Boo!

OK, I may be the whole-grain witch most of the year, but even Michael Pollan agrees that Halloween is the high holiday of high fructose corn syrup. So to all of you who think you are saving the world and plan on handing out fruit snacks or sugar-free candies or (gasp) toothbrushes, for one night, please GET. OVER. YOURSELF. And for those of you who convince your kids to give up their stash in exchange for a book or money or a new toy, you are a joyless fun-killer. Do you not remember the dizzying euphoria as your eyes trailed over the spread of beautiful wrappers laid out on the floor? Do you not remember feeling like you had won some cosmic lottery as you categorized and organized your riches by color or coconut content or caramel factor? Come on, let the gobblins gobble. I promise you can spend the whole next month shoving sprouts and cauliflower down their throats.

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If you like sake or vodka, I have a beverage for you to try: soju. Never heard of it? I think you will soon start seeing it on Asian restaurant menus around town. According to a friend of mine, it is all the rage in L.A. So you know we won’t want to be too far behind the coast.  

Soju is to Korea as sake is to Japan. The average Korean tips back two bottles a day of the tasty liquor, translating to around three billion bottles a year—so it can’t be bad. Mixing the distilled alcohols of grain, sweet potatoes, and tapioca with the distilled spirits of rice and barley goes into the making of soju. The flavor is much like sake with a drier finish and slightly fewer floral notes, but the alcohol content is much higher. To put a finer point on it: It tastes like a blend of sake and vodka. At 20 percent alcohol, it can sneak up on you; suddenly you’re wearing a lampshade and dancing on the table! 

I find it to be a great complement to Asian cuisines, especially sushi and Korean food. It also lends itself perfectly to the restaurant mixology department; add a little slice of ginger and cucumber for a great cocktail, or replace the vodka in your next Cosmo with soju. I think it would add a great flavor to poached fish or shellfish—my next experiment. The only brand I have found locally is Jinro; you can find it at a few local restaurants, including Sushi Tango in Uptown, King’s Fine Korean in Fridley, and Kum Gang San in St. Paul (where Shilla used to be). As for retail locations, MGM is the your best bet. MGM Oakdale, Hilltop, and Burnsville are all stocked, along with Cashwise in St. Michael. 

KONBE! (Cheers! in Korean.)

I had one of those sad food moments yesterday. After feeling the pressure of the line at a skyway take-out joint, I buckled and ordered a grilled chicken panini. It ended up being a crumbly mess of dry bread, under-melted cheese, and chicken that was cold and questionable in the middle. But I was so hungry and pinched for time that I had to keep eating. It left me sadly unsatisfied and wishing for ruby slippers to Rustica.

At Rustica, the sandwich cases are stacked with dreams in the form of sandwiches crafted by the hands of those at Corner Table. It's a match made in heaven, no? Corner Table inspiration and ingredients paired with artisan Rustica bread? They show up around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday through Saturday and when they're gone, they're gone. These were my top favorites:

Salumi: salumi (pork, garlic, white wine, fennel), arugula, Ames Farm pear, fennel aioli (made with soybean oil). My favorite so far. Simple salumi bit back to the peppery arugula. And the fennel aioli was a soft and smooth undercurrent. Honestly, I could eat this one every day. OK, I could eat salumi every day, and if I had this one, it probably wouldn't be around long enough to get it on a sandwich. Just me and a knife and the couch with The Real Housewives of Atlanta . . . but I digress.

Ham and Cheese and Baguette: Hidden Streams nitrate free ham,  Fenceline Farm "provolone" cheese, smoked paprika aioli, bibb lettuce. I don't even care that the cheese has to "air quote" their provolone, I know it's not from Italy, they should just give it their own name like provOHMYGODYUMolone. No quotes needed. But the star of this sandwich is the generously chunky, salty ham which feels like you stood in front of your fridge and hacked off some bites from the holiday leftovers, only better.  

Vegetable on Multigrain: Dragsmith Mississippi greens, grilled summer squash, cucumber, oven-roasted tomato, goat cheese, and basil cream. Truly, I usually shun the veggie sandwich in favor of something laden with protien. But this one was so clean, so unpretentious, without trying to show off with a freaky eggplant addition or something. When I hit the tangy goat cheese with a dusky bite of the grilled squash, I was sold.

Eat your Brussels sprouts was a phrase most of us loathed as children. Oh sure, there are those of you who will say you have always loved ‘em—you’re lying! My mom is a great cook but not with Brussels sprouts. Growing up, they were always army green and bitter with full cabbage flavor (Sorry, Mom!). I cook Brussels sprouts for a lot of people, and most of time before my guests have eaten my version, at least one of them will say, “God, I hate Brussels sprouts.” In turn, I say, “Please try just one of mine, and if you still hate them, I’ll cook you whatever you’d like.” I have yet to have to cook the other dish. 

Brussels sprouts are so named because they have been grown in the vicinity of Brussels, Belgium, for more than 400 years. They are veritable powerhouses of nutrients with off-the-chart levels of vitamin K, vitamin C, and myriad other nutrients. If you have not seen a sprout plant, it is a strange looker. Standing approximately two-and-one-half feet tall with big leaves and little balls at the base of the leaves, it has a Martian quality to it. On our farm, we grow these beautiful little cabbages, and we eat them early (because we can), but it is when the frost comes and kisses the alien-looking plant that it’s really the best time to enjoy them. Frost makes the sprouts as sweet as candy, and it mellows the cabbage flavor a bit. To sweeten them even more, we caramelize them without any added sugar by using the natural sugar that generally goes untapped when they are boiled to smithereens. Below is my recipe for Brussels sprouts with blue cheese.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Blue Cheese
Serves 4-6

3 c. sprouts, blanched, shocked, and halved lengthwise
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. white wine
2-3 T. butter, unsalted
3-4 T. Big Woods Blue Cheese or your favorite blue
2 t. red chili flakes (optional)
1 t. fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

In a large sauté pan, add the butter and temper to medium heat. When the butter foams, place the sprouts in the pan cut-side down. Let the sprouts barely caramelize. Then add the garlic, shallots, and thyme. Let all these brown fully, and then add the wine, and toss mixture in the pan. Bring to a simmer (to cook off the wine), add the blue cheese, and let it melt and reduce slightly. Check the salt and pepper, sprinkle with red chili flakes, and serve.

This Fresh Forkin' Friday has me spinning. I have a bonfire party to go to this weekend. I'm supposed to bring a dish to share. Can you understand the pressure of that? Everyone expects me to bring something altogether amazing and different, but not too weird, so my fennel-encrusted brownies are out of the question. Seriously, I want to phone it in and bring cinnamon-chocolate chip cookies or squash muffins. But tomorrow I'll start thinking and digging deep into the cookbook collection for inspiration, and then I'll over-compensate for being the local foodie by trying to make lobster mac n' cheese in a crock pot or truffle-infused cocktail weenies. It's a gift and a curse.

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The newest kid in the North Loop neighborhood is Black Sheep, a new pizza shop. But it's not just another pie joint: Jordan Smith, who was opening chef at Mission, is cooking with coal. How does this affect the pizza? Apparently it provides a nice even heat, perfect for pies, but as to the difference in taste? Grab a slice of the garlic-clam pizza and decide for yourself.

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The burger wars are about to get hotter. Take your juicy Lucy argument to the next level and discuss the coming of Burger Jones to the Lake Calhoun area. Parasole has taken over the old Applebee's space in Calhoun Village and plans to open a sassy burger bar. The burger revolution has hit both coasts already with the opening of boutique burger shops. It'll be interesting to see what the local boys come up with.

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Sadly, Confluence in Prescott, WI has closed. I had one stunning meal there and never managed to make it back. I kick myself.

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Rarely do I champion the coming of darkness, but when it's Surly's Darkness, bring it on. This Saturday is D-Day, the release party for their limited edition, limited quantity Darkness beer. The doors open at noon and the first 700 people through get the chance to purchase the rich and comely brew, which won't be available in liquor stores. There will be bands and all sorts of merriment as well. I suggest scheduling a cab or buddy to pick you up.

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Or you could celebrate St. Crispin's Day this Saturday at Brit's and The Local. Kick off the esteemed day of cobblers by donating your old shoes in exchange for free Crispin's Hard Apple Cider, the newest all-natural, premium cider on the block. There will also be a shoe-toss competition, the reciting of the Shakespeare's St. Crispin's Day speech, and local music to help you kick up your heels.

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Also on Saturday, Midtown Global Market will hold their second annual Chili Cook-Off. Head over and sample over ten different kinds of chili created by the market chefs—maybe you'll be inspired to change up your own recipe. The requested $3 donation will go to the Perspective's Kids Cafe.

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Grand Cafe is celebrating Fair Trade Month in a grand way. Next Wednesday, October 29, chef Jon Radle will host a five-course tasting menu paired with wines from Etica, in support of the Drink Like You Give A Damn campaign. Their fall menu is looking tasty with local duck confit, wild mushroom gnocchi, and house-made burrata cheese. Dinner starts at 6 p.m. Call the restaurant to reserve a spot.

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Crave refuses to go quietly into the cold weather. They're turning their patio into a four-season dining room that should welcome the weather when it's warm, and shut it out when it's not. It will be available in December for private bookings.

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I'll be on the Stephanie Hansen show today at 1:15 p.m. chatting about revisiting old favorite restaurants.

JUST A NOTE: The Bulldog in St. Paul is not yet open. So don't go there and bug them; they need to keep working so that they can open and give you fresh burgers and tots. As soon as they open, I will tell you, I promise.

If you love the literary stylings of Cheryl “CJ” Johnson as much as we do, then surely you caught her Tuesday column detailing a dustup at the Good Earth restaurant in Roseville. CJ’s prose is dense and packed with nuance, but the gist of it seems to be that KARE 11’s eternally youthful meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas (now a jaded divorcee) was the focal point of an imbroglio there that left a server without a job.

CJ’s version is that the server, Kari Notaro, who was friends with Yuhas’ girlfriend, saw Yuhas at the restaurant dining with another lady. Kari got on her cell phone and called her friend, who proceeded to head to the restaurant to confront Yuhas (talk about your high pressure systems!).

Yuhas went home and ultimately called the restaurant’s manager, explained what happened, and subsequently Kari (and her cell phone) was fired. CJ doesn’t really pick sides, but her tone implies that she thinks Yuhas bigfooted a poor working girl who was just defending a BFF.

My take: Notaro deserved to lose her gig. A restaurant’s job is to take care of its customers, not facilitate uncomfortable confrontations for whichever of them may or may not be juggling as many girlfriends as Peter Brady. Even if the confrontation had never taken place, the phone call alone manifests a complete ignorance of the service business. This one is a no-brainer. Yuhas/Good Earth right, bad waitress rightfully fired.

What say you?

Even though it has been open for a few weeks, this Saturday marks the offcial grand opening of Local D'Lish, the Warehouse District store stacked with products and goodies from local producers. I happened to pop in the other day and found some good stuff to quell the hunger.

Castle Rock ice cream: From an organic farm in Osseo, I scored some molasses chocolate chip ice cream. Super smooth and dreamy, with just a trailing of the molasses, which let the perfectly creamy flavor come through.

Renaissance Farm lemon basil pesto: What a sweet little pot of bright green love. It sits in your freezer until you need spoonful here or there. Imagine in the depths of January, being able to pull out a little scoop of summer. In theory, that would have been my plan, but I've already used it up on salmon and risotto. And then I cleaned out the jar with a hunk of bread. Clean.

She Cook's whole grain pizza dough mix: If I can sneak whole grain in there somewhere, slathered with garlic sauce and cheese and piled with sausage and pepperoni, that counts as being a good mom, right?  Swear, they didn't even notice, and my "the crust is browner than normal because it's been toasted" fib seemed plausible to the hungry monsters.

Eichten's bison patties: What's your hang-up with bison? It's nothing like that chewy, gamey venison steak your uncle forced you to eat when you were little. Get over it.

Laura's Candy handmade whiskey marshmallows: No, I can't share these marshmallows with you, they're Mommy's special marshmallows, only for adults. Now go get me some of your graham crackers and dark chocolate while I get this fire going.

Winter Bounty! Local D'Lish will host many of the vendors from the MCFM during their Winter Market held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following dates:

• Nov. 15
• Dec. 20
• Jan. 17
• Feb. 21
• Mar. 21
• Apr. 18

(Doesn't the spring seem right around the corner when you look at it this way?)

Now that our growing season is winding down and the bounty of local produce is slowly being reduced to apples, onions, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and squash, it is time to embrace another season that is not truly local, but one that I really look forward to: The North American seafood season.  A superb array of seafood from all coasts is now ready for your plate. The season runs from September through March, and in the global seafood picture, I would consider this to be a local season. To make good choices in seafood, there are a number of questions that need to be asked. Is the seafood from sustainable stocks? Is it wild-caught or farm-raised?  What is the method of harvesting? Is it in season?

The last question is one that we do not ask enough . . . probably because the concept of seasonal seafood has been muddied by the importation of seafood from all over the world. Now is the time to be as local as we can in this realm. Below is a list of some of my favorite choices for the fall/winter season of local seafood:

- Spanish Mackerel
- Black Bass
- Mullet
- King Mackerel
- Striped Bass
- Wild Oysters
- Wild Shrimp
- Pacific Spiny Lobster
- Diver Scallops
- Blue Mussels
- Monkfish
- Sturgeon
- Sea Trout
- Hake
- Hog Snapper
- Mahi Mahi
- Rock Shrimp

When answering questions of sustainability in seafood there is a boatload (ha!) of information available. SeafoodWatch is run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and provides pocket-sized printable seafood guides as a handy reference for dining or shopping.

Another informative resource for sustainable seafood is The Marine Stewardship Council, a non-profit organization that, through a set criteria for sustainability, certifies fisheries and retailers very much like the Fair Trade certification. Their site has a long list of fish and shellfish that they deem sustainable. 

So, before you dine or shop, take a bit of time, do a little pre-preparation, and get equipped with the information you need to make smart choices about your seafood. 

Today's Fresh Forkin' Friday makes it official: It's time to start looking for pumpkins. Anyone who got a little gung ho and did some early carving will be sorry in two weeks when their snappy creations look like shriveled old men. You know how they suck inward in the mouth as they dry? Actually, now that I think about it, that's a rather goodly spooky look.

But if you're ambitious, no doubt you've already been inspired by the genius crew of Extreme Pumpkins. Here's a boffo plan: Escape the city and head west (because this is probably your last chance to see the brilliantly flaming trees stretching across the hills and fields) toward Delano; stop by the Peterson's farm stand, where you can pick your pumpkins off the vine in the field; then venture a little farther into Delano for a cup of coffee (roasted on-site) and a hearty sandwich at the Three Crows. If you're feeling the rustic, drive a little farther westward and check out Fall Harvest orchard and the new Woodland Hill Winery next door.

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What fresh Hell? Even though it doesn't "officially" open until Sunday, Hell's Kitchen has been secretly, quietly open all week. I popped in over lunch and was very excited by the transformation of the old Rossi's space. There are new menu items, tons of tables (no waiting, shyah), plus dinner and gospel brunch. I am quite excited by the potential for the Hell on Wheels lunch counter: fresh, seasonal soups daily; big salads; sandwiches; and loose meat all for the grabbing, but not until Monday.

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Locavores will soon be able to let their hair down and sip some sake. Opening on Monday is moto-i, the Asian eatery and sake brewery from the Herkimer gang. Don't look for sushi, it's not all about sushi, you know. Pretty soon every city will want local sake. Brilliant.

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Also opening on Monday is the new Spyhouse Coffee Shop in the East Isles neighborhood at 2404 Hennepin. If you haven't been to the Spyhouse on Nicollet, your cool points have just taken a hit. Get to the new one, and take my word for it: Order a Tokyo Rose, and snack on some bakery items fresh from The Bad Waitress. Cool points restored.

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The thrifty know how to enjoy their favorite restaurants, even in the toughest times . . . happy hour. Lucia's is getting in on the game with a new happy hour, starting next week: From 9 p.m. to midnight, you can enjoy $3 tap beer, $3 discount on cocktails, $6 glasses of wine, and an expanded bar menu full of tasty bites, worthy at any price point.

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I enjoy a good wine tasting, but I LOVE a free whiskey tasting. I will be front row and center for Haskell's Minnetonka free Scotch whiskey tasting on Monday, where master distiller Ian MacMillan will sample and discuss some truly lovely malts. If you trend toward the Irish, you can check out the Irish whiskey events at the downtown Minneapolis or Ford Parkway store where "the Irishman" Bernard Walsh will be spinning some yarns.

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On the brunch beat, both Birch's and Senor Wong have opened for the early Sunday feast.

I love mayonnaise. But not just any store purchased mayo; I mean real mayonnaise in its grandest iteration . . . aioli. Aioli has its own compartment in my cockles, and it is hard to find the real thing in restaurants. Many restaurants use the word aioli for a flavored mayonnaise, but truly it needs to be scratch-made and chock-full of lemon and garlic and olive oil.

Is the word mayonnaise so bad that it cannot be used as a menu description? I don’t think so and neither does Steven Brown. He uses the word mayonnaise on the lunch menu at Porter & Fry, and it reads great. But many other restaurants must think the word too pedestrian or passé. Many chefs have a jar of Hellman’s tucked in the corner of the cooler. Hellman’s can be a very useful tool in the kitchen in a pinch. It can add body to a salad dressing or vinaigrette, plus it is a quick and easy way dress up a baguette for an egg and bacon sandwich as an after-service snack. But let’s talk about what it is not . . . the base for aioli. 

Aioli is made by mashing fresh garlic cloves into a paste and whisking it in to an emulsion of egg yolks, lemon, and olive oil. My friend Abbott, a great cook at Eli’s, recounted his experience with making aioli at jP’s (R.I.P.) in the traditional mortar and pestle and hand whisking it to perfection. Only when the cooks could master it by hand were they allowed to use a mixer to make it. Making aioli and mayonnaise is an art and a basic technique in sound cooking. Many sauces, such as hollandaise and vinaigrettes, are rooted in the emulsification technique.

Increasingly it seems that many restaurants grab the Hellman’s, add a flavoring or two, and call it aioli.  So, for restaurants that can’t or don’t make aioli, why can’t the menu read—fried calamari with red chili mayonnaise instead of fried calamari with red chili aioli?

Below is the recipe I use for basic aioli.

Real Aioli
2 garlic cloves
1 large local, organic egg yolk or 2 T. of pasteurized yolks
1 T. fresh lemon juice
Minced zest from 1/4 lemon
1/2 t. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
3 T. canola or grapeseed oil
Sea salt to taste
Fresh pepper to taste

Preparation:
Mash garlic to a paste using the side of a chef’s knife and then mince finely. Whisk together egg yolk, lemon juice, zest, and mustard in a bowl until frothy, add the garlic paste. Combine oils and add a few drops at a time to yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until all oil is incorporated and mixture is emulsified. The aforementioned step is the critical step in aioli. If it breaks or separates, stop adding oil and whisk until the mixture comes together. Season with salt and pepper. If your aioli is too thick, you can whisk in a few drops of water to loosen it up.

This is a great base for adding any number of flavors, such as red chili, saffron, and herbs and spices of all types.

Some people think potatoes are about as fashionable as a puffy fleece at a cocktail party. But mmmm, puffy fleece. Yesterday, with all the chilling rain and leaves whirling about my yard, was a potato day.

And, OK yes, there was a time when I would have made a giant, steamy bowl of mashed-po and plopped down in front of the tube and called it dinner. If I was feeling sassy, I might whip in some goat cheese. Not my proudest culinary moment but a creamy one nonetheless.

But, as I am now all about the journey, I pushed myself to do something I haven't done before: make gnocchi. It seemed brilliant; I had flour, potatoes, sage, and prosciutto. But it really wasn't until I found Faye that I knew I could successfully do it.

Faye Hess is one of my new favorites. She is personal, a little kooky, very natural, and real. I stumbled on her video class for making gnocchi while I was looking for a recipe, and I was sold. In a regular cramped kitchen, using common household utensils and normal ingredients, she turned out some tasty looking little bits of potato pasta. Plus, she cooks like I cook, without a recipe and or strict measurements.

If I'm going to own a dish, I need to cook it from the hip. I need to be able to throw the ingredients together and eyeball what's too much and what's enough. Truly, that means failure. A lot. But by the time I get it right, it's cemented in my repertoire, and I never need to look at a recipe again. Chili, spicy braised short ribs, potato leek soup, crepes are all called upon often because I can make them blindfolded.

So I mucked around with the potatoes and flour and managed a sticky dough that I had no idea was correct or not. I rolled, cut, plopped the odd nubbins into boiling water, and they were done. Different from Faye, I crisped up a little prosciutto and threw in some fresh garlic and sage with a slew of butter. For my first time out, they turned out well. The bites were firm, but not rubbery, and soft without being mushy on the inside. The family tucked in and cleaned out the bowl.

Next time, I might add a little more salt, try a different flour or kind of potato, or go for a touch fruitier olive oil just to see what happens. But I think the mashed-po dinner has officially been banished for good. 

“Kobe beef” (notice the quotes) is on a ton of menus and has been for some time. Let’s get one thing straight: This is not actually Kobe Beef—it is Kobe-style beef, American Kobe beef, which is Wagyu cattle crossed with Angus cattle and raised in the United States and Canada. True Kobe beef hails from Japan, is painstakingly raised, coddled, fed grain, and massaged, all the stuff of myth and legend and hence the astronomical price tag to go with it ($100 for an 8-ounce rib eye).

So here is my beef. When I first served American Wagyu for New Year’s Eve 1998 at Table of Contents, it was virtually unheard of, had a certain cache about it, and we used it for a special occasion dinner. But now it graces local menus here and there in everything from luxury to pedestrian braising cuts and burgers.

Is there any reason to pay extra for American Wagyu in your everyday or weekend dining? Generally not. American Wagyu is, like a lot of things, mainly about marketing. I do like it in two everyday applications: pot roast from chuck roll and a rib eye steak. These cuts have great marbling, tenderness, and good beef flavor, but they generally are not better than great prime beef. The chuck roll is a tough, highly marbled cut, which needs low and slow cooking. The high fat content enables the meat to stay moist and super tender.

There is American Wagyu that approaches the unctuousness of the Japanese stuff, but American Wagyu is sold in so many qualitative grades, and the variance from top to bottom is so great (and so much of the best stuff goes only to the highest-end steakhouses on the coasts, such as Wolfgang Puck’s Cut, that most of the stuff you see around town is not worth it.

As for marketing over reason, let’s look at American Wagyu ground beef. I wouldn’t pay extra for it because it’s no different than 60 percent lean ground beef. Five years ago, you could not get anyone to buy ground beef that was less than 80 percent lean, and plenty of consumers clamored for 90 or 95 percent (which results in a flavorless, grainy burger). Now they call it a Kobe burger, and everyone goes ga-ga for a burger with 40 percent fat, most of which ends up in a pool on the bottom of the griddle.

If you are like me, and fat and flavor are what you are looking for, then add a tablespoon or two of soft butter to Minnesota grass-fed ground beef and have a great burger with real beef flavor and good fat content. When you see Kobe beef on a menu and you are not paying $100 per portion, remember that it will not be the meat of legend but the meat of legendary marketing.

You know what? This Fresh Forkin' Friday has me feeling feverish. I have full-on crabby pants because I can't breathe well, but you don't want to read about that. I don't even want to write about that. I just want to swim in a bowl really hot, really good soup. I want to start the day with a tomato-and-barley number that the hub cooks because I want the sharp, bright flavors to cut through my head. Then I want to sustain myself with a pot of earthy, brothy mushroom soup, giving me a reason to keep going. Of course I plan to finish the day by tucking into a little potato and leek loveliness, which is like pulling on your favorite fleece and hunkering down to watch the BBC's Chef! complete series.

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Jay's Cafe is hauling out the big BBQ this weekend to cook up some local grillables. That's why I love us, we hearty Scandi-types who say: Bluster on, chilly wind . . . I've got sunshine and a Fisher Farms pork shoulder, and life is good. Plus, it's the St. Paul Art Crawl, so you can add a viewing of locally made beauty to your coffers, which should just about fill you up for the winter.

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If FREE is your new favorite economic buzzword, and the thought of cranking your heat against the October chill makes your wallet cringe, I have a one-two punch for you. This weekend, you can watch TV chef Dave Leiberman and Federico Lopez, one of the "12 Best Chefs of Mexico," demonstrate how to make traditional Mexican food in the MOA rontunda—for free. The first 125 people get a free reusable bag with recipes and tips, compliments of Edible Twin Cities. After you check out the show, you can go home and turn down your thermostat while you crank up your internal heat with what you've learned.

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If you're planning on hitting the garage sale circuit this weekend, don't miss this one. The Sausage Sisters, no longer selling at the markets, will be selling out of their garage at 229 Upton Ave. S. (612-986-7298) in Minneapolis on Saturday from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. You can buy packs of brats and sausages, and there will be deals on 15 lb. cases. The ladies will also be cooking up links to eat while instructing you how to make State Fair foods at home. Such a deal.

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We are all saddened by the closing of Callister's Farm in the Market, and many of you are worried about where you should get your Thanksgiving turkey. Yes, it's time to start thinking about the big feast. The MCFM has started taking orders for fresh Wild Acres turkey. These birds are free-range, raised without antibiotics or hormones in Pequot Lakes, and cost approximately $3.19/lb. Stop by the Market General Store and order soon, there are only so many birds and so little time. (BONUS: It's soup weekend at the Market!!)

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Worry not, the Midtown Global Market will keep on trucking, and this weekend there's a great reason to check in. Saturday, the Market will be celebrating two of the best reasons for being alive with the inaugral Cheese and Apple Festival. The kickoff will be a farmhouse breakfast cooked by The Salty Tart's Michelle Geyer. Sample local and international cheeses, learn how to throw an awsome raclette party, check out some hand-pressed cider, watch the making of fresh mozzarella, and take in a little pumpkin bowling. There, now don't you feel better? 

At 6:30 tonight Jews all across the Twin Cities will gobble down a handful of cashews or quickly finish their dinners, knowing that at sunset at 6:39, they will begin the traditional Yom Kippur fast. We go without food until sunset (6:38) Thursday as part of the ritual period of cleansing, mindfulness, and clarity that embodies the “day of atonement.” By mid-afternoon Thursday, most of us will have headaches, be cranky, and sitting through our second or even third service at temple. We will know exactly what we are having for dinner and the exact moment we can eat it.

Jews are legendary restaurant patrons, but one place you won’t find us Wednesday night or during the day on Thursday is in a restaurant. And there are few Twin Cities restaurants where the Jew to Lutheran quotient of diners is quite as high as Golden Valley’s Good Day Cafe, which combines the qualities my grandparents admired of high quality, fast service, lots of choices, and good value. It’s not a deli, but when in Rome . . .

The problem with Good Day Cafe is the crowds. Get there after 11:30 a.m., and a timely lunch is out of the question. Weekend breakfasts recall the morning after Thanksgiving at Best Buy. Hordes, hordes, and more hordes. But for a few hours on Thursday, my friends, if you’ve been wanting to eat at GDC and not have to wait, it’s your day. It will be the most Gentile day Good Day has had since, well, last Yom Kippur. The fressers, chozzers, and MOTs are at Temple. Or lying in bed rationalizing that Advil is not food, and if it is, how am I going to get gefilte fish and brisket for fifteen on the buffet at 6:38 p.m.?

Yours in contrition,

How many three- and four-star restaurants can one metro area have? Well, we have thirty-six, yep, thirty-six. What prompted my inquiry was Rick Nelson’s four-star review of Salty Tart Bakery at the Midtown Global Market in last week’s Strib.

According to The New York Times, New York City has just thirty-four restaurants of that rank. Now, I am not saying we don’t have a bevy of quality restaurants, I just think the star system that is used in many cities has been bastardized. Four-star restaurants in New York are exceptional, and I mean exceptional if not perfect. Team service; crystal stemware; polished silver; soothing ambiance; service in which your drink is magically refilled without notice; a service staff with incredible knowledge of menus, ingredients, and guest relations aplomb; a sommelier on staff; white linen tablecloths and napkins; you get the picture. 

If you have not experienced this at our many three- and four-star restaurants then you have reason to complain, not to the restaurant or restaurateur, but to the reviewer. How can so many three- and four-star restaurants expect to meet expectations when they don’t even aspire to this level of experience?

There are, in my opinion, a very small handful of four-star caliber restaurants in the Twin Cities, but not thirty-six, and there should be no such entity as a four-star bakery rated on the same scale as restaurants. (Which is not to say a bakery cannot be great).

The San Francisco Chronicle uses a neat system in which it rates the major aspects of the dining experience separately: food, service, atmosphere, price, and noise level. I like this system much better than a ubiquitous star rating as it gives the reader a better idea of what to expect and a dissection of the areas in which that restaurant performs especially well or poorly—after all, some of us only care about the food.

The Twin Cities has a booming restaurant scene with more choices than ever. Please patronize our locally owned restaurants and don’t let a star rating be the deciding factor when picking a spot to eat.

Editor’s Note: We welcome local chef/caterer Philip Dorwart to mspmag.com’s Foodie File. He’ll be blogging roughly twice each week. The opinions expressed are entirely his own.

This Fresh Forkin' Friday has me getting psyched for the event at the W this weekend. Seriously, you should really think about getting off your duff and getting down there to hang out with Colicchio, Zimmern, Frost, and other major in-town foodiphiles. Come on, we'll laugh, we'll snack, we'll toss off jokes about things like fennel and sriracha. You can tell me what you think of this blog, and we'll be best friends who share pumpkin bread recipes! What else are you going to do, go to another apple orchard?

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Sad, sad news that everyone is talking about: jP is now shuttered and done. Reading the note posted on their website, it seems that the only good news is that JP might be available for private booking during the holiday season.

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On the upside, you can look forward to a newer, bigger Kitchen Window when Calhoun Square gets its facelift. It looks like they'll double the size of their cooking school space, adding a rooftop terrace. We know how well those play.

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I am thrilled by the existence of La Belle Crepe (Nicollet Mall in the Medical Arts Bldg.)! On my way to Zelo for lunch, I strolled by the space and nearly danced an impromptu jig as I realized that soon I would be able to gorge myself on hot, chocolatey, straight-from-the-pan Nutella crepes instead of eating an actual lunch. These are the things that keep us going, no?

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Tonight is the grand re-opening of Andy's Garage at the Midtown Global Market. Starting at noon, you can get 15 percent off any menu item, you burger-and-shake-heads, you. At 5:30 p.m., the music starts and people start bobby-soxin'.

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Wine is flowing this month, all over town. Wildfire in Eden Prairie is hosting a killer, four-course Stags' Leap wine dinner next Wednesday (book soon, space is limited). October is Fair Trade month, and Etica will be celebrating "Drink Like You Give A Damn" with wine tastings and classes in conjunction with some well-meaning folks, such as Peace Coffee, The Wedge, and Divine Chocolates. And finally, Haskell's Fall wine sale is well under way. Deals can be found until the 25th.

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In a telling spin-control maneuver, r. norman's is now called Seven the Steakhouse. Let's hope they change more than the name. 

Things are trending downward. Bailout bills aren’t passing, one kertrillion dollars vamoosed from Wall Street, and in my house on Main Street, I’ve got a marital ache called monetary discord. What’s next? Plastic in my chocolate? My gawd!

At times like these, when defenestrating myself feels reasonable and possibly prudent, I have to remember that it’s better to chin up, stick to the budget, and make something delicious. Something like, say, a cheese plate. This is where Benjamin Roberts, the affable cheesemonger at France 44’s cheese shop, can help. Roberts specializes in domestic, farmstead cheeses. He argues persuasively that good cheeses should be accorded the dignity of thoughtful composition. A cheese plate can have countless arrangements and accoutrements (read about it here, and keep those rinds turned in), but it should always offer a progression of flavor and intensity.

Roberts recommended I try a trio of cow’s milk selections: a light, peppery Toussaint from Sprout Creek Farm ($12/.5 lb.), a creamy Bridgid's Abbey from Cato Corner Farm ($17/.5 lb.), and an earthy, morning milk blue called Bayley Hazen from Jasper Hill Farm ($12.50/.5 lb.). Add a touch of honey, a few tavern peanuts, and we’re feeling better already. Oh, and if you’re anything like me, you won’t leave without an inexpensive Sangiovese or something equally delightful from the folks next store.

The Cheese Shop at France 44, 4351 France Ave. S., 612-925-3252, france44.com. Note: Toussaint is currently out of stock. Expect more by next Wednesday, October 8.