Maido - Lima Peru

I know this is called “Eating Minneapolis” but we eat other places too. 

Things are looking up. Or at least Iam. 

The stage is set. 

Amuse-bouche. Clam with greens.

Traditional Peruvian ceviche. A splash of fried octopus and dried corn fills out this plate. 

Still the ceviche but I would be derilect if I failed to include a Pisco Sour in my Peruvian coverage. 

Cuy and a salad. That’s Guinea Pig. And it’s delicious. Sort of like a less gamy rabbit. 

50 hour braised short rib. In Minneapolis we have the “butter knife” steak, here they step it up a notch. When delivering it to the table the waiter removed our silverware and chopsticks, he then very seriously placed spoons next to our plates, looked at each of us, and reassured us that “a spoon is all you need”. He was right. 

Duck foie gras Nigiri. It’s as rich as it looks. And delicious. 

Desert was a chocolate mousse. We’re still not entirely sure if we were supposed to scrape the chocolate out of the bottom of the bottom of the pod. And then lick it. But we don’t regret it. 

Dinner and a Movie

Groaning board: 

• Lamb ribs - fried and roasted with salt
• Bacon popcorn - English bacon
• Caper, paprika, yogurt dressing
• Goast milk cheese
• Radishes
• Carrots 
• Kumquat 

Movie, does it really matter with a plate like this‽  

English Bacon on Toasted Bread

Butter toasted bread with English bacon, celery greens, sliced radishes, pepper, and pumpkin seeds.

Dutch Baby Breakfast

Killing breakfast with a Dutch baby topped with eggs and English bacon. The gravy on the right is a reduction of dry vermouth to deglaze the bacon bits from the pan and a further reduction of coffee for a “red eye” gravy.

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbls sugar 
• 2 tbls butter

Mix ingredients in blender until smooth.

Heat skillet in oven at 435 degrees. Melt butter in pan.

Before butter browns pour in batter and return to oven for 20 minutes.

Prepare toppings and serve immediately upon removal from oven.qa

Ramen in the city

Ramen Kazama is one of the gems of South Minneapolis. Tonkotsu and a Sapporo. The noodles are beautiful and the broth has a rich flavor with amazing pearls of fatty goodness floating.

Mysteries of the Freezer - Volume 2

As we continue to clear out old items in favor of new, and more importantly, labeled items we’re tasting our way through an adventurous past. In this installment we have what was believed to be a pasta sauce. The initial aroma as it thawed was promising and we started the water and pasta. As the “sauce” continued to warm it slowly became apparent that a key ingredient was sweet potatoes and that the mystery continued. In the end, we were presented with a braised short rib with sweet potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes. Not a typical pasta topping, but delicious nonetheless.

The Thanksgiving Recovery

After everyone left and the evening was cleaned up we put the carcass in the pot with Leeks, Carrots, Parsley, Garlic, Celery, and a Ham Hock. This morning we had the broth for a beautiful Ramen bowl. 

1. 1 packet instant ramen

2. 7 minute egg

3. Leftover Turkey

4. Yellow Bell Pepper

5. Radish

6. Garnish

Mysteries of the Freezer - Volume 1

Our freezer has become home to a variety of unmarked mysteries. Today we plopped one into the pan and slowly uncovered the joy of a braised ox tail. Rich in fat and beef flavor it's thickness was cut with a slaw of radish, broccoli stalk, and carrot with olive oil and lemon juice and blanched broccoli. It was all served over buttery rice with caramelized onions.