My friend Josh is well traveled, and though not fanatical about the latest dining trends, he will travel (within reason) for food. He hails from Switzerland, London, Singapore and, most recently, Chicago. What better way to explore his surrounds than by visiting another Midwestern neighbor?
His visit may have been short, but I had planned several stops to showcase what the Twin Cities has to offer. While there are plenty of worthy destinations across the metro area, we focused on the area I knew best — home.
Day 1: A late start
His short flight is expectedly delayed. No matter: I had already built in a buffer. Where to go for a late-night meal, not far from where I live?
Spoon and Stable was an obvious choice, though I had been there recently. And I wanted to walk Josh through more of the North Loop neighborhood. At 9:30 p.m., there's something deeply comforting about Old Faithful — Isaac Becker and Nancy St. Pierre's Bar La Grassa. Finding a fault with the food at this clubby restaurant is as rare as finding trouble with a Toyota Corolla. When the same dish is executed and honed every evening for nearly two decades, you would expect nothing less.
The ziti with shrimp and rich vin santo cream ($28) will silence any restless gourmand, as would my other go-to order — the branzino ($45), which tonight was unapologetically oily, fleshy and sweet. This is all tempered by a jungle's worth of dill, and a liberal squeeze of grilled lemon. We had terrific Brussels sprouts draped with paper-thin lardo ($14) to match and gave in to a Friday special — bruschetta ($14) slathered with creamy carrot purée and a heap of pork shoulder, which was supremely fatty in parts while crackling and dark at the edges.
When food is this good, you can build appetite for dessert. And if not, I wasn't going to let the evening slide easily. So, we walk over to Becker's Snack Bar and get the crème brûlée doughnuts ($10) to go. You must eat them quickly, because there's no better feeling than something warm and fluffy under that glossy, brittle crust, juxtaposed against cold, vanilla-rich cream. I propose a second dessert, the Honey & Cream Cake ($15), at Spoon and Stable, as we've technically just had one to share.
But Josh is already in stupor. Should we spice things up and head to Cuzzy's? As far as dive bars are concerned, this one more than fits the bill with the damp, raucous, tavern-like atmosphere. Also a no vote. We call it a night.
Day 2: A marathon awaits
The next morning, we set off for Victor's 1959 Café for inspired Cuban fare, well intentioned graffiti and the homeyness of it all. "This is late breakfast," I warn, after a short 15-minute wait around 11 a.m. Which was ironic, because I took charge of the ordering: a Bistec Criollo ($18.25), a showcase for those juicy nubs of steak sautéed with green peppers and onions; the excellent Cuban bread as our optional side; and the frisbee-sized corn pancake ($7.25), which uniquely nails the sweet-salty diaspora. I attempt to slip in an order of the wild rice porridge, another favorite, but Josh reminds me of what I had reminded him before.
