BARBECUE RIBS
No one knows who first carved up a pig and cooked its ribs over an open fire, but these days barbecue is hot in the foodie universe. More barbecue restaurants seem to open each month in New York City than exist in these parts. Regional controversy over authenticity runs high: smoking v. grilling, dry rub v. sauce, spareribs v. backs, tomato- v. vinegar-based slathers, charcoal v. hardwood cooking. When the day is done, it’s personal preference that determine what’s most worth gnawing on.
Cap’s Grille
Located conveniently at the 50th Street Hiawatha Line station, this local barbecue mecca marinates its well-trimmed spareribs for twenty-four hours, smokes them over an apple-wood fire, quick flames them on a grill, and slathers them with a judicious amount of signature homemade tomato-based sauce. Where texture and taste are concerned, these are all-American winners. 5000 Hiawatha Ave., Mpls., 612-722-2277
Ted Cook’s 19th Hole Barbeque
This takeout storefront seems to make just about everyone’s short list of top-rated pits. The substantial, meaty, fall-off-the bone ribs are notably smoky, char-edged, and tender. The thick, homemade sauce comes in three versions—mild, medium, and truly hot. Some find the heavy saucing excessive and overpowering. As an alternative, just order them naked with sauce on the side. 2814 E. 38th St., Mpls., 612-721-2023
128 Café
This beloved Merriam Park spot continues to offer its widely acclaimed baby backs. Notable for their lean, succulent quality and the superlative sweet-spicy sauce that bathes them, the ribs are deservedly no longer merely a Saturday–night special. 128 Cleveland Ave. N., St. Paul, 651-645-4128
FRIED CHICKEN
Carving up fowl and cooking it in hot oil is a concept that came to U.S. shores with the slave trade. However, it took some home-bred American pluck for this Southern favorite to take flight on a national scale. The most influential force was Harlan Sanders, whose Kentucky Fried Chicken introduced two innovations. One was a batter containing “eleven secret herbs and spices.” The other was the invention of a pressure fryer that greatly reduced cooking time. A second, albeit less recognized force was the Broaster Company of Beloit, Wisconsin, which, in 1954, introduced its own flavor enhancement process and refined pressure frying with its trademarked Broaster cooker. The result is a product that boasts succulent meat, more flavor, crispier skin, and less grease.
The Coop Restaurant
This notably friendly neighborhood spot has been around for decades. The featured Gold ’n Plump chicken is prepared using trademarked Flavor-Crisp seasoning and Broaster knockoffs. “Our pressure cookers build pressure in the pot, which seals in the natural juices while sealing out almost 100 percent of the cooking oil.” The moist, flavorful pieces of chicken are poultry perfection. 157 3rd Ave. S., South St. Paul, 651-455-7566
The Lookout Bar and Grill
This institution has been around since 1958—before Maple Grove ran the world. It’s reputed to serve its signature Broaster chicken by the truckload. Once in the boonies, The Lookout now finds itself in the heart of a residential neighborhood. Nonetheless, its fried chicken is exemplary and whether you enjoy it on the spot or take out an order to go, you won’t be disappointed. 8672 Pineview Lane N., Maple Grove, 763-424-4365
Pastor Hamilton’s
Although best known for his excellent, finger lickin’ ribs, the namesake preacher-cook also serves up top-notch Broasted chicken. The bird is cooked to order and the process takes about twenty minutes, so call ahead if take-out is the game plan. An added benefit of purchasing: A portion of the proceeds support an inner-city scholarship fund. 1150 E. 7th St., St. Paul, 651- 772-0279
HOT WINGS
All Buffalo wings are hot wings, but not all hot wings are Buffalo wings. The city of Buffalo has an almost DOC appellation relationship to wings, passionately holding a namesake status since they were supposedly invented at the city’s Anchor Bar in 1964. But you can stop American initiative about as easily as stopping face-painted NFL tailgaters from belly-bumping, so the hot wing has evolved and diversified. Whether the sauce is thin or thick, the chicken breaded or not, the heat palatable or scorching is all matter for debate over beer and a plate of wings.
Hickory Hut (Art Song’s)
For whole-wing lovers, there’s nothing like the golden-skinned wings from Art Song. The spice-laden coating carries hints of paprika and cinnamon, which, when combined with hot sauce, create a unique world of spicy sweetness. 647 University Ave. W., St. Paul, 651-224-9464
Smalley’s Caribbean Barbeque
The wings are marinated and smoked over pimento wood for a richer experience. You may choose the heat level of the darkly robust sauce: mild, medium, hot, stupid, really moronic. 423 S. Main St., Stillwater, 651-439-5375
Town Hall Brewery
Wings here are consistently crispy and laden with a thin but generous secret-recipe hot sauce that kills the lips, yet keeps you coming back for more. Bonus: You get to wash away the heat with high-quality craft beer. 1430 Washington Ave. S., Mpls., 612-339-8696
» Honorable Mention: Major’s Sports Café
THE JUICY LUCY In the land of the Juicy Lucy, where flannel shirts have never gone out of style, Grain Belt cascades from taps like water from Minnehaha Falls, and the last vestiges of Roosevelt’s baby steps to end prohibition, 3.2 beer joints, still have griddles, a double-burger patty stuffed with soon-to-be-molten cheese is the Twin Cities food icon that can whip all hunger pangs. Though its origin may be in doubt—the locus has been narrowed to a twenty-block radius on the south side of the City of Lakes. Nothing says you’re a local as much as knowing how long to wait for the cheese to go from lava to luscious before you dig in. Matt’s Bar
At the Fort Knox of Lucys (what used to be a bottle cooler holds the cheesy treasures in their last moments before being melted into liquid gold), it’s dubbed the “Jucy” Lucy and is most likely the original, certainly the most storied. We once asked the cook how many burgers he made a day and he said, “Thirty?” We asked how many Lucys, and he said, “Three-hundred.” Romantics love the austere fifties atmosphere and killer jukebox, but we have to admit the flat screen is nice for watching the Twins. 3500 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls., 612-722-7072 The Nook/Shamrocks
They are serious about the juicy here, which is typically juicier than the Cedar Avenue Lucys. It even comes with a waiver that says you know the dangers of molten cheese. That’s serious. At the famous Nook (where it’s called the “Juicy Nookie”), near Cretin High, there’s beautiful burger DNA, period. Look out Matt’s, you have a tail. 492 Hamline Ave. S., St. Paul, 651-698-4347; 995 W. 7th St., St. Paul, 651-228-9925 Vincent A Restaurant
Not technically a juicy Lucy, Vincent’s version perhaps owes more to Daniel Boulud’s famous $32 burger stuffed with, among other things, foie gras and braised short ribs. Vincent’s short rib burger (minus the foie gras) has smoked gouda so that tips it in the Lucy direction. Perhaps most important, the Vincent burger is only $8 during happy hour. 1100 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-630-1189 |
MEAT LOAF
This prototypical American comfort food appears to have come into prominence during a time of national discomfort, the Great Depression. Although various forms of seasoned ground meat have been prepared around the world for centuries, it was only in the last century that housewives seized upon the idea of stretching their food budget by blending bread, cracker crumbs, or even Quaker oats into a loaf with their meat. The appeal was enhanced by the advent of home refrigeration and table-mounted, hand-crank grinders that facilitated the conversion of lesser cuts of raw meat into something more malleable. Back in those days, meat loaf most often made with veal because it was less expensive than beef. Today, meat loaf gets prepared in an endless variety of types and shapes, typically including beef, veal, and pork—and the standard is the way your mother made it.
Modern Café
Meat loaf comes and goes at this Nordeast diner, but it’s worth mentioning because it is exemplary in just about every way. The meat is a blend of beef, pork, and veal, the moist loaf is mined with bits of chopped onion and vegetables, and the mushroom gravy is the perfect complement. The creamy mashed potatoes aren’t bad either. 337 13th Ave. NE, Mpls., 612-378-9882
Monte Carlo
The meat loaf here is offered as a sandwich on pumpernickel with grilled onions, is made solely from ground beef, and is only available on the lunch and late-night menus, but it’s a reliably tasty and well-composed rendition that deserves high marks for texture and flavor. 219 3rd Ave. N., Mpls., 612-333-5900
The Sample Room
The version served at Minneapolis’s newest Nordeast foodie legend is equally spot-on. It features the same three-meat combination baked with caramelized onions and a hint of sweet pepper. The sauce is excellent, and the mashed potatoes are on the lumpy side, just like Mom’s. 2124 NE Marshall St., Mpls., 612-789-0333
PORK CHOP
A pork chop is the closest pork cut to the rib eye of a cow. The trendy double-cut or classic Iowa cut is just a thicker version. It all seems so simple, but, man, can you screw up a pork chop. We ate a lot of chops and most were tough and overcooked—puzzling here in the heart of pork country. Our three best were not where we expected them.
Bank
The room is spectacular, the chop up to the standard. The entire dish is constructed right—double-cut chop cooked to medium, lightly salted and peppered. Braised collard greens with garlic, fresh and full of flavor, a pulled-pork-stuffed bread pudding, and a smear of apple butter complete the experience. Westin Minneapolis, 88 S. 6th St., Mpls., 612-656-3255
Jax Cafe/Kozy’s Steak & Seafood [tie]
A pork chop with some flair, blackened but not too spicy, tender and well-presented. 1928 University Ave. NE, Mpls., 612-789-7297; Galleria, Edina, 952-224-5866
Oceanaire Seafood Room
Wow, the chop is perfect! Moist and full of flavor, cooked medium-rare (the only place in our many stops where a server, or in this case bartender, asked for a temperature). It’s huge, as is everything, and could be the best chop in town. Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-333-2277
POT ROAST
Pot roast is not a cut of meat, but a braised hunk of beef slow-cooked in a covered pot. The dish is a Yankee classic, traditionally employing round or rump cuts, though when made with brisket it’s also a staple of the American–Jewish table (often served at holiday gatherings). Pot roast is in vogue again at local restaurants, and some great versions can be found. Today’s obsession with lean meat results in a terrible pot roast, stringy, chewy, and dry. The best are anything but.
Bloomington ChopHouse
Probably the only Jewish–style restaurant brisket in the Twin Cities, BCH’s version is thickly sliced and served in pan gravy with a tomato essence. It’s a wonderfully tasty treat and a true surprise to see on a steak house menu. Hilton Bloomington, 3900 American Blvd. W., Bloomington, 952-830-5200
Cafe Lurçat
This elegant version—if pot roast can ever achieve elegance—is striated with just enough marbling for melting tenderness and beefy flavor and is served in a copper pot with a few veggies and rich red wine jus. 1624 Harmon Pl., Mpls., 612-486-5500
D’Amico & Sons
D’Amico’s pot roast is leaner and served in thick chunks bathed in a tomato-based sauce with a mound of assertive horseradish purée on the side to add a real kick to your comfort. Numerous metro locations
» Honorable Mention: Modern Café
TURKEY DINNER
Turkey is the North American bird, and the turkey dinner, a tradition that goes back all the way to the Pilgrims, is the quintessential American meal. Americans each eat an average of almost seventeen pounds of the bird every year. The U.S. Census Bureau charts turkey trivia, with Minnesota topping the charts, producing a whopping 48 million birds the last time the numbers were tallied. No wonder turkey with all the trimmings shows up in so many local restaurants regardless of the time of year.
Carol’s Restaurant
This Blaine comfort-food headquarters cooks and serves about seventy turkey dinners a day. Practice almost makes perfect. Carol’s gravy is just like Grandma’s. 11888 NE Aberdeen St., Blaine, 763-757-9700
The Lexington
The Lex serves hot turkey plates for lunch and dinner, and to sit in the bar and devour a mammoth plate of the roast turkey with sage stuffing and the little dollop of cranberry sauce is to be a kid again. You can even order all dark meat if you’re a regular. Nice! 1096 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 651-222-5878
Manning’s Restaurant
Open since 1932, with several employees patrolling the room for more than a quarter century, Manning’s serves an open-face turkey dinner that’s purty darn tasty. 2200 Como Ave. SE, Mpls., 612-331-1053
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