That 70s Place: Michael's

Michael's Fine Dining

Well, the website made Michael's look like a good, basic steakhouse. My colleague picked it out and since we were communicating by text, it wasn't easy to make deep, thorough decisions.

There was something about Michael's as we stepped in that gave me deja vu, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. We were led to our booth with the large leather seats. Our helpful waitress soon appeared and told us we had to get the onion rings (so we did). Menu was a selection of steaks and chops, pasta, chicken, but also with a Greek twist.



After some thought, I went with the pork chop. The entree came with a side salad and vegetable (asparagus with hollandaise). Very basic salad and tasty asparagus. The pork chop was good, but not great. For dessert, we split the raspberry bread pudding (again at the  suggestion of our waitress).

As we left, my colleague hit it on the head; it was the 1970s! Michael's reminded us of a place out of the 70s (not that there's anything wrong with that!). Michael's was probably a great and trendy (in a 70s sorta way) in its time, but it was stuck in the 70s. Plastic menus, iceberg lettuce (not a wedge!), a certain style of oil painting on the walls ... well, you know. Not bad by any means. but just well, what it was.

Meal: Dinner
Rating: **
Date: 27 April 2010
Address: 15 S. Broadway, Rochester, MN 55904
Website: http://www.michaelsfinedining.com/

Make mine a Newt burger

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Newt's

I took the airport shuttle from the Rochester, MN airport (RST) to downtown. Usually an airport shuttle is a pretty vanilla and boring experience. The driver on this ride, however, was a regular tourguide and surely worth the $11.50 fare. He pointed out all the sights along the way (the water towers that marked the edges of town, the Mayo Clinic incinerator, and gave interesting factoids - "Rochester has 138 hotels and motels within the city limits". Once in town, he pointed out some eating places and gave recommendations. Newt's, he said, had the best burgers in town.

So, well, I had to go! Located up a flight of stairs (above what seemed to be a sister establishment, City Cafe), Newt's had a good local feel. I was told to take a seat anywhere and as soon as I sat down, a basket of popcorn appeared.

I had to have a burger, of course, and there were plenty of variations to choose from. I wanted something simple though, so I got the basic burger (medium) with lettuce, onion and a side of fries.

The burger was hand-formed, nicely sized and done just as ordered. The fries were good (and actually too many of them!). The only criticism is that ketchup was provided in little cups; I go heavy on the ketchup, so had to ask for extra (which delayed eating!).

Friendly service, good prices, great burger!

Meal: Lunch
Rating: *****
Date: 27 April 2010
Address: 216 1st Avenue Southwest, Rochester, MN 55902
Website: http://www.cccrmg.com/newts.htm

Fleming's in Baltimore: Meat, hold the crab cake!

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse

Caesar salad, lamb chops and a glass of wine. Oh, and some tasty bread with two different butter/dips. What more could you want in Baltimore, especially if you're someone who doesn't like the inescapable Maryland Crab!?!?

I was up in Baltimore for a short conference and one night out to eat. I'm not a fan of crabs (actually, of crustaceans in general, but crabs are at the top of the list). So, what to do? Well, to the rescue came one of my colleagues who suggested that a group of us go to Fleming's steakhouse, just around the corner from our meeting hotel.

Off we went.

I hadn't been to an American style steakhouse in quite a while (see my last Brasilian adventures in meat), so that was fine with me. Located in a nice new building on Baltimore's Inner Harbor, our party of three (henceforward known as the "Speyer Party" to the wait staff - as in "And how is the Speyer party tonight?" was quickly seated and brought the introductory bread.

It's hard to pass up an opportunity for a good Caesar salad (with anchovies) and Fleming's did it well. Likewise, though it's not steak, a well-grilled (with nice pink inside) lamb chop keeps calling out whenever I run across it on a menu. And thus my meal was set. My colleagues went with the green salad and fillet and they both seemed pleased.

We opted out of the shareable sides (the usual garlic mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, etc.), but the serving sizes were good. Our slight mis-step in our wine order was handled with graciousness by our server and all was well.

Recommended, especially for those who are trying to escape from the attack of the Maryland crab cake!

Meal: Dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 12 April 2010
Address: 720 Aliceanna St., Baltimore, MD 21202
Website: http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/

Sushi, Brasilian Style

Sushi, Brasilian Style

After a couple of days of all steak, all the time on my trip to São Paulo, I was in the mood for something a little different. There was a sushi place across from the hotel and another that I'd found on a walk around the neighborhood.

So, after the like-clockwork afternoon thunderstorm, my colleague and I took a stroll down Rua Borges Lagoa towards Gendai. The restaurant was very nicely laid out “Japanese style”, lots of wood, low seats, etc. We chose a quiet (meaning away from the tv screens with futbol on) outside.

After looking at the menu for a bit, I realized that Gendai was a chain of some sort. Not that there's anything wrong with that! An interesting menu, with a variety of sushi and other Japanese offerings.

Not being a sake connoisseur, my colleague offered to order for us and we got, what seemed to me to be a nice cold sake. I got some of my staples (avocado roll, gyuzo). There was also a good miso soup that came with the meal.

My next sushi stop was after a few nights of steak were again on my menu. My co-worker, who had made it out of Brazil between  the snowstorms on the East Coast that trapped me, had eaten lunch at São Paolo – Toky and gave the sushi only a mediocre review. I was tired of steak, however, and didn't want to go back to Gendai, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I avoided the sushi and got a mushroom stir fry and fried gyoza (and some tasty miso soup). No sake on this night, but had a nice cold beer. The restaurant was crowded and lively. I had a good seat to people watch by and enjoyed a tasty (non-sushi) meal.

Gendai-Vila Mariana
Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 6 February 2010
Rating: ***
Address: Rua Borges Lagoa, 245, São Paulo, SP, 04038-030
Website: http://www.gendai.com.br

São Paolo – Tokyo, Gastronomia Japonesa
Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 10 February 2010
Rating: ****
Address: Rua Borges Lagoa, 1.172 - Zona Sul - (11) 5081-6444
Website: http://www.saopaulotokyo.com.br

Icy Treats in Amazonia: Sorveteria Cairú

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Icy Treats in Amazonia: Sorveteria Cairú

When you're in a hot and humid spot, what makes for a better treat than ice cream? It seems as the Belém is know for it's icy treats, especially those made from the amazing variety of Amazon fruits (walking through the market is an wonder to the sense!). I'm not usually a big ice cream (or gelatto, or all the other ice treats) fan. Sorveteria Cairú, which seems to be quite well known, had a nice stand in the former warehouses (now shops and restaurants) along the river. After a nice dinner, we decided it needed to be topped off with a treat.

My hosts wanted to make sure that I was able to make my decision with the most information, so they had me do a taste test of every flavor (not sure how the guy behind the counter felt about that!). By the time I was done with my tasting, I didn't really need an actual serving, but, when in Belém …

So, I went with the Pave de Cupuçau, a sort of Cupuçau rocky road. Quite good, and capped off tasty day in the Amazon.

Meal: Snack
Date Visited: 8 February 2010
Rating: *****
Address: Boulevard Castilhos França, 707 – Campina, Belém, PA, 66010-020
Website: N/A

Pleasures of the Flesh, in Brazil

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Pleasures of the Flesh: Grill Hall Prazeres da Carne

Most everyone by now as been to or at least run across one of the Brazilian steak houses back in the U.S. There are a couple of big chains (heavily advertized, I might ad in airline magazines!), Fogo de Chão and Texas de Brazil being the most common. While in Chicago a few years back, I had my first experience at one, Fogo de Chão, and it was quite interesting.

So, what do you get at at churrascarias? First off, don't bring your vegetarian friends with you. A churrascarias is not vegetable friendly. When going to at churrascarias your goal is to eat meat. Cow, lamb, pig (there might be some chicken thrown in, but why bother). Oh yeah, there's also a salad bar (placed there to distract the unwary from the primary goal, eating lots of meat).

So, when I went to Brazil, I was hoping to stop in at a churrascarias. And there were plenty to choose from, smaller places, and even Fogo de Chão. When my colleagues expressed interest in Brazilian steak, our hosts said they had just the place for us, Grill Hall Prazeres da Carne. In translation, The Pleasures of the Flesh! Ah, and how true!

We arrived early and our group of ten or so had a nice big round table that made for good conversation. The passadores (meat waiters) soon descended on us with shrimp and chicken, but our hosts to eat sparingly of the first offers (if at all) as the offerings get better as the evening goes on.

Wait you ask, how does this work? Well, each guest is given a token, red on one side, green on the other. As long as you are showing green, the passadores will come to your seat and offer you food. Feet is most often served on long skewers (or swords) and cut directly onto your plate.

And so, the meat came. Lamb chops, beef in various cuts (filet, sirloin, etc.), sausages, and more. As the evening drew to a close and the table was showing mostly red, a side of beef was rolled out on a table (too large for the swords) and tender slices passed around.

Not the kind of meal that you want too often, but for a once in a while treat, especially when on the home turf of the churrascarias, it was a great meal.

More photos.

Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 4 February 2010
Rating: ****
Address: Rua Borges Lagoa, 1065, São Paulo, SP, 04038-032
Website: http://www.grillhall.com.br/

Have you ever been had in clubland?

Nope, not a night club, but a club, you know, the kind where they have memberships and ties and all that ... I'm not a club member, though I can see how there are benefits. I've had the luck to be traveling in circles where I've been invited to some of the nicer clubs in the country. Over the past few years I've dined at:

• Harvard Faculty Club (Cambridge, MA)
• St. Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco)
• University Club (New York City)

At the Harvard Faculty Club, we had an intimate dinner for about 25 people all sitting at one very very long table. Needless to say, that didn't make for much mingling or mixed conversation. There was a nice menu to choose from, I ended up with the creamed squash soup and a steak with vegetables. A very good soup and a nice steak. There was a good wine list and service was good. The ambiance of the club was pretty much everything what you might imagine a club to be, at least it was for me!



The St. Francis Yacht Club was a much different experience. Again, we had 20-28 people, but instead had three large round tables and after a while, people were started to mix and mingle. Being in the corner (with a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge). Dinner was a buffet (which helped with the mingling). It was a pretty good buffet, nice large selection of salads and some nice entrees (including grilled cheese triangles for the younger set - of which there were quite a few). There was also a pasta bar where the chefs would whip up pasta and a sauce to your taste. And to top off your calorie intake, there was a sundae bar for dessert.



In New York City, however, was my ultimate (to date!) club experience. The University Club is located in a fabulous building that just squeals "old New York." We had a small party, about sixteen people, split over four round tables. After an open bar to start, we were seated and given a choice of the meat, fish, or vegetables. There was a soup and salad option for a starter, I went with the salad (quite good) and followed with the meat option (a good steak and potatoes, though the salmon option looked good too). Lovely food and a charming environment. As we were leaving, we had a  brief tour of the members' reading room and were entertained by the slightly tipsy guests at a wedding reception. 



So, overall, the "club" experience is interesting. You may not get the best food, but you get an interesting environment. So, as Elvis Costello said (about a different type of club):

With a handful of backhanders and a bevy of beauty
You’re going off limits
Going off duty
Going off the rails
Going off with booty
They tell tales of fiction found on all the criminal types
Lead to a higher ranking man or a face with thin red stripes

The boys next door
The mums and dads
New weds and nearly-deads
Have you ever been had in clubland?

(which I guess is apropos of nothing! but I liked the title!)

Harvard Faculty Club
Meal: Dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 19 March 2008
Address: 20 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-3899
Website: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/

St. Francis Yacht Club
Meal: Buffet Dinner
Rating: ***
Date: 18 October 2009
Address: On the Marina, San Francisco, CA 94123
Website: http://www.stfyc.com/

University Club
Meal: Served, fixed dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 29 October 2009
Address: 1 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019-5485
Website: http://www.universityclubny.org/