Notes
From the (e) Mailbag:
Subject:
Ban Thai.
"I went to the most wonderful Thai restaurant
in White Bear Lake last night," wrote Julia Barton recently. "I live in White
Bear Lake and I found out it’s been open and I’d never even heard of the
place. I talked to the waiter/husband of the chef/owner and he was
telling us that the restaurant has received the Thai Select award from the Thai
government that certifies the food, hospitality and atmosphere is
authentic…They said they’ve never been reviewed. I know I sound
like I’m advertising for them but I’m really not. I was just
amazed at how good the food was. I’m a former chef and love finding
places where the chefs care about their food. They have a website http://www.banthaionline.com/ if
you’re interested."
I
plan to check it out soon, but if any readers get there before I do, please
drop me a note (Iggers@rakemag.com) and
tell me about it, or just post a comment on this blog.
Subject: Viva Victor’s!
"We
kicked off the summer with a visit from the Food Network!" reports Niki Stavrou
of Victor’s 1959 Café. "You may be familiar with the show called Diner’s
Drive-Ins and Dives, hosted by Guy Fieri. Well, he visited and cooked
with us at Victor’s 1959 Cafe back in early June and our episode will air some
time in September. I’ll be sure to let you know when I learn the exact
date so you can watch! …
We
have also started a happy hour with drink specials from 4:30pm-6:30pm Tuesdays
– Saturdays. We feature a different red, white and rosé by the glass each
week so you can try some different wines for $4 a glass, or beer for
$3 a bottle, or a tropical mimosa for $4. We also are featuring a
special bottle of rosé at half price during happy hour. I’m on a bit of a
personal campaign for rosé wines this summer. My motto is DON’T BE AFRAID
OF PINK WINE!!
Also,
we are now open on Mondays for breakfast and lunch. We haven’t changed
the sign yet so I wanted you to know. Our hours now are: Sunday and
Monday 8am-2pm; Tuesday thru Saturday 7am-2:30pm and
4:30pm-9pm.
We
have a Bombazo scheduled for Tuesday August 19th at 6pm. This will be a
fun music and dance event and a portion of the dinner sales that evening will
go to El Arco Iris, to help them continue their work with Caribbean dance
education and performance. I’ll send more info about that soon, but you
might want to mark your calendar now!
Last
but not least, we have a dinner special for Friday and Saturday night this
week. It’s called Potajé and is red beans cooked with Spanish chorizo,
smoked ham, potatoes – it’s a savory, hearty red bean dish served with white
rice and plantains, accompanied by our ensalada completa on the side, for only
$11. Make your reservations now!
Victor’s 1959 Cafe, 3756 Grand Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-827-8948
Subject: Get Beyond Winey.
Cathy
Simonson, former owner of Willie’s Wine Bar, reports that she is now teaching
wine classes at the new Indian restaurant, Dancing Ganesha, that occupies the
space at 1100 Harmon Place, Minneapolis, where Willie’s once operated. We had a mediocre dining experience at
Dancing Ganesha when we visited recently, but the next two
classes combine wine tasting with Indian appetizers, so you probably can’t go
too far wrong.
Aug
3: Get
Beyond Winey 102: Everything That Really Matters About Wine But You Were
Afraid to Ask. Indian Appetizers. 1:00 p.m. $45
August
10: Get Beyond Winey 101: How To Be a Wine
Snob. Indian appetizers. 1:00 p.m. $45.
Get Beyond Winey 102 is repeated on August 17, with appetizers only, for $45, and Get Beyond Winey 101 is offered again on August 24, with a full Indian dinner for $59.
To sign up, send Cathy an email at GetBeyondWiney@comcast.net.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply