My favorite peanut butter making hippies made National Geographic recently (link potentially NWS depending on your work).

I heard about the EastWind community on MPR a few years back and made a connection to the peanut butter brand that I happen to buy. The National Geographic article in print even showed the “commie cloz” (shared clothing which includes underwear) in one of the photos. Unfortunately, that photo isn’t available on the web.

I really hope they are wearing clothes when they make the peanut butter.

Intentional communities fascinate me. I’ve always wondered what it would be like living in a place like that.

A while back my co-workers stumbled upon the web site, “Steve, Don’t Eat It!”, where a guy eat strange foods and then writes about them (it’s pure genius, btw). The first entry was about potted meat, something I had never heard of before reading his review.

Good news, I found some potted meat at the dollar store! Three cans for a dollar. I can’t wait to try it. I’ve never knowingly eaten mechanically seperated chicken before. Other highlights from the ingredients list included “partially defatted cooked pork fatty tissue” & “partially defatted cooked beef fatty tissue”. I take both of these to mean “stuff that isn’t fit for hot dogs.” I wonder what the ingredient list looked like before the marketing department cleaned it up?

I can’t seem to get enough roasted vegetables lately.

They are so easy to make. I just get whatever looks good at the farmers market, wash it, slice it, toss it lightly with olive oil & sea salt, bake it at 400° until it looks ready to eat. The veggies cook up sweet, soft and a tiny bit carmelized.

The co-worker who would prefer to be called my favorite co-worker and her husband went with my to a Thai Cooking class at Supatra in St. Paul. I had never been to Supatra as a patron before but the class piqued my interest because it began with a tour of the St. Paul Farmers Market.

When class began, Supatra Johnson took us all across the street to visit the market. She pointed out all the Asian vegatables and helped explain a little about how they might be used. It made me feel a lot more comfortable about buying some of the more exotic vegetables and herbs that are available in the farmers market. I also found out that my favorite herb, Thai basil, is very easy to find if you are just looking in the right place, i.e. not Byerly’s, Cub, Rainbow or Fresh & Natural.

Supatra then demonstrated how to make Thai Lettuce Wraps. They tasted great, but they were served with lettuce that was a poor choice for wrapping anything in. The poorly suited lettuce aside, the marinade for the meat & seafood and the tamarind dipping sauce were outstanding. The sauce seemed especially easy to make and had a lot of flavor. I wouldn’t mind serving this at home, but would get a lettuce that was easier to roll up.

My favorite dish by far was the Som Tum or Green Papaya Salad. It was very easy to make and the flavors were a great blend of hot, salty and sweet. I’ve had Som Tum before I think, perhaps as a garnish to a larger dish, but I never knew what it was. I’m going to get the supplies to make this dish A.S.A.P. If you ask me to bring a salad to your next event this is likely what I’ll bring.

It was a treat to not only learn some new cooking techniques but to have a great meal included. I enjoyed the class and I’ll be back to check out the restaurant.

I’ve had a couple of great lunches recently.

First up is Pop!. Pop is in an odd unassuming location in northeast Minneapolis. It has quite a nice menu with great fresh soups, super competent salads and interesting entrees. It’s not the fastest place for lunch but the food has been really good both times I’ve been there. It’s a really nice switch from the chain restaurants found in nearby Roseville. Maybe I like it best of all since it’s such an unexpected gem and it’s a nice place for a conversation — the great food is just a bonus. (I love the little coffee shop across the street too.)

POP! A Neighborhood Restaurant
2859 Johnson St. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418
612.788.0455

Next up, Cosetta’s Italian Market & Pizzeria located in downtown St. Paul a short walk from the Science Museum and not far from the Excel Energy Center. They have a really impressive selection of salads, pastas with a fabulous sauce, and pizzas. The prices are good and the deli style ordering ensures a quick service for the famished. It’s what casual dining should look like in my opinion. When you are done eating they have a great little specialty market where you can pick up some great deli items like specialty sausages or fresh mozzarella cheeses. I love their red sauces on the lasagna. If you haven’t been there do yourself a favor and go there next time you are near downtown St. Paul.

Cossetta's Italian Market & Pizzeria
211 7TH St W
St Paul, MN 55102-2520  View Map
(651) 222-3476

Last up, the hamburger chain Red Robin. When I went to D.C. this co-worker of mine (you know who you are) kept talking about her love of and desire for “greasy hamburgers”. When I got home I had to have one myself. So I thought, “Hey what about this new place I keep driving past, Red Robin? It seems like a nice place.” So I went there. The hamburger tasted fine, the service was really good, and the fries were very bland. Perhaps it was the portion size, I really don’t know, all I know for sure is that I thought about looking for the Syrup of Ipecac when I got home. I felt bloated and greasy and I dreamed of relief. I’m not saying don’t go there, I’m just saying it’s not high on my list of places to go. You might like it for all I know.

If you want a great burger I think Gordy’s Hi Hat is the best place to go.

I went to Stella’s Fish Cafe & Prestige Oyster Bar in Uptown last night. Stella’s had been suggested by my co-worker Brenda several times. (Perhaps I should say she suggested it once, then I asked her to remind me of the name three or four times.) The restaurant is very close to what I’ve wanted in the Twin Cities for some time, namely a somewhat casual seafood restaurant, with really great fish.

I had the small plate “Sesame-crusted Ahi Tuna with wasabi and ponzu sauce”, fresh bluepoint oysters, and the “Spinach salad with hot pancetta bacon dressing.” The tuna was perfectly done (meaning very rare) and the oysters were very fresh and extremely tasty. The salad was huge and was perfect for sharing. The dressing was a little sweet for my taste, but complimented the salad nicely. The best part of the salad was the slightly spicy croutons made from a corn bread.

This is the first time I’ve eaten raw oysters in the middle of the country. I’ve always felt a little squeamish about ordering them so far from the ocean. I still don’t think I’ll make a habit of ordering them in Minnesota, but these were absolutely delicious. Jeannie was brave and tried her first raw oyster. She downed it like a champ but is in no hurry to make it her next vice.

My wife and I also split the Hot Crab and Spinach dip. This was pretty good stuff and was plenty large for sharing.

I’ll be going back to Stella’s. There were lots of items I still wanted to try. We walked up to the deck on the fourth floor after dinner. It seemed like a great place to eat dinner. It was cool and breezy even on a warm evening and was high enough up that you didn’t hear much road noise. I’ll be eating on the roof next time.

P.S. They have valet parking, of parking in uptown is too challenging for your tastes.

I think Hell’s Kitchen is still my favorite place to eat breakfast in the Twin Cities.

They made me feel like a rock star today. The two people in front of me in line were told the wait was an hour. I told them who I was (a person with reservations) and they said “right this way.”

They even elevate something as simple as toast to an entirely different level.

I’ve been too busy to cook much lately. The last time I went to the library with the kids I picked up a book on baking. For no special reason I choose “The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking”, by Rick Curry.

The first recipe I tried was “Whole Wheat & Oatmeal” bread. It was pretty good. I think the bread was overly dense, perhaps because I didn’t let it rise far enough the second time. Even so, it was yummy and is the kind of bread that would make nice sandwiches.

It was really nice to do something pointless like making bread. I’ve been working a lot. When I’m not working I’m trying to do something else on my mental to-do list. Making bread was a treat to me because it really was an activity that was slightly creative, could be easily finished in one night, produced something other people could enjoy, and wasn’t terribly difficult. It’s a process that is slow and can’t be hurried, unlike the rest of my life.

I have made bread successfully before but only in a bread machine. Sometimes I would use the dough setting to make the dough to the point where it just needs to be punched down and shaped to go into the oven. I used to make great pizza dough this way until the pan got gunked up beyond repair.

I have tried to make bread from scratch before but I never go it to turn out. For some reason, I never could get dough to rise properly in the townhome we used to own.

I liked the author’s introduction to the book. The author felt that one could use the process of making bread to create an atmosphere to engage in the practice of Ignatian Examen. I agree, engaging in purposefully quiet thoughts about thankfulness is a good match for kneading bread dough.

The proceeds from Rick Curry’s book go to his project The National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped. There is also an online bakery where you can order his bread. The proceeds fund the theatre workshop as well.

Next time I’ll use a bread pan and let it rise a little more.

Last Wednesday I invited some co-workers from India out to dinner. I like to make sure they get to see more of the Twin Cities than just their hotel room and the restaurants in Roseville. After getting suggestions from other co-workers, I decided to take them to a restaurant I had never been to, Tanpopo.

The restaurant was easy to find in downtown St. Paul. It is located in a warehouse style space within sight of the St. Paul farmers market, off of 4th and Broadway.

The restaurant primarily serves Japanese noodles either Soba or Udon, Teishoku (which reminded me of a Bento style meal), and appetizers. There is a small but decent wine and beer list with a nice selection of Sake. Not that this matters to me since I don’t really care for Sake myself, but I digress.

For an appetizer we ordered the smoked salmon roll. It was ok, but nothing special. I probably wouldn’t order sushi again here. There was nothing wrong with it, but if I wanted sushi and I was in downtown St. Paul, I would head over to Sakura. I don’t need appetizers anyway as I’ll be saving more room for noodles when I go back to Tanpopo.

For an entree, I ordered the Wild Mushroom Udon noodles. It was, in my opinion, insanely good. The broth had a really good full bodied mushroom flavor. There were lots of mushrooms and fresh spinach floating in the broth surrounded by phenomenal noodles. The portions were enormous. Even though I loved the food and couldn’t get enough, I couldn’t come close to finishing my vat of noodles.

The prices were extremely reasonable, with most entrees being less than $10. It was so good, I would have been happy paying more.

There was one awkward bit to the meal. It was the first time I had eaten noodles in this style and I was initially stymied by having only a spoon and chopsticks. It was easy to grab a mushroom but getting a hank of noodles required some practice. I actually liked this part of the experience. It’s hard to be stiff and formal when awkwardly slurping slippery noodles from a chopstick.

The restaurants web site show that their mission is “… to bring Japan’s authentic home-style dishes, that are healthy and affordable, to the Twin Cities.” From my observation, they succeed brilliantly.

I loved it so much I took Jeannie (aka my lover) back there on Saturday. She didn’t like the noodles in the least and declared it flavorless. Must be that the subtle Japanese flavors just don’t work for everyone. Oh well, more noodles for me. Jeannie was a good sport about the experience. I had the same Wild Mushroom noodles, but with Soba noodles this time. I loved them, but think I love the Udon noodles a little bit more.

308 Prince Street #140
St. Paul, MN 55101
651-209-6527

Here are a few other links about Tanpopo Tanpopo:Dishing in the kitchen, Minnesota Women’s Press,
Tanpopo Noodle Shop , Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine and
Tanpopo Noodle Shop, CitySearch. (What the heck, Scott McGerik doesn’t have a review posted? Seriously, I’ve never eaten at a Twin Cities Japanese restaurant he hasn’t reviewed.)