Pho Tau Bay

I love Vietnamese food. Luckily I don't live too far from one of the Mecca's of Viet cuisine...Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. You can't throw a bahn mi on this street without hitting a Vietnamese restaurant. One of my favorites sits on the end of Nicollet, Pho Tau Bay. They make what I believe to be the best Bun (vermicelli salad) in Minneapolis. Bun cha gio thit nuong (Egg roll and pork vermicelli salad- #42) really stands out. Made up of perfectly cooked vermicelli noodles and strikingly fresh lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumbers, mint, cilantro, and pickled carrots. With pork, egg rolls, and a handful of peanuts added it creates a symphony of vibrant flavors that defines Viet cuisine. The egg rolls are crisp and the pork has a charred flavor that balances the sweet. Don't forget to add some of the sweet fish sauce as it brings everything together.

Attention Dumb Polack's

For all the Pole's living in the western suburbs getting lost trying to find Kramarczuk's in Nordeast...I have a tip. Check out Paradise Market in Hopkins. The market is full of European goods and has a large selection of Polish sausages. It looks like a lot of their stuff is coming from Chicago like the krupniok pictured. Krupniok is basically a Polish blood sausage. I also picked up some Cabanos or Kabanos, which is a garlicky smoked sausage great to snack on and I didn't have to wait for the In Laws to bring some in from Chicago. I doubt many people read this blog in the first place, but if you are Polish or a Polack sympathizer and take offense to the title of my post... Lighten up. My Grandmother who was born in Poland would have laughed.

Paradise Market

Subo

You may have heard of David Chang, the hottest chef in New York City right now, cooking with a Korean/American fusion style at Momofuku. I first heard about him through Anthony Bourdain, but it wasn’t until my favorite Vietnamese cookbook author, Andrea Nguyen, spoke highly of his dishes that I took interest in his cuisine. I dove into his newly released cookbook and recreated his dishes at home and fell in love. I was excited to discover that a new restaurant has opened in Minneapolis of the same ilk as Chang’s famed Momofuku, but instead of fusing French technique and American taste with Korean cuisine like Chang has done, Chef Neil Guillen has incorporated Filipino cuisine in his newly opened restaurant Subo. The similarities between Chang and Guillen don’t end there, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl wrote an article that rumored that a former restaurant that Guillen was a chef at, Kuma Inn in New York City, was possibly an inspiration to Chang as they were pioneers of small plate Asian fusion dishes. Any similarities were laid to rest when I visited Subo. Chef Guillen has created a menu that is truly unique. The Roasted pork candy which is a variation of the signature dish at Kuma Inn was incredible. It consisted of caramelized Chinese sausage swimming in vinaigrette of palm sugar and lime gastrique. I hope that Subo adds this vinaigrette to their drink list…it’s that good, a perfect balance of sweet and sour. This is a dish that I would love to recreate at home as it seems simple but according to the manager at Subo, Jean-Michel, it is quite difficult and time consuming. I will trust his judgment, especially after learning he is a member of the bone marrow fraternity. For those unfamiliar with bone marrow, or as many of us call it …God’s butter, it is the flexible tissue found in the center of a veal bone and when roasted and eaten is the equivalent of a culinary orgasm. I digress, as marrow is fodder for another rambling post. The Lechon Kewali was another incredible dish. It featured a perfectly deep fried pork belly with a crispy skin and a tender savory inside served with a spicy vinegar soy sauce. The sauce had chopped hot Thai chilies tempered nicely by the vinegar/soy sauce. It was complemented nicely with a hint of fish sauce that Jean-Michel said was made in house. Subo has so many incredible looking dishes that I would be doing you a disservice by trying to explain them all. I highly recommend checking this place out. I will leave you with a tip, definitely check out Happy Hour between 4 p.m to 6 p.m. Some of Subo’s popular dishes including the pork candy are discounted to $5 and there are some good Sakes offered at a great price.


Subo

Picture of Pork candy taken from msp.mag.com

Chaska My Love

Eat street is known for having a plethora of great Mexican restaurants, but I have to add another one to the list representing the western suburbs. Chaska My Love is a gem located in a dilapidated strip mall in downtown Chaska. Do yourself a favor and don't be a gringo and order the fajitas. Order something authentic and trust Rosarita or her Mother to cook you something from their native Veracruz. Even Rosarita's boyfriend Mario can cook. My go to dish on the weekend is the menudo pictured above. The broth is incredible by itself but add some cilantro and onions to put it over the top. Tripe sometimes gets a bad rap for being tough and gamey but the tender pieces of tripe in Chaska My Love's version melt in your mouth with no unpleasant aftertaste. I will warn you that is a tough decision to pass up on another weekend special, Pozole de Cabeza. No, it's not the head (cabeza) of a pig but rather the cheek meat (cachete) that is served in a broth similar to Menudo that also has hominy mixed in. I think the tender cachete meat might give the pozole's broth a slight edge as I have never tasted a better broth, including some great Vietnamese Pho broth. Some of my other favorite's include their Torta Cubana, Chiles Rellenos Poblanos, Mojarra al Mojo de Ajo (Fried Garlic Mojarra) and of course their tacos served with any meat you can think of and a plate of onions, cilantro and house made tomatillo sauce. Make sure you brush up on your Spanish before you go though, although they do add numbered pictures on their wall for the gringos.

Chaska My Love

I met my match

My two favorite TV shows have to be No Reservations and Bizarre Foods hosted by Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern. I have always preferred No Reservations because Anthony Bourdain comes off as more authentic and his wry wit is always entertaining. Both of these personalities have tried Durian on their shows. If you are not familiar with Durian, it is a popular fruit in Southeast Asia. Many find the odor to be offensive and it is banned in many tourist areas. While Bourdain loved Durian for it's custard like consistency and myriad of flavors, Zimmern couldn't stand it. While recently shopping at Asian Direct in Richfield. I came across Frozen Durian in the freezer. I had to get it. I'm certain that I'm more of a man then Zimmern, and surely my tastes will match those of Anthony Bourdain. Well, after thawing it out in the fridge (which isn't a good idea if you want all of it's contents smelling like old smelly gym socks) I layed it out on the counter. The smell was intoxicating. This is coming from someone who isn't bothered by the smell of Korean Kimchi (Fermented Vegetables). After gathering up some courage I took a bite. I failed. There was no way I could swallow it. It tasted like the worst rotten fruit you can imagine. Maybe Andrew Zimmern isn't such a girly man after all....

....I still have a couple Durian Popsicle sticks I picked up at Asian Direct, maybe I can redeem myself some day.

Minnesota Caviar

Why pay a Benjamin Franklin or two an ounce for Beluga caviar imported from Russia when Herring caviar is available for $3 an ounce. Dockside fish market has been processing Lake Superior herring caviar since 2003 and sells it out of their Grand marais outpost http://docksidefishmarket.dreamhosters.com/index.shtml or in the Minneapolis area at Coastal Seafoods http://www.coastalseafoods.com/

While it looks very similar to the sushi topping Tobiko, it is actually the roe from the Lake Superior herring, a fish indigenous to Minnesota. It has a creamy texture but also pops with a buttery flavor reminiscent of the sea...Well maybe the Lake Superior sea. Dockside suggests putting it on a water cracker and using a light dollop of sour cream, thinly sliced red onions, and fresh lemon juice mixed in.

I apologize to any muppet fans...

When I was a kid I never could understand why Kermit put up with Miss Piggy. That said, I had to post the inspiration for my blog title. The pic above is pork ears in chili sauce from Grand Szechuan in Bloomington. My favorite rendition is from Tian Jin in Chanhassen but they seem to have taken this Sichuan cold dish off their menu. This dish is definitely texture driven...the cartilage is chewy/crunchy which I love, and the chili oil is addictive.