Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal

Live from D'Amico Kitchen at Chambers Hotel

Those interested in a little "culinary voyeurism" can now be a fly on the wall at the new D'Amico Kitchen at the Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis. The restaurant has installed three video cameras in its kitchen, and every evening from 7:30 to 10 interested parties can hop on the Web site and watch live, unedited footage of the chefs in action behind the scenes. The footage will also be broadcast on a large screen outside of the kitchen so diners and Hennepin Avenue passersby can be in on the action.

Starting next Wednesday, Oct. 28, Executive Chef John Occhiato will post weekly video blogs to share his own thoughts and inside experience on a range of delicious topics, including the transition from D'Amico Cucina to D'Amico Kitchen during six weeks this past summer, how he uses seasonal ingredients in his dishes and how he orders when he goes out to eat. 

This is a pretty unique idea and the first time a Twin Cities restaurant has offered the experience. So, if you can't make it to D'Amico Kitchen in person, check out the video instead. It may just make you get out of the house and go out to eat.

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Quick News links: Winter Carnival, B&N e-reader, text messaging, gift cards and Louvre love

A few bits of news I felt were worth mentioning:

+ The St. Paul Winter Carnival received two awards from the International Festivals & Events Association, including a silver award for Best Educational Program and a bronze award for Best Event Photography (Tom Maloney). The carnival is judged in the category of festivals with annual budget of $250,000 to $749,999. (Hat tip MinnPost.)

+ Rumor has it Barnes & Noble is planning to release its own answer to Amazon's Kindle called the Nook. Early talk looks good for B&N. While I think it will be a long time before I give up books for an e-reader, I do like that you can actually lend books to other people with the Nook (although, your friend has to have one too). Lending books is a huge part of the reading experience for me, plus it's a money saver. (Hat tip Wired and Gizmodo.)

+ Morrissey Hospitality is offering up an awesome gift card deal this holiday season. According to the press release: Starting Nov. 1, every shopper who purchases $100 worth of gift cards from one of Morrissey's seven participating properties - The Saint Paul Hotel, The St. Paul Grill, Pazzaluna, The Hotel Minneapolis, restaurant Max, Tria restaurant and Enjoy! - will also receive a free bonus package including five promotional $20 gift cards to those same properties, which can be used by the customer themselves or to give as gifts.

+ Mall of America launched a text-messaging service last week called MallCall: The Text Best Thing. According to the press release: Mall patrons can opt-in with each visit by texting a provided phone number. Then only during store hours and only on that day, customers will receive real-time text messages about promotions and in-store coupons allowing them to take advantage of that day's special offers.

+ Just for fun, I loved this Face2Face post from earlier this month. MeetingsNet editor Sue Pelletier shares what she did during a nine-hour layover at LAX. I would never think to take the shuttles to different hotels and just check them out! What a good use of time.

+ Want to learn how to tell a masterpiece from a fake? Or, maybe you'd like to take a trip to Paris without leaving the Twin Cities? The highly anticipated exhibit The Louvre and the Masterpiece opened over the weekend at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. This is a huge deal for the MIA as many of the pieces have never before left the Louvre and we are only one of two stops the exhibit is making in the U.S.

What else is going on?

-- Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Chambers' New D'Amico Kitchen Sneak Peek

The good folks at D'Amico Kitchen (the new restaurant at the Chambers hotel) hosted myself, Editor Joel Schettler and Associate Editor Ellie Bayrd for lunch today. It was delightful.

The new restaurant had its soft opening on Monday but the Grand Opening will be Sept. 9. The space still looks conducive to the rest of the hotel--very clean and simple, very Chambers--but with new works of art and splashes of lavender and coral on a few of the walls. The low couches have been replaced by tables and (very comfy) creamy-white leather chairs. I peeked out onto the patio, where a few people were sitting in what used to be known as the Gorilla Bar and is now called Eden. It seems aptly named, as our server told us they're going to plant some vines and make it more garden-like, reminiscent of the patio at Campiello's old Uptown location. I'm not sure if the new name for the upstairs bar (formerly Red White and F*#%ing Blue) has been announced yet, but I asked our server and he said it will be called XO.

We started lunch with lamb meatballs and yogurt sauce. There were golden raisins, onions and mint involved as well. I'm no wine pairing expert but I thought they were delicious with the Malbec I ordered. Then Joel and I both had the garganelli carbonara with pancetta and fava beans. SUPER flavorful. Ellie had the grilled chicken sandwich, which was tasty but I liked my pasta better. I was intrigued by literally everything on the dessert menu (a common issue for me) but we settled on two tasty little numbers: warm almond frangipane-filled crepes with vanilla mascarpone and almond brittle (my favorite of the two) and warm chocolate cake with olive oil gelato and cherries. Although I've never been big on chocolate cake (freakish, I know) I have a deep, unwavering affection for ice cream in all its forms. I could not pass up the chance to try this olive oil gelato and it was rich and creamy and everything I thought it might be. Don't know if I could eat more than just that one scoop though.

Our server was professional, attentive and offered suggestions when we asked. The food was very tasty and very interesting, with options for the less adventurous eaters among us (ahem, Ellie) and for the types who will eat just about anything (me and Joel). All in all, it was everything you'd expect from D'Amico and I'm very excited to see what they'll cook up for our Sept. 24 Vision Awards we're holding in the ART room (pictured). I'll try not to spend all my time stuffing D'Amico appetizers in my purse, but if I am, hopefully now you'll understand.

--Marni Ginther
Assistant Editor

Image from Chambers' Web site

Tour de Farm recaps

Thanks to City Pages, I discovered that the folks behind Tour de Farm have been blogging recaps and video from the events. (I wrote up a short blurb about this new local dining experience in the summer issue.)

The first Tour de Farm event was held at Hidden Stream Farm in Elgin on June 7. Click for recaps Part I and II and III and video (by Bob Seabold). The set up looked cozy and rustic, the pigs active and the food divine.

The second event took place on the greens of the Walker Art Center on July 30. I watched the video (also by Seabold), and it really gives a lovely interpretation of the day, from set up to dessert. First, I love the music ("Can't Count to Four" by Opposable Thumbs). Second, watching all the different chefs, including Alex Roberts and Asher Miller, from around the Twin Cities gather and cook together to pull off this event, and then to see all the people (spot Mayor Rybak) enjoying the food, really showcases what a wonderful community of food appreciators we have here. Imagine plating all those dishes, grilling on huge grills and working (and eating) amongst the rain sprinkles - what an accomplishment! Once again, see Parts I, II, III and video. 

Only the first post is up for the Aug. 16 event, set at Grass Roots Farm in Saginaw, so be sure to check the Tour de Farm blog for more updates, about this event and the ones in September and October. (Updated 9-22-09: Saginaw parts II & III, and Cedar Summit Farm, part I, this past weekend. I also should've sent a shout out to Kris Hase, the brains behind the Tour de Farm blog, for his great posts/photography.)

Looks like a success. Congrats to founder Scott Pampuch and all involved!

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Glamorama 2009

Associate Editor Ellie Bayrd and I attended Glamorama on Friday night. A fashion show event to raise money for Children's Cancer Research Fund, Glamorama is put on by Macy's every August. The evening begins (unless you attend a pre-party) with an hour-long fashion show, featuring top-name designers Jean Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs and high-profile entertainment, this year R&B superstar Ne-Yo, pop newcomer Kristinia DeBarge and jazz trio The New Standards. After the fashion show, guests who paid for the opportunity head up to Macy's Eighth Floor for the after party.

For me, the fashion show was the highlight. And I'm not even a fashionista in any sense of the word. But, the show was well choreographed and the music was awesome. Ne-Yo was fantastic and The New Standard's version of Britney Spears' "Toxic" was superb. The models strutted around differently for each designer, and while many didn't smile, I think you could tell they were having fun up there. (For more on the fashions found at Glamorama, see Allison Kaplan's column in Saturday's Pioneer Press.) It takes a lot to orchestrate and plan a fashion show, and I thought it was very well done. (For more on the year-long planning, check out this article from Vita.mn.)

The after party was also a good time, with lots of food stations - from mini burgers and nachos to mini ice cream cones - and overflowing beverages. While the food wasn't quite as amazing as years past, I did think the way they arranged the food around the eighth floor and the mammoth patio worked well. A DJ spun tunes over the dance floor, I heard Ne-Yo partied in the VIP lounge most of the evening, Dance Dance Revolution and Wiis were set up off to the side of another dance floor and the who's who of the Twin Cities interspersed with long-legged models.

I took some photos of the evening, but please forgive the awful lighting in some of the shots - I'm an amateur! We weren't allowed to take photos during the show, but if you're interested in the fashions, you can find slideshows at City Pages and the Star Tribune.

Were you at Glamorama this year? What did you think of the evening?

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Will Work For Food: Fresh Taste Festival Recap

You may or may not know that Minnesota Monthly is a sister publication to Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal. So when the office started to buzz with preparations for Minnesota Monthly's Fresh Taste Festival, a light went off in my little foodie head. If I volunteer to help at the festival, I thought, I'll be able to nibble fancy snacks and hobnob with local chefs and organic produce suppliers ALL DAY! So I showed up, helped out, made new foodie friends and had a generally delicious time. Here are some highlights:

• With the folks at the PastureLand Coop booth, I discussed (and tasted) the merits of butter from grass-fed cattle. I've seriously never had butter this delicious. It was just butter on bread, and yet when I tasted it, I momentarily forgot there was any other food in the room. Corner Table Chef/Owner Scott Pampuch was just a few booths away, cooking up popcorn with PastureLand's butter and serving it in very tiny, very cute brown paper bags.
• And then I smelled the bacon and burger patties at the Thousand Hills Cattle Company booth. (This is probably the only thing that could have torn me away from that creamy, rich, golden-yellow butter.) If you're not familiar with the Cannon Falls-based beef supplier, go to The Strip Club in St. Paul, where Chef JD Fratzke (who did a demo at the festival) uses only beef from Thousand Hills Cattle Company. Order a steak there and taste the difference compared to a traditional steak from a grain-fed steer. It's funny that we call grain-fed beef "traditional" since cattle are ruminants and evolved to eat only grass--not the diet of corn and soy that we feed them today. I'll hold off on my diatribe about grass-fed beef and point you to Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl's take on the Thousand Hills Cattle Co. beef at The Strip Club, and this article from TIME.
• Two of my other favorites were the Chowgirls Catering booth (See those deviled eggs up there? You want one dontcha?) and the offerings from the folks at Birchwood Café (pictured at left). Whatever turkey gave his life for the cilantro-lime turkey salad made a noble sacrifice indeed. It was the brightest, summery-est thing I tasted all day. Also, their brownies made with Peace Coffee espresso were Killer. Yes, that's a capital "K."
• Speaking of dessert, I only was able to watch one of the three cooking demos, but I picked a good one. Michelle Gayer, confectioner extraordinaire, made plum- and cream-filled brioche while chatting with moderator Sue Zelickson about how she started baking, the many accolades she's earned and of course her year-old bakery inside the Midtown Global Market, The Salty Tart. Do yourself a favor and stop by for no reason whatsoever. Don't wait for a special birthday cake order, just go. The shop is cute as a button, with all the cakes and pastries displayed with as much love and care as the bakers put into making them. It's everything a bakery should be and it just makes you feel happy.

Yes, it was a good day. We're lucky to have so many catering companies, chefs, restaurants, bakers and produce suppliers in Minnesota who care about real food that's healthy, sustainable and delicious.

--Marni Ginther
Assistant Editor

Food and Dining News: August

IN THIS EDITION: Downtown's restaurant ruckus, Gettin' fresh at the Fresh Taste Festival, and Julie and Julia and ... my mom

Ok, Ok it's not really a ruckus here in the center of Minneapolis, I just really like that word and it made a nice alliteration with "restaurant." But with July's closing of Bellanotte and Morton's, plus the earlier news of D'Amico moving into the Chambers Kitchen space and the Oceanaire filing for Chaper 11, downtown dining has taken some pretty big blows in the last month. A lot of the trouble is concentrated along Hennepin Avenue and around Block E, an area already full of boarded windows and "for lease" signs. Bill Ward at the Star Tribune has a great article on the whole situation and talks to some folks right in the thick of it, including Craig Ritacco, manager of Mission American Kitchen and Solera owner Josh Thoma. It would be easy for Ward to write an article portending the doom of downtown dining, but he reminds us that we're in the middle of a recession, construction has the whole neighborhood looking like a war zone, and yet, new places are still opening up. (The Guthrie's Sea Change and Randy Norman's soon-to-open OM in the old Nate's Clothing spot are just two examples.) So there are just a whole lot of shake-ups going on. And although it's sad to see places closing, there are just as many (if not more) new places opening. Check out the City Pages Hot Dish blog, where Rachel Hutton does a monthly roundup of openings and closings. 

You know what else you should do? Come to the Fresh Taste Festival at the Nicollet Island Pavilion this Sunday, August 9! I'll be there! If you need a reason beyond that (although I can't imagine why) here are a few:

• Cooking demos by: The Strip Club's JD Fratzke, The Salty Tart's Michelle Gayer and Raghavan Iyer,  co-founder of the Asian Culinary Arts Institute and menu designer for OM. 
• Sample tasty victuals and libations from exhibitors on the leading edge of the local, sustainable and organic food movement.
• Proceeds go to Minnesota Public Radio
• Fresh Taste partners with Eureka Recycling to create a "zero waste" event--last year's event produced ONE bag of trash. That's it.

 And finally, you probably don't need anyone to tell you how delightful Julie & Julia is--but just let me tell you. It's delightful. I went to an advance screening with my mom on Wednesday and today it's open everywhere. I might go see it again.
Mom and I have loved Julia for a long time. I can trace this love back to a particular holiday episode of Martha Stewart's show on which the legendary cook made a guest appearance to bake croquembouche. This seemed an insanely elaborate undertaking for a home cook, involving stacking profiteroles into a pyramid and covering them with caramel threads. My mom and I couldn't stop laughing because Martha's wasn't turning out so well and she was clearly miffed at being upstaged by the shrill old lady. Rick Nelson has a funny post about his own personal story around the movie, involving the only time he ever met Julie Powell at the James Beard Awards.
How about you? Are you going to see the movie? Have either of these women influenced the way you think about food or cooking? 

--Marni Ginther
Assistant Edior

Photos: Julie & Julia from Sony Pictures, Fresh Taste by Jennifer Cress

Events at the Weisman Art Museum

I stopped by the Weisman Art Museum's open house last night to check out their event space. The last time I  visited the

museum was the opening of  Changing Identity: Recent Works by Women Artists from Vietnam in January. Both events were lovely--the Dolly Fiterman Gallery just has a great vibe, with windows overlooking the river and natural light bouncing off the clean white walls and ceiling.

The William G. Shepherd room was lined with tables from the Weisman's nine caterers, so I hung out there a lot. I was happy to see Kafé 421 owner Georgia Sander standing behind a table overflowing with flaky phyllo dough morsels filled with all manner of Mediterranean goodness, from figs to feta to olives. Besides having a major thing for Greek food, I have happy memories of her cozy Dinkytown bistro. When I was a wee Gopher I often ate there for the food, the hospitality and student-friendly prices. (They're advertising a $25 date night on the Facebook page right now.) Anyway, I didn't know she catered, so that's exciting!

What else? Said hello to a few friends, including Christine Cunnington, the Weisman's events coordinator, Diane Pearson (MPI) and Lisa Marie Borchert (ISES), both familiar faces from our magazine, and planner Geri Wolf, who you'll hear from in the Fall 2009 issue of Meetings. In the upcoming issue you'll also get more details about events at the Weisman and four other Twin Cities museums, so stay tuned!

--Marni Ginther
Assistant Editor

Photos from Weisman Web site

A 'Change' at the Guthrie

Last night the Meetings editors and many other people helped Chef Tim McKee celebrate the opening of his brand-new Guthrie Theater restaurant, Sea Change. (For a thoughtful profile on Tim McKee and Josh Thoma, see our Summer issue.) Sea Change, a sustainable seafood restaurant, takes the place of Cue, which opened with the Guthrie in 2006.

The new restaurant's interior, toned in greens and purples, was quite welcoming. Crowds gathered around a semicircular bar where cooks prepared delectable bites of food. Champagne was passed and wine was offered. A soothing jazz ensemble played in the center. People raved about the food, which included octopus, clam croquettes, tuna and scallops. The desserts, chocolate-caramel cake and blueberry cheesecake, were the perfect end to the evening. Sea Change officially opens today.

--Amanda Fretheim Gates, Managing Editor

More Dish from the Catering World

When I interviewed sources for "The Dish on Catering," one of the features in the summer issue, I learned a lot about what matters to those in the Food & Beverage Industry. Everyone I spoke with mentioned the environment and the economic downturn as important, so I focused on those topics in the story. But as is often the case, I just couldn't cover everything that I learned in four pages, so I thought I'd share some "deleted scenes" from the article here.