Hmong Village

Recently went to the Hmong village. Two observations....

If you go on the weekends prepare to spend time finding a parking spot, it's crazy.

If you order a Papaya salad with medium spice from a Thai you will get mild. If you order medium from a Hmong you will get extra spicy.

I had the Pho Fawm from Her kitchen. I am no pho expert but it was the best I have ever had. I didn't notice the star anise taste which sometimes is too prevalent in the pho I have ordered at local Vietnamese restaurants. It was chock full of flavor. I noticed some baby pig intestines at Her kitchen and decided to try some. The exterior tasted like Chicken gizzard which I like but the insides were texturally unappetizing, I am not sure if the intestines were cleaned. The pic above is the intestines next to a Papaya salad I got at Mai's Kitchen. It was great to see it made with a Mortar and pestle right before my eyes. Great flavors and it lit my mouth on fire. I ordered medium and was glad I didn't order hot as I don't think I would have tasted anything. It was a great experience and I look forward to going back.

Downtown Minneapolis Street food is here!

Chef Shack is leading the street food movement in Minnesota.

They opened on Monday. I had their donuts ($5) in the morning which were incredible. I think the sugar that coats them is infused with butter as I found myself eating the sugar by itself...It was that good. The pork tacos ($6) were excellent as well. I forgot where they sourced their pigs but it has to be some type of Berkshire as the pork melts in your mouth. Went again on Wednesday and it looks like they were slammed with all the Twins fans about. I had the grass fed hot dog with bison chili ($6). I am not a huge hot dog fan but I enjoyed the complex flavors. I can't wait for more street food options.

(The photo was taken from City Pages Hot dish) http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2010/06/now_open_chef_s.php

The Chowhound Gestapo

Sorry I will not be posting a pic for this post. The pic I would like to post would offend many people. Sorry but I have to rant about one of my former favorite websites...Chowhound. I found that their forum was a good place to find really good restaurants in the Twin Cities as their are alot of knowledgable foodies posting. This all ended when a poster from New York who has a far too lofty view of himself as a critic came onto the forum and started taking jabs at members questioning their knowledge of good cuisine. I find his elitist attitude that only New York has worthwhile destinations both rude and arrogant. Whenever myself or other posters would call him out...posts would be deleted as breaking Chowhound's rule of insisting to review the restaurant not the reviewer. Chowhound... Please practice your own doctrine. I understand deletion of inappropriate posts but deletion of well thought appropriate discussions between adults? This is pure censorship. They pay for the bandwith so they can make the rules...I'm just sad as they had so much potential. I will take my posts to The Heavy Table The owner and editor James Norton does not censor even if comments are against his views. Last time I checked America was free. I just hope Heavy Table implements a forum in the future.

Dong Yang Pancake House

Every time I go to Dong Yang I have to order the seafood pancake. Chock full of octopus, squid, and shrimp...I dare anyone to eat the whole thing. This dish is an incredible deal. I also love their banchan. I love Korean food, I just wish there were as many Korean restaurants as Chinese in the Twin Cities.

Izzy's ice cream at Macy's

I love Izzy's salted caramel ice cream. I'm willing to drive over 30 miles from my home in the western suburbs to pick up a quart. Recently I discovered that Macy's carries Izzy's ice cream in their food court in downtown Minneapolis. Since I work downtown I was excited to discover a source so convenient...but to my disappointment they didn't carry my favorite flavor. I got in touch with the owner of Izzy's, Jeff Sommers, who told me that Macy's orders based on color to catch shoppers eyes. I encourage anyone reading this blog who likes good ice cream to voice their opinion at Macy's and request your favorite flavor...especially if it is salted caramel.

Quang's Sea Bass Soup...My Death Row Meal

Death Row meal. A game that chef's play. Anthony Bourdain's is Bone Marrow Parsley Salad in London, mine is Sea Bass Soup in Minneapolis. I've had alot of great single dishes lately. The Charcuterie plate at Craftsman, Pozole at Chaska My Love, Pork Candy at Subo. While these dishes and many others I've had in the Twin Cities lately have been great, nothing can compare to the sea bass soup at Quang's. I have probably had this dish around 25 times in the last couple of years and that is saying a lot considering I live around 30 miles away. The broth has a diverse array of flavors and the sea bass melts in your mouth with a rich buttery note. I have never been dissapointed with this entree and I am amazed that a restaurant can serve a good portion of sea bass and a couple of shrimp for under $10. This dish is a steal. Please note they only serve this special on Fri-Sun.

Quang

Tian Jin

I am sad to report that the owner of Tian Jin has sold the restaraunt to a friend of his at the beginning of this year. Ryan and his wife Yin brought authentic Sichuan and Manadarin cuisine to the exurbs of Chanhassen. While Ryan's enthusiasm for authentic fare will be missed I am hopeful that Tian Jin will remain one of the Twin Cities best Chinese restaurants. The head chef who headed up Crystal Palace, a four star restaurant, in Tian Jin, China is staying. The new owners have also added to the wait staff which was always one of the problems at Tian Jin, the bad service always compromised the cooking. One of the new owners is from Shanghai and hinted that we may finally have good Shanghai soup dumplings in Minneapolis. On my last visit under new management I ordered the double cooked pork intestine which is pictured above. This dish really defines why Tian Jin is special. Think about it...Intestines. What could be more nasty. But in the hands of a skilled chef he has created a dish that is delicious. A dish that tastes like slow cooked pork belly that is all the rage these days. To make good Offal (Stomach, Intestines, Kidney's, etc..) is a thing of beauty. Anyone can cook a tenderloin or a filet Mignon but a truly good chef can work magic with the parts that only a peasent would eat. Below is a review that Jeremy Iggers (Former food critic for the Strib) did after I let him know that there was actually authentic Chinese in the Suburbs.

Tian Jin