What's missing from MSP's culinary landscape?

Question

I was having an interesting conversation with my friends in regards to food in MSP. Everyone seems to feel like its got it all. Me? I'm skeptical. I did notice plenty of Mexi-Latin flavors. Lots of South Asian spots. Seen the African, Indian, Middle Eastern. Obviously got the American - farm to table, burger, pub grub. Food trucks galore. What doesn't it have? I'm inclined to say not a whole lot of great Korean food spots. Japanese - sushi, ramen, etc is all right but nothing like the NYC, LA, SF spots. Is MSP lacking in the Japanese/Korean/Chinese dept? Maybe fried chicken?

Answer

I wish we had more Eastern European. I love Kramarczuk's for a pierogi fix, but would love more options. I'm not a fan of Nye's for Polish food. 

And I really want an in-and-out burger. I want to see what all the fuss is about.

Answer

I think the biggest thing that we are missing is the population density to make some of these things feasible. NYC pizza needs the repetition and turnover to make consistently good pizza that doesn't die while sitting under a lamp, or in the window, and also make it reasonable to lower the price because there is more turnover. Same goes for Ramen, steak tacos, good dogs etc. To make everything the right way, there can't be anything reused day to day, and it has to be made from scratch fresh and kept fresh. There are peak moment's in a week that would be able to sustain this thought but not many and they are sporadic.... my 2 cents.

Answer

I would second a late night korean bbq as well as some shabu shabu, a decent gyro that doesn't require sitting down and the overall burger execution quality just about everywhere (think burger not juicy lucy)
a real gastropub(a bar with good bar food i not a gastropub, pat's tap)
and maybe this
http://www.thespottedpig.com/
or this
http://www.joebeef.ca/

Answer

For me, it continues to be a great deli. Maybe I just haven't been the to the right one, but that is what I would love. Someone concentrating on nothing but great roast beef, turkey, ham, pastrami, etc and the breads to go with it.

Seems simple, but hasn't happened yet.

Answer

What's missing is depth of field. I can satisfy just about any craving I have, but I have to drive clear across town for good this, and all the way to the other side of town for a good that. If you don't know every corner and joint in the entire metro area and/or are not willing to go 20 miles for an outstanding apple fritter, you're probably thinking a lot is missing. 

The urges that go unsatisfied for me (and that I think can actually be re-created here unlike "Philly cheesesteak") are great soul food, a real honest-to-goodness BBQ place and, yes, Jewish delicatessen (and not just sandwiches/soup....I'm talking about actual delicacies).

I also think a few genres of food could step their game up. We are lucky to have a couple good Ethiopian restaurants, for example, but then you go to any of the "top 10" in Washington DC and there are some eye-opening dishes. Same with Chinese...it's always "safe". It's not entirely the restaurants' fault...part of that is that there aren't enough people willing to expand their horizons around here, so restaurants can't stock a lot of unusual ingredients/subsist on "exotic". But some innovation and escape from the mainstream is nice.

Answer

I absolutely despise regional food elitism. What is so hard about a Philly Cheesesteak? Nothing. NY pizza? Just NY elitists wanting to believe their version is the best. They both come from a list of ingredients. Like our "Juicy Lucys", what a ridiculous concept that this is groundbreaking or inherently better tasting than a good cheeseburger.

Lack of great seafood makes sense as either coast is about 1500 miles away. But how many people in NYC can walk out to their garden and pick their own veggies? I'd rather have a garden than a gyro stand.

Minnesota doesn't have the population density, quantity or variety that the big cities have, so it makes sense that our ethnic offering varys in quality and availability.

Answer

Alsatian Cuisine,

Answer

Anyone focusing on old world methods for storing, pickling, curing is getting at the center of essential Midwestern practicalities. No mediterranean climate, no proximity to super fresh/affordable/not very transportable fish and a "make hay while the sunshines" seasonal bounty harvest cycle. if you can't store it with good technique and flavor it is wasted. 

More root cellars. More knowledge of traditional fermentation methods. More smoke houses and curing coolers. 

More cold weather farmers using greenhouse and hoop house designs ala' Elliot Coleman and Will Allen.

Aquavit remarks are interesting. I worked there in the day and Minneapolis would probably "get it" today, but not in the Crystal Court location, which had too little warmth even after they threw $4 million dollars at the build out. Aquavit in the old Vintage location. Yeah maybe.

Answer

Also missing are good Asian and South Asian breakfast tea places which serve noodles, dim sum, and dosa.

Also also, charcoal cook your own Korean BBQ, Cajun, Indonesian.

Answer

Folks who remember The Mud Pie might disagree, but I'd like to see a new pan-cultural vegetarian restaurant. I still miss things from their menu. Peanut butter dandies, the best veggie burger I've ever had, stir-fry of the day, kick-ass guacamole and really great beans of all varieties.

Answer

We're missing the kind of mmmm-Mexican food I had last week at Frida's Bistro in Salt Lake City....

Huitlacoche Quesadillas, Blue-corn crusted calamari, the most amazing carnitas I've ever tasted, blood-orange + cinammon + guajillo margaritas...this is what Masa is trying and failing to be.

Answer

I've given up on the possibility of more seafood restaurants due to our location, but as long as cuisine from other regions is on the table, we could use more teriyaki restaurants like they have all over the Pacific NW. Oishi in Brooklyn Park is the only one I know of. 

A great Jewish deli? I keep reading mixed reviews of the newcomers. 

Oh - and a really great over-the-top dessert place that is open late. (and no, Cafe Latte, you don't come close. Sorry.)

Answer

I'd love an Italian pastry shop full of freshly made cannoli, sfogliatelle (lobster tail), torrone, and cakes. There are other foods that I crave that I can't get here, but mostly because we are far from the ocean (steamers and fried clams with bellies).

Answer

Fresh, innovative food in the suburbs.

French food.

Fresh seafood.

Real deli food. 

Casual, mid-priced places with scratch cooking.

Bakeries. More kinds - Rustica aside (amazing place). All-butter danish and coffeecakes. Great pumpernickel. Etc.

Answer

An Italian Beef Sandwich. The ones I've had around here are an embarassment to the name. Like the Philly Cheesesteak, it isn't rocket science. But everyone I've had around here is either drier than the desert or the bun is so weak it can't handle the dip. It just shouldn't be that hard to get right.

Answer

TWO things that we truly lack in the Twin Cities are these: FEWER bad restaurants; and FEWER mediocre chain restaurants!

Answer

Food that I seek out when I travel, and pine for here in MSP:

- North African.

- Spanish (real Spanish food, not "Mediterranean pseudo-tapas").

- Good casual/inexpensive Italian.

- World class Chinese.

- West African.

- Pan-Asian rice-bowl places, like the ones that abound in Portland - especially ones that offer brown rice as well as white rice under the veggies.

- World class barbecue.

- Upscale regional Mexican (although the Sonora Grill is a great start).

- A real wine bar with a plenitude of affordable by-the-glass selections and good food.

- French.

- Good Turkish food (no, The Black Sea isn't it).

- A classic deli (like Jake's in Milwaukee or the greats in NYC).

- Fried chicken.

Yes, you can find a token representative for most types of food, but without real competition, or demanding clientele, they suffer in comparison to other cities. 

I'm not complaining, though - the local food scene is a million times better than it was in my youth. I clearly recall when there were just a handful of "foreign food" restaurants in town. (Anyone else remember Jeremy Iggers' one-page list in the Many Corners newspaper?) Now I can't even begin to count all the places I want to try.

Answer

We are missing enough people that appreciate great food to support more great restaurants.. Happy New Year everyone..

Answer

Some national cuisines that are found in some other U.S. cities / metros (mainly larger than MSP), but not in Minneapolis:

> Burmese. Especially with the wave of Karen immigrants from Myanmar, you'd think there'd be a Burmese restaurant in Minneapolis. But no. It's a real loss, too, because Burmese food is a unique fusion of Southeast Asian and Indian cuisines.

> Filipino. Popular in California, Filipino food has yet to make its mark in Minnesota. There have been attempts at opening Filipino restaurants (Subo, K-Wok had some Filipino menu items) in MSP, but they have all failed.

> Uzbek / Central Asian. Several of these restaurants exist in New York, especially in the Rego Park neighborhood of Queens, and also Brighton Beach, where you can find Uyghur food ("Uyghurstan" is the western region of China populated by ethnic Central Asians). 

> Regional Chinese. Other than Szechuan, I don't know of too many regional Chinese restaurants in the Twin Cities, which exist plenty of other places in the country with Chinatowns. Add regional Indian / South Asian (other than Southern Indian).

> Romanian. There are numerous Romanian restaurants in Chicago, but none in Minneapolis.

> Bosnian

> Costa Rican

> Yucatecan

> Bolivian

> Australian

> South African

Answer

You'd think the Japanese sushi/food scene may be getting a bit saturated here in the TC, but a Kaiten Sushi is missing. Imagine affordable sushi but not the offal the AYCE places throw in front of you. It would be a great transition from the low end AYCE to the high end expensive places.

Answer

My 2 cents after moving here from Chicago a year and a half ago:

- a good cheap Italian deli - house made mozzarella, pastas, olive oil, meats, etc. (i still can't find a decent italian sausage or sub)
- fast food dives / hot dogs / italian beef "types" of places (i don't need an Italian Beef-only place and wouldn't expect to find one here but the type of place that has great, greasy fast food. If they're here, there needs to be more of them).
- delis - why is this so hard?
- how about more delivery options? what the hell?

I can deal with some of the other stuff. Pizza is fine here. When I was in Chicago, I was a pizza snob and would only order from a few places but I've found some decent places here. A shout out to Frankie's Chicago style pizza in St. Louis Park is in order.

I've been very happy with the bread and bakery items - probably better than Chicago in all honesty (baguette selection is much better than Chicago). Burgers are good. Found some decent Mexican options. Same with Chinese. Thai is hit or miss (mostly miss) but it's not the end of the world. Overall though, the food scene is pretty decent here, it's just not enough of it. Someone upthread mentioned that you have to drive all over town to fill your needs but that's kind of the deal with small cities (I don't like it much either). You just eat at home more. It's not Chicago, NYC, LA, SF but it's not too bad.

Answer

One word: Yoshinoya (aka Beef Bowl). I wish someone would open a concept like this. Yes, it's greasy and probably not that good for you (although they do have healthier options now), but this stuff tastes SO good after a night a drinking (or anytime for that matter) :)

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