Kinsen – a deal almost every night of the week

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Kinsen Noodles & Bar is a strikingly attractive new cafe in the same block as the Lagoon Theater – which should make it a dining magnet for Uptown moviegoers. But I’ve been to Kinsen twice in the past week, and on both occasions, the dining room has been nearly empty. One problem may be a lack of effective signage. But I suspect another factor may be a blurred culinary identity.  Continue Reading

The return of the neighborhood tavern: Pat’s Tap opens at 35th and Nicollet

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I’m not sure if this is  sign of the economic times, but the hot new restaurant category these days seems to be the neo-retro neighborhood tavern. In the old days, the neighborhood tavern was the dark smoky place where you could expect to find cheap beer — especially Hamm’s, cheap burgers, and maybe bags of chips. The older generation of neighborhood taverns is nearly extinct in the Twin Cities, but in the last year or so, there has been an explosion of new places that pay homage to the vanishing institution – Republic, the Lowbrow Cafe, and most recently, Pat’s Tap at 35th and Nicollet, which had its official opening last week. Continue Reading

Twin Cities musicians pitch in for Khyber Pass rent parties

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We had a very fine dinner and a great time Saturday night at Khyber Pass, listening to Xibaba, an amazingly versatile and talented local band that plays Brazilian music in a wide variety of mostly jazzy styles, ranging from bossa nova, samba, and baião, to forro, frevo, and chorinho (most of which I have never heard of.)  Xibaba donated their services to help raise funds for Khyber Pass, which has hit a rough patch financially. There was no cover charge, but the band passed the hat to raise funds for the restaurant. Continue Reading

United Noodles’ Unideli adds Japanese chef, menu

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The little deli hidden inside the United Noodles grocery store in the Seward neighborhood has reopened with a new name – Unideli – and an expanded menu that now includes sushi and other Japanese specialties.

Unlike many of the new sushi restaurants popping up around the Twin Cities, the Unideli’s sushi chef is actually a native of Japan. Kosuke Zaworski (he has his adoptive father’s family name) was a sushi chef at Saji-ya in St. Paul for 12 years. His mother, Shigeko Zaworski worked with Ryeko Weston, founder of the Twin Cities first Japanese restaurant, Fuji-ya, back in the 70s. Continue Reading

Is the new more casual Saffron also more affordable?

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Thursday was Carol’s birthday, so we (Carol, her sister, her niece and I) went for dinner to her favorite restaurant – Saffron in the Warehouse District. I had dined at Saffron earlier this year when the owners – chef Sameh Wadi and his brother Saed – put on a press event to get out the word that their restaurant isn’t just for special occasions. The message was supposed to be, you can have a satisfying dining experience at Saffron without spending an arm and a leg. 
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My dinner at Spring, the hottest new restaurant in Paris

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Fine dining wasn’t on the menu, or in the budget when I went to France earlier this month. Just a chance to catch up with old friends, and spend some time with my son, who lives in Vienna. Micha and I stayed with friends, walked a lot, talked a lot, bought baguettes at the boulangerie and sausages and cheeses at the local market. Sometimes our friends cooked for us, and one night Micha made his special chile con carne.
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New Little Szechuan in St. Louis Park’s West End is finally open

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The Opening Soon sign had been out for so long that I started to wonder whether the new Little Szechuan in St. Louis Park’s West End shopping complex would ever open. I even checked the Little Szechuan website regularly for clues. Then finally, last week, we happened to drive by, and amazingly, the restaurant was open. It’s a gorgeous restaurant, with a sophisticated decor that integrates classical Chinese themes into a very contemporary decor. Continue Reading