The Lighthouse Restaurant

Teresa and I stopped at the Lighthouse on Homestead restaurant near Duluth, Minnesota on Saturday as we were driving up to Silver Bay to visit my father at the Veteran's Home there. It was our first time at the restaurant and it was around lunchtime. One of my deer camp buddies' son is a cook there and he told me a bit about the food so we thought we might give it a try. It was excellent! The decor is based on a lighthouse in Michigan and is very well done. It is a comfortable atmosphere with no pretension and a nice feel of comfort and cheeriness. The server's name was Sheryl, a great example of what a server should be at a restaurant. She greeted us and asked if we would like a beverage. She then proceeded to tell us about their Bloody Mary and how good it was and that she made them personally. I told her I liked Bloody Marys and that would be nice.
I am here to tell you it was a work of art! We began a conversation about the ingredients as I am wont to do with the wait staff and owners of restaurants. I began to guess the ingredients and started with, of course a good mix, adding pickle juice, olive juice, and hot sauce. Sheryl added that they use Worcestershire Sauce and salt the rim of the glass with what seemed to me to be Lawry's Seasoned Salt with celery salt added. She then added a skewer of Green Olives and Pepperoni as well as a celery stick and a pickle pear to the deal and then topped it off with a "snick"of beer besides. What a way to start off our first experience at a new restaurant!
The menu seemed to be a good collection of comfort food items, burgers, sandwiches and some specialties. What caught my eye was a burger with a Cream Cheese/Green Olive topping.
I was not asked how I liked it cooked so I assumed they were cooking them medium to well and it was done very nicely. It was not over-cooked and the cream cheese/olive topping was great. The buns appeared to be made there at the site and were nicely grilled. The burger was served with some krinkle-cut french fries that were very crispy and well cooked.
Teresa ordered a French Dip sandwich that was labeled as "pulled beef" on the menu. It was served with their house made potato chips and those were very good. The sandwich was a pleasant surprise in that it was not the typical deli thin-sliced beef. It truly was pulled beef; large chunks of great roast beef on a good French roll, served with aus jus and those marvelous chips.
This was a very pleasant experience for our first time at the restaurant and both Teresa and I agreed we will return soon and often to this place. Check them out at www.lighthouseonhomestead.com and visit soon. They also feature live music on Monday evenings and some good happy hour specials as well.
Eat well and often,
Tim

new Restaurant find

Teresa and I re-visited our new find, G.B. Schneider & Co. at 46th ave. west in Duluth, MN. I had their pot roast and it was absolutely amazing! the gravy was perfect. The beef was perfectly cooked and Capitol "T" tender and the vegetables the same. Gary Schneider is an amazing chef!
I asked him if I could tour the kitchen and I told him that I designed residential kitchens but I am so intrigued by commercial kitchens that I need to see how his works. He told me that would be fine so I hope to see it soon. Back to the food; Teresa had their Chicken Pot Pie and it was excellent as well! Instead of a traditional savory crust on the top there was a flaky crust with some sweet potato in it and it was marvelous! A bit unconventional, but I thought it was amazing! Serious comfort food as their sign says. I highly recommend this new spot if you can get there. Try the Lake Superior Kayak Kolsch on tap while you're there, it's excellent!
Eat on!
Tim

New Restaurant, G.B.Schneider &Co.

The day after I got back from an adventure in Canada, Teresa and I went out for lunch after church and decided to see if the restaurant we had heard about in the old Grandma's location at 46th Ave. West had opened yet. I was excited to see that it was open! We had met Gary Schneider, the chef/owner at the Chef's Club Brunch back in March and he told us he was hoping to be opening a new restaurant by about June 5th. He was close at June 8th.
The decor is very nice and reflects the location in West Duluth very well with some great artwork depicting the landmarks of the area. He has opened the space up better so it doesn't seem small and has a separate dining room from the bar area, which is also nicely decorated.
The best part, however, was the food! I ordered an Italian sausage sandwich with sauteed onions and peppers with some marinara sauce and mozzarella; fantastic! Teresa had a Triple Grilled Cheese sandwich with Tomato Soup; Also fantastic! The sandwich had Asiago, Parmesan and Fontina cheeses and the Tomato Soup was wonderful with just the right spices and a hint of Basil, not too much, and a touch of cream and some tomato chunks as well. As we were looking over the menu it was hard to decide because most everything looked great.
Gary came out of the kitchen and said hello and told us he had opened on a Tuesday and the folowing weekend the place was packed on both Friday night and Saturday. He said that one lady had been back three times in those days. I think that speaks volumes. Honestly, I can't wait to go back. The dinner specials sounded marvelous; his mom's Pot Roast,Chicken Pot Pie, Short Ribs,etc, etc. The signs on the door say welcome to some serious comfort food. It was and we're going back as soon as possible. I wish Gary the best and if you have a chance, get there as soon as you can too!
Enjoy some comfort,
Tim

Another culinary adventure

Teresa and I recently went on another culinary adventure up the North Shore of Lake Superior. We have found a nice retreat in the off-season at Eagle Ridge Resort on Lutsen Mountain. They offer nice room packages during the slow times of the year, such as two nights for the price of one in a room with a gas fireplace on the slopes of Lutsen Mountain. We have taken advantage of this deal several times now and it is a great way to take a culinary adventure in the area with minimal expense.
Our first restaurant stop was at the Lemon Wolf in Beaver Bay, which I have reported on in a previous post. We enjoyed fresh Herring from Lake Superior and fresh bread. That is always a good stop. Chef Rick is very friendly and welcoming.
The next stop on Saturday morning, after a light breakfast in our room was the Coho Cafe in Tofte for a cup of good coffee and a cinnamon twist (puff pastry twists with a cinnamon sugar glaze). We stopped along the way at a couple of trails to hike and enjoy the spring weather and get a little exercise to work off our food intake. Our food destination for the day was Grand Marais to check out the restaurants we hadn't tried yet. We picked up a pamphlet with the area businesses and restaurants listed and spent some time reading the descriptions. After walking through the streets for awhile we stopped at two places to check out their menus. the first was the Gunflint Tavern on the main street near the water. We had eaten here before and knew it was a good spot. They have excellent soups like Gumbo, Wild Mushroom and a few others as well as good ethnic dishes but we decide to try someplace we hadn't been before. Just two blocks away is the Crooked Spoon. It is a small place, seating about 35 diners with a small bar serving nice wines and craft beers. We stopped outside the door to read their menu posted there and found some cool stuff there.
I ordered their Crooked Ale and a 1/2 lb Kobe Beef burger. Teresa ordered the Crooked BLT.
My friend, it was excellent! I had never tried Kobe Beef before but had read plenty about the quality and marbling of the meat. I am here to tell you the beef flavor was outstanding! the burger was topped with Apple Wood Smoked Bacon, Mozzarella Cheese, a slice of tomato and lettuce; that's all! It didn't need mayo, ketchup, or anything else! It was served on a grilled Ciabatta roll and some Kettle chips alongside.
Teresa's BLT was amazing as well. It was served on toasted Caraway Rye with Honey Glazed Bacon with Black Pepper, fresh tomato and lettuce and a Curried Lemon Aioli; Wonderful! We shared each other's dishes so we could get a taste of each and it was the highlight of the day, culinarily. We headed back to the resort to hike around there and burn off some calories, a cocktail of Prosecco and Amaretto and then off to Lutsen Resort and their dining room for dinner. We enjoyed a very nice dinner there with good wine and the great view of the lake and good food as well. This was not the highlight of the day but very good. We also had our breakfast there the next morning because we had enjoyed dinner there. It was nice as well. I had a Stuffed French Toast with cream cheese and Lingonberries, dipped in rice crispies and fried. Really good!
We headed back down the shore to visit my dad at Silver Bay Veteran's Home and then back home. It was a very successful adventure and I highly recommend all of the places mentioned.
Go forth and eat!
Tim

New restaurant coming

Teresa and I attended the Arrowhead Professional Chefs Assoc. annual Chef's Club Brunch at the DECC this morning and it was excellent! We were seated with some very nice folks at our table and one of them was a chef named Gary Snyder. We struck up a conversation and he told us his background and previous job here in Duluth. I asked what he was doing now and he said he was about to open a new restaurant in West Duluth at the site of a current restaurant that has been for sale for a while now. I won't say which one just yet because the employees of that place haven't been told yet that it has been sold.
Gary told us that he intends to make it a "comfort food" restaurant with things like good pot roast and meatloaf and Lamb shanks, things like that. He likened it to your kid coming home from a long time away at college and making the best meal he or she has ever had at home.
I liked the sound of that and personally I can't wait. From the sound of his background It will be very good. He said he wanted to avoid making it too "fru-fru" as his friends call gourmet stuff, but still excellent quality.
He asked us where we liked to eat and we told him some of our favorites. we all remarked that none of the places were in the city of Duluth. I told him we have been looking for just what he will be offering because it doesn't exist here yet; at least we haven't found it yet. He said his target opening is June 1st.
I'll certainly give you the whole scoop as soon as he's open.
Tim

Culinary Adventure weekend

Just arrived home from an excellent culinary adventure in the Twin Cities. Teresa and I decided to spend a couple days there and find some restaurants we had not tried to hopefully find a couple of gems. We were not disappointed. Our son Jesse started us out on Saturday morning with a great spot for breakfast. It is called Cafe Cravings in White Bear Lake (http://www.cravingsmn.com/). A small place on Cty Rd. E just off 35E that I think might have been a KFC at one time. Jesse suggested their Bananas Foster French Toast but I had Eggs Benedict in mind and that is one dish I absolutely love so if they have it I have to try it. It was excellent! The Hollandaise was perfect; not too lemony and a hint of dill, super soft and light served with their signature Home Fried Potatoes. Those potatoes were very well seasoned with a mixture of seasoned salt, parsley and a smackerel of rosemary.
Teresa had the best surprise of the day. What a way to start a Saturday! Some folks at the next table, which by the way was REALLY close to ours (typical of the rest of them) suggested the Apple-Walnut Pancakes with Cinnamon Sugar and topped with Maple Butter. UNBELIEVABLE!
There aren't many dishes that cause me to say wow with every bite but this one was more than exceptional. The pancakes were amazingly crisp on the outside and almost ethereal on the inside.
The apples were sliced in small dime-sized pieces and sauteed to make them soft. The walnuts toasted and in fairly large pieces. I think the cinnamon sugar was in the batter because that crust on the outside was sugary-crisp and the inside was so light and airy that it defied description. All of that combined with the Maple butter topping was absolutely amazing! Teresa was eating them but allowed me a few tastes and with each one I couldn't help but say wow. I thoroughly quizzed the servers for information on the ingredients and they gave up a few tips they have seen in the kitchen. I am going to try to replicate these and I'll let you know (along with the recipe) how it comes out.
After a trip to Northern Brewers on Grand Ave. in St Paul to pick up supplies for our first attempt at brewing beer, our next stop was Patrick's Bakery in Edina, MN across the street from SouthDale Mall. It's a French Bakery and restaurant and we wanted to try them for lunch. I ordered a cup of French Onion Soup and a Croque Monsieur sandwich. Unfortunately, the soup was just average to mediocre. I was surprised. It was not hot and the crouton was one that was pre-done ahead and then tossed into the soup at service. Not good.
Next was the Croque Monsieur which is a ham and cheese sandwich on very soft white bread with the crusts cut off and a layer of very nice Bechamel on the bottom, then the ham, then some Gruyere cheese. More Gruyere grated over the top and then grilled to melt the cheese and heat the Bechamel ( nice nutmeg in there). They placed it in the Salamander to melt the cheese on top to a nice crust. It was very good and made up for the poor soup. We were too full to try their amazing pastries but we'll be back again because Teresa's mother lives about 4 blocks from the place.
We did some shopping and then back to the hotel for a rest before dinner. Again our son gave us his advice for an Asian place called Orchid near his home in Hugo,MN. It was in a small strip mall on Cty Rd. J just off 35E on the west side. Teresa had a stir-fried beef dish which was good but the Vietnamese egg rolls were truly excellent. they were made with pork and chicken and were incredibly tasty. I had Luc Lac Beef which consisted of Tenderloin beef, onions and crispy potatoes in an oyster sauce on a screaming hot plate and served with an egg that was cooked on it's way to the table courtesy of the smoking hot plate. It was very good and the egg cooked as expected. A very interesting presentation and smelled really great in front of me.
Our final stop for the weekend was back on Grand Ave. in St. Paul's Crocus Hill neighborhood which, by the way contains some of he most fun places to visit if you're a foodie like me. My favorite spice store, Penzey's is right there across the street from our Sunday brunch destination, Dixie's. It's a southern food experience and it is very well done. Champagne Brunch on Sunday is a true delight. We were started off with Mimosas and then launched into their wonderful buffet with perfectly cooked scrambled eggs, corn pudding, excellent Jambalaya, bacon, Cajun sausage, Rib eye Roast with beautiful horseradish sauce and some really good scalloped potatoes. There was also some excellent fried chicken and waffles along with fresh shrimp and Crawfish Cardinale in Puff Pastry( marvelous). You can also order Eggs Benedict or an Omelet of your choice and of course, I tried the Benedict which was served on a fresh baked biscuit with diced country ham and a good Hollandaise which was a bit more lemony than the one at Cravings but still very nice. Desserts ranged fro Choc Mousse to cheesecakes to pies and there was just too much to sample. I highly recommend this place for any day of the week and especially on Sunday.
Happy eating, my friend
Tim

New restaurant find

I just had surgery yesterday for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Teresa and I decided to go out for lunch after the event (outpatient surgery) I was out of the hospital in less than an hour!
We decided to try a new restaurant (to us, anyway) called Takk For Maten on the corner of Lake Ave. and Superior St. in Duluth. My friend Barb Oase told me about it a while ago before it had moved to it's present location. it used to be in the Sons of Norway hall up the street but hey had some building troubles and are now on Superior St. I am here to report that this is a very nice find! It's a small restaurant with a Scandinavian theme and the food is reasonably priced and very authentic. I had a Swedish Meatball sandwich on wild rice-cranberry bread with Havarti cheese and pressed in a panini grill. It was served with a really good dilled potato salad. Teresa had a Honeyed Ham sandwich with Jarlsberg cheese on rye and pressed as well, also served with the excellent potato salad.
They have a nice breakfast menu which is served all day and will soon be expanding their hours to dinner and into the evening. There is a full bar there serving wines and Scandinavian cocktails as well as beer. The decor is of course, Scandinavian with high ceilings and good lighting. Lots of windows to the street and access to the Tech Village from the restaurant.
The coffee is excellent and there are herbal teas as well as iced tea and other beverage choices.
I think this will become one of my favorites and I would encourage you to check it out!
Tim

Recipes and Restaurants

I want to take some time to report on a restaurant that Teresa and I have come to enjoy up the North Shore of Lake Superior. We travel there fairly often to see my dad in Silver Bay. Just south of there in Beaver Bay is a nice little restaurant called the Lemon Wolf Cafe. The owner is the chef and it seats about 30 people max. the decor is nice, the menu is really nice comfort food and this may seem strange but they have the nicest, cleanest restroom I have ever seen in a restaurant. Back to the menu; they offer fresh Lake superiorfish from local fishermen like salmon and herring ( very nice). They also offer a good Swedish meatball special sometimes and their Hot roast beef sandwich is excellent. It's a good pot roast-like beef with a tasty gravy and their home-made bread. they also offer wines and good beers. The owner/chef always comes out to talk with us and he's very interesting to talk to. He's from Milwaukee and came here about 10 years ago and never left. He cooked for a couple chefs in the Milwakee area and this is his first time owning a restaurant. His food is very good quality with good ingredients and great flavor but not too expensive or too gourmet to put him out of reach for his market. I think it's a successful venture and I'd encourage you to try them. They are located in a little strip-mall like building on the North side of the highway right in town.
Enjoy!

Next I think we'll talk Deep Dark Chocolate Cheesecake from a recipe I found in BonAppetit magazine. It was one of the choices at the Welcome Dessert at Vineyard from yesterday's post along with a Goat Cheese Cheesecake with fresh Red Grape Compote with Toasted Walnuts, Red Wine, Rosemary and Black Pepper. I also made a Chocolate Malted Creme Brulee and a Crepe Cake ( 24 layers of crepes with Almond Pastry Cream between each layer).
Here's the Choc Cheesecake:

12 to 16 servings
Crust:
24 Chocolate wafer cookies (about 4-5 oz.)
1 T sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
Filling:
1 9.7 oz. bar good bittersweet 60% Cacao chocolate, chopped (Ghirardelli
4 8oz. pkgs Cream Cheese, room temp
1 1/4 cups plus 2 T sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ( i like Penzey's)
4 large eggs
Topping:
3/4 cup heavy cream
6oz. 60% Bittersweet choc, chopped ( same as above)
1 T sugar

For Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9" springform pan with 3" sides. Blend cookies in food processor until finely ground; blend in sugar. Add melted butter and process until well blended. Press crumbs evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until just set, about 5 to 8 mins. Cool while preparing the filling.
For Filling: Stir chopped chocolate in bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering wateruntil melted and smooth. Remove bowl from pan and cool chocolat until still warm and pourable. Blend cream cheese , sugar, and cocoa powder in stand mixer until smooth. add eggs, one at a time, then mix in lukewarm chocolate. Pour the filling over the crust and smooth the top. Bake until center is just set and just appears dry, about 1 hour. Cool 5 minutes and run a knife around the edge to separate it from the pan. Chill overnight.
For Topping:
Stir cream, 6oz. chocolate,and sugar in heavy saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly, then pour over the top of the cake and spread to within 1/2 " of the edge of the cake. Chill until topping is set. Release the pan sides and transfer to a platter to serve.
Tim