North Country Cooking and Dining

Lone Spur lunch

2008-02-24T10:40:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I had lunch at one of my favorite places, the Lone Spur in Minnetonka.

Enchiladas with brisket

I had what I typically have, the enchiladas stuffed with their own home cooked brisket. The brisket is so juicy and moist, and accompanied with the cheese, enchilada sauce, and some sides of beans and rice, this is about as good as it gets for me.

It occurred to me while I was dining there that I have been coming to the Lone Spur for 14 years now. I love this place. Here is to another 14 years and beyond!

Patty Melt at The Lookout

2008-02-14T17:33:00.000-06:00

I went out to lunch on Saturday at The Lookout in Maple Grove. This is becoming a regular destination for me.

On this trip, I had the patty melt; the classic hamburger sandwich. A hamburger patty, American cheese, and fried onions pressed between two slices of grilled marble rye bread. On an episode of “Feasting On Asphalt II”, Alton Brown referred to this as the hamburger meeting the Philly cheese steak. A great description!

A most excellent patty melt at The Lookout

The patty melts was excellent; a juicy burger, nicely browned onions, creamy cheese, and some good quality marble rye bread. Yum, what is not to like? I scarfed it down, along with most of my seasoned fries.

Thai yellow curry with venison

2008-02-04T16:54:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend, I got kind of creative and concocted my own Thai inspired meal. Earlier in the week, my company got some takeout from Big Bowl for lunch, and I had some chicken in a yellow curry sauce. I decided to put my own twist on this, sliced up some venison steaks I had in the freezer, and the result was Thai yellow curry with venison.

Venison is a lean, delicious meat, and combined with a flavorful, spicy, and silky coconut curry sauce with fresh vegetables, I found it to be extremely tasty and exotic. Of course, you could use whatever you like in terms of meat (chicken, shrimp, beef, etc.). Whatever the case, it was a fun and incredibly easy use of one of my favorite meats. I was most pleased, and will definitely make this again.

Thai Yellow Curry with Venison

-1 14 oz can coconut milk
-3 T. fish sauce
-1 T. sugar
-1 T. olive oil
-2 T. fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
-1 tsp. crushed red pepper
-1 lb. venison steaks, sliced thin (or use beef, chicken, or shrimp instead)
-1 T. curry powder
-Salt & fresh ground black pepper
-8 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed
-1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
-1 medium red onion, sliced
-5 cloves garlic, minced
-Jasmine rice for serving

Combine the coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir well to incorporate and set aside for later.

In a wok or a large, deep, cooking vessel, add the olive oil and heat to medium high. Add the ginger and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the venison, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes until nearly all the pink is gone from the meat. Remove from pan.

Add more oil if needed, and stir-fry the green beans, red bell pepper, red onion, and garlic. Cook for a just couple of minutes. Return the meat to the pan and stir to combine.

Pour the coconut mixture into the pan. Cook until the sauce is bubbly and slightly reduced, the meat is cooked through, and the vegetables are slightly tender, but still have a nice texture to them. Serve in deep bowls over some steamed jasmine rice.

Walleye at Senser's

2008-02-02T15:07:00.000-06:00

I made a return trip to Joe Senser's Sports Theater in Plymouth for lunch today. This time, I had their beer battered walleye sandwich.

Beer battered walleye sandwich at Joe Senser's

Not only was it huge, but it was also very delicious. The large fillet of walleye was crispy and lightly battered and served on a toasted hoagie roll with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce on the side. Yum!

I upgraded to the shoestring fries, which were well prepared and had a great crispiness to them.

A good lunch. It really hit the spot after a long morning run!

Pollo alla Cacciatora for dinner

2008-01-27T16:53:00.001-06:00

Tonight's dinner...

After finding some chicken thighs on sale at Byerly's for a mere 99 cents a pound, I decided that was a good enough of an excuse to make a pot of pollo alla cacciatora.

The recipe was based on this one, except that I added a ton of crushed red pepper to make it spicy! In addition, the mixed olives I bought at Byerly's olive bar were marinated in a peppery olive oil, so those contributed some heat as well.

I served it over spaghetti and gilded the lily with a tangle of julienned prosciutto on top. Leftovers are going to be mighty tasty for my lunches at work this week! :)

Meat loaf on a chilly night

2008-01-20T09:16:00.000-06:00

We had another evening with the temperatures well below zero. How about a little winter comfort food? Last night I whipped up an outstanding meat loaf.

To make the meat loaf, I really used two different recipes. The primary recipe is based on Alton Brown's meat loaf recipe, which is my meat loaf recipe of choice. But I was also inspired by Bobby Flay's meat loaf and incorporated his balsamic-ketchup glaze.

The meat loaf was delicious and incredibly flavorful. The balsamic-ketchup glaze not only adds a tangy zip, but it also creates some beautiful and tasty caramelized bits on the top of the loaf.

I am already looking forward to the leftovers! :)

In praise of the small town meat market

2008-01-12T09:53:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to experience a real treat; visiting a small town meat market.

I stopped in the town of Kimball, MN where I visited the Knaus Sausage House. This is a place I had not been to in years, yet I was somewhat familiar with it. We used to stop here for beef sticks en route to Grandma and Grandpa's place!

I loaded up on an assortment of goodies; their famous beef jerky, buffalo teriyaki sticks, smoked pork chops, bratwurst, smoked mettwurst, hot dogs, and a couple of different kinds of summer sausage. Everything I have tried has been most delicious.

For dinner on Saturday, I simply seared one of the smoked pork chops. The chop was nice and thick, delicately smoked, and had a texture that was almost similar to ham. With a little BBQ sauce on the side for dipping, it made for a tasty meal.

What is on tap?

2008-01-04T21:15:00.000-06:00

Beer is a food, so I can talk about it on my blog!

For Christmas, I was given this 1.3 gallon mini-keg of Bell's Two Hearted Ale. I thought this was such a cool gift, and I tapped it over New Year's. The beer is very flavorful and hoppy, kind of like a good bitter ale. Nice stuff, and it would make a great summer beer.

As you can see, though, my pouring needs some work... :)

New Year's eats

2008-01-01T10:36:00.000-06:00

I've been eating very well over the New Year's holiday.

On Sunday night, I made a homemade pizza. Pepperoni, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, green peppers, green and black olives, and a combination of fresh mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses piled on top of my homemade pizza dough that uses a blend of freshly milled whole-wheat flour and unbleached all-purpose flour. Delicious!

And for New Year's Eve, I celebrated with some of Giada's balsamic roasted chicken and some steamed Brussels sprouts. I have not made this in ages, and I just love the deeply lacquered, tangy skin. The meat stays incredibly moist, and I can't wait to have some leftovers for lunch! :)

Happy New Year!

Road Food Pursuits - Mama G's

2007-12-29T15:28:00.000-06:00

On a snowy Saturday, I ventured to an establishment that I had never been to before. Sometimes it is a pleasant surprise what one might find.

Mama G's
9705 Highway 101
Maple Grove, MN

I had lunch at Mama G's in Maple Grove. Operating on the northwest corner of Highway 101 and County Road 30 since 1968, this small, unassuming sports bars is known all across the metro for hosting a variety of sports leagues. They are one of the premier locations for sand volleyball in the Twin Cities, and they also do broomball in the winter.

Being a sports bar, it means there are plenty of drinks and also some food. I was not sure what to expect because the menu is quite small with no frills. It was a single page containing a select number of appetizers, a few sandwich, burger, and wrap options, as well as pizza. There did not appear to be fried foods on the menu, so I am guessing the kitchen must not have a deep fryer.

There were three burgers to choose from; the hamburger, cheeseburger, or bacon cheeseburger. I opted for the one with bacon, and with a choice of cheddar or Swiss, I chose Swiss. Also, you get a choice of a variety of bagged chips for your side. I took the Poore Brothers BBQ chips.

The bacon cheeseburger at Mama G's

My burger arrived, and I was pleased with what I saw; crispy strips of bacon, beautifully melted Swiss cheese, and a good looking burger on a fluffy, toasted bun. It came with lettuce, tomato, pickles, as well as some mayonnaise and diced raw onions on the side. This looks very promising!

One bite and I knew I had found a gem. The 1/3 pound burger tasted fresh with a fantastic beefy flavor. It was fairly thick, had a nice juiciness, and reminded me of a good homemade burger. All of the toppings and condiments only added to what was a delightful lunch. Delicious!

Even better, the burger with a bag of crunchy kettle chips only cost $5.50. The whole meal with a diet Coke and a little bit of tax set me back $8 on the nose before tip. Are you kidding me? Unquestionably, this is one of the better burger values I have encountered.

If you are looking for a reasonably priced and very tasty burger, I would suggest stopping at Mama G's. I know I will be back!

Venison sausage meets pasta

2007-12-18T19:15:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend, I made a quick and easy pasta dish; venison sausage with fennel, red wine, and fusili.

I got the idea from an excellent Patricia Wells cookbook, At Home In Provence. The dish is fairly simple with a handful of ingredients, and it can be thrown together very quickly. The rich sauce is made entirely of tomato paste and red wine seasoned with fennel seeds. Additional body is added with an egg and cheese mixture that is stirred in right at the end. Along with a splash of pasta cooking water, this creates a silky texture.

Her recipe called for Italian sausage, but I had something else in mind. My brother had given me some of his homemade onion and garlic venison sausage. Really flavorful stuff, and perfect for a pasta dish like this. And the recipe in the book did not call for mushrooms and peas. I added them for some contrast in texture, additional flavor, and a little color.

Here is my interpretation of the recipe:

Jean's Venison Sausage with Fusili, Fennel, and Red Wine

-2 T. olive oil
-1 lb. venison sausage (or Italian sausage), removed from casings
-2 t. fennel seeds
-1 6 oz can tomato paste
-2 c. red wine
-8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
-1 c. frozen peas
-12 oz. fusilli pasta (or other short pasta like penne or ziti)
-2 eggs, beaten
-1/4 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
-Fresh ground black pepper
-Reserved pasta cooking water

Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet. Brown the venison sausage, breaking up the meat with your spoon. Add the fennel seeds. Allow to cook until just about all the pink is gone. Add the tomato paste, stirring it into the meat, and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the red wine and the mushrooms. Bring to a quick boil, reduce heat, and let it simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Add the pasta and cook to just shy of al dente. Be sure to save a cup of the pasta cooking water for later.

While the pasta is cooking, beat a couple of eggs in a dish. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to the eggs, along with some generous twists of fresh ground black pepper. Set aside.

Drain the pasta and toss it into the sauce. Stir until all the noodles are nicely coated with the sauce.

Remove the pasta and sauce from the heat. With a large spoon, gently stir in the egg and cheese mixture, using just enough reserved pasta water to help thin out the sauce (this is a judgment call on your part!). Stir well to be sure the eggs do not curdle.

When the sauce achieves the desired texture, it is ready to serve. Be sure to have a little extra Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on hand to sprinkle over the dish. Enjoy!

Christmas cookies

2007-12-16T13:14:00.000-06:00

This week, my office is having a cookie baking contest. Today I prepared my entry.

It is your basic drop cookie, and it contains dark chocolate chips, dark chocolate M&M's, and also little chopped up bits of Heath bars.

The recipe is loosely based on this one. Simply get rid of the macadamia nuts, and instead of the cappuccino chips, substitute a cup of dark chocolate M&M's. The rest is exactly the same.

Of course, I have already sampled some of the finished product, and these cookies are really yummy. I think I have a shot at the title! :)

Venison chili on a cold December day

2007-12-09T17:04:00.000-06:00

I think the high temperature was something like 16 degrees today. Because of that, as well as the fact that it is football Sunday, and since my brother gave me some really excellent venison stew meat, it is the perfect occasion to make venison chili!

The recipe is this one, except I substituted 2 lbs. of venison (which I ground myself along with a couple strips of bacon for some added fat and flavor) for the beef chuck. And I used a can of black beans and a can of light red kidney beans, as opposed to two cans of kidney beans. Otherwise, the recipe is exactly the same.

The quality of the venison was excellent, and it was so lean and flavorful. A fantastic, mild venison taste really cames through, and I hardly had to skim any fat from the chili while it was simmering.

My chili has sort of a "sweet heat" to it, which I like very much. Served with a little grated sharp cheddar, and some hot sauce on the side; perfect cold weather football food. Yum! :)

Pork Tenderloin Sandwich at The Lookout

2007-12-08T17:41:00.000-06:00

Today I had lunch at one of my local establishments, The Lookout Bar & Grill in Maple Grove. I tried something different from my usual burger and opted for the pork tenderloin sandwich.

I have very limited experience with these sandwiches, which the State of Iowa is practically known for, but I found it to be a tasty alternative to a burger.

Here you have a breaded piece of pork tenderloin served on toasted sourdough bread and topped with lettuce, Swiss cheese, and a chipotle mayonnaise. I added a little bit of mustard and some pickles to it as well. The pork had a crispy crust, and a juicy interior. It was a substantial sandwich that was quite yummy and satisfying.

Hmmm, I may have to check these out when I see them on the menus at other establishments! :)

Our Thanksgiving Dinner

2007-12-01T17:46:00.000-06:00

Our Thanksgiving Day dinner, as always, was a bit unconventional.

The Thanksgiving Day dinner

Dad grilled up a marinated tri-tip, nice and rare. In addition, he also made some jumbo stuffed shrimp, as well as some baked sea scallops with Italian herbs.

For side dishes, Mom whipped up a roasted vegetable casserole, as well as a wild rice casserole with bacon.

As unusual as this might be for "Turkey Day," it sure was delicious!

Thanksgiving on a plate

2007-11-26T18:58:00.000-06:00

This is Thanksgiving on a plate if there ever was one..even if we didn't eat it on Thanksgiving Day!

Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, roasted vegetables, and cranberry relish. Very traditional, and very, very nice!

Spaghetti & Meatballs from Sunday

2007-11-17T10:01:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I made some fantastic spaghetti and meatballs.

The meatball recipe was pretty much based on this one, except that I used dried Italian seasoning in place of the fresh herbs. And for the sauce I used large can of crushed tomatoes, one can of Trader Joe's "Sugo di Pomodoro" marinara sauce, and about a cup of red wine. I also sprinkled in some Italian seasoning just for some added flavor.

Delicious. The meatballs turned out flavorful and well seasoned. I love adding bits of sun-dried tomatoes to them, because they provide a bright little surprise in each bite. And the sauce was rich with a hint of sweetness. A comforting meal after the Packers destroyed my Vikings on Sunday… :)

The perfect pizza?

2007-11-11T10:43:00.000-06:00

This is arguably the best pizza I have made. At the very least, it is among the prettiest!

My masterpiece pizza

It was topped with pepperoni, green peppers, green olives, black olives, mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Along with a homemade pizza sauce, this was one of my finest works to date!

Road Food Pursuits - Mainstreet Bar & Grill

2007-11-11T08:16:00.000-06:00

My pursuit for real, authentic American food continued yesterday with a stop in the city of Hopkins, MN, a now Twin Cities suburb that still retains some charms from yesteryear, including an honest-to-goodness main street.

And on Main Street, you will find (appropriately enough) the Mainstreet Bar & Grill

Mainstreet Bar & Grill
814 Main Street
Hopkins, MN

The Mainstreet Bar & Grill is an old fashioned bar right in the heart of downtown Hopkins. I used to come here for lunch on occasion when I worked in the area, but I have not been here in ages. It is decked out with brick and wood, and has a dark. cozy atmosphere. They have been here for decades and are known for their live music on weekend. And, of course, there is a menu filled with great bar food; sandwiches, appetizers, burgers, and entrees.

I opted for the "Mainstreet Burger," which was a 1/3 lb. hamburger topped with bacon and ham, cheddar cheese, and Thousand Island dressing.

The "Mainstreet Burger" at the Mainstreet Bar & Grill

The burger was cooked to order (medium, with just a little pink on the inside. It had a great crust on the outside, and the two-kinds-of-pork toppings and the cheddar cheese were tasty, with the bacon being the thick-cut variety. The dressing added a sweet and tangy zip, and what I really liked was the bun. A toasted onion roll...yum! All in all, a very good burger.

The accompanying fries were again my least favorite thicker-cut style, but they were crispy, hot, and cooked up just fine.

The total bill with a diet Coke was $11.18 before tip, which is getting a bit on the spendy when talking about burgers and fries. But the burger was good, and the atmosphere was very authentic and cool, unlike all of the various chain restaurants. And isn't that worth a couple of extra bucks?

Vegetable beef soup from last weekend

2007-11-11T08:10:00.000-06:00

With the weather getting colder, last weekend I brewed up a pot of vegetable beef soup. I haven't made this soup in ages, and it turned out very tasty. The beef was incredibly flavorful and tender, and it is chock full of veggies. Great stuff to warm you up on a chilly day.

Of course, I didn't write down a recipe. But if I had to guess, I used a 2 ½ lb beef chuck roast that was trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes. I seasoned them with salt and pepper, browned them really well in a large Dutch oven, and set them aside.

Then, in the same Dutch oven, I sautéed approximately 4 carrots (slices), 1 small yellow onion (diced), and about 6 cloves of garlic (minced) for a few minutes until very aromatic and the onions were translucent. I added 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, about 8 cups of beef stock, and returned the beef to pot. I seasoned the soup with a generous amount of Italian seasoning blend and a good splash (2 tablespoons?) of Worcestershire sauce, along with black pepper and salt to taste. Bring it to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Once simmering, I added about 8 oz. of sliced crimini mushrooms, and two Yukon gold potatoes (cubed). Allow to simmer for a couple of hours for the flavors to come together. Right towards the end, I add corn and frozen peas (as much as you like), as well as some small pasta shells (which I actually cook first and rinse with cold water before adding to the soup…the pasta retains its texture better that way!).

Serve with oyster cracker, and enjoy the leftovers! This seems to taste even better on the second day.

The first pizza in months

2007-11-03T17:11:00.000-06:00

I haven't made a homemade pizza since the summer. I felt it was long overdue.

This baby was topped with pepperoni, hot Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, and black and green olives. Cheeses included mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a tiny bit of baby Swiss.

The pizza tasted so good after such a long hiatus. I did learn that my oven heats unevenly, as the portion of the crust in the back of the oven got darker than the portion in the front. I'll have to work on that.

I love pizza. :)

Road Food Pursuits - Wayzata Bar & Grill

2007-11-03T15:03:00.000-06:00

Today for lunch I ventured into the town of Wayzata on the northern shores of Lake Minnetonka to have a little lunch. Wayzata has a reputation of being one of the "high rent districts" in the western Twin Cities suburbs, and there are a lot of upscale dining establishments that reflect this. However, there are good casual places to go as well.

Wayzata Bar & Grill
810 Superior Boulevard
Wayzata, MN

I stopped in at the Wayzata Bar & Grill. This is an interesting place in that it is owned by the City of Wayzata and has the municipal liquor store attached. Not too many restaurants can claim that they are owned by the government!

The bar is very nice and clean, with sort of a nautical theme combined with pictures of old Wayzata. The staff is very friendly, and it is the kind of place that still has a small town feel. Many of the patrons were conversing, and the servers knew most of them by name.

Their menu is classic bar food; burgers, sandwiches, several appetizers, wraps, and salads. I ended up diverting from my usual burger and went with the breaded fish sandwich.

The breaded fish sandwich at the Wayzata Bar & Grill

The sandwich consisted of a breaded cod fillet on a hoagie roll, topped with lettuce and tomatoes, with tartar sauce on the side. Sides included cole slaw, and I upgraded to the French fries.

A good fish sandwich should have some textural contrast between the bread and the fish, which this sandwich definitely had. The cod fillet was crispy on the outside, with a mild, delicious flavor, rounded out nicely by the vegetable toppings and some of the tartar sauce. Well done! The fries, while they are my least favorite style (those being the larger, thicker kind), were also well-prepared. Some sweet, crunchy cole slaw on the side, and I was a happy boy. The meal with a diet soda cost $11.35 before tip.

So if you are in Wayzata looking for a casual meal, look no further than the Wayzata Bar & Grill. Not too bad for government work. :)

Thai one on

2007-11-01T20:31:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, I made a delicious Thai chicken stir-fry dish with rice stick noodles.

The sauce component was pretty much the same as the fish sauce-based mixture of this recipe (minus the grated ginger), and I used cubed chicken thighs, orange bell pepper, carrots, bamboo shoots, yellow onions, green onions, mushrooms, garlic, peas, and ginger. (Nothing was measured, or course!)

With the ginger, I was inspired by a ginger chicken stir-fry dish I had at Sawatdee in Maple Grove last month. In it, they left the ginger in long, thin, matchstick strands, treating it more like a vegetable than a flavoring agent. Every so often you would take a bite and get this wonderful crunch and a burst of fresh ginger flavor.

I liked that. And I liked that in this dish. Combined with the rice stick noodles (which I am planning on using more often in my stir-fries), the Thai chicken stir fry offered a spicy and salty flavor with a variety of textures. And the aroma is torturing my coworkers (in a good way), as I have been enjoying leftovers for my lunches this week! :)

Joe Senser's for lunch

2007-10-27T13:12:00.000-06:00

Joe Senser's Restaurant & Sports Theater
16605 County Road 24
Plymouth, MN

Today I took a break from my errands and stopped at the Plymouth Joe Senser's Restaurant & Sports Theater.

Joe Senser is one of the Minnesota Vikings' great tight ends from back in the late 70's and early 80's. His name has been prominent here in the state, as he not only did some color commentary on radio following his playing days, but in 1988, he open his first of what are now four awesome sports bars around the Twin Cities.

The Plymouth branch is the newest, and it is not really billed a a "sports bar," rather, it is a "sports theater." Easy to see why; I counted 14 enormous HDTV screens surrounding the entire place! I would think you would be able to catch just about any big game you wanted. It was impressive.

Also impressive is the menu, which contains the usual array of bar food, but it is a little more grown up with some interesting twist. Lots of great looking burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, and even some tempting entrees.

The "Cajun Burger" at Joe Senser's

I ordered the "Cajun Burger" and upgraded to the shoestring fries (instead of the standard Old Dutch kettle chips). This half pound monster came topped with ham, smoked mozzarella, BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions.

This was one of the biggest and tallest burgers I have ever had! Once you put the bun on top, it is almost impossible to take a bite of. Definitely more than a mouthful and cooked to order, it was oh, so good! Well browned on the outside, extremely juicy on the inside, sitting on top of some crisp veggies with plenty of smoky topping to add even more flavor. Nice!

The fries were good, too. Nothing fancy, just good, crisp, hot shoestring fries, exactly what you want with a burger.

My bill, with a diet Pepsi, came to $12.80 before tip. A little higher priced than some of the typical places I go for burgers. But it was a mountain of food, and the couple of extra bucks is worth it to enjoy the "sports theater!"

Stop in at one of Joe Senser's locations for the next big game. I guarantee you will not leave hungry.

A return to the kitchen - part 2

2007-10-21T16:39:00.000-06:00

And here is this weekend's damn good beef and mushroom lasagna...

It is good to be back in the kitchen! :)

A return to the kitchen - part 1

2007-10-21T16:35:00.000-06:00

Over late September and early October, I was moving and didn't have much of a chance to cook (or blog about food, for that matter!). The past two weekends have been all about returning to the kitchen.

No words, really; just pictures:

Here is last weekend's damn good venison stew...

A trip to Meisters before the move

2007-09-29T13:49:00.000-06:00

Since I am moving this coming week, I thought that today I would go to a favorite place that will soon be a pretty long haul from my new place. I drove to the Swedish village of Scandia to have lunch at Meisters Bar & Grill.

I love this little bar. It has so much character and small town charm. And, as I learned from a previous visit, Meisters has dang good burgers, too.

The "Mushroom & Swiss Meisterburger" at Meisters Bar & Grill

Today I has the "Mushroom and Swiss Meisterburger." It was a 1/3 lb. patty sitting atop a mound of sautéed mushrooms and creamy swiss cheese, and served on an incredibly soft, bakery fresh roll. I ordered it "California style" as well, so I got some lettuce and tomato to throw on top. The burger was delightfully juicy with a ton of flavor. Absolutely excellent!

Also, the fries were superb. These are honest-to-goodness, hand-cut, never frozen fries here, and they are awesome. A real french fry is in a league of its own as far as deep-fried potatoes are concerned, and they are fantastic at Meisters.

My new place will be quite a distance from Meisters, so I don't imagine I will get over here as often as I might like. However, it will make a great excuse to go on a little road trip!

Well done, Meisters Bar & Grill! I will be back.

Pheasant cacciatora

2007-09-24T15:25:00.000-06:00

My brother had given me a pheasant recently, so I decided to put it to good use. I made a batch of pheasant cacciatora.

As we know, cacciatora in Italian means it was prepared in the style of the hunter's wife. So I figured this is probably slightly more authentic than using chicken! The recipe I followed closely matched this one with a few alterations:

Obviously, I used cubed pheasant meat in place of the chicken. I would guess there was about a pound and a half of meat on the bird. Red wine was substituted for white. I added a chopped red bell pepper. There was no fresh thyme on hand, so I opted for perhaps a teaspoon of an Italian seasoning blend. And, I forgot to add the bay leaves! :) Otherwise, everything else is as the recipe stated.

What a luxurious dish! The pheasant was tender and flavorful, and the sauce quite thick and rich. Served over some pasta, it made for a lovely fall meal.

Tacos with Salsa Fresca

2007-09-23T11:34:00.000-06:00

Last night I made some simple tacos for dinner with a fresh, homemade salsa.

The salsa was improvised and nothing was measured. But I had three home grown tomatoes that my Mom gave me, along with an assorted batch of hit peppers. Along with some red onion and garlic, I pan roasted everything in a hot skillet until browned and charred. Chopped up the ingredients (removed the seeds from the peppers first!), mixed in some cilantro, salt and pepper, and a little bit of toasted Mexican oregano...that was it!

For the tacos, I browned a pound of ground beef that I seasoned liberally with a mixture of ancho chile powder, cumin, coriander, Mexican oregano, paprika, and black pepper. Flour tortillas were then topped with the meat, refried beans, sharp cheddar, fresh cilantro, and the homemade salsa.

A perfect meal for watching some football games! :)

Road Food Pursuits - CurtiSinn Headwaters Restaurant

2007-09-18T15:36:00.000-06:00

Driving home from my weekend in Walker, MN,, I decided to take a bit of a detour to enjoy some new scenery. I found myself in the neighboring town of Akeley where I stopped for breakfast.

CurtiSinn Headwaters Restaurant
Junction of Hwy. 34 & 64
Akeley, MN

The CurtiSinn Headwaters Restaurant sits right in downtown Akeley, which is known as the "Birthplace of Paul Bunyan." It is your quintessential small town restaurant. The parking lot was filled with trucks, and the dining area with hungry locals. I was the only person there that the server did not know by name.

Their breakfast menu was filled with many egg and omelet options. I chose the combination of two eggs, hash browns, and choice of bacon, sausage, or…kielbasa? Excellent! Without hesitation, I selected the kielbasa.

Breakfast at the CurtiSinn Headwaters Restaurant in Akeley

A very satisfying breakfast. My eggs were nicely scrambled, and the hash browns had a crispy and brown exterior. And the kielbasa was smokey, garlicky, and flavorful; a really excellent breakfast meat. The entire breakfast was delicious.

The whole meal, including a glass of orange juice, cost all of $7.60, so it was very reasonable as well.

How can you not love these small town restaurants? If you are in the Akeley area looking for a tasty, inexpensive, and filling breakfast, be sure to stop in and mix with the friendly locals at the CurtiSinn Headwaters Restaurant.

A "Kitchen Sink" pizza in Walker

2007-09-18T15:29:00.000-06:00

Last Friday I was up in Walker, MN,, and I ate dinner at the Village Square Cafe.

Village Square Café
Corner of Minnesota Ave. & 5th Street
Walker, MN

Established in 1979, the Village Square was a neat building complex comprised of several different sections where your could have a family dinner, pizza, coffee, or ice cream. Hungry for some carbs, I gravitated towards the pizza area.

The restaurant was cute with lots of brick and wood, giving it a definite pizzaria feel. The menu had lots of choices for combinations, as well as options to select you own toppings, in a multitude of sizes. Unable to resist a pizza with a lot going on, I chose the 9-inch "Kitchen Sink Combo."

The "Kitchen Sink Combo" pizza at the Village Square Café

As the name implied, the pizza contained everything but the kitchen sink! Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, and pepperoni, along with a multitude of vegetables including green peppers, mushrooms, onions, with both green and black olives.

The pizza had a thin, crispy crust, a light layer of zesty tomato sauce, and the toppings were very flavorful. I enjoy pizzas that give me some variety and contrast, and this defintely had it. Distinctive meats, briny olives, fresh peppers, onions, and mushrooms; yum! The cheese at the edge was nicely browned, too. The meal was fantastic, and I absolutely inhaled it.

If you are in the Leech Lake area looking for a good pizza, the Village Square Café is a great place to start.

Road Food Pursuits - Happy's Drive-In

2007-09-12T16:24:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I found myself driving through east-central Minnesota. For lunch, I dined at a place that is a rarity in today's world; a small, independent fast food-style restaurant.

Happy's Drive-In
11373 Stevens Rd
Onamia, MN

Happy's Drive-In seemingly sits all by itself in the middle of nowhere. It is located just about a mile north of Onamia on US Hwy 169. It is family owned and operated and has been open since 1990, serving an assortment of fast food items and ice cream to hungry locals and tourists heading to the prime Mille Lacs Lake fishing destinations.

Their menu contains a number of different burgers and sandwiches (and even a homemade chicken wild rice soup!). I chose one of their burger baskets; the "Big Happy Burger," which included fries, a pickle spear, and a soda.

The "Big Happy Burger" basket at Happy's Drive-In

The 1/3 pound burger came topped with American cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce, their own "special sauce," and was served on a large, fluffy Kaiser roll. Essentially, it was a California-style cheeseburger with a zippy sauce. The beef tasted fresh and juicy, and the creamy, melted cheese, along with the crisp vegetable toppings dressed lightly in a tangy sauce, provided a wonderful contrast. A good and tasty burger.

Shoestring French fries accompanied the meal. Delightfully crispy and hot, they had a great crunch when you bit into them. A very nice fast food-style fry.

The entire meal with tax cost a mere $7.35, and it was a decent amount of quality food. I left very satisfied.

If you find yourself heading up to the Mille Lacs area, Happy's Drive-In is a worthy pit stop. Before you put the boat in the lake, swing in for a quick bite. The staff is friendly, the service is prompt, and you will enjoy some delicious food served fast.

Venison stroganoff (now in color instead of black & white!)

2007-08-27T16:29:00.000-06:00

Last night I made some venison stroganoff, and I did it a little different than my recipe in the archive. It consisted of sliced venison steak, crimini mushrooms, garlic, caramelized onions, fresh thyme, and herbes de Provence in a sauce of beef stock, soure cream, and sweet vermouth.

To give the dish some color (and if there ever was a dish in need of color, this might be it!), I added some peas and served it over a multi-colored whole-wheat vegetable rotini pasta. I thought it really brightened up the meal, and the stroganoff was extremely tasty.

The leftovers were even better today for my lunch at work! :)

Road Food Pursuits - Wagner’s Drive In

2007-08-11T12:44:00.000-06:00

I am thoroughly embarrassed.

I’ve lived near this place for most of the years I have lived in the Twin Cities, yet I just learned about it recently. How could this one have slipped under my radar for all this time?

Wagner’s Drive In
3712 Quebec Ave S
St. Louis Park, MN

Admittedly, Wagner’s Drive In is not all that easy to get to. It has been here for decades tucked away on a frontage road on the south side of Highway 7 in St. Louis Park. Wagner’s is a tiny little 50’s style joint, complete with carhops, that serves up your typical drive in fare. And it is great.

I stopped in for lunch today and feasted on a California cheeseburger basket, which comes with fries and your choice of cole slaw or baked beans.

The California cheeseburger and fries at Wagner’s Drive In

The burger was awesome. First of all, it looked almost too pretty to eat! It is not often you see such an attractive burger, particularly at a place that serves fast food. And what a tasty burger it was, too. A fresh and wonderfully griddled patty, still juicy and slightly pink in the middle, topped with lettuce, tomato, and American cheese on a fluffy, soft bun. Just fantastic.

And the fries were crispy and hot. Love those crinkle-cut fries, and they were cooked to a delicious golden brown, with a creamy interior. A small cup of baked beans and a diet soda on the side, and I had a memorable meal at one of the picnic tables along side the restaurant.

The entire meal was a bargain as well. With a large soda, the total cost was $7 and some change. An excellent deal.

If you are anywhere near St. Louis Park during the milder months (this is a seasonal business), you really owe it to yourself to check out Wagner’s Drive In. Just turn off at either Louisiana Ave. or Texas Ave. and take the south frontage road and you will drive right by it. Trust me, I know my way there now, and I need to make up for lost time!

Peppermint Twist revisited

2007-08-05T12:18:00.000-06:00

This past Friday, I traveled through the city of Delano, and I couldn’t resist stopping at the Peppermint Twist Drive In for some lunch.

I had the “California Supreme Burger” with a basket of fries and cole slaw. It was awesome. The burger, consisting of two thin patties (1/3 lb total), was topped with lettuce, a thick tomato slice, mayonaisse, and American cheese. Juicy and flavorful, the way a fast food burger should be.

The "California Supreme Burger" at the Peppermint Twist Drive In

I also loved the fries, which were thick potato wedges. They had a nice crispness on the outside, and were delightfully creamy on the interior. The cole slaw was also very good, with a sweet, creamy dressing that had a slight vinegary bite.

I ate my meal in the shade of the picnic area on a beautiful, 80 degree Minnesota day. Does fast food get any better than this?

Road Food Pursuits - Groveland Tap

2007-07-28T12:30:00.000-06:00

Minneapolis is said to be the home of the ”Juicy Lucy” (also spelled “Jucy Lucy”), which is more of less a burger with the cheese stuffed in the center. Most credit Matt’s Bar with inventing it, but the 5-8 Club just south of them will dispute the claim.

(For more Juicy Lucy history, click here.)

Whatever the case, it is definitely a Minneapolis original. But that doesn’t prevent their neighbors to the east in St. Paul from serving them!

Groveland Tap
1834 St. Clair Ave
St. Paul, MN

Today I had lunch at the Groveland Tap, a classic neighborhood bar near Macalester College. It is a narrow old bar with tall, wooden booths, and plenty of character. A very charming and cozy establishment.

While their menu has plenty to offer in the way of burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, and even some weekly special entrees, I was there for their version of the Juicy Lucy.

Not brave enough to try their “Cajun Lucy,” which is stuffed with pepper jack cheese and jalapenos (yikes!), I settled for the regular Lucy. I also made it a basket for an extra $2 to get some fries and cole slaw.

The “Juicy Lucy” at the Groveland Tap

Admittedly, these burgers are not much for aesthetics. Really, it is just a burger on a toasted bun with no garnishes except for some pickles on the bottom. You can throw a little ketchup and mustard on for good measure. But the magic happens on the inside. The melted American cheese in the center of the burger keeps it moist and juicy, as the name would imply. Nicely charred on the outside, a little pink in the middle, and served on a bakery fresh flour-dusted bun. Delightfully simple, and wonderful.

As a side note, my Juicy Lucy experienced a bit of a “blowout” after the first two bites, and most of the cheese ran into the bottom of the basket. But, this served as an excellent dipping sauce of sorts. Yum! :)

After the blowout!

The fries were nothing to sneeze at, either. Real, skin-on fries are served here; crisp, light, and delicious. The cole slaw was also quite good. Lightly dressed and flavorful, with a fresh and satisfying crunch.

The Juicy Lucy basket cost all of $7.75, so with a diet pop and tax, the bill came to $10.43. Not a bad price to eat a piece of Minneapolis food history, even if you are in St. Paul!

Nice job, Groveland Tap. I shall return.

Lunch at the Coho Café

2007-07-24T16:20:00.000-06:00

While visiting my parents over the weekend, we had lunch at the Coho Café in Tofte, MN.

Coho Café
MN Highway 61
Tofte, MN

The Coho Café is a small bakery and restaurant located right along the highway in Tofte. The cuisine is very fresh and creative. It is a bright, airy restaurant on the inside and filled with local art. There is also outdoor seating during the summer months. They feature a number of home baked breads, gourmet coffee, deli items, soups, salads, pizzas, pasta, and sandwiches.

Mom had a croissant sandwich from the deli, and Dad and I both opted for the "Onion River Reuben," which was topped with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and their own special sauce, served on a dark pumpernickel rye.

The "Onion River Reuben" at the Coho Café

What a great sandwich. The bread is absolutely delicious and fresh with a great rye flavor. Corned beef, kraut, and Swiss cheese were lightly bathed in a sauce reminiscent of the traditional thousand island dressing, but with a bit of a garlic tang to it. Very nice. Coupled with some pasta salad and fresh fruit, it made for a satisfying meal after a morning round of golf.

The Coho Café is worthy of a stop for any North Shore traveler looking for a bite to eat. Their menu is large and varied, so there should be something for everyone. While we were dining, some impressive looking pizzas came past our table. Hmmm, perhaps I already know what I am having next time?

Summer on a plate

2007-07-14T16:56:00.000-06:00

This could be my favorite summer meal.

Tonight I made my favorite ”BBT” sandwich on German dark wheat bread for dinner, and I had my first sweet corn of the season.

I love this time of year when sweet corn becomes available in Minnesota. This is about the time when you start seeing the actually Minnesota grown corn (not stuff trucked in from parts unknown) show up at farmers’ markets and roadside stands.

I bought my corn at a little stand near my place. For this early in the season, it was not too bad. Not great, but pretty decent. It has me excited for the remainder of summer. I will be pigging out on sweet corn all of August!

There will be many a meal like this in the coming months.

Barker's revisited

2007-07-08T09:14:00.000-06:00

On the 4th of July, I took a road trip back to Barker’s Bar & Grill in Hudson, WI.

The outrageously good "Tyson Burger" at Barker's Bar & Grill

I visited Barker's in January and had their magnificent “Tyson Burger," which is coated with blackened seasonings and topped with bleu and Monterey Jack cheeses.

To no surprise, it was as good as I remembered, and it is currently my favorite burger of any place I have gone, Juicy, beautifully cooked, creamy cheeses...yum! And I can't forget the fries, which are homemade and hand-cut. Simply amazing.

I can't wait for my next road trip to Hudson. :)

Busting some chops

2007-07-02T16:20:00.000-06:00

Last night I made Giada De Laurentiis’ Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops for dinner. These are really good, the recipe has very few ingredients, and it is very easy to prepare.

One thing I did (and I was very glad I did) was bread the chops and let them sit in the fridge for about a half and hour. I think that really helped the breading set up and adhere to the chops. Also, I just flipped these once, and I didn’t mess with them once they were in the pan. The crust stayed perfectly intact.

A quick and delicious meal, for sure. The chops were really juicy on the inside and had a flavorful, crispy crust on the outside. Yummy!

I love Giada’s recipes, and this one could become part of my regular rotation.

Meisters for lunch

2007-06-30T13:11:00.000-06:00

This morning I went for what was nearly a 16 mile run, my longest run to date. My reward was a burger. And a darn good one.

Today I made a return visit to Meisters Bar & Grill in Scandia, MN, but this time for lunch. On my original visit back in the beginning of May, I was at Meisters for breakfast, vowing that I would return for lunch.

So lunch I would have. They have a number of nice looking burgers and sandwiches to choose from. I opted for the “Bacon BBQ Meisterburger,” a 1/3 lb. burger with bacon, Swiss cheese, and BBQ sauce. Fries would come with it, and for an extra 50 cents, I made it “California style” with some tomato, lettuce, and mayonnaise.

The “Bacon BBQ Meisterburger” at Meisters Bar & Grill

This was a fantastic burger. In the picture, you will see that the burger is resting on top of something. That is all bacon, baby! (Good grief!) The burger was well prepared and juicy. The creamy Swiss cheese, a delightfully smoky BBQ sauce, and the aforementioned mound of crispy bacon all complimented the burger nicely, as did the upgrade to the California toppings. Excellent!

And bless Meisters, they make their own, homemade, hand-cut fries! (And there was much rejoicing!) So few places do this, and that is really a shame because the flavor is incomparable to frozen ones. The fries were delicious and something to be savored.

The online menu appears to have the incorrect price for my burger. It was actually $6.99 according to the computerized receipt, and with the 50 cent upgrade to the California fixings, brought the price to a scant $7.49. Add a diet Pepsi and some tax, and my total bill was all of $9.84 before tip.

Are you kidding? A burger this tasty with honest-to-goodness homemade fries for such an inexpensive price? Wow. I will be coming to Meisters Bar & Grill again. And again. And again. :)

A nice pizza

2007-06-18T17:01:00.000-06:00

I made this a few days ago.

Essentially, it is a pizza Margherita, but with pepperoni. Tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few slices of some nice pepperoni I bought at the store. Oh, there was a grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top for good measure.

Delicious!

Road Food Pursuits - King’s Place

2007-06-09T14:13:00.000-06:00

Today was a nice sunny day, perfect for a road trip. I hopped in the car and headed southeast of the Twin Cities to find a burger joint that had I read about in the past. It was time to investigate.

Miesville is a small farming community of slightly more that 100 residents. It is located south of Hastings on US Highway 61.

Although tiny, Miesville is a hotbed for amateur baseball and is home to the Miesville Mudhens. Driving in to town from the west, you can see the light of Jack Ruhr Field before you can even really see the town itself. You almost feel like you are driving to the “Field of Dreams!” Baseball is legendary here, and it has been for decades.

Also legendary are the burgers at King’s Place.

King’s Place
14460 240th St. E.
Miesville, MN

King’s Place in a small, unassuming bar located right along the south side of the highway in Miesville. If you are not paying attention, you could easily drive right by (as I did!). It is an old building (built in 1916, according to the menu cover). And while King’s Place might not look like much from the outside, the inside tells another story.

The bar and restaurant areas are finished with rustic knotty pine, and the walls are covered with all sorts of cool neon beer signs. It is a very warm and welcoming environment with a friendly staff. A small town bar at its finest. And did I mention they serve burgers?

Let’s face it, the reason you come to King’s Place is to have a burger, and that is what the menu is all about. I didn’t total them up, but it appeared that there were close to a couple dozen options to choose from, all with different toppings and condiments (make that upwards of four dozen if you count the option of 1/4 lb. vs. 1/2 lb.!). All of the burgers were named after terminology from the game of chess or (perhaps not so surprising) baseball!

Since I was in Mudhen territory, I selected the “Mudhen Burger,” 1/4 lb. size, which was topped with bacon, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and I added chopped raw onions to the mix as well. I also ordered fries on the side, and a diet Coke.

The “Mudhen Burger” at King’s Place

The burger was clearly hand-formed, nicely charred, and delightfully pink and juicy on the inside. An excellent fresh “beefy” flavor, too. Crispy bacon, creamy Swiss cheese, and raw onions were all excellent accompaniments, and I loved the kraut on the burger as well. This was great stuff! The burger tasted homemade, as a good burger should. Throw in an ample portion of shoestring fries on the side, and you have a wonderful lunch.

The prices at King’s Place are ridiculously cheap. My Mudhen Burger with an upgrade to fries was only $5.75. Throw in the diet Coke with some tax and my bill came to a mere $7.83! In this day an age, these prices don’t seem possible. Yet they are. King's Place offers one of the better values I have encountered in my various quests for burger greatness.

A trip to the Hastings area is worth your your time. It is very close to the Twin Cities. The upper Mississippi River valley is quite beautiful. Stop in at the Alexis Bailly Vineyard outside of Hasting and sample some delicious Minnesota wine (believe me, they produce fantastic local wines with some unique grapes). And since you are in the area, I would highly encourage you to swing down to Miesville for a burger at King’s Place.

And if you are there in the summer, take in a Mudhens game, too!

Ragu of Pork Shoulder

2007-06-04T18:55:00.001-06:00

After seeing this recipe, I was inspired to try something similar.

I loved the idea of using fennel in a ragu (both fresh fennel bulb and fennel seeds), but I didn’t want to mess around with the pork spareribs. Instead, I bought a pork shoulder and borrowed a few ideas from the recipe to make something on my own.

Here is what I came up with, a ragu of pork shoulder. The shredded pork is very tasty with a wonderful texture, and the fresh fennel and fennel seed add an interesting and delicious flavor. It is even better the next day.

Ragu of Pork Shoulder

-2 T. extra virgin olive oil
-Salt and pepper
-2 lb. pork shoulder
-2 carrots, diced
-2 stalks of celery, diced
-1 small fennel bulb, diced
-1 small yellow onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1 t. fennel seeds
-1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
-2 T. tomato paste
-1 c. dry red wine
-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
-1 11.5 oz can V-8 vegetable juice
-1 t. Italian seasoning
-8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
-A few leaves of fresh basil, torn
-1 lb. short, tubular pasta
-Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle Salt and pepper on the pork shoulder and add to the Dutch oven. Sear on all sides until nicely browned. Transfer the pork to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots, celery, fennel bulb, and onion. Sauté the vegetables until slightly softened (perhaps 10 minutes), stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits in the pan. Add the garlic, fennel seeds, and crushed red pepper and allow to cook for a minute until fragrant.

Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the red wine and stir to deglaze the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes, V-8, Italian seasoning, and return the pork to the Dutch oven. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer. Add the sliced mushrooms and give it a good stir to incorporate the ingredients.

After 2 hours, the pork should be very tender. Carefully remove the pork to a large cutting board and allow to cool slightly. Skim the surface of the sauce to remove excess fat. When cool enough to handle, shred the pork meat with a fork, discarding any remaining fat. Return the meat to the Dutch oven and allow to heat through. Add the fresh basil at the last minute before serving.

Serve over your favorite short, tubular pasta; penne, mostaccioli, ziti, or as I used here, whole wheat gobbetti. Grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over this, too!

Road Food Pursuits - The Drive In Restaurant

2007-06-02T14:30:00.001-06:00

One of the great things about this time of year in Minnesota is that the handful of drive in restaurants we have in this state are now open for the summer season. Today I took a short road trip to partake in one of them.

The Drive In Restaurant
572 Bench St.
Taylors Falls, MN

The town of Taylors Falls, MN is located about 40 miles or so northeast in the Twin Cities and is nestled along the St. Croix River. It is a gorgeous area. And they are lucky enough to have a drive in restaurant that still has carhops in poodle skirts, and still serves root beer in a frosty mug.

The Drive In Restaurant is hard to miss. Just look for the giant, spinning, mug of Frostop root beer! This is an honest-to-goodness, authentic drive in that serves a number of burgers, sandwiches, fries, onion rings, desserts, and the like. It simply oozes nostalgia, and not at all in a phony way. And judging by the number of people dining here this Saturday, the Drive In is quite popular.

My carhop (friendly, attentive, and most pleasant) took my order. I selected the “Drive In Burger” basket; a 1/3 pound patty with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, with both American and Swiss cheese.

The “Drive In Burger” at the Drive In Restaurant

The burger was marvelous. It was a thinner patty that had an excellent char on the outside, and it was still very moist. There was almost a little bit of crunch when you bit into it. All of the ingredients were nice and fresh. Cool lettuce, juicy slices of tomato, and crunchy pickles mingled beautifully with the melted cheeses and condiments. I absolutely loved this burger.

With the burger basket comes a side of crinkle-cut fries, a style which I like very much. They were crispy and delicious, and with my burger sitting on top of them, they soaked up some of the juices and condiments that ran off (yum!).

Dining here at the Drive In is a great value, too. The burger basket was all of $6.94, a small price for such wonderful quality. Add a large diet Coke and some tax, and the total bill came to $9.19.

I am beginning to think that all burgers should be eaten in cars and served to you by carhops in poodle skirts. There is just something about eating at a drive in. It brings back memories of a different time when fast food simply meant good food fast. You can enjoy a beautiful summer day and take in the very social and festive setting that a drive in offers. And you get to dribble juices from your burger all over your driver side window (which I did, thank you very much!).

And if you live near, or are traveling through, Taylors Falls, you too can have this experience at the Drive In Restaurant.

Gordy's revisited

2007-05-30T15:22:00.001-06:00

While driving back to the Twin Cities from Duluth, I realized that, with the summer season essentially upeon us, it was time to take a detour for lunch and head into Cloquet, MN.

Gordy’s Hi-Hat is open again. (And there was much rejoicing!)

My bacon cheeseburger and fries at Gordy’s Hi-Hat

I had previously written about Gordy’s, a seasonal operation that is only open during Minnesota's milder months, so I need not go into great detail. But I will say my bacon cheeseburger was awesome. Fresh, well-seasoned, and tasted incredibly homemade. It was dressed with a little mayo and ketchup, and topped off with a creamy melted Ameroican cheese, bacon, and pickles. This is everything a fast food burger should be. And the fries rock. These skinny, crispy little gems are a delight.

Gordy's is yet another reason that I love summer! :)

Wild Onion

2007-05-30T15:06:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I was in Grand Marais, MN and got a chance to dine at a new restaurant in town.

Wild Onion Cafe
207 Wisconsin St.
Grand Marais, MN

The Wild Onion Cafe just opened on May 7th of this year. It is located in downtown Grand Marais in the Harbor Inn Motel and has a fantastic view of the harbor.

The menu is very creative and exhibits a great sense of humor, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner items available, depending upon the time of day. I was there for lunch, and they had numerous sandwich offerings that are familiar, but with a creative twist. There were things like a venison burger, a “BLT” with shaved Kobe beef, a smoked turkey sandwich on cranberry bread (cleverly named “11-25-07,” the day after Thanksgiving!), and a pulled barbecue chicken sandwich, to name a few.

I ordered their Rueben, which was corned beef with Swiss cheese, sweet and sour kraut, and a homemade Russian dressing.

The Rueben at the Wild Onion Cafe

Served on a delicious toasted caraway rye bread, the sandwich was excellent. The ingredients were top notch and very fresh, with a generous amount of corned beef, and was perfectly balanced with the cheese, kraut, and the zippy, sweet Russian dressing. Yum!

Homemade rosemary potato chips accompanied the Rueben, and they were absolutely wonderful. Think of the best kettle chip you have ever had lightly kissed with fresh rosemary. Outstanding. I wish I could buy bags of these chips.

When in Grand Marais looking for a meal that offers a new twist on some old favorites, stop in at the Wild Onion Cafe. Enjoy the beautiful view, along with some very well prepared and delicious food.

"Church Basement" Calico Beans

2007-05-23T16:52:00.000-06:00

We had a potluck at work this week, so I brought a favorite potluck dish, my "church basement" calico beans.

This dish is a my take on a somewhat traditional potluck dish. It is combination of a multitude of beans mixed with hamburger and bacon in a sweet, smoky sauce. It is easy to make, and while it might not look like anything special, the taste is quite delicious and satisfying. You could do the whole thing on a stovetop, but it is perfectly suited for the crock pot.

Being raised a Lutheran in Minnesota, this dish evokes a feeling of nostalgia in that it is a type of casserole (or as we call it, "hot dish") that would have been served at a church basement supper, hence the name I bestowed upon the recipe. :) It also makes for a great side dish for a summer barbecue or bratwurst cookout in place of baked beans.

The recipe make a pretty large batch, but the leftovers freeze well.

My "Church Basement" Calico Beans

-1/2 lb. bacon, chopped
-1 lb. lean ground beef
-Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
-Seasoned salt, to taste
-1/2 t. dried thyme
-1 yellow onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-2 cans Pork & Beans (do not drain)
-1 can kidney beans, drained
-1 can Great Northern beans, drained
-1 can navy beans, drained
-1 can butter (lima) beans, drained
-1 can pinto beans, drained
-3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
-3/4 cup chili sauce (the ketchup-type product, not the Asian style!)
-1/2 cup BBQ sauce (your favorite brand)
-2 T. prepared mustard (yellow, Dijon, whole-grain, your choice)
-1 T. liquid smoke

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp, set aside and drain, reserving 1 T. of the bacon dripping in the skillet. Add the ground beef, season with pepper, seasoned salt, thyme, onions, and garlic. Brown until the beef is no longer pink, drain. Add all ingredients to a crock pot and stir well to incorporate. Cook on high for 4-5 hours (or on low for 8-10 hours). Serve as part of a potluck.

Dinner at the Speak Easy

2007-05-20T12:05:00.000-06:00

While in Fargo, ND, I needed to do a little carbo loading for the next day’s race, so I drove back across the border to dine at a popular Moorhead restaurant.

Speak Easy Restaurant & Lounge
1001 30th Avenue South
Moorhead, MN

I ate at the Speak Easy, an Italian-American red sauce joint with a 30’s gangster motif.

This was a very cool place. Dimly lit, decorated with dark wood and leather, and lots of red curtains, you felt like you were in an old time supper club.

The menu contained tons of different pasta dishes, as well as some American specialties. Since I was there for pasta, I opted for their mostaccioli.

The mostaccioli at the Speak Easy

The dish consisted of large mostaccioli noodles tossed in meat sauce and topped with pieces of batter-fried mushrooms. The meat sauce was tangy and rich, and the crispy mushrooms offered a fantastic textural contrast, as well as a wonderful flavor. I have never had a dish like this before and thought it was quite creative.

Coupled with a house salad and some soft, warm bread with garlic butter, I would be appropriately fueled up for the race!

The Speak Easy was a treat. Neat atmosphere, delicious food, and plenty of it. Check it our when in the Fargo/Moorhead area.

Road Food Pursuits - Pelican Drive Inn

2007-05-20T10:08:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to mention a really tasty malt I had while driving through the town of Pelican Rapids

Pelican Drive Inn
520 North Broadway
Pelican Rapids, MN

I stopped at the Pelican Drive Inn en route to Fargo. It is your typical, cute small town ice cream and sandwich shop. They had a menu full of your various fast food items, but I was there for ice cream.

I am a big fan of blueberry malts, so that is what I had. It was noting fancy; Tastee Freeze soft serve ice cream, malt powder, and blueberries. But it was most delicious. Cold, creamy, malty, and sweet. It really hit the spot after several hours on the road.

Blueberry malt from the Pelican Drive Inn

I can't vouch for the food here, but the ice cream sure was wonderful. If I find myself in the area again, I will be stopping in for a cool, tasty treat!

Road Food Pursuits - Nelson Bros. Restaurant

2007-05-20T09:49:00.000-06:00

On my way to Fargo, I stopped off for breakfast in Clearwater, MN. Here I found a truck stop with some seriously good eats.

Nelson Bros. Restaurant
Clearwater Travel Plaza
950 State Hwy 24
Clearwater, MN

I swung into the Clearwater Travel Plaza and ate at the Nelson Bros. Restaurant. When going to a truck stop, you don’t always expect to find a classy, beautiful restaurant decorated in knotty pine, but that is exactly what I found. Wow, this place is nice.

Not only is the decor pretty surprising, but so is the food. They pride themselves on using artisan products, and they even have their own bakery. Perhaps it comes as no shock that this restaurant was featured on a past episode of the Food Network show, The Best Of...Truck Stops?

My choice was the “Two Eggs, Hash Browns, and Meat.” But not just any meat. How does some artisan wild rice sausage sound?

Breakfast at the Nelson Bros. Restaurant

The breakfast was fantastic. My scrambled eggs were wonderfully fluffy. The hash browns were a work of art, with a delightfully crisp crust. And the sausage...mmmm, the sausage...flavorful, moist pork sausages with bits of nutty wild rice. Wow! And I cannot forget to mention the delicious home baked whole wheat bread, made in their very own bakery.

Everything was just excellent. The meal was a great start to my morning. If you find yourself on I-94 between the Twin Cities and St. Cloud looking for a bite to eat, please don’t snub your nose at truck stop fare. The Nelson Bros. Restaurant will change the way you feel about truck stops.

Venison Meat Loaf

2007-05-15T14:38:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend, I made meat loaf. But not just any meat loaf. This one had venison!

As per usual, I used the recipe for Alton Brown's "Good Eats" Meat Loaf as my guide. Some alteration I made; the meat mixture was 50% ground venison and 50% ground pork. And I used Italian-style bread crumbs in lieu of the croutons.

The meat loaf turned out great. The venison flavor came through, and the pork added an appropriate amount of fat, since the venison is so lean. It was one of my best efforts; moist, delicious, and even better left over (making for some fantastic cold meat loaf sandwiches!). A fun and hearty dish to cook up on a Sunday.

The BLT goes uptown

2007-05-12T17:11:00.000-06:00

Tonight I tried to replicate (somewhat) a sandwich I had at a restaurant last fall.

Back in November, I ate at The Crooked Spoon Cafe in Grand Marais, MN. The sandwich I ordered was called the “Crooked B.L.T.” It consisted of thick-cut pepper bacon, bibb lettuce, balsamic-marinated tomato slices, and a curried mayo. I loved it, and I thought I would try something similar at home.

Following the recipe for my ”B.B.T. Sandwich” (bacon, basil, and tomato), I made a few alterations. I took some mayo and stirred in a little bit of curry powder to taste. Just enough to give it some nice color and flavor. And, I drizzled my tomato slices with some 12 year-old aged balsamic vinegar.

My exotic and tasty "B.B.T." sandwich

The combination of ingredients was so tasty, with the locally produced, double-smoked bacon, the exotic curried mayo, and a simple whole wheat bread. I love using fresh basil instead of lettuce because it bring such a vibrant flavor to the sandwich. And giving the tomatoes a bath in balsamic vinegar really perks them up when they are out of season.

This was a quick, easy, and somewhat upscale sandwich that will become a staple this summer, I am sure.

Road Food Pursuits - Trappers Bar & Grill

2007-05-12T14:43:00.000-06:00

Today I hit one of my local restaurants for lunch.

Trappers Bar & Grill
6810 Lake Drive
Lino Lakes, MN

Trappers Bar & Grill s a true roadhouse; a large bar that serves as a swinging live music joint on the weekends. It is located in Lino Lakes on the southeastern corner of Lake Drive and Hodgson Road, and they have a stunning view of Rice Lake.

Music is not all that is served up at Trappers. They have some good chow, too. The menu is fairly large, with lots of sandwich and burger options, entrees such as fried chicken, and there is plenty of bar food as well. They even had a bloody mary bar set up while I was dining there, for those who are so inclined!

Today I selected the “Trapper Deluxe,” a 1/3 pound burger topped with bacon, American cheese, mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles, with a side of fries.

The “Trapper Deluxe” at Trappers Bar & Grill

For a 1/3 pound burger, it was huge. By the time I got everything assembled, I could barely get my hands around it! The burger was very fresh, with a juicy and delicous beefy flavor. Crisp, thick-cut bacon, creamy melted American cheese, and sauteed mushrooms topped it off, along with the cool lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles on a big toasted bun. Wonderful flavor and texture contrasts. A great burger!

The fries were excellent as well. You can see they were of the skin-on variety, and they were cooked just right. A fantastic crispness to them, along with a fluffy interior. Fantastic.

This proved to be another excellent burger bargain. The burger basket was $7.25. The whole meal with a diet cola was $9.67 with tax before tip. A great meal, a beautiful view, and a solid price. How can you go wrong? I will have to put Trappers Bar & Grill into my regular rotation.

Giada's Chicken Ragu

2007-05-06T16:45:00.000-06:00

Tonight I did a little more cooking with Giada De Laurentiis. I made her recipe for Linguine with Chicken Ragu, a quick, easy, and delicious pasta dish.

There were a couple of liberties taken on my behalf. I added mushrooms. And, instead of linguine, I used a box of De Cecco maccheroni alla chitarra, sort of a square spaghetti noodle that has a great texture. Otherwise, I stayed very true to the recipe.

This is a tasty dish that I enjoyed very much. The preparation was quite simple. Chicken thighs have a lot of flavor, and I enjoyed the fresh rosemary in the sauce. I am glad I added mushrooms, though (a good flavor/texture addition). I will most certainly be making this again!

Grilled Tuna Steak with Soy-Ginger-Honey Glaze

2007-05-05T17:14:00.000-06:00

Here is what was for dinner tonight. I made a grilled tuna steak with an soy-ginger-honey glaze. This is where a George Foreman Grill comes in handy (grilling fish is perhaps its best application, in my humble opinion).

This is so easy. Take one sashimi grade tuna steak (about 8 oz.) and mix up the following marinade:

1/4 c. soy sauce
3 T. white wine
3 T. honey
1 T. fresh grated ginger

Stir the marinade together and reserve about 3 T. of it to use as a dipping sauce. Place the tuna steak in a ziplock back and pour the remaining marinade it. Allow to marinate in the fridge for 1 hour, turning once.

Heat up the George Foreman Grill. Remove the steak from the marinade and pat it dry. Grill for two minutes, turning once to get the grill marks. You should have a good sear on the outside, and it will be rare and pink on the inside. Serve with a small ramekin of the reserved marinade along the side for dipping. Easy, and delicious!

(Of course, in the absence of a G.F. Grill, there is no reason this can’t be quickly seared on each side to your liking in a hot skillet!)

Road Food Pursuits - Meisters Bar & Grill

2007-05-05T14:22:00.000-06:00

I headed out of the house late on a gloomy Minnesota morning in search of some lunch. Somehow, I ended up having breakfast instead!

Meisters Bar & Grill
14808 Oakhill Road
Scandia, MN

The small Swedish hamlet of Scandia, MN, is home to Meisters Bar & Grill, a small tavern built in 1959. It is a really cute establishment. A cozy bar with lots of wood, old wood floors, wooden booths, and plenty of character; it is a perfect small town bar.

Their menu looks great, with many different burgers, sandwiches, dinner entrees, and even broasted chicken. But since I arrived early, I was able to get in on breakfast, which is served only on Saturday and Sunday.

I opted for their breakfast item called “Scoty’s Special,” which consisted of two eggs, toast, home fries, ham, sausage and bacon (Gasp! Pork three different ways!).

”Scoty’s Special” at Meisters Bar & Grill

Fluffy scrambled eggs, excellent whole wheat toast, a slice of griddled ham, a strip of thick bacon, and a link of juicy breakfast sausage; wow! Everything was delicious. But the home fries were perhaps my favorite part of the meal. These were sliced new potatoes (no frozen potato products here), nicely browned and tossed with a little parsley. They were wonderful. What a fantastic breakfast!

The cost of this meal was a paltry $4.99 before tax. Unbelievable! Not only was this a delicious and filling breakfast, but it was unquestionably one of the best breakfast deals I have encountered.

If you are in the St. Croix River Valley on a weekend morning looking for some breakfast, you might want to consider stopping in at Meisters Bar & Grill. I know one thing, after seeing their lunch and dinner menu, I will be back. Any place that claims to be famous for burgers is a place I want to become acquainted with!

Pizza for dinner

2007-05-02T16:49:00.000-06:00

Tonight's pizza turned out really nice.

A combination of fresh mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses, fresh basil leaves, sliced Boar's Head pepperoni, green olives, and mushrooms. I love it when I top it with just the right amount of stuff so that everything gets nice and brown on the top. Yum!

Stuffed shells alla Giada

2007-04-30T16:10:00.000-06:00

Last night I made Giada de Laurentiis' stuffed pasta shells recipe with a few variations.

The recipe calls for ground turkey, but I used a mild Italian sausage instead. I thought this would be a little more flavorful. Also, in lieu of making the arrabbiata sauce recipe, I simply took 5 cups of marinara sauce and added some crushed red pepper flakes.

I really liked this recipe. The combination of Italian sausage, artichokes, and ricotta cheese stuffed inside of a pasta shell was almost like a small orb of lasagna covered with a delicious tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese! It takes a bit of time to assemble everything, but once it is ready for the oven, you've got a pretty easy one-pan meal. And the leftovers were great for lunch today. I will be making this again.

Road Food Pursuits - Minnetonka Drive In

2007-04-28T13:13:00.000-06:00

What a gorgeous day! Any time you can get a 70 degree day in Minnesota, you have to take advantage. After a long run this morning in beautiful conditions, I ventured over to the west side ot the Twin Cities metro to do a little shopping. Also, I sought out a place for lunch that was like taking a step back it time.

Minnetonka Drive In
4658 Shoreline Drive
Spring Park, MN

The Minnetonka Drive In is located in Spring Park, a small community west of Wayzata on Lake Minnetonka. It is a seasonal operation open during Minnesota's milder months from March through October. Here you can find burgers, sandwiches, and shakes served they way they were decades ago; by carhops!

Let’s be clear, this is not some trendy place pretending to be a 60’s drive in. The Minnetonka Drive In is a 60’s drive in! In looking at the menu boards, I have to believe they are original, as there is nothing modern about them. They even feature ”Hot Rod Thursdays” where people come out in their classic automobiles.

A classic drive in menu board

Today they were featuring the California burger as a special for $1.99. I opted for that, along with an order of fries and a large diet Pepsi. And rather than dine under the canopy, I chose to eat over in the picnic area to enjoy our wonderful day. (There are even menu boards set up right next to the picnic tables!)

The California burger and fries at the Minnetonka Drive In

My carhop arrived in about 5 minutes with my food. Given that this is an original fast food restaurant. the food is styled as such. The California burger consisted of a thin burger patty topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and "dressing," which appeared to be a zippy mayo. This is how fast food should be, but so often is not. The patty was still juicy, and the tangy dressing mingled beautifully with the cool lettuce and tomatoes. What is not to like here for a mere $1.99? An excellent fast food burger.

The fries were straight out of the fryer, hot and crispy, and in the crinkle-cut style that I enjoy very much. There was a good sized portion of them, too. Very nice! I enjoyed my meal greatly as I basked it the sunshine raining down on the picnic area.

The entire meal was $5 and some change, which really makes you wonder why anyone would choose McDonald’s. My lunch would have put any “value menu” to shame!

If you are ever in and around Lake Minnetonka, you owe it to yourself to take a trip into Spring Park for a nostalgic lunch at the Minnetonka Drive In. It will be darn tasty, and it won’t cost you very much, either. And feel free to drive your ‘57 Chevy if you’ve got one. :)

My Pork Tenderloin Stir-Fry from Sunday

2007-04-25T16:00:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, I made a delicious stir-fry dish with sliced pork tenderloin.

The recipe was loosely based on my Kung Pao chicken recipe in terms of the sauce mixture. The veggie combination was a little different (broccoli, mushrooms, red bell pepper, carrots, green onions, water chestnuts), but the prepartion was more or less the same.

Served it over some wonderful jasmine rice, and it was a tasty and flavorful meal with a bit of spice and plenty of garlic and ginger. I have been enjoying the leftovers for my lunch all week!

Road Food Pursuits - Washington Square Bar & Grill

2007-04-21T12:39:00.000-06:00

Today, quite famished after my long weekend run, I ventured into the town of White Bear Lake in search of a good burger. I managed to find one in a cute little downtown bar.

Washington Square Bar & Grill
4736 Washington Square
White Bear Lake, MN

The Washington Square Bar & Grill is located in (conveniently enough) Washington Square, a charming area of downtown WBL that is clearly the “old” part of the city. The area is reminiscent of a small town, complete with lots of trees, quaint shops, and even diagonal parking.

The bar is situated on a street corner and has plenty of outdoor seating (which was a busy on this 70+ degree spring day). I chose to eat in the bar, which was a cool old building complete with brick walls, butcher-block tables, and a bar constructed out of corrugated sheet metal. A classy establishment.

Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, they have a large menu with all sorts of choices of creative sandwiches, burgers, entrees, and also an extensive drink menu with countless beers, cocktails, and close to a dozen martini offerings. There is a a lot going on at the Washington Square Bar & Grill!

I opted for the 1/3 pound bacon cheese burger (but I was so tempted by their special of the day, a seared tuna steak sandwich with wasabi aioli!). What was great is that they gave you a choice of like five different cheeses, one of them being Italy’s answer to bleu cheese, Gorgonzola. I was all over that! Fries would come as part of the meal.

A Gorgonzola-Bacon Cheese Burger at the Washington Square Bar & Grill

My server (most pleasant, by the way) brought me my food an apologized because they accidentally upgraded me to the 1/2 pound burger! Kindly, she charged me the 1/3 pound price. I certainly had nothing to complain about. The burger was excellent and carefully prepared. Juicy, cooked to order at a nice pink medium, and topped with creamy Gorgonzola, crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato, and sweet red onion; how can a burger lover not help but smile?

The fries are my least favorite style (that being the thicker variety), but they too were well-prepared with a crispy bite to them and a creamy, soft interior.

At the 1/3 pound price, the burger and fries were $8.50, so this was a pretty good value as well. Add a diet Coke and some tax, the bill was just a shade over $11 before tip.

I will certainly be visiting the Washington Square Bar & Grill again. I am intrigued by some of their sandwich offerings, as well as the tempting Jack Daniels burger that I almost chose. A return trip (or two) will be on the horizon.

A nice pizza for dinner

2007-04-19T16:47:00.000-06:00

I whipped up a tasty and pretty pizza tonight, if I do say so myself.

Asparagus, black olives, sauerkraut, provolone and Jarlsberg cheeses, and some slices of bacon-horseradish wurst from TJ's Country Store in Mahtowa, MN.

I am really enjoying sauerkraut as a pizza topping (just drain it and squeeze the sauerkraut really well first!), especially in combination with sausage.

And the bacon-horseradish wurst was awesome. Slightly smoky, with a little horseradish "kick." Very nice! If you ever find yourself anywhere near Duluth, it is worth it swinging off of I-35 into Mahtowa for a stop at TJ's. They have a huge variety of homemade sausages that are wonderful.

Map of Mahtowa

A delicious dinner tonight!

Road Food Pursuits - Brookside Bar & Grill

2007-04-14T15:05:00.000-06:00

Spring is finally here! Our stretch of awful weather has passed, so it was time to get outside and take in some of God’s glories. After a morning of some hiking and a little bit of bird watching on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, I ventured to town of Marine on St. Croix in search of some sustenance.

Brookside Bar & Grill
140 Judd Street
Marine on St. Croix, MN

Marine on St. Croix was founded in 1839 and is historically significant in that this was the site of the first commercial sawmill in Minnesota. It is a beautiful river town nestled up against the St. Croix River. In the small downtown area, you will find the Brookside Bar and Grill.

The Brookside Bar and Grill is a tiny restaurant with perhaps 15 or so tables inside, but there is also a patio out back where you can dine during Minnesota's milder months. It is said to have been in operation for more than 75 years, so the bar is quite a landmark. Inside, you will find old wood floors, antique bar signs, as well as some mounted fish on the wall. The Brookside is a charming a cozy place. And is sits along side of the creek that provided water for the old mill site.

On the menu, you will find an assortment of sandwiches, burgers, Heggie’s Pizzas (a central Minnesota bar food staple), and a few dinner items (including a Friday night fish fry, and Saturday night prime rib). None of the food here is pretentious in the least. I selected their “Sawmill Burger,” a 1/3 pound bacon cheeseburger with fries.

The “Sawmill Burger” at the Brookside Bar & Grill

As I was eating, I kept thinking this reminds me of a home cooked burger (which is a high compliment). It was nothing fancy, but wonderfully delicious. You could tell the beef was fresh and hand-formed, and it was perfectly cooked. Served on a soft, fluffy bakery bun, topped with creamy American cheese and a couple strips of bacon (and not just any bacon...we are talking thick-cut pepper bacon...yum!), and I had a most enjoyable burger.

The basket was accompanied by a small side of fries and some cool, creamy, and crisp cole slaw. The fries, like the burger, were nothing fancy, but they were quite good, cooked up nice and golden brown, and were lightly salted. Some people might quibble about the portion size of the fries. Your mileage may vary, but a 1/3 pound burger and a fistful of fries leaves me completely satiated. This meal was perfect for me.

Best of all, the price of the burger basket was $7.50. With a diet Coke, the meal price came to $9.60 before tip. A true burger bargain.

I encourage you to take a trip through the scenic St. Croix River Valley sometime. This is some amazing country. Bask in some of Minnesota's history, and be sure to swing into Marine on St. Croix for a delicous and reasonably priced lunch at the Brookside Bar & Grill.

Lunch at the Gun Flint Tavern

2007-04-09T14:28:00.000-06:00

While in Grand Marais over the weekend, my Mom and I decided to have a little lunch, as the good Norwegians would say.

Gun Flint Tavern
11 Wisconsin St.
Grand Marais, MN

We dined at the Gun Flint Tavern, an eclectic little restaurant and bar located right on the waterfront.

Their menu is extensive and creative; numerous sandwiches, pizzas, soups, an assortment of ethnic and vegetarian entrees, along with a wide variety of beer, wine, and beverages to choose from. They use organic ingredients whenever possible. It is a fun menu, giving you many options.

I ordered their Cuban sandwich, which was pressed and grilled, served with roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and a chipotle pepper aioli.

The Cuban Sandwich at the Gun Flint Tavern

The sandwich was very good, and one of the more interesting Cubans I have tried. Great flavor on the roasted pork, and the chiptole aioli added a delightful smoky taste. Creamy Swiss cheese and some crisp dill pickles rounded out the sandwich quite nicely.

Mom had the soup and half sandwich. She chose a pressed sandwich made with Brie, fennel, artichoke hearts, and pesto, along with a spicy chicken and orzo soup (which I believe was a special).

I got to try a bite of Mom's food, and her sandwich was wonderful. Creamy, great texture, a multitude of flavors from the pesto and fennel, and a garlicky bite. Great stuff. And the soup was thick, loaded with pulled chicken, orzo pasta, and tomato with some southwestern spices. It too was delicious.

When in Grand Marais looking for something a little different, I would highly recommend checking out the Gun Flint Tavern. It is a cute place with tasty food, and one of the more interesting menus you will find.

Weekday frittata

2007-04-02T16:14:00.000-06:00

Tonight I made a quick, easy, colorful, and delicious meal. Frittatas are great when you want something fast. You can throw just about anything you want into them.

I added some fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, provolone cheese, and some awesome Compart Farms bacon. Beat some eggs, chop and sauté some ingredients, add a little cheese, and throw under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Nice and yummy!

Thai on a rainy Sunday

2007-04-01T16:57:00.000-06:00

Tonight I made a Thai basil chicken stir-fry for dinner that turned out very nice.

The recipe was mostly based on this one as far as the sauce mixture and veggies are concerned, except I added a couple of tablespoons of hoisin sauce as well.

I used diced, boneless-skinless chicken thighs, which I am really starting to enjoy much more than chicken breast. They are much more flavorful and moist, and I think they work great in stir-fry dishes. I buy them almost exclusively now.

The rice is a sweet Thai black rice. It is a short grain variety that has a great flavor, a firmer texture, and a gorgeous color.

A delicious, spicy meal on a dreary, rainy Sunday!

Road Food Pursuits - The Freight House

2007-03-31T13:25:00.000-06:00

What a dreary day. It has been raining since Friday, making it difficult to enjoy any outdoor activities. Going to lunch seemed like a good enough excuse to get out of the house, so I ventured over to Stillwater to dine at an historic restaurant.

The Freight House
305 S. Water St.
Stillwater, MN

In the heart of downtown Stillwater, you will find The Freight House, an old railroad freight depot that has since been converted into a restaurant.

In the late 1800’s, Stillwater was a major hub of commerce in Minnesota. The Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul Freight House was built in 1883 to serve the need for a railroad depot. While operations ceased and the building was sold in 1970, in 1977 it became Stillwater’s first building to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, The Freight House serves a variety of hearty American fare, including sandwiches, burgers, salads, and assorted entrees. The inside of the restaurant is beautiful, and you immediately know you are in a unique place. Vaulted ceilings, old brick walls, huge wooden beams, and a dark wooden floor. It is decorated with pictures of old Stillwater. Really, a very charming building.

I ordered myself a burger, specifically their bleu cheese bacon burger (their online menu and prices are a bit outdated, so you won’t see this item on the web site). I also upgraded to the fries instead of chips.

The Bleu Cheese Bacon Burger at The Freight House

The burger had a really nice char on the outside, A great job of grilling by the chef, and it still remained pink on the inside, but still cooked through. I am beginning to think the bleu cheese might be my favorite burger topping. The sharp flavor and creamy texture mingles so beautifully with grilled meat! Also topped with crumbled bacon and grilled onions, this made for a darn good hamburger.

The fries were of the skin-on variety, and they were generously coated with a delicious seasoned salt. This is one of the first places I have been to that uses a seasoned salt of their fries, which was a nice touch. And they were tasty and crispy, as fries should be.

The burger was $8.95, and the upgrade to fries was $1.50, so before you order your drink, you are already in for ten and a half bucks. Certainly not the greatest value I have encountered. But that was my only quibble. The meal and the service were both very good!

When in Stillwater searching for good eats, you have many choices. The Freight House is most certainly one of them where you will not only be able to whet your appetite, but you can also soak in some Minnesota history as well.

The first pizza of spring

2007-03-24T17:39:00.000-06:00

Tonight's pizza turned out pretty nice.

The ingredients consisted of Nueske's Canadian bacon, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh asparagus, and some fresh mozzarella with a grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Really tasty! I particularly like the way the asparagus turns out. The high heat roasts it, so it gets heated through, but still retains a crisp and fresh texture.

Not a bad way to welcome the arrival of spring!

Road Food Pursuits - The Lookout Bar & Grill

2007-03-24T14:33:00.000-06:00

Let’s take a step back in time.

When I was a youngster growing up in central Minnesota, I was weaned on the small mom & pop restaurants that had a sort of “north woods” feel to them. Decorated in knotty pine and filled with locals, you could go there for good burgers, sandwiches, or Broaster chicken. They were never pretentious, always friendly, and the food was tasty and reasonably priced.

Today I found such a place located right in the middle of a Twin Cities suburb.

The Lookout Bar & Grill
8672 Pineview Lane North
Maple Grove, MN

The Lookout Bar & Grill seems out of place. You will find it on a hilltop in Maple Grove, and it is completely surrounded by housing developments. You almost wonder how it got there.

Truth is, The Lookout was there long before anyone else! It just so happened that the Twin Cities closed in on them. Opened in 1958, this family-owned bar and restaurant has been serving what is now the northwest suburbs for decades.

In addition to the bar and restaurant, they also offer offsite catering, as well as a private dining room for various receptions. The bar and restaurant area is beautifully decorated with knotty pine, which is what made me think of all those old joints back home. A really a cozy and warming environment, filled with friendly locals and cheerful servers.

The menu is huge. Appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, entrees, and even the famous Broaster chicken that I remember from my youth!

While the Broaster chicken was tempting, I opted for the “Shroom Swissburger,” a half-pound burger topped with sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese. This comes with cole slaw and your choice of fries, mashed potatoes, JoJo potatoes, or potato salad. I chose fries.

The “Shroom Swissburger” at The Lookout Bar & Grill

The burger is enormous. Since I started doing these pursuits, this is the largest burger I have encountered. It truly takes two hands to eat it! The flavor was great. Nicely charred exterior, juicy on the inside, topped with a mound of mushrooms and creamy Swiss cheese on a lightly toasted bun. What is not to like here?

The fries were actually seasoned fries, kind of like those seasoned waffle fries you see at some places. They were crisp, hot, and tasty. Couple that with some cool, homemade cole slaw, and I had a great meal (even though I am embarrassed to say I couldn’t finish my burger because it was so huge!).

The price? A ridiculous $7.49 for the burger, fries, and slaw! Are you kidding me? That has to be the bargain of the century. If you are a fan of giant, high-quality hamburgers, this is perhaps one of the best values going in the Twin Cities.

If you are in the area looking for a bite to eat, I would highly recommend stopping in at The Lookout Bar & Grill, a landmark restaurant in the northwest suburbs. I will be going back sometime for the Broaster chicken, that is for sure! :)

More fun with Giada's recipes

2007-03-17T17:19:00.000-06:00

My Mom e-mailed me this recipe recently, so tonight I put it to good use. She tried it last week and said it was great. The recipe was for Giada’s De Laurentiis’ Fusilli with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

I pretty much followed the ingredients to the letter, except that I used mild Italian sausage instead of hot, I used canned artichokes instead of frozen and simply added them at the last minute, and I did add the optional fresh mozzarella.

This was a very good and somewhat lighter pasta dish. Lots of bright, refreshing ingredients, quite colorful, and I would recommend adding the fresh mozzarella. I love the stringy, creamy bits of cheese, and it really helps to tighten up the sauce as well.

Good stuff. Giada has some great recipes, and I will be making this one again!

Road Food Pursuits - Snuffy’s Malt Shop

2007-03-17T13:00:00.000-06:00

The old-fashioned hamburger and malt shops are really a thing of the past. Sure, you occasionally see 50’s themed restaurants popping up, but they always feel a little phony. And in today’s homogenous fast food culture, it is getting harder and harder to find places where you can grab a good burger and enjoy an authentic, homemade malt.

Today I found such a place that is keeping the burger and malt shop alive and well.

Snuffy’s Malt Shop
1125 Larpenteur Ave W
Roseville, MN

Snuffy’s Malt Shop is an old-fashioned burger joint and malt shop with four locations throughout the metro area, including Highland Park, Minnetonka, Edina, and the location I visited, Roseville.

I am unable to confirm for certain, but I read on the internet that at least one of Snuffy’s locations has been around since the 50’s. They have received numerous accolades and awards for their burgers, shakes, and kid-friendly atmosphere.

The menu is as you would expect; plenty of reasonably priced burgers, sandwiches, and ice cream treats. Wow, when is the last time you have seen real sodas and phosphates on a menu? Walking into Snuffy’s is like taking a wonderful step back in time.

I opted for the “Snuffy Burger.” A single burger patty with lettuce, tomato, pickles, bacon, and your choice of American, Swiss, or cheddar cheese (I chose Swiss). Fries and a diet Coke completed my order.

The “Snuffy Burger”

The burger consisted of a thinner style patty, kind of like you would see at the fast food joints, except it was light years better. The beef remained quite juicy (hard to do with a thin burger) and fresh tasting. The crisp bacon and cool veggie toppings on a fluffy, soft bun rounded things out nicely. A delicious hamburger.

Good fries, too. I am always happy to see the skin of the potato on my fries, and they were crisp, tasty, and perfectly portioned for my taste. I left feeling satisfied, but not stuffed.

The service was friendly and fast. I had my order in less than 10 minutes. One of the cooks from the kitchen even stopped by my table to ask me how my meal was. When I told him, “excellent,” he responded with, “All right! We aim to be the best!” That was neat. Clearly, they take pride in their work here at Snuffy’s.

My bill before tip came to a modest $9.53. A very reasonable price for a quality meal like this.

No ice cream or soda fountain treats on this trip, but I will be returning once the summer rolls around! Snuffy's rules.

Pollo alla Cacciatora

2007-03-12T16:01:00.000-06:00

By now everyone who cooks Italian knows that the word cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian. So pollo alla cacciatora is supposedly a dish that a hunter’s wife would prepare for the boys after their hunt.

Why this dish is associated with hunters, however, has always confused me. If the hunters were any good, wouldn’t you see this prepared with pheasant or game? Why is chicken so famous, unless the boys are consistently getting skunked in the field? :) Oh well, who cares? It is still a great meal!

The weekend I decided I wanted to make some of my own chicken cacciatora, a dish I have not made in many years. I was inspired by the recipe in Jamie Oliver’s beautiful ”Jamie’s Italy” cookbook. My recipe was largely improvised and in the end only bears a few similarities to his.

Jamie’s recipe uses whole chicken pieces and red wine. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and white wine. Jamie serves this along side beans. I wanted to serve it over pasta. I also added mushrooms to mine.

The local Kowalski’s Market has a great olive bar, so I was able to get some fantastic mixed olives for this dish.

This is a really tasty and rustic dish. It also makes for great leftovers, and the sauce freezes very well.

Pollo alla Cacciatora

For the Chicken

-2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
-1 spring fresh rosemary, chopped
-1 T. fresh thyme, chopped
-2 bay leaves
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-Fresh black pepper
-2 T. extra virgin olive oil

Cut the chicken thighs into large pieces. Toss the chicken and the remaining ingredients into a ziplock bag and refrigerate overnight.

For the Sauce

-Extra virgin olive oil
-Salt and pepper
-6 cloves garlic
-1 T. tomato paste
-1/2 bottle of white wine
-1 28 oz can whole Italian tomatoes, broken up
-3 bay leaves
-Additional fresh rosemary & thyme
-1 8 oz. package crimini mushrooms, sliced
-1 cup mixed, pitted olives
-Pasta or rice for serving

Remove the chicken from the ziplock bag and discard the bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Brown the chicken pieces (in batches to prevent overcrowding) and set aside.

Add the garlic and allow to cook for a minute of so. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot to release all those delicious brown bits. Return the chicken to the pot, add the tomatoes, bay leaves,and perhaps a sprig of rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

Once simmering, add the mushrooms and olives. Allow to cook, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the chicken is tender and the sauce is slightly reduced. Occasionally skim the surface to remove additional fat. Add some extra chopped rosemary and thyme right at the end if you would like a fresh flavor boost! Discard the bay leaves, as well as the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Serve over pasta or rice.

Enjoy!

Winter storm pizza

2007-03-01T17:38:00.000-06:00

In the midst of the biggest winter storm of the season here in Minnesota, I made myself a nice pizza for dinner.

Tonight is was a combination of pepperoni, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, chopped black olives, and fresh basil, with mozzarella, Swiss, and aged provolone. It was delicious to eat while I watched the horizontal snow fly past my window! :)

Taco pizza

2007-02-20T18:42:00.000-06:00

I made myself a "taco" pizza of sorts this evening.

With some leftover guajillo chile salsa as my sauce, I topped it with ground chorizo sausage, black olives, diced tomatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, and some fresh cilantro tossed on when it came out of the oven. Turned out very nice! I loved using the guajillo chile salsa as the sauce. It become so fragrant as it cooked, and it tasted great.

A nice change of pace from my usual pizzas. I will be doing this again sometime soon.

Giada's braciole

2007-02-19T14:12:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend, my Mom made a fantastic dish. It was Giada de Laurentiis’ braciole, which is basically a rolled, well-seasoned flank steak that is simmered for a couple hours in marinara sauce and wine.

This recipe also can be found in her first book, "Everyday Italian." I believe Mom followed the recipe pretty much to the letter, with the exception of the wine. We had a bottle of red open, so she went with that instead of the white that is called for in the recipe. Truthfully, I think red might have been a better choice anyhow, making for a richer, darker sauce.

I can't possibly describe how good this was. Served over some spaghetti, the meat was so tender it could be cut with a fork. And the sauce was just decadent (and even better the next day). I will be making this one for myself sometime!

Minnesota Trail Tacos

2007-02-12T16:40:00.000-06:00

Lately I have been reading up on Mexican street tacos. What I mean by that is the more authentic tacos you would find at a taco stand or buy from a street vendor. Not the Taco Bell crap with the hard shell, mystery meat, cheese, and lettuce. I'm talking about tacos that are filled with a simple meat, some onion, chopped cilantro, and a zippy salsa.

Recently I stumbled upon an awesome blog, The Great Taco Hunt. This blogger is in pursuit of the perfect taco in and around the L.A. area. Looking at all the wonderful pictures made me hungry, so I decided to make my own, but with a twist.

Given that I am nowhere near a Mexican street, but I am close to Minnesota trails, I thought I would do a little play on words and make “Minnesota trail tacos” using local venison as the meat of choice!

I made batch of guajillo chile salsa from the fantastic book, ”Salsa” by Reed Hearon. I bought this book well over a dozen years ago, and I have used it religiously, making numerous recipes from it. The guajillo chile salsa is like thick, but smooth textured, slightly smoky enchilada sauce.

For the venison, I marinated a pound of venison steaks overnight in a mixture of olive oil, ancho chile powder, paprika, Mexican oregano, ground coriander, and minced garlic. They were seared in a hot skillet, sliced, and served on flour tortillas with the guajillo chile salsa, cilantro, red onion, and a few drops of El Yucateco habanero hot sauce for good measure.

I did a good job with the venison. It was well-seasoned and juicy on the inside, so I did not overcook the meat. The salsa added spicy, smoky heat, and the cool contrast of the raw onions and cilantro was refreshing. The El Yucateco hot sauce gave everything an extra boost. Simple, flavorful food, and quite low in fat as well. Great stuff!

Valentine's M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-02-11T13:19:00.000-06:00

I made some yummy Valentine’s Day cookies this afternoon with M&M’s and chocolate chips.

The recipe is very much the same as my Maca-Toffee-Choco-Cino Cookie recipe in terms of proportions.

Simply substitute Valentine-colored M&M’s (these were the dark chocolate variety) for the cappuccino chips, get rid of the macadamia nuts and the Heath bars, and keep the rest of the recipe the same. I just sampled one and it was fantastic!

I would also like to try this with those new Hershey's Kissables. I would think they would work equally as well in cookie recipes.

Gobbetti with Vodka Sauce, Chicken, and Mushrooms

2007-02-10T17:34:00.000-06:00

Since I have a fun run tomorrow morning, I thought I would whip up some pasta for dinner this evening. I didn’t have a recipe that I followed, so with some improvisation I came up with a tomato-vodka sauce with chicken.

I love using chicken thighs. Not only are they cheaper than chicken breasts, but they have a lot more flavor, and they worked really well in this dish.

I used a shape of pasta called “gobbetti.” This particular pasta was a whole wheat version made by Bionaturae. It's like a curly, longer piece of elbow macaroni with ridges. If you don’t have it, don’t fear! You can make this with virtually any short, tube-shaped pasta, such as penne, ziti, or rigatoni.

The combination of tomatoes with a little bit of half & half added gives a luxurious, creamy flavor to the dish. It was a delicious way to load up on some carbs for tomorrow’s run!

Gobbetti with Vodka Sauce, Chicken, and Mushrooms

Sauce:

-Olive oil
-5 cloves garlic, minced
-2 shallots, minced
-1/4 t. red pepper flakes
-1 t. fresh rosemary, minced
-28 oz can whole tomatoes, pureed
-1/3 c. vodka
-8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
-1/2 c. half & half

In a deep pot add some olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the garlic, shallots, red pepper, and rosemary until the shallots are translucent. Add the tomatoes and the vodka. Give it a good stir. Add the mushrooms, and allow to simmer until ready to add the chicken. Hold off on adding the half & half until just about ready to serve.

The Chicken and Pasta

-4 strips of bacon, cut into lardons
-Olive oil
-1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
-1 T. fresh rosemary, minced
-Salt and pepper
-1 lb. gobbetti pasta (or other short pasta)
-1 Roma tomato, diced
-Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain bacon, set aside on a paper towel, and reserve about 1 T. or the bacon drippings in the skillet. Add about 1 T. olive oil and turn the heat to medium high. Add the chicken, and season with the rosemary, some salt, and pepper. Cook until the chicken is browned, but not cooked all the way through. Transfer the chicken to the tomato-vodka sauce.

Turn the heat on the tomato-vodka sauce up to medium high just to get things bubbly and heated through. Reduce to a simmer and let it cook for 30 minutes to an hour. Add the half & half to the sauce and give it a good stir to incorporate.

Cook the pasta to just shy of al dente and drain. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir until the pasta is completely coated with the sauce. Toss in the reserved bacon and the diced Roma tomato. Serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Chili on a chilly Super Bowl Sunday

2007-02-05T17:33:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was positively bitter outside, so I didn’t go anywhere. Instead, I lounged around and made a pot of chili for the Super Bowl.

The recipe was loosely based on my beer chili recipe. The only real difference was that I used a combination of beef and chorizo sausage, and I used one can of black beans, and one can of small red beans instead of the kidney beans. Otherwise, the recipe is virtually identical.

The chorizo added some outstanding flavor, so that might become a regular addition to my chili. And, I enjoyed the different beans for a change of pace. It was delicious and made for a great Super Bowl snack on a ridiculously cold Sunday in Minnesota!

Also, I found a new favorite hot sauce. The El Yucateco habanero hot sauce (pictured on the left) is delightfully spicy and sharp tasting, with a nice burn to it. Great stuff!

Moroccan-Spiced Cornish Game Hen

2007-02-03T18:35:00.000-06:00

A bitter cold day here in Minnesota. My neighborhood saw a high of -7 degrees! What a great excuse to stay inside and cook. :)

A couple of years ago, I found this Tyler Florence recipe for a roasted Moroccan chicken. What I really like about the recipe is the spice mixture. What an exotic aroma that is created by this blend! It is not spicy, rather the flavors are earthy, with the cinnamon, cumin, and cloves really shining through. Few things smell as good coming out of the oven as this chicken does. I thought it was fantastic.

Anyhow, I made a large batch of the spice mixture some time ago, keeping in an airtight container. It has been used in dishes from this chicken recipe, to lamb sausages, and even dusted over a salmon fillet. Today, I thought I would use it on a Cornish game hen.

Really, this is no different than a chicken, only smaller. I marinated the game hen overnight in some of the seasonings, a little olive oil, the juice of half an orange, and also the zest of that orange half. Today before roasting, I stuffed the cavity with some orange slices that had been dredged in the spice mixture, trussed the bird, seasoned it with salt, pepper, and some additional olive oil.

After a 75 minute roast in the oven at 350 F, the bird came out moist and juicy, with a wonderful perfume of orange and earthy spices. Accompanied by some curry and ginger couscous, roasted carrots, and Brussels sprouts, it was yummy meal on a frosty Februray day!

Weeknight pizza

2007-01-31T18:23:00.000-06:00

This turned out really nice.

I used the other half of the dough I made over the weekend and rolled it out really thin to make the crust nice and crispy. Canadian bacon, Genoa salami, onion, black and green olives, fresh mozzarella and aged provolone cheeses...yum!

Kung Pao Chicken

2007-01-28T17:26:00.000-06:00

It is another bitter cold day here in Minnesota. I’m not sure if we made it out of the single digits today. Time for another meal to help warm me up!

I made my version of Kung Pao chicken this evening. There is absolutely nothing authentic about it. Basically, it is a sweet and spicy chicken stir-fry with some of the elements of Kung Pao, so that is what I call it!

The sauces required to make this dish might sound exotic, but they can be found in the Asian food section of virtually any decent grocery store.

I add a lot of different vegetables to my stir-fries, because I love the various colors and textures. Sometimes I use different combinations, but this is what I used today. Feel free to play with other veggies. Or meats, for that matter. This dish will work equally as well with beef, pork, or even shrimp.

In essence, this is simply a comforting, spicy stir-fry that is perfect for a winter day. Nothing fancy, just tasty. It takes a little time to prep all of the ingredients, but the end result is worth the effort. And it will warm you up on a cold day!

My Kung Pao Chicken

The Chicken
-1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
-1 T. light soy sauce
-1 t. sesame oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cooking.

The Sauce
-1 cup water
-2 T. light soy sauce
-2 T. black bean & garlic sauce
-2 T. hoisin sauce
-1 T. chili garlic sauce
-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
-2 T. fresh ginger, grated
-1 T. rice wine vinegar
-1 T. sugar
-1 1/2 T. cornstarch

Combine all ingredients and set aside until ready to use. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.

The Veggies
-2 carrots, sliced
-1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
-1 small can bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed
-1 handful fresh snow peas
-1 small yellow onion, sliced thin
-1 8 oz container crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
-1/2 cup unsalted peanuts

For Cooking and Serving
-Peanut/canola oil for cooking
-A few small dried chili peppers
-Steamed rice for serving.

Heat a wok over high heat. Add about a tablespoon of oil and toss in the dried chili peppers. Stir quickly until the chilies are fragrant. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink, stirring quickly. Set aside.

Add a little more oil if needed and stir-fry the veggies. Cook them for just a couple minutes, again stirring quickly (you want them to remain somewhat crisp). Return the chicken to the wok and add the sauce mixture. Stir everything together and heat until cooked through and the sauce is thickened slightly. Stir in the peanuts at the last second. Serve over steamed rice.

Pizza on a chilly night

2007-01-27T18:28:00.000-06:00

It is a bitter cold night here, with the wind chill well below zero. What better to warm me up than a nice homemade pizza!

As per usual, I used Alton Brown's pizza dough recipe, but with 75% unbleached all-purpose flour and 25% whole wheat. I topped it with my homemade pizza sauce, Genoa salami, pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives, and a combination of aged provolone, fresh mozzarella, and a little bit of Jarlsberg cheeses. Baked for 8 minutes at 550 F on the pizza stone, and dinner was served.

Delightful! And it did indeed warm me up nicely.

My Hamburger Noodle Hot Dish

2007-01-23T17:12:00.000-06:00

Sunday during the football games, I didn't feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen, so I threw this together. Based on a quick dish that Mom and Dad always used to make for a quick weeknight meal, it doesn't really have a name. We always colloquially referred to it as "gruel." But in essence, it is simply variation of a hamburger-noodle hot dish (or "casserole," if you are from anywhere outside of the Midwest!).

There is really no set recipe, and you can vary the amounts how you see fit. If you don't have a roma tomato, red onion, or "shoepeg" corn on hand, don't sweat it. It is intended to be a pantry dish, so use the things you have on hand. Any small, tubular pasta such as elbow macaroni, penne, rigatoni, rotini, or in this case, tubini, will work here because it gives the meat and vegetables something to cling to.

While less than exotic, this is a dish that I love. It tastes and smells great with the combination of ketchup and BBQ sauce, and I enjoy the leftovers for my lunches at work. Plus, you can make it in no time, allowing you to miss very little of the game!

My Hamburger-Noodle Hot Dish
-1 lb. ground chuck
-4 cloves of garlic, minced
-1/2 cup red onion, diced
-Seasoned salt
-Black pepper
-1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
-1 cup frozen peas
-1 small can shoepeg corn, drained
-8 oz. small pasta (cooked just shy of al dente, drained, reserve some cooking water)
-1/2 cup ketchup
-1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Brown the ground beef with the garlic and onion. Season with the seasoned salt and black pepper. Drain the fat. Add the tomato, peas, and corn. Cook for a couple of minutes until heated through. Add the pasta, and stir in the ketchup and BBQ sauce. If the mixture is really thick, add a little bit of reserved pasta cooking water to help thin it out a little bit. Cook until the pasta is heated through, and serve immediately.

For some added flavor, I've also been known to grate a little bit of Swiss or Jarlsberg cheese over the top of the finished dish. Yum!

Road Food Pursuit - Barker's Bar & Grill

2007-01-20T14:49:00.000-06:00

Looking for something to do today, I decided to take a Sunday drive on a Saturday and made a run for the border; the Wisconsin border, that is!

I found myself in the city of Hudson, WI, an old river town on the St. Croix. After a little bit of shopping at a local market, I sought out a place to dine at in the old part of downtown.

Barker’s Bar & Grill
413 2nd St.
Hudson, WI

I stumbled over to Barker’s Bar & Grill, a charming little pub located on the west side of Highway 35. It is a narrow and cozy building that is filled with pictures from Hudson’s past. The restaurant was very clean and classy, the people friendly, there are dozens of beers to choose from, and there is a popcorn machine going all the time. Looks like Barker’s would be a fun hangout in the evenings.

The menu was quite large. Lots of burgers and sandwiches to choose from, but this seemed to be a step up from your traditional bar fare. Barker’s prides itself on using locally produced or purchased ingredients. The bread is baked in town, and the meat comes from a local butcher.

As per usual, I gravitated towards the burger section of the menu and ordered up the “Tyson Burger.” Clearly, the name is a play on a boxing reference because the burger is “black and blue.” It is seasoned with blackened seasonings and topped with Amish blue and Monterey Jack cheeses. The meal came with chips, but I upgraded to the fries, and also had a diet Pepsi to drink.

The “Tyson Burger” at Barker’s Bar & Grill

The burger was beautifully grilled, with a nicely charred exterior and a slightly pink interior. Very juicy! The blackened seasonings added a subtle spicy flavor that was tempered by the mound of blue cheese tucked under a slice of Monterey Jack. Add some nice tomato, red onion, pickles, lettuce, and a bakery fresh bun, and we have ourselves a winner. This was one of the finest burgers I have tasted.

And the fries were REAL! No such thing as frozen, food service fries here. These were the real deal. Since starting my pursuits of the great local establishments, I have encountered very few places that do this. Hand-cut, fresh, and fried to a golden brown. They were absolutely outstanding. I ate every last one of them on my plate. Awesome!

The total came to $12.03 before tip. Now, I know in the past I have expressed some displeasure when a burger and fries meal cost over $10. However, in this case I did not mind. It is clear they are using quality ingredients, and for a burger that tasty, and because they make their own fries, I will gladly shell out an extra couple of bucks.

Hudson is a pretty little town. If you are in the area, it would be worth stopping to see the sights, or to simply dine at Barker’s Bar & Grill.

Buffalo burgers

2007-01-14T11:40:00.000-06:00

One of the more unique gifts I got for Christmas from my brother and sister-in-law was an assortment of meats from Blackwing Quality Meats.

Last night I made one of their buffalo burgers, made from free range bison. Delicious! Not only is it an incredibly flavorful meat with the texture of a really good burger, but it also has the added benefit of being lower in fat, calories, and cholesterol than skinless chicken or turkey (one 4 oz. patty was only 200 calories!).

Here I have one doctored up with bacon, cheese, pickles, ketchup, and a sweet-spicy mustard, served on a toasted 12-grain bread. Awesome! Any burger lover should give buffalo a try.

Chips ahoy!

2007-01-01T15:28:00.000-06:00

I have been telling my friends all about my love for the Old Dutch Restaurante Style Guacamole Strips. They are these awesome, guacamole-flavored tortilla chips that have become my "go-to" chip for salsa.

Today for the first time, I tried their other flavored version of this product, the Roasted Chipotle & Lime Strips. They too are fantastic, with a great smoky flavor and a nice citrus bite to them. Great stuff! I will be using these in place of crackers in my bowl of homemade chili this evening.

Happy New Year!

Jean

New Year's pizza

2006-12-31T17:48:00.000-06:00

I thought I would ring in the New Year with style by making a gourmet homemade pizza!

I made a pizza with my brother's homemade onion-garlic venison sausage, Canadian bacon, caramelized onions, black olives, sauerkraut, and some havarti and Swiss cheeses.

The pizza turned out great! The flavorful venison sausage, Canadian bacon, and sauerkraut work very well together. And this was actually the first time I had used havarti cheese on a pizza. It was sharp tasting, and a great melter. Kind of nice for something different. An enjoyable meal!

Happy New Year! :)

Road Food Pursuits - Ole Piper Inn

2006-12-30T13:44:00.000-06:00

I went for a 9 mile run this morning, and the only thing I had for breakfast afterwards (I am embarrassed to say) was a bowl of Fruity Pebbles! I needed sustenance. so I found another great local restaurant to satisfy my cravings for food.

Ole Piper Inn
1416 93rd Lane NE
Blaine, MN

If you weren’t looking for it, this place would be easy to miss. In fact, I almost drove right by it.

The Ole Piper Inn is located on the southeast corner of Central Avenue (Hwy. 65) and Cloverleaf Parkway (93rd Lane NE) in Blaine. It is tucked away in a strip mall next to a gas station.

A brisk business was being done at lunch, both in the restaurant and the sports bar (the two are separate). The place was jumping, and the friendly servers were serving up plenty of good-natured sass to the regulars. It was a comfortable environment to walk into.

Their menu has something for everyone, offering breakfasts in the morning, and a number of sandwiches, appetizers, pizzas, and other entrees from the lunch hour on.

Continuing on my burger quest, I opted for their “Piper Burger.”

The “Piper Burger” at the Ole Piper Inn

Constructed in a fashion similar to that of the notorious “Big Mac,” it comes on a sesame seed-crusted Kaiser roll with two grilled beef patties that are separated by a small disc of bun. It is topped with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, and their own “special sauce.” The meal came with fries, but to be different, I opted for the $1 upgrade and chose seasoned waffle fries instead.

What an excellent burger. Char-grilled, cooked to order, and arriving a perfect medium, it remained very juicy and delicious. The Kaiser roll was fresh and soft, the bacon was crispy, and the lettuce was dressed with the appropriate amount of “special sauce,” so the burger wasn’t messy or over-sauced (the special sauce was great...smooth, sweet, and a little bit tangy, kind of like a really good homemade thousand island dressing). Waffle fries were a nice change of pace, too. They were crisp and well-seasoned.

A delightful meal, and a fantastic value, too. With a diet Coke, and even with the upgrade on the waffle fries, the bill came to $9.57 before tip. Any time you can get a burger and fries meal this good for under $10, it is worth a return visit.

I can say, without question, I will be coming to the Ole Piper Inn again. Now that I know where to look for it. :)

Christmas ribs

2006-12-27T16:48:00.000-06:00

Just had to share my Christmas Day dinner, because I thought it was a work of art.

Dad's home smoked BBQ ribs

Our Christmas Day was skewed a little bit due to some scheduling difficulties, so we ended up having out big prime rib dinner with the family on the 23rd. On Christmas Day, it was just Mom, Dad, and me. So Dad made his ribs.

These were unbelievably meaty baby back pork ribs that Dad rubbed with his seasoning mixture the night before, and they got a nice dose of applewood smoke the next day. Couple that with Mom's au gratin potatoes and the ever-popular green bean casserole and we had a feast. We can have this for Christmas anytime.

I am even gnawing on a leftover rack for dinner tonight... :)

You load 16 beans, and what do you get?

2006-12-17T14:27:00.000-06:00

I had an abundance of dried beans in my pantry, and I found a beautiful ham shank in the meat department of my local grocery store. A perfect excuse to make bean soup!

The magic beans

This ended up being a 16 bean soup. How did that happen? Well, I took a fairly standard 13 bean soup blend and added three additional heirloom dried beans. There were the large, maroon and white Christmas limas, some speckled pink Cranberry beans, and the Calypso beans, which are the cute “Holstein cow-colored” beans. Even with my limited math skills, I believe that adds up to 16!

The recipe is largely based on my split pea soup with a couple of exceptions:

Simply use 1 lb. of dried beans (whatever dried beans you like, be it a single bean or a mixture) in place of the split peas. You must soak the beans in water overnight to help hydrate them. If you don’t do this, it is going to take forever and a day for them to get soft in the soup.

I also add a tablespoon of tomato paste right after I add the garlic and stir it around to coat the vegetables, right before adding the liquids. I think it adds a little bit of body and flavor to the soup.

Otherwise, the processes and amounts for making the soup are virtually identical to the split pea soup recipe. Cooking times might be slightly longer because dried peas break down faster than beans.

My 16 Bean Soup

The soup is very hearty, flavorful, and darker than most bean soups because of the addition of stout beer. The variety of beans gives it some different textures, and it is perfect on a winter day. To make it a little bit thicker, puree about a cup and a half of the soup and return it to the kettle. Delicious!

Road Food Pursuits - Brine's Bar & Restaurant

2006-12-16T14:14:00.000-06:00

Today I did a little Christmas Shopping in scenic and historic downtown Stillwater, MN. I found a cute little bar and restaurant for my lunch.

Brine’s Bar & Restaurant
219 So. Main St.
Stillwater, MN

Located in a building that is nearly 140 years old, Brine’s Bar & Restaurant is a landmark of sorts in downtown Stillwater. It was founded in 1958 by a gentleman named Lamont “Bud” Brine. The restaurant is still family owned, and they have even expanded to include a market and deli in uptown Stillwater.

I ate in the dining room, which is upstairs from the bar. The interior is rustic with high-backed, old wooden booths and vaulted ceilings. I sat down by a table with a view of downtown Stillwater’s main drag.

The menu is family-friendly, with a selection of soups, salad bar, burgers, brats, as well as hot and cold sandwiches. As burgers tend to be my usual selection at places like this, I couldn’t help but go for the “Brine Burger.”

The "Brine Burger" at Brine's Bar & Restaurant

The “Brine Burger” consists of a char-grilled burger topped with sautéed mushrooms, onions, Canadian bacon, and Swiss cheese. Now, this is the cool part; you have a choice of bun! Yes indeed, you can get your burger on a white, wheat, onion, rye, or pumpernickel bun. How awesome is that? I am not sure I have ever seen anyone offer a choice like this before. Excited, I opted for the rye, and I also added fries and cole slaw to the meal.

The burger was delightful. The patty was quite lean and not greasy, but still retained enough moisture so it was not dry. A tasty piece of meat, with a great flavor from the grill. A pile of mushrooms and thick slices of onion were buried underneath the smoky Canadian bacon and Swiss cheese. The rye bun was incredibly fresh and loaded with caraway seeds. Very nice!

Not to be outdone, the fries (even though they are my least favorite style of fry) were golden, brown, and delicious. And the cole slaw was fresh, creamy, crispy, sweet, and clearly homemade. Add a couple of great big, crunchy dill pickle spears on the side, and I had a great meal.

I believe the burger must have been a special price today, because was listed as the "Saturday #3) on my check. The meal, with a diet Coke, cost $9.60 before tip. Any time you can get a tasty burger and fries for under $10 in a restaurant, you have stumbled into a good deal.

When I am in Stillwater, I will go here again. Perhaps I will have the pumpernickel bun next time? :)

Norwegian Venison Meatballs

2006-12-11T16:46:00.000-06:00

I love Swedish meatballs. They are seen gracing the tables of many Scandinavian families at Christmas. And talk about fantastic comfort food in the winter!

This recipe is loosely based on that of Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Aquavit Swedish meatballs from the beautiful and elegant Aquavit cookbook . Over the years of cooking this dish, I have made several additions and adjustments to personalize it.

With any meatball, it is always good (I think) to use a combination of meats. Especially when using venison, a very lean meat, a little bit of ground pork will help with some added fat, as well as flavor contrast. Note that the recipe can be easily made with beef instead of venison (I just happened to have some venison given to me by my brother). So don’t feel like you need to use venison!

As my version of this recipe has evolved, I felt the meatballs needed some additional seasoning; specifically, spices that come to mind when I think of Scandinavian dishes. Scant amounts of ground allspice, mace, and ginger round out this dish nicely.

Most Swedish meatball recipes call for the traditional lingonberries to be either added to the sauce, or at a minimum, served on the side. I have opted to use my Mom’s homemade wild raspberry jam, with berries harvested from the same woods where my brother got his deer.

I have a strange ingredient in the sauce; sweet pickle juice! Why? The original recipe calls for some juice from a pickled cucumber recipe in the cookbook. Not wanting to make that just to get some juice, I simply substitute a little juice from a jar of bread and butter sweet pickles. It adds a sweet, vinegary bite to the finished sauce.

And why do I call them “Norwegian” meatballs instead of Swedish? Because I am Norwegian, that’s why! :)

As I said, this is big time comfort food. Serve it with some mashed potatoes to soak up all of the wonderful sauce!

Norwegian Venison Meatballs

Meatballs

-2 shallots, minced
-1 t. oilive oil
-1 1/2 lbs. venison stew meat, ground (or ground beef)
-1/2 lb. ground pork
-1 cup of fresh whole-wheat bread crumbs, chopped fine
-2 T. half & half
-1 1/2 T. honey
-1 egg
-1/4 t. ground allspice
-1/4 t. ground mace
-1/4 t. ground ginger
-1/4 t. ground white pepper
-Salt to taste
-Butter and olive oil for frying

Sauce

-1 c. beef stock
-1/2 c. half & half
-2 T. raspberry jam
-2 T. juice from a jar of sweet pickles (sounds strange, but trust me!)
-Several turns of fresh ground black pepper
-1 T. cornstarch mixed with 1 T. cold water

Sweat the shallots in the olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

Put the meat in a large bowl. Soak the bread crumbs in a little bit of half & half to moisten, then add to the meat mixture. Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs and mix well. Form into meatballs.

In a large, deep skillet of fry pan, fry the meatballs in batches in a little butter and olive oil until nicely browned, but not cooked all the way through. Transfer to a warm plate.

In the same skillet where you cooked the meatballs, add all of the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, allowing to thicken slightly. Return the meatballs to the sauce, allowing them to cook through, perhaps 15-20 minutes or so. Add the cornstarch mixture to help tighten it up.

Serve and enjoy!

Jean’s Maca-Toffee-Choco-Cino Cookies

2006-12-10T12:26:00.000-06:00

Christmas is coming, so it is time to bake cookies!

I got the inspiration for this from Giada DeLaurentiis’ awesome hazelnut chocolate chip cookie recipe. But I have taken a few liberties and customized it with some different ingredients.

I use macadamia nuts instead of hazelnuts. Why? Because I hate removing the skins from hazelnuts! And, I like dark chocolate, so I use dark chocolate chips instead.

But the real score was finding these cappuccino chips from Guittard. Cookies with macadamia nuts, toffee, dark chocolate, and a little blast of coffee? Yum!

This recipe is incredibly easy, and the results are fantastic.

Jean’s Maca-Toffee-Choco-Cino Cookies

-1 2.25 oz bag macadamia nuts, toasted and chopped
-2 Heath candy bars, finely chopped
-1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
-2 1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
-1 t. baking powder
-1 t. baking soda
-1/2 t. salt
-2 sticks of unsalted butter
-1 c. light brown sugar, packed
-1 c. white sugar
-2 eggs
-1 t. real vanilla extract
-1 c. dark chocolate chips
-1 c. cappuccino-flavored chips (Guittard brand)

First thing, toast the macadamia nuts in a skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes or so until they are lightly browned and fragrant (watch them carefully so they don’t burn!). When cooled, chop them into smaller pieces.

While you are chopping, chop up the Heath bar into small pieces.

Heat your oven to 325.

Combine the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside for later.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter until the texture is fluffy and the sugar is incorporated. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture until everything is combined. Fold in all of the remaining ingredients.

On parchment-lined baking sheets, drop hefty tablespoons of dough about an inch and a half apart. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheet for a couple minutes before transferring to a baking rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Christmas in D.C.

2006-12-06T17:28:00.000-06:00

I came across this while surfing some food blogs today. Not a bad dinner spread at the White House for the holidays this year!

I must say the the Chicken Fried Beef Tenderloin sounds pretty interesting. They are definitely not slumming it by using the traditional cube steak! :)

Duck and Wild Mushroom Ragu

2006-12-03T16:21:00.000-06:00

My brother gave me a couple of duck breasts that a friend of his got while hunting this season. The breasts still had the bone still attached and the skin removed, so I debated what to do with them. A couple of years ago, I concocted a ragu similar to this with farm-raised duck, so I thought I would adapt it.

Since these birds were wild, and because the package of ducks that I was given still had a wing attached (this is required for transporting so a Game Warden can identify it), I decided these might benefit from a marinade to enhance the flavor, and possibly kill any sort of “gamey” elements that might be present.

The rest of the recipe is similar to a Bolognese sauce. It is a rich, luxurious, and hearty dish that would stand up a well to a big red wine. A perfect, delicious meal on a bitter cold Sunday in December!

Duck and Wild Mushroom Ragu

For the Duck:

-2 nice sized wild duck breasts (perhaps 1 pound of meat), bone still attached
-1 cup red wine
-4 cloves garlic, smashed
-Several sprigs fresh thyme
-Fresh ground black pepper

The rest of the ingredients:

-Olive oil
-1/2 cup bacon, cut into lardons
-S & P to season as needed
-2 carrots, small dice
-2 stalks of celery, small dice
-1 medium onion, small dice
-5 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
-1 6 oz can tomato paste
-1/2 bottle red wine
-2 cups beef stock
-Several sprigs of thyme, plus one tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme leaves, reserved
-8 oz. package crimini mushrooms, sliced
-1 small package wild mushrooms (any kind you like), reconstituted in a half cup of water, sliced, soaking liquid reserved

Day 1 - In a large ziptop bag, combine the duck in the wine, garlic, thyme, and black pepper. Place the bag in a bowl in case there is leakage, and allow to marinate in the fridge overnight.

Day 2 - Brown bacon in olive oil and reserve. Leave about a tablespoon of fat and brown the duck for a couple of minutes just to sear it, seasoning with the S & P. Set duck aside, drain most of the remaining liquid, and begin sautéing the carrots, celery, and onions, about 5 minutes until nicely colored. Add the garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes. Add tomato paste, stir, and allow to brown a little bit to add some depth of flavors. Deglaze with wine, add the stock and thyme sprigs. Add the duck to the pot. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Add the crimini mushrooms and dried mushrooms, and pour in some of the soaking liquid. Allow to simmer, covered, for an hour or so. After about an hour, remove the duck from the ragu, slice or shred the meat, and return the meat to the ragu. When ready to serve, add the reserved chopped thyme leaves and the bacon. Serve over your favorite long pasta.

7-Grain Honey Wheat Bread

2006-12-03T10:04:00.000-06:00

I have always loved multigrain breads, and so does my Mom. My brother was the detractor in the family, often referring to these as "bird seed breads!"

Yesterday I did a little experimenting with a recipe to make my own "bird seed bread." My Mom originally gave me her recipe for whole-wheat bread, which I then modified into a honey wheat bread. I have altered it further with the addition of a couple tablespoons of 7-grain cereal, which is a coarsely-ground mix of different whole grains.

A mere two tablespoons was enough to give the bread some noticeable texture and flavor. Next time, I think I may experiment further by adding some whole sunflower seeds, or maybe some millet to the mixture. The bread turned out very nice, and I will be happy to have this on hand for my breakfasts this week!

7-Grain Honey Wheat Bread
makes 1 loaf

-1/4 c. milk
-1/2 c. water
-3 T. honey
-2 T. molasses
-2 T. butter
-1 t. salt
-1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
-1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
-2 T. 7-grain cereal mix
-1 1/2 t. instant yeast
-Extra butter for the loaf pan and for brushing on top

With the dough hook attachment on a stand mixer, mix all ingredients for perhaps 10 minutes, or until the dough comes together with a smooth surface. Allow to rise in a bowl, covered in a warm place, for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size (alternatively, for bread machine users, you could do this on the "dough" cycle up to this point). Punch down and transfer to an 8 1/2 inch buttered loaf pan. Cover and allow to rise again until doubled in size. Brush the top of the loaf with some melted butter. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove from the loaf pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Slice and enjoy!

Tonight's pizza for dinner

2006-12-02T17:58:00.000-06:00

My brother gave me some homemade venison sausage (hot Italian style), so I decided to use it on a pizza.

I also threw on some Canadian bacon, pepperoni, black and green olives, and mushrooms. So it was a bit of an "everything" pizza! The venison sausage was delicious. Quite lean and very flavorful, with lots of red pepper and fennel seed. Perfect for a pizza topping!

Oh, and I've got my new oven figured out now. Preheat to 550 F, 8 minutes on the pizza stone...presto!

Road Food Pursuits - The Bierstube

2006-12-02T14:22:00.000-06:00

Today I found myself doing more exploring in the northeast metro. I stopped for lunch in White Bear Lake.

The Bierstube
2670 E. County Road E
White Bear Lake, MN

To call The Bierstube a “chain” is not entirely accurate. While there are five locations in Minnesota (Hastings, Inver Grove Heights, Oakdale, Red Wing, and here in WBL), they are all owned, at least in part, by the same family.

Lawrence William Yanz opened the first Bierstube first in Hastings in 1962, starting out with a modest menu of Reubens, bratwursts, and 3.2 beer. Today they offer a much more extensive menu, with many sandwiches, entrees, and German specialty items.

The White Bear Lake location is at the end of a strip mall off of County Road E. Inside, there is the feel of German pub meets sports bar, with lots of TV’s and sports paraphernalia decorating the walls.

I was in a burger mood, once again, so I ordered the “Max Burger” (the house favorite burger, named after the grandson of the original owner). It was topped with grilled onions, American cheese, barbecue sauce, and bacon, served on a Kaiser roll. I added a half order of French fries and a diet Coke to drink.

The "Max Burger" at The Bierstube

Likes: The burger had a fantastic grill flavor. A mound of browned, sweet onions mingled beautifully with the smoky barbecue sauce, the creamy melted cheese, and the crisp bacon. The Kaiser roll was very fresh, and I have already expressed my appreciation for crinkle-cut fries (yum!).

Dislikes: Were it not for the barbecue sauce, the burger would have been pretty dry. And, my bill was $11.53 before tip! That is pretty steep for what was essentially a burger basket.

Despite being a little dry, the burger did have good flavor, so don’t think this means I am going to write off The Bierstube (leave it to me to order a burger at a German pub!). I plan to go back sometime to try their Reuben (which sounded excellent, served on a garlic-crusted pumpernickel rye!), or some of their authentic German dishes.

I shall return.