Eat It

You guys? I've been DWELLING since my last post. I've been haunted in my dreams by bad dining experiences (like the time I found a hair in my omelet the very first time I went to Ember's - which, according to sources, is a real restaurant). Now, I have zip plans to turn this into a food review column, but when my friend told me "Oh man, I'm so glad you saved me from going there until they get the kinks worked out." I feel like I've helped people. And I'm nothing if not helpful.

So I just want to do a quick follow-up on my last post by offering a review of a place I actually LOVE. I've been there twice now and had brilliant experiences both times. And it's also relatively new.

Tonight Geo and I hit up Red Cow in Edina because he wanted a beer after a long day of interviews and liquor stores in Edina close at, like, noon.

Red Cow is a new burger place. But, like, a FANCY burger place. Like, fancy enough that I changed out of workout clothes, but not so fancy that I had to shower first. It fits this great balance between having a diverse and exciting menu and not being a-holes about it. The first time we went here, the (presumably) owner of the place stopped by our table and asked how we liked the food. Was it cooked well? How was the beer? What did we think of the truffle fries?

At that point, I wiped the drool from my chin and tried to muster up appropriate praise. "Ughm, it's SO GUD." Much to Geo's disappointment, I then licked a drip of their sauce off the table. What can I say? It was Gud.

We went back tonight so Geo could eat and have a beer (two areas in which I have been desperately pathetic in providing) and it was just as great. First? The girl corrected my pronunciation of the wine without being a dick about it. She did it like super subtly and in a way that I was like "Ooh, it's a LONG 'A'...I'll remember that next time." Not like "Oh my God, I'm going to kill myself because I can't pronounce a French word." It was refreshing.

I know the food there is absolutely drool-worthy, but I have a weigh-in tomorrow, so I opted to drink my dinner tonight. Geo, on the other hand, decided to give his arteries a run for their money. He ordered the poutine. Hey, um, quick question. Has a women EVER EATEN poutine? It's French fries slathered in gravy and cheese. DELICIOUS. But not okay for for a girl to order and then eat alone in her apartment while watching Maury Povich reruns.

I digress.

So Geo orders poutine, I get my wine and I spend the whole night pulling my fingers away from the plate of amazing. Somehow, our waitress has managed to show up seriously at only the moments RIGHT BEFORE we realize we need her. She was like a sorceress. And then she casually poked fun at Geo's request for a Coors Light. I was in love.

 The atmosphere was tops. The burgers? [Wipes drool off of face] GREAT. The service? Seriously, it's some of the best I've ever had in my life. If the owner wasn't checking in, the all-star waitstaff was.

And I wouldn't care if their burgers were $80 and a down payment on my first-born child. Red Cow has the goods to back it up. It's clear that they want me to be a regular. Which I will be. Both Red Cow and the other place I talked about last time are equidistant from me (I've never used that word before, BTW) but they couldn't be further away from each other. One place thinks it's better than everyone else and the other place is all "Meh, we're cool. Come on in and we'll knock your socks off."

Have I alienated enough of you yet? Two posts about local restaurants in a row? I know it's not great for the out-of-towners, but I gotta say, I think I've found my calling. Look forward to more restaurant reviews in the future. There's this little authentic bistro I've been wanting to try for a while called Bruegger's that I would LOVE to try...