Tag: American

FoodPrint-Twin Cities: Cafe Lurcat

Restaurant:
Cafe Lurcat

Address:
1624 Harmon Pl
Minneapolis, MN 55403

Category:
American, French

Average:
$25-40/person

Review:
My friends and I tried out this lovely restaurant in Minnesapolis near Loring Park last weekend. The restaurant is facing the park with a gorgeous view. The setting of the restaurant is really clean, simple and semi-fancy. Part of the restaurant was based on a old brick house and they really showcased it by having a old brick tunnel between the the bar and the restaurant. Though kind of sketchy, the tunnel actually added a sense of history to the restaurant. Whether you like it or not is totally personal preference.

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For appetizer, I ordered Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Sweet Onion Bavarois. I’m normally not a beet person and the sole reason I ordered this dish is that I misread beet as beef… However, this dish changed my idea a little about beets. Beets in this salad is roasted nicely and all the moisture was locked inside. The sweetness was nicely preserved and a hint of freshness also persists. While dish in general was set up in a clean fashion with no excess liquid to make it sloppy. Goat cheese has a great flavor but I did not like it with the veggies. However it matches really well with the freshly baked bread.

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For entree, I ordered Hanger Steak with Roasted Onions Madeira and Garlic Confit, The serving was smaller than I expected, with only 6 slices of steak. The steak was a little bit overcooked in my opinion since I forgot to ask for a medium rare. It was cooked really well but the meat quality was not prime. I really like the sauce, which has black pepper and some soy flavor. The combined flavor was quite pleasing.

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Finally, I chose Dark Chocolate Profiteroles with Salted Caramel Ice Cream and Spiced Candied Pecans as my desert. I really enjoyed the ice cream and the chocolate profiteroles. The chocolate profiterole was a little hard to cut above a soft ice cream but it was manageable. It is a good closing of a meal.

In general, this is a good restaurant with decent pricing. Food is well cooked but not with prime ingredients. The service was quite well. In the end, it is worth recommending for people who are looking for a casual/semi-formal place to enjoy a nice dinner in the twin cities area.

FoodPrint-Washington D.C.: Old Ebbitt Grill

Restaurant:
Old Ebbitt Grill

Address:
675 15th St NW
Washington, DC 20005
b/t N G st & N F St

Category:
American

Average:
$30/person

Review:
During my short visit to Washington, DC in the long weekend of 4th of July, Old Ebbitt Grill was the restaurant that really impressed me. As we finished touring Smithonians and National Mall, the second most reviewed restaurant was located 5 minutes walking distance away. So there was no reason to miss this restaurant during the tour.

Due to its extreme popularity, we had to wait in line for an hour and a half to get a table. It would be much better if we had a reservation. Even though the front door of Old Ebbitt Grill is crowded, hostess was polite and had a very accurate estimate of our waiting time, which was quite pleasing.

The appetizer we got was their famous Oyster. We ordered a dozen and since they offered three different kinds, we decided to have four of each kind: Indian Creek, Irish Point, and Wellfleet. With the oyster, they provided red wine vinegar and Tabasco sauce. Based on my preference, Tabasco sauce goes better with raw oysters. In terms of the different tastes between three kinds of oyster, to be honest, I can’t really tell the difference between “sweet taste with a slight briny finish” and “briny with a crisp finish”. I admit I am not a professional gourmet. Instead, I am just a person who likes the taste of ocean. Oysters in Old Ebbitt Gril are fresh and I can taste the slight hint of sea water in my mouth. This is enough to make me happy.


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After appetizer, Summer Chicken Fettuccini was served as my main dish. This is the one dish that made me think that the restaurant worths its two hour waiting. Fettuccine itself was flawless, with a fairly chewy taste. Chicken scallopini was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. However, it was the special sauce with a slightly sour taste that created the great match between chicken and fettuccine.


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In general, this is a very impressive restaurant and it definitely worths a two hour wait. It has a lovely dining environment and delicious food with reasonable price. If you are planning to visit DC, you should not miss it.