unplanned cooking

I'm exhausted and full, and my throat hurts. And yet, somehow, Simple, Good, and Tasty's February local food event at Grand Cafe last night was just perfect.

Maybe it was the beautiful restaurant that made the night so special - wooden and warm, with strings of lights and lovely paintings on the walls. Maybe it was the food - an exceptional cassoulet prepared with locally raised duck from Au Bon Canard and house made sausage by Grand Cafe's chef Jon Radle; a delicious salad with beets, walnuts, and chevre; and an astoundingly good ginger bread pudding with orange compote and caramel cream. Maybe it was the fact that Simple, Good, and Tasty was celebrating a full year's worth of blog posts, directory listings, and events connecting Minnesotans to our food sources. But my guess is that it wasn't any of these things.

Thanks so much to the nearly 50 people who came to last night's local food event at Spoonriver last night. It was terrific to have you there! Here are some photos from the event, taken by Kate Sommers of Les Petites Images.

Here's a picture of Spoonriver Owner Brenda Langton, thanking guests for coming. Jennifer Patterson from Unplanned Cooking, Molly Herrmann from Tastebud Catering, and Michelle Gayer from The Salty Tart are looking on (among others).