Butcher and the Boar, Minneapolis, Minnesota

This past summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Minneapolis for business, an exciting prospect given the fact that Minneapolis is home to Chef Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods fame.  Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to catch up to the Chef's traveling food truck, AZ Canteen.  But I still took in some really good eats at an eatery I'm sure Chef Zimmern would give his stamp of approval.  (In fact, according to Food & Wine, he already has.)  

The Butcher and the Boar earned its honors as a James Beard award semi-finalist.  This popular downtown Minneapolis gastropub boasts a menu of unique house-made sausages, charcuterie and a variety of other meat selections that would drive any carnivore crazy (think vampire at a blood bath).  If you are a meat lover looking for something other than the ubiquitous steak, this is most definitely the place to be.  The Twin Cities must be full of meat-eaters because seats at this restaurant are hard to come by, so reservations are a must.  But walk-in diners shouldn't fret.  The full dinner menu can be ordered at the restaurant's lengthy bar.  And the casual open beer garden offers its own shorter, but equally interesting menu.  

As a lone diner, I had the good fortune to find myself a seat at the bar.   Turns out the bar is a great place to be when you are dining alone, probably because it isn't so obvious that you are dining alone.  You also get a good vantage point of what everyone else is partaking in and you don't have to feel awkward about asking your neighbor what's on their plate.  That night, I found myself between two fellow business travelers.  The diner to my right travels regularly to Minneapolis and frequents the Butcher and the Boar just as often.  The diner to my left is a fellow food junkie who made a pit stop in Minneapolis on her way to Wisconsin.  She too had heard the buzz about the place and, like me, wanted to check it out for herself.  That was good to know.  If anything, it confirmed that I was in the right place.  

Now, Anna NEVER lets me order lamb when I am in her presence.  You know that she guests on my blog quite often and we dine together nearly all the time.  I have very few opportunities to enjoy lamb as a meal.  So, when I dine sans Anna, I often give undue consideration to any lamb on the menu.  I'm sure there were other equally good options on the menu but that day, I was on a lamb mission.  And lucky for me, the Boar had a rather tasty sounding lamb merguez sausage on its menu that I just couldn't turn down.  Yes, lucky for me.  

Lamb merguez sausage

This sausage was everything I wanted it to be.  Juicy and spicy through and through.  Paired with butter toasted pita points and vinaigrette-dressed cucumber and red onion, this dish brought to mind an elevated, rustic and deconstructed version of the pitas my mother allowed me in my youth.  An interesting kind of ethnic comfort food for me, who often doesn't travel alone.  I savored every bite of this lamb, free of all the guilt that Anna would have otherwise heaped upon me.  Knowing that it would be a very long while until I would have lamb again, I was sad to see the last bit go.  The diner to my right ordered the same after I did and I couldn't help catching glances at his newly served lamb sausage as I carefully rationed the last bits of my own.

Fortunately for me, the diner to my left was about to come to my aid.  She had a hankering for the short rib which, come to think of it, was not at all short.  In fact, it was huge.  It was so large that I had to ask my new friend exactly what she had ordered.  It was big enough that my fellow foodie was practically begging me to take some off her hands.  I tried to graciously decline, but who am I to turn down food ...

Short rib and fried green tomato

So, of course, I had to help myself to some of her rib ... and to her fried green tomatoes too.  Thank goodness I did because that rib was tender and flavorful, as it ought to be.  And the tomato, so crisp on the outside but sweet and juicy in the inside.  I'm so jealous because I can never get my fried green tomatoes to be so good.  I think I'm spoiled on fried green tomatoes forever.  Definitely will put those tomatoes on my "must have again" list if I am ever to go back to the Twin Cities.  I suggest you do too.  Because the Butcher and the Boar definitely lives up to its hype.

Ford's Garage, Fort Myers, Florida

For months now, I've been hearing all about Ford's Garage.  To be honest, I didn't realize that Ford's Garage was a real restaurant the first time a friend checked herself in to this eatery on Facebook. See, her last name is Ford and I frankly thought she meant that she was grilling outside, in her garage. Eventually, I realized my mistake when I noticed others "checking in" to my friend's garage.  Now when I see a check in on Facebook, I know that everyone is referring to the restaurant's location in historic Downtown Fort Myers, steps away from the Lee County Courthouse. And there are enough people checking into this spot on a fairly regular basis to pique my interest. So, when I found that I had an appointment today in Downtown Fort Myers, I made a point to make some time for lunch at Ford's.

Ford's Garage first opened its doors on First Street in Fort Myers in February 2012.  (A second location is now open on Cape Coral Parkway in Cape Coral and a third is underway in the Miromar Outlets in Estero.)  As you may have guessed, the restaurant's name pays homage to the City's famous former resident, Henry Ford, and his legendary mark on the auto industry.  The interior of the restaurant is very reminiscent of old time service stations, with brick walls and wood floors.  Old tires and antique signs adorn the walls and the chassis of a reproduction Model T hangs over the central bar.  Waitresses don red bandanas and blue chambray shirts just like the mechanics "way back when."  As far as theme restaurants go, I didn't find the concept to be kitschy or over the top.  In fact, the historical references in the decor were balanced with contemporary touches like the penny finished wall behind the beer taps and the black lighting beneath the bar counter.

While its visual focus is on the history and importance of its namesake, the restaurant's food focus is on high-end gourmet burgers and craft beers.  The decor is an ideal complement to the modern diner-style menu. The burgers are hand-pressed from Black Angus and American Kobe beef, and a selection of 16 are named after local dignitaries and celebrities.  Those who want to custom make their burgers can order instead from the "assembly line" (which reminds me a lot of my favorite Naples burger joint, The Counter).  Each burger bun is stamped with the iconic Ford-inspired restaurant logo.  But burgers aren't the only thing on the menu. A variety of appetizers, sandwiches and classic favorites like mac n' cheese are also available, along with a selection of milkshakes and floats.

Today, my Anna's school scheduled a teacher work day.  So, I made it a "take your daughter to work day" and brought Anna with me.  In her own words, she is a "food critic in training" and I knew she could help me polish up this review.  (Don't forget to check out her mini-review!)  Because my friend, the Ford's regular, says they are a must, we started with an order of deep fried dill pickles.  These chips are well breaded, fried to a golden crisp and accompanied by a buttermilk ranch dipping sauce.  Salty on the outside and tart in the middle, they were pretty good.  But I could only eat a few.  And, since Anna doesn't love pickles, there were too many to eat alone.  While these make for a nice appetizer, next time I'll plan to bring my pickle-eater son with me.  (By the way, I brought some of the pickles home.  I think they actually taste better cold!)

For lunch I ordered, the "Black and Blue" which is a blackened Black Angus burger topped with blue cheese, caramelized onions and thickly sliced applewood smoked bacon.  Lettuce, tomatoes and red onion joined these toppings to create a towering, generously-sized burger.  The burger was initially intimidating for me, a dainty eater.  I don't mind picking up a burger to eat, but boy was this one was big.  There was just no way for me to eat it without cutting it in half.  And after a while I did have to resort to using my fork.  So, if we are talking strictly about portion size, Ford's definitely does not skimp.  My Black and Blue burger is traditionally accompanied by french fries (as are all other burgers on the menu).  But I prefer sweet potato fries whenever they are available.  So, I was pleased when Ford's accommodated my alternate request for the sweets.  As for my Anna, Ford's does have a nice priced kids' menu from which she ordered the $4 mac n' cheese (which incidentally is pretty good).  While I hoped she would opt for the side of broccoli, she did decide instead on the fries.  At least I know that there is a healthy option and will keep that in mind for next time.  Not surprisingly, we both indulged in traditional Southern sweet teas.

What I loved:  I love myself some sweet potato and Ford Garage's sweet potato fries are tops.  Crispy fried to be crunchy on the outside and warmly soft on the inside, these fries added a nice salty-sweetness to my lunch.  But even better than the fries is the Tommy Knocker Maple Beer cinnamon sauce.  One taste of this sauce made me immediately think of an apple cinnamon pocket pie.  Not too thick, this sauce - which I actually think more of as a syrup - nicely satisfied my salty-sweet tooth.

What I didn't love:  A good burger really needs to be cooked at the right temperature to be appreciated.  For me, that temp is medium rare.  My burger came out medium well, far more done than I would have preferred.  And those who are avid burger eaters know that an overcooked burger just doesn't take that good.  Fortunately, I had the blue cheese and the onions to add back some flavor and save the burger from tasting dry.  I'm hoping this is a one-off and that next time the cooks will get it right because I really do want to come back for the sweets.

But every cloud does come with a silver lining.  And in this case, the silver lining was the service.  Our waitress did a great job of bringing drinks and taking our lunch orders promptly.  We didn't have to wait long after we were seated.  She didn't hover over us but quickly filled my drink when she noticed I was low.  When the manager came to check on us, he was very professional when I mentioned that the temperature of my burger was off.  (I always let the restaurant manager know when any meat dish is over or under cooked so that the chef knows to make adjustments in the kitchen.)  The manager readily acknowledged that my burger looked over done and immediately sent the waitress over to inform me that they had taken half of the burger's price off of my meal ticket.  I hadn't asked and wasn't expecting it, so I was surprised and pleased.  Last month, a server at a five-star restaurant spilled something on my dress and made no overture to fix their mistake.  So, I really take note when I get good service just like this.

How much I spent:  ($$)  Today I spent $25 on lunch for Anna and me, tip included.  This reflected the $5.50 discount generous given by the manager.  I would not have normally ordered an appetizer though.  So, this is probably fairly reflective of how much I would have spent during a typical visit.

My overall rating:  3 spoons.  Ford's Garage is a good place for a  casual lunch or dinner at a decent price and in a family-friendly atmosphere.   It is a nice and relaxed lunch venue for business people in the Downtown area looking to find brief respite from the work day.  The old time feel works for those who don't like pretentious dining or those with children.  There's a lot here on the walls to keep youngsters busy if they are not already entertained by the placemat that doubles as the children's menu.  And when Ford's Miromar Outlets' location just off I-75 opens, those traveling from out of town will have a more convenient location to visit.

Mountain Standard, Vail Valley, Colorado

Sunday was our last day in the Vail Valley and on Sundays in the summer Vail Village is packed with visitors to the popular Vail Farmers' Market.  Local farmers, artisans and food vendors flock to the Village to exhibit their goods and summer Vail visitors can never get enough.  It's one of my favorite things to do in Vail (because those who know me know that I love shopping).  There are a lot of great food purveyors at the market and, if I were traveling alone, I would not hesitate to sample all their wares.  But when traveling with my kids in tow I'm much better off finding a place where I know they'll be sitting down and relatively well behaved.  So, despite walking past some very enticing aromas, we took the path from the Solaris toward Gore Creek.  On any other day, we would have wound up at Up The Creek, a well-attended lunch spot along the creek.  Instead, we happened upon Mountain Standard.  We've heard good things about Mountain and after eyeing some of the dishes being served on the outdoor patio, I agreed to give it a try.

Mountain Standard rests on the bottom floor of its older sibling, Sweet Basil, which itself was voted as Colorado's Most Popular Restaurant by a Zagat survey.  Only open since December 2012, Mountain boasts a contemporary tavern style that is more appealing to a casual diner.  The outdoor patio is only a few feet from the creek and the best spot to dine.  But indoor diners won't be disappointed because they get a full view of the open kitchen and its wood fire grill manned by Chef de Cuisine Brian Broulliard.  The menu at Mountain reads simply but tastes just as sophisticated as the food upstairs.  Classics like club sandwiches, French dip rolls and potato skins are elevated in a way that make you forget that these are pub staples.  This is definitely a place where both simple and refined tastes are equally satisfied.

For lunch the kids enjoyed their usual favorites:  cheeseburger, hot dog and fries.   (An Urbanspoon reviewer commented that Mountain is skimpy on fries. It definitely was NOT my experience. Plenty of fries to go around here.) My husband ordered the French dip sandwich with the eye catching onion rings that drew me into the restaurant.  I ordered the duck confit potato skins and an appetizer of fried green tomatoes.  Water was served in glasses cut from wine bottles (reminiscent of a Pinterest project) etched with the restaurant's porcine logo.

Fried Green Tomatoes
with House Ranch

What I loved:  I was quickly sold on the fried green tomatoes when our waitress, Kayla, told us they were fried in bacon drippings.  I love everything with bacon so I was completely expecting these to be good.  They weren't just good.  They were great.  Different than the traditional Southern recipe that uses cornmeal, these batter dipped treats were nicely seasoned and served with a house-made ranch dipping sauce.  The green tomatoes were mildly tart, warm but still firm to the bite.  The duck confit potato skins, a menu appetizer that I ordered as my lunch entree, was also enjoyable. Shredded confit of duck topped lightly crisped potato skin shells and were accompanied by mole, crema and wisps of scallion.  I'm not certain why, but the texture and taste of the dish reminded me of an open faced pulled pork sandwich made with better quality ingredients.

As I ate, I thought this entry was going to be built on the strength of the confit alone, but I was wrong.  The best lunch bite came from my husband's plate and his French dip sandwich.  The French dip at Mountain is made of slices of roast beef carved from rib eye.  That roast beef was the juiciest and tastiest bit of roast beef.  I only intended to have a taste but wound up having more, sopping up the remnants of the mole on my own plate as I went.  If Brian Broulliard ever decides to dip that roast beef in the mole and pile it on a bun with melted Swiss cheese, that would make one awesome faux-BBQ beef sandwich!  I'm not a steak and potatoes kind of gal, but I'm kind of sorry I didn't order that French dip for myself.  You can be certain that next time I will.

Duck Confit Potato Skins with
Guajillo Mole, Crema, Lime & Scallions

What I didn't love:  While it's fair to say that I had a great lunch at Mountain, there was one thing that didn't appeal to me as much as I had expected.  I had first been drawn to dine at Mountain when I eyed another patron being served large, golden breaded onion rings.  I like a good ring but I didn't love these.  I don't know if it is because I'm partial to the beer battered variety, but these were too crumby and crunchy for my taste.  More breading than onion.  I had one bite and that was enough for me to say no to the rest.  I also wasn't keen on Anna's hot dog, which was a bit salty and had a rather chewy skin.

How much we spent:  ($$)  We were a party of four with two children dining from the kids' menu.  We all had soft drinks and did not order any dessert.  With a generous tip of more than 22%, we spent $90 on lunch.

My overall rating:  4 spoons (out of 5).  Unlike the better fine dining counterparts in the Village, including Sweet Basil, this is a Vail restaurant that could easily fall onto my "must dine" list for future visits.  Lovers of fine dining may say that the simplicity of the menu lowered my expectation and in turn improved my perception.    I say that good food is good food and doesn't need to be complicated to be appreciated.