Descending on the Twin Cities March 20th

The superstars of roadfood will be coincidentally descending on the Twin Cities the weekend of March 20th. Buffetbuster and Ayersian (Chris & Amy) are coming with two different sets of agendas. They are working out the common details of meetups right now. Buffetbuster's primary interests are Al's Breakfast, Hell's Kitchen, Tavern on Grand and pie somewhere of course. Ayersian's interests are in comparing Jucy Lucy hamburgers and Asian.

I plan to definitely meet up with BB at Al's Breakfast at 6:00 AM sharp when it opens Saturday morning. It is looking like we may all get together for an Asian Saturday dinner.

I'm just happy I will get to meet them all, that is if my expected second grandson doesn't interfere with my plans. His arrival date in this world is projected to be March 21st in La Crosse, WI.

Davydd-
Are the rumors that your grandson will be fed nothing but Breaded Pork Tenderloin baby food true?
 
BTW, I wish you hadn't posted this.  I have been telling wanderingjew we were going to eat nothing but lutefisk! 

If that is true, Davydd, we'll bring the baby some Iowa BPTs -- just say the word!    Chris

buffetbuster


Davydd-
Are the rumors that your grandson will be fed nothing but Breaded Pork Tenderloin baby food true?
 
BTW, I wish you hadn't posted this.  I have been telling wanderingjew we were going to eat nothing but lutefisk! 

 
Well, you can always try lutefisk pizza !
 

I look forward to my return visit to the twin cities sometime over the summer of 2010. Unfortunately ethnic cuisine that I can find on the east and west coast along with backward cheeseburgers won't be on the agenda.
 
I did some research and found a  tavern that serves tater tot hotdish-Now that I look forward too!
 
 

buffetbuster
 
BTW, I wish you hadn't posted this.  I have been telling wanderingjew we were going to eat nothing but lutefisk! 

What he really means is that he's been telling wanderingjew that he was going to San Antonio for fear that he may find a last-minute Priceline fare and show up!

The Travelin Man

buffetbuster
 
BTW, I wish you hadn't posted this.  I have been telling wanderingjew we were going to eat nothing but lutefisk! 

What he really means is that he's been telling wanderingjew that he was going to San Antonio for fear that he may find a last-minute Priceline fare and show up!

 
No more roadfood  trips for me
 
I have to maintain my "boyish figure" for my next trip to Southern California in April

No fear all. I figured wanderingjew would not come to Minnesota until Target Field opened for baseball in 2010. I know he is hoping they sell lutefisk on a stick there.

Well, HOORAY!!!! Finally some REAL celebrities are comin' to town !!!  Sorry you are going to be here at the tail end of winter, it's supposed to be warm but "slop season" surely isn't our best look....  I feel I ought to go out and tidy up the place !!                      Anyway, THE FOOD!!!!!   Since Cliff is going to be at THE MALL  {shudder!} And Chris & Amy will be Juicy lucy-ing, that puts both gangs in the very near vacinity of the VERY BEST BAKERY in Mpls.!!!! Sounds like a pretty darn BOLD statement huh? Please trust me on this one though,I bring every visitor I've ever had to this bakery ,and it's always the HIT of their vacations ! The owner-baker used to be a pastry chef at the Plaza {oo la-la !} in NYC so he's not messing around..... OH, the pear-custard tart, the strudles, the lemon bars on REAL shortbread ! The DOUGHNUTS!!!! and the best of the best, the mysterious AMERICAN TEACAKE!!!  Can't even describe it, kind of like a denser,chewey croissant that's got caramelized crackly crust...soooo delish! best of all , it's CHEAP! and the place itself is extremely down-home-Roadfoodish. as a bonus {maybe} next door is a former dive bar that they've tarted up and is now a decent litte place called " Buster's on 28th "  they don't have juicy lucys, but they DO have Butterburgers, Bisonburgers and big ol' WALLEYE sandwiches!!! and guess what!? they use bread from ......A BAKER'S WIFE!!!  Okay, enough ranting.... I don't know how to put up the link to website dealie  {maybe someone else can? pretty please?} but the info is A Baker's Wife   4200 28th ave. s. Mpls 612-729-6898 I'm pretty sure they are closed on Mondays {or do we say they are TTM on Mondays....} so plan accordingly!    Peace,     DAWN

Here is the Google search on A Baker's Wife's Pastry Shop.

http://is.gd/nrw2

Hell's Kitchen...great for Breakfast/Brunch
since the move to new location, now serving
Dinner.
Make sure to get the sausage bread toast

Mike

  Thank you Davydd!! I'm SUCH a spaz re: computers!!!

wanderingjew,

If you come to the Twin Cities looking for hotdish and lutefisk you know you are on your own you know.

The weekend is closing in. My wife got antsy and headed for La Crosse, WI this afternoon wanting to be there for our grandson's birth. Our daughter-in-law is going to have a home birth with a midwife. Our first grandson was born at home in Cochabamba, Bolivia. She had to walk 9 miles to get into Cochabamba from where they were living in the countryside because the peasants were on strike and were blockading all the bridges and preventing any transportation. The birth was three weeks early maybe because of that so we have been assuming it could happen again putting my wife in an anxious wait for the past couple of weeks. So if it goes on schedule I'm told now on the 22nd I will be home this weekend and will not go down to La Crosse until after. So I am on my own to fend for myself and free all weekend. All I have to do is feed the cat and empty my Maple tree sap sacks if they fill up.

Davydd


wanderingjew,

If you come to the Twin Cities looking for hotdish and lutefisk you know you are on your own you know.

Davydd,

I sincerely have no interest in looking for lutefisk.
Hotdish yes. I betcha the ratio of restaurants offering hotdish and Scandinavian delicacies in the twin cities far exceeds the dying "museum like" kosher style delis that too many people on the forum are fooling themselves into believing are alive and well in NYC. (I write that with a heavy hand btw) I too wish that the kosher style delis in NYC are flourishing- but they're not.

Backwards cheeseburgers and Asian cuisine that already existed on the West Coast  back in the day when smorgasbord was a dime a dozen in the Twin Cities just doesn't do it for me. Although I will probably "sacrifice" one meal (just one)
for a backward cheeseburger

ah-ha! look what I found!!



http://grumpys-bar.com/roseville/1208rosevillemenu.pdf

WJ: If you grew up in my parent's house you would run as fast as you could from anymore tater tot casserole.

wj,

Grumpy's Bar in Roseville is fairly new owned by young, savvy guys and the inclusion of tater tot hotdish is a gimmick joke food with no tradition the same as the hotdish on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair. Of course they know out of state rubes will fall for it after listening to Garrison Kiellor's Prairie Home Companion.

If you want true hotdish you would have to go to a church supper or you could have had it at our house last weekend. My wife made it for the fun of it because I bought some gourmet wild rice. We did not use tater tots or hamburger.

Davydd


wj,

Grumpy's Bar in Roseville is fairly new owned by young, savvy guys and the inclusion of tater tot hotdish is a gimmick joke food with no tradition the same as the hotdish on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair. Of course they know out of state rubes will fall for it after listening to Garrison Kiellor's Prairie Home Companion.

If you want true hotdish you would have to go to a church supper or you could have had it at our house last weekend. My wife made it for the fun of it because I bought some gourmet wild rice. We did not use tater tots or hamburger.

Just like "out of state rubes" fall for the NY  Kosher (Style) Deli's after watching old Woody Allen movies 
 
If only I knew you were having hotdish, I would have headed out to Minnesota last weekend I figured hamburger wouldn't have gone with wild rice- I'm assuming chicken or to be really local then perhaps "pheasant".
 
Davydd,
I know that traditonally "hot dish" is served at home and at "basement church suppers" I would love the opportunity to go to a "church supper" but the timing would have to be right, however I also know that many of the local restaurants do offer "Hot Dish" as daily specials and there's one restaurant specifically called "Hot Plate" in Minneapolis that offers daily rotating Hot Dish Specials. 
http://www.hotplatediner.com/
 
 
I would love the opportunity to check this out and hope they're
still offering this next year
http://www.americanswedishinst.org/ASI/Events.html 
 The swedish smorgasbord at the American Swedish Institute.
 
There's another restaurant I would love to check out, it was actually written up in an old Stern's Roadfood book called Carol's Vintage Rose, in Blaine MN, they used to be called Carol's Calico Kitchen, but apparently had a fire and rebuilt the restaurant and altered the name .Unfortunately they don't have a website.
 
And another place I found out about called Cafe Finspang 

http://www.midtownglobalmarket.org/?q=shopping/groceries/31</a>
 
which really captured my attention.  I know many of theses places haven't been around for decade, however like many other cities the traditional local restaurants that served tradional local cuisine were forced out by Applebees, Chilis and TGI Fridays and the "sheeple" that go to them.

I just returned from a biz trip to MN. and could not wait to get to Hell's Kitchen for one of their much touted b-fasts, unfortunately I  left terrible disappointed.

They where doomed in my opinion from the very start, as the hostess was perhaps the poorest choice for any restaurant to have as their point person. She was un-interested, un-inviting and downright rude, ignoring my party of four for what seemed a good minute while she continued a conversation with a peer about her antics from the previous evening. Then huffing her annoyance when we asked for a table rather then the small booth she was offering us in the very uncrowded dining room.

Their menu, though intriguing to read, did not follow through when it came to taste or presentation. Eggs where overcooked, cinnamon roll was good yet very hard on the outside and not quite soft enough on the inside, almost like it had been re-heated one time too many. The sausage was very good, as where the roti potatoes. Other members in the party did not attempt to finish a sparse offering of eggs benedict, despite the fact that for $9 they only give you one(who has ever heard of that)! Orders of bread had to be sent back as the requested toasting was ignored.


This is just a mere blip on the disappointing radar for MN. If you do find yourself in the twin cities, enjoy chinese food and want a great meal. Make your way to the Tea House,  1676 Suburban Ave.
St.Paul. This is a restaurant you will not forget. From the fried and soup dumplings to the mongolian lamb and all that is in between. The Tea House will leave you satisfied and in my case, deleted the memory of a bad restaurant choice of Hell's Kitchen.

10X10,

Before I retired I worked a half block away from Hell's Kitchen and had breakfasts and mostly lunches there numerous times. That was in its original location in a funky small old warehouse like building with exposed brick and timbers. I will be curious to see if that old character translates over to what used to be a more upscale steak restaurant they moved into. I will also be curious, since they expanded with another restaurant in Duluth, whether dedicated care and attention to one place diminished.

If you want good size portions for breakfast Keys Cafe is the place. Their No. 2 on the menu of eggs and Italian beef hash is my favorite filler. They moved too to fancier digs in the Foshay Tower. They used to be on Nicollet Mall in a grundge like place that I loved. My favorite downtown breakfast place, Hamlin's, closed a few years ago after being in business since the 20s. It was a great classic place of a bygone era with nothing but booths and counter seating and waitresses that seemingly had worked there for over 40 years but always had a baudy joke for you.

Tea House has two locations. The other is in Plymouth out by the General Mills headquarters. I just recently discovered a place I think might be better for Mandarin/Szechuan is Tian Jin in the western suburb of Chanhassen.

Wanderingjew,

The American Swedish Institute is legit but it honors Sweden's culture not Minnesota. Same with Sons of Norway lodges which can be found around the country including southern California. But for the rest of the places you mentioned, have you been reading the thread about tourist traps? As with Grumpy's they do it because you expect it. I'll say it again, the walleye sandwich and the Jucy Lucys are more uniquely Minnesotan than the Scandinavian shtick. And whether you want to believe it or not southeast Asian food is more current and true to the food and the people producing it in Minnesota than Scandinavian. There is a thriving southeast Asian community in the Twin Cities that is probably a higher percentage of the populace than the coastal states you believe to be more representive.

Davydd

The space is choppy...many small rooms, very dark and as you probable know cool artwork. Sorry to report that at least on my visit, not a great showing of their product...I should have grabbed something from the sandwich shop in the lobby as it seemed more inviting.

I really loved the Tea House, I was with a friend who was schooled in Beijing and stated that many of the more eclectic items on the menus could be found in small family run haunts near his university, ie fish with pickled vegetables, sour  beef, etc. However it was the good ole staples that impressed me. The wonton's burst with flavor, the Moo Shoo was tremendous and the scallion pancakes were wonderful.

I get to MN. often so both Keys and Tian Jin will be on my agenda. I could use a dose of Italian Beef Hash right about now!

Davydd


Wanderingjew,

The American Swedish Institute is legit but it honors Sweden's culture not Minnesota. Same with Sons of Norway lodges which can be found around the country including southern California. But for the rest of the places you mentioned, have you been reading the thread about tourist traps? As with Grumpy's they do it because you expect it. I'll say it again, the walleye sandwich and the Jucy Lucys are more uniquely Minnesotan than the Scandinavian shtick. And whether you want to believe it or not southeast Asian food is more current and true to the food and the people producing it in Minnesota than Scandinavian. There is a thriving southeast Asian community in the Twin Cities that is probably a higher percentage of the populace than the coastal states you believe to be more representive.

And there are kosher style delis in Indianapolis and Houston too however  Minnesota, and the Northern Midwest in General is considered the largest Scandinavian Pocket in the country, comparable to the Portuguese in South Eastern New England ... Kosher deli's are no longer representative of NY  and using your argument would be deemed tourist traps, I can assure you that all the tourists that go to the Twin Cities (do tourists actually go to the Twin Cities??) are making a beeline to the Mall of America and to the restaurants inside the mall, I doubt very highly that they're going elsewhere...I can say with complete confidence that I  doubt that tourists would  even know where to find Carol's Restaurant in Blaine (reviewed by the Sterns) or Cafe Finspang, or would have even heard of them and the same goes for Hot Plate. All the reviews for these places on Yelp were done by locals.

I can also assure you that the number of Asian restaurants in NYC far exceed the number of Kosher Style Delis in NY by Hundreds  thousands. Same thing goes for Los Angeles. On the other end of the spectrum I find it ironic, laughable and absurd that the All American generic burger invented in Connecticut and popularized via the first fast food burger joint in the midwest is hailed by "so called roadfooders" as "the primo select regional food  of Los Angeles" when it is in fact Asian Cuisine or actually derivatives thereof (the California Roll, Korean BBQ, Chinese Chicken Salad) which  were invented  or popularized and created in LA that deserve the true credit.

I agree, with your comment about walleye, and I am open minded and would be willing to try a Juicy Lucy, however I question if it will be just as uninspiring as the "critically acclaimed" Steamed Cheeseburger in Connecticut which I experienced last year- Yes it was good (not great), but I really didn't think there was anything remarkable
that stood out or differentiated itself from a regular cheeseburger that would make me consider it distinctively regional other than the cooking process

Oh, Davydd, not to throw you into a tizzy ,
 
but here's a recipe for California....err....Minnesota Swedish Meatballs!
 
http://www.americasheartland.org/recipes_tips/minnesota_swedish_meatballs.htm
 
 

wanderingjew,

Cafe Finspang is Swedish not Minnesotan culture and is located in the Midtown Global Market that also features restaurants and foods from all over the world especially Latino and southeast Asian. The Midtown Global Market is an old Sears Roebuck building remodeled into a themed shopping area and is a relatively new place with no Minnesota traditions. If you want to spend money to seek that out, feel free.

We also have an IKEA too where you can enjoy Swedish meatballs, but Pittsburgh had an IKEA long before Minnesota.

Davydd


wanderingjew,

Cafe Finspang is Swedish not Minnesotan culture and is located in the Midtown Global Market that also features restaurants and foods from all over the world especially Latino and southeast Asian. The Midtown Global Market is an old Sears Roebuck building remodeled into a themed shopping area and is a relatively new place with no Minnesota traditions. If you want to spend money to seek that out, feel free.

We also have an IKEA too where you can enjoy Swedish meatballs, but Pittsburgh had an IKEA long before Minnesota.

 
Yes, but's neither located downtown or at the Mall of America, but in a local neighborhood that most tourists wouldn't even venture into....I'm not sure what "being new" or having no ties to Minnesota Tradition have to do with it...As I said previously, most of what went out with tradition was replaced with corporate "casual dining restaurants"  a point I've been making and have proved time and time again since the active forum began in 2003.
 
Ignoring or throwing under the carpet the significant "Scandinavian sphere of influence" in the Twin Cities would be comparable to doing the same with the Portuguese here in Rhode Island or the Jews in NYC, or the Poles in Pittsburgh or Chicago or the Cubans and Hatians in Miami.
 
As far as Ikea is concerned.. I guess all I can say is Pizza Hut serves Pizza and was in Wichita long before it was in NYC.


 

It's probably foolish for me to inject myself into this debate, but what the heck --
 
I've lived in Minneapolis for almost 10 years.  Holiday time is really the only time I've seen Scandinavian "ethnic" foods made generally available, and I live next door to a woman who is about fifth generation Swedish. On the same street as the Global Marketplace there's a Scandinavian store called Ingebretsen's that's been there forever, and has a butcher and grocery with all kinds of Scandinavian foods.  So, I don't dispute the historical ties, although I think I recall reading somewhere that there is actually a larger percentage of people with German heritage in Minnesota than Scandinavian. 
 
I live right down the street from The Danebo, which used to be a retirement home for Danish-Americans, went bust, and now is a part-time cultural center which occasionally hosts Danish breakfasts on Sunday mornings (open to the public).  Perhaps wj should try to time his next visit for one of those Sundays to try it.
 
If you do a google search for "Scandinavian restaurants Minneapolis," you'll find a scant few listings.  One's in a Radisson hotel.  Most of the listings are bakeries, and at least one (Scandia Bake Shop) has gone out of business. 
 
A terrific book on the subject of dining out in Minnesota, including everything from walleye to lutefisk, is  "Minnesota Eats Out," published by the Minnesota Historical Society.  It has fabulous vintage photos and illustrations (such as old menus and postcards).  I don't have my copy with me at the office, but my recollection is that it includes a section on the now-mostly defunct "Scandinavian" eateries.
 
 

A great Minnesota Company, steeped in Scandanavian History:
http://www.olsenfish.com/index.cfm
My Grandfather, a local grocer carried barrels and
jars of their products.
Maybe you could tour the plant
"The World's Largest proccesor of Lutefisk"

Mike

Perhaps WJ should forgo the food and seek out the Swedish women in the twin cities instead.

mhill95


A great Minnesota Company, steeped in Scandanavian History:
http://www.olsenfish.com/index.cfm
My Grandfather, a local grocer carried barrels and
jars of their products.
Maybe you could tour the plant
"The World's Largest proccesor of Lutefisk"

Mike

 
Actually I might consider checking the place out
 
 
Rumaki,
 
It's a friendly debate and evereyone is welcome
 
True, the German population is larger than the Scandinavian population....but that applies to just about every major city in the country. I'll betcha that the German Population in South Florida is larger than the Cuban population..
 
You proved my point mentioning defunct Scandinavian Restaurants. Davydd says there never were any, I've heard otherwise. Aside from Lutefisk, I've had Scandinavian Cuisine before, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Other than the corporate chains my only other explanation that they no longer exist whether it offends others or not is that those of Scandinavian descent for some reason want to brush their heritage"under the rug" I don't want to use a strong word like "ashamed of their heritage" but what else could possibly be the explanation???? Even those middle age and older Jewish Folks from NYC here on the forum are "clinging to the kosher delis  that have died a slow death" Another example ,Cajun Cuisine has been around for a couple of centuries and is still "allegedly" popular in Louisiana, but again the same argument can be used there- are the tourists the only people that are frequenting these restaurants?
 

NebGuy


Perhaps WJ should forgo the food and seek out the Swedish women in the twin cities instead.

Amen brother.

wanderingjew

Ignoring or throwing under the carpet the significant "Scandinavian sphere of influence" in the Twin Cities would be comparable to doing the same with the Portuguese here in Rhode Island or the Jews in NYC, or the Poles in Pittsburgh or Chicago or the Cubans and Hatians in Miami.

Bingo! You have been throwing under the carpet my suggestions of southeast Asian. At least southeast Asians still have direct birth ties. The non-professional actors in the movie Gran Torino were mostly Hmong Minnesotans. Most of those with Swedish descent in Minnesota are now fourth generation or greater. Even our 96 year old friend is American born of Swedish parents and you would be hard pressed to find someone in Minnesota that was actually born in Scandinavian countries as you would southeast Asians. There are more German descendants native to Minnesota than Scandinavian. If you examine the dialect of rural Minnesota you may find the accent and especially sentence construct to have a heavy German influence. Hollywood, or outsiders, have pushed the Scandinavian influence. Insiders like Garrison Kiellor and Howard Mohr (How to Talk Minnesotan) have capitalized on it with comedy. True, we are home of the Ole and Lena jokes. But we also have a creative streak sprung from European Jewish immigrants in Bob Dylan, Al Franken, Thomas Friedman and the Coen brothers. The Iron Range of northen Minnesota is mostly of eastern European stock and our ONE senator, Amy Klobuchar, is of that descent. WJ, you are buying into the myth and so far most all the places you have cited were created to stereotype that myth and your past work friends cultivated that myth. Sure, you may find some old-time Scandinavian influence but it is not pervasive to the culture around here and does not influence restaurant menus much if at all to be considered indigenous.

BTW, I am not denying my culture. I'm not a native of Minnesota. My culture is pure Colonial American mutt. I have found and identified over 3,000 direct ancestors in my genealogical database and I have yet to trace a single family line be it of English, Welsh, Scots, Irish, German or French descent that did not arrive before the American Revolution. I had to dig seven generations to find an excuse for wearing the green on St. Patrick's Day. I probably have traits in common more with my Indiana and my Kentucky born grandfather's roots that go back to emigrating to Kentucky from Virginia and Maryland sometime between 1778 and 1792. Through my mother my German roots go back to before 1739 in York, PA and Bethlehem, PA with migration across Ohio to northern Indiana. Now you know why I forsake lutefisk for breaded pork tendeloin sandwiches.

The real story of Minnesota culinary right now to me is the more authentic southeast Asian fare by chefs born there and not 5th generations serving American chop suey in Chinatown with the year of the whatever placemats. The other story is that of casual dining but chef driven restaurants serving a lot of locally grown, harvested and caught native foods. Those places are Restaurant Alma, Lucia's, Cafe Brenda, Heartland, 112 Eatery, etc. Of course, dipping down into the roadfood low cost category as I mentioned is the walleye sandwich being ubiquitous and almost mandatory and rarely outside Minnesota, and the Jucy Lucy that is fast becoming a reputation seeker for a lot of bars and grills. The odd thing about the walleye is it is almost all Canadian caught. If you really do want that hotdish I hope you find a place that will serve it with Ojibwe native harvested wild rice and not the commercially grown stuff from California.