Krik's Picks

I spent a week at home in mid-May. During the week, I did a lot of work in my yard and got my flowers and herbs planted. I also did a lot of cooking. As a present to my wife, I cooked dinner every night of the week. It gave me a chance to try a bunch of recipes that I hadn’t taken time to try previously. All of the recipes were from Bon Appetit 2008. I asked Linda which recipe she liked best. She declined to pick one. So for Krik’s Picks, I’m posting the two that were my favorites. One was what I considered to be the best meal of the week. The other was the most fun to prepare.

This recipe was my favorite meal of the week. I’ve made tzatziki before but this one had some interesting differences – shallots instead of garlic and aniseed. The recipe calls for cubing the cucumber, but I did a coarse grate on a box grater. It also called for using Greek yogurt, and I used a regular, whole-milk yogurt. As you can see in the photo, I also served orzo with the meal. For the orzo, I tossed the cook pasta with fresh garden herbs, olive oil, and feta cheese. Ingredients: 1 cup yogurt 1 cup 1/4-inch cubes English hothouse cucumber 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus additional for drizzling 2 tablespoons chopped shallots 1 1/4 teaspoons aniseed, finely crushed, divided Olive oil (for brushing and drizzling) 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left intact 8 cups baby spinach leaves 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese Preparation: Mix yogurt, cucumber, dill, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, shallots, and 3/4 teaspoon crushed aniseed i...

So this recipe was the most fun to make, and for me, also the most challenging. I’ve never been good at making pie crust. But my daughter-in-law taught me how to use the food processor to make a good pie (or in this case, pastry) crust. The fact that they turned out so nicely made it very satisfying for me. Yield: Makes 6 galettes Ingredients: Crust: 2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 4 tablespoons (or more) ice water Filling: 5 2/3 cups coarsely grated zucchini (about 1 1/3 pounds) 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided 4 tablespoons butter, divided 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup finely chopped onion 1 small garlic clove, minced 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 large egg 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper Coarse salt Preparation: For crust: Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Using fingertips, rub butt...

I must be in a Paris state of mind. I was in DC in early May and went to another French restaurant. Add that to Meritage in St. Paul in March and again in April for lunch and Montmartre on my most recent trip to DC. The restaurant I went to in early May was Café du Parc . It’s located immediately adjacent to the Willard Hotel . The friend I met recently retired from lobbying. The term ‘ lobbying ’ was invented, according to at least one story, to describe the influence peddlers who hung out in the lobby of the Willard to meet government officials. So it was an appropriate place for us to dine. We had a great time talking and a fantastic meal. The Café offers a three-course ‘prix fixe’ dinner. You select a salad/starter, entrée with side dish, and a dessert for $37.95. (Not all of the items on the menu are available with the prix fixe offer.) I started with the ‘Salade du Parc.’ It was sort of like a Cobb salad, with lettuce, cheese, hard-cooked eggs, avocado, onions and bacon. It w...

I just got back from another trip to Washington. From a business standpoint, it was very successful. From a personal standpoint, it was fantastic. I stayed at one of my favorite hotels right on Capitol Hill. The weather was stunningly beautiful – warm days, low humidity, cool nights, crystal clear skies. It was like, how could anyone be unhappy with weather like that? On my last evening, I went to a couple of political receptions. I had planned to pick up enough to eat at the receptions and not go to a restaurant at all. But the food was not good at the first one (Chinese buffet) and by the time I got to the second one, there wasn’t much left to eat. Besides that, I spent most of the time talking to people, which is why I was in DC in the first place. So after I left the second reception, I was feeling like having a light dinner. I thought of Montmartre . I’ve eaten there before and really liked it. It was only 5 blocks from my hotel, and did I mention? The weather was gorgeous. A nic...

There’s no other way of putting it – I just plain like Sonoma . That’s why I ate there twice on my last trip to DC. Food: 4 Service: 4 Ambiance: 4 Value: 3 I arrived in Washington on a Monday evening. The plane landed at 8:30. I got to the hotel at 9 and was unpacked by 9:15. I hadn’t had any dinner, but I really only wanted a light bite. I was staying at the Capitol Hill Suites . Sonoma is just around the corner. I’ve eaten there before and really liked it. So that’s where I went. It was great. I ordered both of the evening specials. The soup was minestrone. It was a very unusual minestrone. Normally I think of minestrone as being thick with vegetables. This version featured a rich, brown broth enhanced by kale, fennel, and not much else. It was very good, but like I said, quite unusual. The evening pasta special was bucatini in a cream sauce with basil, walnuts, and ricotta cheese. Honestly, I loved it. This meal was just what I wanted after arriving in DC. So the next night, I had...

I met a colleague in St. Paul for lunch at Meritage . It reconfirmed my opinion that this is one of the best restaurants in the Twin Cities. Food: 5 Service: 4 Ambiance: 4 Value: 4 The relaxed bistro décor that was so appealing for our evening dinner in March is equally as appealing during the bright light of day. The sunlight shown through the big windows looking out onto St. Peter St. The midday traffic bustled by outside, and enjoyed the view of Landmark Center out the window. It was Kentucky Derby weekend, and Daryn wanted a mint julep. Our server was a little hesitant. She’d never made one before. But she said she’d give it a try. She got the mint muddled with the sugar right, but Daryn said an authentic mint julep should be served over crushed ice. She surprised him, however, by floating a small amount of rum on top of the cocktail. Daryn said that explained the sweetness he tasted. It’s a variation he’d never had before. I decided to have a glass of their luncheon wines. They we...