Girl Friday

OM: You Should Go Here

Cristina celebrated her birthday last Friday and a bunch of us headed to OM, the new Indian contemporary restaurant downtown, to celebrate.

Shortly after I got there, I chatted with Chef/Culineer Raghavan Iyer a little bit and we bonded in our vegetarianism. I asked him what the best snacks were on the menu and he recommended I get the Mumbai Crackers (crackers with mango, potato, red onion topped with two chutneys) and the Patiala Cakes (potato crisps stuffed with fresh mint, chiles, red onion with tamarind-date sauce and mint-cilantro chutney). But here's the tragic part: I had no appetite that night so I ended up not ordering any food. I did have a couple bites of the Palak Paneer Parantha, a grilled flatbread stuffed with spinach and fresh cheese and spiced with crushed chiles and, I believe, mango powder. It was cold by the time I got around to it, so fresh from the grill would've been better, but it had a pleasantly high spice level and I'd definitely try it again. (Actually, I would totally take some of that right now.)

Tell you what I did try, though: the cocktails. The Agni was a crowd favorite, so much so that I had to order a second one 5 minutes after I got the first one because two other people wouldn't stop sampling it. Fresh muddled limes and dried chiles are shaken with Grey Goose Citron and strained into a martini glass (my least favorite drinking vehicle, but folks seem to like it). A fresh Thai chile floats on top of the drink and the result is simple and delicious. Spicy enough to knock you back a little, with the heat balanced out by the tang of the lime and a dash of simple syrup.

I also tried The Slumdog, a spiked up lemonade with Grey Goose Citron, ginger, lime and fresh cilantro. Points for being served in a lowball on the rocks, but I was having issues with the tiny pieces of cilantro. The bits kept sticking to my lip gloss and were sort of messing with my game. My advice to the OM bar is to invest in some cute, short drinking straws or maybe just shake the drink with a couple whole sprigs of cilantro, strain them out, then garnish with a fresh, unbruised one.

Prices are completely reasonable. If you judged OM solely on its fancy looks, you wouldn't guess that select cocktails are just $2 during happy hour (4:30-6:30 pm daily), specialty cocktails are $7-8, small plates start at $6 and entrees start at $14. (Valet parking is a whopping $10 but hey, it was raining, I was wearing heels and I had a birthday gift in one hand and a silk handbag in the other.)

I'd take a small tweak in the restaurant's temperature (up just 2 degrees would be perfect) but otherwise I was totally comfortable in the upstairs bar and lounge. The elevated seating overlooks the corner of 1st Avenue and 4th Street so, if you feel the need to tune out your friends for a minute, you can gaze outside and watch the people go by. OM's lounge was built for mingling; our group moved effortlessly through the room, changing seats and visiting with other tables. I highly recommend the space for small events.

Overall, OM really isn't that large, certainly not as huge as r. Norman's or Bellanotte, and Randy Norman went the subdued route with his latest venture. The decor has its share of glamour (the grand staircase to the dining room encircles a giant, illuminated, crystal spiral chandelier that drops down to a reflecting pool below) but the space is almost cozy, with warm woods, soft metal finishes and muted lavender, teal and yellow gold touches throughout. The style in which OM was decorated actually reminds me of some parts in my apartment; namely the bedroom and my own dining room.

The staff consists of a bunch of rockstars. Our wait assistant (whose name is on the tip of my tongue because he worked at Azia for years), server (Jesse), manager (Kari), Randy and even Raghavan took the time to stop and make sure we were having a great time.

Love OM. Can't wait to actually eat there. I think I may do that soon, as they're currently offering a 4-course, $30 tasting menu every Sunday.

Wild Rice Soup (Vegetarian)

I was thinking I wouldn't bother to post the recipe for the wild rice soup I made today because it's wild rice soup and doesn't every Minnesotan have a good recipe for this, our unofficial state dish?

But then I realized that a lot of people make it with chicken and ham, or at least chicken stock, and my version is vegetarian. I made this at my mom's today, so also I thickened it with Tom Sawyer's gluten-free flour mix since she can't hang with the wheat.

Wild Rice Soup (Vegetarian, Gluten-free)
© 2009 by Alexis McKinnis
Yields: A metric assload

1 pound uncooked wild rice
6 cups + 2 cups hot water
2 Tablespoons butter
1 large onion, diced
1 bunch celery, cleaned and diced
1 garlic clove, minced
8 cups mock chicken broth (strongly recommend Edward & Sons Not-Chick'n)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon ground marjoram
2 bay leaves (optional)
10 ounces fresh white mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons flour or gluten-free flour mix
1 pint heavy cream
salt to taste

Boil 6 cups salted water in large saucepan. Add wild rice, bring back to boil, then simmer, covered 40 minutes or until tender. Drain wild rice and set aside. In very large soup pot, saute onion and celery in butter over medium-high heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Add wild rice, mock chicken broth, 2 cups water, thyme, sage, marjoram and bay leaves (if using). Bring soup to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add mushrooms and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Whisk in flour to thicken. Turn off heat and stir in cream. Salt, ladle, serve (preferably with saltines).

Don't eat the bay leaves, of course. Also, if I haven't mentioned it before, I'm pretty salt-sensitive, so I don't like to list measurements for the salt. Your own taste buds will be the best meter there.

Cold Cactus Salad

OM opened last Friday but I haven't had a chance to stop in yet. I'll forgive them for having a drink called "The Kamasutra," as they apparently have a $2 happy hour from 4:30-6:30pm, 7 days a week.

Inari and I went to Loring Kitchen & Bar last Saturday and were wholly impressed with what they managed to do with the space. An absolutely beautiful room and bar. Not much on the menu for vegetarian meals -- portabella mushroom sandwich, really, gentlemen -- but they have a bangin' happy hour: $3 taps, $4 house wines, $4 rails and $5 select martinis, 4:00-6:00pm Monday-Friday, and 9:30-close Monday-Thursday. Caveat: just like at neighboring Cafe Lurcat, "close" is when the last customers meander out the door, not necessarily 2:00am. Plan accordingly.

If you live or work in Northeast, then you have the fortunate ability to stop at La Placita Mexican market on Central and 19th to pick up some fresh nopales (green cactus). They de-spine and cut the nopales for you, and sell it in one-pound zipper baggies in the cooler. What convenience! Pick one up next time you drive by, or else you can stop by your local Cub Foods to grab a few cactus paddles and try your hand at de-spining yourself. It's really not that hard; think about fileting a fish (yes, I've fileted a fish): run a filet or a tomato knife down the broad parts of the cactus paddles, then along the edges. You don't want to eat the spines, so just take care to remove them.

Ensalada de Nopalitos (Cactus Salad)
© 2009 by Alexis McKinnis

1 pound de-spined nopalitos, sliced into 2" x 1/2" strips
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 serrano chiles, slit along one side
1 medium white onion, sliced and divided
pinch baking soda
1/4 cup high-quality cider vinegar
1/4 cup high-quality extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
2 large round or 4 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place nopalitos, garlic cloves, serranos, 1/2 the onion and baking soda in a large pot of boiling water, leaving 1 inch water to cover. Continue to boil for 30 minutes. Drain, removing serranos and garlic. Rinse nopalitos and onions with cold water until any remaining slime is gone (undercooked nopalitos are slimy, don't be afraid). Transfer to large bowl and toss with remaining ingredients. Cover and chill at least one hour. Salt to taste before serving.

Cilantro haters: Use fresh oregano.

Spicy Cucumber Salad

Depending on where your garden is, you might have a bumper crop of cucumbers right now. Even if you don't, cucumbers are always inexpensive at the grocery store and this is a simple, refreshing salad you can enjoy anytime instead of the usual creamy or vinegar versions your mom taught you how to make.

Spicy Cucumber Salad
© 2009 by Alexis McKinnis
Yields about 4 cups

1 1/2 pounds cucumbers, peeled and seeded and sliced into 1/4" slices
1/2 pound peeled jicama, sliced into 2" x 1/4" slices
The juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon Cholula or Valentina hot sauce

Toss all ingredients in a shallow bowl, cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Season to taste with more salt or, if desired, more hot sauce. This should be salty and spicy (if you can handle it)! In addition to a side dish, it's also an excellent substitute for regular pickles or pickled jalapeños on a sandwich. If you've got knife skillz or a mandoline, go even thinner with the slices.

All Fried Out

I think I'm all fried out. I spent nearly 9 hours at the State Fair today with my family and everything I sampled, save for a couple of Sweet Martha's cookies, spent at least 20 seconds in a bubbling vat of grease before being served to me.

To be specific: cheese on a stick, ribbon fries (with cheese sauce and jalapenos, obviously), cheese curds, mini donuts, something called a tater twister (horrifically overpriced) and some fresh french fries (I know I shouldn't complain because it's the State Fair, but seriously; it's called "changing the fryer oil," people.)

I'm currently sitting at my desk drinking cucumber water and rubbing my belly, an extension of my body that didn't yet exist at noon today.

Because I'm a glutton for punishment (not to mention a glutton) and because I love the State Fair, I'm going back tomorrow evening for another run-through. This time, though, I think I'll stick to the always-veggie soba at Island Noodles, chickpea-potato roti at Harry Singh's (ask him for the serious sauce if it's not out on the counter) and maybe some falafel from Falafel King or Holy Land.

I finally broke down and bought the red Polish hoodie I've been eyeing for the past few years (and my copycat mom bought one in black). I wish that vendor carried as much apparel at the Fair booth as they do on their website; perhaps this tee would've been more appropriate for me.

It was brought to my attention that a lot of kids had to go back to school this week instead of after Labor Day, hence the Fair wasn't very crowded at all today. This also explains last week's record-breaking attendance and hearing from several people who sat in traffic for nearly two hours. I can't even imagine. My hamster bladder would never hold up.

Grilled Tomatillo & Poblano Guacamole

We've got tomatillos and poblanos really coming in now up in my mom's garden. Both take on amazing flavor when you blacken them outside on the grill, making this garlicky guacamole perfect for a backyard barbecue. The poblanos add chile flavor without adding much heat, so this is a nice substitute for traditional jalapeno guac if you want something milder.

In addition to the grill, a food processor is your friend here. I think my start-to-finish time was 20 minutes.

Grilled Tomatillo Guacamole
© 2009 by Alexis McKinnis
Makes about 3 cups

1/2 pound fresh tomatillos, husked and soaked to remove stickiness
2 large poblano chiles
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, loosely packed
juice of 1/2 lime
3 avocados
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Over a very hot grill or under the broiler, char tomatillos, poblanos and garlic until black on all sides, being careful not to cook through. To loosen poblano skins, transfer them to a large zipper plastic bag and seal it. Quarter tomatillos and puree in food processor until saucy, leaving a few chunks for texture. Remove poblanos from plastic bag and peel off charred skins.* Remove stems and seeds from poblanos. Remove skin from garlic. Roughly chop poblanos and garlic, then finish to a fine dice in food processor with tomatillos, adding cilantro for the last few seconds. Transfer tomatillo mixture to medium bowl and mash in the avocados, lime juice and salt. Serve immediately or cover tightly in refrigerator until ready to serve.

*Poblano skins are bitter and must be removed. The easiest way I've found to do it is to char them on a really hot grill or under the broiler, then rub off the skins off with a wet paper towel. In moments of frustration, I'll sometimes run them between my hands under the kitchen faucet.

Pepsi Throwback Hollas Back

And Mountain Dew Throwback, too. From the Throwback Hub site:

Due to all the Throwback tweets, Facebook fan pages, videos, blog posts, pics & pleas, Pepsi Throwback is coming back!! Starting December 28th Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback will be available again for 8 weeks with the same formula and natural sugar, but this time with an even more rad vintage look!

A relief, to be sure, though I had a hunch they were going to do this. Now the only question is: will the 11 12-packs of Throwback in my kitchen last me until December 28th?

D'Amico Kitchen Opening Monday

I was just driving north on Hennepin downtown yesterday, wondering aloud to myself when in the heck D'Amico is going to tear the paper off the windows and open up the new restaurant at the Chambers Hotel. Lo and behold, the 411 shows up in my inbox today:

D’AMICO KITCHEN, the casual, contemporary Italian restaurant being developed by D’Amico & Partners, Inc. will be open for business on 8/24.

Eden – This is the re-branded name for the street-level patio area. There will be some design, layout and cosmetic changes that will be occurring as well. New plantings will not begin to mature until next year, with part of Eden will be set up for dining instead of being dedicated to lounging. Guests will able to reserve a private cabana for dinner.

Eden will host Friday Champagne Happy Hour from 4:30 to 7:30 featuring live jazz or DJ’s (weather permitting). 

There will be live entertainment and/or a DJ on at EDEN on Weekends and select weeknights. Closed to public on weekends if the space is booked.

Movie Night – Sunday nights there will be movies shown at Eden, again weather permitting. We are even considering hosting Monday Night Football events.

TBD – the rooftop terrace bar, formerly Red, White & F*#%-ing Blue Bar, will be renamed. Name TBD. There will be DJ’s there most weekend nights, save those when private events have rented the space.

And Doug Flicker, who was in the kitchen when D’Amico Cucina opened 20+ years ago, is back in a D’Amico kitchen for the opening, as he wants to be a part of this very special restaurant.

Hours of operation:

BREAKFAST: Mon-Fri 6:30-11:00 AM, Sat-Sun 6:30-10:00 AM
LUNCH/BRUNCH: Mon-Fri 11:00 AM-2:30 PM, Sat-Sun 10:00 AM-2:30 PM
DINNER: Mon-Thu 5:00-10:00 PM, Fri-Sat 5:00-11:00 PM, Sun 5:00-9:00 PM

D'Amico Kitchen Breakfast menu PDF
D'Amico Kitchen Lunch menu PDF
D'Amico Kitchen Dinner menu PDF

So when I was driving by Chambers yesterday, I was on my way to have dinner at Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza with Cristina. We had a great meal, splitting a house salad with creamy vinaigrette ($6.00), a half-carafe of blended house white ($12.00) and a 12-inch pizza with pureed tomato and oregano ($6.00), smoked mozzarella ($2.00), artichoke hearts ($2.00), calamata olives ($2.00) and sliced garlic ($2.00).

We both agreed that everything was delicious, but that $2.00 per topping on a small pizza is a little much. It was particularly ridiculous of us to pay $2.00 for a clove's worth of sliced garlic.

Do you know how many whole heads of garlic you can buy for $2.00?! Like two armfuls, that's how much.

Garlic is a seasoning and should be free, like black pepper or salt or the crushed red pepper flakes on the table at Black Sheep.

We're bringing our own sliced garlic next time.

Sea Change, LUSH Food Bar & Kings Wine Bar

Okay, I know this is a lot to cover in an abnormally short blog post but just bear with me. I'm still out and about checking out new places, but I'm also working hard at home on two really big projects. Nay, three really big projects. And I'm doing them for you. So you'll just have to be patient for now while I toil away and soon I'll be able to shift more attention back to this blog and its purpose. (Also, I'm at the mundane data research part of my business plan, so if anyone enjoys gathering crap like census data, let me know.)

First up: Sea Change, the new restaurant at the Guthrie. I was expecting scant vegetarian options at a restaurant heavily focused on seafood, and I got exactly what I was expecting. There's actually only one vegetarian item on the Sea Change dinner menu: the cold beet salad. I can barely type the word "beet" without making a Mr. Yuck face, so I requested that the kitchen prepare a vegetarian entree and that our server make haste with the bread basket. (I was starving and my dinner companion, Inari, decided to take a 4-course tour of the menu.)

Have you ever had a poached, panko-breaded and fried egg? It's a very interesting array of textures, especially when you pierce the yolk and it starts oozing out all over the place. I got two such eggs, which I don't believe were from a chicken -- my apologies for hazy details; Inari and I went to Sea Change about three weeks ago -- nestled around a plate of sauteed, steamed and fried vegetables and smears of vegetarian emulsions.

I didn't love it. Don't get me wrong, for a plate of vegetables, the entree had so many fresh and complementary flavors that I was chasing the last green pea around the plate with my fork. But I, like many vegetarians, do not like uncooked egg yolk. I was served something similar at Nick and Eddie once (pre-Steven Brown) and politely ate around everything the raw egg yolk touched. I'm sorry, but it skeeves me out. Another area of improvement for my entree would've been a touch more seasoning, as in herbs. The focus at Sea Change is fresh, sustainable and local; this certainly applied to my vegetables, unadulterated as they were, but the dish was missing more savory flavors (which the eggs were not providing, either).

I'd like to go back to Sea Change on a night when Executive Chef (and 2009 James Beard Award winner, lest we forget) Tim McKee is in the kitchen. He wasn't there when Inari and I were, and I suspect I'd get a more flavorful, inventive, La Belle Vie-caliber meal if he's in the house. Inari was ooh-ing and ahh-ing with every bite, using words like "perfect," "amazing," and "never had better," and I was insanely jealous.

LUSH Food Bar in Northeast Minneapolis is a little hard to find in the dark, despite being in a giant square building right on the northeast corner of Central and Spring. LUSH's interior matches its unassuming exterior, with concrete floors, art-less cinder block walls and stark blue lighting. For an establishment that claims to put food before liquor -- either by choice or by Northeast's weird zoning laws which put BOOM/Goodfellows out of business and are allegedly pushing Tickles to relocate downtown because their liquor sales consistently surpass food sales but it's just a rumor I heard so don't quote me -- the setting is kind of cold and uninviting. I can see LUSH being a successful bar and nightclub, but nothing about the atmosphere says "cozy" and nothing about the menu says "food-driven," so I haven't eaten there yet. However, LUSH is a fine place to grab a drink and socialize, which I highly recommend that you do. They have great happy hour specials and a $20 Bottomless Champagne Brunch on the weekends, which might be a great opportunity to check out what the kitchen can do. Also, my friend Erik bartends at LUSH now so go see him.

Kings Wine Bar will officially be open for business tomorrow, August 15th. Leif was invited down for the test-run night this past Tuesday by one of the co-owners, and he was nice enough to take me along with him. Kings sits at the cozy corner of 46th and Grand, directly across the street from Chef Hector Ruiz's Cafe Ena, which makes it an instant neighborhood destination. The room is soft and inviting while still playing at plenty of bold colors like gold and red. My only quibbles with the interior decorating are that A) the chair backs are just a smidge too short (or maybe I'm just too tall), and 2) when you're washing your hands/checking your hair situation in the mirror after finishing up in the bathroom, one-quarter of the restaurant is directly behind you. Watching you. Some kind of door or draped curtain or something might make customers feel more comfortable during a normally more private moment.

I also invited my friend Cristina along, so the three of us ordered a handful of plates. Leif raved about the chicken and cheese ravioli, which of course I didn't try. None of us could resist the goat cheese fritter, served on top of balsamic-dressed greens. It was a giant nugget of tangy, creamy chèvre surrounded by a thick, crunchy breading and topped with a spicy shallot and crushed red pepper relish. That sucker is sized for sharing, so make sure you bring a friend or two to help you out. Having the mild hangover that I did, I went for the comforting baked shells and cheese, topped with breadcrumbs and a tiny drizzle of truffle oil. We also tried Kings' take on gazpacho, a dark red concoction bursting with leafy green flavor, but absent of that bready, olive oil essence found in the traditional Spanish soup. None of us could identify a particularly mysterious flavor, but we ended up getting too deeply involved in our conversation to remember to ask. Next time.

Kings is a relaxed, bistro-style restaurant with good food, wine, beer, coffee and a nice patio. They will be open from 8:00am until midnight, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and bar plates, 7 days a week.

Gourmet Donuts, Please

When are we going to get an awesome late-night, or even 24-hour donut shop in the Twin Cities?

I think it's quite safe to say that gourmet donuts are about to be the new cupcakes. If you've ever been to (or even just heard of) Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Oregon or Psycho Donuts just outside San Jose, California, then you know what I'm talking about. Heck, even Omaha, Nebraska has the all-night Donut Stop.

Seriously, gourmet donuts in the Twin Cities. Someone should really get on that.