Fresh Tart

John and I snuck out for dinner last night at Turtle Bread's long-awaited venture, Trattoria Tosca.  I didn't have false hopes - I knew that this wasn't going to hit the ground running as a (Restaurant) Levain experience - but based on a quick read through Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl's blogpost (she hasn't done a full review yet), I was jazzed.  And not disappointed!  The space is simple, the tables outside have a lot of action (like the Turtle Bread tables next door), and I settled in happily to peruse the menu. (Honestly, I'd perused the menu plenty online, which I always do if it's available, so that I can map out healthy-tasty choices ahead of time and not get side-tracked by some totally sick-sounding pasta.)  John arrived, we sipped a glass of wine, and then dove into the serious business of ordering our meal.

We both eyed the asparagus soup - he ordered it as a first course, I as a second.  It was sublime - silky smooth asaparagus-ness beautifully contrasted with tiny cubes of chewy, salty, porky pancetta, paper-thin slices of French radish, and a generous drizzle of olive oil.  I started with the Riverbend Farms Salad, chock full of lovely things like asparagus, shell peas, green beans, radishes, arugula, ramps, olive puree, and toasted breadcrumbs.  Spring on a plate, truly delicious.  Alongside my soup I had planned to nosh a small side of local mushrooms (I LOVE restaurants that offer small vegetable sides - they're often what I order for dinner, so good), but I was so full of salad and soup that I brought them home with me (they're now quite gone).  John's second course was the pasta Dara wrote about, which as she points out doesn't jump off the page as described, but does jump off the taste buds, wow:

From 'Dear Dara,' May 29, 2009 -

Chef Adam Vickerman starts with handmade pasta— a particularly thick and toothsome version made with lots of egg yolk—then cloaks it in a sauce that is not going to sound delicious, but was phenomenal. It’s a variation on vitello tonnato, and involves making an emulsification of tuna, anchovies, egg yolk, Italian Pinot Grigio vinegar, canola oil, and olive oil, all of which tastes like nothing so much as the Carbonara sauce of your dreams. It’s creamy, it’s lush, it’s so rich that it may as well be custard. How can a fish and anchovy sauce taste that good? I don’t know, but I had four adults at a table ready to stab each other with forks to get the last bite. Granted, my table was one of only a handful seated in the restaurant, but if Vickerman can cook like this consistently, Tosca is going to be one of the most important new restaurants of the year.

Needless to say, it was fantastic.

Tonight, I dined alone, an opportunity I embrace as a chance to eat what no one else 'round these parts gets very excited about.  My choice was halibut, which I brushed with a miso glaze and grilled (alongside miso-glazed zucchini) and holy buckets was it tasty.  I was inspired by one of my fave local fish dishes - the miso-glazed sea bass at Lurcat.  This was my first run with miso glaze here at home and not only is it ridiculously easy (miso paste, water, brown sugar, done), it's glorious.  Sticky-salty-sweet-savory and just oh so good.  Nice 10-minute dinner.  Recipe here.

Well, it was all downhill from there... I lost last week to a nasty cold and cough, but I'm back in fighting form this week. Whew. Despite feeling under the weather I enjoyed a couple of good meals, at week's end, starting on Friday night with Debbie and Stu The Wine Genius Williams and Rudy Maxa and Ana Scofield. Debbie set us up at Tim McKee's (La Belle Vie, Solera) new venture, Barrio, a tequila bar serving delicious Latin American (emphasis on Mexican) tapas. And delicious tequila! Hey, without a doubt Barrio is loud and crowded, more bar than restaurant (per the name), but it was a blast to scope out something new and as you might have gleaned from past posts, I am a sucker for south-of-the-border fare, BIG time. I scarfed down two crispy-spicy potato-chorizo tacos, shrimps grilled on skewers of sugar cane, and tasted scallop ceviche, guacamole, tequila-cured salmon (seriously good), and tender crab empanadas. Everything was delicious.

In typical fashion, I paid very little attention to where we were going ahead of time (Team Napa is always fun!) and had already planned and shopped for Saturday's dinner to celebrate my stepmom Susanna being in town. My menu? Uh, Latin American tapas. Well, not exactly, but pretty close. So for the second night in a row we dug into guacamole, spicy shrimps, carnitas rolled in corn tortillas with pickled onions, spicy pinto beans,rice, and grilled green peppers and onions. I even put together a cold, creamy tres leches cake, dangerously good.

After being couped up in the house all last week, I'm chomping at the bit - fresh fall air, here I come. After pretty heavy fare over the weekend, I'm feeling weighed down - sauteed halibut with aromatic vegetables, here I come.

Happy Birthday David! Happy Birthday Jen! And oh, Happy Anniversary John and Stephanie!

Moderate it: give it away. I've said it before, and it is a good trick - when leftovers loom large, offer takeaways for your guests. And at the tapas bar? Order lightly, since in my experience the table orders significantly more food at tapas-style restaurants than entrees at a traditional restaurant. Little bites of this and that, usually pretty rich fare, add up FAST. And oh, if the restaurant doesn't have valet parking - and Barrio does not - wear much more comfortable shoes than I did... blisters, baby, ouch.

Heck if I'm not seeing green out my window, lalalaaa! Even if it snows again, that green isn't going away until like, October, baby. Yes, we Minnesotans have officially stepped out of our dreadful black-n-white photo-prison into the alternate world we call Not Winter, like Alice Through the Friggin' Looking Glass... Man, is it good.

As was the Halibut with Fingerlings, Fava Beans, Meyer Lemon, and Savory Creme Fraiche I made for dinner last night. I've been just itching to try this pretty recipe, from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin (killer cookbook, seriously), and a visit from our friend Niko provided the perfect reason to give 'er a scratch. The slightly overwrought name makes the dish sound complicated, but the steps are easy and can be completed ahead of time, so the actual plating is a breeze. I used small red new potatoes (no fingerlings at Whole Foods, where I knew I could find favas, easy enough trade) and fresh sorrel instead of savory (again, an easy and tasty substitution). The end result was tender halibut, delicious over crushed potatoes and fava beans, made zesty-creamy-glorious with spoonfuls of lemon-parsley sauce and rich creme fraiche. Lovely combo. Mmmm. Hmmm. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Niko crept out at the crack of dawn (not in shame, merely for a very early flight back home to his family), so John and I were off on our own today. Errands...followed by an utterly romantic window-table brunch at La La Lucia's! Popovers and roasted potatoes and a fried egg sandwich - open faced, with bacon, tomato (real, ripe tomato, in May, how does she do it?),arugula, aioli, and but of course - a fried egg. Any take on the Spanglish sandwich is just...scrumptious with me.

Tomorrow, stay tuned, dinner for the fam and if I do say so myself, I'm on a bit of a roll lately and I have big plans. BIG plans. Well, not caviar or lobster big, but beef tenderloin big, and that's something. You know I'm done with neither favas nor morels (although John wishes I were, I can tell; he kindly feigns enthusiasm which I do appreciate).

Welcome Not Winter!

Moderate it: OK, there are healthier ways to eat fish than with buttery potatoes and creme fraiche (I considered this a special occasion). To lighten the dish without stripping it bare, serve the potatoes without butter, grill the fish (instead of sauteeing it), and let the creme fraiche (you only need a small dollop) pull it all together. Still delicious!

I declare tonight Fish Night. It's been awhile, and with a bikini calling my name starting Sunday (I'm so outta here, to Mexico with my long-time, KK-friend Michelle - thank you Michwheat, thank you Caribbean!), I'm definitely thinking dinner on the uh, lighter side. I tried on a pile o' summer clothes to figure out what on Earth I'm going to pack, and well, it was the annual Post-Winter Bummer. Let's just say that afterward I hit the self-tanner pretty hard, and rushed out for a pedicure, both of which helped a bit. And of course, I keep in mind that 'tis the season; I mean, it's more than a bit shocking for any of us Minnesotans to go from wearing turtlenecks and sweaters and thick socks and jeans and boots and hats and scarves and gloves to...(gasp) almost nothing! Which is what a tank and skirt feel like right about now! I know that by the end of the trip, I'll be sporting a pareo and flip-flops like it's no big damn deal. (Just in time to come back to turtlenecks and sweaters and thick socks...sigh...) Not to mention, I'll be hitting the poolside tortilla chips, guaaaaahcamole, and beer (one of my uber-favorite, vaca-indulgence combos) without much prompting. Ole, baby! So until then, I'll just close my eyes, strip down (sort of), and dive in... (Eeeek!)

Of course it helps that Spring Break these days is a mellow, relaxing, luxurious affair. You know, clean, comfortable, healthy. Basically nothing in common with my first Spring Break vaca, Daytona 1987. First of all, no tanning beds before I leave (oh how I wish I had never done that)! Cami Sue, where are you? (Just kidding, I know where you are, mourning the loss of Brent Favre, sorry man...) But Jenny, Elizabeth, and Sigma Chis, where are you? (Yes, that is me with the uber-tacky blonde hair, what can I say - it was the '80s and I loved it that horrific, ridiculous way.) Hopefully wearing more sunblock (as in some?) and drinking a lot less beer (Budweiser sponsored our trip, ew), than on that raunchy trip. I've never been that sickeningly tan, or lived off worse food (Burger King and donuts, yuck), or slept in closer quarters (three-to-a-bed, yuck again) in my life. (I'd bet the smell of Panama Jack tanning oil would take me right back, or something...) If nothing else, it was mos def a Very Memorable Experience!

Soooo, anyhoo, back to Fish Night (got a little off-track there, reminiscing again, sorry). A take on the roasted halibut with aromatic broth I posted a while back. Cod tonight (looked fresher than the halibut), plus I'm adding artichoke and capers to the broth since, well, they sound good to me. I picked up a nice-looking, whole-grain baguette at Whole Foods, and that should do us. Hey, no matter what, it sure beats Burger King, donuts, and beer...

I'm a big fan of food cooked in foil packets. As you know, packets of veggies and/or potatoes, on the grill, were a big fav this summer. Tonight I slow-baked halibut, with olive oil, lemon, scallions, garlic, tomatoes, and a little sprinkle each of salt, cumin, and curry powder. Wrap, wrap, wrap (two sheets of foil, seal the edges), bake a one-pound filet at 300 degrees for about 35 minutes, voila. Butter tender, fragrant, and juicy, delicious with rice or crusty bread, although tonight I made a tabbouleh salad because I had a hankering for it (the only reason I really ever need). Good stuff.

John and I achieved another lovely date night last night - this time dinner at Mission American followed by a drive around the University of Minnesota and the Riverfront District (the dinner + drive combo is our fav). Mission sits in the old Aquavit space (sniff, loved Aquavit) in IDS Center. Playfully chic interior, pretty good scene for a Tuesday night, Doug Flicker from Auriga (sniff, loved Auriga) in the kitchen, and delicious food on our table, including a perfectly cooked piece of halibut. It's not easy to attain halibut perfection (I've decided that I've been preparing it without nearly enough fat, so I love to eat it in restaurants, blissfully unaware - don't tell me! - of how the chef achieves that fantastic crusty/creamy deliciousness of a well-prepared halibut filet). Also delicious -and deadly - were good ol' fashioned fried shrimps, in this case cornmeal-dusted rock shrimps. No question about the fat used to prepare those crispy little bombs, ha. Man I love 'em, smokin' hot and dipped in a genius double-dip combo of garlicky aioli + fiery red pepper sauce. Rarrr... We skipped dessert, jumped in the car, rolled down the windows, cranked the tunes, and had ourselves a gorgeous drive home, scoping out potential al fresco dining spots for our next date night...

I try to make fish or seafood at least once a week. Good to get those Omega 3s, plus the variety of choices offers delicious meals that are light on calories. The kids love shrimp...but not much else. Sigh. So if I've got a hankering for un-shrimp, I'll make it on a night when it's just John and me for dinner. Like tonight. I bought a lovely piece of halibut today, thinking I'd make a quick brothy soup. Something French-ish, with tarragon, and little cubes of potato, and a handful of peas. Which would have been great, but when I set out to actually prepare it I changed my mind and went for some lusty Italian heat, baby, to match today's weather. White wine, tomatoes, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, and lots of garlic. Ladled over a slice of crusty grilled bread - absolutely delicious, light yet filling, and on the table in 15 minutes. Good combo, huh? (Recipe posted in comments, below.)