Each Friday, this list will track five of the best things Heavy Table’s writers, editors, and photographers have recently bitten or sipped. Have a suggestion for the Hot Five? Email editor@heavytable.com.
The Hot Five is a weekly feature created by the Heavy Table and supported by Shepherd Song Farm.
Grilled Pork Banh Mi at Lu’s Sandwiches
This is one of our favorite renditions of the classic banh mi in a town full of good ones. The fillings are balanced, with pickled veg offsetting the rich flavors of pork and pate, and a house-made mayo tying everything together. The bread has some chew and is robust enough to carry its contents without being leathery (as is sadly sometimes the case with these sandwiches, particularly when they’ve sat around for a while).
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by James Norton]
Homemade Celery Bitters Made from Skaalvenn Vodka
This week my CSA box from Clover Bee Farms accidentally contained celery tops instead of parsley. I made celery bitters using Skaalvenn vodka because it’s affordable but high-quality. Put greens in a jar, and add enough vodka to cover. Let sit for about a week at room temp. Try in a bloody mary or a gin martini.
[Last Week on the Hot Five: #2 | Submitted by Paige Latham Didora]
120-Day Aged Beef from the Chef’s Table at Cosmos
We’re increasingly convinced that the Upper Midwest’s killer culinary edge is going to come from the woods and water that surround us, so we’re always stoked to meet chefs who tap into foraging, gardening, hunting, and fishing as they cook. Timothy Fischer of Loews Minneapolis is one such chef. He led us last night through an epic chef’s table dinner that included everything from Minnesota crayfish to foraged mushrooms to vegetables and edible flowers from the hotel’s rooftop garden. The meal had a number of high points, but the peak may have been a perfectly cooked, exquisitely tender, medium-rare slice of beef served with thinly sliced truffles, bold verde and rojo sauces, and just enough greenery and pickled onion to set everything off.
[Last Week on the Hot Five: #1 | Submitted by James Norton]
Cilantro Lime Serrano Hot Sauce by Isabel Heat Street
Cilantro Lime Serrano hot sauce from local maker Isabel Heat Street is a whirlwind of flavor pitched perfectly toward warm summer weather — herbaceous brightness up front kicked to a higher plane by the application of acidic notes of lime, followed by a moderate burn from the peppers that fades cleanly, setting the taster up for the next bite.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted from a profile by James Norton]
Koubideh Combo at Caspian Bistro
The exceedingly tender texture and mild but persuasive flavor of minced, pressed chicken and a similar treatment of beef and lamb makes the Koubideh Combo at Caspian Bistro as pleasant an entree as you could hope for: It’s earnest, straightforward, and it tastes exceedingly healthful when presented with a plate full of rice and a roasted tomato.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by James Norton]