolis needs more restaurants like Cafe Agri — restaurants ready to take risks, introduce diners to new ingredients and new ideas, and stand up for a set of ultimately admirable ideals, no matter how broad or poorly defined they may be. But — and hell, what do I know about the business of restaurants, in all seriousness — Agri may want to both broaden and more sharply define its appeal, up its portion sizes and maybe — just maybe — throw visiting omnivores a free-range organic chicken bone or two on the menu.
*Described on the menu as "wilted greens." May or may not have been chard. Doesn't change the serving size or my wife's palpable fury at the portion size.
Posted by James Norton at June 22, 2008 11:34 PM | Comments (9)
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