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.
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Lamb & Beef Kefta with Herb Yogurt Sauce By Andrew Zimmern An ubiquitous street food in Morocco and the Middle East, kefta are flavorful meatballs that are simple to prepare at home. I make my version with a mix of ground lamb and beef, and tons of herbs and aromatics. Pan-fry the patties and toss them… Read More →
Punch Pizza There are plenty of great pizza places in the Twin Cities, but Punch will always have a special place in my heart. Now with eight locations across the metro, their first location, which opened back in 1996 in St. Paul’s Highland Park, is my favorite. Co-founders John Soranno, who grew up in Milan,… Read More →
Modern Scandinavian-Influenced Fare Located in a historic 19th-century brick-and-timber warehouse in Minneapolis’ North Loop neighborhood, The Bachelor Farmer celebrates Nordic-inspired cuisine made with ingredients sourced from local farmers or grown on the rooftop garden. They created small masterpieces on top of a humble piece of toast before it became a culinary craze, so order a few toasts as an… Read More →
Guinness-Braised Lamb Shanks By Andrew Zimmern Serve these tender, braised lamb shanks with mashed potatoes or steamed quartered new potatoes seasoned with butter, parsley, chives and sea salt.
9 Ways to Celebrate Pi(e) Pi Day is 3/14, and while this made-up holiday has nothing in common with our favorite dessert, we have no problem dedicating a whole day to baking and eating pie. Here are nine sweet and savory ways to indulge. Lattice-Top Blueberry Pie As far as pie fillings go, this one… Read More →
Chicken “Al Mattone” By Andrew Zimmern This baby chicken dish from Rome can be made using poussin or cornish hens. Cooking under a heavy weight, such as a foil-wrapped brick in this case, has been practiced for centuries. It ensures a crispy skin and a moist interior.
Heyday A Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2015, chef Jim Christiansen’s thoughtful food is hyper-seasonal (often foraged) and speaks to his stint at Noma, with dishes such as grilled lamb with winter radish and stewed local oats, and hake with cauliflower, smoked cod roe emulsion and herbs (pictured above). Christiansen skillfully balances flavor, texture,… Read More →
Linguine with Clam Sauce By Andrew Zimmern Linguine with clam sauce is elegant enough to impress, yet incredibly easy to throw together. Resist the urge to fussy up this classic pasta dish. The beauty of this recipe is in the simplicity of the garlicky white wine sauce, which allows the briny, oceanic shellfish to shine.
Spoon and Stable After rising to chef stardom working for Daniel Boulud in NYC, Gavin Kaysen returned home in 2014 to open his first restaurant Spoon and Stable. Located in a beautifully renovated stable in the North Loop, it was the local restaurant opening of the decade. The hometown hero is one of the best… Read More →
San Francisco’s In Situ By Bob & Sue By offering the signature recipes of many of the world’s greatest chefs, Michelin 3-star chef Corey Lee of Benu and his executive chef Brandon Rodgers have made In Situ, located in the renovated Museum of Modern Art, one of the most unique dining experiences in the world. The… Read More →
Great Food Paired with Great Beer The folks behind Surly Brewing Co. are geniuses. Their new-ish destination brewery is an architectural stunner, with a wood and metal adorned taproom, glass-enclosed brewing facility, and a massive patio with fire pits and the occasional live music act. If I drank, I would be there all the time.… Read More →
Shrimp & Blue Grits with Andouille Sausage By Andrew Zimmern Recipes for this classic Southern dish vary greatly—some have sausage or bacon, some are loaded with mushrooms, some have a tomato-based gravy, while others have no gravy at all. Use this recipe as a good base, and feel free to experiment from there. The recipe… Read More →
Authentic Americana Cuisine Tune in for Bizarre Foods: Route 66 on Tuesday, February 21 at 9|8c on Travel Channel. Stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 is the most historic road in the country, an emblem of the American Dream. The fabled highway, also known as “the mother road,” is not just a means… Read More →
A Few Paris Gems By Bob & Sue In addition to our favorite Michelin 3- and 2-star restaurants (L’Astrance, Le Cinq, L’Ambroisie, Pierre Gagnaire, Jean Francoise Piege, and L’Atelier Robuchon), we enjoyed some exciting meals in smaller venues and bistros: Chez Georges This old fashioned bistro delivers classic dishes as well as anyone in… Read More →
Creamy Polenta with Pork Ragù By Andrew Zimmern Nothing says comfort food like a rich, hearty tomato sauce poured over a bowl of creamy polenta. This recipe feeds an army—with leftovers—so be prepared to freeze the extras for easy weeknight meals to come, or simply cut the recipe in half.
Impressive Valentine’s Day Recipes A love of good food is universal, it’s what connects us all… trust me, I’ve spent a lifetime trying to prove this very point. So this Valentine’s Day, skip the dinner reservations at a fancy restaurant and practice the art of seduction from the comforts of your own kitchen. Here are… Read More →
The Best Thing I Ate Last Week One Fifth is a new concept in Houston owned by my pal Chris Shepherd. Housed in a teeny old church that became an adult film studio before facing the wrecking ball, Chris got a stay of execution and is now putting a new restaurant in the space each… Read More →
Highlights from the Southern Barbecue Trail I’ll line up at Aaron Franklin’s a thousand times to eat his brisket, but traveling through Georgia and the Carolinas along the Southern barbecue trail was truly unforgettable. Barbecue has humble beginnings. It’s essentially American, a meal for gatherings that has a diverse range of styles, techniques and influences.… Read More →
Easy Peach Cocktail Light and refreshing, this citrusy peach cocktail gets a kick from spicy ginger beer.
The Best Thing I Ate Last Week Lucky for me, last week’s press junket for the season premiere of Bizarre Foods included lunch at Balthazar in New York City. Did I spring for the Plateau de Mer for one??? Yes, yes I did. This restaurant is one of my favorites in New York, serving French… Read More →
