Diverse cuisine and a French knight proves no culture clash in Minnesota


OCTOBER BROUGHT US MORE OPENINGS…starting with the third Crave at the new Shops at West End complex in St. Louis Park. This street level, corner location gives Crave their first real street-side presence, and it’s very inviting—complete with lounge-style sidewalk seating wrapping around their L-shaped window walls at the entrance. Perfect for an evening after a movie at the theaters next door (and they had heat lamps up for the cooler weather, too). Inside was hot and bustling at the opening night party with owners/brothers Keyvan and Kam Talebi looking like proud papas. And proud they should be—the place looks great.

For the big party crowd they set up a classy martini salad station and fun bamboo counter with chopsticks and surprise snacks served in cute little white carry-around boxes in addition to their Crave favorites—from famous wood-fired oven pizzas to their super sushi bar, Corporate Chef Eli Wollenzien is doing a bang-up job coordinating the kitchen for all three sites with Sushi Chef Tony Lam. Cheers to you all and glad to see you circling the ’burbs. See Crave party pics up on our FSN blog, too.


KONA GRILL COMES TO TOWN…a little further west, out in Eden Prairie with promises they’ll celebrate culinary diversity, bringing us fusion flavors and the slogan, “When East Meets West They Party.” I like the sound of that! It’s a new name and a first for a Minnesota location for a chain out of Scottsdale, now with 23 restaurants in 15 states. And, it’s no surprise they came to Minnesota when I learned the Kona team is headed up by CFO Mark Robinow (former CFO of Rainforest Café) and President Mark Bartholomay (former executive with Rainforest and Famous Dave’s). They also built a great team here and added a local chef to head up the kitchen: Steve Hesse. He is familiar face from Macy’s Oak Grill, Chez Daniel, Stella’s Fish Café and the St. Paul Grill. He’s promising cuisine influence from Thai and Hawaiian to Japanese and Americana. Hesse adds, “Our menu will keeps things fun and interesting both for the guests and the chefs, and when the chefs are enjoying themselves, I think it shows through in the food.” Well, he’s right about that one. Take a look at this smiling sushi team of happy chefs on opening night. Kona does have a festive mood the minute you walk in the door with great long bar and dining spaces with a huge, colorful aquarium and a window wall on the south side overlooking the landscape below. Finding the spot is a bit of a challenge, though. It seems it always takes a little exploration to find your way among the maze of curving roads near the Eden Prairie water tower. Kona is located across from Eden Prairie Center, on the west side of Flying Cloud Drive, but hidden away around the front side of a new bldg called Windsor Plaza on the lobby Level.


WATCH FOR RE-OPENINGS…Old friend and famous chef/hotelier John Schumacher, alias the game gourmet, sent out an e-mail last month saying, “Game On! We’re open! Come Home!” How could I resist? Known for his “Good Eatin’” quote at the end of those one-minute cooking segments on the Ron Shara TV show, I heard John re-opened his historic Schumacher’s Hotel in New Prague last month. It was a real adventure to take the 45 minute drive for a Saturday afternoon lunch and see him. It was also fun to sample some of my old German favorites like pork schnitzel, Czech sausage and fried dumplings and see lots of his fun new dishes and the new name for his dining room. He’s calling it Grill 212, after their address at 212 West Main St., and he has dubbed the cozy bar off the lobby Big Cally’s Bar after his father. He also made a repeated reference to his newest slogan: “It was just meant to be.”

He describes it best on his Web site: “In 2005, after 31 years in business, Schumacher’s award-winning historic hotel and restaurant announced its closing. Three months of ‘sold out, standing room only’ reservations ensued.”

Now, four years later, he and wife Kathleen explained the building was renovated to meet the needs of today’s guests while retaining the historic charm of the 1898 hotel. That means they took the dozen small rooms and combined them into six double-size luxury suites—each with their own Jacuzzi tub and fireplace. “We are excited to share our passion for food, drink and lodging once again,” John said. “It was just meant to be.”

After going thru all the trauma of liquidating and auctioning off all that he owned when business was down back in 2005, he thought he had turned a corner to walk away from the property. Then the buyer reneged, and the hotel came back to the bank and the Schumacher’s. They said it was fate—and made the decision to regroup, re-focus, remodel and reopen this fall. I’m glad they did! Make it a destination for your next holiday outing. They’re open for dinner every night and lunch on weekends. Plus, plan on staying for an overnight in of those stunning new rooms. You’ll think you’ve escape to Bavaria or the Alps. See more at their Web site, www.schumachershotelandgrill212.com.


LUCIA GETS A FRENCH SALUTE & KNIGHTHOOD, TOO…Cheers to our own Lucia Watson, chef/owner of the popular Lucia’s Restaurant & Wine Bar for over two decades (and her adjoining Lucia’s To-Go since 2005) for the special honor she received last month from the French American Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon hosted at Windows on Minnesota. Knighthood! The French honored an American woman chef because she had impressed them on her care and concern about something we all love—food! It didn’t hurt that she earned a BA in French from the University of Minnesota and has earned her first level Master Sommelier certificate, too. Chef Watson has also written two books: Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland with co-author Beth Dooley, and Cooking Freshwater Fish. Lucia has been honored with many awards over the last few years, including a James Beard Nomination for Best Chef in the Midwest for three years running (2004 to ’06). It probably didn’t hurt that she also loves France and owns a home in Brittany where she spends time whenever possible to continue her study of French food—and, as she says, “eating oysters.”

And one more: Lucia is also active as an Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) board member. The IATP works locally and globally to promote and protect fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems. We all know Lucia’s Restaurant has become a Twin Cities’ benchmark for fresh, creative cuisine, rooted in sustainable agriculture. The French Chamber also likes her approach and the contribution she has made to Minnesota’s growing embrace of great food, which are all the good reasons why Jerome Chateau, the President of the French American Chamber of Commerce, Minneapolis/St. Paul, presented Lucia a medal on behalf of the French Ministry of Agriculture and knighted her “Chevalier du Merite Agricole” (Knight of Agricultural Merit).

Lucia’s blend of French cuisine with natural, locally-produced foods inspired the menu for the luncheon, which included a delicate roasted breast of chicken from Callister Farms prepared French style by the Window’s French Chef, Thierry Penichot. Dubbed “Poulet Rouge,” the chicken was served with a red wine demi-glace. Magnifique!