John Politte

BK Family Restaurant

August 18, 2010 by John Politte

BK Family Restaurant is situated in a hidden sliver of businesses or former businesses tucked away behind office buildings and a small cemetery in Coon Rapids.

Locals here know the location well. We arrived on a Saturday morning to a crowded parking lot and even more crowded dining room. The owner didn’t really give us a choice of where we wanted to be seated as he placed two menus on the table behind the cash register/hostess stand and said “you sit here ok” not a question, but not a statement either.

The dining room lacks any kind of intimacy or sections. Like a large room with tables and chairs, you feel like you are at a church social or family reunion rather than a restaurant. If you like a quiet time with your coffee and eggs, this is definitely not the place to be; because once the place is full the din and cacophony vibrate through the dining room like the buzzing of bees.

The service is quick and impersonal. But the day we were there we did get to see what happens when the wait staff forgets to shout a time tested server caveat: “coming out” as they leave the server area into the dining room. Trays, glasses and ice cubes did a merry dance in the air before landing on the carpeted floor in a symphony of crash, tinkle and bang IL concerto for the red-faced waiter.

The menu is a cook’s nightmare. The breakfast items alone tally up to fifty one choices. That doesn’t include the specials board, the table tent with specials and the children’s and senior menus. The rest of the menu reads like a deli/lunch counter/diner/ from the 1980’s with Its diet plate of cottage cheese, tomato slices with a hamburger patty and the dreaded half sandwich and soup choice that plagued chefs sanity everywhere during the Reagan years. There are items on the lunch special area of the menu, and the same items are listed above them under specialty burgers at a lower cost. It all seems a bit too confusing and busy. I can only imagine the work that goes into ordering the food, the prep work to get it ready and tempers flaring during service when uncertainty of which burger, sandwich or omelet off the countless choices the customer actually ordered.

The food is satisfactory but you get the idea that the owner is cutting corners on quality to save money. My wife’s skillet had some sort of processed, shredded ham product that any food establishment should be ashamed to use, and there was a thimble full of cheese buried in the uncooked recesses of green pepper, onions and hash browns. My chicken fried steak and eggs was fine, but equivalent to anything you would find at any Perkin’s or Denny’s, but at least the potions were larger.

Of course there are salads, burgers, dinner items like pasta, steaks and chicken, wraps, hors d’oevres and the above listed senior and children menus.

BK also boast catering for in house and outside parties, and all weddings, banquets etc.

All in all the food was enjoyable, and certainly enough to satisfy the biggest appetite, just make sure you have enough time to look over the menu.

BK Family Restaurant is located at 11496 Martin St in Coon Rapids MN.

Keys Café

August 18, 2010 by John Politte

Our first visit the Keys Café in Spring Lake Park, at 8299 University Ave NE was not a pleasant one to say the least. The waitresses and the supporting staff passed by our table numerous times before any kind of recognition or inquiry about coffee or juice, which I found interesting since once you are seated by the hostess, your waitress is informed of the seating and presumably greets you ASAP.

As a breakfast diner, I like to be greeted and have my coffee within five minutes of being seated, but this experience infected the whole dining endeavor. And to top it off, my wife was rudely cut in front of by a certain state senator and his entourage trying to pay the check. A fact I was not made aware of until afterwards, luckily for everyone, as I am quite protective of the fetching Mrs. Politte.

Months later, we decided to give Keys another try. So with open minds and empty stomachs we made our way back to the famous Twin Cities eatery to give it another try.

Seated immediately, and acknowledged instantly by our waitress, I had coffee and juice on the table in less than a minute. I know this because I timed it.

The food was exceptional. The Florentine Benedict was a cleverly designed toasted English muffin layered with tomatoes, fresh spinach, basted eggs and topped by a creamy hollandaise, with crispy hash browns and toast made from bread baked in the back of the house.

The farmer’s omelet is definitely one made for eating before milking the cows or harvesting the crops. Literally stuffed with ham, onions, hash browns and cheese, this breakfast entrée is also served with homemade toast and preserves, and can feed 2 people or a hungry Border collie that is mad that you left her at home.

In 1973, the first Keys Café opened for business in St. Paul on Raymond Avenue. Barbara Hunn founded this first adventure, refining and improving her successful formula until the second Keys opened in New Brighton in 1983.

Together with her family, the Keys Cafés have expanded to nine Twin Cities locations and have been recognized and awarded both locally and nationally for their fine food.

The Keys Café philosophy is simple: memorable service and absolutely the best food … breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts created from scratch recipes “you grew up with”.

As noted earlier, Keys has a full bakery and a display case that shows of their wares. From cookies, pies, cakes and bars, there is a dessert to please everyone.

Check out the website at keyscafe.com to see all eight Twin Cities locations and the one in Wisconsin, yes Wisconsin; where you can enjoy the home made family atmosphere and food. And if it doesn’t work out the first time, by all means give it another try-you’ll be glad you did.

Kozlak’s Royal Oak Restaurant

July 31, 2010 by John Politte

Opened in November of 1977 on the property that used to be The Sandpiper Restaurant, Kozlak’s Royal Oak Restaurant is one of the premier family owned eating establishments in the Twin Cities.

Emanating a 1980’s mood with its opulent crown molding, plastic plants, high ceilings and bay windows allowing a look onto the patio and garden, Kozlak’s takes you on a trip back in time to the supper club days before chain restaurants and hip food trends spoiled the pleasure of dining out.

The service is top notch, attentive and knowledgeable of the menu, wine and chef specials. The dining room is spacious but lacking an intimacy that couples may be looking for. The tables are draped in white linen, set properly, and carefully displayed for the sequential tour through the meal.

The appetizer of bruschetta is a bit of a disappointment. The tomatoes are a bit oxidized and flavorless, and for a cold first course, curiously served on a hot plate. The house salad is remarkable, somewhere between a garden salad and a Caesar, tossed with a salty sweet mayonnaise-based dressing refreshingly created by the chef. The twin medallions of beef are tender and perfectly cooked; the mashed potatoes are real potatoes, and are wonderfully whipped, seasoned and piled high alongside the entrée. The vegetables are fresh, and not a frozen boxed variety that are delivered to restaurants these days. The risotto cakes were boring, bland, and undercooked, lacking the enjoyable crunch that accompanies something grilled with Panko bread crumbs. The White Zinfandel was a good choice to match the earthiness of the beef, and paired along with the seasoning in the vegetables quite well.

The dessert choices are fresh but limited. The apples, caramel, and whipped cream served Neapolitan style in a small chimney glass is elegant, simple, and a wonderful way to end the meal.

Kozlak’s also has banquet space, on and off-site catering and an outstanding New Orleans Jazz Brunch on Sunday’s. Too find out more, visit kozlaks.com.

When searching for a pleasant, uncomplicated meal, with a menu that has a proven shelf life and a staff that treats you like a customer and not a number, then you will enjoy Kozlak’s Royal Oak Restaurant.

Aperitif Restaurant and Bar

July 20, 2010 by John Politte

“Aperitif is a noun whose roots are from the Latin word aperire which is to open, stimulate or begin. It is also a drink consumed before starting a meal, and is meant to be appetizing. “

Because the name is from a Latin word, Aperitif is an appropriate and aptly named restaurant and bar. You can see the French, Italian and Spanish influence in the design, architecture and menu.

From the high ceilings braced with dark wooden joists, lanterns running the length of the patio, the wrought iron gates or the fountain surrounded by flowers, you can’t decide if you are in Monaco, Valencia, Naples, Monte Carlo, Athens or Tunis.

The menu is exceedingly adroit in reflecting this idea. Ingredients such as Cous Cous, lamb, Tzatziki, pancetta, capers, Aioli, and Saffron are interwoven into this menu like a wonderful Mediterranean tapestry.

Executive Chef Chad Grant, formerly of Porterhouse, brings his fresh, locally purchased, made-from-scratch concept along with him to the outer suburbs. You can guarantee that the meats, seafood, produce and dairy are fresh and none of the food is processed, packaged or bought in.

The bottled water that is served to the customers is from Aqua Health and is local. The chefs even use it to cook the pasta. His pizza dough, brioche, bread and focaccia are made daily in their wood burning oven. As he told me in our discussion “the bread you are eating right now was pulled out of the oven at around noon today”.

Outside is an herb garden that boasts basil, yellow basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley and other herbs that the kitchen uses to spice up the flavor profiles of their food to keep it simple, fresh, and rustic.

As Chef Chad writes a great menu, runs a kitchen and brigade with perfection and precision, so too does the front of the house function under the direction of manager Corey T. Nyman. The dining room and bar performed like an orchestra with all the instruments operating in synch. Food coming and going, tables being bused, people being seated, beverages poured and orders being taken reminded me of how a well-run dining room is supposed to function.

With a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon, Corey was accommodating and answered all of my questions. Never in my 36 years of food service have I seen anyone as positive and upbeat. This goes a long way into explaining the professionalism of his staff.

We started with the assorted olives, salmon cakes and house-cut chips and Alfredo. The salmon cakes were two perfectly seasoned cakes molded with fresh salmon and lacking the extreme amount of filler you find elsewhere. They were served with lemon aioli and an Arugula salad that was so sinfully delicious I should seek absolution from the nearest priest.

The house cut fries are a bit different. The Alfredo sauce was a bit overpowered by the fried taste of the potatoes. They were also a bit difficult and messy to eat. Otherwise they were well presented; stacked lengthwise in a pasta bowl, smothered in the creamy garlic sauce.

The Veal Bolognese is a smooth velvety mirepoix of carrots, celery and onions cooked down with a rich tomato broth, red wine, and ground veal, then tossed with toothy fettuccine. The rosemary focaccia bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and grated parmesan served alongside was the perfect accompaniment.

The Swordfish steak is cooked and coated with a citrus glaze and set atop a nest of carrots and spaghetti squash, nestled alongside an arugula salad with English peas that brought me back to my father’s garden when I ate them straight from the pod. Aside from the swordfish, the squash was the best thing on the plate.

Dessert was an ice cream cake surrounded by ground coffee mixed with crushed Oreo cookies with a Heath bar crumble through the center, served on a plate with caramel delicately drizzled from top to bottom. It was so rich and decadent that a trip to the gym is now in the day planner.

The ambiance of the dining room is open, inviting but can be a bit loud when it gets full. The dining room seats 236 people and there is a patio with a full bar that seats another 100.

Not many reviewers mention the bathrooms in their story, not unless they are issuing a caveat, but the bathrooms here are like a luxurious spa. Real towels are rolled and stacked on a shelf above a trough that acts as the sink. Meanwhile you put your hands under the spout and are finessed by the water cascading onto your soapy digits. The only thing missing was a mud pack facial and a fluffy robe.

Aperitif opened on January 30 of this year and is owned by The Nyman group which has restaurant holdings in Las Vegas, Scottsdale AZ and New York.

Aperitif is located at772 Beilenberg Drive in Woodbury. The phone # is 651-578-3000 or you can check them out online at www.AperitifRestaurant.com

Do not miss the chance to dine at this exceptionally run establishment. They care about what they do, and it is evident from the food, the staff and the management.

The Skinny on Salt

July 16, 2010 by John Politte

Summer is here and that means heat and humidity, and heat and humidity means we are going to sweat. Sweating is the body’s way of cooling off, but with that sweat you lose salt, an electrolyte that needs to be replenished, because the body cannot manufacture this element on its own.

Salt is basically sodium chloride-two essential minerals required by the body that helps communication between cells, and the regulation of fluid in our bodies. Salt is naturally occurring-in any form, from Epsom salts to kosher, and is found in the sea and in minerals. Salt helps regulate blood volume and blood pressure. The relationship between salt and blood pressure can be traced back nearly 4000 years to the Chinese emperor Huang Ti, who wrote of the connections between salt and a “hardened pulse.”

As of today, the dietary guidelines for salt intake are 2300 milligrams per day. The typical American diet ranges from 3000 to 5000 milligrams. For our bodies to survive, we need about 500 milligrams. A teaspoon of salt is about 2400 milligrams.

The salt shaker on the table is NOT the smoking gun. The danger is in the convenience and frozen packages, and in fast food.

I recently did some research in the grocery store, going through the freezer section and stayed exclusively with what we use to call TV dinners. I looked at the nutrition labels from about 8 or 9 of the big brand name labels and was shocked to see that the sodium in each serving was giving us anywhere from 28% to 45% of the daily allowance of sodium we need per day. In one meal! Now think back on what you had for breakfast, lunch, possibly those snacks in between, and dessert and a late night snack you may eat after dinner. We are exceeding our daily sodium intake by nearly 200%

Here are a few tips to lowering our salt intake:

-Be more concerned with the ratio of salt to potassium than the actual amount of salt in your diet.

-Do not try to eliminate salt from your diet-it is essential to the body-instead, try to reduce the excessive intake by eating whole, unprocessed foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, and whole grain breads without the butter.

-Drink plenty of water after you exercise, perspiring drains the salt out of your body, and needs to be replenished.

-When cooking, use herbs and spices instead of the salt shaker. There are many good seasoning blends in the spice aisle of you grocery store. Low sodium broths are also a good way to poach foods in order to give them better flavor.

-Whenever you buy canned foods such as beans or vegetables, always drain and rinse them well in a sieve, because they are soaking in brine that is loaded with salt.

We also like to dine out more than ever. Be alert on the cooking styles of the chefs and ask your server how the foods are prepared. Avoid anything pickled, cured or smoked. Order your salad dressing on the side instead of mixed in. Avoid the ketchup, mustard and pickles, or at least cut down the amount you use. Opt for fruit instead of those salty appetizers.

Keeping in mind that we need salt, but not an excessive amount, and an insufficient amount can be detrimental to our health as well. So drink plenty of fluids, watch your diet and prepare food wisely by limiting the amount of salt in recipes.

Pearldivers Need Love Too

July 14, 2010 by John Politte

I have written about cooks, chefs, and wait staff, but have given no love to those who wash and scrub the dishes and mop the floors.

So here is an ode to those with dish pan hands.

They come in all different shapes and sizes, all kinds of diverse backgrounds, many don’t stay in one place for a long time, and many use the dish room as a stepping stone onto the cook’s line, but there are individuals who strive to be professional dishwashers.

I know there are some of you out who are unfamiliar with the inner workings of a restaurant (thankfully you have me to enlighten you), but if you can imagine 8 hours of washing plates, bowls, cups and silverware, scrubbing pots and pans, washing everything the cook can find in the kitchen, cleaning the restrooms, bussing tables, spraying down the rubber mats, vacuuming the floor in the dining room, sweeping and mopping the kitchen, climbing up on the stoves to get the grease filters from the vents, and carrying bus tubs full of dishware all day; all for minimum wage; then you just imagined a day that the genius ponders and the insane laments.

They are called by many names-dish dogs, pearl divers, burros, dish rats and sanitation engineers, but whatever moniker we attach to their service, the restaurant, would not run efficiently without them. They are the back bone of the industry, sometimes working harder and making less than everybody else. Ask any self respecting chef about their dishwashers, and they will tell you they feed them well and they treat them with love and esteem, because if they walk out- guess who has to do the dishes?

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