The Bachelor Farmer

I don’t get to travel much these days, but recently I was part of a business contingent that visited Minneapolis and one of our major clients. It is a yearly ritual that I got to be part of as Design Director for the first timer.

The client contacts – two whip-smart women in the HR department – and four guys (my company) were taken out to The Bachelor Farmer, a place they had not yet been to but for whom they had heard very good things. Whoever recommended them knew what they were talking about. I wish I snapped a few photos, but I was so wrapped up in the evening that it seemed almost silly to take a few and boast, “I’m going to blog about this.”

The atmosphere is casual and understated, with a bit of an IKEA flair to it (blonde wood, cottage-y patterns and colors, a little bit of industry in the lighting and table legs). The food is deceivingly simple and follows the current trend of being local, sustainable and reflective of the season and place.

The website says that they honor Minnesota’s Nordic heritage, but to me they were simply preparing comfort food, some of which had a Nordic flair. There was no strange fish dish that smelled of lye here, so don’t even get that in your head.

We were a raucous bunch of six when we shared a few plates of appetizers. A local farm had lost its entire season of crops to a series of unfortunate weather events, so the sugar snap pea appetizer was ordered – proceeds from the dish went straight to the farm’s recovery efforts. It was a salad of julienne sugar snap peas tossed with housemaid cheese, walnuts, cider vinaigrette and herbs from the restaurant’s own rooftop garden. Deliciously fresh, we could have easily sent another plate of this salad around the table instead of just the one. The vinaigrette was light and the overall taste effect was “green” and summery.

The Farmer offers a set of toasts to share as well. Four slices of local bread are toasted for each order, and enough topping to pass around. We ordered the duck liver pâté with orange confit, prune marmalade and pickled rhubarb. The overall effect to my not-so-refined palette conjured up a rich, gourmet hamburger flavor for some reason. There was a lot going on in that pâté and everyone at the table loved it.

The group also turned out to be fairly adventurous and ordered the beef tartare. While some of them hemmed and hawed about it, we all tried it and found it surprisingly light, fresh tasting and full of interesting texture and flavor. The tartare is raw beef, finely ground and served with a small egg atop (quail?), capers, cracked pepper, sea salt and other seasonings which I can’t remember – six in all. Our more experienced client prepared the dish for us by piling all of the seasoning on top of the egg and then pushing it all down into the beef. After mixing it all and passing the plate, even the squeamish tried it and were pleasantly surprised. The effect is hard to describe, as you aren’t supposed to eat raw beef on a regular basis, and maybe that is part of the appeal.

It should be noted that the drinks we had for the first round were great as well. I can’t recount what everyone had, but my bourbon with high-end vermouth and Campari was excellent. I also had a Swedish porter with my entree that paired very well and had a great looking label.

For an entree I ordered the grilled pork sausage with fingerling potato salad, roasted cauliflower and bacon-cider jus. The sausage was juicy and lighter than I expected, which was a good thing, as the au jus was very rich. Though it mentioned bacon, the flavor was not overwhelming or over-salty, which I enjoyed. The cold potato salad was a nice oily complement and the roasted cauliflower was great. They seemed to use baby florets or at least cut them into smaller chunks, so there was a more charred-surface-area to vegetable flesh ratio.

Overall, the meal was excellent, the staff very nice and helpful, and the decor and general atmosphere comfortable. There are some elements of fun as well, like the wine board – when a table orders a half bottle of wine, the rest of the wine goes up on the board as available by the glass. You never know what or when something will pop up, but they seem to go fast as the competition of getting a glass of something that could be truly wonderful eggs people on.

Thumbs up, Bachelor Farmer. I don’t travel to Minneapolis often, but I will come back if given the chance.

As a side note, the area around the hotel we were staying at (town of Edina) was nothing but strip malls and chain eateries. The sameness was intense and a little threatening. The Bachelor Farmer is located in downtown where things are a lot more authentic, so don’t worry. It is a real place that feels real, and that was another great thing about it, as the sameness of the day’s journey – from the indoor-mall quality of airports to the rental car place to finding the hotel amongst Starbucks and Super Targets – started to wear down our spirits.

Ebisu

Ebisu is a lovely little Japanese joint on the Providene/Cranston line, almost on Park Avenue. I visited once years ago with friends, and meant to take Beth ever since. Alas, I never did… until our wedding anniversary this year.

A small bar off the right seems to be for the regulars. Not a typical Sushi bar, but more of a sports bar feel. To the left is the ample dining room. The decor is simple and has that typical “Asian” flavor, whatever that may mean to you. The food, though, is not like most Japanese.

Shabu Shabu is the dish to order here, and it is served for two people. A steaming pot of dashi is brought to the table and rests on an electric or propane stove to keep just below boiling. There are many flavors of dashi available to complement to set of raw ingredients you get. Much like Korean BBQ where you cook your ingredients to your liking, you cook your food in the hot dashi by swishing it in the broth. The familiar swishing sound is where the dish gets its name – shabu-shabu roughly translates to “swish-swish”.

In addition to Shabu, they have a menu of traditional Japanese delights as well as more dishes that you don’t see often. A set of Roti is available, which is different types of vegetables and meats on skewers and grilled. They also had a Japanese curry, which seemed out of place, but which was fabulous.

The Order:

• Crunchy Brussel Sprouts appetizer
• Yasai Tempura (vegetable) appetizer
• Robata Roti (skewer) of mushroom wrapped in zuchini
• Shabu Shabu: surf and turf mixture with seafood dashi
• Katsu Curry with Chicken (Japanese curry with breaded chicken)

Crispy Brussel Sprouts

The brussel sprouts were a surprise hit. Salty, crispy, with a light soy sauce… they were the Cauliflower 65 of brussel sprouts. We’d got back just to get more of those!

The roti was a nice surprise as well. The one we got, mushrooms and thinly sliced zucchini, were much lighter in flavor and texture than the brussel sprouts. The sauce they came drizzled with was also very tasty and light.

Surf and Turf Shabu Shabu with udon noodles

The surf and turf mixture for the Shabu consisted of octopus, fish balls, salmon balls, white fish, salmon, and scallops for the surf,  and strips of thinly sliced beef for the turf. We got ours with thick udon noodles, but rice and other noodles types are available. Side sauces provided were Goma (sesame) or Ponzu, and while both were delicious, the sesame was a stand out.

The Shabu Shabu was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, even though a “glass half empty” person may whine that if they wanted to cook their own food, they’d have stayed home. I took the larger, thicker vegetables and put them in the dashi right away – the corn, the bok choy, the tofu and the zucchini. The other items cooked pretty fast, depending on your taste. The fish balls take a little longer to get hot in the middle than one might expect, but the thin slices of beef were perfect after only 20 seconds.  The salmon I preferred raw, and the white fish got a quick swish as well. The octopus is touch no matter how you cook it, and, well, its not my favorite anyway. Beth ate most of that. Drinking the broth with the wide spoons was encouraged, and after getting even more flavor from the items we were cooking in it, it was delicious.

Finally, the Japanese curry, another surprise dish. A big piece of chicken (other meats available) was breaded and fried and served amongst a thick and creamy curry sauce that was more like gravy. It was spicy, but not overly so. It was definitely thick and seemed like a dish that fisherman on the Japanese coast would eat during the cold and windy months – something that puts meat on your bones. While most of Japanese cuisine is light, in my mind, this dish was a stark comparison. We’ll keep it in mind for another round, I’m sure, but maybe when the weather gets colder.

Overall, quite a lovely experience. Great service, a great menu, and a unique selection that puts a twist on the classic Japanese sushi house. The Shabu Shabu hot pot experience is great for larger groups, too, and gives the option to share multiple dashi flavors with the table. Highly recommended.

Rasoi

This is a quick review, because I waited way too long to write it. I love Rasoi, and actually prefer it to other Indian places in the City. Other places are too Americanized (Not Just Spices might be my all time favorite, but really, it is quite different than Rasoi and India (in the best way possible) so it is almost in a class of its own).

We hadn’t had Rasoi in awhile, and wanted to use this opportunity to order something out of our comfort zone. We also wanted to make sure we’d have a fantastic dinner, so we had to order some of our favorites as well. Here’s what we got:

The Order:

• Cauliflower 65 appetizer
• Garlic Nan and an order of Paneer Nan
• Tandoori Chicken dinner with masala potatoes and lentils
• Bengali Seafood Stew with basmati rice and vegetable

(the total, under $50)

The lovely and tasty Cauliflower 65

First, the favorite… Cauliflower 65. If you haven’t had it, do yourself a favor and order it as soon as possible. Fried florets dipped in a breading of 65 spices – its not hot spicy, but instead full of flavor and fried goodness. It takes cauliflower and does to it what french frying does to potatoes. Its like they added bacon… Its hard to describe, its just really good. Get some.

Nan, for the uninitiated, is simply fluffy rounds of bread baked in a tandoori oven. Simple enough, and topped with a variety of savories.

Now, the rest of the order was outside of our comfort zone. I mean, not really, since I don’t think you can actually order something terrible at Rasoi. We usually get the mango curry or saag paneer, but this time, we wanted to try different dishes. In short, we were glad we did.

Bengali Stew and Tandoori Chicken

The Bengali Seafood Stew was great, with all sorts of seafood in a lovely, creamy sauce. The Tandoori chicken was fantastic, with a great bit of char on the outside of the chicken (bone in) but not so much to make it dry or overcooked. The pictures don’t do it much justice, but are the best I could.

In short, thumbs up for Rasoi. You can’t go wrong, and if you eat at the restaurant instead of ordering take out, its a lovely experience with great service and ambiance.

La Laiterie, Providence

For almost a year now, Beth and I have had a gift certificate – a wedding present – to La Laiterie. Many of our friends have been and love it, but for whatever reason we just haven’t gotten around to going. Nothing against the place of course… we both love things artisanal, and both love cheese and all things dairy. So Saturday, after a long week and a long day, we decided to treat ourselves courtesy of someone else. Thanks Rachel and Billy!

Now I don’t want to start things off on the wrong foot, but I do have to say… when we arrived, the greeter told us that they had seats at the bar, but it was a 45 minute wait for a table. On the website, they say reservations only for parties of six or more. We gladly sat at the bar, but could’t help but notice an empty table for two that remained empty until we received our second course. Hmmm…

The wife is pregnant, but I couldn’t help but try a cocktail on the menu, and luckily she is not interested in limiting my obsessions, so I ordered their Sazerac. She dabbled in bartending herself, and makes one hell of any number of drinks, and was the one who originally got me interested in this classic cocktail. Rye whiskey is accompanied by Peychaud’s bitters, a little sugar water or cube, and a hint of Absinthe substitute – in this case, Pernod. The cocktail originated in New Orleans, and is said to be one of – or the, depending who you ask – oldest mixed drinks. The bartender made a very nice, smooth version of the drink with Old Overholt rye, an inexpensive bottle (around $15) that lacks the acidic bite that most other cheap whiskies have. Served with a lemon twist, the drink was delicious and put me in the mood for some great food. I only wish the glass was chilled.

La Laiterie specializes in rich, rich food. I sort of knew this, but I was soon to find out how rich and decadent they can be. Luckily, we made the wonderful decision to order small plates instead of an entré. We were craving variety, and I took this chance to be adventurous in our selections.

Le Jardin salad

She started with the Le Jardin salad of young vegetables and fruits. Apple slices, watermelon radish (again, the wonderfully colorful radish makes an appearance), herbs and roasted pecans tossed in a light vinaigrette. Beth loved the lightness of it all, and the ingredients were fresh and flavorful.

Baby brussel sprouts with mini chips with beef tongue in the background

I started with a small plate of beef tongue and beer-braised onions atop a crusty slice of italian toast ($3). The onions were soft and sweet with a great caramelized finish, and the beef tongue was surprising. I never had it before, and didn’t know what to expect. What I got were thin slices, three or four, of the meat that must have been skillet fried. The meat puffed up, so it was light and had the aroma and texture of Canadian bacon. I concluded that this must be beef’s answer to bacon, and told myself if the opportunity presented itself again, to make sure to give it another try.

I also had a small oblong bowl of roasted baby brussel sprouts ($4) served with fingerling potato chips with a pepper aioli. The rich earthy flavor of the brussel sprout here was made milder by their baby size. The little chips were cute and had a nice texture and mouth feel. I’ve been a convert to brussel sprouts lately… they have a strong flavor, but they are one of the best roasted or pan fried vegetables I’ve had.

Cheesemonger's mac and cheese

Nothing prepared us for what would be our main courses, though, except maybe the aroma of cheese that wafted by whenever a server brought someone what Beth was going to have – their artisanal mac and cheese ($10). Oven-baked in a single serving casserole dish, the cheese perfection had a crusty top but a gooey center. Penne were coated in what I can only assume was four or five different kinds of cheese. Oh my god it was a comforting bowl of heaven – certainly worth indulging in again and again.

Chicken livers and onion rings with house bacon and pan jus

My dish was another adventurous one for me – their seared Vermont chicken livers in a bacon pan au jus served with onion rings ($11). Holy hell. Again, I was a chicken liver virgin. While the beef tongue was surprising light, due no doubt to its delicate preparation, the livers were heavy and came in a serving size that forgot what it meant to be a small plate. Easily a meal in itself, the livers were so good that I had to finish them all. You heard me, the livers were so good I could not stop eating them. I never thought I’d say that.

The onion rings were massive as well, and deliciously greasy and fried with a beer-battered crust. They didn’t slice an onion, they chopped half a large vidalia into three huge chunky rings, breaded them, and deep fried them to a nice golden brown. When dipped in the au jus they were just oozing flavor.

The consistency of the livers surprised me, much as the beef tongue did. Soft, yielding to the fork, but rich like a dense cut of beef. Maybe not all livers taste like this – I’ve heard that beef liver tastes minerally – but these actually tasted more like beef than anything that came from a chicken. A dense, meaty flavor, and cooked well enough that I didn’t notice any inconsistency in the texture or any rubberyness, either.

After all this rich, delectable food, you’d think we’d throw in the towel, but no, we plowed ahead and surveyed their dessert menu.  It’s a shame they don’t list it on their website, as there were many choices we didn’t make that are worth mentioning. What we got was – if I remember correctly – a banana hazelnut torte with home made chocolate ice cream. Divine.

My rating… thumbs way up. Such a delicious delight of a meal… small portions, well-thought out flavors and pairings, and most of all, an over-the-top decadent richness to everything we tried. We will definitely go back to try more.

Franklin Fountain, Philly, PA

Later on, the day after our brunch at Silver Diner, we pointed the good ole GPS to Philiadelphia, which we were embarrassed to learn was a mere five miles over a bridge from the hotel. We were embarrassed only because on our previous trip to Monster Mania, we neglected to stray too far from Cherry Hill (yes, there was a previous trip).

Adam Richman and Man Vs Food has led us to some pretty great places in the past, namely the HukilauCafe and Helena’s, both while we honeymooned in Hawaii. Given the opportunity to retrace more of his steps while on a little mini-vacation was something that we couldn’t pass up.

The interior of Franklin Fountain

My wife decided that she wanted ice cream and Franklin Fountain was going to hit the spot. Started by some Philly entrepreneurs, the ice cream shop is more like a shoppe, and they say on the website that it is more like 1911 than 2011. It’s true, too… we wondered about how original the place was, as it felt like they merely kept an old place going for the past hundred years. The tin ceilings, marble counters, apothecary-style oak cabinetry, ornate old-timey register and even the uniforms – all the details take you back in time. The flavors sort of do, too, with mostly classic no-frills flavors steeped in history, and even a few local favorites, like teaberry. Other sundries available for purchase, like the candy, postcards, bottled sodas and such enhance the old general store feel. Candy cigarettes! Bubble gum cigars! Licorice pipes! Fun small batch sodas with strange flavors and great-looking labels! Home made chocolates!

The ice cream menu is extensive, but not overwhelming, We opted for their specialty sundae, the Mount Vesuvius, a heap of vanilla bean ice cream, topped with warm chunks of home made brownies, home made hot fudge, home made whipped cream and sprinkled with malt powder. It was plenty for the two of us, as the ice cream isn’t your light and fluffy grocery store variety, but rather a thicker, rich and creamy variety with a smooth consistency. It actually tasted like milk and cream – imagine that! The hot fudge was thick and sticky, The brownie chunks were just plain awesome… fudgey, warm, and pleasantly square. The whipped cream was great, too, and I appreciated the malt powder as well. It added to the old-timey feel and kept everything from becoming too sweet. .

In short, next time we are anywhere near Philly, we will be back to the Fountain for another decadent ice cream selection, whether it be ice cream weather or not.

Valentine’s Day Dinner at Julian’s

Every year, my wife and I try to get out an take advantage of the prix-fixe Valentine’s dinners available in Providence. Years ago, it seemed like only a handful of places did them, and now quite a few more restaurants offer the option. In years past we did Nick’s (when they were in their tiny storefront), Lois Fuller’s, Pot Au Feu, and the Red Fez. Now it was time to try Julian’s.

Julian’s is a restaurant that has undergone many changes over the years. I remember going there mainly for Sunday breakfasts when the owner Julian was working in the kitchen. His collection of CDs from his side job as a DJ were displayed on the wall after his binders were looted and all he had left were the covers. Giant artwork was on the walls and ceilings, and the space was divided into two areas. The line was always out the door. But it was also the kind of place were Julian may just want to close down in the middle of a busy Sunday for whatever reason, and you left without question when that happened. The food was also hit or miss, with things that sounded great on paper but arrived and failed to impress.

A few years ago, Julian’s underwent an interior transformation and a general manager assumed control of the business. Julian still pops in from time to time, but he is no longer the head chef. As a result, the menu has broadened its variety, the staff has become friendlier, the food more consistent, and the overall atmosphere more professional. The menu can really take some chances sometimes, but more often than not, it DOES impress. The interior is darker and moodier in a great way, with cozy tables of four and a curving bar overlooking the main kitchen area.The place can still get crazy on a Sunday late morning, with tons of hipster kids baring tattoos and the latest facial hair trend, so we stick to the weekdays for the most part.

The menu for Valentine’s Day was a five course extravaganza. The reception – an amusé bouche – was a roasted baby artichoke heart stuffed with blood orange and smoked almonds, sprouting from a confit tomato gélee with rosemary balsamic syrup. Fancy, and almost too pretty to eat. I’m only an aspiring foodie, so I haven’t had much experience with “gélee”, but here it seemed to be a jello-type consistency with much more savory flavor. The contrasting textures were interesting, and in the end, I like the artichoke and almonds quite a bit more than the jelly.

I apologize for the quality of the images… it was dark and romantic in there, so I did my best with the light and the camera I had.

The salad course was a medley of four radishes – dakon, black, lime and watermelon – in lemongrass basil vinaigrette with wakeme-coconut brunoise. The flavors there were more subtle than the reception, with tangy and sweet overtones from the coconut and vinaigrette. The radishes were thinly sliced and raw, so they were crisp. Their coloring was beautiful, especially the watermelon ones, which looked like what you would expect them to look like. Overall, the dish was enjoyable and a little adventurous without being risky. The flavors were simple and light.

For the appetizers we had choice between seviche of Ahi tuna & escolar with mandarinquat, bird’s eye chile pepper, microcilantro, & sweet soy sauce. I had this one. It was really amazing. The seviche was perfect, although I am no expert. The tuna was chopped into small pieces that supported the citrus well. The two little tortilla chips that came with it gave a nice salty texture break.

My wife got the golden beet-spring garlic pakora with fennel-cashew chutney, oven-dried mango, & madras curry sauce. The mango was more like fruit leather, and was balanced between the two mounds of pakora and chutney. It was the opposite of my selection – mine was cool, crisp and citrusy while hers was warm, dark and more complex. In both cases, we were pleased with the pacing of the meal and the portions. We’re little people, and did not want to get too full before the main.

Next came an intermezzo of a Mexican chocolate truffle with pickled pear, a grapefuit-tarragon jelly chew with candied ginger, & edible flowers. It was indeed a nice sweet break before the main course. The presentation was cute, on small plates with colorful flowers. I always eat the flowers when they say they’re edible.

Finally, the main course. There were three selections, but we chose the Tofu dish and the rabbit leg. The menu described them thusly: Crispy seared tofu roulade stuffed with macintosh apple-butternut squash, with truffle salted parsnip, & mushroom thyme velouté.

Cumin-mustard dusted rabbit leg with portabello-yukon gold potato gratan, garlic grilled collard greens, & pinenut-olive pesto. Both were very rich and very decadent with a myriad of flavors. My wife’s impressed her, but the smokiness of the dish overwhelmed her palette, which has been more sensitive due to her pregnancy. It was too much for her to handle, but she had it boxed up. Mine was delicious, and my first foray into rabbit. The meat was a cross between pork and chicken. Smoky and slightly gamey with the consistency of chicken. The potatoes were a great base, while the greens were a bit hard to cut and manage. The pesto was another flavor all together, and while I am not a fan of olives, I enjoyed their saltiness against the garlic in the greens and the gaminess of the meat.

After a breath or two, we happily decide that we could go for dessert – that we were not too full for it. I’m glad we did. She got the vanilla-infused Meyer lemon tart with an oatmeal shortbread crust, chocolate lavender sorbet, and pomegranate molasses. I can attest that it was amazing. The tartness of the lemon against the creamy chocolate was just perfect, with the crunch of the crust. All around a perfect pairing and execution. I had the fig and chestnut chiffon cake with spiced mascarpone cream, warm walnut butter, and pure maple syrup drizzle. Much more subtle in flavors compared to the tart – it impressed as well, but on a different level. The fluffiness of the textures blended well together and the parts were not overly sweet – instead, they were in the middle of sweet and savory, which I tend to think things like figs and dates typically are.

All together, it was a wonderful meal. A touch of adventure here and there, with elements that neither of us have tried, flavor combinations that were unexpected, and a nice slow pace to the entire evening. We ended being there for about three hours, and since the menu was set with only a few selections to make, the experience really centered on the food and the anticipation of what was coming next.