Here’s a new feature of Chow & Again because I am sick and tired of arguing with people about it. I call it THE BODY COUNT. Why? Because in this business, all that really matters are how many customers you have in your restaurant, how many people are eating dinner right now. So every Wednesday, I’ll tell you how many fannies were in the seats at a trio of local eateries at a specific time in the evening. We are ISO 9000 certified, and our number counters have been rated top five in their field for three years in a row by the prestigious J. D. Power and Associates. Additionally, the internationally renowned accounting firm of Engulf & Devour guarantees that the numbers reflected here are fair and accurate.

Cue: 36

Spoonriver: 42

Manny’s: 275

Now, stop editorializing in your head. We all know that there are plenty of reasons for people either being in or not being in a given restaurant on a given night at a given time. I call it rationalizing. And we are not judging anyone here . . . but theater curtain times, restaurant size, percentage of capacity, location, convention business, popularity, food quality, service standards, ambience . . . who was on dessert, who had just arrived, who was yet to come, who had already left . . . WHO CARES!?!?!??!! The stark reality of the vagaries of the business are best kept to the simplest of stats. Draw your own conclusions, and we’ll talk next Thursday after another troika of local establishments are peeked in on.

Good news for farmers' markets. Growth is big business. 

And locally, the Mill City Farmers Market continues to impress. Last weekend, there were featured-chef demos from real chefs, killer donuts from Pastry Goddess Carrie Summer (check out her myspace page for more info, all set to some pretty good tunes), almost no vegetables (hey it was May for garsh sakes), and still they had a good crowd standing in the cool weather. Rumblings indicate that they will try to broaden their hours into Thursday evenings as well. The voices behind the market are doing a good job of spreading the word as to what makes their market different and why you should head there instead of somewhere else, something that other markets would do well to emulate. Why do I not see huge waves of info coming from the St. Paul Farmers' Market or the Minneapolis Farmers Market telling me each week what is coming in, why I should go there, who their best vendors are, etc.??? They have plenty of points of difference, but they don’t do a good job of disseminating that info to evangelists and advocates.

Shepherd's Way traditional ricotta, made with sheep milk whey, is available this Saturday morning at the Mill City Market and at the farm itself from 9 a.m. to noon. Steven Read only makes a small quantity, so you won't find it in the stores. This ricotta has won top honors at the American Cheese Society gatherings, is beyond delicious, and is one of the only traditional sheep-milk–whey ricottas available in the United States.

Websites of the day: My wife and I are doing online stationary-ordering. Anyone on a budget should check out Hello Ink, and anyone with the dough to burn should go to Mr. Boddington's Studio or Luxe Paperie. The Hello Ink people are local, always a plus. GoCityKids is a new fave site as well, providing instant access to information about what to do with the kids RIGHT NOW, every day of the week. I think I may be the last person on earth to know about this.

Need any barely used restaurant equipment for your home kitchen? Check out the Five Restaurant & Street Lounge fire sale. There is some really great stuff available, if you are interested in that sort of thing.

Last Monday, the Wolfgang Puck CuisineArt event was held at the Walker. Check out the pix below, and watch the mspmag.com video here. Best thing I ate all night was the Loup de Mer en Croute with Sauce Choron. Old-school is back, baby. Mark my words, Veal Prince Orlav is coming to a menu near you real soon.

Last week, one of the most talented and nicest people I have ever met in the food biz got some major-league props. The Bread Bakers Guild of America announced the three winners in the competition for a spot on Bread Bakers Guild Team USA 2008. Team members were selected during the national finals held last week in San Francisco. The three-person team will spend the next year preparing for the prestigious Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (World Cup of Baking) to be held in Paris March 30–April 1, 2008. Bread Bakers Guild Team USA 2008 will defend the World Cup title won by the 2005 team.

Members of Bread Bakers Guild Team USA 2008 and the categories they represent are:

– Solveig Tofte (Baguette & Specialty Breads), head baker at Turtle
     Bread Company in Minneapolis, MN
– Dara Reimers (Artistic Design), an accountant and aspiring bakery
     owner from Auburn, ME
– Peter Yuen (Viennoiserie), owner of La Patisserie P in Chicago, IL

For years, Solveig has been responsible for turning out some of the best breads in the country, and she deserves all the attention that this amazing honor brings. Now here's a great idea: How about a "Springtime in Paris" trip that includes an afternoon stop at the contest to root on the team? Not a bad excuse to hit the City of Lights, now is it? (Incidentally, you can find Solveig's delicious home recipe for domino cookies in the mspmag.com recipe database.)

Every year we spoil ourselves around the office by ordering a few hundred dollars worth of goodies from Hometown Favorites, a website devoted to candies and other treats from bygone eras, like the sixties! I get my Chuckles and Cherry Mash there, but they recently added a GROCERY STORE to the site, so now displaced expats living in another decade (like me) can find their Drake's Cakes and eat them too. This is seriously the coolest thing I have seen in a long time. Check it out.

Food & Wine magazine has launched a new community website to seek out the best places to eat and drink around the country. They're asking people to nominate their favorite small city as a rising food town. This month Burlington, Portland, and Providence were chosen in the Northeast, but there will be fifteen cities featured in total, and they want John Q. Public to choose the last stop. Any thoughts?

I can eat seven or so . . . how about you? The world's most famous hot dog eating contest, sponsored by Nathan's Famous, will be held at noon on June 16 at Mall of America for the second year in a row. The winner receives the coveted Nathan's Mall of America Championship Belt and an all-expense-paid trip to New York to compete against the finest eaters in the world, all hoping to dethrone Takeru Kobayashi, the six-time champion. Nathan's and Build-A-Bear Workshop have partnered to sell official Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest tee shirts for Build-A-Bear Workshop's stuffed animals for only three dollars, and the proceeds from the sale of each tiny tee shirt will be donated to Autism Speaks (with each purchase, you will also receive a free $5 gift card good toward any purchase at Build-A-Bear Workshop).

Enjoy the photos!

Vietnamese street foods are legendary, and rightfully so. These days, especially in the newly burgeoning restaurant scene in Hanoi, small little beef rolls wrapped in lot leaves have found their way onto menus everywhere, especially in fancy restaurants. Even chefs like Didier Corlou and Bobby Chinn serve versions of this dish in their restaurants on occasion. I started playing around with recipes when I was in Hanoi last week, and I found these pork and shrimp versions to be a big hit.

Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Rolls with Nuoc Cham
36 grape leaves . . . the jarred ones in the grocery store are fine
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp
2 T. fresh lemongrass, chopped
2 T. chopped Thai basil
2 T. chopped cilantro leaves
2 t. brown sugar
2 T. tomato paste
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. minced ginger
2 T. oyster sauce
2 heads butter lettuce (Boston or Bibb)
2 T. crushed toasted peanuts
Mint sprigs

Combine the shrimp, lemongrass, basil, cilantro, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a food processor and pulse to combine. Grind to a chunky paste.

In a large work bowl, combine this mixture with the pork, oyster sauce, tomato paste, a few pinches of salt, and ground white pepper.

Working one at a time, roll a hefty tablespoon of filling into each grape leaf, from the stem-end working up to the point, burrito-style, folding in the ends. Snip the stems off the leaves if there are any before you begin. Grill rolls for 4–5 minutes over medium direct heat until firm and just cooked through.

Serve with the Nuoc Cham sauce, garnished with some crushed toasted peanuts, mint sprigs, and butter lettuce leaves for wrapping the rolls in. Makes 36 bite-sized rolls

Nuoc Cham
1/2 c. fish sauce
3 T. sugar (or more to taste)
2 T. lime juice
1 fresh Thai chile, minced
1 t. grated ginger
2 t. grated carrot
2 T. minced shallot

Combine and serve.

One of the best modern tavern-style eateries in town, The Sample Room is looking for a new chef. Michael Mackay is leaving, and ownership told me he is “moving in another direction.” I love that phrase. But MM has been the chef there since day one, which is what, about five or six years now?

Two ways to look at this, both of them true. First, it’s a great opportunity for someone who has never had their own kitchen before, and from a size and expectation standpoint, it’s a good first job for some talented kid, many of whom take on too big a kitchen the first time out of the gate. Second, it’s great for the restaurant to grow a bit and great for MM, a great guy and a good cook. If he sticks to cooking in this city, we can see what else he is capable of. I guess technically that is three things.

You know you’ve made a dent when you are an obscure subreference in a Boston Globe review of a new Chinese restaurant. This made my day.

The French Culinary Institute is auctioning off dates with chefs for its scholarship program. I love this idea—someone here should do it. Sliders on University Avenue with Alex Roberts???

The food writer’s role is changing. Check out this piece we found online, and pay attention to the writer on fish farming who is quoted in the article: "For a professional journalist in a world of cloudy and subjective perceptions,” he writes at one point, “finding truth has become almost impossible.” And I think that this is scarily true.

Additives to food aren’t just a problem for your family pet. They harm the consumer as well, and this NYT article about factories that produce diacetyl (used on microwave popcorn, for instance) and the employees that died there has kept me up at nights.

Joan Steffend fans who want to be on The New Decorating Cents on HGTV have me to thank if they make it on the show. Joan and her production company are looking for singles, couples, and families with young children who are NOT camera shy, who are currently living in Minneapolis/St. Paul houses, town homes, condos, apartments, and lofts. There is no cost to be on the show. Joan and her team will transform your room with a $500 budget if you are chosen to participate. Fun, right?!?!?!?! Anyone interested needs only to send an e-mail. Check out this link to see before and after photos of their work.

Felicity Huffman is the greatest sport. She even enjoys getting chased by Korean hagfish on national TV, and I am deeply indebted to her for allowing me to have a little fun at her expense on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. For those that missed it, we're watching should it pop up online somewhere, but let’s just say that some of the critters left the friendly confines of their tank and went after her during my segment.

Dolores O’Reardon, the lead singer from the Cranberries, has a great new solo album out. She was the musical guest, and she warmed up playing three songs in the rehearsal and three more in the dressing room before the show. I got to sit a few feet away, and to say I was impressed would be an understatement. She has a voice like an angel, and her band is killer.

Sushi Katsuya in Studio City in LA is an amazing find: half the price of any super sushi spots, and the food is as good as you will find anywhere, just with fewer frills. Why can’t a sushi bar that serves something other than dynamite rolls and the same twelve types of fish make it here in the Twin Cities? Aren’t I supposed to know the answer to that question?

Speaking of which, Nick Tosches’s sushi article in the new issue of Vanity Fair is the best piece of food writing I have seen in a non–food-related magazine in 2007. Not even close.

Social lending websites like zopa.com and kiva.org are all the rage. Essentially, you get to fund a new business over the internet, or you can raise money that way if you have a great idea. Want to own a restaurant in Belgium, Bulgaria, or Borneo? Here is your chance.

As the best salmon of the year starts flooding into our market, look into cooking different types of salmon in different ways.

Larger, fattier filets from bigger Yukon and Copper River salmon can be portioned and grilled, and smaller filets can be kept whole, trimmed, and then cured—a process that is sure to thrill the bagel and bialy lover in all of you. Once you have a cured piece of salmon in your house, it can be sliced and served in the morning with scrambled eggs and crème fraîche, as a sandwich stalwart, in a salad, as part of a warm-weather "cold" dinner, or out on a buffet for friends to nosh on.

Gravlax . . . Juniper-and Dill–Cured Salmon
3-1/2 lb. side of fresh salmon . . . Get the freshest product you can find.
   Have pin bones removed and trim off the last 3 in. of the tail and about
   1 in. of the belly piece to create a uniformly thick 3 lb. filet.
10 T. sea salt
7 T. brown sugar
1 T. crushed juniper
Zest of 1 lemon
1 crushed, dried red chile
1 T. crushed coriander seed
1/4 c. minced, fresh shallot
2/3 c. minced, fresh dill
1/2 c. minced, fresh parsley
2 oz. gin

Combine all the ingredients except the salmon and set aside.

Lay the salmon skin-down in a nonreactive pan and cover with the herb paste, patting it on evenly over the entire length of the fish. Wrap the pan with plastic wrap and place on a level shelf in the fridge for 48 hours.

Remove salmon from the pan, discard any liquids that have accumulated, gently wipe the paste from the fish with a damp rag, and discard the paste. Wrap salmon in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours to “rest."

Unwrap fish and slice on a 45-degree angle in thin slices, then serve with herbed crème fraîche, lemon wedges, and buttered toast.

Lots to get through here today . . . .

Los Angeles–based globetrotting gastropreneur Wolfgang Puck is in town on Monday teaching a private, hands-on participation cooking class at the Walker Art Center followed by a private dinner cooked by the master himself. Last year, this event was responsible for providing its guests with loads of star power—both local and the LA type—a great class, and one of the best meals I had all year in any city. There are a limited number of seats available, and you can find ticket information on the Walker’s website.

Anyone interested can tune into the Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight at 10:30 p.m. CST to watch me feed Felicity Huffman and Jay Leno all the haggis they can handle.

Speaking of Bizarre Foods, season one resumes on July 9 with six brand new episodes, beginning with our Alaska show, which was phenomenal to shoot and promises to be even more fun to watch.  The trip was previewed on these pages last February with some spectacular photos of our trip.

My pal Bret Bannon is leading a very exclusive and private food tour in Provence this coming fall that anyone who loves food and travel should consider checking out. Julia Child’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, kitchen sits in the Smithsonian Museum of American History, making La Pitchoune the only place where you can cook in the kitchen once owned by the culinary legend. According to Bret:

Cook in the footsteps of the incomparable Julia Child during a culinary tour to her former home, La Pitchoune, in Provence, where she lived when she wrote her first book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. La Pitchoune is a classic Provençal-style farmhouse sitting amongst olive trees, cypress trees, and vineyards, overlooking Grasse and the Côte d'Azur.

Guests will participate in daily cooking classes, most taught right in Julia’s former kitchen, led by the current proprietor, Kathie Alex, with one class being taught by a two-star Michelin chef.  One morning will be spent touring one of the nearby outdoor markets and local food shops before a behind-the-scenes tour of Le Mas Candille, a two-star Michelin restaurant with Chef Serge Gouloumès, followed by aperitifs and lunch.

Each six-day tour is unique and might include a visit to a perfumery in Grasse, or a family-owned confectionary where organic rose petals are turned into a delicious and ethereal jam.

The first tour will take place October 28 – November 3, 2007. The cost is $2950, which includes double-occupancy lodging, each bedroom with a private bath at La Pitchoune. A welcome dinner the first evening, all breakfasts, lunches, and planned excursions are also included. The tour is limited to six people which provides an intimate, hands-on experience.

Celina Tio is a wonderful talent, and The American Restaurant in KC is a great place to eat, but the best chef in the Midwest regional pool of nominees for the Beard Awards was Tim McKee. Just one man’s opinion, taking nothing away from the other nominees. Lynn Rosetto Kasper got ripped off also last week, taking nothing away from the other radio show nominees and winner, but week in and week out, hers is the best nationally heard radio food show in the country.

Did anyone see John Edge’s piece in the NYT on Kool-Aid pickles? I had some in Mississippi when I was there in the winter, and they are as funky and wonderful to eat as Edge notes in his column. They also would make a great State Fair food item, I think. You can read the piece online, but for those who are dying of curiosity, you cut a bunch of large brined pickles in half, or keep smaller ones whole, and then soak them in double strength Kool-Aid for a week. Soak ‘em longer if your pickles are big or if you like more fruit flavor in your gherkin. I think Black Cherry flavor makes the best pickle flavoring (and, like brining pork in Coke or Dr. Pepper, Kool-Aid also can be used in other recipes—try brushing your BBQ chicken with double strong Kool-Aid during the last few minutes or so of cooking as a nice grill glaze). Will Berry Dills on a stick be the next big State Fair thing? I think so. Almost no waste and a low-cost item to produce. Ten bucks says someone does it this year.

Several people have asked me about Willie’s Wine Bar closing, and they have indeed been closed now for about two weeks. Regarding other reports of fatalities, Ruam Mit has a sign on their door from an attorney that pronounces them in default of the lease, but according to my peeps, late on Saturday night, there were still lights on in the back. Their phone number is disconnected. I think they’re done for in that location, but look for them to reopen somewhere else in three months. They have done that magic act twice before, if memory serves me correctly.

Restaurant closings are a curious thing. On Mike Ruhlman’s blog he notes a BusinessWeek article by Kerry Miller that puts to rest the “nine out of ten new restaurants fail” canard. Miller insists the number is closer to 60%, a figure that is consistent with new business's death-rate numbers generically. Conspiracy theorists will note that the article blames financial institutions for perpetuating the myth in order to refuse loans or charge higher interest rates to potential restaurateurs. Miller goes on to note the reasons for restaurant failure remain a lack of initial capital and the restaurateur’s failure to devote enough time to the work at hand.

Wow, and here I thought it was because the product wasn’t being well-received by the customer and that the reasons cited (lack of money and time) are symptomatic from that point forward. For some reason, restaurant-watchers are all romantics, myself included. Restaurants fail because the customers don’t go. Willie’s and Ruam Mit both had great product, and while I don’t know if they had the staying power ($) or persistence (time), I think those are excuses that poll respondents to pieces like the one in BusinessWeek identify as causal. They aren’t. They are the direct result of lack of interest from the consumer. If you have customers, you can create a piggy bank and devote more resources because you have income—even if only enough to tread water, you can sell that to a lender. If you don’t have customers, you close your doors. Sad, but truly that simple, especially in these two cases.

Lamb is what spring is all about to me (along with soft crabs, asparagus, peas, ramps . . .). Pair this dish with some asparagus and peas, tossed in butter and mint, and you will be sooooooooo happy.

Roasted Herb- and Garlic-Rubbed Lamb with Avgolemono Sauce
Leg of young spring lamb, no more than 6 lb., leg bone in, but aitch bone
   removed
Several sprigs rosemary
12 garlic cloves
1 c. chicken stock
1 T. lemon juice
12 sprigs fresh dill
4 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. white wine
3 leeks, chopped
4 T. olive oil

Season the lamb with herbs and garlic, studding it with paring knife punctures and pushing the rosemary sprigs, dill, and garlic into the pockets. Season with salt and pepper and place in a 400-degree oven for 90 minutes or until the internal temperature of the lamb is 145–150 degrees.

Take lamb out of oven to rest on a warm platter. Tip fat out of the roasting pan and discard it, then add the vegetables. Cook briefly over medium heat and deglaze pan with the wine, lemon juice, and stock. Simmer, then pour the contents of the roasting pan into a sauce pot and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove vegetables and place around the lamb. Simmer sauce until reduced to 1 c. before setting aside.

Beat 2 eggs with 2 T. lemon juice. Place in a saucepan over low heat. Beat the stock reduction into the egg mixture and continue cooking and stirring until sauce is thick. For safety (or beginners) you can thicken the reduction with a cornstarch slurry and then add the eggs, etc. Season with salt and more fresh dill, then serve with the lamb.

Many thanks to Adam for covering my butt and showing up for the Beard Awards and clueing all of us in on what went down Monday night. I hated to miss it, but I couldn’t make it there this year. More on the awards next week after I debrief my food friends and see what’s what.

Lots of great reading in the comment tracker from the last few blogs . . . and I appreciate all the candor from both sides of aisle. Some of the more sarcastic and snarky commentary (especially the stuff lobbed my way) was very funny and sometimes spot-on, and I would encourage everyone to remember that the fun of some of these reader postings is derived from the notion that we don’t have to take ourselves so seriously here. On these pages, it’s okay to ask for forgiveness from time to time rather than ask for permission. I think this should be a place where you don’t have to aim before firing all the time!

That being said, there have been some glaring omissions in my last few posts that I think bear noting.

I left many with the impression that ONLY Dara and Rick were worth reading as food scribes, and that all the other local food writers, critics, and dining columnists were “bores," etc. I intended the reader to stick all their fave food writers in the “. . . minority of other . . .etc." category. So let me, for the record, make clear that many local food writers at area and regional dailies, weeklies, and monthlies are VERY GOOD at what they do and HIGHLY QUALIFIED.

I have re-read what I wrote the other day about this and feel pretty confident I made my point, but enough of you chimed in to the contrary, hence the clarification . . . and I felt bad because there are many folks who we all have read and admired for years, many of whom I continue to look up to, and many who've had way more success and possess tons more experience than I do:

Bill Ward, Jeremy Iggers, Ann Bauer, Pete Lillienthal, Sue Zelickson, Kathy Jenkins, Beth Dooley, and several others . . . just to name a few who fall into that category, and that does not mean there are not others in that group also. So relax, everyone!

Here is part of an e-mail I got the other day, and perhaps we can make a restaurant together, you and I!

Local art-licensing agents Jim Marcotte and Ronnie Walter have purchased the Smith Ave Hall at 627 Smith Ave. S. in St. Paul. They are planning to restore some of the original charm to the 1920s theater building, beginning by changing it's name to The Rivertown, and are looking into leasing the lower level for restaurant use. You can contact them by email at TheRivertown@yahoo.com.

The 3500–square-foot main floor is ideal for restaurant use. It has a full commercial kitchen with equipment and a current certificate of occupancy.

The owners of the building have a website here .

Anyone out there interested??

Broders fans can still celebrate their big anniversary all week long with special sales, raffles, cooking classes, and more. The actual birthday is May 12—they will have birthday cake free for everyone that day, and shoppers will get 25% specials on all of their desserts and chocolate.

Special to Chow & Again: Mpls.St.Paul Magazine restaurants editor Adam Platt reports from the James Beard Awards.

NEW YORK—It was a foodie- and food-studded night at the twentieth annual James Beard Restaurant Awards, held last night at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. The headlines, for Twin Cities eaters, were disappointing: Tim McKee (La Belle Vie) and Alex Roberts (Restaurant Alma) failed to win the Best Chef Midwest designation, bested by Celina Tio of Kansas City's American Restaurant. It was McKee and Roberts' first nominations, and the first year that the Twin Cities had been separated from Chicago in the Beard Awards, which was thought to make it easier for the local chefs. Maybe next year.

Other local favorites showed well, though. City Pages' Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl picked up two food writing awards at Sunday night's journalism awards, and Duluth's Pickwick Restaurant was named one of six American Classic eateries for 2007, recognizing long-standing fixtures on the American culinary scene. (Al's Breakfast won a few years back.)

The 3:10 ceremony was as long as the Oscars, and not quite as compelling. Avery Fisher Hall was entered on a red carpet, cameras and boom mikes astride it, reporters looking for the luminaries of the food world. And they were out in abundance: Jacques Pepin, Eric Ripert, Drew Nieporent, Thomas Keller, Danny Meyer, Bobby Flay, and even Salman Rushdie was in attendance. (His wife was a presenter.)

In a show of utter East Coast snobbery, Boston-based chef Todd English presented the Best Chef Midwest award, mispronouncing most of the nominees or their restaurants, leaving no time for applause or recognition. The Best Chef New York award, which he presented next, contained not a single kerfuffle and liberal applause pauses. The ceremony dragged on so long that when Michel Richard of Washington DC's Citronelle won Outstanding Chef, the night's final award, the audience literally ran to the exits (and the food/drink) before he could ascend the podium. Well, people were hungry.

The highlights of the awards: Thomas Keller (The French Laundry, Per Se) was named Outstanding Restaurateur, Richard was Outstanding Chef, Chicago's Rick Bayless's Frontera Grill was the nation's top restaurant, while New York's outpost of L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon was named Best New Restaurant. Chef David Chang of Momofuku Noodle Bar (NYC) was named Rising Star Chef of the Year.

A perky, flirty, somewhat mawkish Hannah Storm of CBS's Morning Show was mistress of ceremonies, and she could not even say goodnight before the 1,500 or so guests in attendance fled their cushioned seats for the public areas of Avery Fisher Hall and an assemblage of foodie freebies.

Culinary highlights: Tastings of Andrew Carmellini's (A Voce/NYC) duck meatballs; David Chang's poached asparagus with miso butter; Todd English's (Olives/Boston, et al) "free form" morel lasagna with Maine crab and fava beans; Charles Pham's (The Slanted Door/SFO) carmelized shrimp with lemongrass and Thai chili; Tre Wilcox's (Abacus/Dallas) seared sea scallops with truffled potato sauce and spinach; and Carina Ahlin's (Aquavit/NYC) white chocolate cheesecake with rhubarb and almond crumbs.

Less successful were Grant Achatz's (Alinea/Chicago, best chef Great Lakes) sweet puffs with morels, ramps, and black pepper; Marcus Samuelsson's (Aquavit/NYC) cured salmon with burnt leek nougatine; and Bobby Flay's oyster and lobster shooters.

A passle of Twin Citians were in attendance, among them, the Strib's Rick Nelson, gourmands Bob and Sue MacDonald, La Belle Vie's Bill Sommerville and Josh Thoma, WCCO's Sue Zelickson, and former Twin Citian, now New Orleans restaurant critic, Brett Anderson, who not only did not come in black tie, but wore an orange shirt. Despite the Twins' night off, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau did not appear to present their salute to Jimmy John's.

The evening's odd highlight was when Pickwick Duluth proprietor Chris Wisocki offered thanks to all "the crazy Polacks in Duluth." It got a hearty, but uncomfortable laugh.

Still, the lingering message of the evening was that American food continues to advance, thrive, and mature, as our culinary horizons broaden. The most notable aspect was perhaps that the American food scene is so diverse and interesting that the vast majority of the country's wonderful restaurants never are recognized by the Beards.

For the full rundown on the evenings winners and losers, see the Beard Foundation's website. I'd suggest you now go out and book a table at Alma and La Belle Vie, or any other chef-driven restaurant in town, because it's those folks who keep our food scene moving and grooving.

Back to you, Andrew . . . .

I make this dish all the time with soft shell crabs, and now is the season, my friends. For the crab version, I skip the salt rub and simply cut my crabs in half before dipping in the egg white. The sauce came to me from my pal Vikram, who uses it all the time on all manners of fried seafood in his house in Bangalore. Whether you make this recipe with shrimp or soft shells, you’ll love it.

Wok-Tossed, Twice-Cooked, Crispy Salt and Pepper Prawns . . . Fu Xian Style
2 lb. U–15 shrimp . . . I buy ocean-caught Mexican or Ecuadorean
3 T. kosher salt
3 egg whites
1 c. corn starch, seasoned with sea salt and white pepper
4 c. peanut oil
2 T. oil reserved from the 4 c.
12 scallions, cut in 2-inch lengths
1 T. sea salt
1 t. black pepper
2 T. sugar
5 dried red chiles

Peel and butterfly shrimp, leaving tail attached. Toss with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Press in a dry towel to remove moisture.

Heat peanut oil to 375 over high heat in a wok. Dip shrimp in egg whites, then dredge in corn starch. Fry to crisp in 2 batches.

Tip off the oil, leaving 2 T. behind, and increase the heat. When smoking, add the scallions, chiles, and shrimp. Toss to coat, adding the salt, pepper, and sugar as you rotate the food across the wok surface.

Toss and serve . . . the sauces below makes nice partners. Serves 4–6 persons.

Fu-Xian Dipping Sauce for Fried Seafood
1/2 c. thinly shaved shallots
1/4 c. thinly sliced red and green hot chiles . . . I like to use 2 red
   jalapenos, 4 serranos, and a piece of a habanero to round out the
   heat. You can also use small red and green Thai chiles.
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. chicken stock
3 T. Chinese rice wine or sake
3 T. sugar
2 T. minced ginger
3 thinly sliced garlic cloves

Combine and use immediately.

Here’s the story you hate to print, but after waiting on it for months, the anecdotal research that keeps piling up is just too overwhelming not to mention. Fugaise is on life support.

Not only is this a sad sign for local diners, it is especially sad because Don Saunders is a talented young man who oozes sincerity with his big smile. You want to see him win.

When the rash of closings began several months ago (Levain, Five, et al.), Fugaise was on my internal Deathwatch list and seemed a prime candidate for a February demise based on the tales I was hearing of empty dining rooms, light reservation books, shrinking staff . . . . I was not sure they could last that month, routinely one of the slowest in the biz. I have been in there only to shoot a news story in the last six months, but even back in the fall, Don conceded to me that things were tough. Recent press on him had me hopeful, but that often does not translate into sales. The new Cobalt development has been no panacea for the ailing businesses in the neighborhood, and the last three friends of mine to dine at Fugaise have all sat in empty dining rooms. Over the last few weeks, I have heard that the restaurant was offering incentives to individuals steering business their way, not unusual for large restaurants (who work local concierges feverishly for business), but a telling sign. Put it all together, and it smelled like an imminent closing.

So what do I do, say nothing or do something? If you like this restaurant, go there. Soon. And tell your friends, perhaps it will make a difference.

A few months ago, Asher Miller, a sous chef at 20.21, wrote a letter to the editor of a local weekly, responding to an article their dining columnist wrote about the local eating scene. He said:

While I agree that supporting those chefs whose food is groundbreaking, exciting, and noble—who stick to local, unsubsidized ingredients—is important so is being profitable. No article, no matter how much praise is pressed upon the restaurant, could keep it from closing if that is where the financials are headed . . . . Will we continue to recycle chefs in Minneapolis until they or their apprentices eventually figure out a model that works and makes a profit?

Hopefully the next generation of chefs will be more successful, having seen the restaurants they work in close and watched the management style that made it happen.

And part of doing that is location and design. We will never know, until perhaps Fugaise closes (which I hope it does not) and Don opens a new eatery, but I would bet you a fortune that if this eatery had taken a space in a different neighborhood and had some windows, it would be doing well. The food is good, and that’s what counts, but you have to be where your customers are and have an environment that keeps them coming back.

Good luck to all the James Beard Award nominees this coming Monday. I wish I could be there to congratulate all the winners in person, but there will be plenty of local JBA winners this year, trust me.

This coming Sunday, Broders' chef Michael Rostance and his culinary staff are hosting a wine dinner for Broders' twenty-fifth anniversary celebration.  The eight-courser benefiting Slow Food MN is presented together with fine Italian wines from The Wine Company. Reservations are limited. Call Broders' Pasta Bar at 612-612-925-9202, send an email, or get more information on Broders' website. The menu is:

AMUSE
Shaved Grana Padano with Grass Fed Beef Tenderloin “Caviar”
Water Cress, Lemon, and Olive Oil

ZUPPA
Chilled Creamy Sweet Pea, Spinach, and Zucchini
with Goat Cheese Mascarpone

PESCE
Involtini of Star Prairie Trout Filets with Basil, Pine Nuts,
And Caramelized Onion and Saffron Broth

PASTA
Farro with Scallops and Seafood Ragu

VERDURE
Arugula with Roasted Porcini (or Morel) Mushrooms Fresh Fava Beans
and Saffron Pecorino

SECONDI
Hill and Vale Spring Lamb Leg Stuffed with Pork and Pistachio Sausage
Served with Grilled Baby Artichokes or Sautéed Dandelion Greens

FORMAGGIO

DOLCI
Strawberry Tiramisu

Slow Food (according to the literature) is an international organization founded in Italy in 1986 in reaction to the first McDonald's opening in Rome. Its goals are to defend the biodiversity of our food, promote local sustainability, offer taste education, and link producers of excellent food to consumers. Slow Food has 80,000 members worldwide. Sounds like you might want to join the local convivium.

Great comments from last week’s restaurant-o-rama, and you guys are smarter than I am. Thanks for pointing out that I missed a few of my faves. Fugaise, the Dakota, Cosmos, and I Nonni are all in the conversation as well. So is jP, although he would be the first to tell you that he is doing less ambitious fare than others—a conscious, concept-driven decision because J. P. has the chops to do almost anything he wants to from a food standpoint. My wife and I dine there as often as possible (ditto I Nonni—a Zimmern family fave since day one).

Fugaise has great food, but the room is hard for me to sit in. That being said, Don Saunders does some great food when he wants to. Jack has Dakota kicking on all cylinders, and for a restaurant with that many seats, he works miracles. As far as Cosmos goes, the reason they lost their Editor's Choice designation is because of the chef change, but I am sure that once the new menus roll out and we have a chance to go there, they will garner the same kudos they had while Seth was cooking.

Time to clear out the reader mail bag . . . .

From Nicole:

I just got back from Boston and ate at Shabu-Zen. It was wonderful! Just wondering if there is any type of restaurant [like that] here in the Twin Cities?

Sadly not, Nicole. I waxed poetic in this blog about Shabu Zen last year. I eat there every time I am in Boston (or try to). As I have often screamed at high decibels, this is a concept that would print money in the right location in this town. It’s cheap, fun, tastes great, is ideally suited for a cold weather town, and inexpensive to create from an operator standpoint. What more can I say?

From David (after reading my Restaurant Confidential column in May’s magazine):

Do you really think that no other restaurant critics in town have the experience needed to review restaurants?

What I said was, “The majority restaurant critics in this town . . . ," etc. Not all of the other critics. Most restaurant critics lack the right types of experience, pure and simple. With the explosion of food blogs, online magazines, new local weeklies and monthlies like Metro and Saint Paul Illustrated, there are a glut of food writers, most of whom have no idea what they are writing about. And many newspaper writers get assigned food detail despite having just spent three years working some local civic beat. While you don’t need to have played in the Rose Bowl to write about the game, you do need to have a wealth of perspective and a highly developed understanding of cooking (and restaurant operations) to write about food. Dara, Rick, and a small minority of other local scribes possess these qualities in spades. Just read their stuff regularly and you’ll see what I mean. With so many outlets these days it's not surprising that the bar has been lowered across the board. That will change over the years as audience expectations weed out the bores and the dunderheads. I could care less whether or not someone likes a restaurant—I want to know why they do and how they quantify it. That takes experience and perspective to convey, and it's ultimately the only way to build a reader’s faith.

Becky asks:

I've looked for skirt steak everywhere. I drive to El Burrito Mercado often (from Edina), and they don't know what I'm talking about. I have asked for the name I've known it for, churrasco, and they don't know what it is. They suggest me to get the "carne para fajitas," and I think that it might be what I want, but still I don't know for sure. Is it the same thing?

Is there anyone else carrying skirt steak at a reasonable price? I mean, it is the cheapest cut anywhere in Latin America, and the grocery stores here that are willing to order it would like to charge for it like it is filet mignon. Thanks for your help.

AAAARGGGGHHHHHHH . . . ! I feel your pain, and at EBM the carne para fajita is indeed skirt. They offer it marinated or plain, and it rocks. Perfect for summertime grilling. Oddly, every other city I have ever shopped in (even Cleveland!) offers skirt at the neighborhood Super Save. But then again, even Kansas City has a Dean & Deluca, so the skirt steak war is actually the second most outrageous food shortcoming of the Twin Cities. I say we get everyone to ask for it at the local market (no one carries it regularly) and see what happens.

Another cut that should be available anywhere is triangle tip sirloin, which makes for great grilling as well.