Pip's Plate

Just got back from a quick lunch at Yum! just a few blocks from Lake Calhoun in St. Louis Park, MN. The review I had previously read said that the food was pricey and the atmosphere was excellent. They also said to get there fast because it fills up quickly.

Hmmm…I disagree on both counts. The prices were spot on for a great lunch place- sandwiches range from $7-$10, salads range from $7-$10, and their entrees are a little more (up to $20 I believe).

The food was outstanding. I had the shaved turkey mole sandwich with fresh avocado and manchego cheese served on a Spanish roll. It was nice and light, simple and fresh with a tad smoky flavor.

I also tried the roasted vegetable sandwich. This is exactly what a roasted vegetable sandwich should be: earthy, meaty, and full of flavor. The veggie sandwich had portabella mushroom, zucchini, yellow squash, basil pesto and fresh mozzarella. It was delicious.

About the atmosphere. I hold my first impressions very highly. And Yum! just didn’t do it for me. I felt like they are trying too hard to be “cool” and “modern” and “hip.” It felt fake- almost like I was on a movie set.

Also- wtf is up with the music they were playing? Seriously! When we strolled in around 11:30, they were bumping Black Eyed Peas. Then we sat down outside while we waited for our food, and they were playing instrumental Queen followed by CHRISTMAS music. Come on.

Anyway, the food was really good and I’d recommend trying it out for lunch. Not for dinner.

I went over to my friend’s house this weekend to help her plant the garden. It didn’t take nearly as long as we had expected, and we were finished by 3pm.

We planted 2 rows of 7 vegetables and we also planted 12 herbs in a separate herb garden.

What we hope to grow successfully this year:

Onions (green, yellow, red)

Zucchini

Yellow Squash

Winter Squash

Cucumbers

Radishes

Carrots

Beets

Peas

Romaine

Jalapenos

Shallots

Fennel

And for herbs:

Basil

Purple Basil

Curry Leaf

Thyme

Mint

Greek Oregano

Chives

Italian Parsley

Dill

Ginger Root

Sage

Last year the garden was overflowing with veggies so I’m sure this summer will be no exception!

Does anyone know how to keep rabbits from eating some of the veggies? They got the beets and some other things last year.

Hi all- just got a really great comment from Alejandro Levins, an employee over at Australis Aquaculture, in response to What Fish to Eat: Being Socially Responsible. Sounds like someone knows what’s going on and doing something about it. Thanks!

I’d just like to highlight what he said:

“I work with a company (Australis Aquaculture) that is, as far as I know, the only US-based Barramundi farm. They are definitely the largest and most environmentally friendly one–probably in the world. They farm Barramundi in an indoor fish farm that recirculates (reuses) 99.9% of its water, and produces very little waste. It’s very cool. And the fish they produce a fish with “no mercury, hormones or antibiotics” according to their website.

Their fish is in rather high demand, as you can imagine, but they continue to ramp up production and are now shipping to many parts of the country. Barramundi is mostly in high-end restuarants at this point, but Australis is starting to sell to Whole Foods markets and other grocery stores.”

and point you all in the direction to their site.

As my friend said in response to Alejandro’s comment: “I love conscious people!”

Whew! What an experience. The Gramercy Tavern is definitely one of the best restaurants in the country. Although I would’ve liked the food to be a little more adventurous and exciting, the dining experience was top notch.

There’s a reason owner Danny Meyer has the top 2 Zagat restaurants in New York. Yes- the top 2 spots. Second place belongs to Union Square Cafe.

Service. Service. Service.

We had a 7:30 pm reservation at Gramercy Tavern and we had no reason to believe we wouldn’t make it. We had quite the time getting there. First, our flight out of Minneapolis/St. Paul was a total circus. We spent 2 hours in the plane AT the gate. The pilot insisted on giving us updates every 5 minutes – the A/C was broken, then the bathroom door was broken, etc.

I wan’t panicking yet. I thought we still might be able to make the 7:30…until I realized we wouldn’t arrive in New York until 6:45ish. So I called Gramercy Tavern. They were very accommodating and requested that we just call when we get there.

When we landed at JFK – at 7:30pm – I called Gramercy Tavern again. I spoke with the same man, and he was committed to getting us to his restaurant. It was great!

By the time we finally arrived at Gramercy Tavern, at 9:30pm, we walked in and the staff immediately smiled and said, “We’re so glad you finally made it!” So were we. The feeling when we walked through the restaurant to our table was nothing short of delightful, warm, and inviting.

I started the night with a well-deserved Belvedere martini. Yum. It was heavenly and perfect. I and my 2 companions opted for the tasting menu that night: me- the meat version, they- the vegetable version.

I’d have to admit that the vegetable tasting menu was far superior to the Spring tasting menu. The plates were as beautiful as pieces of art. And they tasted about as good. (You’ll have to excuse my lack of details about the food. Not only was I famished, it was also a couple weeks ago.)

My only critique of the Spring tasting menu was that the food sounded a lot better than it tasted. Everything was perfectly seasoned, I just felt that the options were slightly boring. How many times have I had roasted chicken with mashed potatoes? Don’t get me wrong, it was good.

Then the cheese course came. This made the meal. We had a selection of 15 or so cheeses and they all sounded delicious. We got a sampler and I experienced a couple new sensations. First, washrind cheese is now my new favorite. Melt-in-your-mouth and dreamable cheese. Go get some if you haven’t had it yet. Also, I loved the balsamic-fig jam and honey they served with the cheese. Perfect compliments to our selections.

The wine was also incredible. Their half-glass pours are not the average half-glass pour, but rather just under a full-glass pour. Or so it seemed to me.

Dessert was ok, nothing memorable.

In the end, I’m so happy we went through everything we did to get there. It was well worth it.

I recently downloaded the Shedd Aquarium’s 2007 Seafood Wallet Guide. I’m about to print it out and I suggest you do the same. You can carry it with you when you’re grocery shopping or out for dinner.

This is a great reminder to everyone that one person can make a difference. I choose to do this by voting with my money (seeing that voting at the ballot is somewhat of a waste of time).

The Seafood Wallet Guide groups fish into 3 categories: Best Choices, Good Alternatives, and Avoid – based on two criteria:

1. The fish is high in toxins, such as mercury

and/or

2. The fish is involved in some environmentally unsafe practice, such as overfishing or harming other ecosystems

> Download the Shedd Aquarium Seafood Wallet Guide (PDF – 48KB)

Ocean’s Alive is also an excellent resource

I’ve also included the list here for you: (*= limit consumption due to concerns about murcury or other contaminant)

BEST CHOICES

Barramundi (US farmed) – see Australis Aquaculture

Catfish (US farmed)

Clams (farmed)

Crab: Dungeness

Crab: Snow (Canada)

Crab: Stone

Halibut: Pacific

Lobster: Spiny (US)

Mussels (farmed)

Oysters (farmed)

Pollock (wild-caught from Alaska)

Salmon (wild-caught from Alaska)

Sardines

Scallops: Bay (farmed)

Shrimp (trap-caught)

Striped Bass (farmed or wild caught*)

Sturgeon (farmed)

Tilapia (US farmed)

Trout: Rainbow (farmed)

Tuna: Albacore (US & BC troll/pole-caught)

Tuna: Skipjack (troll/pole-caught)

GOOD ALTERNATIVES

Clams (wild-caught)

Cod: Pacific

Crab: Blue*, King (Alaska), Snow (US)

Crab: Imitation / Surimi

Flounder: Summer / Fluke

Lobster: American / Maine

Mahi Mahi / Dolphinfish / Dorado (US)

Oysters (wild-caught*)

Scallops: Bay

Scallops: Sea (Northeast and Canada)

Shrimp (US farmed or wild-caught)

Snapper: Gray / Lane / Mutton / Yellowtail (US)

Soles: Pacific

Squid

Swordfish (US*)

Tuna: Albacore, Bigeye, Yellowfin (troll/pole-caught*)

Tuna: canned light

Tuna: canned white / Albacore*

AVOID

Caviar (imported wild-caught)

Chilean Seabass / Toothfish*

Cod: Atlantic

Crab: King (imported)

Flounder: Atlantic

Groupers*

Halibut: Atlantic

Mahi Mahi / Dolphinfish / Dorado (imported)

Monkfish

Orange Roughy*

Rockfish: Pacific*

Salmon (farmed*, including Atlantic)

Sharks*

Shrimp (imported farmed or trawl-caught)

Snapper: Red*

Soles: Atlantic

Sturgeon (imported farmed* or wild-caught*)

Swordfish (imported*)

Tuna: Albacore, Bigeye, Yellowfin (longline-caught*)

Tuna: Bluefin*