Hop on over to Hell’s Kitchen in Minneapolis for seared top loin of australus—a.k.a. kangaroo

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Kangaroo: Build your foodie word power with a new food word a day. Today’s food word is kangatarianism. Kangatarianism, according to Wikipedia’s kangaroo meat entry,  “is a recent practice of following a diet which excludes meat except kangaroo on environmental and ethical grounds. ” Kangatarians point out that kangaroos “live natural lives, eat organic food, and are killed humanely,” and also have much less harmful environmental impact than grain-fed beef.And here’s a bonus word: “australus.” Australus is the culinary term for kangaroo meat, (like beef is to cow, or venison is to deer) chosen in a competition sponsored by the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia. The reason I mention this is that Hell’s Kitchen, 80 S. 9th St., Minneapolis, is now featuring kangaroo on their dinner menu: “seared kangaroo top loin served with sweetcorn aged-cheddar polenta, blackberry BBQ sauce and pickled vegetable salad,” for $19.99. Haven’t tried it yet, but if you do, drop me a line or post a comment.Also read Friday Food: Hell’s Kitchen (Amy Rea, 2009)Coverage of issues and events affecting Central Corridor communities is funded in part by a grant from the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative. Continue Reading

Soon dubu chigae at the Kimchi Tofu House in Minneapolis

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What could be better on a cool rainy day than a hot steaming bowl of soon dubu chigae, spicy tofu stew? The tiny Kimchi Tofu House, 307 S.E. Oak St., Minneapolis, offers about 10 different variations with beef, pork, shrimp, mussels, oysters and kim chi, all priced at $8.99. Served with steamed rice, several panchan side dishes, and a raw egg that you can crack open and stir into the bubbling broth.Also read Tofu restaurant finds home near U (Jennifer Bissell, 2010).Coverage of issues and events affecting Central Corridor communities is funded in part by a grant from the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative. Continue Reading

Keefer Court Bakery & Cafe in Minneapolis: What the mahjong ladies order

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I try to be discreet about it, but I have this really bad habit of wandering around in Chinese restaurants to see what the other diners are eating—especially if the other diners are Chinese. I always have this suspicion that I am missing out, and that the Chinese customers know about dishes on the menu that I don’t know about—or dishes that aren’t even on the menu. This bad habit is especially hard to resist at a place like Keefer Court, the little bakery and cafe at Cedar and Riverside on the West Bank. It’s tiny, with just a few tables squeezed in behind the bakery counter, but the food is very authentic, with a good selection of inexpensive rice plates and noodle dishes that attract an Asian student clientele. They also offer barbecued roast duck and beef, and an assortment of tasty sweet and savory pastries.  Chef Jack Ma is one of the most talented Chinese chefs in the Twin Cities—he was one of the cooks who prepared the banquet for our wedding rehearsal dinner back in 2002 at the late Robert Lee’s Dragon Court restaurant. So, on a recent Saturday night, we were sitting at Keefer Court waiting for our dishes to arrive, when the waiter started delivering big plates of food to a couple of adjacent tables, where nobody was sitting. Continue Reading

Curran’s Family Restaurant: Home of the $1.99 Early Riser Special

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I drive by Curran’s Family Restaurant at 42nd and Nicollet frequently, but I can’t remember the last time I set foot inside the place. I’m much more likely to eat at one of the many immigrant family-owned ethnic restaurants a little further north on the Eat Street stretch of Nicollet. But what finally lured me in was the big banner outside the restaurant advertising their Early Riser breakfast special: two eggs, potatoes and toast or a pancake for $1.99, available from 6 to 8:30 a.m. daily. Continue Reading

“I Love to Eat”: James Beard tells all at Illusion Theater

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Attention foodies: Garry Geiken serves up a delicious impersonation of legendary American foodie James Beard in Illusion Theater’s production of I Love to Eat: a love story with food. The one-man show is more character study than drama, but Geiken succeeds in bringing a fascinating character to life. During the performance, Geiken prepares some of Beard’s signature onion sandwiches, and a few lucky audience members get a chance to taste them.There will be more food for thought after the Wednesday, May 8 performance, when several local James Beard Award-winners, including Isaac Becker (112 Eatery, Bar La Grassa, Burch), Nick Kramarczuk (Kramarczuk’s, 2013 winner James Beard Foundation “America’s Classics”), and Tim McKee (La Belle Vie) will participate in a panel discussion on Beard’s impact on the local and national cooking scene.  The panel will be moderated by veteran Twin Cities food writer Sue Zelickson, herself a James Beard award winner for food journalism.For more details, or to purchase tickets, visit the Illusion Theater website. Upcoming shows are on: Thursday, May 2 @ 8pmFriday, May 3 @ 8pmSaturday, May 4 @ 8pmSunday, May 5 @ 7pmWednesday, May 8 @ 10amWednesday, May 8 @ 7pm – Post-show panel with James Beard Award-winning chefsThursday, May 9 @ 8pmFriday, May 10 @ 8pmSaturday, May 11 @ 8pm – Culinary Night with Art Institutes International Sunday, May 12 @ 7pm – Culinary Night with Art Institutes International Thursday, May 16 @ 8pm – Illusion Theater Birthday BenefitFriday, May 17 @ 8pmSaturday, May 18 @ 8 pm – ClosingCoverage of issues and events affecting Central Corridor communities is funded in part by a grant from the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative. Continue Reading

Sure signs of spring: Sea Salt, Tin Fish now open; Bread & Pickle opening soon

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CORRECTED 5/1/2013 — Yay! Snow is in the forecast for Wednesday, but who cares? Sea Salt and Tin Fish are now open for the season. Leasing the food concessions at the lakes is one of the smartest things the Minneapolis Park Board ever did.On Sunday, the line at Sea Salt, at Minnehaha Falls Park stretched out as far as the eye could see (well, almost), but the food was, as always, well worth the wait. Fresh from a trip to New Orleans a few weeks ago, I had been really hoping to recapture the experience with some seafood gumbo, but by the time we arrived it was sold out. Continue Reading

Punch Pizza’s MSPIFF deal ends Sunday

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Pretty good deal, but it ends Sunday, April 28: bring your ticket stub from any Minneapolis – St. Paul International Film Festival movie to Punch’s Neapolitan Pizza, (Northeast Minneapolis location only, 210 E. Hennepin), and you can get any of their classic pizzas for only $3. Shown here is the Putanesca, with anchovy, caper, saracene olive, onion, oregano, regularly $10.95. Continue Reading