Ann Bauer Turns out it’s paved with delays. Hell’s Kitchen 2, the Duluth location, was originally slated to open in June. Then construction and equipment problems pushed the date to July 16. But new partner and GM Mark “Pappy” Anderson says everything has been surprisingly pacific since. “We opened for business nearly two weeks ago and it’s … Read more
I don’t. In fact, between summer allergies and the recent heat wave, I’ve been driven indoors. But luckily, there are equatorial creatures who actually thrive in this weather. One of them is John Schneider, my friend, colleague, and loyal reader — a man whose palate I trust like my own. He celebrates the season by … Read more
You may have noticed (at least I HOPE you’ve noticed) that I haven’t posted much lately. This is because I’ve been suffering from a monstrous head cold that’s made me pretty useless as a wine taster. It’s odd: feeling as if your one high-level skill — that ability to smell a whiff of nutmeg in … Read more
Uh, yes. Better tables, better service, better food. This is the ugly truth of our business. Now that that’s out of the way, here’s why I bring it up: a reader responded to a recent post on my wine blog in which I praised a local restaurant. He’d visited the same place during the same … Read more
I’m not a sweets eater — not unless it’s something magnificent. I love a really flaky scone with my morning coffee. I’ll indulge in pecan pie with heavy cream at Thanksgiving. And my husband is addicted to a combination of dark chocolate and halvah that I must admit is a mighty aphrodisiac. But ordinarily, I … Read more
Say what you will about St. Paul and its quaint Norman Rockwell roll-up-the-streets at dusk culture — its dearth of “urbane” fine dining and plethora of ultra-conservative politicos. No place has neighborhoods like St. Paul. Mac-Groveland, Frogtown, Highland Park. And my favorite: Selby-Dale. Maybe it’s because when I was 15 and living in an apartment … Read more
Back when Zeno opened, its New York owners — two attorneys, no less — thought they’d make millions bringing their ultra-hip wine bar-sandwich shop-coffeehouse concept to Minneapolis. And they might have, if they’d stuck it out with their flagship storefront in Uptown for more than about 30 seconds. Instead, they rushed to open a second … Read more
You might think that a pagan Jew with a taste for dry, fruity, lusty red wines couldn’t fully appreciate a luminous white called Lacrima Christi, or “Tears of Christ.” You would be wrong. I’m actually a big believer in Jesus Christ. I think there’s little doubt he existed: a fine man, a prophet, and a … Read more
For those who aren’t into speed-clogging their arteries, I want to make it clear that poutine is, literally, a dish that takes French fries, tops them with cheese curds, and finishes them off with a ladle full of gravy. I swear, I am not making this up. Please see my colleague Jeremy Iggers’ entry on … Read more
My husband, older son, and I spent the weekend in Duluth, helping friends get their new Canal Park restaurant ready to open later this month. After a day of schlepping waffle irons, shelving, and cookware from a third-floor storage space to the kitchen, using a hundred-year-old elevator whose gates you had to close with a … Read more