Cassoulet avec agneau haché and True Grit

Took in a movie last night and then a dinner at our favorite restaurant!
by Charlie Leck

This is a busy time of the year for my wife and it’s difficult to get a date with her. As a matter of fact, it’s difficult to spend any time with her at all, but, when she got up yesterday morning, I left a note for her in the kitchen that explained the particulars in the most romantic way possible:

“Dear, I going to the 5:10 showing of True Grit this afternoon and then I’m going over to Terra Waconia for dinner about 7:00 to 7:15. If you wanna come along, be ready to leave the house at 4:45 on the dot! All my love!”

Well, she pushed it right to the edge, but she stood ready at the designated time and not looking anything at all like a sheep farmer.

Hot damn! A date with my wife at last. And, what a wonderful date it was and how delightful to sit down in a dark theatre and put my arm around her again.

It’s cold in Minnesota right now. It was about 16 degrees below zero at show time last night and we had to park a couple blocks from the theater. It was a crisp walk, but, I’ll tell you, it was completely worth it.

Here’s what I’ve got to say about True Grit (the movie)!
What a splendid way to spend an evening and what a powerful piece of film making! Before heading out, I wonder how what had been said in the New York Times about this movie as “a comic-serious tale” could possibly make sense. After sitting spell-bound for nearly two hours, I understood. This is one of the best pieces of movie production, direction and camera work that I’ve ever seen.

If you haven’t seen this film and want a tease, go to this site to see some trailers.

The leads in this film are extraordinary – maybe that has to do with extraordinary directing and editing – I don’t know – but I’ll tell you Heidi Steinfeld, Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges are as good as it gets. If there’s an academy award for casting, the casting director of this film gets it hands down. The acting throughout the film story is remarkable.

The film opens with a quotation from Proverbs powerfully displayed on the screen: “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Oh, my!

I listened to the audio version of the book during this past week and I found the film captured it very well.

Going back to see a film a second and third time is not anything I’ve ever done, but I’ll go see this one a few times. And, when it comes out on Blue-Ray I’m gonna buy it!

Mary Pols in Time Magazine said, in comparing it to the former film: “In all ways, the Coens’ TRUE GRIT is a classier, truer version of the tale.”

Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers just said: “Saddle up!”

In the New York Times, Manohla Dargis said: “That old-time American religion of vengeance runs like a river through ‘TRUE GRIT,’ a comic-serious tale about some nasty, brutish times.”

And then dinner at Terra Waconia!
My wife and I have both declared it boldly and unconditionally: Terra-Waconia is our favorite restaurant. The chef, who we’ve gotten to know well, is a master at presenting tantalizing flavors in every one of his dishes.

It was crowded last night – and that’s good to see – but we still had a lovely, little table for two that was close enough to the kitchen that we got a good look at every plate that was brought out for the enthusiastic diners. Oh, how I wish I’d brought my camera along

On our way home last night I declared that I often go into restaurants with big menus and have a difficult time finding anything that really excites me. At Terra-Waconia, with its very small menu, there are always several things I want and I need to struggle over my choices.

Last night, my date chose the cassoulet that was prepared with a base of ground lamb and it was tongue-tantalizingly wonderful. I opened up with mussels served in a very smoky tasting butter sauce and then went for the duck confit (canard confit). Terrific! Perfect! Something to write home about!

Great date!
What a lovely time I had – time to talk and laugh and look the old girl right in the eye, and tell her again that I love her.

Time to read the papers!
Now it’s time to read the newspapers and get back to you later with some gut feelings about today’s news.

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The Rush Toward Christmas

It's quiet now, after Thanksgiving Day, and we move on toward the massive shopping season; so I wish you "Bon Apetit!"
by Charlie Leck

I don't have a lot to write about this morning because I have a big design job that has to be FedEx shipped to Paris within an hour or two; however, I came across a photograph in a local magazine over the weekend that I just had to capture here on a blog.

The little restaurant in a nearby town, Terra Waconia in Waconia, Minnesota, has been named by Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine as one of the best 12 new restaurants in the Twin Cities area in 2010. Bravo! What a good choice.

I may be biased. They buy their lamb from Sheepy Hollow, my wife's business, and they are proud to proclaim it on their menu.

The photograph at the head of this blog nearly made me gasp when I saw it. It is a spectacular example of the success my wife's lamb business has had. She produces a lamb product that, I think, is beyond compare. It isn't only I who feels that way, however, for she has a strong and loyal following. This blog may be looked at, I suppose, as a hopeless plug for my wife's business. It isn't, however, for she really can't handle any more sales than she already has.

Why not become a follower?
If you read my blog regularly, why not become a follower? All you have to do is click in the upper right hand corner and establish a simple means of communication. Then you'll be informed every time a new blog is posted here. If all that's confusing, here's Google's explanation of how to do it!

Just the Two of Us at Terra Waconia

I think this small, hidden-away restaurant in Waconia has become our favorite spot to dine!

by Charlie Leck

Our metropolitan area is filled with spectacular restaurants. It's not difficult to name 40 or 50 really outstanding ones. And I mean really wonderful spots to dine. Yet, right out here in the western part of the metro, just before the you drive into the rich and open farmland of the Minnesota prairies, we've found our favorite place to dine. The little spot is called Terra Waconia. I've written about it here before. It deserves more elaborate praise than I gave it the last time.

Indeed, it is a restaurant of the land and it draws much of its wonderful success and extraordinary flavors from the farms that thrive nearby. The chef at Terra, Craig Sharp, is trying really hard to be extremely local, buying a great deal of his food products from farmers within a particularly immediate range of the restaurant.

As a review in Minnesota Monthly Magazine put it this past June,....

"You might say Terra Waconia is a farm-to-table-inspired restaurant—because it’s not quite there. The chèvre, blue cheese, and ramps were local. But when I asked where the beef tenderloin ($28) was from, the chef told me, 'Stock Yards [a commercial supplier], but I’m working on that.'"

And they have worked hard on that. Only a few months after that review, an extremely large percentage of the items served come straight from small producers within a twenty mile radius of the restaurant. For instance, last night one of the items on the blackboard menu (pictured above) featured a wonderful looking flank steak from Ridgeroll Farm, only a dozen or so miles away. I chatted with one of the diners who tried it and he raved about its quality and the creative way it had been prepared and served to him.

In all fairness, in the interest of full disclosure, I should be telling you that my wife is one of those local farmers with whom Craig does business. He was here at our farm (Sheepy Hollow) just this past week, taking a look at the way Anne raises and feeds her sheep. He left with an extremely large bundle of the beautifully butchered loin roasts that we keep here in our freezers for him.

Just the two of us dined there last evening. We should do this more often. It was fun to spend a slow, quiet evening together. I ordered a wonderful bottle of wine that was really quite spectacular -- a 2003 Cote du Rhone Villages, called Valréas (by Domaine du Val des Rois). The entire wine list is solid; but it's not cheap by any means. I excuse that by understanding that one isn't going to want an unsatisfactory wine with the extraordinary offerings that this restaurant serves.

I began with mussels and Anne with the "brussels."

"Mussels and Brussels! That's cute," our very bright and articulate waitress said! She knew the charming blackboard menu backwards and forwards and had tried most of the offerings on it. She warned me that the mussels might be a little different this time, because Craig had prepared them in a smoked chicken broth that he had prepared himself. My wife, snatching some of mine, thought they were spectacular. I, preferring the normal mussels served here, thought they were good, but not great.

Anne's small Brussel Sprouts were caramelized and roasted and absolutely perfectly so. In exchange for some of my mussels, she let me try a few. Wow! They were wonderful. Both of our appetizers were served with a small piece of blackened, grilled French baguette. I'm off bread these days and didn't eat mine. Anne had them both and pronounced them "delicious."

I passed on a salad and Anne asked for the Red's Wild. The ingredients come from a nearby farm owned by a fellow named Red. They include some wild herbs and some spectacular greens. It was the highlight of the evening for Anne. She loved the combination and thought it was dressed magnificently.

I had to go for the Sheepy Hollow Lamb and I was glad I did. It was served on a very attractive, thin dab of puréed squash. The beautiful, thick slices of loin were seared on the outside and left exceedingly rare (the way I like it) at the center. That rare, they were slightly chewy, which is the way I believe lamb is meant to be eaten. Cook it longer and it will get very tender, but it will also lose some of its delightful flavor. They got it just right at Terra. It was served with a Romanesco Cauliflower that I don't think I'd ever had before. It was slightly grilled and tasted wonderful in the light squash sauce.

Anne had the grilled salmon that was served with a delectable and savory sauce and lentils. It was also left quite rare at the center, while the outside was grilled to a crusty perfection and it was seasoned with a variety of tasty herbs. She claimed her decision to order it was one of her wisest moves in a long time.

One of the delights of the evening was all the spectacular color on our plates. There's a sense of the artistic at this restaurant and we really appreciate it.

We let our eyes wander around the dining room, observing what other diners had tried. The same sense of proportionate color balance seemed to radiate off of every plate. The diners to my immediate right had gone for the rissoto (about which she raved in spectacular adjectives) and the flank steak (which drew equal praise from him). Sheepy Hollow Lamb sold out on this evening, as Craig says it almost always does. The night before he featured thick and juicy loin chops and they were extraordinarily popular.

The desserts are also winners at this surprising restaurant. I'm not allowed them, but Anne had a flourless chocolate torte and she raved about it and only, complying with etiquette, expressed her regret that I couldn't have even a tiny taste.

The folks sitting near us ordered a marvelous looking individual apple pie and a pumpkin soufflé in a caramel sauce. Like all the other dishes, the desserts were masterpieces of presentation. I wanted to wander around the room taking pictures of everyone's chosen courses. I didn't so much constrain myself as I was refrained by my wife's clear threats to murder me if I went around disturbing people who were trying to have a pleasant and private night out.

The only warning I have for you is that you won't find salt shakers on any of the tables at Terra Waconia. I was too embarrassed to ask for any. It's a small enough place that I imagine the chef can hear anything said in the dining room from back there where he works. He such a nice guy that I didn't want to hurt his feeling. I would, however, have liked to add a light sprinkling of salt to my lamb. Next time I'll have a tiny packet or two of salt in my pocket.

If you live in the Twin Cities Metro and haven't tried this delightful restaurant, you're missing something special. Be careful about their hours. They don't serve lunch and they're closed Monday and Tuesday evenings. They're located on West Main Street in the downtown area of Waconia, Minnesota (just off of Highway 5).

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Shanks to Trout & Caviar

Local Blogger, Brett Laidlaw, produces a consistently outstanding food and cooking blog!
by Charlie Leck

I've recommended the Trout & Caviar Blog to you in the past. This food and cooking blog, produced by Brett Laidlaw, provides lots of inspiration for folks who want to cook local, healthfully and not lose anything of the delight that comes with dining.

Most recently, Laidlaw wrote about cooking lamb shanks for a paschal dinner. We're proud that the shanks were a product of Sheepy Hollow at Native Oaks Farm, my wife's wonderful operation that's just down the hill in the hollow. [See the Trout & Caviar Blog about the lamb shanks.] Brett recently shared with a friend a whole butchered lamb from Sheepy Hollow. We're thrilled to have him as a customer.

And now a new restaurant features lamb from Sheepy Hollow
Terra Waconia, a new restaurant about 14 miles south of our farm, is featuring Sheepy Hollow shanks this weekend and we hope to do additional business with them in the future. Look for the dining spot at 140 Main Street in Waconia (952-442-3353).