Schneier

Wow. That is a big deal. My guess is that they'll pick someone nonobvious again. Where do I send a resume? Bruce

Wow. This is a big deal. I'll bet they'll pick someone nonobvious, like they generally do. And I think Asimov would have gotten the job last time if it were to happen.

Goodfellow's doesn't meet your price criteria. It's the most expensive restaurantin town. Bruce

Sorry. I was out of town until this evening. For the first time, our review comes with a picture. It's a picture of the outside of the restaurant, but it is a picture. Bruce ***** Wampach's in Shakopee fulfills the family diner's traditional mission Karen Cooper and Bruce Schneier, Special to the Star Tribune Published November 19, 2003 Diners used to be the most important restaurants in America. For infrequent celebrations you went to a supper club, but for a basic hamburger, chicken dinner, or two eggs sunny side up, the diner was where you ate. Diners were once everywhere, offering homemade meals because there was no other option. Nowadays, family diners are being exterminated by chain restaurants. The corporate dining experience is predictable and acceptable, and lots of people appreciate that. It is admittedly handy to know that the same meal you can get in your town is available in Montpelier or Kalispell. But we want to support those remaining eclectic independent diners. We accept the risk of a lousy meal for a chance at a real homemade one. All of which takes us to Wampach's in Shakopee. It is a small restaurant, decorated more for utility than fashion. The walls display local art and crafts, which are for sale. Area high-schoolers wait tables at night. And most everything is homemade. Take the onion rings. They're huge, thick slices of onion, sweet and steaming hot. The batter is great, each ring being a crisp brown piece of irregular shape. Perfect onion rings, the homemade ones, are never perfectly round. For dinner, there are several good choices. Try the walleye. Unlike the breaded, deep-fried walleye we're used to seeing, this one came lightly fried in a little oil, and the portion was huge. Barbecued ribs came with four huge meaty bones and their own sauce. The chicken fried steak was surprisingly good -- we loved the country gravy. Avoid the meatloaf, which lacked flavor of any kind. Order the liver and onions if you want to scare your children. Soups change regularly. The ham and cabbage soup was very good, filled with chunks of ham, carrot and potato, but the bean soup was gluey with too much cornstarch. The American fries, thin-sliced potatoes cooked on the grill, had just the perfect crispy bits and edges. Get the country gravy if you order the mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, the baked potato tasted like it had been sitting around for too long. We love the pies: strawberry-rhubarb, red raspberry, apple and pumpkin, all available with a scoop of ice cream. Wampach's half-pound hamburger was wonderful, but the cheese the kitchen uses isn't very good, so skip the cheeseburger. There are also sandwiches galore, including fish, club, Reuben and chicken varieties. Breakfast is available anytime. Karen Cooper and Bruce Schneier are constantly on the lookout for good places to eat. If you have a favorite restaurant south of the Minnesota River, please write us at diningsouth@startribune.com.

I have dozens of suggestions. This guide that I wrote is somewhat out of date, but most of it is accurate. Vincent: A Restaurant for lunch. It's walking distance from the Hilton, and it's the best meal deal downtown. Cristo's for dinner: Greek. A longer walk, but still a walk. Big E's Soul Food. Need more? Bruce

You can. Read this thread.

Sounds like fun.

That's a great idea. Let's get our own table.

I second Wild Ginger. I posted a review here. Shiro's Sushi is my favorite restaurant. Make sure you sit at the bar in front of Shiro-san. Let him order for you. Act interested. Bruce

I'm sorry we didn't meet up. Bruce

That was one of the tables I requested. Bruce

Not four days after the big Beard dinner in Washington (you can read my write-up here), DC, Karen and I flew to New York for the Beard dinner there. This one had a Spanish theme, and honored Ferran Adria of El Bulli and Juan Mari Arzak of Restaurant Arzak, both from Spain. This was very much a fund-raiser. It opened at 4:30 PM with a silent auction and reception, and continued with a sit-down dinner and live auction at 6:00. The silent auction had about 150 items, ranging from gifts and cookware to dinners and trips. I bid on a few things here and there, mostly meals and trips. One of my rules for these charity auctions is that you should bid only on things you can't buy. There were several interesting one-of-a-kind experiences in the auction, but it all went out of my price range. At 6:00 they opened the doors to the dining room. I don't know how many people were there. My guess is around 400 people--35 tables times 12 people. Each table was hosted and decorated by a particular organization, generally a restaurant. Some of the tables were just beautiful. But the tables were packed so tightly it was hard to move around. I should pause here and say that the evening is going to go pretty far downhill at this point. We didn't have a real good time at this meal. Had this NY event happened before the DC event, I would have cancelled the second one and not bothered flying in. As it was, I got to see how a Beard multi-chef event can be run well, and then how one can be run poorly. About a week before the event someone called me from the Beard Foundation and asked what table I wanted to sit at. When I bought my tickets I didn't know that there were hosted tables, and no one bothered to tell me. So someone from the Beard Foundation faxed me the list of tables, and I called back and gave my preferences. All the top tables were taken--no room at the Daniel table, for example--and I honestly don't remember what I eventually agreed to. But it wasn't the Second Avenue Deli. I’m sure of that. That's not too terrible. The problem was that the Second Avenue Deli table was a birthday party. In fact, there were three tables total that were a birthday party. We were the only people at those three tables who weren’t with the birthday party. The person who bought all the seats was told that he would only have ten at the third table, and he didn't really want us there. We really didn't want to be there, intruding on their party. So I went to straighten it out. What followed was an hour-long process involving us standing around waiting, us missing the first course of the meal, the two seats at the party table disappearing somehow, and us finally being seated at two different tables--both sponsored by Bon Appetit magazine. At least we could see each other. We considered bailing on the whole event and eating at Alain Ducasse instead, but the restaurant is closed on Sunday. And we weren't the only people with seating problems. There were others, and I'm not sure how theirs were resolved. Hopefully better than our problem was. Course 1 (the one we missed): Bruno Oteiza, Restaurante Tezka, Mexico City Carmelized Hudson Valley Foie Gras Triangles in Honeydew Melon Before we could get another course, there was the live auction. I've been to many charity auction dinners, and I know the drill. This is where the high-ticket items are, so people can publicly outdo each other in generosity. I've even won some amazingly good things in the past. As auctions go, this was a good one. The auctioneer was excellent, and powered through the thirty or so items in about an hour. David Rosengarten was the emcee, and he did a fine job. (I am learning that I like everything about Rosengarten except his newsletter.) A lot of stuff sold for a lot of money, and the James Beard Foundation did very well. Course 2: Jose Ramon Andres, Cafe Atlantico and Zaytinya, Washington DC Lobster with its Own Essence, Avocado, and Tomato Sorbet This was basically the same dish Andres served at the DC Beard dinner. I guess it scales well for large groups. Nice piece of lobster next to deconstructed guacamole: avocado, tomato and tomato sorbet, hot oil, seasonings. Like last time it came with roe wrapped in pastry. Unlike last time there were no cilantro sprouts. And like last time the dish worked okay, but not great. Course 3: Julian Serrano, Picasso, Las Vegas Roast Loin of Lamb with Crust of Almonds, Scalloped Cabrales Potatoes, and Cumin Sauce For the record, Picasso is my favorite restaurant in Las Vegas. I loved Serrano's cooking when he was at Masa's in San Francisco, and I love it now. And he does way better than this. Nothing was actively bad, but it was basically meat and potatoes. There was some eggplant and red pepper on the plate. It was okay. Course 4: Terrance Brennan's Artisanal Cheese Center, New York Three cheeses: Zamorano, Monte Enebro, and Veldeon Yummy. Course 5: Jordi Butron Melero, Espai Sucre, Barcelona Yogurt Cake with Tangerine and Rhubarb This was very good. The sweet and tart flavors, the different temperatures and textures...it all worked. But honestly, I wasn't having all that good a time. We left and went back to our hotel soon after dessert was served. (We weren't alone. Lots of people left early, presumably for other reasons. By the time dessert was served, I think about a third of the diners had gone home.) I think the event was too large to be a real foodie event. This is the big New York fund-raiser, so they want it as large as they can make it. I understand that. But an event that large is just different. The food coming out of the kitchen is different. The feel is different. It wasn't what we flew to New York for. And I think our personal problem was a manifestation of the “too large” problem. Because the event was filled to capacity, there was no wiggle room to deal with problems. There were people who sat at tables where they weren't assigned. There were people who crashed the event. Once that happened, there was really no way to fix it. They had no contingencies. I'm unlikely to go to the Annual Beard Dinner again, but I am very likely to go to a dinner at the James Beard House. And I am very likely to go back to DC if they have another dinner. I'd much rather go for the food than for the charity auction. Bruce

Fifty cents a can?

Getting the news before the news gets the news is one of the reasons I like this board. Bruce

I am working on a deal to ship some of his confiture into the U.S. Is anyone interested? Bruce

It wasn't that bad. Minneapolis has two kinds of Indian restaurants: okay ones and bad ones. This was one of the former. I would go back. Bruce

It's already on the website. ***** Dining South: Eagan's Grand India won't sear your palate with spice Karen Cooper and Bruce Schneier, Special to the Star Tribune Published November 12, 2003 There's truth to the oft-repeated stories about timid Minnesotans disliking spicy food. Perhaps it stems from the collective Scandinavian consciousness, but many of us lacking a drop of Nordic blood in our veins recoil from hot and spicy foods. Trying the food from some remote land whose national dish is made with handfuls of spices might, therefore, seem like a dangerous idea. We're not alone. Many Web sites explain Indian food to the British, a people whose traditional diet is no more exotic than roast beef. If the conservative Brits can wholeheartedly pursue lamb rogan josh, Minnesotans should fear not. Grand India in Eagan is a worthy starting place. Any number of their dishes will give the hot-food haters at the table a chance to try complex and interesting spices that won't burn the palate. Start with samosas, little pastry-like turnovers stuffed with potatoes and peas. An even better choice is the paneer pakora, a sort of Indian rendition of State Fair cheese curds. The entrees are all standard northern Indian fare, the stuff you'll find in Indian restaurants everywhere. We suggest any dish called korma; this is a creamy yogurt sauce spiced with coconut, cardamom, cinnamon and garlic. This version is so lightly spiced, it's the perfect dish for suspicious skeptics. Any of the masala dishes are just a bit higher on the spice meter. Masala just means a combination of spices, so this dish can be based on chicken, shrimp and even vegetables. The rogan josh is a bit hotter with some chili peppers, but it doesn't have as much sauce as a masala dish. Hotter yet is a vindaloo. We've had vindaloos that were too hot to eat in other restaurants, but here the spices aren't overwhelming. We liked it just fine, but we'll ask for it hotter next time. Grand India serves many vegetarian dishes as well. Alu gobi is a particularly nice spiced cauliflower and potato dish. The vegetable biryani is a fried-rice dish; the vegetables were fresh and in nice big pieces. All dishes can be ordered either mild, medium or hot. Ordering a normally hot dish as mild won't be authentic, but it will still be tasty. Don't forget to order nan. Nan is an Indian baked flat bread, perfect for sopping up the sauces that come with the entrees. You can order it plain, but we prefer garlic or onion nan. Grand India has several traditional desserts. We loved the gulab jamun: deep-fried dough made from powdered milk. This is the Indian equivalent of mini-doughnuts. The homemade kulfi -- ice cream from reduced milk -- is quite good, though not what you're used to from ice cream. Grand India has an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet seven days a week: $8 on weekdays and $10 on weekends. The dishes vary, and it's a good way to sample several foods. Service can be slow, but it's always friendly. And don't worry about the spices. Once we visited with one of our wimpiest friends. He had a great meal. Karen Cooper and Bruce Schneier are constantly on the lookout for good places to eat. If you have a favorite restaurant south of the Minnesota River, please write and tell us at diningsouth@startribune.com.

We just sent in our fifth review, for Wampach's in Shakopee. And our fourth should appear tomorrow in the Star-Tribune. Bruce

What does at catered Thanksgiving cost?

Heh.

This is our first review. Bruce ******** Supper club recalls glory days of a classic dining experience Karen Cooper and Bruce Schneier, Special to the Star Tribune Published October 22, 2003 The idea of a supper club feels dated in this era of ethnic restaurants, celebrity chefs, and neighborhood bistros. Back in the day, guys wearing skinny ties visited supper clubs to drink manhattans and order the "surf and turf." Fast forward 40 years and head to Hwy. 13 in Eagan, and you'll find Jensen's Supper Club, a modern-day homage to this classic American dining experience. In 1996, brothers and restaurant veterans Doron and Derek Jensen opened their dream restaurant. Their idea is that a supper club is a community institution, and here you'll find that idea works. Jensen's is one of the area's favorite celebration restaurants. The children are well-dressed and well-behaved, choruses of "Happy Birthday" ring out, cameras flash, and nearly every table holds a group of four or six or more. The super-clean dining room is done in warm rosy reds and good oak woodwork, with dark leatherette upholstery. There's candlelight on the tables and the whole effect feels fancy. The food, however, takes second place to the sociable and friendly surroundings. Meals start with a relish tray of celery and carrot sticks and such. All entrees come with Jensen's signature popovers and house salad. Our popovers arrived after they'd cooled off, but they still tasted good. The salad is lettuce and greens mixed with gorgonzola cheese and mandarin orange slices, dressed in a too-sweet pepper vinaigrette. Jensen's is known for its walleye, available either pan fried or deep fried. The pan-fried version was not at all greasy, though the breading had no flavor to speak of. The most popular menu item is the prime rib, available in several sizes and prices. The meat was flavorful and moist, though unevenly seasoned. We liked the citrus garlic chicken, with its pungent, snappy flavor. Side orders are meant to share, which adds to the festive atmosphere. Jensen's special hash browns come covered with cheese and have onions mixed in, nice if a bit breakfasty. The creamed spinach has big pieces of spinach, though the cream sauce was bland and lacked the promised garlic. The children's menu is extensive, and will satisfy even the most finicky third-grader. Desserts include such popular items as a New York style cheese cake and Haagen-Dazs ice cream. The house-made creme brulee is creamier than many, while the tiramisu comes, oddly, covered in chocolate sauce. You don't need to dig out a skinny tie for your special occasion at Jensen's; most men get by with a good sweater. And you can still get a manhattan, as well as the full range of classic cocktails. Their specialty list includes many martinis and an array of what one waitress affectionately called "frou-frou" drinks. The wine list offers popular selections, many available by the glass. Jensen's has live music on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday nights. They offer private dining rooms for large events. In all, it's a cut above a family restaurant, and a festive gathering place. Karen Cooper and Bruce Schneier have had meals in more than 30 countries, but can usually be found having dinner in the Twin Cities.Let us know which south-of-the-river restaurants we should try. E-mail diningsouth@startribune.com

We went there last night. Six of us, so there was a good mix of food at the table. The walleye (grilled, not fried) was excellent. The meat loaf was terrible. The ribs were okay. Pies were good. Onion rings were very good. Very cheap. We'll write it up this weekend. Bruce

Dining South: Zesty Sabroso satisfies appetite for spicy food Karen Cooper and Bruce Schneier, Special to the Star Tribune Published November 5, 2003 The name means tasty, and take their word for it; Sabroso in Shakopee might very well be the best Mexican restaurant in the Twin Cities. Sabroso serves both standard Mexican favorites and less common authentic dishes. Most of the food is not hot and spicy, although home- made hot sauces are available. Tacos and burritos come with chicken, pork or beef. The enchiladas are even more interesting -- you have your choice of sauces. They come smothered in the traditional red-chili ranchera sauce, the lighter green-chili sauce or the savory -- not sweet-- chocolate-based mole sauce. A fun order for a first-timer is the Tres Amigos Enchiladas: one with each sauce. Like most of Sabroso's dishes, every inch of the plate will be covered with enchiladas, rice and beans. You'll also have a choice between black beans and refried pinto beans. We like the refried, which are nicely moist. The fajitas are probably the best we've ever had. Anywhere. A torta is a Mexican-style sandwich. It's a soft roll filled with meat, lettuce, tomato, jalapeños, onions, guacamole, mayo, bean spread and cream. Even though it isn't listed on the menu, we like ours with grilled pork. Another light option is a tamale. These, like everything else, are made from scratch. It's either pork, chicken or vegetables, stuffed inside cornmeal dough and then steamed inside a corn husk wrapper. Peel away the corn husk and enjoy the rich delicate blend of corn and meat, seasoned with just enough salt and a little cilantro. A little hot sauce goes well here. Even more interesting are the seafood entrees. Try the Shrimp Mexican Style, sauteed in white wine, lime juice, garlic, jalapeños, onions and tomatoes. The Tostadas de Ceviche are also good; two fried flat tortilla shells are topped with lime-marinated orange roughy, onions, cilantro and jalapeños. But our favorite is the Shrimp Cocktail. This is not what you think; it's a big glass filled with pieces of shrimp, tomato juice, avocado pieces, cilantro and onion. The combination of flavors is ideal and not so very sweet as versions we've had elsewhere. If you're with a group, consider the whole fried fish. Avoid the Roast Pork Platter, we found it to be fatty and salty. And the chimichangas were OK, but you'll do better elsewhere on the menu. Don't miss the chili relleño. This traditional Mexican dish consists of a large poblano chili pepper -- not too hot -- roasted, peeled and stuffed with chicken and cheese. It's then baked in a tomato mole sauce that's simply delicious. Another treat are "natural drinks." These are made fresh, not carbonated and not too sweet. We're simply nuts for the tamarind flavor and order it whenever we can. We also like the rice water, which is the perfect, smooth, almost milky drink to cut the spiciness of some of the hotter dishes. Sabroso has a large number of vegetarian selections. They're open for late breakfast, and serve eggs with chorizo sausage, eggs with salsa and other Mexican breakfast treats.

Dining South: Cam Ranh Bay has some of the Twin Cities' best Vietnamese food Karen Cooper and Bruce Schneier, Special to the Star Tribune Published October 29, 2003 Vietnamese food is lighter than Chinese. The cuisine stresses fresh ingredients and lots of herbs such as cilantro, mint and basil. And because the French occupied the country, interesting French influences crept into the cooking. While flavorsome and delicious, Vietnamese is not inherently spicy. We like hot sauce --we call it "rooster sauce" because of the label -- to heat things up. The Twin Cities are home to many, many good Vietnamese restaurants. And Cam Ranh Bay in Burnsville ranks with the best of them. There is also a location in Eden Prairie. The decor and service are above average for a family-run Asian restaurant. And the food is definitely worth the trip. We love spring rolls and these are wonderful. Rice noodles, fresh herbs and meats are wrapped in rice paper and served cold -- not fried -- together with a peanut dipping sauce. Cam Ranh Bay sells them with barbecued pork and shrimp, shrimp alone and vegetable. But, avoid the pork; it was too tough. A less common appetizer is the shrimp on French bread: batter-dipped deep-fried French bread topped with big tasty shrimp and green onions. Slather the accompanying peanut sauce on top for a unusually decadent and delicious start to your meal. Another unusual highlight on the Cam Ranh Bay menu is the rice cake. This is bahn xeo, and more often translated as Vietnamese crepes or Vietnamese pancakes. It's a giant, thin rice flour and egg pancake, turned yellow by the addition of tumeric. With shrimp, pork and onions cooked inside, it's folded into a huge omelet. Served alongside it is a handful of cilantro and another of mint, and a half head of lettuce. Pull off a lettuce cup, add to it some leaves of cilantro and mint and then carve off some of the rice cake, and make yourself a wrap sandwich. Spoon on some the fish sauce. This a wonderful meal, and a typical Vietnamese breakfast or lunch. Another of our culinary favorites is pho, the exquisite beef broth poured over rice noodles and different meats. Cam Ranh Bay might well make the best pho broth in the Cities. It's simply delicious, with none of that mild soapy flavor found in too many pho shops all around town. We tried the pho tai bo vien, soup with some sausage and with thin slices of beef cooked by the hot broth. The rice noodles here are thicker than we usually see and are easier to eat. The basil served alongside wasn't at its freshest, the only downside to this wonderful soup. Mix in the basil and bean sprouts, add lime juice and rooster sauce to taste, maybe some hoisin sauce if you want. Experiment with this dish; it's fun. Cam Ranh Bay serves other Vietnamese specialties, as well as a wide variety of Chinese dishes. They make curries; the mock duck served with bamboo shoots, peanuts and green onions is not too hot and very good. The pan-fried noodle with chicken is a dish of rice noodles fried crispy, topped with big pieces of good fresh vegetables and chicken, all done in a slightly sweet ginger sauce. Minus a few glitches, we liked everything we tried here. And given our affection for Vietnamese restaurants, we were especially pleased to find some dishes we didn't know and immediately loved. Karen Cooper and Bruce Schneier have had meals in more than 30 countries, but can usually be found having dinner in the Twin Cities. Let us know which south-of-the-river restaurants we should try. E-mail diningsouth@startribune.com.

I have been posting these reviews in another thread, but I figure they're better separately. A month ago, my wife and I got a restaurant reviewgig with the Star Tribune. It's for a regional section called "South" that only appears in newspapers sold south of the Minnesota River. It's not a great beat, but it's what we've got. Suggestions and recommendations are always welcome. Really really welcome. So far we've had three published, although I can't seem to get the website to regurgitate the first. My plan is to post them here, and then post the new ones each week. Comments are welcome, too. Bruce