Mpls.St.Paul Magazine - Eat + Drink - Global Eats

Malabari Kitchen

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:07:20 GMT

Tawakal

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:37:29 GMT

Copper Pot Indian Grill

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:12:22 GMT

The new Copper Pot Indian Grill, lodged in the street-level front corner of the Lumber Exchange Building in downtown Minneapolis, is the most ambitious Indian restaurant to come along since the ill-fated OM.

The menu is brimming with dishes that are unheard of in these parts. Noteworthy specialties include tandoor-roasted Tellicherry pepper duck, lamb tenderloin in a cardamom and saffron cream sauce, and fried chickpea-floured spinach leaves. The array of fresh spices used is impressive; it was impossible for me to keep up with the host’s descriptions of the scratch seasonings that flavored the dishes. However, in some dishes such as the biryanis, diners need to be wary of biting down on the intense cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and other whole spices that mine the servings.

With such an abundance of interesting dishes from which to choose, we gave into temptation and sampled quite a few of the 20 appetizer choices. One of the signature dishes is the Malabar blue crab, a small plate of impeccably fresh lump crabmeat that has been marinated in coconut milk and assorted spices. We ended up creating wonderful little flatbread treats by spooning the shellfish onto the rice and lentil pappadums that were set out at the start of the meal.

Another standout was the Hyderabadi chicken 65—a lightly spicy, perfectly rendered version of this suddenly omnipresent roasted chicken nugget starter. A couple of other quickly consumed appetizers were the Karvari shrimp—an Indian-style tempura of plump seafood dusted in curry and chickpea flours and served with a smoked tomato chutney—and the vegetarian samosas, grease-free turnovers filled with a mild pea and potato mixture. Least captivating, the Ragada patties were sauteed Indian latkes topped with onion, tomato, and bits of crunchy lentil noodles. They were rather drab.

A couple of cream-style dishes were superb and suave. One was the classic chicken korma with a velvety, orange-tinged gravy and the other was the dum puck, adroitly braised lamb tenderloin paired with saffron- and cardamom-suffused sauce. Also deliciously satisfying was a pair of clay oven lamb chops: The Frenched, eat-with-your-hands meat lollipops had been rubbed with black cumin, cardamom, and garam masala and boasted a sublime smoky edge. For whatever reason, the medium-rare lamb emerged a tad mushy, but the great taste definitely won us over. In contrast, the coconut lamb saag sounded interesting but was a dud. It had almost no flavor, and the runny, oily sauce was a turnoff. The bread list is shorter than at most Indian places, but both the plain naan and the unique fresh mint and pomegranate paratha proved to be great sauce soppers.

All these positive qualities notwithstanding, the prices seemed to draw the most attention. The standards typically run a quarter or so more than they do at other local Indian restaurants, and while the food is for the most part flavorful, it’s not always distinctive. Take for example the classic chicken tikka masala. Priced at $13, the attractive sloped bowl serving dish presentation offered butter knife–tender pieces of chicken breast bathed in a creamy tomato-tinged sauce. While it was pleasant, it seemed understated and wanting for a hint of piquancy.

The strange collection of homemade desserts runs the gamut from a passable tres leches cake to avocado-pecan ice cream. Our chai kulfi arrived so rock hard that it was difficult to cut with a knife. Once it started to defrost a bit, it was actually quite refreshing.

The décor is minimalist: a few fabric wall hangings and a collection of copper pots amid dark wood that includes the tables. If there’s one change I’d recommend, it would be to turn up the lighting a little.

In general, the service is a notch or two above the rushed and diffident experience at many Indian spots, but on both visits what started out as impressively attentive and cheerful fell off to abandonment as the meal wound down.

Overall, the Copper Pot is expanding the local boundaries of Indian cuisine, and while the food here isn’t always palate-blazing, it’s definitely trailblazing. 10 S. 5th St., Mpls., 612-331-5577, copperpotus.com

Dillas Ethiopian Restaurant

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 13:36:31 GMT

Dillas Ethiopian Restaurant is the latest addition to the under-recognized Cedar-Riverside ethnic dining enclave. Named after an Ethiopian market town, it’s located within hailing distance of The Red Sea, the longest-running Ethiopian restaurant in the Twin Cities. In fact, Beko Tufa, who owns Dillas and does the majority of the cooking, worked in the kitchen at The Red Sea until just prior to opening her own place and achieving her lifelong dream.

From the outside, Dillas is the kind of place that’s easy to overlook, but the inside is actually quite pleasant. There are two distinct dining areas of booths and tables in addition to a small bar area.

The menu includes the widest selection of Ethiopian dishes I’ve encountered in these parts. An example of the unique offerings is mulu doro—described as a whole chicken that’s marinated in lime juice and slow cooked in a hot pepper sauce. Be aware that this dish needs to be ordered at least five days ahead.

Unfortunately, the breadth of the menu proved a source of frustration for our group. Typically, the best way to enjoy an Ethiopian meal is to order a sampler platter. There are three of them offered at Dillas, but the descriptions are a bit vague: “combination of five entrees,” “vegetarian,” or “meat and vegetable combination.” At most places, specific dishes are listed for combination platters, and diners often can request substitutions for a small upcharge. Try as we might to communicate what we wanted on the platters, we failed the challenge, and although the food itself was in the main perfectly fine, we didn’t end up with a great sampling. While the meat combination included a satisfying rendition of crunchy beef tibs (somewhat strangely paired with undercooked broccoli) and a mild but tasty lamb curry, we would have preferred that the remaining three items were not all versions of berbere-spiced wat stew. As for the vegetarian platter, it included a couple of terrific lentil preparations—one of whole peas and one mashed—but we weren’t fans of either a canned beet dish or the sautéed greens. One dish that absolutely knocked it out of the park was the homemade sambusas. The ground beef filling was visibly mined with chopped jalapenos, and the flavor was wonderfully explosive. Also worth noting, libations include several indigenous beers and wines. It feels like a place that has real potential. Given the breadth of the menu and the uniqueness of some of the dishes, I’d give it another try; maybe I’ll call ahead for that chicken.

Where to Find It

1813 Riverside Ave., Mpls., 612-332-2898, dillas ethiopianrestaurant.com

Somos Peru

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:42:30 GMT

Hard on the heels of Uchu in Plymouth, Somos Peru in south Minneapolis is the second Peruvian restaurant to open its doors locally in recent months. The kitchen is helmed by Isabel Custodio, a veteran with more than 25 years of cooking her country's food at several family-owned restaurants in New Jersey. Indeed, the extensive menu is a paean to Peruvian cuisine, running the gamut from the classic paella arroz con mariscos to the unique purple corn pudding called mazamorra morada. When our group visited on a Sunday evening, following a busy weekend that had depleted several menu items, we asked chef Custodio to prepare us a family-style meal of her selection. At first that challenge seemed to perplex her a bit, but it ultimately proved a great way to sample the food here.

If you aren't keen on potatoes, a mainstay of the Incan diet, it's best to state that up front. Every one of the appetizers we sampled featured them. That included the papa a la huancaina, the classic preparation of thickly sliced, parboiled potatoes topped with a yellow pepper and queso fresco sauce; the salchipapas, a notably kid-friendly choice of tasty pan-fried hot dog slices and French fries; and the causa limeña de atun, an interesting, mildly flavorful tian of mashed potatoes layered with tuna fresco and avocado, garnished with hard-boiled egg and black olives.

Potatoes are also incorporated into most of the entrees. The standout was the classic lomo especial—a delicious sauté of tender sliced ribeye, onions, tomatoes, and french fries sauced with soy and served with rice. A more controversial preparation that I quite liked was the aji de gallina, a French-inspired stew of shredded hen meat served with boiled potatoes and a mild cream sauce, seasoned with an indigenous spice mixture and yellow peppers. Having expressed our reluctance to judge the cebiches and fresh shellfish on a Sunday evening, we were served the pescado a la chorrillana filete—clean-tasting pan-fried tilapia fillets topped with sautéed onions, tomatoes, and a cilantro sauce. It was OK but nothing extraordinary. Next was the classic chaufa de pollo—the Peruvian version of fried rice, in this case made with bits of chicken, onions, and eggs. This dish is definitely a crowd pleaser and substantially sized for sharing. The daily special of goat, marinated overnight and fried in a wonderful mixture of herbs and spices to a perfect turn, was a knockout. We finished off our meal with arroz con leche, a refreshing rice pudding enhanced with cinnamon, vanilla, and other essences.

Though Somos double-bills itself as a restaurant and sports bar, it was still in the process of working through its liquor license. Considering the relatively small space, with a tiny bar area and handful of screens framed by a schedule of upcoming South American soccer games and team jerseys, I wouldn't expect the atmosphere to be too boisterous. As for the service, our waitress was outgoing, pleasant, and efficient, but she was relatively new on the job and hadn't sampled much of the food, which led us to defer to the chef. In retrospect, it was a great decision.

Somos Peru
4157 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis, 612-729-2025

Pupuseria La Palmera

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:18:27 GMT

Pupusas look like small flying saucers whose homemade cornmeal exteriors have experienced atmospheric toasting before landing on your plate. These hand-formed Salvadoran snacks have started an off-the-radar invasion of the Twin Cities, and the newest lair is Pupuseria La Palmera in south Minneapolis.

The foreign treats served here arrive bearing three types of oozy offerings—a simple but tasty melt of beans and cheese; a satisfying combination of pork, cheese, garlic, and onion; and the classic pairing of cheese and an edible indigenous flower called loroco. Pupusas start out as a ball of masa dough that is kneaded into a pancake shape and folded so the filling is encased inside the flattened pastry shell. The turnover is then griddled on a hot-oiled skillet until the outside is lightly browned and the inside has melted into a thin layer of gooey goodness. A bowl of tangy carrot and cabbage slaw called curtido and a squeeze bottle of liquid tomato salsa make up the traditional toppings for pupusas.

There is an ongoing debate whether it’s more proper to eat them with your hands or to carve them with a knife and fork. In either case, they’re easy to enjoy, and at only a couple of bucks each, they are a certifiable cheap eat.

Where to Find It

4157 Cedar Ave., Mpls., 612-729-2025

Minneapolis’s Asian Restaurant Boom

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 14:29:17 GMT

Grab-and-Go: Aida and Sosa Foods & Deli

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:49:57 GMT

Dong Yang and Uchu

Tue, 29 May 2012 14:24:11 GMT

Krungthep Thai Cuisine

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:48:30 GMT