It’s hard to believe it’s August already!
I’ve been catching up with friends and having business meetings over meals during the past few weeks.
Next week, it’s family vacation time. We rented a huge lake cabin in the middle of Wisconsin and there will be swimming, fishing, card playing and, as always, lots of cooking.
I’m making my corn tortillas for the gluten-free members of my family, which is always so much fun. Who doesn’t love a taco?
Holman’s Table
Brussels sprouts at Holman’s Table in St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
My neighbor and I were trying to get out of cooking for our families (oops, I mean we needed to catch up!) on a recent Monday, but so many things were closed!
We ended up ordering giant salads while we sat on the patio at Holman’s Table. A storm hit while we were sitting there, but the rooftop kept us mostly dry, so we waited it out with a few other guests.
Because we are trying to get all the fiber at our advanced age, we started with some excellent crispy Brussels sprouts, topped with blue cheese, candied walnuts and pickled Fresno peppers.
By the time our salads arrived, we were nearly full, because we couldn’t stop eating the sprouts, but our salads were so good that we ate most of them.
I had the farro, which honestly could have used a little more of the nutty, wheaty grain, but the greens were good, too. It was full of fun ingredients, including pickled golden beets, more of those tasty candied walnuts and some aged cheddar.
My neighbor’s Tuscan salad had loads of vegetables in it — fennel, cucumber, radish, snap peas, sweet peppers and green olives. The bite I had was so good that I think I’ll be back to order one of my own.
The patio is fun, too, because you get to watch small planes taking off and landing. It’s like having dinner with a show!
Holman’s Table: 644 Bayfield St., St. Paul; 612-261-1620; holmanstable.com
Cloverleaf Bar and Grill
A mushroom and swiss burger at Cloverleaf Bar and Grill in Newport. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
A friend who lives in Woodbury is aware of my love of a good dive bar, so she suggested we meet at the Cloverleaf, just off of U.S. 10 and I-494.
She was spot-on with the suggestion. The out-of-the-way, squat brick building is appropriately dark inside, but clean and fairly spacious. Your dinner is cooked on a griddle behind the bar, and my friend was raving about the mushroom and Swiss burger, so we both ordered one.
It was crisp outside and juicy inside, the mushrooms freshly griddled and the bun nice and squishy. Best of all, if you’re OK with chips as a side (I upgraded to some nice, crispy onion rings), this burger will run you less than $10. The beer is nice and cold, too.
I already have plans to go again with some other dive-bar-loving friends. Maybe this time, we’ll hit the pull tabs.
Cloverleaf Bar and Grill: 2146 Hastings Ave., Newport; 651-768-9921; cloverleafbarandgrill.com
DeGidio’s
Tortelloni bolognese at DeGidio’s on St. Paul’s West Seventh Street. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
We had a travel meeting last week — thanks so much to all who showed up — and afterward, we usually get dinner. It was a Monday again, so options were limited, but going to DeGidio’s never feels like settling.
Everything is excellent at this nearly 100-year-old St. Paul institution, including its lights-out burger, but the pastas are usually where it’s at for me.
The lovingly crafted red sauce is so good that I haven’t ventured much beyond it, but I was feeling adventurous, so I decided to try the tortelloni bolognese, and … wow. The tortelloni are house-made, with the tender pasta giving way to a creamy, cheesy inside, and the bolognese is silky, meaty, tomatoey perfection.
My dining partners ordered the mafaldine with bolognese (same sauce, different noodle) and the rigatoni, bathed in a spicy arrabiata sauce and topped with juicy, porky meatballs. Both were superb.
The portions are huge, too, so I got lunch out of it for the next day.
DeGidio’s: 425 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-360-1905; degidios.com
Due Focacceria
The carne sandwich and a cup of tomato soup at Due Focacceria in St. Paul’s Mac-Groveland neighborhood. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
I always forget about this postage-stamp of a place, in a former Mac-Groveland coffee shop, but I was looking for a place for a meeting that had outdoor seating on a beautiful day, and it popped up in my search.
The focaccia here is front and center, with good reason. The flavorful, spongy bread is made fresh daily, and is sliced horizontally and stuffed with all manner of goodness for its sandwiches.
I had the carne, which is piled with mortadella, fennel-crusted salami, hot coppa and artichoke paté, then slathered with a salty pecorino crema and sprinkled with pistachios. It’s a hell of a sandwich. I paired it with some fresh tomato soup for a perfect summer lunch.
I won’t be forgetting about Due again, and neither will my family, who loved the focaccia and thin, crispy chocolate-chip-pistachio cookies I brought home to pair with our dinner salads that night.
Due Focacceria: 475 S. Fairview Ave., St. Paul; 651-493-8858; duefocacceria.com
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