5th- vincents, minneapolis
6th- stella's fish cafe and prestige oyster bar, minneapolis
8th- highland grill, st. paul
12th- mairin's table, minneapolis
19th- crossroads deli, minnetonka
26th- porter and frye, minneapolis
27th- woody's grille, eden prairie
28th- taste of thaiyai, apple valley
30th- via cafe and bar, edina
31st- saffron restaurant and lounge, minneapolis

5th- vincents, minneapolis (d+)

not what i expect from vincent, even in the bar. i know what they can do here, thus the harsh grade.

new barternder person is way not as good as hopefully regular but out that day bartender person is, by far. everything was off, and everything took too long, plus this one doesn't get the usual bar cues yet.

i ordered a cup of sunchoke veloute with arugula pesto and parmesan frico, plus the salt cod brandade i had last time. it took 10 minutes to order at the bar, 5 of which i was sitting around waiting for menus, sans drink.

it was not an orchestra hall night, so it was not at all crowded. and the bar is not that big.

i was brought a cup of the soup and the brandade at the same time. odd the soup didn't come first, odder is was the completely wrong soup (the ezilda). since i was by now wanting to eat and get out, i ordered the fries instead of replacing the soup.

so i go for the brandade while waiting for the fries. it's a lot less than i got last time, but i don't mind as instead of tasting like creamy potato goodness, it kind of resembles a potato-tasting library paste in texture, and a bit in flavor, too. blah. decent enough to bolt down with bread, i guess. i won't get it again, though.

weirdly, they went the opposite route with the fries- more than i've seen in a bowl since, well, maybe ever, even when i've ordered at a table for four. maybe it was a fire sale, maybe they were trying to placate me. anyway, i took some to go (partially just to get out of there). crispy, hot, and good, this time they couldn't save the day.

paying for the bill with a gift card, i was asked how much was on it. well, it's more than enough to cover my bill, otherwise i wouldn't hand it over, plus don't you have machines if you need to know the exact amount? the bartender made pointed out the soup had been comped... um, not the right phrase. it's comped if i get it and it's free, not if i don't get it and it's free. that's just taken off the bill. nothing was comped to make up for the sevice error.

very off, very odd night there.

6th- stella's fish cafe and prestige oyster bar, minneapolis (d+)

this one was more of a downhill slide. started promisingly with a sushi-grade raw tuna dip, a combo of the tuna with guacamole. the tomatoes were a bit off (sad winter tomatoes) and it was a bit oniony, and could've used a shade more salt. but i'd get it again. a bit spendy ($13, with not a lot of tuna, not a lot of guac, not a lot of chips), but nice. i got a 'menage a trois' to go with it, a three layer drink of melon midori, coconut rum, dark rum, and pineapple and orange juice. as a girl drink goes, it was ok. no fruit, umbrellas, or other garnish, though.

then, well, i don't know what the hell happened with the food. the sampler of fish was supposed to be three kinds of fish. it was two kinds (a tiny piece of overcooked swordfish and slightly less tiny piece overcooked salmon) and scallops. all two of them. they each had a supposedly different sauce, but they all pretty much tasted like butter. this was so not worth the $30 you pay for that, without any sides. sounds promising, it's so not. i was told a half portion of each item went on the sampler.

odd, though, my dining companion got the swordfish dinner... hers was done spot on and nice and almost buttery. and my swordfish was maybe a quarter the size of hers. half, my hinder. good thing we also got something else, the gorgonzola cheese bread with it. it needed more cheese in the middle, and a bit more time in the oven..

then from bad to worse. we were thinking of adding fries to the order for 'dessert,' but the server said they were just ok and recommended the delta dog tater tots. they were described as mashed potatos with hash browns wrapped around them, then deep fried. let's just say i ended up telling the waitress they were 'kind of gross' (details, they were not hash browns, it was some sort of coating, and the potatoes tasted like they were from a box, as did the ones chosen as a swordfish side, for that matter. and why the hell they were served on a bed of shredded iceberg i'll never know).

i didn't mention to the server they were hideously overpriced ($7 for 6 of them... so not worth it). ew. they did take them off the bill, at least. oddly, the jalapeno marmalade with them was pretty good, it'd be an interesting thing on peanut butter toast. but with the gross things? a creamy or tomato-based dipping sauce would've made more sense.

the server had too many tables, so we didn't see them often. they were good at upselling, but bad at service. (let's just say water refill? nope. again. sigh.) though the place was more packed then i had ever seen it, but still... it was another 10 minutes to get water after we sat down, and they went off before we could place our appitizer order, and it was like that until the end, when we waited ages to get the bill.

and now it's back to the two for one, less spendy po'boys, side of fries, which are usually decent enough, and way less spendy. and go earlier, too, when it's not as crowded.

8th- highland grill, st. paul (c-)

as i always intended to get around to trying the turkey burger at one of the grills, i decided, hey, why not today?

well, technically, i did *try* it at longfellow a few years back, and per usual, i remembered nothing of it. though at the time, my sample was good.

and it sounds like it would be good, as per the online menu it has in it "fresh ground turkey, peanuts, jalapeño, onion, garlic and curry seasonings blended together & topped with pepper jack cheese, poblano pesto aioli and greens." maybe a bit spicy (in a good way) with a nice array of flavors.

however, the flavor profile i got was pretty much the aioli, maybe with a bit of curry, and turkey, with a bare hint of peanut. nothing particularly hot or spicy, which is odd, given the pepper jack, poblano in the aioli, and the jalapeño, onion, and garlic. it was good, but it didn't taste like what the menu sold it as. and the server implied it was impressively large. it was a bit above average size, maybe.

the fries that came with it (regular, not sweet potato) were quite subpar (underseasoned, a bit floppy and not tasty). they can (and have, at least at the other grills) done better. i did enjoy the spicier than usual pickle. and service was probably as good as it gets for the suprisingly crowded post-1 pm lunch crowd. however, as we were at a table by the door, and it's very cold, i ended up bundled, sipping coffee to stay warm, which makes the experience less enjoyable, no?

alas, so far, not a good restaurant month.

12th- mairin's table, minneapolis (b)

a very solid effort for this neighborhood place in nordeast just across the bridge from downtown (in the surdyk's realm). it's an american/moroccan place, and the decor (even in the restroom) and menu reflect this. people paid attention to this, and it shows. it's very welcoming, as is the service. it was nice to not have a crap meal and/or crap service somewhere this month.

mrs. brk went with the meatloaf and roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and a few grilled veg (asparagus and cherry tomatoes). the meatloaf was very fresh, and had some crunch from onion and other veggies. the roasted garlic mashed potatoes could've used more garlic and salt. the french bread that came with it was very good. no butter, though, and we forgot to ask. dinners come with a cup of soup or a salad, she got the french onion soup. she thought the stock tasted homemade, and it was quite good.

i started with the very tasty cream of mushroom soup. odd, as i hate the stuff that comes out of cans. but this stuff was great, with an emphasis on the mushroom versus the cream. it was more of a mushroom puree. this also could've used a bit more salt, but was otherwise the best thing i had all evening. not that the chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives with a side of couscous, pita, and a buttermilk harissa sauce was bad. i didn't taste much lemon, and it also, yes, needed more salt (maybe it's me?). but the chicken was tender, and doused with the sauce, it made a tasty, filling meal.

i do wish they'd update their online menu, it had a sandwhich on it i would rather have liked, but sandwiches aren't at dinner anymore. they do have more moroccan dishes than are on the online menu, so that's good. they also had a tasty-sounding four-course special, plus a discount on wine and beer. they run a lot of specials, and have moroccan dinner nights. check their web site for more info on that. dinners are a bit on the spendy side, but i think the happenings card is good there, plus they (at least at the moment) have certificates on restaurant.com that'll knock some off your bill. anyway, it's a place i'd go back to.

19th- crossroads deli, minnetonka (b-)

see previous, more or less. mrs. brk had shepard's pie this time, she liked it quite a bit. this time we had a two for one card so the prices didn't seem so extreme. i did like the hamentashen i got in the bakery post-dinner, it reminded me of grandma's. it also had old-school waitresses, 'hon' and all.

26th- porter and frye, minneapolis (d-)

this was one of those 'sample circuit' events, where you pay a flat fee and sample cocktails, wines, and food from a restaurant (and take home a 'gourmet goodie bag'). this seemed a good way to be introduced to steven brown's newest venture, the one where he seemingly siphoned off a lot of quality minneapolis/st. paul area big restaurant talent.

silly me to assume that i'd get to try the food. perhaps my bad restaurant karma was in overdrive, or perhaps porter and frye need a few more months to get their act together, as the event was hideously bad on the planning tip. and it wasn't the sample circuit people who mucked it up, they were actually urging the staff of porter and frye to put out food. other sample circuit events go with the easier buffet-style serving. not sure why they didn't here.

we were supposed to be able to taste up to nine things they had on a menu card. before we took it into our own hands and tackled servers who had trays to grab some plates, we were served, at our table of six, very small appetizer portions of:

1. french onion soup, and twice at that. it was a small bit of toast with soft gruyere and a very carmelized onion on it, which was good, over an apparently average beef broth. this was the only time we got individual servings of anything.

2. we were offered two plates of lamb once, and one of them twice. we did take them up on the first two offers. the hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and pistachio that tasted pickled served with the lamb were interesting.

3. one plate of slow-cooked chicken with polenta, orange marmalade, and parmesan. the marmalade brought the flavor, but it wasn't a dish that melded well, the marmalade's bitterness didn't go well with the rest of the dish.

and that's it. of the nine dishes. we saw some of the other dishes going to some of the other tables but i'm thinking that no one table got all of the dishes. it's like porter and frye didn't know that the event was there that evening and had nothing prepped or planned. they also decided (stupidly) to use trays that only carried maybe 3 portions of anything, and there were at least 50 people there. with maybe 5 servers. and of those 5, maybe 3 of 4 were clearing at any given time (for 1 server with giving us a plate of food, we had on average 3-4 people wanting to clear the plate).

yes, math is hard, but that's no excuse for this debacle. we even got to the point of asking directly for food.... we asked i think five different people (3 servers, a managerial type, and the water guy) to bring things over. we were promised by the managerial type that they would start bringing things. none of this worked.

and we were even at the infamous table 99 there. whatever that means. (some person there mentioned we were at one of the toughest tables in town to book... table 99).... so it's not like were were invisible under the huge chandelier. (speaking of decor, i'd say it reminds me of chambers kitchen, with a two level restaurant with the bar on top and the basement space for dining, had they bothered to finish their basement... and i mean that in a good way.)

what we grabbed off trays:

1. seared ahi tuna with shishito peppers, perserved lemon, and cilantro. this was probably the best complete dish, with the not-too hot peppers making a nice addition to what's usually low key flavor.

2. scallop with who knows what kind of sauce as it wasn't on the sample circuit menu. if you pair it up with the menu on their web site, it was butterscotch, passion fruit, and bacon (which i hope i didn't eat). the scallops were a bit overcooked (chewy), and the sauce was too overwhelming for the delicacy of scallops. i heard other people remarking about the not-so-good scallops.

3. some of us got the opera cake (peanut butter and chocolate). i wasn't impressed.

what we never got served:

1. arctic char with garbanzo beans, kale, and red pepper.

2. pork terrine with smoked raisin, radish, and violet mustard.

3. 'rueben' with thousand island hollandaise and egg.

4. cheeseburger 'sliders' with tomato marmalade and an onion ring.

please note the lack of vegetarian anything. well, maybe the cake....

our table was also snubbed socially... steven brown himself glanced over and decided we were too unimportant to stop by (i've met him before, too). the event photographer there did the same.

i'm going to give mad props, however, to the one person who got to all the tables as he should... the water guy. even if the kitchen sent him out with glasses stained with brown crap. he replaced them quickly. (that's plural, folks, on the number of glasses... just to show you how bad off it is there.)

the hotel staff is also helpful, more than i'd like (does that make sense? it's just that i feel creeped out when every single staff member i pass wants to help me... it's like going into target after they have their staff brainwashing that tells them to try to help every person that passes by so on your way to grabbing your bottle of shampoo or box of allergy meds, 12 people ask if they can assist you.... but i'm way off on mr. tangent now, sorry...).

the lemon-thyme martini was also good. can't say anything about the rest of the wines.

so is this just my bad restaurant karma at work? probably not (see previous about the sample circuit people), but i am guessing it didn't help, so sorry everyone who attended.

at least in our party we tried to drink a bit more of the free wines and cocktails just to have it worth the money to attend. it helped a tiny bit that a gift bag was included with the price and it had a $20 off $40 good at the restaurant.

will i use it? if i do, it won't be until near the end of it's expiration date in hope they may be able to pull themselves together. the food maybe rated a c-, which is why it's not quite an f. it's that low because brown can do so much better on a good day. service was very solid f (i'd go lower if i could). did they not think of the audience of foodies in attendance who would spread the word about the place? sigh. it was overwhelmingly disappointing.

update: i got an email from someone else who went to the event, and it wasn't just us who had this problem... theirr table that had two parties (a group of two and one of three) were given things like one of the sliders to split between all five of them. they also witnessed other tables that had plenty of plates to go around (and i'm thinking that if steven brown stopped at your table, you were the ones who got multiple plates and a variety of food... that's just bad. and wrong).

27th- woody's grille, eden prairie (c)

i'd never eat breakfast at a woody's grille ever again as long as i live (and perhaps in future lives), but i figured dinner may be safe. may. as it is a grille (why the hell the e on the end, i don't know... why aren't they woodye's grille?) i had the grilled chicken sandwich with cheddar and replaced the bacon in it with mushrooms, side of fries.

the fries were of the same crispy yet non-potato tasting ones style that i had at crossroads. the sandwich was missing flavor... even after i slathered mustard, ketsup, and weird whipped salad dressing (it wasn't mayo, that's what i asked for) on it, and added salt besides the aforementioned toppings, red onion, and somewhat sad tomato. odd, as they grilled it spot on (not rubbery, burned, or anything). so it was kind of a non-event.

mrs. brk and her friend from out of town split the chicken and ribs platter with corn and baked beans. the ribs were pretty decent, but the chicken had a weird off taste, probably the bbq sauce on it, and was dry. the corn was done well, and i don't think anyone tried the beans.

we did get a plate of not surprisingly average bread first, better when it came out and was warm. the service... was... yes... average. though an average grade this month i think ends up being above average... it's been a bad month for eating out. yet i will be out for dinner again tomorrow. (see- zan's rule #1 of life).

28th- taste of thaiyai, apple valley (c)

the restaurant formerly known as taste of thailand (it changed hands about three months ago) no longer like being in limbo a la dante. the new owners seem happy to have people in their restaurant, the place is spiffed up and clean, and service is efficient to the point where my water glass was rarely under half-mast and the food came out super-quickly.

they kept what looks to be most if not all of the same menu as taste of thailand, but some of the dishes that come out of the kitchen are a bit different. to start, i had the cream cheese puffs were light and cripy, and didn't taste like you were eating something bad for you, as cream cheese puffs go. they did a better version than the st. paul taste of thailand's version, if i recall correctly, and had better dipping sauce.

while normally i'd go with pad thai to suss out the level of competence at a thai place, i wanted to try their version of the pra ram long song ( mild peanut curry sauce and steamed spinach) with tofu. i remembered to get fresh tofu this time. this version of the peanut sauce was mild, and not so peanutty, but a ran more towards the curry side of things, with fewer fresh chopped peanuts in it. the spinach was fresh, too, not frozen. i think i would've liked the sauce more on something like a mock duck or chicken, it was a bit too loose for the chunks of tofu (which also tasted very fresh).

the person i was with had some excellent spring rolls, plus a generous platter of thai sausage and steamed veg with 'thai salsa.' it seemed quite healthy. though why there was a side of rice with it is a bit of a mystery.

and on the downside a la brk... there looked to be a hair or perhaps part of a bag the rice was in (canvas) in the rice she got. i know this as i used a bit of her rice and found it. so... i am downgrading from a b to a c for that. usually i'd go lower with non-food stuff found in food, but i'm feeling generous or something...

this is a place i'd come back to for sure, as it's a locally owned non-chain place in apple valley that has interesting food, which is really not very common in that area, and the prices are really reasonable for the large amount of food you get. the weekday lunch buffet could be interesting here, too. props to the new owners.

30th- via cafe and bar, edina (d+)

there's only one more time i will be eating out this month, which is good because it's been a friggin' distaster of a brk to the extreme restaurant month. and since brunch is always worse for my strain of brk, this was originally scheduled later in the day, for lunch. but there was unexpexted plan changes, so brunch it was.

in this brunch, most of the food was not so bad, per se. my toasted bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill, capers, hard-boiled egg bits was only a bit undertoasted and a bit more 'white bread' than i prefer. though the capers were left whole and rolled off. it tasted quite like you'd expect, a deluxe verison of the one you may do for your own brunch, and it was a very generous size. the chips were house-made and light, crisp, and nongreasy (same ones they serve at mission, perhaps) and though the sour cream with chive sauce wasn't mentioned served with it on the menu, i was brought some when i inquired about it. that was the only good thing our server did, and perhaps the only thing they got right.

because of the server's ineptitude, the two people who ordered two eggs that come with toast and fruit, and one of two kinds of potato got eggs (poached and fried) that were a bit too cold. not plesant. ditto the herb roasted potatoes, they were a bit cold. alas, the hash browns served were undercooked, stone cold, and inedible. i came way too close to spitting out the mouthful i took all over the table, they were that bad. they had also ordered a side of bacon. that was brought to the table as a side of sausage. and odd they serve all those potatoes, yet you have to request ketsup (which was also difficult, as the server didn't come back to check on the meal so much, we asked another person going by). the fruit was good pineapple, and not quite ripe cantaloupe and another melon. and they every so generously give you one whole slice of toast. i noticed other tables got jam for their toast. we did not.

there were also refill problems. the server would hit every other table, chatting away and refilling, and ignore our table completely. i was doing everything short of waving my hands in the air like i just don't care to get their attention (i tried the empty cup and saucer both on the edge of the table, the normal refill request position where they walked by quite a bit, and also on the other side on the ledge next to the table in front of the service area when that didn't work, plus eye contact to the extreme, just a few measures). so when the food was dropped off, i asked that person if i could get more coffee... and they gave me so much the saucer turned into a lake. sigh.

oh, we were served blueberry and corn minimuffins before the meal. the blueberry was overdone, the corn was decent. it was the nonsweet kind. the butter was just ok.

at the end, the server did ask how everything was, finally. we told him a lot of things were cold, and the hash browbrowns so much to as to be inedible, as mentioned. did they take anything off the bill for that? no. i did have a coupon for a free menu item. we got... free... coffee. i didn't think that would count. at least they did all the coffee. still, it seems very stingy of them, especially since for $.50 more they could've knocked off one of the egg plates and been though of as generous.

the prices seem a bit spendy for the quality of the experience, $8 for the egg plate, $4 for the side of bacon, $2.50 per coffee, and $11 for the salmon bagel. i'd not mind spending that at a place where the service and a lot of the food weren't crap, but here, no.

maybe we weren't botoxed social x-ray matron-looking enough for a good experience there. who knows. the decor was nice, at least, in dark reds, oranges, and medium wood. nice restrooms, always important. as i've seen in many places, you'd never know it used to be a pizzaria uno (hey, speaking of... anyone know where to get good chicago-style pizza here anymore?).

when we were opening the door to leave, the manager saw us go and did the 'i hope everything was ok' or some similar line. so i told him not so much and did the details (see above, mostly inedible hashbrowns + incredibly inept service with no refills, etc.). they did ask what server we had, and said they would speak to them, but still... that just makes me feel a bit guilty for the server's lack of service and won't make me come back again at all. what incentive do i have?

i do realize your 'a team' is not going to be on the sunday brunch shift, but you can't get a up to speed with eggs and hash browns and basic services such as coffee refills, why the hell are you open for brunch?

31st- saffron restaurant and lounge, minneapolis (b)

i am oddly relieved to get a solid b down again, which proves my restaurant karma wasn't on a severe downward spiral. this place is yet another dark orange restaurant (very trendy these days) with middle eastern touches, and recessed nooks for lighting and other displays. they have nice looking seating area in the lounge, too, plus middle eastern music that isn't as in your face loud as it can get at some places.

the service was a bit slow at first, that probably had to do with the one waiter for all tables on what was more or less a slow, snowy day. but alas, after having a handful of two or three tops, a large group walked in as we were ready to order, and one came later on during our meal, so things for the server got busy to the point where the water/busser person and the bartender were serving. that translated into losing bits of service, like fresh plates and refilled bread baskets. i'd maybe call it b- service. the real server knew the menu, made recommendations, and when they had the time, was generally good (though it was a bit difficult to get their attention).

the food was more of an a-/b+... a few tweaks would've kicked many of the dishes over the top. you start with the basket of sliced pita and and other bread served with hummus (i will say the son of the holy land owners- that's the chef- serves hummus *almost* as good as theirs, just a tiny bit less smooth). the pita was better the second time around, when warmer, but it was still fresh.

we ordered dishes off the mezze and small plates parts of the menu to share. our first ones were the pickled vegetables ($4), with beets, white asparagus, tiny yellow squash, fennel, carrots, and cauliflower. i liked the forward pickle, very vinegary, and it was an overall great dish. though i do wish the beets wouldn't have bled into the other foods. there was a pretty generous serving of that. the other starter was the recommended artichoke tagine, with peas, potatoes, and saffron broth ($5) was also a winner. very rich and satisfying for a vegetable dish, though not heavy. it was a bit hard to eat without a spoon.

the main course was a leek and sheep's feta tart with roasted tomatoes and arugula ($8), which was kind of disappointing. the crust was a bit mushy and not crisp enough and very it had very little cheese taste. sheep's milk feta is something you generally know you're eating, which was not so here. the scallops with black onion seed/tomato jam and paella croquettes ($12)had spot on scallops, crispy paella balls (heh, balls) that were a good flavor and texture contrast to the scallops, and some nice green and yellow sauces on the plate (saffron was invovled, i bet). the jam was a bit too strong for the rest of the plate, and maybe a bit too acid. it would've been better without. also, for $12, you get two scallops.

oh, normally i'd be all over things on the menu like the foie gras, but i heard the serving was on the tiny, tiny side, so i skipped that, and also the parisian gnocchi, made with dough instead of potatoes, with black truffle/taleggio fondue, green apple, and oyster mushrooms. though it does seem a thoughtful vegetarian entree, to me it didn't fit in conceptually with the rest of the menu, that made me a bit leery to try it.

dessert was a trio of ice creams/sorbet ($6). the roasted banana one was more like banana pudding and didn't taste roasted, but i'd eat tons more of the blood orange/hibscus sorbet, and the pink grapefruit one was more like eating cotton candy than the bitter tang you get with citrus. they need to sell those by the pint or gallon, they'd clean up. best sorbets ever? perhaps. they make them in-house, too. all three worked well together.

since mondays are half-price nights for bottles of wine, we split a racauderie vouvray ('04, the online menus are up to date!) for a extremely low $15.50. for the bottle. at a restaurant. with that, the prices for dinner that were less than $35 per person (with tax and tip, mind you), with a bottle of wine and dessert. way reasonable. it's a place i'd return, and i'd like to check out the happy hour/late night menu, too (just saying... french fries with feta fondue... and try saying that 10 times in a row, fast-like.)

 

© The bent sun as risen