Krik's Picks

I don’t know why it took us so long to try Trattoria Tosca . When our daughter moved to Minneapolis last year and rented an apartment in Linden Hills, we used to drive by it almost weekly on our way over to visit. For that matter, we used to live in Linden Hills many years ago and always welcomed an excuse to come back to the old neighborhood. And on top of that, Linden Hills has been attracting some of the best, most creative neighborhood restaurants. While I can’t explain the delay, I’m pleased to report that we did finally eat there this past Saturday. Our verdict – excellent. Creative, innovative, delicious, pleasant, comfortable … all of those traits apply. The main dining room is a large room with a high ceiling. It’s simply decorated and inviting. There are a few tables in the entryway. Those tables would enjoy a view of the kitchen as well as the comings and goings of the clientele. But I don’t think that I’d enjoy dining there. I believe in the summer they also have sidewa...

I came across a blog post for The Daily Meal’s list of the 101 best restaurants in America. I couldn’t help looking at the list and checking how many I’d eaten at and how many I’ve reviewed on Krik’s Picks. Turns out not a lot. There are only two, actually, that I’ve posted on this blog. No. 65 on the Daily Meal’s list is minibar in DC. I went there in early 2010. I might argue that it should be higher on the list, but I certainly agree that it belongs there. The second restaurant on the list that I’ve reviewed on Krik’s Picks is Bouchon in the Napa Valley, CA. Then, there a couple of close calls. The Daily Meal’s list has Frontera Grill in Chicago. I don’t have a review of Frontera, but I do have a review of Topolobompo , which is Rick Bayless’s sister restaurant to Frontera. In fact, I kind of had the impression that Topo is supposed to be superior to Frontera. But I can’t say from experience. Then the list has Jaleo in Las Vega. I’ve reviewed Jaleo in Washington, DC. I can’t...

If my wife had been with me, I don’t think I would have eaten at Blue Marlin in Madison, WI when I was there earlier in February. You see, when I walked in the door, I was the only patron in the restaurant. Now, that didn’t put me off. When I’m traveling for business, I always eat alone. I use the time to think and plan. But it was kind of unusual to be the only diner in the restaurant. And Linda definitely wants a more social atmosphere when we pick a restaurant. I picked the Blue Marlin because a few years ago, when Linda came along with me on a business trip to Madison, we walked by and the lunch menu looked interesting. I actually don’t remember if we had lunch there. But it made my list of places to stop back and try again. So I walked in, and they gave me a good table. (Duh.) I had already previewed the menu online, so I kind of knew what I wanted. I started with the crab curry soup. I had checked the online reviews, and several diners had recommended it. Well, just as I...

How many times is a blogger allowed to write about the same subject? This is my fourth post about Meritage in St. Paul. I’ve written about a dinner with friends , a lunch , and I even wrote about another Valentine’s Day dinner there (in 2010). But it is my favorite restaurant, so here goes again. I liked the table they gave us. It was in a corner. Not really private, but some of the other tables are set pretty close to each other, and this gave us just a little more room. (I think the best tables in the restaurant are along the window looking out onto the sidewalk and Rice Park and Landmark Center . Very cosmopolitan.) The food was excellent again. They had a Valentine’s Day tasting menu. I thought it looked good, but my wife wasn’t too thrilled by a couple of the items, and they said that everyone at the table had to order the tasting menu. Besides, it was $75; probably worth it, but a little pricey. So I started with a smoked salmon rillette, one of the $3 amusements at the to...

I recently attended a conference in Naples, FL. My wife came along to warm up a little from winter. It’s not that we’re having such a cold winter in MN. But it’s not Florida. Each night of the conference, there was a reception at the end of the sessions. But a group of us usually felt like getting something a little more substantial despite noshing on reception food. So one night, we made our way into Old Naples to Sea Salt . There were 6 of us in the group, and we didn’t have a reservation when we arrived at about 7:30 p.m. Nevertheless, they were able to find us a table with only a short wait. We were sort of on a patio at the transition from the outdoor dining to the main door. They had a guitar soloist performing right at the entry. He was fairly aggressive, coming right up to people as they were waiting for a table and very obviously shilling for a tip. I tipped him early so that he’d leave us alone after that. Despite his brazenness, he was pretty entertaining, and he played ...