Epic Sandwich: Cafe Twenty Eight

I'm a sucker for a kick-ass breakfast and some of my favorite morning-time meals have come from the excellent Cafe Twenty Eight in the Linden Hills neighborhood. Their Huevos Rancheros and chilaquiles are amazing, but their fried egg sandwich is right up there too. What could be better than a killer breakfast sandwich? Not much! Full review here.

Trattoria Tosca's Ultimate Comfort Pasta

I might have just consumed the most decadent pasta of my life at Trattoria Tosca.

I'd been awaiting the development of something in the under-utilized Turtle Bread space in Linden Hills for quite some time, and thankfully, that wish came true a few months ago. Trattoria Tosca specializes in seasonal fare, and this gloomy spell had me craving something warm and comforting, which lands squarely in the pasta category.

I didn't hold much hope for the actual space, since Turtle Bread seems to be a jumbled bi-polar mess that almost resembles a retail area. They crank out some nice breads and baked goods, but it's not exactly an area I'd like to spend a lot of time in. Tosca is quite different. Dark wood meets sponge painted earth tone walls with little to no adoration. The space is incredibly simple, but at least it has focus. The restaurant was at about 60% capacity, but the sound level was near uncomfortable.

Tosca's menu is relatively limited, but I found several options that made the ultimate decision very difficult. I narrowed it down to the pheasant, the bucatini with rosemary, tomato, breadcrumbs and chili flakes, and what sounded like the ultimate fettuccini. The menu description included roasted cauliflower, Fischer bacon, herbs, grana padano and egg yolk. It sounded like the definition of comfort, and the perfect meal to consume in preparation for hibernation. It was a done deal.

Tosca offers their primi courses in two sizes and I ordered the large as an entree, because I knew I wouldn't be satisfied with just a few bites. When the fettuccini arrived, I was blown away by the execution. The delicately cooked pasta enjoyed little bits of roasted cauliflower and big meaty chunks of bacon intermixed throughout the base of the dish, while the crown of the fettuccini was lightly adorned with fine herbs, rustic grana padano, and three perfectly separated decadent egg yolks. A quick mix with my fork produced a silken and incredibly lush sauce.

This dish is not for the light eater, or health obsessed - it's full on gluttony. The roasted cauliflower had a nice caramelized exterior that provided a bit of crunch and a gentle sweetness to the dish. The thick lardon-like bacon supported an intense amount of salt and smoke that proved a perfect companion for the robust and nutty grana padano. Lastly, those three perfect yolks provided a superb richness to the dish that just could not be surpassed with cream and/or butter alone. Taking on this dish is no small order, and like any good pain killer, I wouldn't encourage operating heavy machinery soon after. My only wish was that maybe they dialed it back to just two yolks, because the dish is so rich that it becomes a little daunting and starts to lose some of its balance.

This was the sort of meal that will keep me warm as we climb deep into the winter months, and if the dish stays on the menu (which any one dish outside of the bucatini rarely does) it may almost make the deep chill of February tolerable.

Happy Eating,

-Teddy

Cool Beans at Cafe Twenty Eight.

Dig Latin inspired food? Obsessed with breakfast? If that’s the case, you should grab a buddy, pal or amigo and check out Café Twenty Eight’s Sunday brunch. We’re blessed to have a lion’s share of killer brunch spots here in SW Minneapolis (Café Maude, Blackbird Café, Café Twenty Eight and Zumbro Café (AKA the SW Quad Cafés), but when I’m looking for something with a little heat, I have to head over to Café Twenty Eight.

I’ve had their chilaquiles with salsa verde last year and I have to admit that it was one of my favorite breakfasts of the year. This time around I decided to roll with the huevos rancheros since I’ve struggled to find a really good order elsewhere, and since the dish wasn’t that far a departure from my original breakfast-based love affair. If you are a huevos fan, then you should really stop in and give it a whirl.

An order of huevos at Café Twenty Eight includes two eggs the way you like ‘em, ranchero sauce, black beans, guacamole, queso fresco, fresh tortillas and your choice of bacon, sausage or chicken sausage. I decided to go with poached eggs (my new favorite – they instantly turn a side dish into a meal) and bacon. As mentioned, I felt a bit bad that I didn’t order the chilaquiles again, but any thoughts of buyers remorse were quickly squashed when my breakfast arrived.

I’m not sure what their process is but I think their black beans are really good, offering the perfect texture with a deep earthy flavor stemming from the thick sauce they simmer in. The ranchero sauce offers a mild heat while flashing freshness and spark. The poached eggs were as delicate as a freshman’s self-esteem and the yolk ran right into the beans and ranchero sauce formulating the perfect spread for those awesome tortillas. For me, the formula is simple: Scoop up as much eggs, beans, sauce, cooling queso and luscious quac as I can into one of the tortillas, crumble on some salty bacon to compliment the freshness of the cheese, shove into mouth and repeat. The only disappointment with this dish was when it was all over.

That’s the beauty of all the great breakfast haunts in SW. There’s variety all over the place and each location has its own calling, but for me, if I want some heat and something with a bit of Latin flare, I look no further than Café Twenty Eight. Unfortunately, their patio season will be coming to an end (OK, based on today it’s straight up over), but it’s really tough to beat a spicy breakfast, some sunshine and a great companion to start off your Sunday.

Happy Eating,

-Teddy

Trattoria Tosca

I couldn't help but notice a bit of buzz around the Turtle Bread building in Linden Hills last night. Thinking with my stomach, as always, I decided to slow down to take in the commotion. At first I just thought it was for the emergence of outdoor seating, but then I realized that most of the traffic was near the Trattoria Tosca side of the building. I think I had stumbled upon a soft launch. There were several folks near the door and I could see others sitting at set tables complete with wine glasses and everything. There is even a sign up, so I figured they must be getting close. I decided to lob a call in to Turtle Bread to see if the menu was posted and to just be a little nosey and the worker I spoke with mentioned that their first official night would be tomorrow night! A second call to the Chicago Ave. location confirmed the opening tomorrow. I've been excited to check this place out ever since the word first started floating around a few months ago and will get there asap - though due to all the launch delays, I remain cautiously optimistic. My guess is the neighborhood will flock to it, much like some of the other recently opened establishments in the area. Stay tuned for more information to come!

Happy Eating,

-Teddy

A nice little Friday in Lent

I typically dread Fridays during the 40 days of Lent as I am Catholic and for one whole day a week, I am deprived the privilege to consume meat other than seafood (See Mom, I really do adhere to the rules sometimes). Most people would think "He's complaining about seafood? What's this Guy's problem? I'll have the lobster, please." Well, it's not that easy. Although I'm sure I would enjoy most varieties of shellfish, I also have proven highly allergic to some and the thought of rolling the dice on one of the many varieties I have yet to try and having to watch my mother or girlfriend plunge an EpiPen into my thigh as I try not to violently explode on the restaurant floor is not my idea of a great dining experience.

Now in the grand scheme of things this sacrifice seems really insignificant (probably because it in fact, is), but then again depriving a natural born carnivore his favorite sustenance can start to irritate a guy, especially after a long day at work. However, I will say that I've started to find a few places right near my house that offer Lent friendly meals in warm environments that help to alleviate my steak, chicken and pork deprived pains.

Last night I found both a savory meal and a comfortable location at Cafe 28 http://www.cafetwentyeight.com/. The setting is in an old historic firehouse in the friendly confides of charming Linden Hills. I've eaten there several times and really enjoy the fact that they not only embrace local products, but they also embrace the needs of the Lent weary crowds. Last night, I had the Tuna Melt which is far from typical. They take a nice light albacore and blend it with spicy jalapenos, cilantro and lime juice, slide on a nice piece of creamy cheese and lightly grill it on nice thick sourdough bread. It was the perfect light, warm and satisfying meal for someone who was looking for something other then the typical pasta or cheese pizza on a Lenten night.

My cohorts had the Friday night fish fry which is absolutely fantastic and could make even the most seasoned Minnesotan Scandinavian smile. You get a few nice pieces of lightly breaded and fried Walleye, some nice salty, crispy fries and a little dish of cole slaw. Now, I can't say I'm a huge fan of dill in my slaw, but the fact that you can get an Ice cold PBR ($3) to wash down your meal and get out of there for less then $20 more then makes up for it. If you are a native Minnesotan you can at least appreciate what they are doing. Overall Cafe 28 has several dishes that can help you forget that you are even making a Friday night sacrifice. They offer a wide selection of locally brewed Surly beer as well as an accomplished list of Belgian beers if you are looking for something a bit different. I'll add their blog (http://www.cafetwentyeight.com/wordpress/) to my link list so you can keep up with this nice little cafe. They offer a weekly fish special that is far from typical, and the service/ownership is a s sweet as can be. Overall it's a pretty nice fit for quite, comfy, cozy Linden Hills.

Stay tuned for more updates if you are looking to upgrade form the Fillet-o-fish default on a Friday in Lent.

Happy eating...

-Teddy