March 15, 2010Sneak Peek: Great Sun Buffet
Restaurant watchers in Minneapolis know to be skeptical of the new-restaurant-du-jour at the corner of Nicollet Avenue South and 14th street—you know the spot. It most infamously held the unforgettably named “Snoodles” (noodles you sniff?), a few doors down from Market BBQ and Salsa a la Salsa, two restaurants which have proved that this location can work quite well. However: Can it work well for a half-Indian, half-Chinese buffet? Ordinarily I’d say that concept sounds sort of dopey, but when I heard such a restaurant was being opened by the people behind Gangchen (the very good, affordable Tibetan restaurant with the vibrant bar scene a little farther south on Nicollet), I had to try it out. I mean, maybe half-Indian, half-Chinese was just a way of... Read more » Posted on Monday, March 15, 2010 in Dear Dara What's New Blogs | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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March 11, 2010Wild Acres Turkey Drumsticks at the Twins Stadium!
Most foodies in the Twin Cities are familiar with Wild Acres, the Pequot Lakes grower of wonderful pheasant, duck, turkey, wild turkey, and other poultry, and they’re familiar with them because the Wild Acres name appears on so many of the Twin Cities’ top restaurant menus. But no one knows this but us: Turns out the smoked turkey drumsticks at the new Twins Stadium about to open will be supplied by Wild Acres. But no one will know this but us because being an official supplier to the Twins is one of those pay-to-play arrangements that have to be worked out by contract, and Wild Acres isn’t big enough to get involved in such a contract. Still, the smoked turkey drumsticks on offer at the Twins Stadium will be Wild Acres drumsticks nonetheless. They’ll... Read more » Posted on Thursday, March 11, 2010 in Dear Dara What's New Blogs | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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March 10, 2010Naviya’s Back! Coming to Midtown Global Market in Late April?
Naviya and Kim La Barge have been a strange force in Twin Cities restaurant culture the last few years. They opened one of the best Thai restaurants the Twin Cities have ever seen in Richfield in 2007, developed a devoted, almost cultish following for their vibrant, herb-bedecked ultra-fresh creations, added a blue-collar Thai sibling called the Kalico Elephant that was equally raved about, and then vanished without a trace, closing Naviya’s last August and selling the Kalico Elephant to one of the restaurants’ cooks, who set about... Read more » Posted on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 in Dear Dara What's New Blogs | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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March 8, 2010Cheap Eats: Authentic Ethnic
After loads of date-worthy destinations and small perfections, our March "Cheap Eats" cover story continues with what I like to call Authentic Ethnic: Punch Neapolitan Pizza La Loma Posted on Monday, March 8, 2010 in Dear Dara | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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March 3, 2010Cover Story: Small Perfections, Under $10!Our intrepid food critic scoured the metro for the best dishes under $10. Turns out, it’s a delicious time to be thrifty. Read more » Posted on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 in Dear Dara What's New Blogs | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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March 1, 2010Heidi’s & Blackbird Spectacular Spectacular, March 14!Three Special Events on March 14 to Help Heidi’s and Blackbird Restaurants Recover Read more » Posted on Monday, March 1, 2010 in Dear Dara What's New Blogs | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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February 19, 2010Silence of the Lambs Cake & Big Stakes At the Chef Challenge!
Food & Wine’s kick-off last night was a blast: Tickets sold out. Scott Pampuch from the Corner Table had a bizarre and amazing cake frosted with a bright pink ganache made with beets. Michelle Gayer from the Salty Tart celebrated her inclusion on the Beard Awards’ long list with cookies shaped like mustaches, baked so that stick handles stuck down on one side. She was frosting them with your choice of frosting (Brown? White? Curled 19th century evil-doer style?) and taking Polaroid pictures of anyone who wanted their picture taken with their own mustache cookie—fun. Of course, the big story of the night was everyone’s shock and grief about the loss of Heidi’s, Posted on Friday, February 19, 2010 in Dear Dara What's New Blogs | Permalink | Comments (2) |
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February 17, 2010Best Food & Wine Experience Ever?!
What are you doing this weekend? I know what I’m going to be doing: As much Food & Wine Experience as possible. Longtime local foodies know this show as the one weekend a year when us Minnesota Monthly types take over the Minneapolis Convention Center, bring in wine makers, wine distributors, and various complementary folks such as cheese makers and beer makers. Then we sell tickets to raise funds for MPR, and people like you and me get to wander the convention center tasting all the great wines, beers, and fancy foods that come complimentary with your entry fee. It’s a great time and we’re raising money for a great cause. However, if you haven’t been in a while, you should know that we’ve been adding lots of fantastic new attractions,... Read more » Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 in Dear Dara | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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February 11, 2010Big Daddy’s Is Back!
How happy am I? Happy as a four-year-old with a Sharpie and a museum full of unprotected priceless antiquities. And you will be too if you like barbecue: Big Daddy’s is back! Well, almost. I spoke with Ron Whyte, one of the three brilliant barbecue masters behind Big Daddy’s, and he told me that they have indeed taken over the former West Indies Soul space at 625 University Ave. in St. Paul, just west of the intersection of University and Dale. “We are in the process of getting some equipment installed,” Whyte told me. “Next week we’ll start sprucing up the place and testing the equipment, and we’re hoping to open March 1st.” Happy days are (almost) here... Read more » Posted on Thursday, February 11, 2010 in Dear Dara What's New Blogs | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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February 9, 2010Jucy Lucy Death-Match!
Who has the best Jucy Lucy in Minneapolis? Of course, all of us who live here know not to bring up the sensitive issue of cheese-stuffed hamburgers in polite society, lest fisticuffs erupt. This point was brought hotly home to me yesterday as I stood in the 5-8 Club waiting to tape a segment on the history of the Jucy Lucy for a new show on the Travel Channel called Food Wars. A “super-fan” of the 5-8 was telling me that he had scientifically proven that the 5-8 Juicy Lucy was superior to the Matt’s Jucy Lucy by tasting them side by side, and discovering that the 5-8’s cheese was superior to Matt’s cheese, which he described as “discharge.” “You have proven your irrational animus against Matt’s just by using that... Read more » Posted on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 in Dear Dara What's New Blogs | Permalink | Comments (5) |
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