Secrets of the City

Steak-n-Shake.

Graeters

A few years ago I would’ve wished for Japanese bento but now there are two good places offering the simple, inexpensive Japanese lunches: Zen-Box and Obentoya.

So, my wish now if for someone to open a Go-Go Curry shop:

http://www.gogocurryusa.com/

Obentoya offers Japanese curry one day a week but that’s not enough for me!

Something else that would be delicious to have around is a combination yakitori-satay shop.

I also think we need more food trucks, with the same variety here that exists in L.A.

Dole Whip

bialys

indyr, you can get Dole Whips at the State Fair. Obviously not year round but better than nothing.

ryanol, we have had Graeters shipped to us by my in-laws along with Montgomery Inn ribs (same company that will ship Skyline to you as well): http://www.cincinnatifavorites.com/ but again, not the same

I could so easily turn this into a love song to Portland, but I won’t. Instead, I offer these Cali-centric items:

In N Out Burgers. if they spread beyond their current 4-state region would the magic be lost?

Why do so few places around here offer tamales? I would eat them for Bkfst, lunch or dinner.

Korean BBQ. Like this: http://www.yelp.com/biz/soot-bull-jeep-los-angeles

Burmese. Like this: http://www.yelp.com/biz/burma-superstar-san-francisco

Also, fuck this burgh. I’m moving to NYC.

Agree with g rote on tamales. The Accapulco chain in the northern burbs makes a good tamale, but the best one I have had all year came from the taco truck in front of the Midway Target.

$2. Corn husk wrapped, sweet, tender masa at just right firmness, with seasoned pork.

Nom nom nom.

@grote: I spotted the Frontera Taco truck along University Ave. yesterday. Plenty of tamales there. In fact, St. Paul probably has more tamale options on any given day than does Mipples.

Re: Korean BBQ. Again, St. Paul’s the place to be @ Sole Cafe on Snelling, or @ Park’a in the Hillcrest neighborhood.

Here’s some talk about local Korean restaurants that was on Chowhound earlier this year: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/590123

What noodleman said. I was gonna suggest those Korean joints on Snelling, too.

Just had a very good Italian Roast Beef hoagie @ Neighborhood Cafe in St. Paul.

Hah! Shelbyville — er — Saint Paul wins! I feel sorry for all of you who live in that suburb of Saint Paul that is called Mipples or something…

A ham w/ taco meat grinder from the Red Pepper in Grand Forks, ND.

I think you mean comestibles.

Cincinnati-style chili, above all. It’s really hard to make, and you can’t even find the pre-made canned or frozen stuff here.

Grits and hush puppies are kind of hard to find, too. But nothing more than Cincinnati chili.

I’ve been to Shilla on N. Snelling. Pretty tasty. But I want the kind of Korean BBQ where you have hibachi full of charwood built into your table and you leave reeking of smoke and charred meat.

I quit Chowhouonding due to redundancy. maybe I can link back just once.

Is there Yuengling or water ice in the Twin Cities? It’s got to be around somewhere, right? I miss my Yuengling…

More vegetarian tamale offerings would be nice, too. And more Chinese bakeries.

I ought to send poor old Bill my aunt’s recipe. It takes a whole day to make!

ok, there is a ton of ambiguity regarding real korean smoky tabletop BBQ in that thread on Chowhound. We need a definitive answer…

Is there a place in the TCs that does Korean table-top charcoal grilling?

indyr, you can get Dole Whips at the State Fair. Obviously not year round but better than nothing.

Exactly. I hit the Dole Whip stand at the Fair every year, but only 2 flavors (pineapple and strawberry) once a year is not enough.

Is there a place in the TCs that does Korean table-top charcoal grilling?

According to the Chowhound thread, no. State law prohibits the use of table-top charcoal grilling in restaurants.

I always enjoyed the Dole Whip booth at the Indiana State Fair. They got it at the Marion County Fair, too.

@uptown_urbanist: no, Yuengling is not available here and according to them they have no plans to bring it to the Midwest anytime in the next 10+ years.

@andyst: it’s really not the same so shipping the cans of Skyline in is the best way to go for us.

When I worked at Regions Hospital, we treated a family who tried indoor grilling in their apartment on New Years Eve.

Thankfully, they all survived.

Date Shakes .. real Korean BBQ would be very nice as well.

Well, if y’all want REAL Korean BBQ, you’ll have to talk to your legislators about changing the law.

I can pass on restaurant-served bulgogi, though, because Korean BBQ is easy enough to make at home — outdoors — on the grill anytime of the year.

If you can’t find bulgogi, another option to consider is something very similar: Japanese sukiyaki.

What I do enjoy most, though, is kimchi, and the variety of other small side dishes that are served with meals at the Mirror of Korea.

You want to weaken an indoor air quality law in Minnesota?

Not on my watch, noodleman.

Beef short ribs (cut into two inch picecs) marinated overnight in some sesame oil, soy, sugar, minced ginger, garlic, and green onion ….slow cooked (indirect heat) over a charcoal fire…one of my favorites this summer. With a little kimchi on the side, now that’s a good idea noodleman.

I think you could grill some great Korean BBQ in one of those “Green Egg” grills.

State law prohibits the use of table-top charcoal grilling in restaurants.

I blame Bob. Jerk.

Febo. I want one of those here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FEBO

Oh and don’t even get me started on the deliciousness of foreign salty snacks. I’m talking chips and whatnot in grocery stores.

I’d like to try an egg cream sometime. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_cream

I second Steak N Shake!

Jane — you can get egg creams at Cecil’s in St. Paul or Mort’s over in St. Louis Park. Hell, you can even get ‘em at Burger Jones.

They’re better than the burgers…but that ain’t sayin’ much.

Thanks, Rich. That reminds me I have to get over to Mort’s.

I think you could grill some great Korean BBQ in one of those “Green Egg” grills.

The Green Egg is the SUV of charcoal grills. LOL

Yes, I want one, someday, but I’m happy, too, with my economy-class Weber.

You want to weaken an indoor air quality law in Minnesota? Not on my watch, noodleman.

I don’t think air quality was necessarily the consideration. More along the line of asphyxiation-prevention, I would think.

While there are lots of foodstuffs I wish I could get here but can’t, I think there’s also a bunch of stuff I’d truly miss if I moved too.

Like Gedney’s Nita Schemmel’s State Fair Hot Bread & Butter Pickles and Grain Belt Premium.

I don’t think air quality was necessarily the consideration. More along the line of asphyxiation-prevention, I would think.

Actually, that is our turf, as is radon and other lung killers.

Did someone say indoor smoke? It’s 4:@0

er…4:20

I’d perhaps miss the Gedney’s a bit, but I think I could console myself with the pickles at Katz’s.

@justpbob: I took your reference to “air quality” literally, because the charcoal-grill places I’ve been in (in Japan and Singapore) weren’t smokey at all — or any more so than if one were to use a propane-fueled grill. But the LACK of oxygen, due to carbon monoxide poisoning, has less to do with quality than it does with quantity.

A quality pasty (pronounced pass’-tee) like I got as a lad in the Yooperland only without driving the 280 miles one way. And the ones on the range just aren’t as good. Probably a lack of table top smoke or something.

A pot pie is no substitute. Only trolls put gravy on a pasty. Real Yoopers use ketchup.

Here’s an idea in case you think I’m kiddin’.

http://www.lawryspasties.com/

I googled it, and I’m dubious as to whether indoor restaurant charcoal grilling is truly illegal in MN. I think, rather, it is prohibitively expensive to ventilate properly.

If someone can point me to the statute, I would love to see it (no more of thrill-killer bob just speculating)

I saw someone with some pasties once, but I don’t think they were edible…

@grote: It’s all now probably tied up with the indoor smoking prohibitions. Smoke is smoke, I guess, even if it’s tasty smoke. A ginormous kitchen grill would be easier to ventilate than a dozen or more individual tabletop hibachis.

Nice try Doug. Plural for “pasty” is “pastys” because Yoopers can’t spell and they mostly don’t care.

And der ain’t too many Yooper womens you’d want to see wearin’ dem dare “pasties”. Oy.

I have to second In ‘N Out and Steak ‘N Shake. And Kum ‘N Go.

Brookline, MA: burritos from Anna’s Taqueria and pretty much anything from Schwarma King. And a Dunkin Donuts coffee with a cruller for dessert.

Maid Rites and In-n-Out Burger.

One time in Iowa I ordered a Mich Golden Light and the bartender looked at me like I had six heads.

Pastys are delicious. Nothing like a meat and potato pie! I agree, you have to put ketchup on it. My mom usually makes pasty in the fall. yum!

Jay’s Cafe on Raymond makes fancy pasties that are very nice but I agree we could use a UP-style $3 pastie-and-milk sort of place.

Isn’t there a Maid-Rite somewhere in the Twin Cities? I know there’s one in Brainerd.

lunds has pastys in the freezer section. no idea if they’re any good, but they are imported from michigan.

There used to be a Maid Rite cookie place on Hiawatha between 42nd and 46th streets, but it closed last year. Bummer for my son’s school that got noms from them regularly.

The first time I walked into a Steak ‘n Shake, I thought they served…well…steak. They don’t. But they have some incredible steakburgers. And every variety of shake and malt you could want.

I would like to see an Inn ‘n Out burger here, but that will never happen as the company is family-owned and they don’t franchise.

How about some good southern-style chicken? Even a chain place like Church’s.

Maid-Rites are great. Every little town in Iowa and Illinois seems to have one.

IIRC, there was a Church’s franchise or two somewhere in the cities quite a while back (sometime in the ’80s?). Used to be more than one Popeye’s, too.

Dunkin’ effin’ Donuts, man. That’s all I want.

The Trung Nam French Bakery on University Ave. used to be a Popeye’s, Noodle. I ate there once or twice before they closed. I like Popeye’s spicy batter.

Today they make killer croissants, as well as halfway decent Vietnamese sandwiches.

Hatch green chile. That’s all I really ask for.

Tacos Tumbras chain

http://www.realacapulco.com/en/tacos-tumbras

In ‘n Out – yes. Last time I was in Vegas I took a cab through the drive-thru just to satify my double-double craving. Cabbie got one too as a tip.

Also a big fan of Chick fil-A. Awesome chicken sandwiches.

I miss the chicken parma you can get at any pub in Melbourne Australia. Best bar food ever. Although when I lived there I would have killed for real Mexican food. Any Mexican food.

a 24 hr ramen shop, like fuji ichiban (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/VKsukeR-va3fUIZjtClbLQ?select=QK5Qb8ezBBM5NmVi7npi2Q)

@justpbob: I’ve always wondered what the original purpose of that property was. Thought maybe it might’ve been a Rax or something in a previous life.

And, yes, Trung Nam does know how to do croissants and baguettes! I still prefer Saigon’s banh mi sandwiches, though.

As do I.