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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.

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.

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.

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-New York City: Pates Et Traditions

Restaurant:
Pates Et Traditions

Address:
52 Havemeyer StBrooklyn,
NY 11211
b/t 7th St & 6th St in Williamsburg – North Side

Category:
French, brunch

Average:
$25/person

Review:
Pates Et Traditions is a little restaurant for brunch located in Williamsburg. Right around the corner, there is this little restaurant with a nice outdoor setting that serves fantastic crepe.

There is practically no limit on what kind of crepe you can order. While ordering, you can ask for all kinds of extra ingredients combination you want to put on your crepe. As a greedy eater myself, I had sundry tomatoes, salmon, Italian sausage, egg, ham and cheese added into my crepe and this magical mix turned out to be great.

The crepe was very thin and crispy. It was not overcooked but had a quite hard texture. However, the most amazing part is their cooking of the inside stuffing. Sundry tomato perfectly blended with eggs and sausage, which brought a little sour taste to the whole crepe and this really helped its flavor as a brunch dish. The little amount of salmon also added some depth into its favor.

In general, this is a nice little restaurant to go to in NYC for some interesting tasting Crepes if you are full of creativity.

FoodPrint-Washington D.C.: Bistrot Du Coin

Restaurant:
Bistrot Du Coin

Address:
1738 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20009
b/t N R st & N S St

Category:
Frech, Belgian, Italian

Average:
$30/person

Review:
Bistrot Du Coin is a restaurant that I randomly ran into in Washington, DC that left me with a great memory with its mussels. This restaurant turned out to be one of the most reviewed restaurant in DC.

We ordered Moules Bretonnes as our appetizer. Mussels in this dish is relatively small compared to the ones I had in other restaurant. However, the taste was amazing with the help of lobster, shrimp, and mushroom. The slightly sour taste from tomato mixed with the taste of lobster and mussels just created a fantastic experience. We had a full order, which was more than enough for three people. In general, the mussel was very impressive in this restaurant.

For entree, we ordered Blanquette De Veau. This dish matched very well with the risotto they offered. Lamb was well cooked in cheese and cream. Its cream had a very strong taste and with a little sour flavor, it successfully brought out the freshness of lamb. However, the size of serving was reasonable. The risotto offered with this dish was also perfectly cooked. Rice was neither sticky nor dry. However, the size of one serving of Risotto was not enough for so I could help asking for a second serve.

The waiter was very nice and has a great sense of humor. The general set up of the restaurant showed its Italian element. In general, it is a really relaxing place to dine in and if you are in DC, you should’t miss it.