Lynette interior
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE
Lots of hot restaurant news!
Lynette (3753 42nd Ave. S.) is open. This is the new restaurant, greatly anticipated, in the former Riverview Wine Bar space. Tender Lovin’ Chicks (2700 Lyndale Ave) is also open, the brick-and-mortar incarnation of a popular food truck.
Two breweries will become roommates: Finnegan’s, in Downtown East and Fulton in the North Loop. What this means, effectively, is that Finnegan’s is closing its taproom and moving production to Fulton’s (414 6th Ave. N.). They will remain independently owned and will collaborate on events. Fair State Co-op Brewing has successfully exited Chapter 11. It took them only six months of reorganization under Chapter 11 protections to get out from under over $5 million in debt. Cause for celebration indeed.
Kim’s in Uptown will be closed when you read this. Reports in the media have linked Kim’s closure with the unionization that had occurred just months ago.
A devastating fire prevented the opening of Khue’s Kitchen at (799 University Ave.) in St. Paul, and the future is uncertain at this time. Khue’s Kitchen was the planned new restaurant from Eric Pham, son of Khue Pham, who owns Quang on Eat Street.
General foods for foodies
What is a “farm stop” and why are they good for small farmers? asks Civil Eats. The farm stop is an emerging business model which connects consumers and farmers locally. A farm stop sells food on consignment from nearby small farms; farmers deliver freshly harvested produce to a retail shop with a full staff. The farmers set their own prices and keep the bulk of the revenue. This allows farmers the benefits of direct retail without the time investment, so they can spend their precious time producing.
In case you missed it, here is the recipe for Tim Walz’s award-winning Hot Dish : tinyurl.com/DKRatSSP-WalzHotDish.
A new way to freeze zucchini
Too much zucchini? You can freeze it, no need to blanch first. Rural Sprout (ruralsprout.com) suggests this method. Wash and grate the zucchini, drain in a fine-holed colander, and press into a one-cup measure to make a little “haystack.” Lay out the portions on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Freeze and then bag the portions.
Safe Catch is the most highly recommended canned tuna, and you can get it in stores around the Twin Cities. Everett’s, all the co-ops, Lund’s & Byerly’s, Kowalski’s, Oxendale, Fresh Thyme and Costco all carry the brand.
Molokhia is going viral in the US. This came to my attention through Chicago Eater (chicago.eater.com) in a piece called “Grief, Solidarity, and Molokhia.” As I looked into it, it was more available than I thought, especially as a raw or dried ingredient to make your own dish.
Sometimes called jute mallow, it’s the national dish of Egypt, and popular throughout northern Africa, the Arab world and the Levant. Online recipes abound. I discovered through the Strib (https://archive.ph/WH6vn) that it’s growing in University of Minnesota research fields and starting to penetrate local gardens through their seed-sharing. And from the Guardian.com, of all places, I found there is a farming cooperative called the Sudanese Farming Group, producing it in New Hope. Several African and Middle Eastern restaurants also serve the beloved vegetable.
Late July mini-reviews
Yum! Kitchen and Bakery (164 Snelling Ave. N.) near Selby in St. Paul was the site of a brunch during my family’s reunion here in late July. We Keefers are mostly hardcore foodies, and not one of us was disappointed. I had challah toast and one egg.
Asia Mall Pho Mai Tofu Stirfry with Rice
A few days later we all made a caravan trip to Asia Mall (12160 Technology Dr., Eden Prairie), specifically to check out a Chinese bakery that’s named the same as, but not for, our family: Keefer Court. I was getting peckish for lunch, so I stopped off at Pho Mai and grabbed a tofu stir fry to go. It was affordable, delicious and I actually ended up getting three meals out of it, it was such a large portion.
On the last night of our reunion we all went to Malcolm Yards (501 30th Ave. SE). It was my first time there. I chose Abang Yoli as my food vendor and had chicken satay. Loved it.
Okonomiyaki at Hard Times Cafe
Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge mini-reviews
So far (as I write this there is still a week of August left) I have only managed to sample two Vegan Chef Challenge dishes. The first one was the Howe’s Vegan Salmon Bowl. The “salmon” is made by cleverly slicing most of the way through medium firm tofu to make “flakes” as in cooked salmon, and then marinating it for both flavor and color, before dredging it in cornstarch and pan-frying it briefly. This is presented in a composed bowl of coconut rice with roasted and raw veggies. I loved it, my companion less so. We
Vegan Chef Challenge: Howe’s Vegan Salmon Bowl
both thought the marinade/coating, which had a slightly BBQ taste, somewhat overwhelmed it.
Hard Times Cafe’s okonomiyaki was our second meal of TCVCC (same companion). This was also slightly let down by too much sauce in my opinion but still very worth it. I may go back and ask for sauce on the side.
