The Movable Feast ~ Wednesday Day 3: (Grand Marais MN)

"Located on the scenic North Shore of Lake Superior in the town of Grand Marais, Minnesota, the Angry Trout Cafe is a small indoor/outdoor restaurant cobbled together out of an old commercial fishing shanty that clings to the edge of Grand Marais Harbor. From this beautiful setting we offer a menu based on the bounty of Lake Superior and the surrounding region – locally-grown produce, hand-harvested wild rice, and of course, our specialty, fresh Lake Superior fish." Can you just imagine how wonderful this is?

The Angry Trout Café ~ The shores of Lake Superior just cannot be described in words ~ such beauty. Grand Marias lies at the tip of Arrowhead County, abounding with small-town charm. Hey, the water here is cold with an average mean temperature of 38 degrees – no algae flourishes and you can see through a fathom of water! The Angry Trout is also home of a fabulous smoker hut and the Dockside meat market/deli/souvenir shop (very nice smoked fish tasting station: the smoked trout with a dab of ancho chili/maple sauce and a nice cracker was excellent). Erik had the Tom & Harley’s Classic Grand Marais Fish Burger (fried herring). The whitefish chowder was outstanding, loaded with fish, potatoes and vegetables. Several others ordered smoked trout salads, or wild rice salads that included an array of fresh picked berries and even edible flowers. The Fish & Chips were very tasty, and the home-made dill tartar sauce was perfect Our Waitress provided an assortment of dressings and sauces. They make all of their own soda, and I heard no one complain. Locally harvested fish and produce are the hallmark of this quaint little place.

As an aside, we plummeted through deep space as our little corporate jet bounced off of the tornado clouds, sodas flying, people praying, as we returned from Grand Marais to the Anoka Airfield. We thought we were safe until we got in the car, raising 20' rooster tails as we drove back to Maple Grove. Whew...

Kelly's Bar & Restauraunt - Transformed!

Kelly's has always been (and under various ownerships and names) a very nice neighborhood spot to watch sports, hang out with friends after a long work week, eat wings and burgers, and generally just have some fun. I am way behind on this particular topic, because this place has transformed into something quite special: always thought of Kelly's as what I have described above, never as a destination spot for dinner ~ but I do now! The menu has been seriously re-invented, with offerings one would not expect to find in such a setting. They have introduced a number of "small plates" to broaden their appeal to those who desire something beyond traditional appetizer fare, you know, chicken wings and such. Oh by the way, chicken wings? These have been redesigned as well to include Caribbean and Asian flavors ~ very nice! The Wam Bam Shrimp is an exceptional starter, with a nice crunch, served nestled among a bed of mixed greens. My favorite small plate is the Thai Beef Noodle Bowl, also an exceptional composition of herbs, fresh bean sprouts, sauteed veggies, egg noodles and nice tender beef shavings in a tangy sauce. (Pictures of each are at the top). The Owners and Staff have taken, and continue to take, great care in their campaign to deliver culinary excitement amid a sea of drab, predictable, tired and often overpriced competition. I am very enthused about what is happening at Kelly's. Do not miss this opportunity! [Kelly's is located at: 5076 Velasko Rd, Syracuse, NY13215]

The Very Best Steamed Crabs!

I've written a little bit on steamed clams (oh! so delicious); so today, I decided that a little refresher on snow crab would be fun. Steaming is preferred to boiling. When you boil, the crab will release most of its delicate flavor to the water bath; whereas steaming locks it in. Very simple. There are myriad ways to to this, but because large snow crab clusters can be found in most groceries at a very reasonable price (unlike Alaskan King Crab), you can experiment to your heart's content.

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs flash frozen snow crab clusters (do not thaw)


• 2 bottles of a nice, robust ale (the choice is yours - but do not use a light lager)


• 1 cup white wine (of course, something you would drink)


• a handful of chives and parsley


• 1 onion quartered; 2-3 stalks celery chopped


• 2 bay leaves


• 1 quarter cup vinegar (I like rice vinegar)


• salt and fresh ground pepper


• Old Bay Seasoning

Method:

• place all ingredients, except crab and Old Bay into a very large pot (you may have to trim the crab to fit if you steamer is not large enough)


• bring to a nice simmer with cover ajar for about 10-15 minutes to let the flavors blend


• meanwhile, rinse the crab clusters in cold water to remove any heavy ice build-up, place on a platter and sprinkle liberally with Old Bay


• turn up the temperature to high to get a good boil going, set crab into the steamer basket, cover the pot


• steam for 4-6 minutes until the crab is nicely heated through

Serve with melted butter (I prefer not, because the crab has such a wonderful flavor is its own right, but some people insist upon it). A nice potato salad and cole slaw goes very well with this. Of course, cold beer is essential (if you use the same kind as you did in the steamer, you'll notice that the flavors lift up nicely).

Now - what to do with the leftover crab? I make crab cakes and my Wife makes a killer chilled crab dip. Crab Cakes:

Ingredients:

• for a 5 lb batch of snow crab for three people - you will have about 1 lbs of leftover crab meat- perfect (pick through to remove any shell fragments
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs, plus extra for coating the cakes
• 1 tsb Coleman's Dry Mustard
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tbs chopped cilantro or parsley
• enough mayonnaise to moisten everything up (about a quarter cup or more)
• 1 eighth - 1 quarter tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• combine everything except extra Panko; mix well but do not over work it
• roll into balls, and flatten with palms
• dust surfaces with remaining Panko
• heat peanut or vegetable oil and saute until nice and golden brown on both sides
• drain on wire rack and keep warm in 180 degree oven until ready to eat

Serve with a nice remoulade or tarter saute!

Its all about the Nectar! Steamed Clams

Well, who does not like steamed clams? They come in so many varieties (about 2000 species to be precise!) allocated among the two types: hard and soft shell: Quahog, Littlenecks, Cherrystone, Longnecks, Razor (one of my favorite), Manila, etc. There are, of course, many ways to prepare them such as steaming or grilling. Here's a great recipe that emphasizes the steaming media (nectar):

Ingredients:

3 dozen hard shell clams (Littlenecks are just fine!)

1.5 cups water

1 cup of a good dry sherry

one-third cup of a good extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger, left whole but peeled

1 handful clilantro, chopped

1 onion, diced

2-3 ribs celery, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

Scrub clams and rinse under cold water, discard any that do not close when the shell is tapped.

Fill a large pot with the all ingredients, except the clams, heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend, then turn up to high and bring to a boil.

Place clams into a steaming rack and set into the pot.

Cover pot, turn heat down to low and steam for about 6-8 minutes or until clams open; discard any that do not open.

Put clams into a nice serving bowl and ladle the nectar into mugs for dipping and drinking; plenty of good crusty bread is great for sopping up those juices.

Serve with ice cold beer!

Spring Roll Fantastic

I am locally famous for my delicious spring rolls - so I thought I would publish the recipe for those who might wish to try making them at home! Makes 25.

Ingredients:

• Wei Chuan Spring Roll Wrappers (essential - do not use any other variety): use immediately after thawing
• 1 Block extra firm Tofu: wrap in paper towels, weight down, repeat to remove excess moisture; then dice
• 12 Chinese Black Mushrooms: soak in hot water 15 minutes, drain, wring out in paper towels to remove excess moisture and shred into fine strips
• 2 bundles thin bean thread noodles: soak in hot water,for 15 minutes, drain, dry with paper towels, and chop coarsely
• 1-2 carrots: finely shredded, wrap in paper towels and squeeze out excess moisture
• 2-3 scallions minced
• 1-2 inches grated ginger
• 3 tbs Nam Pla: "3 Crab Brand" is best (Thai Fish Sauce)
• 1 tsp white pepper

Method

• Place all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and mix well until combined;
• Place about 1 heaping tbs into lower corner of wrapper, moisten upper corner, fold up once, fold in sides and wrap to complete; set seam side down on parchment paper; complete remaining spring rolls;
• Fry in peanut oil ( you will need 4, 32 oz. bottles for a home deep fryer; you can use less in a good pot) at 360 degrees for about 4-6 minutes until golden; drain on wire rack and keep warm in 180 degree oven until all complete and ready to serve.

Serve with favorite dipping sauce (I like duck sauce mixed with chili garlic sauce (Tuong Ot Tio Viet Nam); soy/sugar/rice vinegar sauce, hot mustard, etc.)

Note: let peanut oil cool; strain through cheese cloth or a fine meshed sieve; pour into plastic jug and place in refrigerator. The oil can be reused about 6-8 times for this recipe; of course, if you are frying chicken wings, shrimp, etc., you can reuse the oil only about 3 times.

Note: You can make excellent fried wonton strips, but use the regular wonton skins to do so; just cut into 1/2 inch strips and deep fry for a couple of minutes until nice and golden; remove with a slotted spoon, place on a towel and sprinkle on a little Chinese Pepper Salt (1 tbs Szechuan peppercorns, 2 tbs salt and 1/8 tsp Chinese Five-Spice Powder: dry roast peppercorns for about 1 minute - shake constantly, let cool and add salt and Five-Spice Powder ~ place into a spice grinder and there you go!).

Sonoran Hot Dog Diggety

Every place has its signature food stuff: Chicago Hot Dog and Deep Dish Pizza; NYC Deli Sandwiches and Neapolitan Pizzas; Minnesota - anything served on a stick and the Bloody Mary Wars (they just can't put enough stuff into a Bloody Mary, for example: shrimp, Polish Sausage link, celery, hard boiled egg, carrot stick, beef jerky - all at once mind you, with a beer chaser to boot! I should do a blog just on Minnesota); Southern Fried Chicken, Texas BBQ, and so on. Well, I was in Tucson recently and had a great stay at the Las Brisas near the airport. The Hotel food was just fine, but I asked the Reservation Desk about escabeche and such, and was advised that the Sonoran Hot Dog was exceptionally unique. Well, let us proceed forthwith!

Let me explain this tasty roadside treat (and anyone from Chicago, please take note, as if you can't get enough fat charged goodness!).

The hot dog is wrapped in bacon (yes, the addition of bacon improves anything) and grilled. It is then nestled into a soft torta-bread like bun, and the following items are applied: beans, tomato, onion, mustard, mayo, salsa verde, and occasionally avocado and/or guacamole. It is absolutely fabulous and I could eat them all day long

So, grab onto a cactus, add an ice cold Dos Equis, and pop a couple of these little darlins' into your mouth ~ napkins are optional!

The Gingerbread Cafe ~ Nice & Tasty

'Just hangin' out wit a few friends! Dats de way we do it, nice and tasty, cool and refreshing, like dew in de mornin' ~ yeah, dat is soooo relaxin'

That's me on the end with a couple of my best buddies, Pete and Alan and left again with another best buddie, John. While the wives were taking a beach stroll, the boys stopped into our favorite little spot in St. Maarten; our second visit! This little hut sits over the water and has a splendid view of the ocean, the Divi Resort, and Saba Island. The open air configuration lets the warm breezes waft about the interior. The Gingerbread Cafe is located at the Belair Beach Hotel in Phillipsburg. The staff is so very friendly and the food is wonderful. Each week they also have two themed evening parties with live music and dancing: Caribbean lobster night and a full barbecue (one of the best ever!). The BBQ had ribs, chicken, shrimp, with all the fixins'; the lobsters were huge and grilled to perfection ~ I think Alan and I had two apiece, and washed them down with plenty of Carib and Presidente lagers. The Gingerbread also has a great breakfast and lunch (they will pack you a cooler of food and beer to take to the beach too!).

Before "Feelin' da Meal" - you have to have a special little libation: "Duane's Revenge", invented by John (photo on left) ~ and Duane, the bartender, was all over it! In goes the guavaberry, mango rum, some fruit juice, a little grenadine and ice ~blend well and float some Rum Jumbie on the top. This will tune you right up!

They make the most delicious Conch Fritters you've every had; very tender with a dipping sauce so sublime I still can't quite reproduce it precisely. We could not get enough of it and even slathered it on our burgers. For a little hotel beach hut, the Gingerbread Cafe is charming and loads of fun. Everything is wonderful and very reasonably priced. Even guests from the Divi next door eventually wind up at this eatery! So, de next time you happen to be in St. Maarten, please drop in for a nice Duane's Revenge and a bite to nibble.