Is the Sushi Trend Endangering our Fish?

The simple answer is 'yes', but there is a lot more going on here.

It has been projected that we will deplete the Mediterranean bluefin population by 2012 if we keep our consumption levels at where they are today. With the fishing season open, now is the time to start making people aware of these issues. Fishermen have already noticed that the catch this year is looking smaller both in size of each fish and size of the schools. Please read the following to learn more about overfishing and what we can do.

Mediterranean bluefin tuna stocks collapsing now as fishing season opens

Some good news: There are people aware of this problem and they are taking steps to find solutions. I was glad to hear from the waiter during my recent visit to Fuji Ya that the restaurant is serving bluefin that are bred in a captivity.

Bluefin tuna successfully bred in captivity
Clean seas raise $24 million for breeding bluefin

I love tuna, I love it enough to help save it even though, if it had the chance, would probably eat me in the wild. Time to start moving towards sustainable food solutions.

-BananaWoo

Wakame Sushi to Open in July '09

Alas, Three Fish of Minneapolis-Calhoun is no longer. It's unfortunate because I've always heard really great things about Three Fish and after 7 years of business it has closed its doors and I didn't have the chance to try.

However, in July the presently vacancy Calhoun Commons spot will house Wakame Sushi. Is another Japanese-American/Asian Fusion restaurant really what this area needs? Let us make a list. In the Uptown and Eat Street area lives: Fuji Ya, Zen, Moto-I, Mt. Fuji, Tiger Sushi, Tum Rup, Roat Osha, Amazing Thailand, Chang Mai Thai, Kinhdo, Rainbow, Peninsula, Pho79, Sushi Tango, Saigon, Pho Tau Bay, Chang's, Quang's, AZIA, Seafood Palace, Red Dragon, King and I Thai, the list goes on. In the last year alone at least 5 of the restaurants mentioned above are new endeavors. That's not even including all the Asian places that have popped up in Downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Don't get me wrong, I love Asian cuisine and I'm not saying that the restaurants listed above don't have their own individualistic charm and unique reasons for being a great place to dine. However, I'm getting worried by the fact that we're seeing a lot of the same and all jumping on the trend train at once. Maybe we could use some variety? I'd like to see more places like Cafe Ena or the Blue Nile.

I'm on a new quest to seek out some interesting dining in Minnesota and try to stay away from Asian fusion for a bit. Despite my harsh tone and attitude I will most likely give Wakame a try or I will read reviews that will discourage me from going. You can keep feeding us sushi Minneapolis, but we don't need a million places to choose from.

-BananaWoo

Grilled Salmon Steaks

Please don't mention the fact that the posting before this one was about saving our fish population. I've realized the irony and the horribleness of my ways, now let me be.

Summertime is a great time for fish (again, don't mention my previous post and if you have to make sure you yourself are doing research on what fish are from farms and what fish are caught in the wild) because it is cool and refreshing and healthier than most of the other meats we slap on the grill. I had my usual hankering for fish and decided to do some salmon steaks. I've cooked salmon fillets before, but this was my first salmon steak cooking experience (and I did good!).

There's not much of a recipe here, I did everything up really simple. Just thought I'd post some pictures to prove that I actually do cook...once in awhile. I plan on doing a lot more cooking in the future when my days aren't consumed by my horrible job and my nights aren't consumed by school to get me the degree to get out of my horrible job.

	Anyways, here it is: The salad was just arugula (prewashed from a bag) dressed in a little garlic oil, olive oil, black pepper and salt. I just drizzled the oils on top and gave it a little toss with a fork while it was on the plate. On top I added grape tomatoes (cut in half if that matters), cucumber, avocado and mini fresh mozzarella.
	The tuna steaks I had fresh cut by the butcher. They had bones and all so we had to be careful, but whole fish I think are super awesome. I simply salted and peppered each side, heated up a skillet (non-stick with a little oil, the salmon is pretty oily by itself) and let it sear for about 2-4 minutes on each side depending on how big the pieces are. It's important not to move fish around to much while you're cooking it. You want to keep the juices in just like any other meat. Flipped, 2-4 minutes about on the other side, made sure it was golden and crispy on the outside, covered and turned of the heat.
	Ta-Da! Salmon with arugula salad. I also added some mashed potatoes (Got them from the deli at Lunds, don't tell!) just because I love mashed potatoes and a couple wedges of Italian bread.
	Yum! and way less expensive than going out. Only about 10 bucks per person! Plus cooking is fun and we should all be doing a lot more of it.

-BananaWoo

Chatterbox Pub

Chatterbox Pub
4501 France Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55410
612-920-3221
Menu

And me without my camera...
An unexpected visit to the Chatterbox Pub with my sis and mum. It turned out to be an interesting experience, one that will most likely bring me back. When you walk in you're greeted by a large shelf full of games and decor that looks like your grandmother's house. In fact, I saw a few items on the wall that did actually appear in my grandma's house as well as the home of Mr. B's grandparents. Funny.

The menu is quite intimidating, but in a good way. There were lots of things I wanted to try. Chatterbox also serves microbrews, awesome! There are currently 5 different varieties at $3.75 a mug or $6 for a tall. The beer was really good and if I don't go back for the food I would go back for the beer.

In addition to the microbrew Chatterbox also serves up personal tvs to play videogames (you can rent a number of videogames at the pub and use their gaming systems...is that what the young people are calling it these days?) or to watch cartoons. And lastly, they serve all day, eveyday breakfast! YAYYYYYY! Wait...wait, there's more I forgot to mention. There is a large shelf full of games for those who like to juggle food and cards or other game pieces and if you can't make it to the location in Linden Hills there is also one located in Midtown (2229 E 35th Street) and Highland St. Paul (800 Cleveland Ave S).

So we went there for an early lunch. It was pretty quiet minus the kids playing card games and being really excited to be playing card games. One server welcomed us and both servers who seemed to be running the place were extremely nice and helpful. The menu was giant and was a lot to take in, but everything sounded really good.

We decided on these:
The Ultimate French Dip ($9.95) from their gourmet sandwhich section. Top sirloin, caramelized onions and swiss served on toasted ciabatta bread with French onion au jus and horseradish sour cream.

The Awesome Artichoke & Spinach gourmet sandwich ($8.95) also from the gourmet sandwich section. Turkey, spinach & artichoke dip, swiss cheese and tomatoes served on house made focaccia bread.

The Roasted Garlic Squash Wrap ($7.95) from the wraps section. This wrap is vegetarian (there are a few vegetarian options on the menu) and features roasted garlic squash, feta cheese, black olives, tomatoes and romaine lettuce wrapped in a garlic herb tortilla. This is not a date food people, you'll be smelling like garlic and cheese for days!! Just kidding.

We all chose the roasted red pepper mashed potatoes as our side, but you also have the choice of fries.

We were all very pleased with our meals. The only problem was everything was a little bit over salted. I loved the roasted red pepper mashed potatoes, they were really favorful, but again, really salty. I think the French dip was the best overall in favor and seasoning. The horseradish sour cream was also really good and paired well with the sirloin.

The saltiness was not enough to keep us from going back however. My mum returned for a second visit shortly after our first with my dad in tow. I think the ambiance and fun style of the restaurant and it's workers is something worth appreciating. I will be back with a camera for some all day breakfast and a microbrew.

-BananaWoo

The W Hotel 'Living Room'

Living Room @ The W Hotel
The Foshay Tower
821 Marquette Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-215-3700
W Hotels
Living Room

Thanks to my wonderful friend Chong, who celebrated his 25th birthday this last Saturday (Happy Birthday!), we got to experience the 'Living Room' at the W Hotel in the Foshay Tower, Downtown Minneapolis. Not going to lie, I tend to be skeptical when it comes to 'clubs' and a lot of places downtown. I'm more of a beer-in-a-lawn-chair sort of girl. However, I have to admit that the W changed my view on a few things and I might even be inclined to go back. I mean Molly Sims came all the way to MN for the opening, so it has to be good, right?

The decor is very trendy, but the attitude is laid back. The waitresses are dressed in black short shorts and lace tights, but all were extra friendly and accommodating. There are velvet and leather couches, love seats, overstuffed and high back chairs that fill the room. The overall lighting is dark and highlighted by a few giant metal lamps, chandeliers and neon lights (lights, not beer signs). The bar is huge and good news! The bathroom has an attendant.

I could see some people (i.e. me) who are not used to these kind of places being intimidated. Don't be. There is a large drink menu (be expecting to drop a few dollars, this is downtown after all) featuring martinis, beer, wine and other specialty drinks. Prices were reasonable, if you consider $14 for a martini reasonable. But if you're going to go celebrate might as well go all out. That, and the drinks we're actually really good and definitely not skimping on the alcohol, so...money's worth (see 'Behind the Green Door' to right).

I'm not sure what kind of deal Chong had finagled out of these people, but there was plenty of food and not everything you would expect from a place like the W. It seems that street food is the new filet mignon. I'm on board.

A few things featured on the menu: mini hamburgers, mini hot dogs, grilled cheese and tomato soup shooters, onion rings and fries, mac and cheese, crab legs and claws, oysters, tuna cerviche, mussles, jumbo shrimp cocktail and spicy seasoned potato chips. Not to mention the amazing strawberry cream cake from Buttercream bakery in St. Paul.

Mini Hot Dogs	Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup Shooters
Mini Hamburgers	Oysters
Mac & Cheese	Stone Crab Claws

I was really impressed by the W Hotel and their Living Room lounge. Their staff did a great job entertaining and keeping everyone happy and believe it or not, they won my affection.

-BananaWoo