Krik's Picks

When I wrote the piece that I posted last night, about our January trip to New Orleans, there were a few details I neglected to include. Fleur de Lys – You see it everywhere in the city. I’ve always known that it’s a common symbol of the city and that it traces back to the city’s French roots. But we had one local tell us that since Hurricane Katrina, it’s also become a symbol of the city’s determination to overcome the hurricane’s impact and rebuild. Men’s fashion – We packed casual for this trip. We didn’t intend to go to any high class restaurants (I know that some require a jacket and tie). But I was kind of surprised to see many men wearing formal business suits even walking the streets of the French Quarter. And when I was shopping with my wife, I was excited that many of the boutiques sold bow ties and many jewelry and antique stores included cuff links and tuxedo sets for men. As I mentioned in my original post, I did buy a bow tie. I saw it at NOLA Couture in the Frenc...

Before I retired, every few years I’d attend an industry meeting in New Orleans. It always was a lot of fun, and my wife sometimes would come along for a few days of vacation. One of the associations had a conference planned there for winter of 2006. But in August 2005 Hurricane Katrina changed all that. The conference was relocated to Orlando, and I never made it back to New Orleans. This winter, as we discussed where to go for a short get-away from the Minnesota winter, we decided it was time for a return trip. This time, no conference sessions to work around. It would be just good food, fun music, and warm weather. Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad. The city experienced a cold spell during the 5 days we were there in late January. Still warmer than Minnesota. But one day, the temps stayed in the 40s. Didn’t bother us to much, but a lot of the locals were complaining. As we planned the vacation, we did have second thoughts a few times. Our son (who lived in New Orleans for a few mont...

Whenever I’m asked what’s my favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities, I answer Meritage in St. Paul. But lately I’ve started to consider that maybe Meritage’s younger sister in Minneapolis, Brasserie Zentral , might displace her as my No. 1 choice. Both restaurants are the creations of Chef Russell Klein and his wife Desta. There are some family similarities – a commitment to fresh and top quality ingredients, elegant (though not stuffy) ambiance, masterful preparation and beautiful presentation. But while they share familial traits, they have distinctive personalities. Meritage is French. But the menu offers some playful riffs – matzo ball soup that’s so good some of our friends have considered serving at their Passover Seders or a duck liver ‘schmear’ that’s unlike any chopped liver appetizer I’ve ever eaten. Zentral, on the other hand, is primarily Hungarian, Austrian, and northern Italian. It’s menu features things like sausages, spaetzle and dumplings, smoked fish, and schnitz...

I’ve had lunch a couple of times at Ngon Bistro and really enjoyed it. I’ve even posted a blog review about one of those lunches. (Click here to read it.) I’ve been looking for an opportunity to head across the river and try it for dinner. And that’s what my wife and I did this past Saturday. Food = 5/5 Service = 5/5 Ambiance = 4/5 Value = 4/5 As you can tell from my ratings, we liked Ngon Bistro for dinner very much. I’m not a big fan of Asian cooking. But I think that one reason why I like Vietnamese cooking is because much of it has a French influence (from the bad old days of French Indochina colonialism.) The menu at Ngon reflects this cross-cultural amalgam. My wife, who likes Asian fare much more than I do, focused on the traditional items on the menu, especially the pho. Ngon regularly receives kudos for its pho. Besides the pho, she was very excited by the variety of dishes offered, but finally picked the seafood pho served with shrimp dumplings and mu...

The outside temperature was 3 degrees and the wind chill was –14 as I started working on dinner this past week. But a little cold weather doesn’t stop me from firing up the Weber grill. Grilled salmon is our familiar favorite and we have it almost weekly. I use a charcoal grill. It takes a little extra prep time to get the coals burning. But my wife and I think the flavor of the charcoal is worth the trouble. For the salmon, I lightly sprinkle it with no-salt lemon pepper. It’s actually not an easy product to find. You can find lemon pepper at most supermarkets. But if you want no-salt added … that’s not so easy. I usually buy it in bulk at the Linden Hills Co-op . After the coals are hot, I arrange them toward the outside of the Weber kettle so that the fish roasts with indirect heat. Then I simply lay the seasoned fish on the grate, skin-side down. Then I put the cover on the grill and let it cook for about 20 minutes, a little longer if it’s a bigger piece or if the coals don’t...