PASSOVER GOODS AT FAIRWAY MARKET

Get out the Haggadah, that small printed prayer book that both tells the story of Passover along with all of the prayers and believe me there is a prayer over just about everything. Years ago you could only find it written in Hebrew. These days you can get it in Hebrew with both a transliteration (sounds as if you know your Hebrew) and English translation. In addition, there is an Haggadah for feminists. Who do you think did all the work and it was Miriam who made the prediction!

Most New York Metropolitan area supermarkets have been stocked with food that is "Kosher For Passover". You also have a store such as Ben's, a kosher deli that offers ready made food for your seder table. What you need to consider is whether you want to do the prepping, cooking and cleaning. You have the two nights for the seder and the rest of the week to dine without the traditional seder food that centers around the Haggadah itself. (By the way, all of the kosher restaurants are closed for Passover).

Here are some alternatives. Most of the Fairway Markets have been offering a catered menu that is considered to be "Kosher Style". In other words you have the traditional foods to choose but it is not coming from a kosher kitchen nor, other than Murray's Kosher chickens, are any of the meats Kosher.

If it's too late to get it catered for Friday and Saturday's seders there are a few options. One is to get all of the ingredients and cook to your hearts content. The other is to purchase many of the items on the menu at their deli department. Lastly, combine the two.

There are items that I really don't care to pochka with. Gefilte fish is one of them. No matter who comes out with it in a jar or frozen, it only tastes good when you get it freshly made, so get it at the deli counter. Fairway has the chicken soup, chopped liver and matzo balls. Matzo meal, eggs and chicken fat are the basic ingredients for matzoh balls. Chicken livers, hard boiled eggs, onions and chicken fat (what would we Jews do without chicken fat) make for chopped liver and there's always a package of soup greens along with kosher chicken bones for the stock.

For some main dishes, they are offering brisket of beef (non-kosher), Cornish Hens, Grilled or poached salmon as well as the already cooked roasted Murray's kosher chickens.

If you want salmon that is KFP...what? Okay, here's the thing. The rabbi goes into a room to filet the salmon, so it's not near any of the non-kosher fish...any fish that eats off the bottom of the ocean and a few others. I interviewed the rabbi as he was placing the packaged salmon filets on a separate table. The down side was that the scales were not removed! That kills the idea of frying up the salmon skins.

Now we go into many of the side dishes. Fresh made Haroseth, Israeli Salad, Honey-glazed Carrots, Beet and cucumber salad, Horseradish Potato Gratin, Potato Latkes with Apple Sauce, Potato Kugel, and Vegetable Tzimmes. All of these items can be purchased at the deli department.

As for desserts, there is so much to choose from including those special chocolate covered matzohs and macaroons. Me, I got the flourless chocolate cake. I wondered what the ingredients were. Interesting to notice that if pastry is boxed, the ingredients have to be listed. If you get pastry from their bakery counter, you have to ask. Although Fairway does there own baking (kosher but not KFP) much of the pastries are coming from their main facility in Manhattan.

However, there is one location in Stamford offering a glatt kosher menu. I gave a call to Yitzchok Kaplan to ask about it all. I would have loved to have gone to this location to do a tasting! The recipes are not the same as those offered at the deli counter and the meats are kosher! He told me that during the tasting people absolutely loved the gefilte fish...now that's a tease! Orders must be places by April 3rd for April 6th and 7th and available for the rest of the holiday. Call Yitzchok Kaplan at 516-805-4351. To view the menu go to www.fairwaymarket.com/catering and make sure you view the Stamford store where you will see one that says Kosher for Passover. No deliveries...pick it up and try not to nosh on the way home!

One of Fairway's cafes, known as Fairway Cafe and Steakhouse, located at Broadway and 74th Street is offering a seder (kosher style) for each of the seder nights. Here's what the website says, "Join Mitchel London for the first annual Passover Dinner at the Broadway Cafe Friday April 6th and Saturday April 7th. Price is $45 per person. Haggadahs, a Seder Plate and an Afikomen will be provided. Meal will include Passover classics like Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls, Chicken Liver, Braised Brisket, Tzimmes and Potato Pancakes and sweet Coconut Macaroons for dessert."

IT'S PASSOVER!!

Well, look at that...Passover and Easter will fall the same weekend. I wonder how Jews For Jesus will celebrate...keeping in mind that the Last Supper was actually a seder? Ham bone instead of a lamb bone? Easter Pie instead of Potato Kugel? Shrimp along with gefilte fish? Jewish holidays...we fought, we won, we eat. The eating part when most of them involve a few traditional dishes, such as potato pancakes during Channukah. Passover, is a biggie when it comes to food. Kosher foods may not make it on the seder table or the whole week, for that matter. They have to be "Kosher For Passover".

My mother was raised Orthodox, my father Conservative. When it came time for Passover, the dishes were switched to the glass ones. Food that was not Kosher for Passover (chometz) was eaten up or thrown away (or placed in the top cupboard for after Passover). No bread...just matzoh. No ketchup...had to put the beet horseradish on everything. I went to Hebrew school for a year so for whatever reason (even though my older sister did as well), I wound up reading and reciting it all during the seder with a lot of "hurry up, I'm hungry" reactions.

Then there was that year when one of the ketchup companies came out with one that was "Kosher For Passover". What! Did the ingredients change? Was there pork in the one before? It was either Heinz or Hunts. There went my religious food eating. Now I don't keep kosher and eat most foods. My seders as an adult became really about traditional food vs KFP. Matzhoh, gefilte fish, hard boiled egg in salt water, charoseth (a sort of paste of chopped walnut, apples and wine), chicken soup with matzoh balls, chopped chicken livers, tzimmes (combo of carrots and sweet potatoes).

So I'm out shopping at Fairway Market in Douglaston. I see a Hunts Catsup and a KFP brand that is neither Hunt's nor Heinz to compare. I understood that it was all about the use of corn syrup. Hunt's doesn't contain corn syrup and neither did this brand. Never having seen this brand, I don't know as to whether the non-KFP has corn syrup.

There is also those delicious chocolate covered Joyva jelly rings...wait...they contain corn syrup! What the...The label has some long thing about whether you are Sephardic or Ashkenazic. Serphardic has to do with countries like the Middle East, Africa, Spain, Italy...vs ones like Poland, Germany, Austria and Russia and considered Ashkenazic.

GOOD GRIEF! I can only go as far back on ancestry dot com as my grandparents and maybe one or two great grandparents...Jews have been wandering for centuries! Think of it...if I have any ancestors that were slaves in Egypt who gave birth, then I would be considered to have some African roots. In the meantime I only got Poland, Austria and Russia in regards to grandparents and couldn't look further...which makes me a Euro-American.

So what's with KFP foods other than it being blessed by a rabbi? Freshness, for one and just as there are certain goodies that are only around during Easter, there are the ones around during Passover. Easter has chocolate Easter Bunnies and Easter Eggs (You'd think that the powers to be would have made bunnies to lay eggs to make it easier), while now is the chance to indulge in dark chocolate covered matzohs.

For those of you that love soda...I believe...but I'll now have to look at the labels...that you can get your favorite brand of cola made with sugar vs corn syrup.

Then there are the gluten-free products, since flour is a no-no...unless it's flour from a matzoh...I'm so confused!

I do have to share a funny. Fairway Market has been setting it up to have coffee that is KFP. I had to ask. I called to speak with someone who was working in the coffee area vs the coffee monger. He told me that beans from Columbia were brought in separately from any others so that there would not be any "contamination" (coffee in itself is considered to be kosher). "The coffee roaster is cleaned out, the beans are roasted, the rabbi says a prayer and then he sprinkles Holy Water." I broke into laughter and said, "I don't think so".

NIGHT AT ST. GEORGE IN STATEN ISLAND

Cooking at Casa Belvedere I went back to Staten Island the next night to an area known as St. George, located just off the Staten Island ferry. A restaurant, Ruddy & Dean North Shore Steak Company stakes its venue on the main road of Richmond Terrace, along the water. It's Happy Hour and the bar is busy.

As we are seating I view what appears to be a waiter. No, it's the Executive Chef and owner, Danny Mills. A wine list is presented on one long heavy grade paper. The menu is a copy and neither are in a book. That's the way Danny wants it.

A glass of Cadonini Pinot Grigio to start off the meal. My friend Deveka and I toast. "May you live 'til Wednesday". It's been a running joke as many would say, "May you live to a hundred". Out comes the basket of bread with a blend of butter and parmesan cheese.

Special for the evening are raw oysters: Kumamoto, Wellfleet and Blue Point. Mignonette sauce, cocktail sauce, and just in case you want to clear your nasal passages, Danny has fresh horseradish.

The Lobster Bisque sounded good and tasted great. Good Broth. Creamy but not overly and I like the fresh herbs atop.

Let's go with fish for an appetizer! Sesame Crusted Yellow Fin Tuna. I usually stay away from this as I either like my tuna totally raw or totally cooked. What I appreciated about this one was that the very rare inside did not have a fishy taste. It didn't have that "the tuna is cooked" flavor. Loved the accompanying pickled ginger, wasabi and soy dipping sauce.

Fish again on the entree. Twice Cooked Diver Scallops. Olive oil poached and then seared. Served with Haricot Vert (fancy string beans) and fingerling potatoes with a saffron aoili. UMMMMM...was that delicious!

This is a Steak House for Pete's sate (I wonder who Pete was). Long list and many dry aged. In fact you can see them just beyond the host stand. Danny said that the one called a Bone In Cowboy Cut was one of his favorites. So, we went with that. I got to pick two sides. I chose Creamed Spinach and Mashed Sweet Potatoes.

Steak came out perfectly cooked as I requested. Love the potatoes and the spinach was neither overly creamy or had that "cooked spinach after taste". Danny says that he uses baby spinach. Other flavors in it. Can you say, "doggie bag?"

I wanted to save room for dessert. No menu. Raspberry mousse with berries atop. Chocolate lava cake...you know, the kind that you cut into and the chocolate oozes out. Everything is made on the premises.

After dinner we walked up the hill and a few blocks away to the St. George Theatre. Talk about an old theatre! It's been renovated but you can see the great intricate artwork along the sides of the stage and some in the ceiling. I heard that the show "Smash" is filmed here and that is the stage used.

We were there to see Judy Collins. I personally didn't enjoy that Irish tenor opening act. Judy was great! Still has that sweet voice. Played her guitar, which seemed to need retuning quite often. She sang one song as she played the piano. Otherwise, I believe that it's her hubby who accompanies her at the piano.

So, at one point she dedicates a song to the hero firefighters from 911 and one guy in particular who headed a battalion in Staten Island. She stated his name along with his wife's. Hmm...that was one of the women at the cooking class yesterday. What a small world!

WHAT'S COOKING IN STATEN ISLAND

When it comes to New York City, Manhattan is the center. It's only one of five boroughs. The other boroughs are Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island and referred to as "the outer boroughs". Staten Island a bridge or ferry ride away is what I would call, "The Outer-outer Borough".

I decided to do some local press trips on this forgotten island and came across an Italian Cultural Foundation, Casa Belvedere (house with a beautiful view), a NYC historic landmark. The view is of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and the NYC Harbor.

Although they offer much on Italian heritage, I was checking out the Italian Culinary Classes. Carole Gervasi is the owner of a company called Delish Dishes as well as the instructor for these cooking classes.

I decided to take a few with Sauces as the first. I was joined by five other women, four of which were from Staten Island and one from Queens. As we began the lesson, each of us was given a task. Mine was to chop shallots. One person was chopping onions. Another was separating eggs. Chopping olives had a bit more of a task as many were not pitted. Then there was "squeezing the canned tomatoes" and another chopping the pancetta...and, needless to say...chopping up the garlic.

The Classic Carbonara Sauce contained: pancetta, eggs, grated Parmigian-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano; fresh cracked pepper, shallots and sea salt. Puttanesca Sauce: extra virgin olive oil; chopped onions; fresh garlic; crushed tomatoes, pitted olives; sea salt, wine; and grated Parmesan.

Ragu Sauce (not to be confused with a jar of the brand name): canned whole peeled tomatoes; extra virgin olive oil; onion; salt/pepper; meat (in this case, brasciole). Lastly was an Alfredo Sauce (heart attack over pasta): pint of heavy cream; a stick of butter; cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and some freshly cracked black pepper.

Sauces being cooked it was time to make the pastas (versus dipping bread or just eating spoonfuls).

As we sipped our wine in the kitchen taking in the lesson and participating, Yvonne McGrath, Theresa Dombrowski, Diana Cerullo, Paula Cenci, Pat Schwimer and I chatted about cooking, Italian heritage, Polish heritage, and family. We each got a great apron as part of the deal, which helped in not only preparation but when we sat down to indulge in the outcome.

We also met Franceso Fadda, Director of Development for Casa Belvedere. Expansion is going on to include a new kitchen. Carole is pleased and an excellent instructor.

While the other ladies were getting a tour of the mansion (not good at climbing stairs any more) I walked about the rooms on the first floor and took photos.

I'm going back next week to take a class on Easter. I don't celebrate it. I just want to learn how to make Pizza Rustica, Manicotti and Spaghetti Pie. Stayed tuned.

COFFEE KOSHER FOR PASSOVER?

That’s right. Douglaston’s Fairway Market…on March 27 and 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fairway’s Master Roasters Benny Lanfranco and Richard Pascale will be roasting coffee beans while supervised by Rabbi Marmostein and KOF-K to make them Kosher for Passover. It starts with the roaster being totally cleaned out to make sure that there are no “contamination” beans that are not KFP.

The rabbi will be bringing the beans shipped from one Columbian coffee plantation and not to be mixed with any other beans. Keep in mind that coffee beans are already considered as kosher. A blessing will be made on the beans and they will be placed in separate bags.

Oh yeah...the other Fairway Markets will be doing the same. Check it all out on www.fairwaymarket.com

JANIS IAN IS ON TOUR!

Janis Ian, folk-rock singer who wrote her second song at the age of 13. It was controversial and a major hit, “Society’s Child” about an interracial romance forbidden by a girl's mother and frowned upon by her teachers and peers as well. In the song the girl ultimately decides to end the relationship, claiming the societal norms of the day have left her no other choice. It was the era of her friends such as Janis Joplin and Jimmy Hendrix.

In 1975 Janis won the 1975 Grammy Award for the Best Pop Vocal Performance for her hit “At Seventeen”. “To those of us who knew the pain of valentines that never came, and those whose names were never called when choosing sides for basketball. It was long ago and far away. The world was younger than today when dreams were all they gave for free to ugly duckling girls like me.” The song is just as prevalent today.

Back then the government was watching her and her family and not for anything they really did…which made for another hit called, “God and the FBI”. “Mama's making mimeos. Pete's on the stereo singing 'bout freedom, bugs in the bedroom Big investigation - danger to the nation Search and seizure, better buy a lawyer ‘We know you're a member’ ‘Saw you under cover’. ‘Are you hiding evidence?’ None of this makes any sense.”

The music industry doesn’t love her. Why? You can go to her website and download free music and lyrics. She thinks it makes for better sales. So do I.

Fans of the soap opera General Hospital may remember hearing the song, “When Angels Cry”. “Wait. Your tired arms must rest. Let this moment pass. Wait until the morning. Close your eyes and you will see who you used to be left without a warning. Who knew one so big could grow so small? Lighter than the writing on the wall.
When angels cry, can I stand by? When stones weep, can my heart sleep? Wish I'd never heard, wish I'd never heard Wish I'd never heard the power of a four letter word.” I’m sure that the four letter word is “love”.

Listening to her CD, “Best of Janis Ian” I realize that the music is not “old”, it’s not folk music like “Peter, Paul and Mary” and there’s a bit of jazz mixed in. Janis will be performing at Queens Theatre in the Park (as I am still calling it) on Saturday, April 21 for two shows.

CRAVING MORE CHEESE

After my exploration of the variety of cheeses at Fairway Market it may have been a coincidence receiving an email from a company named Sugar Brook. Cheese Spreads was the topic with cheese coming from Wisconsin. I was kinda wondering about domestic cheeses. Although I know that there are farms all over this country I wasn't sure of which companies were into cheese production aside from Cabot Creamery.

There are dairy farms with farmstead cheese, where the cheese is actually prepared on the premises. Artisanal cheese is cheese that has been hand-crafted in small batches according to time-honored techniques, recipes, and traditions.

Sugar Brook's thing is to purchase various Wisconsin cheese and create spreads, cheese balls and cheese logs. Kelly Logseth is behind the recipes as well as her brand known asKelly's Kitchen.

The spreads that I sampled with the Sugar Brook brand were: CheddaBlu, CheddaDew, and CheddarBrew. CheddaBlu spread is a combo of Cheddar and Bleu Cheese which was perfect on crackers as well as in a roast beef sandwich. Excellent little kick from the Blue. CheddaDew. There is this sweet piquante fruit called Pepperdew that is just a bit spicy. Mixed a bit in an omelet and used to top a hamburger. CheddaBrew, as you may guess is cheddar with a stout beer. I do get that hint of beer. Great on a soft pretzel.

Kelly's Kitchen posed a problem with putting the spreads on anything. For instance there is the Traditional Tapenade with Odyssey Feta and the Mediterranean Tapenade with Goat Cheese (which has some peppadew in it). I used them both as sides with chicken, steaks and salmon.

Garlic and Herb Gourmet Spread was not the usual. I could taste and feel the consistency of the cheese. Tasted it on a cracker and used it to top a steak.

Two dessert cheeses made there way here. One was a Cranberry Almond Dessert Spread and the other was a Chocolate Cheese Fudge. Just give me the spoon and didn't need a lot to fulfill my sweet after meal crave.

A second company called Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese produces soft cheeses. Fresh mozzarella balls in a marinade. Not only was the mozzarella tasty but the marinade made it to a few salads and a pasta dish.

Their Farmer's Rope is a string cheese type using some part skim milk mozzarella. Great for a snack. I'm going to try it on pizza, making the crust from flour and beer as well as preparing my own tomato based sauce.

Then there is the mascarpone made from sweet cream. I baked a few cookies using flour, butter, sugar and almond extract. While they were cooling a combined Kelly's Chocolate Fudge with some mascarpone and used it to top the cookies. OMG!!!

Lastly is their European style cheese called Les Freres, an American original cheese with a robust, earthy flavor that is washed, which means the the rind is in a brine and edible. It's a soft spreadable cheese that is perfect with fruit.

FAIRWAY MARKET AIDS US TORNADOS

FAIRWAY MARKET AND ITS CUSTOMERS COME TO THE AID OF TORNADO SURVIVORS IN MIDWEST THROUGH PROGRAM STARTING TOMORROW, FRIDAY, MARCH 9

In the aftermath of the tragic 9/11 attacks 10 years ago, countless thousands of people from around the country came to the aid of New Yorkers and others in the metropolitan region impacted by the horrific attacks on the World Trade Center.
Now New York’s iconic Fairway Market and its customers are responding in kind. Starting this Friday, March 9 and going through Sunday, March 17, all nine Fairway Market stores in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will offer customers the opportunity to make a cash donation at the check-out registers of $1, $3, or $5, or a case of water to aid families profoundly affected by the devastating tornados in the Midwest and South last week. The money, which will be matched by Fairway up to $25,000, will be used to send a truckload of water, canned goods, and other non-perishables items to distribution centers in Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Nebraska and Missouri.

“We take great pride in the fact that social responsibility is in our very DNA as a company,” said Charles Santoro, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Sterling Investment Partners and Chairman of Fairway. “And our customers have the same generosity of spirit. So, this is a natural initiative for Fairway. We’re honored to help bring hope to the people in small communities across the Midwest and parts of the South who are in such great need at this time.”

Fairway has locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. For more information, go to www.fairwaymarket.com

TALKING TURKEY

It's not that Thanksgiving bird but the country and it's cuisine. I was in the Sheepshead Bay, Emmons Avenue area of Brooklyn to attend a concert at Kingsborough Community College, specifically Billy Stritch.

Deveka, Ernie and I thought we'd do lunch. Not having gone to many Turkish restaurants I chose Istanbul. Saw an "A" on the outside and appeared pretty nice on the inside. Istanbul is a father and son operation. Riza Atas and the main chef and son Hicri. Hearing that all of the food is prepared on the premises I wanted to do a sampling.

A bottle of Turkish red wine to start from a company called Yakut. The label read "Kavaklidere".

On to the menu. Appetizers. Balik Corbasi - Fish Soup had fresh salmon mixed with vegetables and dill that kind of reminded me of chicken soup with salmon instead of chicken. Havyar Tarama - Caviar Tarama of codfish caviar roe whipped with lemon and olive oil. For a hot appetizer I ordered Hamsi Tava - Fried Anchovies. This is not an "out of the can" ilk. Fresh anchovies and not salty or "fishy" tasting. Then there was the Midye Tava, Fried Mussels. The fresh mussels are taken out of the shell and delicately pan fried and served with a home made garlic sauce.

The Turks must love salad as we not only got a full one, but seemed to come with a few other courses. The particular full one was the Yesil Salad - Green Salad of romaine lettuce, arugula, cucumbers and tomatoes with lemon juice and olive oil.

Akdeniz Levregi, Imported Mediterranean Sea Bass was served whole. Our wonder waiter asked if we wanted it deboned and it was done. Different salad from the Green. Great mild tasting white fish...meaty, too.

Meat course. Karisik Izgara or Mixed Grill. Perfect opportunity to taste their chicken kebab, shish kebab, meat ball (made with Turkish herbs), lamb chop and I think there were some slices of gyro. Most of it was not spicy for my taste. Deveka and Ernie are lovers of hot spices and garlic.

There was a table of desserts none of which looked familiar, other than cheesecake. I went for Kunefe, a traditional Turkish dessert made with shredded filo dough and sweet cheese served hot with a honey syrup.

Another traditional was the Sweet Pumpkin. The pumpkin is marinated with sugar and baked. The sugar syrup from the pumpkin is poured over it and whipped cream topped with walnuts is the accompaniment.

Had to have something chocolate. Chocolate Biscuit Cake was tea biscuits layered in between with chocolate pudding and walnuts atop.

Between courses I checked out the decor and found some interesting looking pieces of art, crafts and Istanbul history.

Riza tells me that they close off the street on these few blocks when the Turkish dignitary arrives. I think he loves the food as much as we did.

MINNEAPOLIS MEMORIES

My trip to the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis seemed to bring back memories of dining and theatre. I had spent much of the time in St. Paul, Stillwater and Mall of America.

I was supposed to have dinner in St. Paul but the venue slated was closed for a private party. Headed to Minneapolis and dined at JD Hoyt's at 310 Washington Avenue North. The restaurant looked lively and you can see the kitchen. Known for their grilled steaks. I started my meal with appetizer of Lobster Taco of two soft shell tacos filled with lobster meat, chopped spinach and pepper cheese. Only a bit spicy but soooo good. Steak it was! I ordered a New York Strip cooked just as I requested and with no salt. I could truly taste the flavor of the steak. Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream seemed to be a specialty of the area so I had to order a dish.

Off to the Lab Theatre to see "Rocky Horror Live". The theatre, located at 700 North 1st, is in the Warehouse District a few blocks from where I was staying. Great performance...excellent acting, except that I didn't care for the guy portraying Dr. Frank n Furter. The locals got a kick because he's a local personality.

Mill City Museum wasn't far from the hotel. Minneapolis tourism assisted by sending Bett Santrang. Built into the ruins of what was once the world’s largest flour mill, Mill City Museum is located on the historic Mississippi Riverfront. "Here, visitors of all ages learn about the intertwined histories of the flour industry, the river, and the city of Minneapolis" and I did. The original A Mill, built in 1874, was leveled by a flour dust explosion that claimed 18 lives. That explosion and the resulting fire destroyed much of the riverfront business area, cutting Minneapolis’ milling capacity in half. Rebuilding and Minneapolis Historic Society is why it is here.

As for the Riverfront....Minneapolis has more bridges across the Mississippi River than any other community, including suspension, stone arch, steel truss, and concrete-arch bridges. It's also the site of the first bridge across the Mississippi.
On January 23, 1855 a suspension bridge opened in Minneapolis from Nicollet Island to what is now the downtown side of the Mississippi at Hennepin Avenue. Combined with an 1853 bridge from Nicollet Island to the other side of the river, this suspension bridge completed the very first permanent span anywhere along the Mississippi River. It's a great tour with loads to see and interestingly historic.



I spent much of the afternoon at the Mall of America...which I will do a separate blog about. Back to Minneapolis for dinner at Republic in a particular locale called 7 corners. New restaurant, pub style. Uses local ingredients! Separate bar area seemed quite busy! I had the best ribs ever! Marinated in 5 spices and other goodies. Sweet sauce rather than spicy or salty. Entree was a Butternut Squash Ravioli. Brown butter cream, crispy sage, toasted pine nuts. Totally delicious. Oh yeah...they had Kwak beer! I love that beer! Got a hanger steak salad and Turkey and Apple sandwich to go! Hey, they even make their own ketchup! Good luck to you, Rick Gunztel!!

Just down the block is Theatre in the Round, where I saw the play, "The Reluctant Debutant". I was not disappointed with the acting...a step above Community Theatre.