Avoid the wind chill and let Simon deliver, or hit a few new hot spots to toast the season

SIMON SAYS, SHOP ONLINE…So, ’tis the season to shop online, right? You betcha. Why go out grocery shopping on the icy roads and carry big bags you could end up dropping with eggs and olive oil in the driveway. Simon Delivers never seemed more important than now. Back in April of 1999, founder Simon Foster “brought the store to your door” with their first online orders to 15 homes in a very limited delivery area. (One year later, customer count jumped to 500). Now, with all of us on-line and working longer days with busy kids schedules after work, on-line grocery shopping has become de rigueur. Who knew less than ten years later, this on-line-grocery-store would reach its three-millionth order and would now deliver from Rochester to Forest Lake and as far west as Buffalo and east to Hudson and Prescott, Wis.

Best of all is their new flexible format and informative Web site gives the customers great daily delivery choices and the chance to order a day-in-advance, anytime up to 11 p.m. for next day delivery. Yea! It really makes it doable! I took a behind the scenes tour at a Fall Open House hosted by Simon Delivers and their president, Liwanag Ojala, last month, and saw how complicated it is to keep this operation running so smoothly. They now have a supersized warehouse (nearly 200,000 square feet), 75 delivery trucks and more than 300 employees. But I think it’s the talented women at the helm who have tapped the secrets to their growing customer success—besides all the in-house technical systems needed to track an order from start to finish. They have considered their shoppers’ needs and concerns from top to bottom. They also remind you when you order on-line that there are no aisles, no lines, no rattling carts or heavy lifting.

I took a look at their Web site and they have super choices with weekly specials, new items and best tips (www.simondelivers.com); a flexible order and delivery schedule; a blog called Side Dish; healthy indicator codes with colored dots for low sodium, low fat, carbs, etc. as well as ingredients and calories; And—in addition to pages of groceries—they have gourmet family meals ready to heat-and-eat and they suggest recipes needed for your supper entrées with all the ingredients listed along side, ready to be added to your grocery cart in one click. With their new Easy Eats category they also have plugged into healthy recipes and tips from Mayo Clinic and Real Simple Magazine. This year, they have even added “Gifts of Good Taste” with giftable food and wine holiday baskets, too. Yes, I said wine. Simon delivers beer, wine and spirits, too—some from local favorites.

In fact, one of the most exciting additions to the Web site grocery list is a new feature they call Local Favorites. Simon has created a partnership with specialty suppliers from more than 30 local restaurants, bakeries, small food manufacturers and farmers. They now have a beer connection from locally brewed Summit and a wine connection with my favorite, Nan Bailly’s Alexis Bailly Vineyards along with some wine tips from Sam Haislet, owner of Sam’s Wine Shop (also the better half of wine grower Nan). Sam has a consultant’s page with Sam’s Wine Picks for suggested unique, affordable wines and descriptions from smaller vineyards and smaller countries with wines priced under $20. Simon also has their own warehouse liquor store for an assortment of wine and spirits choices that can be ordered with your groceries to make holiday party planning a one-stop-shop. Cheers to this addition.

A closer look at the new Local Favorites shows many more of my Minnesota Favorites. You’ll spot Izzy’s Ice Cream, Golden Fig Vinegars, Midwest Northern Nuts, Thousand Hills grass fed beef, Broders’ Rosemary Gorgonzola Puffs, Betty’s Pies (a North Shore destination since 1956), Pizza from Davanni’s and a couple of my sweet favorites like Bramblewood Cottage Shortbread (made with loving hands by baker Amy Goetz using her great grandma’s recipe—with her own famous slogan, “Sharing is optional”). I’m also a sucker for those rich, old-fashioned, chewy, buttery Edna’s Caramels made by the local mother and daughter team of Edna Kimmes and daughter Carolynn. Selling only to friends in 2004 and 2005, they have only been in business for public sales since the summer of 2006. The business has since taken off like wildfire and this Holiday season may find they have to add a few more hands to keep up after being highlighted in last month in November’s Gourmet magazine. Did you see? On page 62 they featured “food gifts worth a taste,” barely showing the edge of their caramel box and green ribbon with two small caramels—but they listed their Web site—worth it’s weight in gold.


TOAST THE SEASON AND YOUR SWEDISH ROOTS…with a visit to Café Finspang over at Midtown Global Market. This tempting Scandinavian Foods and Gift Shop will give you a taste of the old country with the convenience of a nearby pit stop at the historic, transformed Sears store landmark on Lake Street at Chicago Avenue. A quick look up will also give you the time of day in Finsbang, Sweden, namesake for this fun shop, about eight hours ahead of us in the global game. The co-owners, Maj-Britt Syse, who they call the cake baker, and Sibban Johnson, who brings her Ingebretesen’s retail skills, have conspired to create a colorful collection of imported pieces and gifts as well as Norwegian, Danish and Swedish delicacies from cookies and sweet rolls to open-face sandwiches and more. The classic Princess Cake was also available, and other Maj-Britt favorites. Dare I say strong Swedish coffee too? Raise a mug and take a peek—you’ll find something to eat and a perfect stocking stuffer or tree ornament from the old country that will suit any taste. Skol!


NICK AND EDDIE OFFERS A HOLIDAY VIEW…Now you can toast the Holidays at three Harmon haunts with a wonderful winter-y view of Loring Park. Grab a cocktail at the new hot spot neighbor on the street, Nick and Eddie, nestled between Café Lurcat and Joe’s Garage on Harmon Avenue in Minneapolis.

This old Ruby’s storefront and an adjoining store allowed N&E to double their window width and they wisely have offered window tables along with a super, L-shaped bar upfront. The great old terrazzo style floor they exposed ran across the width of the room and ceiling-high windows reminded me this was indeed a car showroom back in the ’50s, as was the Lurcat space down at the corner. It’s very friendly and welcoming spot with lots of old familiar faces to greet you. This is the long-time-coming, dream-child from Doug Anderson (A Rebours in St. Paul and Bakery on Grand in Minneapolis), but due to “business changes” in his past operations, he’s not considered the owner in this venture. He acts as a head waiter (and greeter) here when he’s not playing with his new band. The “owner” title goes to his wife Jessica (famous for her pastries and baking talents) and Partner/Chef Steve Vranian (previously the talent in the kitchen from California Café, Murray’s and North Coast in Wayzata). I was surprised to see another familiar face with the new GM Scott Ida, on the scene recently of the St. Paul Grill. He is another old friend who managed the house at Aquavit when Doug Anderson was a server there. Ida is also the better half of the China traveler Joan Ida, previously the pastry chef at Goodfellow’s and executive chef at Tria.

We grabbed a window table for a martini and that great view and sampled a few things from the new, well-priced menu last month. Doug says the name is a tribute to the old Nick & Eddie’s that he loved in New York’s Soho neighborhood in the past. This block could be our own little Soho soon. Good Luck.


HANG OUT AT HEIDI’S…Hey, what’s that, I see? Lemons overhead? Is their some story as to hanging lemons in the chandelier as a good omen in your dining room? We’ll see. I just peeked into the much-awaited Stewart and Heidi Woodman’s new neighborhood bistro over on 50th—named Heidi’s, of course, and can’t wait for more. Missed this month’s deadline, so watch for more later after I dine with Heidi at Heidi’s, of course. So, happy holidays, and stay warm and toasty. Talk to you in 2008.