Krik's Picks

 "Omakase" - This is what the guest says to the Japanese sushi chef. It means "I leave it to you" or "I trust you." After saying it, the guest will receive a procession of plates all at the discretion of the chef. Kado no Mise - This translates as "corner store or restaurant." It's also the name of an omakase style restaurant in Minneapolis. As the name implies, the restaurant occupies the corner of north First Street and north First Avenue in the North Loop neighborhood. Shigeyuki Furukawa - The chef at Kado no Mise , a 2026 finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Midwest award.  My son and I scored a mid-week reservation at Kado no Mise. It was our second time dining there; the first was in 2021. The heightened attention from the Beard nomination provided the nudge to go again now. Also, my wife and I are planning a trip to Japan, and one of my goals is to have an omakase dinner there. I am eager to see how the meal in Japan co...

  We have some really great museums in the Twin Cities. They are interesting, engaging, and thought-provoking. Sadly, living here, I get busy with 'life' and don't make the time to visit museums like I do when on vacation.  But when my sister came to town this month, we planned a museum visit and lunch.  We both really like   The Museum of Russian Art . So that's where we went.  Our timing wasn't great. The museum had just finished a major exhibition called "Spies and Space: Cold War Artifacts from Both Sides of the Iron Curtain." They were still packing up the artifacts, so we were able to see some of them, even though the exhibition was technically over.  Still, the museum had several other exhibits that we enjoyed viewing.  Violins of Hope: A collection of restored violins that were played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. Say 'No' to War: A collection of political cartoons by Ukrainian and Russian artists conveying the traged...

Whenever my wife and I talk about going out for sushi,  Ama Sushi Edina is the first place we think of. The sushi is made from the freshest fish, and the presentation is beautiful. The price is reasonable and a great value. The only hitch - they don't take reservations, and it's so popular that we often have to wait to be seated.  I don't mind waiting. But the last time we went, it was bitter cold which made the wait very uncomfortable. We've kind of decided that in the future, we'll go when the weather is more tolerable so we can stroll the neighborhood while waiting.  When you do get seated, the first thing they bring you is a bowl of miso soup. When you place your order, it doesn't take long for the food to appear. On our most recent visit (when it was so cold), we accepted a seat at the bar. Not ideal, but it got us out of the cold. After the miso soup, we shared an order of squid salad. One word - Great! For my dinner, I had a sushi combo - 7 pieces of sus...

 I love finding a neighborhood restaurant that checks all the right boxes.  Family friendly Comfortable ambiance Good food Reasonable prices Risata Cucina in Robbinsdale (northwest Minneapolis suburb) fits that description.  My wife and I took our son and his family there for a Saturday night dinner. There were six of us - 2 grandparents, 2 parents, 2 teenagers. With a group that size, we were able to try a variety of items on the menu.  We started with appetizers - fried calamari and arancini. We were served a generous portion of the calamari; everyone could get some. An order of arancini is four; our server brought us an extra half order so everyone could get one. I liked the calamari, but my favorite was the arancini. They were mushroom arancini and the earthy mushroom flavor was great.  Everyone ordered from the pasta menu for our main dishes. My son and his daughter had casarecce scampi. The pasta was short, twisted noodles with smoked bay scallops, lemon...

 My extended birthday celebrations came to a glorious end in mid-December, nearly a month after my actual birth date. (That was Thanksgiving Day.) My daughter treated me to dinner at Terzo in south Minneapolis.  Unlike the other two restaurant birthday dinners, I had been to Terzo in the past; multiple times, actually. I've even posted in this blog about the restaurant twice - once in 2014 as we prepared for a trip to Italy and again in 2016 just before another Italian trip.  Terzo continues to be a favorite of mine. So it was an easy choice for a birthday dinner, especially since my daughter hadn't eaten there previously.  We started with a glass of prosecco and an order of arancini . Next we had salads. My daughter had 'misticanza' which was a beautiful mixed salad with baby lettuce, pea tendrils, fresh herbs, radish, celery, egg yolk and a light dressing. I had a seasonal salad 'autumnale'.  Smoked trout on pasta Terzo offers half orders of its pasta entre...

As I explained in my previous post, I turned 70 years old on Thanksgiving Day 2021. That being something of a milestone, I ended up enjoying four birthday dinners. Thanksgiving dinner was the first. Two weeks later, my wife and I had a special dinner at Italian Eatery in Minneapolis. You can click here to read that post, or simply scroll down to it after you read this post.  Both my son and my daughter gave me the gift of having dinner with each of them individually. They actually did pay for those dinners. But I would have been happy to pay just to have the time alone with them.  Just four days after Birthday Dinner No. 2, I picked up my son and we went to Kado no Mise , a Japanese restaurant serving a fixed price "omakase" tasting menu. The restaurant's website explains that Kado no Mise translates as "corner restaurant." (The restaurant is located at the corner of N. 1st St. and N. 1st Ave. in Minneapolis.) The website further explains that "omakase...

 In my previous post - The Story So Far - I noted that one of the things that happened during 2021 was that I had a birthday. Not just any birthday. I turned 70.  When I was a kid, my parents (or at least my mother) usually made a big deal about birthdays for me and my siblings. But Mom and Dad never made much of a big deal about their own birthdays. So I suppose it's not surprising that in my adult years, I also never made much to-do about my birthday. While I was still working, I usually would still go to work. My wife and I would have a nice birthday dinner out at a restaurant sometime in the relatively close vicinity of the actual birth date.  But, 70 is a bigger deal. So it justified having multiple birthday dinners. (Stay tuned for Nos. 3 and 4.) When I rebooted this blog, after a 14-month hiatus, I decided to give up any pretense that my restaurant posts are actual 'reviews.' Restaurant reviewers have standards and a process for evaluating a restaurant, its ambian...

For Fathers Day, in June, my daughter's present to me was to have lunch together. (Sweet.) I got to pick the location. I wanted to be careful not to pick too expensive, in case she insisted on picking up the check. I didn't purposely pick a theme, but my choices all were along 50th Street in South Minneapolis. Two of the choices were reliable favorites:   St. Genevieve at 50th & Bryant and Terzo at 50th & Penn. The third choice was a new restaurant at 50th & France - Coalition . Tovah picked Coalition. It exceeded expectations. The South Minneapolis/Edina location is the second Coalition location. The original is located in Excelsior. We seldom go out that direction. I don't think I've ever eaten there. And now I don't have any reason to, since the new location is so good. The decor at Coalition is sleek and modern with chrome, brick, and high ceilings. My daughter arrived early and got us a high-top table next to the window facing onto 50th Street....

Our local restaurant reviewer has a blog that he calls Burger Friday. Each week, he writes a post about a different burger served in Twin Cities restaurants. I do keep his comments in mind when considering different restaurants around town. But truthfully, I seldom order a burger. This past Friday, however, his post was about fish sandwiches. (Click here to read it.) I do have a favorite fish sandwich, which I've noted in a previous Kriks Picks post. (Click here to read it.) But when I was downtown at lunch time today, I thought about his blog post and decided to try the fish sandwich at Sea Change . I've written several posts about Sea Change. It's one of my favorite special occasion restaurants. (Click  here  for my most recent.) Fish sandwich at Sea Change When I reread my previous post about Sea Change, I realized that this wasn't the first time I've had the fish sandwich. I did like it both times. The fish is thick and moist and flaky. It's served w...

There's lots to like about Lela , the classy Italian restaurant at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel. The food ... is amazing. It's creatively prepared and beautifully presented. The flavors are fabulous. The decor is comfortable and modern. The space is open and bright. Yet, despite all that's attractive about it, my wife and I were let down after our belated Valentine's dinner. It was not a busy evening. We had a reservation for 7:30, but it would not have been necessary. There were many open tables available. (I hope that's not a telling sign.) Still, somehow, the service was slow and inattentive. A glass of Prosecco and deviled eggs At first, I dismissed my wife's impatience. We planned to go out to hear music after dinner. But we weren't really in a hurry. So when it took longer than necessary to get a couple glasses of Prosecco, I just said we should relax and go with the flow. Unfortunately, it wasn't just slowness. We started with an order...

My wife and I used to go to the Commodore when we were younger. That would have been in the mid-1970s. For us, the main attraction in those days was live music in a venue that recreated the feel of a classy jazz club. If I remember right, we used to hear the Wolverines Classic Jazz Orchestra play there. Sadly, the Commodore closed in 1978 after a gas explosion and fire. Dining room at The Commodore, St. Paul So when the Commodore reopened in late 2015, we were excited to give it a try. But, you know, life happens. So it took us more than a year to finally make our way to St. Paul. We went on a Saturday evening in February with 4 other friends. I'm happy to report that it appears to be successful. It was hard to get a reservation, and the tables were full of enthusiastic diners when we were there. Any review of this renovated and reinvigorated establishment has to begin with the decor. It's amazing. There are 3 different lounge areas, each with its own bar. Consequently,...

Here's a venue that really has it all. Located on 'Eat Street' in South Minneapolis, Icehouse is a surefire winner whatever your mood. For my wife and me, the Saturday night dinner show is our usual attraction. The music starts at 6:30 p.m. There's no cover charge. It's usually a duo, occasionally a soloist. The music is restrained enough to accommodate dinner conversation. But the line-up of locally renowned artists assures that you're going to hear some good music as well. When we came last Saturday, the performers were Patrick Harison and James Buckley. Harison plays the button accordion and Buckley plays acoustic bass. They performed a wide variety tunes, mostly jazz, some with Middle Eastern harmonics. As a music venue, Icehouse is intelligently designed. The stage is in the middle of a big, two-level dining room. We've only ever been seated on the ground floor where there isn't really a bad table for hearing and watching the performers. There m...

I don't usually order sandwiches when I'm out for lunch. It's not that I have anything against sandwiches in principle. It's just that when I'm eating out, I usually prefer something more creative, an entree, or even a salad. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to put some stuff between two slices of bread. (Exception: Grilled cheese. I LOVE grilled cheese sandwiches.) Earlier this year, Borough , a restaurant that I really like quite a lot, started serving lunch. So late in summer, when I was downtown during the lunch hour, I decided to give it a try. They have several items on the lunch menu that look good. But for some reason, I decided to try the pastrami sandwich. So glad I did. Pastrami on Rye at Borough The pastrami was excellent. Great flavor and very tender. Borough does a nice job with proportions. There's a generous serving of meat on the sandwich, but it's not piled ridiculously high. The sandwich is on a very tasty rye bread that...

There's a relatively new place in south Minneapolis that's getting a lot of favorable buzz. St. Genevieve is a French wine bar in a quiet residential neighborhood. We had a 7:30 reservation on a Saturday night. So, yeah, they take reservations! Big plus in my book.  Friends had told us it's quite noisy, and in the entryway, it was. But we were seated at a table near the back, and it wasn't too bad. Probably the most impressive thing was the friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating staff. It was our first time there. The hostess sat down next to us and explained how things work - mostly small plates, encourage sharing, wine by the glass or bottle, half glasses of wine available. Very nice.  When we had questions about the wine, our server was very helpful - accurately describing the ones we were interested in. We liked our choices. My wife usually shies away from Pinot Noir, but when she inquired about it, the server noted that it's a white Pinot Noir - Pfeffi...

We have some friends who've recommended Eastside for a long time now. I don't have any excuse why we haven't dined there sooner. But I can assure you, we'll be back. Food: 5 Service: 4 Ambiance: 4 Value: 5 Recommendation: The menu is very diverse. You can choose 'snacks', small plates, large plates or sides to suit your tastes and appetite. On our first visit, we chose a side of cauliflower to split as a starter. Then we each ordered an entree. She had a bison burger and I had lamb. Despite my aversion to ordering a burger for dinner, this one was delicious. And my lamb was great as well. Our server was friendly and attentive. The decor is hip, modern, and comfortable. We felt that very satisfied with the price we paid for the quality of the food and drink we consumed. We'll definitely be back, and I'll write a fuller review. But we were so pleased with our first experience at Eastside that I wanted to post a quick, preliminary review.

We met friends at Terzo to talk about travel in Italy. As my wife and I plan our next trip, we got lots of good suggestions from these friends, and she had just returned from skiing in the Italian Alps. So between us, there was a lot of enthusiastic discussion of our planned itinerary. I wrote my previous review of Terzo in 2014, as we were planning our first trip to Italy after I retired. Our intent was to sample wines from the regions where we'd be traveling. It was a great strategy for shaping our expectations of the wines we'd be tasting on the trip. Not that we need to make up an excuse to go to Terzo, but planning for our next trip was as good a reason as any. Also, Terzo has revamped its food menu, now offering more meals and a prix fixe option. We've always liked the food there, and we eagerly anticipated the new menu. This visit turned out to be an exploration of Italian white wines. The ladies started out with a glass of prosecco. My wife commented afterwards...

My wife and I treated our son and daughter-in-law to a joint birthday dinner in January. His birthday is in December, hers is in February. So January was a nice middle ground. They picked the locale - Victory 44 in Minneapolis. I've written about the restaurant before, once for a wine dinner they had about a year ago and once for lunch after I retired in 2013. Both times were with my son. So you can tell that it's one of his favorites. The restaurant is in the Victory neighborhood of North Minneapolis, located on 44th Ave. N. (hence the name - Victory 44.) The dinner menu consists of a creative assortment of dishes. You might be tempted to call them small plates. They are quite reasonably priced. But in general, each serving probably is enough to share between 2 people. When you order, you can pick your own assortment of plates, each of which is individually priced. But the real V44 experience is the tasting menu for two. And on Tuesdays, (the night we went) the date nig...

I’ve always liked Café Lurcat and Bar Lurcat . Although they’re two separate establishments, they complement each other nicely. The Bar has a cool, hip vibe, great cocktails and excellent bar food (many of the same items available at the café.) The Café is elegant and sophisticated, the food is delicious, creatively prepared, and beautifully presented. But we hadn’t been to either in a while. Why did it fall off our list? Well, we used to enjoy the live music in the Bar. But they don’t have live music regularly anymore. And the last time we went to the Café for a celebration dinner, we had a problem with a server-with-attitude. So despite really liking the ambiance and the food, we’ve opted for other restaurants for anniversary and birthday dinners lately. We also don’t usually go out on New Year’s Eve. But I saw a notice of Lurcat’s menu for New Year’s Eve and it just appealed to me. So we decided to give it a try. Well, not only was it a great way to welco...