May means Mother’s Day fun, greener gardens, Beard Awards and a salute to 50 years
MAY BRINGS THE UBIQUITOUS MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH & MORE…Ah yes, the big question in May is, “Where to take Mom for Brunch?” Isn’t that what everybody does, every year?
After all, the old philosophy was to give Mother what she wanted most—that was to get her out of the kitchen and away from dirty dishes. For a change, we would wait on her. Yes, she gets gifts, lots of cards and long distance calls. (Remember the old days when phone lines were jammed because too many long distance calls were going across the country at the same time?) But brunch at your favorite restaurant is still a leading gift. In fact, The National Retail Federation says we will spend over $14 billion on mom for Mother’s Day, with about 67 percent of us buying flowers, spending a total of $1.9 billion on fresh blossoms. But about 55 percent of us will treat mom to a special restaurant outing, such as brunch, for a total of $2.7 billion. That’s a lot of eggs.
When I looked at the Mother’s Day offers featured on Open Table last month, over two dozen Twin Cities dining spots were already listed. It’s bigger than Easter for most spots too. But what if you don’t do brunch—or don’t even like brunch? I say let mom sleep late and serve her breakfast in bed. We have lots of options for mom, all weekend long, depending on how we present it to the diner. Try featuring a Saturday night dinner or Sunday lunch or Supper option as well—mom eats three meals a day. Right?
50 YEAR OLD FUJI YA TO SALUTE MOMS WITH CLASSIC JAPANESE DINNERS…Over at Fuji Ya restaurants (600 W. Lake St. at Lyndale Ave. S. and 465 N. Wabasha at Seventh St.) Mother’s Day means three days of special “$50 Benefit Dinners for Two” to salute Mom and their 50 years of history. Yes, it’s been 50 years since the little Japanese restaurant first opened in 1959 on La Salle Avenue, just a block down from Dayton’s with mother and daughter team, Nobuko Umetani and Reiko Umetani Westin. In 1961, Reiko made a landmark move to the site of a historical old mill ruins alongside the Mississippi River, near the Third Avenue bridge. During their peak in the 1970s and ’80s, Reiko Weston went on to break records and set new standards in Japanese cuisine.
She added the first Teppanyaki service in the cities in 1974 when her hot new tables with a grill became center stage for knife-wielding chefs to display their showmanship. Everybody of every age loved it. (Benihana, which opened in Chicago in 1972, canceled a Twin Cities expansion, going to Milwaukee instead, saying Fuji Ya was too much competition.) Then, in 1978, Reiko opened her first Chinese restaurant, Taiga over at the hoppin’ St. Anthony Main complex, giving her action on both side of the river, and we all got our first taste of dim sum on carts brought to our table. (Another innovation for us Midwest farm folks, but Taiga closed in 1986). Reiko was named Minnesota’s Small Business Person of the Year in 1979, and by 1981, she added a sushi bar at Fuji Ya, another first for land-locked Minnesotans. It was the first place I had ever been that served fresh raw tuna.
I recall Reiko served us sushi samples at press luncheon back then, and it was a rich burgundy red and cut like butter slices—not grey in the can like tuna at home. I thought she had served up slices of raw beef tenderloin, and after one taste I was hooked. According to Carol, she recalls the health department inspectors came over two or three times a week just to see how fresh that “daring raw fish” was and if it was safe for customer consumption. The Fuji Ya standards she set back in the ’80s are still applicable for all sushi bars today. In 1988, a surprising change of events also changed the direction they would go at Fuji Ya. Rieko, then 59, was stricken with a heart attack, and passed away the day before Mother’s Day. Needless to say, this time of year is very sentimental for Reiko’s daughter, Carol Hanson.
Carol was 26 at the time and put her schooling and other projects aside to run the restaurant. She did so with all her heart and soul, in grand style for two years, all the while fighting the city on their plans to condemn the building for riverfront development. They finally closed in 1990 with an out-of-court settlement. In 1992, Carol helped the Como Ordway Memorial Japanese Garden in St. Paul dedicate the new Tea House to the late Weston, who had been instrumental 30 years ago when they first built the stunning Japanese Rock Garden—Reiko brought over a ninth-generation master gardener from Tokyo, who created what we see today in the Japanese Garden. Carol furnished the Tea House with tatami floor mats and sliding room dividers from Fuji Ya. She then took some time off to raise her young pre-school children, but by 1997, she and husband Tom had a chance to re-open a Fuji Ya at a cozy corner location at 2640 Lyndale Ave. They were very successful and grew out of there in four years. “People kept asking for sushi and we really did not have room for that,” Carol explained, “so in 2001 we moved the dining room to its present larger Lake Street location, where we could also set up a large curved sushi bar as well as a full-service bar for saki and cocktails.”
Fifty years later, Carol and Tom head up the beautiful reincarnation of Fuji Ya (which means “second to none”) in Minneapolis and opened their second location in St. Paul four years ago. As they celebrate their first half century, they kicked off 2009 with some fun food specials from their historic menu and as May approached, Carol and Tom, chose to be a summer sponsor of the Japanese Garden, which opened April 30. They will continue ongoing support and events both on site and in their two restaurants. Mother’s Day weekend will be extra special with a $50 benefit three-course saki dinner for two, available May 8, 9 and 10, in conjunction with the annual bonsai show at the garden. So grab Mom and pick your day for a Mother’s Day dinner with a twist for a good cause. Cheers.
SPEAKING OF GARDENS…A Spring salute to growing gardens—Greek style—is underway out in Eden Prairie, thanks to the Nicklow Family and their new Santorini Taverna & Grill. They announced a partnership with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to build a grape arbor and Mediterranean garden and presented their first check of over $2,000 this spring to get the ball rolling—or should I say shovel ready. Tony Nicklow tells me when Santorini opened in Eden Prairie in November of 2008, they had dreams of being a good neighbor, offering great food and family hospitality, building relationships, good customers and giving back with a project which would benefit their new community.
The growing Nicklow family is now into their second generation of restaurateurs, and all agreed a perfect non-profit partner would be the Arboretum, where they nurture home-grown and edible Minnesota products from their famous apples to their hardy grape vines. They envisioned sponsoring a Mediterranean garden and Greek-style grape arbor at the Arboretum, so the Nicklows and the Arboretum joined forces. As they planned their new menu, Santorini designated a half dozen various Greek favorites to be earmarked with a little, green leafy bud which indicates 10 percent of the menu price will go to this growing Aboretum fund. Tony adds, “We are raising money daily with these special food items on our menu, and in the first six weeks of business from December 31, 2008, we are proud to have raised $2,610. In 2009, we hope to continue with donations of $2,000 to $3,000 every few months to reach our goal for a future garden at the Arboretum.”
Stop by and help Santorini make their garden grow by ordering an item with the little green sage leaf along side. Go green, and Oopah!
CHEERS TO HASKELL'S AND DAN AKROYD…Cheers and a toast to the Haskell’s team with their classy Skull Vodka promotion party at their Ridgedale location. Funnyman Dan Aykroyd made a special appearance to autograph this new piece of a glamorous crystal skull filled with vodka. I Just couldn’t resist a peek at the original Ghostbuster myself—it was so much fun and such a long line—uffdah! I snuck in for a photo and ran. According to Dan Manning, Dan A. was a charmer to all and stayed and signed bottles for more than four hours for the hundreds who waited in line to meet him. I bought three bottles myself on the way out, and have given one as a gift already. Don’t know if I want to even open them. They are real showstoppers themselves. Bravo!
MAY ALSO MEANS the BEARD AWARDS in NYC…I loved the Awards last year, which were held at Lincoln Center, even though our Minnesota chefs didn’t win in the Best Chef Midwest category. I can’t make the getaway this year, so I’m holding my breath and just want to give a prayer and a wish for good luck to you three nominated Midwest chefs: Chef/owners in Minneapolis Tim McKee of La Belle Vie, Isaac Becker from 112 Eatery, and Alex Roberts of Restaurant Alma—all returning for the honor again this year. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
