’Tis the season to be jolly—and here’s something that makes me jolly: Executive chef Paul Lynch now serves Minnesota walleye at FireLake Grill (31 Seventh St. S., Minneapolis, 612-216-3473). This local, sustainable fish from Red Lake is now available for all Minnesota restaurants that, in the past, had to serve Canadian walleye.
Look for new whipped butter at select natural-food grocers in a table-ready container from Organic Valley Family of Farms of La Farge, Wisconsin. As a confessed butter lover, I recommend it on pancakes and baked potatoes. For toasted bagels or bialys, J&J Kosher whipped cream cheese is a perfect spread.
Speaking of bialys, Nick and Eddie restaurant (1612 Harmon Place, Minneapolis, 612-486-5800) makes them fresh daily to serve with their whitefish salad and as burger buns. You can make your own with the easy recipe found in Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg.
Hell’s Kitchen now has new digs, in the former Rossi’s space in downtown Minneapolis (80 Ninth St. S., Minneapolis, 612-332-4700). Chefs/owners Mitch Omer and Steve Meyer will now serve dinner in addition to breakfast and lunch, as they do at their Duluth location. Finally, a heartfelt thanks to all the local chefs and restaurateurs who have donated their time, talents, and food to local charities this past year. It has made a huge difference to those in need.
Sue Zelickson is host of WCCO Radio’s Food for Thought.