Dear Dara Blog - Minnesota Monthly

April 24, 2008 Who Has the Metro’s Best Fish & Chips? After my post on Sea Salt, a reader wrote in wondering if I had ever considered comparing local versions of fish & chips. Well, shucks—that’s a very good question. But which places should I compare? Off the top of my head, I would say: Brit’s, the Local, Mac’s Fish & Chips, the Groveland Tap, and the Highland Grill, though those last two are owned by the same company, so, hmmm. After some readers raved about the fish & chips at the northeast Minneapolis market that gets their stuff straight from Alaska, I tried it, but I wasn't too impressed: The fish was tilapia and I thought it was flavorless. Speaking of northeast, I adore the fried smelts at Red Stag Supperclub:... Read more » Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (14)

April 17, 2008 Upscale Indian Is Coming at Dancing Ganesha You know what the Twin Cities desperately needs? An exciting Indian restaurant. Aside from a few Hyderabadi restaurants that have opened lately, the Twin Cities–Indian dining scene has seemed really dull lately. You’ve got your northern-everything restaurants, with the chicken tandoori, shrimp jalfrezi, and tamarind chutney out of jars; and then you’ve got your southern-vegetarian restaurants, with lentil everything—and tamarind chutney out of jars. Sure, there’s the tiny, scrappy Kabobs, which actually specializes in Hyderabadi cuisine. For that matter, there’s Hyderabad House in northeast Minneapolis. But deep in my heart, I feel that Indian food is one of the world’s best cuisines, and we’re kind of missing out around here. That all may be on the verge of... Read more » Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (5)

April 15, 2008 Top Chef is Coming When I heard Top Chef finalist C.J. was coming to Minneapolis for a $175-per-person Beard House–fundraising dinner at 20.21 on May 1, my feelings were…nothing. I’m not a big Top Chef fan. I like it okay, but a lot of the time, product placement seems the main point of the show. If I hear “Glad Wrap” or “Breville blender” more than 60 times in the space of an hour, every cell in my body compels me to leave the room to load the dishwasher. Now, I realize I’m completely alone in these feelings. To gauge real interest in a local Top Chef event, I decided to ask Terri Ann. I... Read more » Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (1)

April 10, 2008 Eat Cheap—or Eat Free Are you sick of spending too much money? Are you sick of spending too much money feeding kids under 12 years old? Are you sick of staying home, too? Well, Parasole, the local restaurant company, has heard your cry! They’ve rolled out an $8.95-a-person, kids-eat-free Sunday supper at three of their restaurants: Salut Bar Américain in Edina, Pittsburgh Blue in Maple Grove, and Figlio (I’d identify where Figlio is, except I figure there couldn’t possibly be one person reading this blog who doesn’t know where Figlio is). Have you been to Figlio lately? Would an $8.95 plate of lasagna and a large loaf of cheesy garlic bread entice you? How about if you knew you could add a bottle of Chianti for $13.50. How about if you knew that you could get free lasagna for your kids? No, this... Read more » Posted on Thursday, April 10, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

April 2, 2008 Spring Starts—Really!—on Friday The deep sense of aggrieved injustice I felt shoving snow off my car this morning (in April! in April!) was mitigated only by the knowledge that spring must come one day. It must. And that day is Friday. This Friday, April 4. Because that’s when Sea Salt, the wonderful seafood restaurant in the Minnehaha Falls Park Pavilion, will open. It was supposed to open April 1, but after that cruel April Fool’s joke of a snowstorm, they put it off until Friday. I spoke to Sea Salt co-owner John Blood and he told me: Come hell or high water, the place is opening Friday. This place is my favorite seafood restaurant in the Twin Cities. Blood and his business partner, Chris Weglinski, were longtime workers at Coastal Seafoods, and they know... Read more » Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (4)

March 24, 2008 Breaking News: Minneapolis (Almost) Sweeps Beard Awards! The James Beard Award nominees were released today, and, in a complete shocker, Minneapolis dominates the Best Chef Midwest category: Isaac Becker from 112 Eatery, Tim McKee from La Belle Vie, and Alex Roberts of Alma are all nominated, along with Milwaukee’s Adam Siegel and Kansas City’s Colby Garrelts. Read more » Posted on Monday, March 24, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

March 21, 2008 Easter Brunch Reservation Roundup! Want to have Easter brunch at the St. Paul Grill? Then you better have your reservation well in hand or wait till next year—they’re sold-out. Yup, Easter is hot upon us (it’s this Sunday, March 23!) and the hottest brunch reservations are filling up quick: St. Paul Grill, gone. Read more » Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

March 18, 2008 Best Cheap Lunches of the Metro, Part II After eating in the skyways for a couple months now, I finally, finally found something to recommend: The top-secret South Indian buffet that Bombay Bistro runs in the back-of-the- middle-of-nowhere Medical Arts Building. Read more » Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

March 10, 2008 Marianne Miller One of the most controversial opinions I’ve adopted since becoming a restaurant critic in Minnesota is this: I think Marianne Miller, the chef who opened and closed the wonderful, crazy Red—and then had a brief, spectacular, and then spectacularly messy exit from Bobino—is a home-grown genius, and an incredibly gifted chef. Read more » Posted on Monday, March 10, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

March 6, 2008 Feeding Frenzy: Porter and Frye When I saw that Porter & Frye had opened, on February 21, I started writing a blog post wondering if local critics would give Steven Brown and his crew the standard six weeks to get on their feet before reviewing them. Then I got sidelined wondering what I myself would do. Read more » Posted on Thursday, March 6, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (4)

Dear Dara is the place where Minnesota Monthly readers can interact with our dining critic and senior editor Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl. What makes her so special? She’s been reviewing restaurants and covering food and wine in the Twin Cities since 1995, most notably asCity Pages’ restaurant critic, but also for Gourmet, USA Today, Wine & Spirits, Bon Appetit, and Saveur. She’s been included in five editions of the Best Food Writing anthologies, and been nominated for seven James Beard Awards – though, to tell you the truth, most of the time the medals from her four wins are buried under a pile of chocolate wrappers at the back of her desk. This blog will be where she’ll answer your questions, (though probably not all of them), dish on her latest discoveries, reflect on breaking news, and generally bring the plate to the page.

Send your dining questions to Dara! Email her at dmgrumdahl@minnesotamonthly.com.

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April 24, 2008 Who Has the Metro’s Best Fish & Chips? After my post on Sea Salt, a reader wrote in wondering if I had ever considered comparing local versions of fish & chips. Well, shucks—that’s a very good question. But which places should I compare? Off the top of my head, I would say: Brit’s, the Local, Mac’s Fish & Chips, the Groveland Tap, and the Highland Grill, though those last two are owned by the same company, so, hmmm. After some readers raved about the fish & chips at the northeast Minneapolis market that gets their stuff straight from Alaska, I tried it, but I wasn't too impressed: The fish was tilapia and I thought it was flavorless. Speaking of northeast, I adore the fried smelts at Red Stag Supperclub:... Read more » Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (14)

April 17, 2008 Upscale Indian Is Coming at Dancing Ganesha You know what the Twin Cities desperately needs? An exciting Indian restaurant. Aside from a few Hyderabadi restaurants that have opened lately, the Twin Cities–Indian dining scene has seemed really dull lately. You’ve got your northern-everything restaurants, with the chicken tandoori, shrimp jalfrezi, and tamarind chutney out of jars; and then you’ve got your southern-vegetarian restaurants, with lentil everything—and tamarind chutney out of jars. Sure, there’s the tiny, scrappy Kabobs, which actually specializes in Hyderabadi cuisine. For that matter, there’s Hyderabad House in northeast Minneapolis. But deep in my heart, I feel that Indian food is one of the world’s best cuisines, and we’re kind of missing out around here. That all may be on the verge of... Read more » Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (5)

April 15, 2008 Top Chef is Coming When I heard Top Chef finalist C.J. was coming to Minneapolis for a $175-per-person Beard House–fundraising dinner at 20.21 on May 1, my feelings were…nothing. I’m not a big Top Chef fan. I like it okay, but a lot of the time, product placement seems the main point of the show. If I hear “Glad Wrap” or “Breville blender” more than 60 times in the space of an hour, every cell in my body compels me to leave the room to load the dishwasher. Now, I realize I’m completely alone in these feelings. To gauge real interest in a local Top Chef event, I decided to ask Terri Ann. I... Read more » Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (1)

April 10, 2008 Eat Cheap—or Eat Free Are you sick of spending too much money? Are you sick of spending too much money feeding kids under 12 years old? Are you sick of staying home, too? Well, Parasole, the local restaurant company, has heard your cry! They’ve rolled out an $8.95-a-person, kids-eat-free Sunday supper at three of their restaurants: Salut Bar Américain in Edina, Pittsburgh Blue in Maple Grove, and Figlio (I’d identify where Figlio is, except I figure there couldn’t possibly be one person reading this blog who doesn’t know where Figlio is). Have you been to Figlio lately? Would an $8.95 plate of lasagna and a large loaf of cheesy garlic bread entice you? How about if you knew you could add a bottle of Chianti for $13.50. How about if you knew that you could get free lasagna for your kids? No, this... Read more » Posted on Thursday, April 10, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

April 2, 2008 Spring Starts—Really!—on Friday The deep sense of aggrieved injustice I felt shoving snow off my car this morning (in April! in April!) was mitigated only by the knowledge that spring must come one day. It must. And that day is Friday. This Friday, April 4. Because that’s when Sea Salt, the wonderful seafood restaurant in the Minnehaha Falls Park Pavilion, will open. It was supposed to open April 1, but after that cruel April Fool’s joke of a snowstorm, they put it off until Friday. I spoke to Sea Salt co-owner John Blood and he told me: Come hell or high water, the place is opening Friday. This place is my favorite seafood restaurant in the Twin Cities. Blood and his business partner, Chris Weglinski, were longtime workers at Coastal Seafoods, and they know... Read more » Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (4)

March 24, 2008 Breaking News: Minneapolis (Almost) Sweeps Beard Awards! The James Beard Award nominees were released today, and, in a complete shocker, Minneapolis dominates the Best Chef Midwest category: Isaac Becker from 112 Eatery, Tim McKee from La Belle Vie, and Alex Roberts of Alma are all nominated, along with Milwaukee’s Adam Siegel and Kansas City’s Colby Garrelts. Read more » Posted on Monday, March 24, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

March 21, 2008 Easter Brunch Reservation Roundup! Want to have Easter brunch at the St. Paul Grill? Then you better have your reservation well in hand or wait till next year—they’re sold-out. Yup, Easter is hot upon us (it’s this Sunday, March 23!) and the hottest brunch reservations are filling up quick: St. Paul Grill, gone. Read more » Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

March 18, 2008 Best Cheap Lunches of the Metro, Part II After eating in the skyways for a couple months now, I finally, finally found something to recommend: The top-secret South Indian buffet that Bombay Bistro runs in the back-of-the- middle-of-nowhere Medical Arts Building. Read more » Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

March 10, 2008 Marianne Miller One of the most controversial opinions I’ve adopted since becoming a restaurant critic in Minnesota is this: I think Marianne Miller, the chef who opened and closed the wonderful, crazy Red—and then had a brief, spectacular, and then spectacularly messy exit from Bobino—is a home-grown genius, and an incredibly gifted chef. Read more » Posted on Monday, March 10, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

March 6, 2008 Feeding Frenzy: Porter and Frye When I saw that Porter & Frye had opened, on February 21, I started writing a blog post wondering if local critics would give Steven Brown and his crew the standard six weeks to get on their feet before reviewing them. Then I got sidelined wondering what I myself would do. Read more » Posted on Thursday, March 6, 2008 in Dear Dara \| Permalink \| Comments (4)

Letters to the Editor

April 24, 2008

April 17, 2008

April 15, 2008

April 10, 2008

April 2, 2008

March 24, 2008

March 21, 2008

March 18, 2008

March 10, 2008

March 6, 2008

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Send your dining questions to Dara! Email her at dmgrumdahl@minnesotamonthly.com.

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