4th- martel's, bloomington
10th- lakeshore grill (macy's), edina
13th- santorini, eden prairie
16th- scusi,st. paul
21st- slug and lettuce, london, england
21st- busaba eathai, london, england
22nd- river cafe, london, england
23rd- teapod, london, england
24th- dinner by heston blumenthal, london, england
26th- hix, london, england
27th- wagamama's, london, england
4th- martel's, bloomington (c-)
i was more or less hamstrung into going here for lunch in this hotel lounge/restaurant combo. i wasn't in the best of moods as the hotel lacks directional signs, and i am generally nonplussed at best with hotel restaurants, though they tend not to completely suck. faint praise and all that.
usually i'm not insanely hungry at lunch, but today i was. i got some sort of soup and sandwich combo ($8 for that) and fries with that ($2). the soup i opted for was wild rice chicken soup, which was better than eddington's (see: faint praise), but i didn't see it in the same light as the server 'sold' it as... that people drive directly from the airport for it. no. not at all. it had texture, sure, and nicer bits of chicken in it. but not tons of flavor.
the sandwich was reportedly a grilled cheese. cheese, yes, grilled, not so much. it looked like it was barely toasted bread (toaster-style, that is) and stuck under a salamader to melt the cheese, or maybe tossed in the microwave. it was also billed as a double-decker, which it wasn't- it had two slices of cheese, sure, but only two slices of bread- i opted for sourdough vs. the usual white bread, maybe that's why they were confused?
the few fries served had really nice seasoning blend on them. they were otherwise mid-level. when dipped into some of the sauces that came with the sliders my friend ordered it brought out the best in them, but that was so not $2 worth of fries. seriously, it's not like there's a potato shortage.
the sliders they ordered- the burger one was ok, the chicken one that i tasted was over-grilled, which is why i try not to order chicken when my only option is grilled, and the steak one had so very little steak on it it was a joke. then again, the food was very small. i was ravenous when i came in, but still hungry after i left.
service was... odd. like no one knew quite what was going on. ok, the hotel did get a new owner, but that was over a month ago. things should be settled a bit more now. the main server was ok, but dropped the check off halfway through lunch, but kept coming back for water refills (even after we indicated we didn't want any) before leaving when we were almost done. that was the only server.
plus they had on way too much scent- besides the whole allergy problem, there's the whole wanting to smell food in a restaurant, not servers. that's a downgrade. but it's not like i'd ever go here again. it's a weird hotel in a weird location with weird service.
10th- lakeshore grill (macy's), edina (c-)
never been to this place, even back when it was dayton's. hidden in the basement level of southdale, they try to recreate the 'lakeshore' feeling by... posting pictures of boats and water and oars. that's about it for the theme. it's very generic down in the basement.
the grade averages out about the whole thing. mom liked her food overall more than i did, but i had the best and the worst items. i was using a $25 off $35 restaurant.com certificate, so we had to order a few more things than we usually do (most of the time we're entree only people).
on the macy' culinary council menu they have a few specials dreamed up by some of the council members, we got the todd english dish of asparagus frites and argula salad in honey mustard (i think) vinaigrette. the salad was a tad overdressed but i was impressed how it cut any bitterness in the arugula with the dressing. the fries, er, frites were tasty on top. since they had used very large asparagus, the ends were too large for the dish and the coating fell off as you ate it. if you use smaller asparagus, this would be brilliant. and good at the state fair with some dip.
i also had their chicken wild rice soup ($2.95 with entree, $3.95 without). it was a nice size, but they didn't bring crackers. and it needed crackers (i asked for them). or to sit around a while longer. the flavors hadn't married and nothing was really holding it together. so it was just ok, and now i will stop ordering any wild rice soup (see above, and last month for that matter) unless i know it's good. no idea why that's been on my radar recently.
oh, the popovers. mom's was good, mine was a tad underdone. but tasty, especially with the honey butter.
my went with their walleye dinner ($15.95) with whipped potates and veg of the day, green beans. the walleye was supposedly almond encrusted, but the flavor of any sort of nut wasn't there, it tasted like any other coating. the fish was a bit overdone but fine. the potatoes were... there. not bad, not good. you do get a whole bunch of walleye with it for sure.
i had one of their specials (there were three, but they only told us about two of them), fish and chips ($10.95). i got three and a half cod bits- the cod had disappeared out of half of the coating. interesting but um, yeah, shouldn't have been served. but it was hands down the best thing of the evening cooked spot on, with a light and crispy coating. it did need salt and the fish tasted a bit generic. the small amount of fries tasted better than they looked, they looked underdone. they were just underseasoned. (maybe they have house seasoning mix of salt, garlic, onion and a few other things on the table because most of the food is underseasoned?)
the cole slaw with it was the opposite of what coleslaw should be- this was inedibly bad- a soggy, flavorless mess. and i did mention that- i would say if we hadn't had the coupon thing, they would've taken off the cost of my dinner, so i won't entirely blame them for not doing anything. though overall i wasn't impressed with our server- the waits to order and for water and such were a bit on the long side for an undercrowded place (it clears out early, the crowd skews senior). the other servers seemed more on the ball. i can't say i'm surprised, i can't recall the last time i ate in a mall and had a really good dinner.
13th- santorini, eden prairie (c)
mom got the $40 groupon for $20, so off we went. i figure i could be happy with the potato salad if nothing else. and hey, the plate of spreads were decent. and this time they were better than last time. the spicy feta had more flavor, the taramosalata was blended just enough so it was more flavorful and less mayo-like, and we went with the red pepper hummus, which was fine ($9). they improved the serving some, with real forks, but a spoon or tiny knife still would make more sense. it also came with a big stack of pita quarters, though we both thought it tasted better with the bread they brought to the table.
but the potato salad went south, it was just ok this time (less eggy, the potatoes were a bit underdone, and it needed salt). still something i'd eat (even though i hate all other potato salads), but not something i'm in love with. i had it with the pita melt ("choose gyro, chicken or veggie and we’ll sandwich it between two warm pitas with cheddar and fontina cheese served with greek or caesar salad", $14)- i went with the chicken and as mentioned the potato salad over the other salads. it didn't have cheese. or flavor. putting the veg from mom's dinner, salt, and the tzatziki on it helped, some. but it was kind of meh still. the main problem was the lack of cheese to melt. so yes, it also didn't have sandwich integrity, even if it was cut into four pieces to help with that. the chicken was spot on, though, surprisingly.
mom has always liked the place better than i did. her food tends to be better, too. but this time she was equally unenthused with what was billed as the open faced prime rib sandwich, but had two slices of bread ($19). it was supposed to come with caramelized onions, but they weren't caramelized, just sauteed a bit. the random veg not listed in the menu description (white and green squash and red pepper) ended up on my sandwich to try and help it (it did, a bit) and horseradish, which we had to ask for because they forgot to bring it. they also forgot her side of potato salad. she thought her whole meal was underseasoned, i would agree they had problems with that on my dinner too.
what mom got for $19 was a lot more than what i got for $14, value-wise, though, that much is for sure. service was maybe ok here, and for once there was no wait for the check. water was refilled, too. but they did miss bringing about half mom's dinner, they never stopped to see if anything was ok, or offer a bread refill. we didn't hate anything that we got, but other than the spreads we didn't like it very much.
and funny that they spell someplace on their web site, the name of the city "Eden Praerie." ok, i have typos, but i'm not a business. i'm lazy and a bad typist, but i'm not trying to sell you anything.
oh, and i'd recommend them building a sound barrier between the bar and restaurant. between the activity they had there, the music they had there, and the 50 tunes in the dining room, there was too much ambient noises that clashed. i suspect it's worst on friday and saturday for sure.
the bar (where we were for an early dinner/happy hour) looks completely different now, plus the music is a bit more random and modern here, for sure. anyway, it's another solid place for the blue plate people- the sort of place i wouldn't say no to eating at if i was nearby, but not so great i would drive ages to get there.
we split the orecchiette paste with asparagus, fresh tomatoes in a white wine sauce ($11). it tasted fine, but the sauce was a bit generic. the veg were nice at least. the tomatoes weren't sad ones, which is always good. i would've liked more veg and less sauce, actually.
pizzas are half-price during happy hour, so we also went with the funghi tartufo, which was sauceless with marinated mushrooms, some fresh rosemary and mozzarella. and a "truffle spritz", whatever that was ($11 when it's not happy hour, so $5.50 when it is). it needed another minute or so to be truly crisp crust, and also needed one more thing to tie the flavors in.
i thought honey (which is thrown on similar pizzas now and then), and it was requested. the server asked about it later on, and said they'd tell the chef.... so if it ends up with honey it's my idea! so there! (j/k... kinda?) i also said they should throw the truffles in the honey instead of going with a spritz. the honey did pair well with my moscato off the bubbly wine menu ($6, they didn't refer to it as a moscato d'asti so i won't either).
anyway, service was friendly and such- they give you water at the table, so you don't have to worry about that. you get flatbread in a bag with some bean spread. i liked the spread, the flatbread was ok.
21st- slug and lettuce, london, england (c)
this place was recommended to us by the london eye staff, didn't really know it was a chain until they handed us the menus and i spotted the signage. oh, well. we just wanted a spot of food and a place to rest until we hit the eye a bit closer to sunset. and hey, the food is apparently half-priced all Monday, which is all good.
since i hadn't had it yet here i opted for fish and chips. and for about 5 pounds or so, the fish was pretty tasty and the fries surprisingly edible. the mushy peas were. i think it ended up being around £4. the service was crap, though. long waits, stuff not delivered, and i noticed the dishes at other tables were nicer, and they were given water.
21st- busaba eathai, london, england (c-)
everyone else liked this place more than me as apparently the shellfish is good and makes the dishes. the vegetarian pad thai (£7.20 ) (the regular having fish sauce and shrimp) i got was dry and mostly texture. meh, generally. didn't replace the fish sauce with anything, that was the problem. everyone else would go back. and others would too- we ate later on in the evening (10 pm or later) and it was pretty crowded. service was ok or so, but they forgot to bring us one of the things we ordered. forgot to mention- you have to share tables and the furniture? is uncomfortable if your back hurts. though social people may like that arrangement.
22nd- river cafe, london, england (b for food, 'what the hell happened' for the sevice)
they were running a promotion to raise money where you can get a special prix fixe menu for £22 for two courses, £26 for two plus dessert or £ 36for three plus dessert. you also give £1 per person for charity. the items on the special menu look to be mostly from their lunch menu they had today (they change their menu twice daily depending on what's coming in). the starters on the regular menu ran £14-16, first courses (mostly pastas) about the same- £13-16, and mains £31-36. desserts were £4.50. i think (typically £8-9 or so)
the starter of grilled squid with chilli and rocket (menu price £15) was tender and flavorful, which is not often how you describe squid. apparently the crab salad with some greens, grilled fennel and aioli (listed on the menu as coming with bruscheta, which this did not, was £16) i didn't try, but apparently it was fresh and tasty.
my starter was the spinach and egg taglierini (along with my kir royale, £10)- on my menu it listed a sage cream and parmesan, but not the prosciutto it came with, and it was just listed with cream there (£15 menu). which explained why the cream didn't have any of the taste of sage. so they served me the wrong dish, sort of. the pasta was nice, very fresh tasting. so the tagliatelle al pomodoro (£13)- aka noodles in tomato sauce, fancy style.
pork chop with fresh horseradisah and fava beans and possibly spinach (not listed on the regular menu) was really good, i was told, ditto the cornish roast monkfish with seakale and braised chard in an anchovy and rosemary sauce (£34 on the menu). my main course was the grilled sea bass with salsa verde and potatoes (on the menu with vignole of peas, broad beans, artichokes and mint £33). i expect the skin a bit more crispy but it was tender and came off in one piece, taking the sauce with it. the potatoes, roasted, were... ok. i guess i expected more flavor from the dish. all in all everything i had was subtle-flavored, nothing sang or packed a punch.
except the dessert someone ordered, blood orange sorbet, that was awesomely flavorful, essence of blood orange. the challah-like bread they served also was lovely (the other bread was just ok).
we would've had a lovely time there except for the odd service. it started out great- team service for water refills, plate clearing and the like... they even overheard my mention that we should just ask for challah-ish bread ne xt time and brought only that. then it got busy. and everything changed right quickly.
since someone had an extra course, they held back our entree order a bit too much- either they forgot to put it in while the person ate the extra course, or it got shoved behind a pile of other orders. but there was a really really long wait for the main courses. we got what was, at best, a half-assed excuse and apology. they used the soothing tone often found in tube trains, so it sounded somewhat more insincere. they didn't even offer a free dessert or something.
then we got the bill (we had to request it). they charged us for 4 two-course meals, which was not ordered. two of us got that and one person got the three plus dessert, which is what they told the waitress they were ordering- they would give the kid some of it, but the kid wouldn't be really eating. they should've mentioned they would charge for sharing, more or less, or charge them for two of the $22 dollar deals when we ordered, we should not find out when we get the bill.
they did not. there was not splitting charge on the menu listed either. but when we inquired about it, the manager just listed the same charges on the bill differently. um, that's a load of b.s. yes, it is just £8, but please state all charges up front. instead there was a big to do about it, with several staff member's gawking at our table (way to make us feel like NEVER COMING BACK AGAIN AND WARNING OTHERS TO STAY AWAY even more with that touch- i stared back, eyebrow raised. they didn't expect that...).
all this is made all the more ironic given the blather on how they want everything about our meal to be perfect at the beginning of the whole lunch. whatever. no matter how perfect the meal is, doing that with the bill at the end after a long long wait for our main courses with nothing offered in return? so not hospitable. screams 'resting on our reputation.' major fail with that.
23rd- teapod, london, england (a)
sorry, everyone, i didn't feel the need to to a full-on, formal style tea. especially solo. so i went to teapod (i found it online), where you order at the counter (friendly staff, by the way, and efficient service, different than most places i've been so far here).
you can get the usual cafe foods here, but also get, at any time, either a regular full afternoon tea ("smoked salmon and cucumber finger sandwiches, scone, clotted cream and home-made strawberry jam, a cake selection and a choice of tea") for £13.95 or you can get a savory one with a tartlet, smoked salmon and cucumber finger sandwiches, scone, clotted cream and strawberry jam, a shortbread fancy and choice of tea for the same price- and tea here is usually £2-3.
i went with the trad and chose a lemongrass/ginger tea (good for my cold, at least). it was... well, what i expected tea to be in such a setting (blond wood, books to read on the shelf you can pick up, informal coffeehouse sort of setting- think ikea more than old sofas, though)- a respite from the day at hand. everything tasted quite nice (they have their own baker), though it turns out i am not such a fan of clotted cream. i relied more on the jelly.
anyway, if you're big on tradition, this would not be your style of tea, but if you're looking for a comfortable place to hang out and do tea in london for not tons of money, go here.
24th- dinner by heston blumenthal, london, england (a)
supposedly the hardest ticket to get in london, booked solid for months... i lucked into a reservation as i was browsing the opentable london site in december to see where i may want to have my 'splurge' lunch while here and saw heston blumenthal's name as part of the restaurant. hmm, i thought, i wanted to go to the fat duck, but that'd be a bit difficult to get to, if i can get in. i should book a spot here, though i'm not sure what it's about.
a few months later, the hype machine kicked in, and i found out it's classic english cuisine (as in many centuries ago) modernized. the reviews sang its praises when it opened, generally. quibbles here and there, but pretty much everyone thought it was worth a go. they did let people know it's solid cookery, but with less of the whole modern techniques (trying not to say molecular gastronomy, but it's difficult not to to convey to people what they do at the fat duck....). very old-school indeed with the flavors and such.
the first thing i noticed when i was seated (with a nice view of the park on a very springlike day and also a view of the side of the glassed-in kitchen) was that the lighting fixtures looked like bundt pans. oh, that and the genial host, we chatted about harrods and other nearby shops. i'm guessing the vet the staff for personality and then train them in a way i think of as french- team service, and it's all about the patron, and on the discreet side- water is regularly refilled, they ask if you want more bread when you're almost done, if you use the restroom your napkin is folded and such. it makes a change here. even the kitchen staff is crack- i saw someone washing the glass window in front of them after they got a bit of food on it.
after procuring a glass of the moscato d'asti (£5.50) and eating the crispy-crusted bread with tasty english butter, i contemplated the menu (while noticing that if someone ordered an interesting bottle of wine, the sommilier did taste a bit of it, i've heard about this practice, but never seen it before. i wonder if that was mentioned anywhere).
i was very tempted three course set lunch menu for £28- a reasonable price indeed, but then i though hey, splurge lunch. and i wanted to try some of the dishes i had been reading about (even though my taste buds were pretty shot due to a cold), like the "hay smoked mackerel (c.1730)- lemon salad, gentleman's relish and olive oil" (£14.50). the preserved bits of lemon carried the dish for me, tying all the flavors together. i think if i had less of a cold i would've tasted whatever the hay does, it was subtle to me.
for my main course i went with the powdered duck (c.1670)- smoked fennel and potato puree (£24.00). powdering duck was a form of preserving it (i had to ask), and it's not the crispy skinned duck, but was really rich and flavorful (especially with the sauce they served it with) and the fennel, when cut and mixed in, brought in a milder element that was perfect.
also perfect? the 40% or so butter-filled potato puree. a dish i would marry, if legally possible. i told the staff, when asked how my entree was, that the potato puree made me a very happy person indeed. if i lived closer, i would go here just for that. seriously. best potatoes i've ever had ever, and they're not even french fries, i would go so far as to say. when mixed with the duck and fennel? wow.
dessert was the "taffety tart (c.1660)- rose, fennel, lemon and blackcurrant sorbet" (£8.50), which i ordered mainly for the sorbet, which was lovely (though the blood orange one at the river cafe was just a tiny shade better). i did like the tart, but wouldn't necessarily order it again. it was hard to eat, and i somehow expected more fruitiness.
forgot to mention on my first go-around.... after that dessert, they brought out a tiny cup of caramel-tasting pot de creme (or called it something more british, but same thing) with two adorable shortbread sticks. if i had known, i would've skipped the tart, really. this was even better, the flavor was very rich.
i'm very happy to say i was not at all disappointed in this. sometimes with all the anticipation of going to a hot new place or a well-respected place, it ends up being more about the hype (see: river cafe), this? let's just say when you leave? you get thanked by every single staff memeber you pass. and they seem to mean it.
26th- hix, london, england (a-)
after i saw an article a while back asking a bunch of famous chefs based in london what was one of their favorite meals of last year, and this one came up quite a lot, i thought i would try to get here during my stay. and i am glad i did (though we had to book a 10 pm table, and this was 5 days ahead), as was the person i was with.
it's a place based largely on ocean foods- they're known for oysters, especially (they even have a beer named after oysters that they won awards for). so naturally, after they brought the best bread i've had on the trip plus some lovely butter, we started with the welsh rabbit fondue (£7.25) . i must have more cheese and bread you know... by decree of the queen. and lovely it was, with the mustardy hint in the background, plus they used some quality cheese, dipping crispy bread bits encrusted with yet more cheese. very rich indeed. very good on a crisp, windy night. comfort food deluxe.
i kept on in the comfort food category, going with the fish fingers (£16.50 and worth ever pence), which have now ruined me for all other fish and chips with mushy peas ever. seriously, they were that good. well, most of it was. they're getting the minus because of the chips- they weren't crispy, salty, or all that good. maybe they were traditionally english-style, but they don't do well in my book. i didn't finish them even (though mostly because i was too full).
but the fish and peas... who knew fish fingers could taste light and delicate? it was all about the fish in these things with the breading adding just the right amount of texture and crispiness. and even the tartar sauce (house-made) was light. it was relavatory. as were the peas... mushy peas that tasted of fresh pea (usually they taste of mushy) and mint in a lovely bright green. and they tasted great with the fish. they could lose the chips and tartar sauce and i would be fine with that.
the halibut with sea veg (£24) proved again of their fish superiority (normally it comes with clams, those were left off by request) and their light hand- they know how to go fish right. though to me it looked like the lettuce side dish that was ordered with it was overpriced at £4.50 compared with what other things cost. it probably was local and organic, but it was still just a bowl of dressed lettuce.
for a hint of dessert, i got a scoop of blood orange sorbet (£2 per scoop of all ice creams and sorbet). it was more sherbert-y in flavor- like it had a hint of dairy in it. it had a few large ice chips in it, but had a lovely flavor. it was just the right way to end the meal. the almond ice cream was maybe a bit better, though.
service was above average, but it was so loud in their and our main server was so quiet that since i was sitting farther away i had to keep asking what she said. the look of the place is also very modern- modern art based on ocean and sea things (fish, seagulls, etc.) and some very nice paintings. the crowd here is more hip than heston's, which was more business suit (then again it was lunch at dinner v. dinner at hix...).
oh, and with all the restaurants i booked in london and added my shellfish allergy as a note (river cafe and dinner by heston b. being the others), they brought up the shellfish allergy before i could mention it and told me which dishes i should avoid and which can be adapted to have no shellfish. i appreciate that.
27th- wagamama's, london, england (c-)
got this meal deal sort of thing where you got a starter of three chicken gyoza, chicken ramen or yaki soba (that had shrimp, so ramen it was) and a beer or juice for £13.50- basically the beverage is free. oddly, perhaps, i thought it the best part of the meal- it was a mixed fruit juice that looked and tasted like they did it there themselves. the gyoza were fine, the noodles in the ramen ok, but ramen lives and dies by its broth, which was kind of meh, even after adding chili oil. plus the servers seemed more interested in their coworkers than their customers. i don't get why many u.k. people love this place so much.
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