Jeremy Iggers Yusheng means raw fish, but it’s pronounced the same as another word that means increasing abundance, which is why raw fish salad is eaten on Chinese New Years, when it is traditional to dine on foods whose names or shapes may augur good fortune in the year ahead. Yusheng, however, isn’t an ancient Chinese tradition … Read more
Last night in the bar-restaurant at the Bedlam Theatre, I couldn’t help feeling like I was in a play – to judge by the funky décor, maybe Lanford Wilson’s Hotl Baltimore, or something by Beckett. Every few minutes, somebody would trudge through the bar – a woman carrying an enormous potted plant, a man pacing … Read more
Test your sushi knowledge with this fun sushi quiz: 1) Which specialty sushi roll was invented in America?: a) the spider roll b) the rainbow roll c) the California roll 2) What gives most sushi-bar salmon that bright orange color? a) their diet of krill and plankton b) their genes c) food coloring … Read more
What a difference a chef makes! Patrick Atanalian is now in charge of the kitchen at Sanctuary, and the cuisine at the Washington Ave. hideaway is dramatically improved. It’s a reunion for the talented Marseilles-born chef and Sanctuary’s managing partner Michael Kutscheid, who first worked together back in the mid-90s, when Kutscheid owned Kapoochi’s, one … Read more
Do you have any favorites places that offer live entertainment — preferably cheap or free — along with food? I am starting to compile a list, and so far I have: Bluegrass and old-time music at Dulono’s PizzaOccasional concerts at Kramarczuk’s (like the Tamburitze Orchestra) Karaoke at Pancho Villa Jazz and more, weekends at Café … Read more
Italy is out, Texas is in. A visit to the website of Brix Wine Bar & Bistro confirmed a tipster’s report: Brix Bistro & Wine Bar in Saint Louis Park has closed, and will be replaced by Laredo’s Tex-West Grill & Cantina, a "Tex-West" theme restaurant: "Laredo’s will feature unique Tex-West entrees, authentic Mexican dishes … Read more
Some guys—and gals—get all the ink. If you are a devoted Twin Cities foodie, you know all about Tim (and Josh), Vincent, Alex, Stewart and Heidi, Lucia, Doug, J.P., Lenny, and Brenda—and you can pair them with their restaurants. Odds are pretty good that you have also heard of Tanya Siebenaler, Don Saunders, Scott Pampuch, … Read more
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I drove out to Giapponese, the new sushi bar / restaurant in Woodbury. Sushi is everywhere these days, including the refrigerator cases of local supermarkets, and since the sushi restaurants all tend to get the same ingredients from the same suppliers, it has become a pretty generic … Read more
Okay, this is the day to check and see what’s left in the fridge and needs to get served up before it spoils, and it looks like we have enough left-overs to make up a meal: a half-cooked review of the new Strip Club in Saint Paul, news of an upcoming beer dinner at North … Read more
"Don’t you find," he said, "that there’s a funny taste of chicken coops in Rhone wines? Especially Beaucastel." "Chicken coops?" Was he pulling my leg? "Even the great wines, you know, have a whiff of chicken coops. It’s well known." I offered him a glass of the Beaucastel. I tasted it again, now frantically looking … Read more