Great Taste

Four Stars Feedback

Here's a very early look at the Four Stars Feedback column coming up on Tuesday -- readers tell me of other hot spots for wings in the area. (The cute winged buffalo at left comes from Unknowntshirt.com :

Based on extensive research -- not just on a wing and a prayer -- I recommended four great places in the Rochester area to enjoy buffalo wings in last week's Four Stars column: Buffalo Wild Wings, TGI Friday's, Green Mill and Beetle's.

Several readers helpfully responded with notes on their own favorite wing joints.

Jane Gilbert says, "I was stunned not to see my favorite place for wings -- Canadian Honker -- which I discovered when I moved here from Minneapolis. The Honker buffalo wings meet all the criteria outlined in your article -- bone-in, not greasy or fatty, a peppery sauce, a great blue cheese dip and fresh celery...a dozen delicious wings are worth more than a $3 happy hour price for a smaller serving. Perhaps your contest was really for folks who want a smallish appetizer followed by a larger meal? The Honker serves enough that they can be shared, and if you don't want to share, you can take some home and they are good warmed up, too.

"I must confess that I have not tried wings at your four top places but I will do so, if reluctantly...in the interest of science. "

Like Jane, I'm selfless in dedicating myself to science, so I'll refresh my memory about the Honkers' wings.

The Branding Iron in Preston is another hot place for wings, says Kevin Ostern. "They have great Garlic Wings, and on Fridays you can't beat happy hour, when they have free wings and tater skins -- how can you beat that? Hope to see you there."

I hope to see me there, too -- can't beat that deal.

If you want to wing it in the Fountain area, check out the Bent Wrench Bar and Grill, according to Beth, a reader in that area. "On Thursdays they have a Wing Basket special. They have eight different kinds to choose from, and four different dipping sauces. Parking is never a problem and service is wonderful!"

I'm sure Beth is right -- about the parking as well as the wings -- and will add the Wrench to my list.

Paul Smith, kitchen manager at McGoon's Pub & Restaurant in downtown Rochester, says he "would tend to agree" with my four pics but says "come down to McGoon's and try our bone-in wings with a variety of homemade sauces. To list a few sauces, we have Sweet Chipotle, Mango Habanero, and Too Dam Hot. Hope to see you down here!"

Regarding this month's Four Stars picks, I'm looking for recommendations on the best Asian food in the Rochester area. Two readers have already recommended Hunan Garden in Rochester, which I'll revisit soon. One reader, Pauline, said,  "You've probably had the Happy Family dish at Hunan Garden?  I'm always amazed at how well they do seafood -- succulent, never rubbery.  This dish is huge and features jumbo shrimp and scallops along with chicken and roast pork, plus veggies."

Look for the Four Stars review on Asian restaurants in the Tuesday, Feb. 23, edition. And in the March column, we'll sample the best Friday Fish dinners in the area for the Lenten season. Any tips?

Tips and comments can go to Jay Furst, Four Stars, P.O. Box 6118, Rochester, MN 55903 or furst@postbulletin.com.

How far is it to the nearest light, crispy-on-the-outside, still-warm doughnut?

That is the question.

Possible contenders: Daube's Cakes & Bakery, Rochester; Otto's Bakery & Coffee Shop, Byron; Jenny Lind Bakery, Red Wing.

Upscale junque food, made right here in MN

It's mid-January, it's cold and gray. There's no end to winter in sight, and you were supposed to start dieting a week ago.

Sound Familiar? Doesn't sound familiar?  Well, fuggedaboudit and eat some popcorn!

Today our popcorn pick is Angie's Kettle Corn. A 7-ounce bag has made things temporarily look better to Gourmanda Galore, even though she heard--sigh--"California Dreamin'" on the radio this morning.  

There are "about" seven servings per container, according to "Nutrition Facts" on the back of Angie's Kettle Corn's now-empty bag. Gourmanda didn't pay a lot of attention to this as she consumed all the salty-sweet, crunchy corn in about two hours. She ate more than 1,000 calories of popcorn, corn oil, sugar and sea salt and now she's plopped against pillows and typing to tell you about it. 

GG doesn't feel quite as bad about wolfing down a bag of junk (or "junque," its two-syllable kitsch-uppity counterpart) food because....Angie's is made in Mankato and has "no artificial anything"!

Readers, GG doesn't suggest that you eat a whole bag in one sitting but she does think Angie's is the best kettle corn she's ever had--even when it was fresh made out of the kettle. The sugar-salt ratio is well balanced and the corn is big, light and fresh-tasting.

More on Angie's Kettle Corn: http://angieskettlecorn.com/

GG

 

Valentine's Day Dreamin'?....Think Caramel Knowledge

Great Taste recommends Caramel Knowledge, an uber fresh tasting, liquid-caramel-filled rich chocolate, as edible delight for that special Valentine. Made in Minnesota, Caramel Knowlege is available in limited supply at Sopra Sotto, Rochester.

Great Taste will be seeking out more sweet wonders in the weeks before February 14.

Reader suggestions are welcome, too.

   

Are these superfoods/drinks in your diet?

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/the-11-best-foods-you-arent-eating/?em

Note to New York Times: Please do not make assumptions.

New York Times you are invited to spend some time here on Planet Beet, aka Minnesota. Last weekend Great Taste enjoyed slow-roasted beets that she had drizzled with Asaro Oli Agrumati orange olive oil before placing in the oven. That was amore. 

Great Taste decided on the slow roast method after recently dining on a half of one big 'ol delicious beet at Corner Table in Minneapolis. (BTW: Sontes, Rochester, is currently featuring "Roasted Local Beets.")   

Then there are the ubiquitous pickled beets that show up regularly at farmers markets and food coops.

Not to mention borscht--luscious beet soup. Great Taste shared a recipe last October from her Russian friend Yelena, who lives in Wisconsin.  

http://postbulletin.typepad.com/great_taste/russian/

And beets are only the first item on "The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating" list.

Be hip, NYT. You need not be a Grey Lady. People enjoy a greater diversity of foods than, perhaps, those who work in Midtown Manhattan skyscrapers and spend a large portion of their lives blinking at computer screens may think. (Great Taste still loves you, though.)

Readers, do you agree? Do you seek out cabbage, blueberries and pumpkin seeds more than Leinie's and tater tots?

GG

 

Leinie's wins again

I can't disagree with this report at all -- Leinie's Classic Amber has moved past Honey Weiss and is closing in on Leinie Red as my favorite product from Chippewa Falls:

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (January 13, 2010) – It was a “classic” year for the 143-year-old Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company. The legendary brewer’s newest year-round offering, Leinenkugel’s Classic Amber, has been named the #1 new craft item in the U.S. in 2009 based on sales by The Nielsen Company, a leading monitor of supermarket data.

-- JF

January means....ordering seeds, going to a film fest

It's time to start thinking about the produce garden!

Great Taste is a fan of Seed Savers Exchange, just south of the border in Decorah, Iowa. The 2010 seed catalog is available on request by mail or online: http://www.seedsavers.org/

Some of Great Taste's reliable favorites: Lettuce Leaf Basil, Detroit Dark Red Beet, Federle Tomato, and Black Beauty Zucchini. 

If you're ready to come out of hibernation, head to Decorah for the first Oneota Film Festival, January 22 and 23.

Great Taste's fave local food find of 2009

The best honey Great Taste has had from any producer in the West, North or East* is Hillview Honey from C. Richard Anderson, Northfield.

The honey was purchased from Fireside Orchard & Gardens, Northfield, which is now officially closed for the season.

Like many locally grown foods and food products in Minnesota, supplies can be limited. Whatever it is, if you like it , buy it if and when you can. In this case Great Taste bought the last jar of Hillview Honey on the shelf. When Great Taste researched Hillview Honey on the internet, nothing turned up. (For GT, this is "buying local" at its most interesting and mysterious.)

So what is this blog post about, anyway?

Well, Great Taste wants to share with others this honey discovery, but also, meanwhile, GT received a comment about the Simple Good and Tasty (aka SGT) blog from Minneapolis. Yes, GT loves it too and highlighted it in a post last month. Currently there is a recipe for baklava on the site's main page, along with information on Minnesota honey production and names of some good honey producers whose liquid gold may actually be in stock in a grocery store.  

http://simplegoodandtasty.com/   

More on baklava: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baklava

*Tupelo honey, a southern specialty, is in a class by itself.  

GG

Also on the wish list: bulgogi

I want my.......I want my.....I want my bul-go-gi! 

Readers, is there any place you've found in Minnesota, western Wisconsin or northeastern Iowa that makes a memorable (for the right reasons) version of this signature Korean dish?

GG

Rather! January recipes from across the pond

Check out these recipes from the BBC's website. (Think Florida, California, and Mexico for produce from the Mediterranean region.)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/in_season/january.shtml

Cheerio! (Ah, that's bye-bye, not cereal.)