So tonight I was on my own for dinner, and already out at 6:30, so I decided it was time for me to try a pub I had heard had did scotch tasting. So I was down Lake St and stopped in to Merlin's Rest for the first time.
I walked in and had an immediate sense that it was the sort of pub I've been looking for. The decor was homey; there was an older gentleman with a long but well trimmed bushy white bead and a fisherman's hat; it smelled of beer, fried food, and malt vinegar. And there was a table right up front for me to sit at. I got excited.
After 10 minutes waiting for someone to hand me a menu though, I started to become a bit cautious. To be fair, I think that the poor waitress was the only one working tonight. But I have to say that the lack of service in general over the course of the evening really put a damper on my enjoyment of the establishment.
But I didn't walk out again, and I finally had a menu, and a scotch menu (14 pages of scotch....). I ordered a Deerstalker 12, light herbal flavors, a little bit of burn, just enough to make the smoke a little harsh, but it was enjoyable enough.
And I ordered my vegetarian Cornish Pasty. This sounded like the perfect thing for a winter night. And I had never run across a Vegetarian Pasty. Excellent! So I waited. and an amount of time I thought was generally appropriate later, my pasty arrived with a mushroom gravy and very flaky looking pastry cover. I cut into it, and the pastry was a little bit soggy. Truly, it's the sort that seems to happen when one microwaves a pastry. I bit in, and the flavors were lovely. It was even better with the gravy, and it all balanced the scotch beautifully. It was really disappointing to have something that I knew could be spectacular, and have it just miss the mark.
Then I waited.
And waited.
And really, a person shouldn't have to wait 30 minutes with their dishes piled up before the waitress comes back to ask if there's anything else I'll be having. Which, I still would have gone for pie if it had only been a 15 minute wait. But by that time, I was irritated and just wanted to pay and go home.
I'll certainly try the place again, but next time with company so that I might not notice the delay in service quite as much. It is the sort of pub one could sit in for hours. I just would rather choose to and keep paying for stuff rather than be sitting there bored and waiting for the check.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Neighborhood Round Up
Since moving in with PiC and OSO in August, my old beloved Eat Street haunts are a little far for me to be eating at on anything regarding a frequent basis. This would be the main reason for radio silence for some time. Out to eat is frequently only on date nights, and otherwise we’re eating at home. And I got out of the habit of writing when we did.
However, we do have an entire new neighborhood of restaurants that are relatively nearby that we have been able to check out. In almost 6 months, we’ve hit almost all of them multiple times; it leaves me a little bit wanting to branch out and experience a new neighborhood, but really we have a good enough variety that we don’t have to go far to get most types of food that we want if we’re feeling lazy.
Ba-gu
Here we have our local sushi restaurant. OSO and I decided this last Friday that we just didn’t want to bother with the last minute grocery run, so when PiC walked in the door post we swooped him up and walked over to Ba-gu, a fairly small sushi and Thai restaurant nearby. Now granted, I haven’t had a chance to try any of the thai offerings at this restaurant. But we have had the sushi. And let me say, having sushi within walking distance is a delight.
They don’t have the flair of a place like Fuji-ya. But they do have really good quality fresh sushi, and some of the best unagi I’ve had in town. The service is quick and efficient, and on a Friday night in January, it was actually rather quiet in there at 5:30. I hope this place stays open, but apparently they’re used to business being slow in January.
We split the Pirate Platter, which would be one of the illustrious sushi boats. Plenty of sushi for three that left us just a little hungry for one of the specialty rolls: the Three Wise Guys maki, made of salmon, tuna and yellowtail and topped with tempura flakes. And an unagi dessert sushi.
Bottles of wine are $15 on Friday and Saturday, happy hour till 5:30 on Sunday through Wednesday.
Pumphouse Creamery
This is a small ice cream shop dedicated to making ice cream using local and organic ingredients, preferably both. Their offerings vary a bit through the course of a year. We highly enjoyed their pumpkin ice cream this fall, as well as a brandy soaked cherry and chocolate ice cream. They aren’t Izzy’s, which will always be my favorite, but it’s walking distance from my house, really really good, and did I mention tasty?
Turtle Bread
I know that some people like this place, but I don’t get it. Their food has been sub-par in my opinion, with the breads and pastries tasting extra yeasty and the cakes being extra cold/frozen. I was sadly disappointed with their red velvet cupcake. The one thing that I’ve enjoyed that I got here was the slice of quiche I got when running late for dinner for myself, but even then I prefer my own quiches.
L’Ecosse
That would be the French word for Scotland. It’s Scottish food. With a French twist. It really is as odd as it sounds. It’s not bad for a brunch place if you have nothing else to do that day. I have not liked anything there that was meat based, from the little sausages to the patties. But it may be that I’m not a fan of Scottish food. However, their French toast is fantastic, and a reason that I will continue to go there on occasion. I hear they also serve beignets, but you have to get there while they still have them because they sometimes run out and there’s only so many platters of them they make in a day. The décor is sparse; and they use the Papyrus font for their wording which honestly I don’t want to forgive (being a font geek as well; it makes me a little sad). I will say that while I’ll still go there though, it is not one I would return to once I leave this neighborhood.
Adrian’s Tavern
This is exactly the little hole in a wall sort of tavern that it looks like from the outside. However, their food is *cheap* and it’s relatively tasty. I had a perfect grilled cheese sandwich here the day that PiC and OSO went with me to it. They have Delerium beers on tap sometimes and according to PiC this is a good thing. Burgers, fries, your standard pub fare. But a great little deal when you’re running through.
Sovereign Grounds
Standard independent coffee house, but with an apparently right-leaning bent from what I could tell when I went in the one time. I got my chai, and it was a standard Oregon chai, and my blueberry muffin tasted stale. It was a big disappointment, and I have not been back, for all that the chair was comfy. It’s a shame, I like going to indie coffee houses.
Pepitos
Perhaps this is the place that I have frequented most since moving to this neighborhood. I remember when the three of us first went here together, OSO was enquiring about what kind of glass the 64 oz margarita they had on the menu. The waitress said “Usually people share those, as it’s a pitcher.” OSO quipped back, “I just see it as a challenge.” Very clearly not serious, but amusing nonetheless.
Really good queso dip and for a little more you can have it served with fried wheat tortillas that are a little less crunchy than your standard corn chips. Highly recommend that. Also you are offered a choice on salsa – mild or hot. That is a nice change from the Minnesota mild that often gets served around here.
Good standard Tex-Mex, the reason to come here has more to do with the variety (and relative cheapness) of their varieties of tequila and happy hour. Really good house margaritas, for instance. And I can get a really good grilled vegetable burrito at a good price too with huge portions. And sometimes I prefer the Americanized version of Mexican food anyway.
It’s a very comfortable restaurant. And as far as I can tell, it has a great deal with the second run movie theatre right next to it, with discounts on dinner or drinks if you go to the movie. And you can bring your margarita with you if you want. That does not suck.
Bonus post: Fat Lorenzo’s
This would be the pizza/pasta shop that delivers to us that is not one of the major chains. Not really within walking distance, though we may start biking there when the weather gets better. And OMG is this food good. Mind you, it is called Fat Lorenzo’s for a reason. The portions are huge, and I think OSO and I will take to splitting one of their entrees in order to cut down on leftovers in the house. I love it, I don’t eat it too often because loving it that much might be bad for my waistline. At least until I get to biking there for dinner.
However, we do have an entire new neighborhood of restaurants that are relatively nearby that we have been able to check out. In almost 6 months, we’ve hit almost all of them multiple times; it leaves me a little bit wanting to branch out and experience a new neighborhood, but really we have a good enough variety that we don’t have to go far to get most types of food that we want if we’re feeling lazy.
Ba-gu
Here we have our local sushi restaurant. OSO and I decided this last Friday that we just didn’t want to bother with the last minute grocery run, so when PiC walked in the door post we swooped him up and walked over to Ba-gu, a fairly small sushi and Thai restaurant nearby. Now granted, I haven’t had a chance to try any of the thai offerings at this restaurant. But we have had the sushi. And let me say, having sushi within walking distance is a delight.
They don’t have the flair of a place like Fuji-ya. But they do have really good quality fresh sushi, and some of the best unagi I’ve had in town. The service is quick and efficient, and on a Friday night in January, it was actually rather quiet in there at 5:30. I hope this place stays open, but apparently they’re used to business being slow in January.
We split the Pirate Platter, which would be one of the illustrious sushi boats. Plenty of sushi for three that left us just a little hungry for one of the specialty rolls: the Three Wise Guys maki, made of salmon, tuna and yellowtail and topped with tempura flakes. And an unagi dessert sushi.
Bottles of wine are $15 on Friday and Saturday, happy hour till 5:30 on Sunday through Wednesday.
Pumphouse Creamery
This is a small ice cream shop dedicated to making ice cream using local and organic ingredients, preferably both. Their offerings vary a bit through the course of a year. We highly enjoyed their pumpkin ice cream this fall, as well as a brandy soaked cherry and chocolate ice cream. They aren’t Izzy’s, which will always be my favorite, but it’s walking distance from my house, really really good, and did I mention tasty?
Turtle Bread
I know that some people like this place, but I don’t get it. Their food has been sub-par in my opinion, with the breads and pastries tasting extra yeasty and the cakes being extra cold/frozen. I was sadly disappointed with their red velvet cupcake. The one thing that I’ve enjoyed that I got here was the slice of quiche I got when running late for dinner for myself, but even then I prefer my own quiches.
L’Ecosse
That would be the French word for Scotland. It’s Scottish food. With a French twist. It really is as odd as it sounds. It’s not bad for a brunch place if you have nothing else to do that day. I have not liked anything there that was meat based, from the little sausages to the patties. But it may be that I’m not a fan of Scottish food. However, their French toast is fantastic, and a reason that I will continue to go there on occasion. I hear they also serve beignets, but you have to get there while they still have them because they sometimes run out and there’s only so many platters of them they make in a day. The décor is sparse; and they use the Papyrus font for their wording which honestly I don’t want to forgive (being a font geek as well; it makes me a little sad). I will say that while I’ll still go there though, it is not one I would return to once I leave this neighborhood.
Adrian’s Tavern
This is exactly the little hole in a wall sort of tavern that it looks like from the outside. However, their food is *cheap* and it’s relatively tasty. I had a perfect grilled cheese sandwich here the day that PiC and OSO went with me to it. They have Delerium beers on tap sometimes and according to PiC this is a good thing. Burgers, fries, your standard pub fare. But a great little deal when you’re running through.
Sovereign Grounds
Standard independent coffee house, but with an apparently right-leaning bent from what I could tell when I went in the one time. I got my chai, and it was a standard Oregon chai, and my blueberry muffin tasted stale. It was a big disappointment, and I have not been back, for all that the chair was comfy. It’s a shame, I like going to indie coffee houses.
Pepitos
Perhaps this is the place that I have frequented most since moving to this neighborhood. I remember when the three of us first went here together, OSO was enquiring about what kind of glass the 64 oz margarita they had on the menu. The waitress said “Usually people share those, as it’s a pitcher.” OSO quipped back, “I just see it as a challenge.” Very clearly not serious, but amusing nonetheless.
Really good queso dip and for a little more you can have it served with fried wheat tortillas that are a little less crunchy than your standard corn chips. Highly recommend that. Also you are offered a choice on salsa – mild or hot. That is a nice change from the Minnesota mild that often gets served around here.
Good standard Tex-Mex, the reason to come here has more to do with the variety (and relative cheapness) of their varieties of tequila and happy hour. Really good house margaritas, for instance. And I can get a really good grilled vegetable burrito at a good price too with huge portions. And sometimes I prefer the Americanized version of Mexican food anyway.
It’s a very comfortable restaurant. And as far as I can tell, it has a great deal with the second run movie theatre right next to it, with discounts on dinner or drinks if you go to the movie. And you can bring your margarita with you if you want. That does not suck.
Bonus post: Fat Lorenzo’s
This would be the pizza/pasta shop that delivers to us that is not one of the major chains. Not really within walking distance, though we may start biking there when the weather gets better. And OMG is this food good. Mind you, it is called Fat Lorenzo’s for a reason. The portions are huge, and I think OSO and I will take to splitting one of their entrees in order to cut down on leftovers in the house. I love it, I don’t eat it too often because loving it that much might be bad for my waistline. At least until I get to biking there for dinner.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Nye's Polonaise
So I started the blog, and then life got super busy. To the point where I'm not going out to eat all that much, but there are a few reviews that I probably should get in here, so I'm going to take a few days to do that. This blog will possibly also shift to some of the dishes we're cooking at home because we're starting to experiment there as well.
In any case. Date night! PiC and I went out this last Monday to a new to us restaurant, but one that has been around for forever. Nye's Polonaise in Nordeast has been around since 1950, but with the fantastic Kramarczuk's nearby, we'd never headed here previously. This will not be a mistake I continue.
You walk in, and it's this dark, fully wood paneled bar. They have the cutest sparkly gold covered vinyl curvy booths. There's stained glass everywhere and some neon... And it if *very* clear that this place is close to its 1950s roots. My understanding is that it's packed on Fridays and Saturdays with polka fans and hipsters.
Seriously, I walked in and fell in love with this place. It is *adorable*.
And then we ordered. We started with a spinach artichoke dip that was served with garlic pita chips. Okay, not so much with the authentic experience, but it was *good*. We were hungry, so it was devoured pretty quickly. I also had a cosmopolitan, and it was one of the rare places that do them right: with gin instead of vodka.
You can tell that by this point, I'm still looking around with this big grin on my face proclaiming how much I am in love with the adorableness of this restaurant. I mean, it has a neon sign saying it's a POLKA LOUNGE (and is on Fridays). I sent a pic to my Elder Brother just because I know of his fondness for polka.
Anyway, dinner arrived and it was this ginormous platter called the Polonaise Platter. There was absolutely no need for us to order an appetizer. Between this and the loaf of onion bread, and the pickled things they just gave him, we were stuffed with leftovers.
Let me just say that the pierogies were among some of the best I've ever had. They served us three of them, and before we had realized that they were three KINDS of pierogies, I had already inhaled the potato pierogie. I felt bad because it was *just like grandma's* used to be, and I could have been able to show him what it was that I remembered from my visits to Detroit as a kid. Ah well.
The other two were a prune, which was quite sweet and surprisingly good, and a sauerkraut pierogie which.... Okay, I hate sauerkraut. Hate hate hate. It's made with cabbage and vinegar and is evil and I hate it. Or at least I thought. Because this stuff, this is different than German kraut which is raw. No, this is a cooked kraut and mellower.... and... Well there was a bunch of it on the spare ribs and that was just as tasty as it would have been without the kraut.
The kielbasa was good and polishy. And sausagey. The potato dumpling was the size of a softball, and had a smaller sausage hiding in it as well. And my biggest surprise: I tried a golabki. And I liked it. See previous comment about hating cabbage. But if you drench it with enough sauce, and meat and rice, it's not bad at all.
This place totally touches my retro heart. The food tastes authentic to me, for as much as I could have it having been vegetarian while my grandma was alive. Eat, drink, and loosen your belt indeed. This is not the sort of place for a person on a diet, but my god, this is a fabulous example of eastern european cuisine done well.
In any case. Date night! PiC and I went out this last Monday to a new to us restaurant, but one that has been around for forever. Nye's Polonaise in Nordeast has been around since 1950, but with the fantastic Kramarczuk's nearby, we'd never headed here previously. This will not be a mistake I continue.
You walk in, and it's this dark, fully wood paneled bar. They have the cutest sparkly gold covered vinyl curvy booths. There's stained glass everywhere and some neon... And it if *very* clear that this place is close to its 1950s roots. My understanding is that it's packed on Fridays and Saturdays with polka fans and hipsters.
Seriously, I walked in and fell in love with this place. It is *adorable*.
And then we ordered. We started with a spinach artichoke dip that was served with garlic pita chips. Okay, not so much with the authentic experience, but it was *good*. We were hungry, so it was devoured pretty quickly. I also had a cosmopolitan, and it was one of the rare places that do them right: with gin instead of vodka.
You can tell that by this point, I'm still looking around with this big grin on my face proclaiming how much I am in love with the adorableness of this restaurant. I mean, it has a neon sign saying it's a POLKA LOUNGE (and is on Fridays). I sent a pic to my Elder Brother just because I know of his fondness for polka.
Anyway, dinner arrived and it was this ginormous platter called the Polonaise Platter. There was absolutely no need for us to order an appetizer. Between this and the loaf of onion bread, and the pickled things they just gave him, we were stuffed with leftovers.
Let me just say that the pierogies were among some of the best I've ever had. They served us three of them, and before we had realized that they were three KINDS of pierogies, I had already inhaled the potato pierogie. I felt bad because it was *just like grandma's* used to be, and I could have been able to show him what it was that I remembered from my visits to Detroit as a kid. Ah well.
The other two were a prune, which was quite sweet and surprisingly good, and a sauerkraut pierogie which.... Okay, I hate sauerkraut. Hate hate hate. It's made with cabbage and vinegar and is evil and I hate it. Or at least I thought. Because this stuff, this is different than German kraut which is raw. No, this is a cooked kraut and mellower.... and... Well there was a bunch of it on the spare ribs and that was just as tasty as it would have been without the kraut.
The kielbasa was good and polishy. And sausagey. The potato dumpling was the size of a softball, and had a smaller sausage hiding in it as well. And my biggest surprise: I tried a golabki. And I liked it. See previous comment about hating cabbage. But if you drench it with enough sauce, and meat and rice, it's not bad at all.
This place totally touches my retro heart. The food tastes authentic to me, for as much as I could have it having been vegetarian while my grandma was alive. Eat, drink, and loosen your belt indeed. This is not the sort of place for a person on a diet, but my god, this is a fabulous example of eastern european cuisine done well.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Victor's 1959 Cafe
If you have never eaten at Victor's 1959 Cafe before, you are missing out on a treat of South Minneapolis. Especially now, you can celebrate Obama's lifting of travel restrictions on the island nation by finding your way to Grand and 38th street where this restaurant hides (I mention because I always miss it when I'm the one driving).
Inside it's not just Che memorabilia. Every which way possible, there is a table crammed into a corner or alcove. Then there is graffiti *everywhere* encouraged by the owners, and you can be entertained reading everything in the multitude of languages there from the typical Joanie loves Chachie commentary to illustrations saying "I am a Dude" to spanish love poems to the yuca.
I will admit, I'm typically here for breakfast, so I don't have my experience with the lunch or dinner menus. It is simple but very tasty food featuring a plethora of plantains and yuca and black beans on the cuban side. They also have options for the more americanized palate. Yesterday I treated myself to the sweet plantain omelette with creole sauce (like a cross between a salsa and a cocktail sauce really). PiC enjoyed his Basque Scrambler featuring chorizo, veggies and ham.
Both of us reveled in the excellent guava jam that they serve with their toast. Me, I'm also a fan of their cuban toast, which I think is bread that has been buttered and then cooked on a griddle. Like grilled cheese without the cheese.
Also, the mimosas are quite nice. Yesterday I started with a raspberry lemonade mimosa that was exceptionally refreshing, and a nice change from the run of the mill orange.
Breakfast is served all day, and their dinner menu is quite extensive as well, with a rotating beer and wine menu.
Inside it's not just Che memorabilia. Every which way possible, there is a table crammed into a corner or alcove. Then there is graffiti *everywhere* encouraged by the owners, and you can be entertained reading everything in the multitude of languages there from the typical Joanie loves Chachie commentary to illustrations saying "I am a Dude" to spanish love poems to the yuca.
I will admit, I'm typically here for breakfast, so I don't have my experience with the lunch or dinner menus. It is simple but very tasty food featuring a plethora of plantains and yuca and black beans on the cuban side. They also have options for the more americanized palate. Yesterday I treated myself to the sweet plantain omelette with creole sauce (like a cross between a salsa and a cocktail sauce really). PiC enjoyed his Basque Scrambler featuring chorizo, veggies and ham.
Both of us reveled in the excellent guava jam that they serve with their toast. Me, I'm also a fan of their cuban toast, which I think is bread that has been buttered and then cooked on a griddle. Like grilled cheese without the cheese.
Also, the mimosas are quite nice. Yesterday I started with a raspberry lemonade mimosa that was exceptionally refreshing, and a nice change from the run of the mill orange.
Breakfast is served all day, and their dinner menu is quite extensive as well, with a rotating beer and wine menu.
Travelling: Smalley's BBQ - Stillwater, MN
While on a day of wine tasting through vineyards in Minnesota, PiC and I stumbled across a rather interesting restaurant. Smalley's BBQ is a Pirate themed bar/eating establishment. It was at the end of the strip, I was ready to gnaw PiC's arm off, and I didn't want to walk all the way back to the bistro we had considered while looking for a particular cafe.
Now I have to admit, I was dubious. They claimed a "Caribbean theme" to their food but they didn't do much in the way of actual Caribbean style food as I have come to understand it. With the Pirate stuff everywhere, and the large collection of Rum options on the back of the menu, I was expecting something rather run of the mill.
We both ordered sandwiches, me the pulled pork, he the jerk chicken. They arrived stamped with a jolly rogers seared into the bun.
And then I bit in.
That was so much better than I was expecting. The BBQ flavors were bold, yet not overpowering. Smoky, but oddly for me not unpleasantly so. And the BBQ blended well with the jerk flavoring if you want to add that as well. They also came with a choice of sides and I went with a sweet potato and pork side that carried that same theme through.
PiC's jerk chicken was just as enjoyable, but the biggest hit was his chosen side of the curried and grilled vegetables. Crisp yet cooked and with just enough of the curry flavoring to know that it was there without overpowering the succulence of the fresh veggies.
And an amusing pirate theme to boot. The place could use at least one more waitress it seemed, but otherwise I would go there again. At least after I'd tried several other restaurants in Stillwater. :)
Now I have to admit, I was dubious. They claimed a "Caribbean theme" to their food but they didn't do much in the way of actual Caribbean style food as I have come to understand it. With the Pirate stuff everywhere, and the large collection of Rum options on the back of the menu, I was expecting something rather run of the mill.
We both ordered sandwiches, me the pulled pork, he the jerk chicken. They arrived stamped with a jolly rogers seared into the bun.
And then I bit in.
That was so much better than I was expecting. The BBQ flavors were bold, yet not overpowering. Smoky, but oddly for me not unpleasantly so. And the BBQ blended well with the jerk flavoring if you want to add that as well. They also came with a choice of sides and I went with a sweet potato and pork side that carried that same theme through.
PiC's jerk chicken was just as enjoyable, but the biggest hit was his chosen side of the curried and grilled vegetables. Crisp yet cooked and with just enough of the curry flavoring to know that it was there without overpowering the succulence of the fresh veggies.
And an amusing pirate theme to boot. The place could use at least one more waitress it seemed, but otherwise I would go there again. At least after I'd tried several other restaurants in Stillwater. :)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Mairin's Table
Tucked away in a little corner of Northeast, is this little bistro that serves a "Morrocan/American cuisine". So ok, we were not going to expect a completely mono-authentic culinary experience here. But really, I'm okay with that.
We sat down and already the interior looked lush. Not too many tables, but I get the feeling that is on purpose so they can take the proper care with the food. Our waitress was incredibly knowledgeable about everything on the menu we asked about, and I settled on a Spanish wine made from a grape I had never tried before, Herencia Antica's Tempranillo. It was a pleasantly full red wine, similar in many ways to a Pinot Noir, though with a distinctly Spanish flair to it. Not sure I could describe it any other way.
We started with an appetizer of the hummus. I'm always intrigued by a place's expression of the simple hummus. This one I believe was a little lighter on the garlic than I usually get, but higher on the lemon, and still very refreshing and delightful. The pita comes warm, and the hummus is especially delicious on the tomatoes, I'm told by PiC.
Entree's are at the medium range, expect to pay $15-20. However, they are huge. It is completely reasonable to split the meal in half and it is plenty for both parties. There's a charge for splitting, but it is worth it.
We ordered a Tagine of Lamb with Figs. This had a perfectly balanced spiciness with the sweetness of the figs, and the color of both was so close if I wasn't paying attention I wouldn't know whether I was getting meat or fruit until I had bitten down. If the flavor is too spicy for you, you can add the buttermilk harissa which comes off to the side, but otherwise I'll admit I was at a loss as to what this would be used for and didn't feel it had much flavor.
Dessert was baklava made with almonds. Sometimes baklava can be overpowering. It was a not too sweet, incredibly light way to end our meal.
Other options for meals that they had here include Chicken Marsala, or Stroganoff. So you can bring the less adventurous here and still have an incredible meal.
We sat down and already the interior looked lush. Not too many tables, but I get the feeling that is on purpose so they can take the proper care with the food. Our waitress was incredibly knowledgeable about everything on the menu we asked about, and I settled on a Spanish wine made from a grape I had never tried before, Herencia Antica's Tempranillo. It was a pleasantly full red wine, similar in many ways to a Pinot Noir, though with a distinctly Spanish flair to it. Not sure I could describe it any other way.
We started with an appetizer of the hummus. I'm always intrigued by a place's expression of the simple hummus. This one I believe was a little lighter on the garlic than I usually get, but higher on the lemon, and still very refreshing and delightful. The pita comes warm, and the hummus is especially delicious on the tomatoes, I'm told by PiC.
Entree's are at the medium range, expect to pay $15-20. However, they are huge. It is completely reasonable to split the meal in half and it is plenty for both parties. There's a charge for splitting, but it is worth it.
We ordered a Tagine of Lamb with Figs. This had a perfectly balanced spiciness with the sweetness of the figs, and the color of both was so close if I wasn't paying attention I wouldn't know whether I was getting meat or fruit until I had bitten down. If the flavor is too spicy for you, you can add the buttermilk harissa which comes off to the side, but otherwise I'll admit I was at a loss as to what this would be used for and didn't feel it had much flavor.
Dessert was baklava made with almonds. Sometimes baklava can be overpowering. It was a not too sweet, incredibly light way to end our meal.
Other options for meals that they had here include Chicken Marsala, or Stroganoff. So you can bring the less adventurous here and still have an incredible meal.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
St Petersburg Restaurant and Vodka Bar
So, PiC is out of town for the weekend, and I had been looking for something to do. XG emails me out of the blue and says, hey, I know you're always super busy, but I feel like chatting, you feel like some sort of food thing some time? Amazingly, I have a free weekend, and lo, she suggests that she has an Entertainment book, and have I heard of a place called St Petersburg?
HAVE I? Last time I ate here was with PiC and OSO when OSO got her job last June. So I get a chance to go again and write the review that was sorely lacking.
I had forgotten the fact that the people who show up here really dress up. Because, you see, this seems to be the central gathering place of the entire Twin Cities Russian community. The wait staff barely speaks English. The food is amazing. And after a while, while we're in the midst of our meal, the band gets up on stage, speaking only in Russian, and there's entertainment and scads of people dancing. I think my favorite part was XG thinking there must be some sort of function going on, and I had to tell her, No, that's just what this place is LIKE on a Saturday night. :)
As for the food.... We started with a vodka flight each. Her the Polish flight, me the Russian flight. Out of the six vodkas I tried, I have to say that Belvedere really was my favorite, though the Stoli Gold was not bad. The others just didn't have the smoothness that those two did. :)
We completely forgot to trade tastes of dishes. At least I had had enough vodka that I wasn't thinking of that when it came time. My classic stroganoff was delightful however, and blended very nicely with the mashed potatoes that came with it. A cosmo for me and two more shots of Belvedere for XG later, and we enjoyed ourselves a tasty tasty cheesecake. Even though we'd ordered the blintzes. It was still fine; I think the waiter had a hard enough time understanding us. :)
Love that place. And I also know that I like Polish vodkas over Russian. At least tonight I did. :)
HAVE I? Last time I ate here was with PiC and OSO when OSO got her job last June. So I get a chance to go again and write the review that was sorely lacking.
I had forgotten the fact that the people who show up here really dress up. Because, you see, this seems to be the central gathering place of the entire Twin Cities Russian community. The wait staff barely speaks English. The food is amazing. And after a while, while we're in the midst of our meal, the band gets up on stage, speaking only in Russian, and there's entertainment and scads of people dancing. I think my favorite part was XG thinking there must be some sort of function going on, and I had to tell her, No, that's just what this place is LIKE on a Saturday night. :)
As for the food.... We started with a vodka flight each. Her the Polish flight, me the Russian flight. Out of the six vodkas I tried, I have to say that Belvedere really was my favorite, though the Stoli Gold was not bad. The others just didn't have the smoothness that those two did. :)
We completely forgot to trade tastes of dishes. At least I had had enough vodka that I wasn't thinking of that when it came time. My classic stroganoff was delightful however, and blended very nicely with the mashed potatoes that came with it. A cosmo for me and two more shots of Belvedere for XG later, and we enjoyed ourselves a tasty tasty cheesecake. Even though we'd ordered the blintzes. It was still fine; I think the waiter had a hard enough time understanding us. :)
Love that place. And I also know that I like Polish vodkas over Russian. At least tonight I did. :)
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