the omnivore's orgy

Last week, I feasted on a variety of critters from land and sea, raw and cooked, in one evening - all in small tasting portions, of course:

grilled octopus (pictured)
The following were eaten raw: scallop, oyster (on the half shell) and yellow or bluefin tuna.

Also had fried clams, beef short ribs, lamb sausage, lamb bacon, deep-fried lamb brain, lamb and other meat meatballs. By the time the duck confit wrapped in filo dough came about I was too full to try it.

Of course there were other veggie side dishes: beans, hummus, grilled 'squeaky' cheese with watermelon. I'm probably forgetting several things. Maybe that's because everything was washed down with several glasses of sparkling wine, a mojito and a bottle of beer. Perhaps the most unusual part of the story, is, the next day, I felt great.

The sea food came courtesy of the grand opening shin dig for a restaurant called Sea Change - in the Guthrie. After that we ventured down to Saffron, where chef Sameh treated us to some of his favorite food. And it was all good.

Such is the life of the husband of a food writer. Before I met her, I probably would never had tried half the stuff I ate that night. Life tastes so much better with you, baby. Thanks.

"Never been there before" lunch week continues...

The top photo is a "german sausage" from the German Hot Dog Company. It's located right next door to Falafel King in the TCF skyway area. Due to my predilection for the crispy, deep-fried balls of joy, I'd never ventured over to the little hot dog joint. The first thing you notice about the German Hot Dog Company, is that it's run by two Asian women. Such is the nature of the great ethnic salad bowl which we call America. The sausage was very, very tasty. Unfortunately, in my haste to get back to work, I forgot to secure some ketchup and mustard. But the onions were juicy and sweet and were almost good enough to make up for the lack of liquid condiments.

On Wednesday I ventured down to Cosi in the IDS Center. They apparently focus on the Triple S lunch formula: soup, sandwich, salad. And from my limited exposure, it looks like they do a decent job. I grabbed one of my favorite sandwiches, the caprese. Although at Cosi they call it the BMT (basil, mozzarella and tomato). The flatbread was crispy on the outside and flavorful. The tomatoes were actually decent, as were the B and the M. I'll go back there.

I've never been there before

I've decided to keep the lunch week theme going, but this time I'll use a geographic, rather than food-type basis. It's easy to get stuck in a rut or routine when foraging for sustenance in this vast mountain-range of skyscrapers. So I got it in my head that I should focus on places where I've never eaten before.

First stop: Sushi Dynasty

For the first day of the new theme, I stopped at the first place I've never been to. I walked past Taco Bell, Cousins subs, Royal Orchid, a Subway (a chain which I've likened to violent ass-rape in a past post), Taco John's, Zen Box, Potbelly, and Allie's Deli before I saw this hole-in-the-wall instant sushi place.

I got a couple combos, checking closely to make sure they actually contained at least some raw fish. You have to be careful that someone isn't sneaking smoked salmon into their rolls and making them look like tuna. I'm sorry but getting smoked salmon in a roll when you expect tuna is like a kick in the taint. After the pain goes away, you're just angry.

Luckily there was raw tuna in these rolls, but unlike my favorite skyway sushi joint Tensuke (now Sushi-Do), they mince the fish. Which I think is a blatant attempt to hide poorer quality tuna. No, I don't think they're trying to poison people (most sushi tuna is frozen before it gets here anyway, killing the potential nasty bits), but part of the appeal of sushi is the presentation. And minced fish in a spicy tuna roll, doesn't look good.

I also had some eel rolls and california rolls (they help fill me up). Both left me going, "meh."

Meatless Lunch Week: Last Day

Work gets in the way of lunch sometimes. That was the case on Friday. I was rushing around town covering an Obama cabinet official's visit to Minneapolis and couldn't grab lunch until after 2 p.m.

Lucky for me Torby's Pizza lowers the price of their slices after 2 p.m. I was able to grab a slice of veggie and a slice of cheese for just more that 5 bones with tax.

Torby's is decent pizza. Although sometimes, especially after 2 p.m., the pizza you get looks like it should be placed in a 'factory seconds' bin. There's been a few occasions where I've gotten back to the office and just as I'm about to shove the slice into my mouth, I notice that parts of the crust have been charred beyond recognition. A more disciplined person would just walk back to the joint and ask for a new piece. I'm usually too hungry and just shave off as much of the edible upper layer of the crust as I can.

A hamster in the lentils

heh, heh, heh, CLASSIC

Meatless Lunch Day 4

Curried lentil soup w/ whole wheat baguette

from Au bon pain

There are three or four of these joints near me downtown. I frequent them more often during soup season (winter). But there are times during the summer when I have to grab a bowl of the curried lentil soup. It's their best liquid food offering and I really like it. Some of their soups taste like paste, so you really need to doctor them up with lots of salt, pepper or sriracha. This soup actually has flavor and usually only needs a splash of hot sauce to complete it. The medium bowl and bread is only $5.17. The baguettes are usually pretty fresh and tasty.

Meatless lunch day 3

This is the veggie curry, with a side of steamed veg from Zen Box. It is probably the best curry I've had outside Namaste Cafe. It's a hearty and elegant curry; well-seasoned and smooth. And it's filling. Sometimes, I don't finish the whole bowl. However, you know how it goes, an hour or two later, I'm hungry again.

If you can't go all the way veg with this one, they do offer the curry with a deep-fried, cheese filled pork chop on top. I'm not lying.

It's vegetarian, but not exactly health food

King size falafel w/fries from Falafel King

You can pat yourself on the back after eating this meal because it doesn't require the death of an animal. But don't fool yourself into thinking this is some kind of health food. There's deep-frying involved in this dish. The lovely balls of herbed bean paste are cooked crispy in a fryolater. You can get this dish with a side of rice instead of french fries, but don't bother. I've given up on it. The rice is so bland and overcooked, you'd get better flavor from grated styrofoam.

When the falafel are fresh, they are devine. But when they've sat a while in the steam table, they are cold, dense and mealy.

Robert Strange McNamara...

...was a complex man. He had some mighty big regrets in his day, especially escalating the Vietnam war. A few years ago I watched this documentary "Fog of War" in which the former Secretary of Defense recalls some of the big events of his long life. For me, the above clip from the movie stood out the most. In it, McNamara explains how the U.S. backed down from the brink of nuclear war with the Soviets by understanding our 'enemy.' The Soviet leader at the time was Nikita Kruschev. As you listen to what they say about him, imagine if Kruschev was Saddam Hussein.

Sadly the same advice given to Pres. Kennedy was not given to Pres. (W)Bush. Or, maybe Bush wouldn't have followed it. Yeah, he probably wouldn't have.

Meatless lunch week

It's lunch time again. And I can still feel last night's spicy meatball sub trundling through my colon. So I thought it might be appropriate to dedicate this week's adventure in lunch blogging to those dishes that are meatless. And yes, fish and seafood are included.

I'm not giving up on meat. However, Mecca and Michael Pollan have convinced me to limit my meat consumption and to eat only naturally raised and humanely slaughtered animals. And I've already taken that to heart and stomach. It is clearly more than just a health decision. There are moral and environmental factors involved which I will not go into detail on.

I regularly eat two to three meatless lunches per week. When I do eat meat for lunch it's usually meat-lite. I opt for turkey sandwiches, a slice of pepperoni pizza (i even pick off some of the pepperoni because some places just put too many on), a Chipotle burrito with chicken or the weekly sushi splurge. On a rare occasion I'll get something more meat heavy like a gyro from Falafel King.

For the first day of meatless lunch week, I chose a favorite.

Yellow curry with tofu and white rice (pictured above).

When they see me approach the steam tables, the identical twins who run the Royal Orchid in the skyway say, "the usual for you today?"

This is a substantial meal. I often can't finish it. The yellow curry is creamy. The hunks of skin-on potatoes and stewed carrots are weighty. You have to cut them with a knife. The tofu pieces are meaty and hold the flavor of the sauce. Royal Orchid also serves a side of steamed carrots, cabbage and broccoli on the side. Thankfully, the veg is nice and firm, not overcooked. I top it all off with a few squirts of sriracha chili sauce.

You may be wondering about the combination of white rice and potatoes. 'Aren't refined carbohydrates and starches evil?' Well, asian cultures have been eating white rice and potatoes for thousands of years without their folks keeling over from diabetes. I'm no nutritionist, but I suspect that white rice and potatoes combined with fat - like from animals - is more responsible for obesity, than just the carbs and starches with vegetables.

But really, I eat this dish once a week because it just tastes good.

You're lucky to be an American, act like it

Yesterday, I was lounging poolside with my friends Kim and Eric out at their Bloomington estate. As I sipped my 'beer-garita' and dipped my toes in the cool water, I reflected on my good fortune. A lot of acts of man and nature, good and evil and just plain friggin' chance got me to where I am today.

As an African American, obviously, some of my ancestors were brought here against their will. The Atlantic slave trade was one of the greatest evils committed by humans. But I have to look at the odds. My people could have easily been among the scores of millions of Africans who lost their lives.

Had my people stayed in west Africa, they could have perished in civil wars or died from a very curable disease - and I would have never made it here. Lets be real. America has not been the most hospitable place for African Americans. But considering the state of most African countries right now, I'd much rather live here than in the Motherland.

Face it if you're a natural citizen, you're here because a parent or some other ancestor came here. There are other cool countries out there, for sure. And on those days when I write out a big check to Fairview Hospitals, I yearn to live somewhere with single payer or (i'll say it) socialized medicine. But for a lot of reasons, if you were born here, you're in the top 98th percentile of good places to live. Really. You kinda won the lottery.

Unfortunately, too many of us natural citizens act like we had something to do with this. And we're proud of it.

Personally, I feel more lucky to be an American than I am proud. I really think there's too much pride in America right now. And it's lead to some pretty shitty behaviors, ie: invading Iraq, torturing suspected terrorists, and so forth.

So on this Fourth of July, think of how fortunate you are to be an American. Maybe we'd be doing a little better if more Americans started acting like they've been given a gift, instead of an entitlement.

OK, I'm getting off the soapbox and back on the couch now.

Happy Fourth of July everybody....

Turkey Sandwich Week Day 4

Thursday: Brothers Deli

This is the turkey melt from Brothers Deli. If you other so-called turkey sandwiches can hear my voice, take note. Here's what you should know. This sandwich is absolutely delightful. It is polite and thoughtful and I'm sure if it had a mother it would call it everyday.

The turkey is thickly sliced like it was carved off the bird. The dark rye bread (you should try this bread) is lightly toasted. The cheese, perfectly melted. The tomatoes taste like they're supposed to be there and are not an afterthought. And, they top it all off with a zesty, tasty mayo-like sauce.

Mozeltoff!

Sandwich week - Day Three

Wednesday - Twin Cities Bites

These folks run an independent sandwich joint in the Northstar building just downstairs from a Subway. To me Subway is to sandwiches what violent ass-rape is to sex. They've turned what should be a pleasant experience into something worse than vomiting blood from your eye sockets.

Anyway, I wanted to give these folks a try. Independent sandwich shops are the first line of defense against the invading hoardes of chains which sell failure to people and call it food. You're looking at a 6" smoked turkey sub on wheat with mustardmayolettucetomato AND pepper jack cheese. It tasted as bland as a hotel lobby oil painting. But, I'll still go back there and try some of their other stuff. However, I'll have to bring some hot sauce.

Sandwich week day two

Tuesday: Potbelly Sandwiches

I've been going to this place in the skyways for a while. There's actually two nearby. And I keep going back because they make a good turkey sandwich. The key? They toast them bitches.

Yep. That's the key right there. Heat. It adds flavor and texture to an otherwise bland, mushy affair.

Normally, I'm not a fan of places that ask you what you want on your sandwich. I'm like, 'you're making the sandwich. Do your job and make my lunch.' And even though Potbelly does that, I've learned a simple rhyme that keeps me from doting over all the friggin' choices. It goes like this, "mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato." It kinda rhymes and it's easy for me and the sandwich maker to remember. Now, they do have hot peppers. And they taste good. But they put pickled carrots in the mix and they're too damn hard and crunchy. Fucks up the whole gestalt of the grinder.

I usually get the regular size sandwich, but today I needed the big one. Only a buck more. And so far, it is the best turkey sandwich in town. But I've got three more days to go.

erk.