Special Events
By Andrew Zimmern
Adrienne Odom, formerly of Aquavit Minneapolis and La Belle Vie (she was tapped by food maven Marcus
Samuelsson to lead his NYC-based pastry team more than a year ago), , has moved back to the Twin Cities and is offering a five-course dessert tasting menu with wine/beer/coffee pairings at the Armitage Room at Cafe Maude for $45 on Sunday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. Call 612-822-5411 for reservations, space is extremely limited.
I asked A.O. why the switcheroo, and she candidly replied, ”After ten years of living in Minneapolis and a year of going back to work and living in New York, I came to the conclusion that the Twin cities is where I'm happiest. The climate for fine dining in New York is extremely stressful right now, and I don't really see it getting much better in the near future.” Odom acknowledged that things are difficult here as well, but at least in Minneapolis, she is around her peeps. Johnny Michaels, LBV mixmeister extraordinaire, suggested the idea of some sort of dessert tasting, and Odom is “ . . . looking forward to having the chance to just have some fun and make some stuff I haven't had the chance to make before.”
Happiness is the best reason to do anything, and as I told Adrienne, I have always felt, especially these days, that an emerging/growing market is a better one to work in than a cutthroat, high-stakes market such as NYC, my old home town. I love it there, but it’s a killer sometimes.
So now let’s recap: Khan, Michelle, Zoe, Lucia, Adrienne, Leah, and Sherry (even though she is rarely in residence here), and I am blanking as I write this on two or three others in their league--are there now a better group of pastry professionals in the Twin Cities than savor-focused chefs of the same caliber? Interesting idea. Is there another market of this size with so much sweet tooth talent per capita?
****
Here is a radical thought that I hope doesn’t offend too many folks, and I hope my pals at TCO take this in the spirit it was intended, as a way to have a constructive conversation at large about independent restaurants in this town, which I support 100 percent and believe wholeheartedly are the reason our food scene is as healthy as it is. BUT . . . Why are so few of our truly wonderful restaurants actually members? And why is it when I do the visiting-TV-food-guy thing in other cities and attend similar events as the ones TCO does, the roster of participating restaurants reads like a who’s who of local talent? Witness this recent event from TCO, touted as an evening with “master TCO chefs, the evening’s 7-course dinner will feature a taste of Australia complete with wine pairings.”
Wow. I got really excited . . . master chefs? Do tell, Taste of Australia. Crikey!
I spent three weeks Down Under just last summer and was really impressed with the food scene, so I was anxious to see what the menu would be like. I spent a lot of time with the best chefs in that country from Tetsuya Wakuda to Neil Perry, and I was stoked. Aussie produce, cheeses and dairy, meats, fowl, and seafare is amazingly high-quality stuff, and the Aussie food commissions and wine industry really helps get the word out.
The dinner was touted in the invite as "exclusive,” and at $100 a head, it seemed well priced considering the promise and the premise. Here was the menu, and sadly I was overseas and couldn’t attend, so my question is three-fold: Did you go? How was it? Did you find it appealing? And is it just me, or are you wondering about the chef appeal of participants from San Pedro Café, Lake Elmo Inn Event Center, Great Waters Brewing Co., and Rudolph's cooking an Aussie wine dinner at $100 a head? I like the ribs at Rudolph's as much as the next guy, but c’mon now! And are they master chefs? What an odd way to tout the evening. What is the Aussie factor in a grilled fig with balsamic vinegar? Or a local kiwi sorbet? Is a mixed grill and a barramundi course really representative of the cuisine down there (it isn’t in a meaningful way), or is this just a promotional idea that sailed a hair below the bar, and I’m too much of a food snob? Anyway, the reason why I think it's an interesting topic is that many of the best chefs in town, who own their restaurants even, are not members of the TCO, and I got to asking myself as I read the menu: Why not? Any answers amigos? BTW, the menu typos are theirs, not mine.
I really want to be thrilled about TCO; its mission is one I believe in 100 percent, and when it first started years ago, it seemed there was a lot of excitement and buzz around the group. What happened? Is it just me, or does anyone else feel the same way?
Passed Hors d’oeuvres
Tasmanian Crab in Endive Outrigger
BBQ Lamb
Morton Bay Bugs
Vegemite Sandwich
Arepas Chicken Tinga
Served with Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz
Amuse Bouche
Balsamic Grilled Fig, Blue Cheese and Toasted Walnuts
San Pedro Café
Soup Course
Smoke Tomato Capsicum
Served with St. Peters Pale Ale
Great Waters Brewing Co.
Pasta Course
Madri Boil Up
Stewed Pork and Vegetable with Sweet Potato Gnocchi. Fresh Baked Dinner Rolls
Served with Water Wheel Memsie White
Luci Ancora
Fish Course
Lemon Myrtle Dusted Barramundi, Sweet Potato and Corn Fritter, Wilted Rockets, Sour Orange Pepper Sauce
Served with Greg Norman Chardonnay
San Pedro Café
Intermezzo
St. Croix River Valley’s own Liberty House Creamery Kiwi Sorbet
Lake Elmo Inn Event Center
Main Entrée
Aussie Trio including Lamb Chops, Grilled Pork Loin, and Homemade Lamb Sausage. Horseradish Mashed Potatoes garnished with Frizzled Leeks
Served with Wira Wira Catapult
Rudolph's
Dessert
Down Under Delights including Lamington, Pavlova and Macadamia Tart
Served with Campbells Muscat
Lake Elmo Inn
I asked A.O. why the switcheroo, and she candidly replied, ”After ten years of living in Minneapolis and a year of going back to work and living in New York, I came to the conclusion that the Twin cities is where I'm happiest. The climate for fine dining in New York is extremely stressful right now, and I don't really see it getting much better in the near future.” Odom acknowledged that things are difficult here as well, but at least in Minneapolis, she is around her peeps. Johnny Michaels, LBV mixmeister extraordinaire, suggested the idea of some sort of dessert tasting, and Odom is “ . . . looking forward to having the chance to just have some fun and make some stuff I haven't had the chance to make before.”
Happiness is the best reason to do anything, and as I told Adrienne, I have always felt, especially these days, that an emerging/growing market is a better one to work in than a cutthroat, high-stakes market such as NYC, my old home town. I love it there, but it’s a killer sometimes.
So now let’s recap: Khan, Michelle, Zoe, Lucia, Adrienne, Leah, and Sherry (even though she is rarely in residence here), and I am blanking as I write this on two or three others in their league--are there now a better group of pastry professionals in the Twin Cities than savor-focused chefs of the same caliber? Interesting idea. Is there another market of this size with so much sweet tooth talent per capita?
****
Here is a radical thought that I hope doesn’t offend too many folks, and I hope my pals at TCO take this in the spirit it was intended, as a way to have a constructive conversation at large about independent restaurants in this town, which I support 100 percent and believe wholeheartedly are the reason our food scene is as healthy as it is. BUT . . . Why are so few of our truly wonderful restaurants actually members? And why is it when I do the visiting-TV-food-guy thing in other cities and attend similar events as the ones TCO does, the roster of participating restaurants reads like a who’s who of local talent? Witness this recent event from TCO, touted as an evening with “master TCO chefs, the evening’s 7-course dinner will feature a taste of Australia complete with wine pairings.”
Wow. I got really excited . . . master chefs? Do tell, Taste of Australia. Crikey!
I spent three weeks Down Under just last summer and was really impressed with the food scene, so I was anxious to see what the menu would be like. I spent a lot of time with the best chefs in that country from Tetsuya Wakuda to Neil Perry, and I was stoked. Aussie produce, cheeses and dairy, meats, fowl, and seafare is amazingly high-quality stuff, and the Aussie food commissions and wine industry really helps get the word out.
The dinner was touted in the invite as "exclusive,” and at $100 a head, it seemed well priced considering the promise and the premise. Here was the menu, and sadly I was overseas and couldn’t attend, so my question is three-fold: Did you go? How was it? Did you find it appealing? And is it just me, or are you wondering about the chef appeal of participants from San Pedro Café, Lake Elmo Inn Event Center, Great Waters Brewing Co., and Rudolph's cooking an Aussie wine dinner at $100 a head? I like the ribs at Rudolph's as much as the next guy, but c’mon now! And are they master chefs? What an odd way to tout the evening. What is the Aussie factor in a grilled fig with balsamic vinegar? Or a local kiwi sorbet? Is a mixed grill and a barramundi course really representative of the cuisine down there (it isn’t in a meaningful way), or is this just a promotional idea that sailed a hair below the bar, and I’m too much of a food snob? Anyway, the reason why I think it's an interesting topic is that many of the best chefs in town, who own their restaurants even, are not members of the TCO, and I got to asking myself as I read the menu: Why not? Any answers amigos? BTW, the menu typos are theirs, not mine.
I really want to be thrilled about TCO; its mission is one I believe in 100 percent, and when it first started years ago, it seemed there was a lot of excitement and buzz around the group. What happened? Is it just me, or does anyone else feel the same way?
Passed Hors d’oeuvres
Tasmanian Crab in Endive Outrigger
BBQ Lamb
Morton Bay Bugs
Vegemite Sandwich
Arepas Chicken Tinga
Served with Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz
Amuse Bouche
Balsamic Grilled Fig, Blue Cheese and Toasted Walnuts
San Pedro Café
Soup Course
Smoke Tomato Capsicum
Served with St. Peters Pale Ale
Great Waters Brewing Co.
Pasta Course
Madri Boil Up
Stewed Pork and Vegetable with Sweet Potato Gnocchi. Fresh Baked Dinner Rolls
Served with Water Wheel Memsie White
Luci Ancora
Fish Course
Lemon Myrtle Dusted Barramundi, Sweet Potato and Corn Fritter, Wilted Rockets, Sour Orange Pepper Sauce
Served with Greg Norman Chardonnay
San Pedro Café
Intermezzo
St. Croix River Valley’s own Liberty House Creamery Kiwi Sorbet
Lake Elmo Inn Event Center
Main Entrée
Aussie Trio including Lamb Chops, Grilled Pork Loin, and Homemade Lamb Sausage. Horseradish Mashed Potatoes garnished with Frizzled Leeks
Served with Wira Wira Catapult
Rudolph's
Dessert
Down Under Delights including Lamington, Pavlova and Macadamia Tart
Served with Campbells Muscat
Lake Elmo Inn
© 2008 MSP Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
simply sounds like someone secured a sponsorship from an Aussie wine importer and thought they would try to shape an event around it.
You forgot to mention Christina Kaelberer http://www.mspmag.com/dining/features/bakeriesrising/77967.asp
and Jonathan Saliba, among others, I'm sure.
Posted by: geoff on March 11, 2009 at 4:08 PM
Many restaurant owners i have talked to say that what you have to put into the tco isn't quite equal to what you get out of it. It can cost a restaurant a good deal of money for a tco event, after food and supplies, but at these events it's usually ownly people in the business that attend, meaning little to none beneficial advertising. another problem for me is if you look at the restaurants involved in the tco a good number of them serve some of the worst outdated food in town, if i were a owner I would not my name associated with that of the lake elmo inn or stones(rip) to name a few.
Posted by: james on March 11, 2009 at 5:39 PM
ATT:JAMES.. I Don't understand your direct RIP on Lake Elmo Inn?? I would think that an INDEPENDANT restaurant that has been VERY SUCCESSFUL for a long period of time in this market would be a breath of fresh air ?? I would bet you more than 90% of INDEPENDANT restaurants would clamour and hope for the success THEY have had...I guess you are just into RISE-FAST DIE-FAST "foodie" restaurants.....
Posted by: THORNINURSIDE on March 11, 2009 at 8:18 PM
sorry you are right and i apologize for naming restaurants. being in the business myself, and seeing the above menu, and the price it charges, just made me angry. but you are right i should have left my comments with the tco and not it's restaurants.
Posted by: james on March 11, 2009 at 10:29 PM
A $45 dessert tasting menu seems like it would be a tough sell, especially on a Sunday night - hopefully the event does well. Looks like the Armatage Room has more private events on the hook, and they have really bolstered the wine bar offerings on nights there aren't private events. I NEED to get up there, but I don't think I can swing $45 for a dessert tasting, although the idea sounds heavenly. I really dig what they are doing up there and appreciate the level of creativity.
Posted by: HungryinSW on March 12, 2009 at 9:31 AM
Christina of Chambers Kitchen is definitely in my top five pastry chefs in Minneapolis. Not only because her desserts taste great, they are visually stunning.
TCO can't seem to work out a comprehensive marketing plan that the general public can understand and the participating restaurants don't do a good job of explaining to their staff what it means to be a member. I've shown my TCO card a couple of times and the server always looks confused. I've quit carrying it with me.
And from what I've heard from insiders, the restaurants seem more interested in promoting their individual restaurants, then building TCO.
Posted by: Geri Wolf on March 12, 2009 at 10:22 AM
I followed the link over to the TCO and it featured a pic of the St. Claire Broiler as the 1st pic in the slideshow of restaurant pix on its banner. I fondly remember StCB from years ago, but it's a fun, carbo-loading, MN version of a diner in my opinion. No disrespect intended (cuz I get in the mood for this kind of food sometimes ... ok ... more often than I should), but StCB ain't fine dining.
This doesn't mean StCB isn't a successful joint. This doesn't mean that StCB doesn't do 'that voodoo that it does do' well. Sorry to name names, but ... I think james has a point.
Posted by: The Big E on March 12, 2009 at 1:06 PM
ATTN: THE BIG E:
I'm a bit confused, what exactly is the TCO? To me, it's TWIN CITIES ORIGINALS!!! This has nothing to do with fine dining vs. burger joints....this is the twin cities ORIGINAL dining establishments!!! With fine dining being close to dead (where have all the goodfellows, auriga, rockstar, and table of contents gone??) What we do have left are some of the finest...most original...recognizable Twin Cities restaurants that have stood THE TEST OF TIME!?!?! I think we need to appreciate who they are and applaud them for standing the test of time. I have nothing against fine dining i just think this is NOT what the TCO stands for...
Posted by: THORNINURSIDE on March 12, 2009 at 8:14 PM
Ditto on Geri's praise of the desserts Christina makes @ Chambers. I'll also say that she's got that solid midwestern work ethic, is service minded and drama-free.
Posted by: geoff on March 13, 2009 at 11:04 AM
THORNINURSIDE,
Okay. Good enough for me. I did look over the TCO a little, but I will confess my ignorance.
Would you care to try and address james's original point about the TCO not being worth the effort? It seems like you are defending it ...
I ask sincerely as while I love to cook and love to eat great food, I'm pretty ignorant of the politics of food.
Posted by: The Big E on March 13, 2009 at 12:56 PM
Please note that while Adrienne may have returned to the Twin Cities dining scene, the "pastry doyenne" of La Belle Vie and Solera continues to be the charming Michelle Gayer ably assisted by pastry chef, Diane Yang.
Gayer is a pastry superstar and is the same sweet sensation behind "The Salty Tart" and was previously the executive pastry chef for Charlie Trotter's.
I encourage you all to check out Michelle and Diane's creations.
Posted by: Jackie Hanson on March 16, 2009 at 4:06 PM
Looks like www.shefzilla.com beat you to the punch...this just in.
Posted by: chef slut on March 18, 2009 at 10:23 AM
I have been a member of TCO for a few years now and I do use it often I like the idea of getting money back when I’m dine out. Lets face it times are tight and I can't afford to go out as often as I would like and TCO gives me a chance to do that. I admit when I plan a night out with friends I do consider which ones are TCO so I can get my point on my card. I do wish they would add more restaurants with a larger verity I haven’t seen any new restaurants in a while. Plus I feel the Restaurants don’t advertise that they are a TCO member. I think TCO just needs to market themselves better and make it lucrative for Restaurants to become participants of TCO. I love the concept and I want them to be successful.
Posted by: Tracie on March 25, 2009 at 5:07 PM