I don’t do ten best lists, but looking back over the last
year, I can recall some memorable dining experiences. For now, at least, I am going to limit myself to the new places – the
list will just get too long if I try to work in more than just a mention of old
favorites like the Grand Café Vincent, and Atlas Grill.
My nominee for best new restaurant of 2007 is Saffron, where
chef Sameh Wadi brings together the flavors of the Middle East and North Africa
with the techniques and presentation of contemporary haute cuisine in very stylish
surroundings. Highlights of my visits included an entrée of fork-tender lamb
shoulder, over a savory bed of chick peas and a tagine of salmon and clams with
roasted peppers, olives, fennel and saffron.
Other favorite new places:
Heidi’s Café: The
same talent that the husband and wife team of Stewart and Heidi Woodman
demonstrated at Restaurant Levain and Five (both now defunct) is again on
display at Heidi’s, but this time at much more affordable prices: poached
pheasant breast with cauliflower arugela salad for $19; a vegetarian entrée of
pappardelle Bolognese for $12 .
Meritage: Chef
Russell Klein, cooked Regional American at W.A. Frost, but as chef-owner at
Meritage, (in the former A Rebours space in downtown Saint Paul) he is free to
return to his first love, French cuisine – which he delivers up with some
playful and creative twists (like a Nutella and matzo sandwich for dessert.)
Rotisserie Brasa, which Alex Roberts opened this summer in a
former gas station on E. Hennepin remodeled to look like a Caribbean chicken
shack. Roberts, known for much pricier and refined cuisine at Restaurant Alma,
sets out at Brasa to show that local and sustainable can also be affordable.
Only two meats are offered – rotisserie chicken and a terrific roast pork shoulder,
along with a bunch of classic southern sides like cheese grits and collard
greens.
Keefer Court Bakery & Café. This funky little Chinese
bakery at Cedar and Riverside recently hired Jack Ma, one of the most talented
Cantonese chefs in the Twin Cities, to run their kitchen, and now serve a menu
of traditional rice plates, noodle soups and stir-fries, at bargain prices.
Pagoda in Dinkytown: The décor is much trendier than the
usual noodle house, but the menu here, too, is traditional Cantonese street
food plus a smattering of Japanese, Thai and Korean dishes in very stylish
surroundings, at student-budget prices.
Shiraz Fireroasted Cuisine: The chicken and lamb koubidehs
(ground meat kabobs) at this new Persian restaurant at 61st and
Nicollet tasted so authentic to me that I assumed that the chef must be from
Iran, but it turns out it’s the same Mexican chef who ran the kitchen when the
place was called Cintia’s of Mexico.
Little Szechuan: The best Sichuan cuisine in the Twin
Cities, plus some amenities you won’t find at many other Chinese restaurants in
the Twin Cities, like a small but decent selection of wines. Try the fish
fillet and tofu with spicy tasty broth.
Café Ena: I live a few blocks from El Meson, and I have been
a fan of chef-owner Hector Ruiz for years. His new Latin American fusion
restaurant at 46th and Lyndale is just a tick more upscale, but the
cuisine is just as lively and imaginative.
Ngon Vietnamese Bistro: A lot of the restaurants that attempt East-West fusion wind up with the worst of both worlds, but this stylish storefront in Saint Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood is an exception: smart combinations of Asian and Western flavors in dishes such as Vietnamese beef over pappardelle noodles, ahi-tuna mango
salad, and a succulent lamb shank with pho spices, served over
lemongrass rice.
Well, that’s about as many highlights as I can think of at the moment, but check back – I’ll probably add a few more to the list.