Marla’s Caribbean Cuisine Located just south of Powderhorn Park, Marla’s Caribbean Cuisine is justifiably famous for its incredibly fresh, spicy, from scratch, honest and delicious Pan-Caribe style food. Marla is a doyenne of jerk and an expert with the hallmark Caribbean mashup of Indian, Creole and Latin flavors. I can typically take down… Read More →
French Onion Soup Burgers By Andrew Zimmern In this recipe, I top a beef patty with the trademark flavors of a great French onion soup—soft, caramelized onions cooked with tomato and red wine, and a healthy dose of melted Gruyere cheese. It’s an irresistible combination you’ll want to make over and over again.
This recipe is beautiful in its simplicity. By Richard Blais Lobster, meet mayo. Who could have predicted that this personal introduction that I made years ago would have evolved into such an amazing marriage of flavor? I’m such a mensch . . . and a liar, obviously! This outstanding combo goes way, way back, before… Read More →
Fried Duck Confit with Eucalyptus Honey & Mustard Greens By Richard Blais Who can resist crispy duck skin that gives way to supple, yielding, moist meat? I can’t, which is why I suggest you make this “times two” because you’re sure to want seconds. Or—gasp!—you can indulge in cold fried duck confit tomorrow. Recipe from… Read More →
The Salty Tart Chef Michelle Gayer is a James Beard Award nominee many times over, including being a 2017 semifinalist for “Outstanding Baker.” Open since 2008, Gayer and her team at The Salty Tart make everything from scratch everyday—from pastry cream-filled brioche to flaky layered croissants and buttercream-topped cupcakes to banana cream pies. Her macaroons are… Read More →
11 Delicious Ways to Cook Chicken If you’re stuck in a rut with flavorless, boneless chicken breast as the mainstay of your weeknight dinners, I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and try one of these recipes. Whether it’s grilled, fried, steamed, braised, roasted or tossed in a hot wok, there are hundreds of ways… Read More →
Tilia Chef Steven Brown is one of Minneapolis’ greatest assets. At Tilia, he’s taken the concept of a comfortable neighborhood restaurant and perfected it—from the cozy atmosphere and kitchen counter seating, to the affordable, yet insanely delicious menu. It’s a place I can take my kid for breakfast, my wife for lunch and my lawyer… Read More →
Pineda Tacos Minneapolis may not have a dependable taqueria on every corner like Los Angeles, but head to Lake Street and you’ll discover plenty of authentic options. Pineda’s is a hidden gem of a place. What this sparse taco shop lacks in ambiance, it makes up for with flavor. I usually go for an order of four… Read More →
Recipes for a Memorial Day Barbecue Just in time for the unofficial start of summer, here are 10 reasons to fire up that grill. This weekend, I’m mixing traditional Memorial Day fare like low-and-slow barbecued pulled pork with recipes inspired by my travels, such as the Cuban-style Creole chicken and grilled scallops with a Moroccan-inspired red pepper chutney.… Read More →
Feeding hungry children is not a political issue, it’s a moral one. On Tuesday morning, the White House sent its annual “budget blueprint” to Congress. This budget recommends deep cuts to programs that would be devastating to the children that many organizations work to help each day, like Share Our Strength. I wanted to make… Read More →
Nico Osteria By Bob & Sue This Paul Kahan restaurant on Rush Street features imaginative Italian fare. Executive Chef Erling Wu-Bower, a James Beard finalist in 2017, brings his own interpretation to traditional dishes. Crudo selections included Suzuki bass with chili flakes, Madai snapper with a kohlrabi salsa verde, bigeye tuna with black olives and… Read More →
The Anchor Fish & Chips Well before the influx of destination breweries and galleries re-energized Minneapolis’ artsy Northeast neighborhood, The Anchor Fish & Chips was battering Alaskan cod and frying hand cut chips for the locals. The narrow restaurant with tin ceilings and deep red walls lined with cozy booths has a real deal fish… Read More →
Grilled Coconut-Curry Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro Chutney By Andrew Zimmern Served with a side of my addictive cilantro chutney, this easy shrimp appetizer benefits from a long marinade of rich coconut and curry flavors followed by a quick char on a hot grill.
Szechuan Spice Of all the great regional Chinese cuisines, Sichuan food holds a special place in my heart. While we don’t have as many great Chinese restaurants as I would like in Minnesota, we do have a few that absolutely blow me away and Szechuan Spice in Uptown is one of them. It’s best to… Read More →
Black Risotto with Peas, Asparagus & Mushrooms By Andrew Zimmern This black rice boasts an intense fragrance, with a chewy texture and roasted, nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with fresh spring vegetables.
Alma: Cafe, Hotel & Restaurant After a major overhaul and grand re-opening, Alma is as gorgeous as ever, filling a hole we didn’t know we had in the Twin Cities dining scene. What was once solely a fantastic restaurant, owned and operated by James Beard award-winning chef Alex Roberts, is now an elegant, design-driven hotel,… Read More →
Mexican-Inspired Recipes The breadth and depth of Mexico’s culinary traditions are unrivaled. If you are looking for some Mexican-inspired recipes check out this guide with some of my favorite ones! Frozen Margaritas You can easily make these party drinks non-alcoholic, just omit the tequila and Grand Marnier and add a little extra sugar. Get… Read More →
Stir Up a Classic Cocktail The Derby Day cocktail of choice for nearly a century, the mint julep is steeped in Southern tradition. Each year, nearly 120,000 mint juleps are served during the two-day race at Kentucky’s Churchill Downs Racetrack. Here, we use a mint simple syrup for a more concentrated mint flavor. Packed with… Read More →
Lowry Hill Meats When Erik Sather opened Lowry Hill Meats in the fall of 2015, let’s just say I was excited. There are less than a handful of great, old-world butcher shops in the Twin Cities, and LHM’s standard for every product they sell—from meat to eggs, cheese, spices and coffee—is exceptionally high. I always… Read More →
Lake Superior Shore Lunch By Andrew Zimmern Shore lunches and fish fries are classic Midwestern fare. Staying true to this recipe’s roots, I use Ritz Cracker bread crumbs to coat fresh filets of whitefish from the Great Lakes. Be sure to serve alongside my homemade tartar sauce and a heaping pile of classic coleslaw inspired by… Read More →
Easy Salmon Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Salmon takes well to almost every cooking technique imaginable—grilling, broiling, sautéing, steaming and poaching… even raw, the fish is buttery and oceanic. Here are eight ways to prepare this healthy menu star, from a classic poached salmon served hot or cold, to a throw-back tomato and salmon… Read More →
Brasa Rotisserie For years, Brasa Rotisserie has been the go-to for Creole-style rotisserie chicken and Southern-inspired sides. From the mind of James Beard award-winning chef Alex Roberts, Brasa is a casual, convivial spot where meals are best had family style. They’re known for a mash-up of Southern-Caribbean-Mexican-Creole dishes, like slow roasted pork doused with fresh… Read More →
Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy By Andrew Zimmern Stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 is the most historic road in the country, an emblem of the American Dream. Last year I drove a section of the famed highway in Oklahoma and stopped at Clanton’s, world famous for their chicken fried steak. Once I tasted their… Read More →
Thai Coconut Salmon Soup By Andrew Zimmern While following in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark in Oregon, I spent a day filming and fishing with Brigette McConville, who is lovingly referred to as the salmon queen along the Columbia River. I was inspired to create this recipe that uses parts of the salmon that… Read More →
Authentic Vietnamese Food at Quang Home to a vibrant Vietnamese community, the Twin Cities are a pho-lover’s paradise. Quang Restaurant is family owned-and-operated, always packed and serves some of the best traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup in America. Don’t let the line out the door scare you away—even at their peak hour, the wait will… Read More →
Johnson’s Boucanière Pork Butt By Matt Moore Johnson’s Boucanière • Lafayette, Louisiana Greg’s custom smokers impart the most smoke flavor in the first six or seven hours. From there, he places the butts in shallow tins with some water, covers them with foil, and places the “tin-ed” butts back on the smoker for an additional… Read More →
Easter Recipe Round-Up Here are a few of my favorite recipes for the spring holiday, from brunch classics like quiche Lorraine to a make-ahead orange and caramel flan for dessert. Need to feed a crowd of hungry relatives? Try the ham with Madeira-cider glaze or rack of pork loin with mustard and apricots—both make for… Read More →
Mucci’s Italian Owned by local restaurateur Tim Niver, Mucci’s Italian is one of the best new restaurants to come to the Twin Cities. In a tiny, unmarked brick building in St. Paul, you’ll find incredible food and service in a beautiful, yet unpretentious setting. With lacquered wood tabletops, black leather banquettes and chairs, the cozy… Read More →
Herb-Cured Salmon By Andrew Zimmern Inspired by classic Scandinavian gravlax, this salmon is cured for two days with dill, parsley, juniper berries, sugar and salt. The salt and sugar draw out the liquid from the fish, so the texture and flavor are superb without having to weigh it down to expel the moisture. While it… Read More →
Hola Arepa One of the most popular Latin American restaurants in the Twin Cities, Hola Arepa started out as a food truck, slinging their take on the satisfying Venezuelan sandwiches on the streets of Minneapolis. For those unfamiliar with their eponymous arepas, think hefty griddled cornmeal cakes stuffed with all sorts of ingredients, from Argentinian-style… Read More →
