Last night was poker night for the boys, which meant the girls go out for dinner. We went to a place I've been wanting to try for about two years, Sanctuary in Minneapolis. I was not disappointed. It was amazing.
First, the restaurant itself. It is very cozy with exposed stone walls, cozy tables for two, and a large elegant bar. A perfect date night place. They have a cute patio for dining al fresco in the summer. The waitstaff was very friendly and incredibly helpful with wonderful descriptions of the various dishes.
Now, the food. The menu varies with the season and the chefs creativity. Everything is fresh, organic and local if available. We enjoyed everything. For starters, I loved the shrimp and avocado cerviche with hydro watercress salad. It was light, but flavorful. The bruschetta of escargot and boudin was crazy good. Very meaty with wonderful flavors. Was this from the boudin? I'm not sure. I normally do not like sausage, this was delicious. The ginger-beer soup was also popular at out table. The chili creme fraiche is spicy though.
For dinner, I had the Chef's special for the night. It was Kobe Fish. This is a slightly heavy whitefish. It was grilled and served over a vegetable which was like minute cauliflower. These were slightly crunchy and possible lightly fried. It came with a key lime light sauce and lemon sea salt. The mini blue beads burst in your mouth with juice of a mild flavor. The orchid was even edible.
My friend had the Hawaiian Opakapaka. It was served over purple mashed potatoes and beurre blanc sauce. This was a slightly heavier dish than the kobe fish, but not overly filling. The beurre blanc sauce was delicious.
If you have room for dessert, I recommend the yucca root coconut cake with lemon sorbet. It was light and refreshing. A wonderful ending to a delicious meal. Unfortunately, the bread pudding was heavy and not very flavorful
My second recommendation is an Ethiopian restaurant in St. Paul.
If you have never had Ethiopian food before, you are in for a treat. Heads up, it is authentic. You have to ask for silverware if you want it. The meals are served with injera. This heavy "pancake" is torn and used to pick up and eat your food. I recommend the beef combination platter (#22). This gives you 3 different beef dishes that go from fairly spicy to mild. My favorite is Key Wot (#1). It is a beef stew cooked in berbere sauce and spices. It you like lamb, you may want to try the lamb combination platter (#23). You get the same three dishes, but made with lamb. Someone at our table had the #9 and said it was delicious and they would get it again. I didn't try it, but it looked good. It reminded me of beef fajitas. It sounds similar to the tibs dish in the combination platter. However, the pieces of beef appeared larger and it is also served with a red sauce.
The combination platter would be enough for two girls to split. When Philly and I go back, I plan to order the beef combination platter and the #9.
I didn't have dessert. So, I can't give any recommendations for that.
These are two totally different places. Sanctuary is a fancy, perfect date place with wonderful original dishes. They are creative and beautiful. Fasika is a small family run ethnic place with the best Ethiopian food I have in the Cities.
No comments:
Post a Comment