The Essential Guide to Twin Cities Restaurants

Armed with a ferocious appetite and an insatiable thirst for food knowledge, Minneapolis based food blogger Keane Amdahl is on the prowl. Through extensive study and travels, Keane has learned to hone his palette on his quest to find out the secrets of the elusive perfect dish. For more of Keane's work, you can visit his blog at http://foodstoned.com.

If there's one thing that North East Minneapolis isn't lacking in these days, its fantastic restaurants and Erte is nothing shy of a shining example. Located at the intersection of University and 13th Ave NE, Erte is a place where a diner can find luxuriously composed plates comprised of top quality ingredients. The dark ambience and the quality, knowledgeable service staff helps to elevate the dining experience to a level one might expect to find in a lavishly overpriced downtown eatery. Erte manages to deliver a quality experience while maintaining prices that won’t leave you in the gutter.

For starters, I'd recommend taking the Squash Bruschetta or the Northeast Teasers out for a test drive. The bruschetta is simply sublime. Soft squash puree and spinach are served gratin with a creamy, rich blue cheese topping. The dish is then topped with crunchy candied nuts. Spread that on crispy, buttery crostini and it's the perfect winter appetizer. The Northeast Teasers are about as simple as an appetizer gets. A sausage is expertly grilled, split in half and served with a zingy side of mustard and a creamy onion dip. Paired with some guyere toast points, you’ve got what is essentially sausage heaven. In addition to the two starters, we also tried the soup of the night. The soup was a seasonal white bean, kale, and wild mushroom. The vegetables came out in a light tomato broth with the beans and mushrooms cooked to the perfect tender.

For entrees we tried their slow roasted brisket, the lamb chops, and it was impossible to resist ordering the “faux” fried chicken. The brisket is slow roasted for an entire day and is served with simple mashed potatoes and candied carrots. This dish is a taste of home. It’s a pot roast that’ll have you pleading for seconds. The succulent lamb chops come served on a bed of soft sweet potato mash and are rested on top of a decedent cherry reduction. The balance of flavors is simple and stunning. The faux fried chicken is a lot of fun and the chicken comes out extremely moist and tender. The chicken breasts are pounded flat and are breaded in a cornflake crust. They are then grilled and served with garlic and chive mashed potatoes, a homemade honey mustard, a cowboy BBQ sauce, and some homemade refrigerator pickles. The end result is a “fried” chicken that doesn’t weigh you down and doesn’t leave you missing the real thing. I’d also like to make mention that all of the photos involving the entrée’s are only half sized portions. Since we were sharing dishes, the kitchen went to the extra effort to divide the portions, so each dish seen is actually twice the size!

Erte is great restaurant that features a seasonally rotating menu. With a talented group of people working both inside and outside the kitchen, you’re sure to fall in love with this Northeast Minneapolis staple. Also, don’t forget to visit the adjoining Peacock lounge and sample one of their fancy martinis!

Photos by mpatrickphoto.com

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