Weekly Menu 1/16 - 1/20 plus Porter & Frye

We had a fabulous Valentine's Day dinner this year at a relatively new restaurant in downtown Minneapolis called Porter & Frye. We knew they were serving a tasting menu but really had no idea what to expect. Oh, did we enjoy this meal. Each dish was so tasty & in someways I guess you could say whimsical. It was a meal that gave us a lot to talk about while we were eating it (not that we have any trouble coming up with things to talk about). Here's what we had (excuse the pictures as it was romantically lit in the restaurant)

Amuse Bouche - Razor Clam with Parmesan Pudding

Monte Cristo - Ham & Gruyere on Brioche with Black Truffles and Apricot Jam - This was Matt's favorite.

Foie Gras Capsule filled with Passion Fruit Semi Freddo - I loved this, the saltiness of the foie gras was amazing with the passion fruit.

Smoked Scallops with Cider, Quince & King trumpet Mushroom - The smoked flavor was perfect.

Lamb Crops with Merguez Sausage, Tomato, Cilantro, Orange & Mashed Potatoes - Probably the most straight forward dish but Matt couldn't get enough of the tomato jam.

Blood Orange Ice over Coconut with White Chocolate Sauce

Red Velvet Cake with Chocolate Ice Cream - This was probably the least successful dish to us. I love red velvet cake & this was more like an ice cream torte with layers of praline, chocolate mousse, pink cherry flavored cake & white cake all covered in chocolate ganache. It tasted wonderful but was not red velvet or even a take on it. If it had a different name I probably would have liked it better. The chocolate martini is was served with was amazingly good.

Finally we were given a little box of treats to take home. We ate them the next morning & the chocolate was perfectly melt in your mouth.

This was a meal like none we've ever had before. I'm so glad we splurged for it & the wine pairing that went with it. We've been to a lot of good restaurants in Minneapolis but I don't believe any that are doing what Porter & Frye is with their food.

Back to the real world & Menu Planning Monday...

Vegetable Soup - After a week at my parents & then a weekend eating out I need this!

Shrimp, Grits & Bacon

BBQ Beef Sandwich - We'll be using the crockpot to cook the beef until fork tender

Clam Chowder with Homemade Crackers

Thursday we'll be eating out at The Red Stag & Saturday we'll be in an Iron Chef style cooking challenge at The Corner Table.

This week's cupcake will be Chocolate Orange.