June comes up roses with food fun and a salute to chefs cooking for good causes

FOOD FUN FROM UNDERWATER TO THE ROOFTOP…More food fun around town brought out sushi chefs at the Mall of America to offer a birthday salute to the Underwater Adventures star, sand tiger shark Jessie, who turned 12 years old last month. No, she didn’t get to blow out the candles, but the folks at the Mall thought it would be better to hold the ice cream and put raw fish on the menu for this hungry birthday carnivore. You may recall in January, the seven-foot Jessie tried to make a snack out of the little shark they call Fish Stick. Hummm, maybe, it was the name that confused her. Underwater Adventures boasts they have the world’s largest shark exhibit, so they have to really keep an eye on those growing, hungry animals that don’t always wait ’til feeding time. On this go ’round, Jessie displayed her best behavior birthday manners and was well fed before we arrived.

And how about us hungry, two-legged guests at the aquarium? Well, we sampled another style of raw fish, thanks to Tiger Sushi at the Mall. Tiger, headed up by Chef J. R. Milibiran brought over an elegant sushi cake stacked with colorful creations for all to nibble. Yummy—but it did seem weird to chow down on raw fish with the evil eye from so many sharks overhead. Happy birthday, Jessie.


SEVEN SKYBAR OPEN FOR SUSHI LOVERS, TOO…Meanwhile, downtowners who want to get their feet off the ground can now head up to the third floor of the r.Norman’s/Seven Sushi Lounge building for the opening of the new Seven SkyBar. It’s a beauty! I’m a sucker for rooftops downtown, which is getting to be more popular the last few years, as a great spot for sunset cocktails and skyline vistas. We have seen Solera and Chambers Hotel offer some nifty views at Ninth Street, and the granddaddy of rooftops at Joe’s Garage on Harmon has been giving us a good look at the Basilica as it lights up each night for more than a decade.

But now with this new corner SkyBar looking up from Seventh and Hennepin, we see both theater marquees and some of most sparkling skyscraper views in town, back dropped by the brightly lit Wells Fargo Tower. Absolutely stunning! And, they’ve taken to their new theater district like a good neighbor should. Open only about five months now, r.Normans and Seven kicked off late January with a two-story benefit party that raised nearly $8,000 for the Hennepin Theatre Trust, and they promised more parties when the SkyBar opened. Well, this is the month, so keep your eyes open. Owner David Koch, who heads up the Koch Group that developed the concept and operates Bellanotte gave me a little tour and I was able to peek at the roof last month while he and his wife Alexus arranged the new outdoor furniture and testing the views along side the 12-foot fire pit. But not all the furniture they selected had arrived yet. The L-shape floor plan also has an inviting U-shaped bar along the middle of the space. David said his plans call for a row of cabanas to be added on the far side of the rooftop and I spotted a second small, cozy bar for those who want a middle-of-the-block view just past the huge Pantages Theater marquee.

Plans call for sushi service each evening and private booking availability. Executive Chef Jon Pulsifer tells me he has been testing and sampling some of David’s favorites for roof-top service that could include their popular firecracker shrimp and some steak tips in addition to the sushi and “maybe a Kobe beef, Chicago-style hotdog.” Yum. See you there.


GOLDEN FORK FEAST...When does a $100 benefit, eight-course wine dinner with a goal of 100 people attending ever really make $10,000 for their cause? When the co-hosts donate the space, all their time, all the food and all the wine—no expenses at all. Nearly an impossible feat, eh? No, not when the feat is a feast dubbed, The Feast Of The Fellowship Of The Golden Fork, a dream dinner full of love, which also had the blessings of a priest who cooks, Father Jim Wolnik, from the Church of the Holy Childhood in St. Paul.

The Feast’s name was a real mouthful, and so was the meal itself, prepared by chefs who belong to the Minneapolis Chapter of the American Culinary Federation and served at the Holy Childhood. The elegant menu ran the gamut: a glamorous Champagne reception with butler passed hors d’oeuvres, courses of capon and wild rice ballotine, petite lamb chop lollipops with mint pesto to a sole paupiette with salmon mousse, an intermezzo of blood orange champagne granita, beef tournedos followed by a salad of Ama Blu cheese, craisin, and spicy pecan salad and an awesome dessert buffet, served with the golden forks, of course.

The lavish dessert and coffee buffet featured everything from a chocolate fountain to chocolate dipped caramels and handmade candies compliments of the enthusiastic chef and co-host, Father Jim. The entire menu was created by ACF chefs donating their time, headed up by three movers and shakers: Chefs Chris Dwyer of the Doubeltree Park Place Hotel, Tom Berg from Kelber Catering and Carlo Castagneri chef/instructor from Hennepin Technical College. We were served by the smiling faces of the church choir members. Chef Dwyer tells me food and wine donation kudos go to Reinhart Foodservice, Stockyard Provisions, Trinchero Family Estates Wines and Phillips Liquor for the champagne.

This first-ever Golden Fork feast was pulled together thanks to the vision of Father Jim, since he hooked up with these generous and talented chefs from the AFC. As co-sponsors they split the proceeds (an actual evening profit of $10,500) for the choir fundraising budget and the ACF’s scholarship program. Cheers and bravos to one and all on a really golden feast.


MORE CHEF CHEERS…A tip of my hat and more cheers to the chefs at the Walker’s 20.21 who hosted the James Beard Foundation Benefit Wine Dinner and their recent traveling road show dubbed Celebrity Chef Tour. This is the fifth year of the tour, which criss-crosses the U.S., stopping at selected venues where an out-of-town chef joins the local team as a special guest.

Wolfgang Puck’s 20.21 in Minneapolis joined the 16-city tour along with China Grill in New York City, the JW in Las Vegas, One Sixty in Chicago and other venues. At 20.21, the host, Chef Asher Miller, welcomed Chris Jacobsen, the 6 foot 8 inch California chef best known as C.J. from his stint on TV’s Top Chef competition. Both he and Asher prepared three courses each, including passed appetizers to dinner courses of seared scallops, lamb carpaccio and striped bass to Moroccan spice beef short ribs.

Delish, all the way around. The scene, with the windowed-wall on the fifth floor party room is always a stunning setting. Bravo to this sellout!


STANDDOWN WAS A STAND-OUT…Another bravo and warm thanks goes to volunteer chefs who donated their time for the annual StandDown hosted last month by Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV), a non-profit organization serving veterans statewide. They held this annual metro area StandDown at the U.S. Army Reserve 88th Regional Readiness Command on the grounds of the Ft. Snelling Army Reserve Complex for two days in May. The Ike’s Food & Cocktails team was there.

According to Ron Lischeid of Ike’s, it was a great time to stand up to salute and celebrate the service the vets gave to our country, and a chance to give back services to them with a warm thank-you and a warm meal. Ron helped serve last year, and this year got the whole Ike’s team revved up for a grand finale grilled steak dinner with owner Chip Isaacson’s blessing. Executive Chef Andy Shrader and his team prepped the supper and two chefs, Dave Kelly and Joe Reynolds, headed out to Fort Snelling for the wrap-up. They grilled more than 200 steaks before the rain rolled in and were a definite stand out in the event’s two days. Cheers to all you cooks in the kitchens around town for donating your time and talents when asked!