Madden's Resort Food & Wine Extravaganza

Quote of the Day:  

They are not long, the days of wine and roses:

Out of a misty dream

Our path emerges for a while, then closes

Within a dream.

The phrase "days of wine and roses" is originally from the poem "Vitae Summa Brevis" by the English writer Ernest Dowson (1867–1900)

I was invited to the Madden's Resort Food and Wine Extravaganza on Saturday night. Guest chefs from the metro joined forces with the on-site chefs at Madden's for a three day event. It included cooking demos, food and wine tasting, and a charity event on Friday night for Kids Against Hunger. I attended the food and wine sampling on Saturday night with my friend and publicist Krista Rolfzen Soukup.

Mary and Krista

We had a blast, not to mention a tasting adventure, at this event. Some of the chefs were really personable, demonstrating their fare with a flair. The line for the scallops from the St. Paul Grill was always long. The flames from their portable grill heated up an already steamy night. 

Adam Bartos, Executive Sous Chef at the St. Paul Grill

He said, "The next time you're down for a show at The Ordway, come to the St. Paul Grill!"

I think we will!

The swordfish and blue crab from Oceanaire were scrumptuous!

John was all smiles and full of information, explaining why this swordfish is the best I've ever tasted!

Playing to the camera. Give him his own show!

Robert Wohlfeil is the Executive Chef at Oceanaire.
They also invited the Biker Chef and me to come enjoy a meal at Oceanaire next time we're in the cities.
After that delicious bite, I'm in!

It's best to go into an event like this with an open mind, willing to expand your tastes. Sometimes, though, the food is just too far off your palate. I did not try the duck or the lamb tartar because I was skeptical from the start, then the women at my table made faces at it. Sorry. I'm a midwestern farm girl. I always feel safer when I see something I might have grown up with. The Chefs at Madden's Resort came through for me!

The best dish of the night...

Pork! 

Farm raised, naturally fed, handled with care, hog.

The man on the left is Lee. He works for the Compart Duroc company. He explained that their pork can be confused with a good Black Angus steak, it's so good. The Biker Chef made a simple sauce to compliment the pork's natural, good flavor. I felt like I was back home on the farm.

While we love to travel to other lands and seasonings, we always feel most at home with the familiar. Food is personal. We want it to taste good and feel good about eating it. We want to know that it was handled the way our grandparents would do it and served with the same affection. That's why they call it "Culinary Arts". It needs to look good and taste good too. And, of course, there is room for creativity, keeping in mind that not every dish is for every eater.

Bob Schuld, Executive Chef at Madden's, and the Fish Guy served chocolate and orange shrimp, an interesting combination of flavors.

Thanks, Bob, for getting us tickets for this event. Thanks, Madden's, for bringing in guest chefs and letting your own chefs shine. Thanks for the fundraiser for Kids Against Hunger. And, thanks to the sweet people at our table who shared the evening, and their tasting opinions, with us!

A good time was had by all! 

I have more pictures and a few side notes (dishes) to share, but this post is getting too long, and I seem to have overloaded blogger. Actually, I've been having some computer issues lately. Hoping to get those remedied soon!

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What's the weirdest thing you ever tasted?

A Meaty Post

Quote of the Day:  a few words on meat

If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies...It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it. Albert Einstein

It is not the quantity of the meat, but the cheerfulness of the guests, which makes the feast. Edward Hyde

To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given a chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy. Bette Davis

In the past month or so I've had some fairly meaty posts with reviews and interviews and guest posts and visiting poets. Today's post is meaty in different kind of way.

 

The Chef invited me over to help him make sausage. He'd already done all the mixing and spicing. All I needed to do was take my turn at the handle.

 

Look! I'm a helper.

 

More on that on Ride off the Page, if you're interested.

 

In other news, the scouts were invited to help with the Haunted Trail as pirates and skeletons of the ARRboretum.

 

 

Getting a good, hearty scream out of the walkers was the meat of this event.

 

The Before picture.

 

This young pirate got his braces on this week, so we had good, old-fashioned, soft comfort food - chicken wild rice soup, courtesy of the Chef, and mashed potatoes and meatballs. Arrg! Braces hurt.

 

I spent the rest of the weekend engrossed in a good book. You know, the kind that you can't put down and you ignore everyone and everything else going on. I hope to have the author as a guest on my blog this week. I'll give you a hint. It was the fourth book in an historical fiction series set in Minnesota, and the author lives in my area. Okay, my local neighbors have probably guessed it. Those are easy clues.

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Have you ever made home-made sausage? What's your favorite comfort food?

 

 

 

The Answer - Brit's Pub in Minneapolis!

Quote of the Day:  England and America are two countries separated by the same language. ~ George Bernhard Shaw

This photo is a follow-up from the previous post.

Congratulations, Roxane, for knowing this place!

She and her Eurospring mates from the college years met here to reminisce about their England experience.

I brought a new guest with me to the Guthrie for The Sunshine Boys.

The Biker Chef and the Writer

It was his first trip to the new Guthrie and my first visit to Brit's Pub in downtown Minneapolis. I figured, when at Brit's try the special - fish & chips. Yum. The Biker Chef splashed the malt vinegar in his chips (fries) the way the true Brit's do. I tasted it and decided to stick to my usual ketchup. Each culture has it's own way of doing, and eating, things. The German's liked dipping their fries in mayonaise. Next time I go, I think I'll try Sheperd's Pie or the Scotch eggs. Bangers & Mash might also be good. What do you folks think of English fayre? Here's the Brit's Pub menu. Looks like a good line-up at a good price.

After we ate, we wandered around a bit, up to the rooftop lawn. The next day, they were having a Shakespeare festival and music. We were wishing we could stay in the Metro and see it. They also play games up here and have a big screen. Lots of lovely outdoor seating.

This would be a fun place to hang out with your mates.

I wanted to go in there, but wondered if I'd end up at the Ministry of Magic.

Who knows where the next adventure leads.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Do you have a favorite spot that takes you back to another time and place, a great space to hang with friends, or somewhere that feels like an escape?