It’s time once again to answer your food and restaurant questions!
As we all start getting out more, there have been questions about outdoor eating, cravings to fulfill and even one question that we’re putting out there because it stumped us. Maybe another reader has the answer!
As always, send your food and restaurant questions to us at [email protected].
Q. Any recommendations for Twin Cities restaurants that serve a great eggplant parmesan?
A. Why yes! Yarusso-Bros. Italian Restaurant in St. Paul serves an eggplant parmesan that is at the top of the game in the Twin Cities. What we like about the one here is that it feels like a classic Italian dish, just as the red-sauce restaurant is known for. What’s more, it’s executed wonderfully. The eggplant is nice and juicy while the breading has that great crisp. A variety of oozing cheeses and red sauce lend added flavor. Also nice is that an order comes with a salad and your choice of spaghetti, mostaccioli — or even the option of fries if you want to skip the pasta.
Yarusso-Bros. Italian Restaurant: 635 Payne Ave., St. Paul; 651-776-4848; yarussos.com
Q. Suggestions for outdoor breweries with firepits?
A. Lake Monster Brewing in St. Paul would be a top pick. The patio is sprawling, and it’s nice that the firepit areas are spread out. It also means that if your timing is right, you and your crew might have a firepit to yourselves. Either way, each firepit area is surrounded by chairs, so you can move them around to keep socially distanced.
St. Paul Brewing, in the former Hamm’s brewery on the east side, also provides fire pits during colder weather, and it’s hands-down one of our favorite spots. There are dozens of separately decorated, art- and plant-filled spaces for your party to enjoy the delicious beer and wood-fired pizzas.
Lake Monster Brewing: 550 Vandalia St., St. Paul; 612-964-6288; lakemonsterbrewing.com
St. Paul Brewing: 688 E. Minnehaha Ave., St. Paul; 651-698-1945; stpaulbrewing.com
Q. My mother- and father-in-law are freshly vaccinated and visiting from out of town. They have a craving for Mongolian beef. Do you know where to find a good version?
A. Our two favorite Chinese restaurants at the moment, Szechuan in Roseville and Peking Garden, which just reopened in a new space in St. Paul, both have the dish.
We highly recommend the one at Peking Garden (currently open for takeout only but getting ready to open for dine-in at the beginning of May). It’s carried out with precision from tender steak slices and sauteed yellow and green onions to mushrooms and a spot-on, not-too-sweet sauce. Try this, and it might become one of your favorite stir-fry dishes of all time.
We can’t vouch for the one at Szechuan, but we mention it because the Roseville spot is one of our top picks for authentic Chinese fare in the metro, and we find their food to be reliable. So it’s just a hunch that the Mongolian beef here holds up like their other fare.
Peking Garden: 394 University Ave. W., St. Paul; pekinggardenmn.com
Szechuan: 2193 Snelling Ave. N.; 651-633-3113; szechuanmn.com
Q. I have a dilemma. I love baby back ribs and am pretty good at cooking them up on my Weber Rancher grill. After much sampling, I discovered that Famous Dave’s had an excellent version that was just a phone call away. Suddenly, the Woodbury location took them off the menu. I found that Roseville still had them and started going there. Recently they dropped them from the menu. It seems everybody is going to the St. Louis Style sparerib, which just doesn’t make it for me.
My question is, what’s up with everybody going to spare ribs (is there a baby back shortage?) and where is the best place to find a good rack of baby backs on the east side of town?
A. It’s only on Fridays and Saturdays (and Fridays all you can get are the ribs) but check out Black Market StP on St. Paul’s West Side. It’s basically a trailer set up on a former body shop’s parking lot just across the High Bridge on Smith Avenue.
I promise you, you will not be disappointed. Those ribs are GOOD.
Black Market StP: 511 S. Smith Ave., St. Paul; 651-560-0227; blackmarketstp.com
Q. I was wondering if you had recommended restaurants for great fajitas? Often when my mother would come to visit we would go to Axel’s Bonfire on Grand Avenue for their fajitas. We haven’t found any restaurants that could match or beat their fajitas. Any help would be appreciated.
A. We haven’t had them for a while, but we recall the fajitas at Boca Chica being pretty tasty. In fact, Boca Chica serves great all-around authentic Mexican fare.
Boca Chica: 11 Cesar Chavez St., St. Paul; 651-222-8499; bocachicarestaurant.com
Q. I grew up in a neighborhood in St. Paul (south Como) that had a population of Hungarian immigrants, including my father’s parents. Relatives and friends used to get together and make Hungarian sausage. Fast-forward to today and most of those relatives and friends have passed away, along with the sausage-making tradition. We used to be able to purchase Hungarian sausage at Richard’s Market in St. Paul, but they have closed. I would love to purchase some of this delicious sausage again. Do you know of any meat markets or specialty stores in the Twin Cities area or western Wisconsin that sells it? The sausage is made similar to Italian sausage, but with different seasonings, and must be cooked. I have seen Hungarian sausage available online, but it is generally more like a salami, not the links.
Thanks for checking on this. I know of some other Hungarian families who would be happy to know where they could once purchase these again.
A. It’s not very often that we’re stumped, but this is a tough one! There are tons of butchers who sell these links in eastern Wisconsin, but we were not able to find any closer than that.
We’re putting the call out to readers — let us know if you know of a place that makes fresh Hungarian sausage!
In the meantime, Usinger’s, which is a Wisconsin company, sells fully cooked versions that they will send to you in the mail. It’s not the same, but maybe could help scratch the itch. If you’re willing to take a road trip, we found a ton of options in the Milwaukee area.
Q. Good morning! We are old school at our house with a landline and morning delivery of our beloved Pioneer Press! I look forward weekly to Thursday’s Eat section. And, this morning’s edition on ‘Wings’ was no exception for fun and reliable foodie news that I can use!
My question to you both is: Where can I buy large wings unprepared that I can bring home to try my hand at making myself? Several grocery stores I’ve checked out have wings that are too small. I went to a butcher shop and found frozen wings that were a titch larger but still not much meat for the bite. Any ideas?
In the meantime, we’ll try The Lex, DeGidio’s, and Iron Ranger!
A. Ahhh, a wing lover after my own heart. I also prefer a whole wing with the drumette, wingnette and tip still intact, which makes for an extra juicy wing. You are correct, the large, whole wings are elusive. However, some great news — I’ve hunted them down at Cub Foods and Fresh Thyme grocery stores throughout the metro.
Happy wings cooking!
Q. From the Thursday Eat section, I am going to try the recipe for Pork and Ricotta Meatballs. A sauce to go with it is mentioned, but no recipe added. Is it available? I would appreciate guidance.
A. I like garlic in my tomato sauce. That being said, this adaptation from spendwithpennies.com is a nice and easy tomato sauce recipe. I’ve substituted dried parsley for fresh when I didn’t have it on hand, and it worked just as fine. Happy cooking!
Basic Tomato Sauce
4 Servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
28 ounces can whole tomatoes with juices
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Combine olive oil and onion over medium heat. Cook until onions start to soften. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
2. Gently mash the tomatoes. Stir in basil.
3. Simmer 20 minutes, adding water if needed to reach desired consistency. Once thickened, use a hand blender or blender to blend the sauce to desired consistency.
4. Stir in parsley. Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper.
