Where Delicious, FRESH Meals are the Norm

Bryant Lake Bowl, a trendy theater/bowling alley/restaurant in Uptown Minneapolis is many things to many people. It’s easy to walk by the narrow benches lining the windows out front, where people chat and snack, or the small wooden tables one navigates upon entering the multipurpose space. It’s easy because there are destinations beyond them…a night of raucous bowling with friends at the back… or a performance, book club meeting, or concert in the theater tucked off to the side.

Today, however, the food was my destination and the restaurant definitely stopped me in my tracks. With locally sourced meats listed on the blackboard of specials, I sat down with a couple of friends and a menu, daring it to get the best of me. A note on the first page reads: “Bryant Lake Bowl is proud to be a composter..." and goes on to describe what and how they compost, in addition to listing community resources to learn more about composting and a list of other restaurants who have hopped on the wagon. This week, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Bryant Lake Bowl isn’t going out of their way to have (buzzword!) sustainably-sourced menu items; it’s the norm.

My friend was delighted to see that most meals were prepared meatless and included a surcharge for the addition seafood, chicken, beef, or pork products. “I always feel like I’m subsidizing meat-eaters! This makes so much sense,” she delighted, glad that her vegetarianism found a fair home.

Overwhelmed by so many local, organic, and otherwise delicious options, I asked my waitress what she recommended in the vein of healthy-for-the-earth, healthy-for-the-community, healthy-for-me options. She noted that although most produce wasn’t in season yet here in chilly Minnesota, the majority of it was organic. We settled on the Asparagus Risotto with fresh herbs and arugula and I never looked back.


It came out heaped in a shallow bowl, all ivory, fresh, and green. The combination of herbs and greens lent the dish an unusually great depth of flavor, while the risotto’s smooth creaminess could only be attributed to some form of heavenly dairy. It didn’t last long. I was scraping the bottom of my bowl when across from me I saw a poster hanging on the window from another restaurant in town advertising their special Farm to Table dinners this week. I was pleased to see that they were supporting a partner in the movement for good real food, but I smiled at the fact that here, there is no need to advertise that type of special.

And finally, a note on their website gives credit to several of the producers that are an integral part of their business:
“BLB strives to present locally sourced products on our menu, from farms such as Alexis Bailly Vineyards, Silver Bison Ranch, Moonstone Farm, Pastures O' Plenty, Tim Fischer Farm, Star Prairie Trout Farm, and Larry Schultz. We have been in a process of moving toward making our business as sustainable and earth-friendly as possible for many years now. If you have any suggestions for us, please send us an email, we'd love to hear from you!”


So stop in, give it a try, and let them know what you think. www.bryantlakebowl.com

FRESH

A whirlwind weekend of events surrounding the return of the award winning film FRESH fill mid-April in Minneapolis to the brim with farm-to-table dinners, lectures, workshops, screenings, and all sorts of other fun things.

To kick it all off, a discussion at LOCUS Architecture brought MPR's Mark Wheat, the Birchwood Cafe's Tracy Singleton, and Riverbend Farm owner Greg Reynold's together in Northeast Minneapolis.



Sunday morning was a true spring day in the Seward neighborhood, with tulips yawning open all yellow and pink. An intimate brunch hosted by Tracey of the Birchwood attracted a fantastic variety of guests (mayor? yes! state representative? yes! filmmaker? of course! lunatic farmer? how could you not!), good food, and conversation.



The Bell Museum of Natural History on the U of M campus attracted a lecture hall full of interested citizens, farmers, students, mothers, and everyone in between. Joel Salatin, of Polyface Farm and Omnivore's Dilemma fame, gave two animated lectures. A reception between them was held in a gallery fittingly showing a special exhibit of Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, an exhibit that combines beautiful photographs concerning food culture all over the globe and a bit of history about how that has changed, particularly in Westernized countries, toward processed and fast food.



And that's just the start! Head over to www.freshthemovie.com to learn more about the film, Joel, and all involved.

Don't miss any of this week's events or screenings. Check out the Minneapolis itinerary! There is something for everyone and plenty of good real food.