Mahatma Gandhi said "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Many restaurants are trying to incorporate this call to arms in their own mission statements and culinary philosophies - from organic, locavore menus to "sustainable" cuisine focusing on items that can be harvested responsibly without overtaxing limited resources.
I was recently in Minneapolis and as any visitor of Minneapolis should do, I went to the world-reknown (and just plain awesome) Guthrie Theatre. I grew up in Minneapolis, so my love for the Guthrie Theatre has been well-marinated into my soul. However the "new" Guthrie along the riverbank takes my childhood ideal and drop-kicks it into the stratosphere. Just further proof that Joe Dowling (Guthrie Theater's artistic Director) is a quasi demigod.
Being a Sophocles fan, I wanted to see "The Burial at Thebes" - Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney's spin on the classic "Antigone," now showing at The Guthrie's McGuire Proscenium Stage. Even if you hate Greek tragedy, you should see The Guthrie's version of "The Burial at Thebes" just to hear the magnificent Robert Robinson (Guthrie Bio Page) sing as a featured vocalist in the Greek chorus. Robert Robinson has the voice of the purest angel. Not to get crazy melancholy here, but his voice makes me want to cry and then go on a rampage that even in my wildest dreams my singing voice will not even be 1 billionth the aural beautificness that is Robert Robinson's voice. Check out his website for his tremendous recordings.
If the intoxicating voice of an angel doesn't lure you in to see "The Burial at Thebes," then go to see Sun Mee Chomet as "Antigone." Being 1/2 Asian, as well as 1/2 Caucasian, I was very happy to see "The Burial at Thebes" had a diverse cast. Sorry Caucasian theater actors, it is time to share your roles. Sun Mee Chomet looks like the virtuous younger sister of Korean Comedian extraordinaire Margaret Cho, sans the tattoos.
Now excuse the quick change in topic, but I have to take a pause at the mention of the fantastic Ms. Margaret Cho. My wonderful friend, the stunning and talented actress and producer Jillian Kinsman was doing a role on the Lifetime television show "Drop Dead Diva." Margaret Cho also stars on "Drop Dead Diva." As a favor to me, Jill had Margaret agree to do this picture for me below. Thank you, beloved Margaret Cho - and a huge thank you to Jill for getting the picture for me. (By the way Lifetime TV, isn't it time to bring Jill's character back - her character has "Woman scorned ready to do some serious dramatic harm" written all over her - and isn't that the reigning motto of your cable channel?)
I've seen the exquisite Margaret Cho live maybe 5-6 times (buy your ticket now - it will change your life!).... I think by posing for this picture, I am karmically indebted to see Margaret Cho live at least 30 more times. Mission accepted! I already bought Margaret's Captain Cameltoe t-shirt. Darn you, Margaret Cho and your choice merchandise! (Which by the way, the Captain Cameltoe video features the song stylings of the ultimate Righteous Babe herself Ani DiFranco - who I also saw in Minneapolis, on her 41st birthday rocking out at Minneapolis' Pantages Theater. Loves me some Ani DiFranco any day!) And a further aside: Margaret Cho's Hey Big Dog video featuring Fiona Apple makes me happy and sad at the same time... who can beat Margaret in a dog suit? And a further further aside-- Fiona Apple, get your ass back on tour - I need to see your haunting song rapture again.
OK self-promoting aside now set aside - let's get back to the main story. I was on a mission to see the fantastic "The Burial at Thebes" at the Guthrie Theatre, but before the show I was feeling a bit peckish. The Guthrie has several dining options to choose from, but I wanted the big dog of dining experiences at The Guthrie - the sustainable seafood restaurant: Sea Change Restaurant and Bar. I do appreciate that Sea Change focuses on utilizing sustainable seafood in its menu selection. I feel like I am helping the cause while chowing down on some seriously intensely delicious food.
First - I must give a shout out to my wait person - a lovely Asian lady named Van. Best customer service I have had in a restaurant in a very long time. Listen up Sea Change, customer service is the backbone of fine dining - give this lady a raise.
Second - now on to the food and libations! I started off my excellent meal at Sea Change with their "See Change" cocktail - Leblon cachaca, passion fruit and lime. Now this is change I can believe in. Sweet, bright, tart, tangy, intense with an acidic backtaste - like a tropical wakeup call for my mouth. A perfect way to start an evening.
Next up - slices of baguette with butter. The butter was served on a plate with generous flakes of salt. Now I could climb on my soapbox and rail on about the salination of America. I could do that, but I gotta be honest - the salt flakes deeply accentuated the butter flavor and tasted great on the warm baguette slices. Go salty, go!
I tried not to indulge in the baguette too heartily, because I spotted one of my favorite bread products on the menu ... POPOVERS! I love a good popover. More restaurants should have them! However $6 for two popovers seemed a little steep. The popovers looked great but they were served cold, which was a bit of a letdown. If you want an amazing popover, head over to New York City's Popover Cafe instead. They serve a hot, tasty popover with strawberry butter that will make you want to renounce your sins- and if you're like me, that's a lot of renouncing! Here's a picture of Sea Change's popovers ... they look great, had a great eggy custard taste, but were cold!
I started with the warm beet salad. This salad has changed me. I love a good beet and goat cheese salad, but this warm beet salad with pancetta, walnuts and bleu cheese was amazing and eye-opening. I seriously don't think I can eat a cold beet salad again after eating this. The warm beet chunks really helped carry the intense flavors of the salad. I would have preferred all red beets - the golden beet trend has to stop! NOW! But other than that, this dish was a hit. And who can resist a crisp pancetta wheel? Not this girl!
Two elderly ladies, straight out of "Arsenic and Old Lace," replete in carpet-bagger style paisley clothing sat across from me. The more gnarled of the two had these impossibly frail slender wrists with witchy, wisened hands. These are the type of hands you want to see hoisting a heavy candlestick or family heirloom or perhaps an urn containing the cremains of her 7th husband George, not to be confused with her 3rd husband also named George. You want to see her hoisting said murderous implement and braining the heck out of an ungrateful godson. Now that would be true dinner theater!
On to my entree ... I hate to be that person who goes to a seafood restaurant and orders a steak - but I have to admit none of the entree descriptions were setting my heart to a boisterous pitter patter. I decided to order two appetizers instead. I'm resourceful!
I started off with a glass of 2010 Loimer Gruner Veltliner. I could tell this was an older bottle left in the chiller too long. The flavors were flattened. Still refreshing, but not the best it could be.
I then started with my first dish ... Hawaiian ahi tuna poke with masago, miso and nori. The amazingly fresh ahi combined with a rich spicy mayonnaise-tasting sauce was over the top in flavor. The poke was served with bamboo picks, so I would have actually preferred smaller chunks of ahi to be eaten bite-size. These were at least 2-4 bite chunks. Fresh, fresh, fresh and rich is the best description for this dish. The masago popped in my mouth with briny fireworks. I would order this again and again and again. Superb!
My second starter was more land than sea. I have noticed in the past couple years, the bao bun has been re-emerging as a food trend. My absolute favorite place to get Taiwanese bao is Baohaus in New York City. Their pork belly bao should be illegal, it is so darn tasty. At Sea Change, I ordered the pork belly steam buns with tomato jam ($10). I also splurged on the extra fried oyster topper for the dish ($2 extra). The bao bun itself tasted homemade and had a nice spongy consistency. This was definitely some of the best pork belly I have ever had. The tomato jam was too sweet however and overpowered the dish. Next time, I would order the tomato jam on the side, it definitely adds to the dish but a little goes a long way. I would have preferred a more smoky hoisin-style barbecue sauce than the sugary sweet tomato concoction. On the first bao bun, I really couldn't taste the fried oyster. On the second, I did detect a subtle brine. More oysters would have made this dish.
Now as I was enjoying my lovely, decadent pork belly I noticed a couple and a photographer outside the restaurant. I can only surmise that the couple were either taking engagement photos or they were doing some sort of insane avant garde art project or they were the new lead couple for Riverdance. My strong bet is on the engagement photos. Now here's a tip for all you newly engaged couples - if the bride and groom are equal in size or if the bride is actually bigger than the groom, perhaps you do not want to have an engagement photographer who makes the groom-to-be repeatedly try to hoist the bride up in the air. I think straining to lift her over and over and over and over again may add to any potential cold feet jitters. I know this is amazingly cruel to say, but watching this guy straining to lift and then hold his bride-to-be over and over and over again, each time looking more put out and exhausted ... I really think he was starting to doubt the whole marriage thing.
Since I had my amazing meal made a little less amazing by having a view of the avant garde/pseudo Riverdance/possibly less in love couple ... I am sharing some of the photos with you. I ask you: "Do these photos slightly dampen your appetite?"
Despite the weird photo session taking place in front of me, I had to try Sea Change's decadent dessert menu. There were many delicious-sounding options, but I went with the brioche pain perdu. In French, "pain perdu" means lost bread and it refers to what we know as French toast. Sea Change's brioche pain perdu was more of a long, rectangular doughnut filled with Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread, served with blackberry sorbet, fresh blackberries, waffle cone-style crisps and a hazelnut powder.
Now "Hazelnut powder" is usually something I'd make fun of on an episode of Top Chef: Just Desserts, but I will admit that the hazelnut powder really made the dish. Taking a forkful of Nutella-stuffed rich doughy goodness, dredging it through the blackberry sorbet and then the hazelnut powder made for one face-slapping good dessert. I am now a fan of the deconstructedness!
My only criticism is that the blackberry sorbet was not intense enough against the generous portion of Nutella. Maybe have the brioche pain perdu stuffed with blackberry jam and a Nutella sorbet instead? Or an additional reduced blacberry glaze on top of the brioche pain perdu to raise the blackberry - fruit and acid component - to cut through the ultra-rich Nutella? Just my amateur suggestions here.
It was a stellar dish, but more blackberry flavor would have made the dish even better.
My meal at Sea Change was amazing. It was the perfect starter to a wonderful night of theater at the Guthrie. I felt very well taken care of, the menu was diverse and delicious. The ambiance was modern, stylish and friendly. I felt like a Princess at Sea Change and also more importantly, like I'm helping the planet by supporting a sustainable seafood restaurant. Win-win!
Perhaps the only loss was the photo show happening in my line of vision ... one more qausi-Riverdance last picture for you to enjoy. If you're in Minneapolis, check out Sea Change restaurant - eat the change you can believe in!
I was recently in Minneapolis and as any visitor of Minneapolis should do, I went to the world-reknown (and just plain awesome) Guthrie Theatre. I grew up in Minneapolis, so my love for the Guthrie Theatre has been well-marinated into my soul. However the "new" Guthrie along the riverbank takes my childhood ideal and drop-kicks it into the stratosphere. Just further proof that Joe Dowling (Guthrie Theater's artistic Director) is a quasi demigod.
Being a Sophocles fan, I wanted to see "The Burial at Thebes" - Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney's spin on the classic "Antigone," now showing at The Guthrie's McGuire Proscenium Stage. Even if you hate Greek tragedy, you should see The Guthrie's version of "The Burial at Thebes" just to hear the magnificent Robert Robinson (Guthrie Bio Page) sing as a featured vocalist in the Greek chorus. Robert Robinson has the voice of the purest angel. Not to get crazy melancholy here, but his voice makes me want to cry and then go on a rampage that even in my wildest dreams my singing voice will not even be 1 billionth the aural beautificness that is Robert Robinson's voice. Check out his website for his tremendous recordings.
If the intoxicating voice of an angel doesn't lure you in to see "The Burial at Thebes," then go to see Sun Mee Chomet as "Antigone." Being 1/2 Asian, as well as 1/2 Caucasian, I was very happy to see "The Burial at Thebes" had a diverse cast. Sorry Caucasian theater actors, it is time to share your roles. Sun Mee Chomet looks like the virtuous younger sister of Korean Comedian extraordinaire Margaret Cho, sans the tattoos.
Now excuse the quick change in topic, but I have to take a pause at the mention of the fantastic Ms. Margaret Cho. My wonderful friend, the stunning and talented actress and producer Jillian Kinsman was doing a role on the Lifetime television show "Drop Dead Diva." Margaret Cho also stars on "Drop Dead Diva." As a favor to me, Jill had Margaret agree to do this picture for me below. Thank you, beloved Margaret Cho - and a huge thank you to Jill for getting the picture for me. (By the way Lifetime TV, isn't it time to bring Jill's character back - her character has "Woman scorned ready to do some serious dramatic harm" written all over her - and isn't that the reigning motto of your cable channel?)
Yep - It's a shout out to Lily on the Lam!
OK self-promoting aside now set aside - let's get back to the main story. I was on a mission to see the fantastic "The Burial at Thebes" at the Guthrie Theatre, but before the show I was feeling a bit peckish. The Guthrie has several dining options to choose from, but I wanted the big dog of dining experiences at The Guthrie - the sustainable seafood restaurant: Sea Change Restaurant and Bar. I do appreciate that Sea Change focuses on utilizing sustainable seafood in its menu selection. I feel like I am helping the cause while chowing down on some seriously intensely delicious food.
First - I must give a shout out to my wait person - a lovely Asian lady named Van. Best customer service I have had in a restaurant in a very long time. Listen up Sea Change, customer service is the backbone of fine dining - give this lady a raise.
Second - now on to the food and libations! I started off my excellent meal at Sea Change with their "See Change" cocktail - Leblon cachaca, passion fruit and lime. Now this is change I can believe in. Sweet, bright, tart, tangy, intense with an acidic backtaste - like a tropical wakeup call for my mouth. A perfect way to start an evening.
Next up - slices of baguette with butter. The butter was served on a plate with generous flakes of salt. Now I could climb on my soapbox and rail on about the salination of America. I could do that, but I gotta be honest - the salt flakes deeply accentuated the butter flavor and tasted great on the warm baguette slices. Go salty, go!
I tried not to indulge in the baguette too heartily, because I spotted one of my favorite bread products on the menu ... POPOVERS! I love a good popover. More restaurants should have them! However $6 for two popovers seemed a little steep. The popovers looked great but they were served cold, which was a bit of a letdown. If you want an amazing popover, head over to New York City's Popover Cafe instead. They serve a hot, tasty popover with strawberry butter that will make you want to renounce your sins- and if you're like me, that's a lot of renouncing! Here's a picture of Sea Change's popovers ... they look great, had a great eggy custard taste, but were cold!
I started with the warm beet salad. This salad has changed me. I love a good beet and goat cheese salad, but this warm beet salad with pancetta, walnuts and bleu cheese was amazing and eye-opening. I seriously don't think I can eat a cold beet salad again after eating this. The warm beet chunks really helped carry the intense flavors of the salad. I would have preferred all red beets - the golden beet trend has to stop! NOW! But other than that, this dish was a hit. And who can resist a crisp pancetta wheel? Not this girl!
Two elderly ladies, straight out of "Arsenic and Old Lace," replete in carpet-bagger style paisley clothing sat across from me. The more gnarled of the two had these impossibly frail slender wrists with witchy, wisened hands. These are the type of hands you want to see hoisting a heavy candlestick or family heirloom or perhaps an urn containing the cremains of her 7th husband George, not to be confused with her 3rd husband also named George. You want to see her hoisting said murderous implement and braining the heck out of an ungrateful godson. Now that would be true dinner theater!
On to my entree ... I hate to be that person who goes to a seafood restaurant and orders a steak - but I have to admit none of the entree descriptions were setting my heart to a boisterous pitter patter. I decided to order two appetizers instead. I'm resourceful!
I started off with a glass of 2010 Loimer Gruner Veltliner. I could tell this was an older bottle left in the chiller too long. The flavors were flattened. Still refreshing, but not the best it could be.
I then started with my first dish ... Hawaiian ahi tuna poke with masago, miso and nori. The amazingly fresh ahi combined with a rich spicy mayonnaise-tasting sauce was over the top in flavor. The poke was served with bamboo picks, so I would have actually preferred smaller chunks of ahi to be eaten bite-size. These were at least 2-4 bite chunks. Fresh, fresh, fresh and rich is the best description for this dish. The masago popped in my mouth with briny fireworks. I would order this again and again and again. Superb!
My second starter was more land than sea. I have noticed in the past couple years, the bao bun has been re-emerging as a food trend. My absolute favorite place to get Taiwanese bao is Baohaus in New York City. Their pork belly bao should be illegal, it is so darn tasty. At Sea Change, I ordered the pork belly steam buns with tomato jam ($10). I also splurged on the extra fried oyster topper for the dish ($2 extra). The bao bun itself tasted homemade and had a nice spongy consistency. This was definitely some of the best pork belly I have ever had. The tomato jam was too sweet however and overpowered the dish. Next time, I would order the tomato jam on the side, it definitely adds to the dish but a little goes a long way. I would have preferred a more smoky hoisin-style barbecue sauce than the sugary sweet tomato concoction. On the first bao bun, I really couldn't taste the fried oyster. On the second, I did detect a subtle brine. More oysters would have made this dish.
Now as I was enjoying my lovely, decadent pork belly I noticed a couple and a photographer outside the restaurant. I can only surmise that the couple were either taking engagement photos or they were doing some sort of insane avant garde art project or they were the new lead couple for Riverdance. My strong bet is on the engagement photos. Now here's a tip for all you newly engaged couples - if the bride and groom are equal in size or if the bride is actually bigger than the groom, perhaps you do not want to have an engagement photographer who makes the groom-to-be repeatedly try to hoist the bride up in the air. I think straining to lift her over and over and over and over again may add to any potential cold feet jitters. I know this is amazingly cruel to say, but watching this guy straining to lift and then hold his bride-to-be over and over and over again, each time looking more put out and exhausted ... I really think he was starting to doubt the whole marriage thing.
Since I had my amazing meal made a little less amazing by having a view of the avant garde/pseudo Riverdance/possibly less in love couple ... I am sharing some of the photos with you. I ask you: "Do these photos slightly dampen your appetite?"
Despite the weird photo session taking place in front of me, I had to try Sea Change's decadent dessert menu. There were many delicious-sounding options, but I went with the brioche pain perdu. In French, "pain perdu" means lost bread and it refers to what we know as French toast. Sea Change's brioche pain perdu was more of a long, rectangular doughnut filled with Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread, served with blackberry sorbet, fresh blackberries, waffle cone-style crisps and a hazelnut powder.
Now "Hazelnut powder" is usually something I'd make fun of on an episode of Top Chef: Just Desserts, but I will admit that the hazelnut powder really made the dish. Taking a forkful of Nutella-stuffed rich doughy goodness, dredging it through the blackberry sorbet and then the hazelnut powder made for one face-slapping good dessert. I am now a fan of the deconstructedness!
My only criticism is that the blackberry sorbet was not intense enough against the generous portion of Nutella. Maybe have the brioche pain perdu stuffed with blackberry jam and a Nutella sorbet instead? Or an additional reduced blacberry glaze on top of the brioche pain perdu to raise the blackberry - fruit and acid component - to cut through the ultra-rich Nutella? Just my amateur suggestions here.
It was a stellar dish, but more blackberry flavor would have made the dish even better.
My meal at Sea Change was amazing. It was the perfect starter to a wonderful night of theater at the Guthrie. I felt very well taken care of, the menu was diverse and delicious. The ambiance was modern, stylish and friendly. I felt like a Princess at Sea Change and also more importantly, like I'm helping the planet by supporting a sustainable seafood restaurant. Win-win!
Perhaps the only loss was the photo show happening in my line of vision ... one more qausi-Riverdance last picture for you to enjoy. If you're in Minneapolis, check out Sea Change restaurant - eat the change you can believe in!
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