Red Cow

On a recent, cold Saturday evening, I was craving a hot, greasy burger. This doesn't happen often, so my family jumped at the chance to enjoy one of their favorite meals. On the way to the relatively new Red Cow on Selby in St. Paul (there is also an Edina location and a soon-to-open Minneapolis location), I told my husband I would be thrilled if Red Cow came even close to the burgers at Blue Door (where one of the most craveable burgers ever bestowed upon humanity, the Jiffy Burger, reigns supreme.) We love Blue Door, but the St. Paul location is too tiny and the Minneapolis location is...well, in Minneapolis.

Mission accomplished.

But first, the negatives, 'cause that's just who I am.

The space is gorgeous, no doubt about it, with dramatic red booths, fantastic cow paintings, and lots of dark wood everywhere. The former home of Costello's Bar is refined and classy, with pops of crimson everywhere. The seating, however, leaves much to be desired. There are only a handful of comfortable booths, and entirely too many high tops to be considered family-friendly in my book. A three-year old would risk a broken arm or two teetering up there at those high tops, and the teeny tiny vestibule was crowded with tables. I felt sorry for the poor patrons who got stuck there, with hungry would-be customers lurking over their shoulders. I don't understand the choice of high tops, but maybe I'm the exception. I find them terribly unwelcoming. They don't say, "come, sit for a while, stay for dessert." They say, "Champps" to me, and that is not a good thing. It was packed, which is always a good sign, but I would not go back on a Saturday night. Any given Tuesday, I am there.

We got lucky and after about 25 minutes, we were sat at a tiny table that barely fit the three of us, but at least it was a half booth so it was nice and cozy, and out of the way.

And now, to the good stuff. Service was top notch. Friendly, knowledgeable, unhurried. I opted for the Barcelona per the recommendation of the lovely couple next to us. Considering she was practically sitting on my lap, I felt like I could trust her already. The Barcelona is topped with Manchego cheese, prosciutto, piquillo peppers and a smoked aioli smear. They had me at Manchego. Hubby went for broke with the Royale, 'cause he's all fancy like that. Beef patty, pork belly, arugula, brie and tomato jam. Yep, super fancy.

Both burgers were decadent, perfectly cooked, and topped with on-point, balanced flavors. But the fries...oh. My. God. The fries.

Not since Little Tel Aviv in Minneapolis closed its doors have I had such wonderful French fries. When I was younger, my parents fried potatoes at home, in some old frier they dragged with them all the way from Israel, and those fries, my childhood fries, were my idea of heaven. And I'm not even a fry girl! At Little Tel Aviv, they created equally magical French fries, and now again at Red Cow. They are surreal. No, really.

I couldn't resist the dessert special, even though I finished every last bite of my burger (also never happens). Creme brûlée topped with sour cherries, or something like that. But you know what? Meh. Lovely creme brûlée, but the topping was basically thick, uber sweet cherry jam. Next time, I'm finishing my fries!

Oh, we'll go back to Blue Door. There is no way I can forgo my Jiffy Burger. But I am already planning the next trip to Red Cow (Breakfast burger, I'm looking at you!) and dreaming about those spuds.

Royale. Worth all ten thousand calories. 

Barcelona. With fries. 

He likes it! 

Kids' sliders. 

Dessert in a jar. Cute oveload. 

LoLo American Kitchen, Stillwater

After whining for years about how we never, ever, go to MY type of restaurant (read: from-scratch cooking, chef driven, local, foodie...) this past weekend we went to two, count 'em, two such places.


On Friday night we met friends at LoLo American Kitchen in Stillwater. I admit, the term "American Kitchen" has scares me off in the past. I assumed the menu will be uninspired, the cooking techniques lacking, and the spice level reduced to pleasing the Minnesota palate. But places like Tilia, Travail and many others have changed my mind, so when the opportunity for a rare visit with our Wisconsin friends at an American Kitchen presented itself, we happily went.


LoLo is a brand new build-out where once was only an alley. It's a beautiful space and one would never guess that not so long ago all that stood between the two existing buildings was a hot dog cart. The building, complete with an actual ceiling and everything, has an open kitchen, a long bar, and a few comfy booths. Being a brand new building, we were perplexed by the choice to not include some sort of a vestibule. The door opens directly from the street (up a couple of stairs) into the dining area, where several tables crowd the front. We sat at one such table, and every time the door opened, a cold gust of wind swept over us. It's Minnesota, add a heat-preserving vestibule!


On a Friday night, LoLo was packed. Our server was absolutely lovely, patiently waiting as we time and time again had gotten caught up in conversation and forgot to look at the menu. Speaking of the menu,it was a bit odd. A combination of elegant entrees like seared duck breast and maple glazed salmon are joined a bit awkwardly by a collection of tacos, hot dogs, and burgers. I assume the hot dogs are a nod to the aforementioned hot dog cart.


I went for the Korean BBQ tacos, the most exotic sounding item on the menu. My party also ordered the duck and pork belly tacos, the seared duck breast, and the roast chicken tacos, as well as the crostini trio and the roast chicken and ghost pepperjack quesadilla.


The verdict: All of the food was good. The Korean BBQ Tacos, while not terribly Korean (or BBQ for that matter) were delicious. The hanger steak in the tacos was butter soft, as opposed to the almost beef jerky texture I expected and had hoped for from Korean BBQ. It was surprising but nice. The lemongrass and napa cabbage was cool and spicy, a perfect addition. The flour tortillas were huge and fluffy, not what I expected and decidedly American. The bite and flavor of smaller corn tortillas would have been a nicer compliment to the melt-in-your mouth steak.


Appetizers were just ok. The crostini also had texture problems, with the bread being soft and soggy and the pork belly limp and overpowering. The quesadilla was also a bit of a one noter, spicy but overwhelmingly chickeny.


Although I did not partake, the cocktail program (insert my husband's eye roll) was deemed a huge success. A drink called Leave Britney Alone includes a splash of "disappointment."


The best part of the meal, as is the case for most meals, was the dessert. I skipped the cocktails in favor of a sweet bite at the end, and it was very much the right move. A cup of True Stone decaf and a heavenly butterscotch budino, topped with a layer of salty maple syrup, was a divine way to end the evening.


All in all, LoLo was a success. The LoLo web site includes a tab called Street Food but so far there are no items under the tab or any explanations as to how or when it will come to life. We are often in Stillwater and I would gladly go back to LoLo on a quieter night and try one of the burgers, perhaps and Surf 'N Turf, complete with lobster and candied bacon, and hope the budino is still on the menu.

Leave Britney Alone! With edible orchid. Would you have eaten it?

Seared duck breast. Perfectly cooked and joined by plump cherries and Yukon potatoes.

Too. Much. Tortilla. 

Next post: Red Cow Burgers.

Review of Twin Cities Chef's Table: Extraordinary Recipes from the City of Lakes to the Capital City

I love to cook, but I am obviously no Steven Brown. Still, I can work my way around a kitchen. One of the many things I love about Twin Cities Chef's Table is that the recipes have not been "dumbed down" for us home cooks. It's as if the chefs believe in us, in our ability to produce something as elegant as duck-fat roasted beets or pancetta-wrapped pheasant breasts with sweet garlic sauce. While my world involves more chicken nuggets than chicken ballotine, I appreciate the faith that it took for these well accomplished and world trained chefs to include recipes like braised octopus is the book. They shared what they wanted to share, and that is why I got the book, for the authentic insight into their kitchens.

Another thing I appreciate about Stephanie Meyer's beautiful new book is that the recipes often include many elements that can be made separately, both for monetary and sanity purposes. While I may not undertake Alex Robert's lobster with truffle butter on a weekly, or even yearly, basis, I may be able to sneak those gorgeous ricotta gnocchi into our family dinner without breaking the bank. Forepaugh's Donald's Duck may have a cute title, but I am pretty sure preparing the eight different components will send me to the loony bin. But hey, those lovely rice tots sound divine with a simple roasted chicken breast. I can do that!

The recipes span the gamut from the simple to the terrifying and everything in between. And while it is not possible for me to serve bunny agnolotti to my seven year old (unless I want to send her to therapy directly after dinner), I already tackled Brasa's citrus pork with great success. Fika's Gravlax may not become a staple in my home, but you can bet that Pizza Lola's pizza dough and Salty Tart's pastry cream will.

I have heard of, but have not visited, all but one of the establishments featured in the book. Most have been on my to-eat list for a long time, but because we are lame, we have not been very good at ticking off the list. Yet. Part of me wants to pick up another copy and keep it in the car. That way, when we are out running errands on a Saturday (there are lots of great places within 10 miles of Room and Board, it turns out) I can quickly skim the pages and choose something like Birchwood or Wise Acre instead of (please forgive me) Chili's.

Pick one up today for your favorite home Chef.