Dinner at Cafe Twenty-Eight

I recently had dinner at Cafe Twenty-Eight, a darling little place in Minneapolis' Linden Hills neighborhood. We were on the hunt for a new restaurant to try and stumbled upon it while driving aimlessly around some of our favorite neighborhoods.

I love the way the restaurant looks from the exterior (above), offering an inside glimpse of the cozy space. Here's a shot from just inside the doorway with the bar/seating to the right (weird shot, I know. Not sure what I was thinking with that one).

I was excited to learn about Cafe Twenty-Eight's commitment to sustainability and its partnerships with local farmers for organic, locally grown food. I was equally excited in my follow-up research to discover that the restaurant maintains a blog. Woot woot.

I had a tough time deciding what to order but landed on the pan-roasted organic chicken breast, which came with celery root, truffle butter and green beans. It was delicious. The chicken was fresh and flavorful and the green beans still firm and slightly crunchy. I'd never had celery root before and found it to be quite interesting. It reminded me of stuffing.

For dessert, we went with the banana cake. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this may be the best dessert I've ever ordered. The cake was warm, rich and moist. The homemade Dulce de Leche was perfect. Literally, it melted in my mouth. I'm craving it all over again just thinking about it.

I highly recommend visiting Cafe Twenty-Eight (if nothing else, just for dessert!). The space is small-ish, so it might be a good idea to make reservations. Happy eating.

TNDAH: Chicken Breasts with Zucchini Pappardelle

This TNDAH selection is actually from last night (I must have instinctively known I'd be too lazy to make dinner tonight). While grocery shopping last week, I decided to cruise the Epicurious app on my phone for a tasty-looking dinner recipe.

After browsing for what felt like hours through several grocery aisles, I came across this recipe for Chicken Breasts with Zucchini Pappardelle. I was intrigued by the 'zucchini as pasta' prospect and the total prep time of only 30 minutes.

Here's a look at the 'zucchini pasta.' It really is impressive to see what you can do with a zucchini and a vegetable peeler. Looks so fancy.
Here's the chicken sauteing. The recipe called for chicken with skin, but I went with skinless instead (didn't seem to make much of a difference to me). I also replaced the water with chicken broth based on a couple of user reviews I read (very good choice).

And here's the completed dish with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and wheat garlic bread (that's right, lots o' garlic!).

I must admit, this turned out quite delicious and was very well-presented if I do say so myself. The broth, basil and garlic brought out great flavor in the chicken, and the zucchini was a light and refreshing addition. Given all of my experimenting in the kitchen as of late, it was great to finally make something that was spot on. Two cheers for me ;)

Dinner at Amazing Thailand

We celebrated a friend's birthday at Amazing Thailand in Uptown a couple of weekends ago. I like to think of myself as a local Thai restaurant expert of sorts, so my first visit was probably long overdue.

I was impressed with the restaurant's decor and the spacious layout that easily accommodated our large group. I'm also easily amused by lights that change color (like the blue ones above).

To drink, I went with The Phuket (go ahead, say it out loud...you know you want to...actually, and not surprisingly, that's not how it's pronounced). Regardless, it was tall, bright blue and divine.

My roommates and I opted to share the cream cheese won tons (yum!).

And the spring rolls, minus chicken (eh...they were fine).

I went with shrimp Pad Thai for the main course. I usually go with chicken, but being a Friday during Lent, I found myself with shrimp for the very first time. While the shrimp were large and delicious, it was a slight nuisance to have to pick them out and remove the tails. I also could have done without the tofu. O-well. Overall, I thought the Pad Thai was decent, and I'd definitely try it again. Perhaps a B on my spotty yet oh-so influential made-up rating scale.

TNDAH: Lemon Penne with Ham and Escarole

This week's Tuesday Night Dinner at Home choice was Lemon Penne with Ham and Escarole (another selection from the Rachael Ray magazine).

After boiling the penne pasta, here it is mixed in with the sliced escarole.
Preparing the ham steak.

Whipping together the lemon sauce mixture.

Finished pasta.

All together now. Pasta with the mixed greens side salad.

This pasta was one of the most interesting I've ever had. For starters, I'd never heard of escarole before (a slightly bitter member of the endive family), but it brought a great uniqueness to the dish. The lemon zest and juice provided much of the flavor, which was at times slightly overwhelming. In hindsight, I think I could have cut back on the amount the recipe called for to balance the lemon with the other flavors. I also went with wheat pasta, which I still struggle with a bit, but overall, the recipe was a good one to try. Just another opportunity to branch out of my typical routine.

Lemon Penne with Ham and Escarole Recipe

1 lb. penne pasta

1 head escarole (about 1 lb.), sliced crosswise

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

5 ounces ham steak, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 large eggs

Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Stir in the escarole and drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water; return the pasta and escarole to the pot. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the ham, garlic and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, lemon peel, lemon juice and half of the cheese. Whisk in 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Stir the egg mixture into the pasta and cook, stirring, over low heat, until the cheese is melted and the mixture is creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the ham mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup reserved pasta water; season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining cheese.

Pizza Lucé Brunch

Somehow this past week really got away from me, and now I have a little catching up to do...Last Sunday, I met friends for brunch at Pizza Lucé on Selby Avenue in Saint Paul. I was a bit skeptical of the brunch offerings of a pizza establishment, but an advanced look at the weekend brunch menu put my mind at ease. Plus, $1 mimosas are hard to beat.

I ordered the Western Omelet, which came with ham, red peppers, green peppers, poblano pepper, red onion and cheddar cheese, along with sour cream, hash browns (I substituted regular in place of the jalapeno) and wheat toast on the side. I liked the omelet with its bit of Western flair, but I most enjoyed the hash browns. Pizza Lucé did a great job with the seasoning, making the cooked-just-right hash browns quite savory. Oh, and of course the mimosas were fab, too.

Lunch at Patrick's

Last week, I basked in the glory of a "no plans Monday" - the day off because of President's Day and nothing planned except hanging out with my roommate.

After running some errands (and a fruitless hunt for sale boots), we decided to try Patrick's Bakery and Cafe in Edina for lunch. Nestled between a Heartbreaker and Papa Murphy's in a rather non-descript strip mall, Patrick's could easily be overlooked. But, once you walk through the doors, you're greeted by a beautiful dessert case, a bustling kitchen and a packed house.
I ordered the Chicken Ranch Wrap - filled with delicious, fresh and hearty chicken. It came with a side salad of mixed greens and a tomato-ey vinaigrette. Both the wrap and salad were well-prepared and satisfying. Best of all, it was priced right. Just goes to show sometimes even strip malls have delightful little gems.

Dinner at Michelangelo's

On Valentine's Day, I went out for dinner with my roommate at Michelangelo's, a neighborhood pizzeria on 50th and Xerxes in Minneapolis. Just another of the many little establishments I've wanted to try since moving to my new neighborhood.

The space is small - basically one large booth, a smaller booth, a couple of high tops and a few free-standing tables - so it's perfectly cozy.

Being Valentine's Day and all, I decided to treat myself to the cherry coke. I love restaurants that still serve it with real cherries.

I went with the standard dinner salad with bleu cheese dressing to start, and my roommate chose the Caesar (he was a little more enticed by the promise of a healthy dose of anchovies than I was). My salad came with green peppers, black olives, tomatoes and onions on a bed of iceberg and romaine. It was the perfect portion size and a great start to the meal.

To share, we ordered a medium Chef's Special pizza that came with Italian sausage, black olives, mushrooms and mozzarella. While I wouldn't say it cracked the top five of my favorite local pizzas (Punch, Pizza Luce, Red's Savoy, Pizza Nea and Pazzaluna), it was definitely quite good. The sauce was savory with a nice combination of herbs and spices, and the pizza toppings were well-paired.

Michelangelo's has definitely solidified itself as a 'regular' in my restaurant line-up. It's a perfect neighborhood gem, doesn't give the impression that it would ever be overwhelmingly busy and is reasonably priced with nightly specials (next time I might try taking advantage of the Wednesday night pasta deal).

P.S. If you haven't seen Valentine's Day yet, run (don't walk) to the theater. Adorable. Delightful. Hilarious.