craftsman restaurant

My first cooking job was at a small German diner on my hometown’s Main Street in Northern Minnesota. It was a hybridized place; we hand-pounded schnitzel cut from pigs the chef had raised, but we also served a dizzying number of filet-o-fish sandwiches. And when we ran out of green beans we opened up a jumbo can.

I remember a farmer knocking on the back door one day, carrying a lumpy paper grocery bag overflowing with fresh green beans. As the chef was shaking his head no, a few of us young cooks came up behind him and said, “We’ll clean them, chef!” The farmer, who was practically giving them away, handed them over. They were delicious, but the chef hated them because of the time it took his minions to top-and-tail their way through the bag.

Photo of Chris Olson by Becca Dilley, Heavy TableI haven't been shy about my love for Heavy Table, an online magazine focused on food in the Midwest. Although the site's not strictly focused on local food, the staff's passion for good food brings them back to local sources on a regular basis.

This month, Heavy Table is venturing into the sexy world of real-life events with a couple of terrific sounding ones. Here's the down-low (or is it the low-down?):

A huge thank you to our family, friends, farmers, neighbors - and the terrific folks at Brasa - for making Simple, Good, and Tasty's January 2010 local food dinner one of the best yet. From the time we sat down to the time we left 3 hours later, the nearly 100-strong crowd was fed a menu of - well, nearly everything on the menu. Here's what was served:

What a year it's been! Between our first post - proudly proclaiming that we joined a CSA - and our recent letter to Santa Claus, we've grown gardens, pickled dilly beans, and made lifelong friends. Here are just a few highlights from 2009:

Chef Mike Phillips won't be serving this tonight.Tonight's the night, friends. Simple, Good, and Tasty is excited to host our December event at the Craftsman Restaurant in Minneapolis from 5:00 - 7:00. Here's a quick rundown:

Forgive us for a little bit of hyperbole, please - we're just really, really excited. After weeks of scheming, plotting, cutting deals, and eating out, Simple, Good, and Tasty is absolutely thrilled to launch our Local Food Lover program.

The program offers participants discounts at many of the best local, sustainable, organic, and fair trade businesses in the Twin Cities. Here are just a few highlights:

Greg Reynolds, whose Riverbend Farm provides fresh, local, organic produce to many markets and restaurants in the Twin Cities (including The Craftsman, The Birchwood Cafe, and Common Roots Cafe), has asked for some help. I'm hoping that - together - we can provide it.

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture." -Unknown, possibly Frank Zappa or Elvis Costello

I'm at a loss for words when it comes to describing last night. Suffice to say that there was no place I'd have rather been than at The Craftsman. If you're a foodie who was anyplace near Minneapolis (we hosted guests from as far away as Des Moines, IA and Sunnyvale, CA), you were either there - or you should have been. We were thrilled to see The Birchwood Cafe well represented!

Super-good post the other day from Zachary Cohen on his Farm to Table blog entitled What all of us in the food movement sometimes think.

I realize I'm going out on a limb here, but I've organized a dinner out for those of us who want to try some local, sustainable food at a great a Twin Cities restaurant in the company of friends and like-minded eaters. I'm hoping that talking with the chef and exploring the restaurant, its philosophies, and its processes will be part of the fun as well. Here's the pitch: