Söntés (Bacon Fest 2012) – Rochester, MN

Sit back and relax, this is going to be an extremely long post. I’m going to explain in detail, so the people who chose NOT to join me will kick themselves for their lack of commitment to bacon. I will also apologize in advance for the photo quality. The lighting was business romantic in the event room, so some of the photos were a tad blurry.

I got a tip from one of D.Rough’s friends that this fancy place in Rochester was having some sort of Bacon Fest. I did some research and found out it was an upscale dinner with a bunch of courses and wine or beer pairings. Since D.Rough was going to be out of town, I immediately contacted my go-to meat date, M.Giant. It was my birthday weekend, and he and Febrifuge were free to partake in this glorious adventure. We had to reserve tickets for this event weeks in advance, so we had to just think about how amazing this night was going to be for faaaaaaaar too long before it actually happened.

We drove the hour and a half down to Rochester and since I forgot that M.Giant always drives 20% faster than the speed limit (I’m not kidding), we arrived more than an hour early. The hostess told us we could see the sights in Rochester and come back, or grab a seat at the bar. We were sure we could find something to do downtown, so we hit the streets. Not for long though – it was cold and we were pretty excited for bacon after weeks of waiting. We still arrived early and the room wasn’t set up completely, so we grabbed a seat at the bar.

What better way to celebrate bacon than with a nice glass of Glenmorangie scotch? Apparently, they’re not shy about their pours here. It wasn’t a taste, it was a drink. Feeling good, we headed into the bacon room and found our assigned seats. We sat next to a super fun group – Karen, who had actually JUST quit working at Söntés one week prior, and Barb and Paul – all from Rochester. We chatted about how excited we all were. We knew we liked them already since they liked bacon.
Next to our menu for the evening, there was a trio of aperitifs (pre-dinner drinks) waiting for us at our assigned seats. The first was a Bacon Old Fashioned (made with bacon-infused bourbon and homemade orange bitters), a Bacon Zacapa (chocolate rum in a small espresso cup with a garnish of chocolate covered bacon), and a Bacon Avocado Margarita (shot of tequila with avocado foam on top, sprinkled with bacon). Really, an amazing use of bacon in these drinks. My favorite was the Margarita, without question. If I knew how to make avocado foam, I’d be making these for breakfast every day!

The owner of Söntés (Tessa) was dining with us this evening and stood up to say a few words about the dinner we were about to have. She’s very down to earth and extremely nice and warm, so if she’s there when you go there (and you WILL go there), track her down and tell her what an amazing job she’s done with this restaurant and the events they host.

The first course arrived – the starters. It was a small plate with four bite-sized pieces of bacon-y goodness on it. A bacon-wrapped smoked jalapeno popper, a bacon and cabot-cloth-bound cheddar stuffed profiterole (pastry ball/cream puff filled with bacon cheese), house-made chichorones (fried pork rind) with Tabasco aioli, and a hoisin pork belly with plum ginger waffle crouton. The best of these by far, was the hoisin pork belly – stellar – followed by the profiterole. Though, all four were like nothing I’ve ever had.

The waiter asked if people wanted to pair their meals with wine or beer. It was my birthday, so I opted for the wine flight and M.Giant and Febrifuge decided to split the beer pairing, just so they could taste each of the beers Söntés had to offer. They brought out my first glass – Anne Amie Pinot Gris, a nice lightly sweet white. It paired nicely with the next course – the most difficult one for the chefs this evening. A Coddled Egg.
I had heard of these, but had no idea what this would be. It’s an egg partially hard boiled, but so the inside is still runny. The top of the egg had been cut off, so it is served in its shell and the shell is sitting on a small bed of sea salt and aromatic herbs. It sounds corny, but the aroma of everything really did enhance the egg flavor. REALLY well done on this dish, chefs. That was served with bacon wrapped asparagus and skinny (and delicious) breadsticks. M.Giant and I had to fight over who was going to get the last one, since they brought us three of each. Thankfully, he caved, since it was my birthday.

The next glass of wine arrived. A Predator Zinfadel. (We joked about not being able to see it unless it was moving – you know, from the movie Predator? Never mind.) While the company doesn’t promote this, it has faint bacon undertones in it. I didn’t believe Karen sitting next to me when she told me that, but when I tried it, I had to stifle a laugh – she was totally right. That was served with one of the most amazing salads I’ve ever eaten. Yes, I used “amazing” and “salad” in the same sentence – and at a bacon-themed dinner, no less. It was called a GLT&B salad – grilled romaine with warm bacon vinaigrette and tomato granite (like a compote), a piece of pork belly, and a blue cheese crouton. Really, it was quite stellar, especially when you got a piece of each in a bite. Being a crouton connoisseur, this blue cheese crouton ranked up near the top of best croutons ever.

I was filling up with liquid fast, but there was hardly a chance for me to step away, for fear of missing out on something bacon-related. I did find a break in the action, eventually. I mentioned this place was fancy – it’s the kind of fancy that has cloth towels in the restrooms to dry off your hands. Very nice. (Hey, some people care about these things – I just report on them)

Another glass of wine: Embruix de Vall Llach Priorat, from Spain. A deep red wine that went with the next dish extremely well. The next course was bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin. I know bacon-wrapped anything is going to be delicious, but this was a great piece of meat. Very tender and flavorful, cooked a perfect medium, and served with horseradish-milled potatoes and roasted vegetables with house-cured pancetta. I could go on and on how I loved this cut of beef, but there are other bacon things to get to.

Chef Bryce Lamb and Sous Chef Trevor Garrett came out and talked to each of the tables for a short while and were extremely nice. They answered all of our questions and seemed genuinely interested in talking about food – even though they deal with food every hour of every day. Very nice folks with amazing culinary skills and a sense of humor.

Finally, for what I assumed was the finale of the evening, a very smooth glass of Otima 10 year Tawny Port. I’m not a expert, but this was one of the better ports I’ve had. It was accompanied by a very spicy bacon brownie and a maple and house-cured pancetta ice cream sandwich. Brownie first – I’m not sure if the spice was in the brownie itself or the bacon, but it was perfect (for me – which means a few of the native Minnesotans thought it was a tad too spicy). Very soft and moist brownie with a criss-cross of bacon on top. Perfectly salty-sweet-spicy for me. It was the perfect compliment to the ice cream sandwich with circle bacon instead of cake/cookie outside. Really, this was a fantastic finisher to the night. …only it wasn’t.

One of our new friends from Rochester, Barb, was also celebrating a birthday (28, I think), and word got back to Tessa. She had the bartenders make up a little something special for us – a bacon-infused martini. Delicious. And on the house – which was awesome.

THEN, Karen, another awesome new friend, told me I HAD to try the fabulous Coriander Doughnut Holes. And she didn’t even know I’m a donut fiend!!!! So we ordered some of those – which turned out to also be on the house for my birthday!!! I’m sure that made them taste even more delicious!!! They were served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and also with a Wee Highland Brewing Company Imperial Stout. These were really awesome doughnut holes, and even though they weren’t bacon related, they were the best thing in the world for me to leave the restaurant with, tasting that flavor for the rest of the night. I’m not a beer drinker at all, but as you could tell from the list of drinks I had already consumed, it wasn’t going to stop me from drinking my Imperial Stout. …And Febrifuge's Imperial Stout. He wasn’t in the best shape after his beer pairings and bacon combo. (We won’t mention how *I* was doing, aside from saying it was a really good thing M.Giant was driving. I wasn’t even safe to be a passenger at this point.)

Without question, one of the best bacon dining experiences I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot). And also way up there on ANY dining experience. These people really make sure you have a good time, from the hostess who had some fun with us, to the bartenders, to the chefs, to the wait staff (thank you Josh), and the owner herself. They like what they do and it shows. I will recommend this place to anyone I know going to Rochester, and I know I find a reason or two to head down there as well from the Twin Cities.

Top 5 things about Söntés Bacon Fest 2012
1. Bacon Brownie with Pancetta Ice cream Sandwich
2. GLT&B (bacon salad)
3. Coddled Egg
4. Bacon Avocado Margarita
5. Hoisin Pork Belly on a plum ginger waffle crouton
(WHY do I have to limit it to five?!?!?!)

Bottom 5 things
Absolutely nothing will go in this spot, although I was crushed to find out the GLT&B salad did NOT stand for Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, and Bacon. Not YET, anyway.

www.sontes.com

John Hardy’s - Rochester, MN

A few years back, Gerd and I went down to Rochester to visit my friend BatHater. He said we had to eat at Roscoe’s Ribs and Barbeque. He said there was another BBQ place in town, but he wasn’t a fan of it, so we had to eat at Roscoe’s (which was delicious, by the way). Recently, I got a recommendation from TripleAxel and KatieAquatic for the very place that BatHater said was not good. It was time to find out once and for all. I set up the date with all three of them and we agreed to meet at John Hardy’s.

I drove the 1.5 hours in the rain down to Rochester and got their first. I went inside and found us a booth to sit at in the sunroom (even though it was 31 degrees and dark outside). It’s kind of a low-key atmosphere and not all overdone with decorations. I even took a photo, so you know what I’m talking about.

Everyone arrived at the same time and I made the introductions and got sort of a lay of the land from TripleAxel and KatieAquatic – they told us how they got started eating this BBQ and how it compared to Roscoe’s and also some suggestions for what to get. This place has 6 different levels of BBQ sauce as well – mild, medium, and hot; and then three additional levels of increasingly insane hot-full-ness. I was starving, since I had only eaten one piece of pizza at lunch (thanks for buying EnyaFace!) and needed to eat considerable amounts of meat. I ordered a half slab of ribs and a plate of the pulled pork. It comes with two sides, so I went with baked beans and the JoJo potatoes. They also have Pepsi products, so I could get my Dew. Wurd.

The food came out really quickly (like a lot of bbq places since it’s mostly already made). And because I was seriously excited about eating it, I totally forgot to take a photo of it. My apologies. I had BBQ on the brain.

I’ll start with the pulled pork – it was a little drier than I expected. I guess I thought it would be a little juicier. But with a dousing of hot bbq sauce, it tasted REALLY good. I’m a fan of this stuff. The ribs, which I was really looking forward to, were kind of a disappointment. They had good meat flavor, but the gristle and cartilage didn’t thrill me. They were a little tough and chewy and very difficult to eat. A LOT of gnawing which doesn’t usually make my day better. The sauce didn’t thrill me either. There wasn’t much body to it and it seemed like it was just a liquid mechanism for heat, without flavor. It worked well in the pulled pork, but on the ribs, all it did was run off the meat and all over my hands. The baked beans had a good flavor, despite being onion-y, so I was happy with those. But the JoJo potatoes (basically circular-sliced fried potatoes) were just ok.

As a whole, I thought John Hardy’s was much better than I expected and even BatHater changed his thinking on it (since it was NINE years ago the last time he had their food). I’d steer clear of the ribs, but the pulled pork was really good and you can decide what level of spice you want with it (you WILL need the sauce though). I’m still a bigger fan of Roscoe’s for multiple reasons, but I was glad we went there. I always have a good time with those guys and I don’t get to Rochester often enough to visit. And next time I WILL find a way to pay for your meal, BatHater.

Top 5 things about John Hardy’s
1. Pulled Pork
2. Baked Beans
3. They have DEW
4. Variety of heat levels for sauce
5. It’s a down-home BBQ place without being dirty or sketchy

Bottom 5 things
1. It’s too far out of the TC to be part of the Twin Cities Rib Quest
2. The location on US-52 is tricky to get to after you see it from the highway
3. Ribs aren’t the best texture
4. The sauce wasn’t the best in the world – lacked some body
5. I’m still a little let down by the JoJo potatoes (but that’s just me – everyone else liked them)


www.johnhardysbbq.com

Newt’s – Rochester, MN

My friend, Tekmet, was in Rochester with family and I told him I’d be happy to drive down to have dinner with him some night. He agreed and I told him I’d check out where to eat. I came across this award-winning burger place called Newt’s, so I suggested that. He was game, as long as they had beer. They did.

It’s a little confusing before you even get to the place, you have to go down this alley next to the City Grille, then up some fire escape stairs to get inside. Once inside, if you’re lucky, there will be someone standing there taking your name for a table. We weren’t lucky and the place was packed. Some other people waiting told us someone would be around to take our name, but no one showed up for about 10 minutes. Yikes. We put in our name and grabbed a couple drinks from this bartender who might have been Yanni’s lesser talented older brother – long flowy grey mullet and looks like he loves Skynrd. Right after someone stood up from the bar and we sat down, they called our name and seated us less than 5 feet from where we were sitting.


The really nice waitress brought us menus and made sure we were alright drink-wise. She said she was going to bring us popcorn, but she never did, sadly. Oh well, she knew we’d be getting full enough, apparently. The menu has like 20 burgers on it, and they all sound delicious, and apparently, they’re all award winning. I was torn between two in particular, but ended up going with Todd’s Burger – 2 fried eggs, 2 strips bacon, ½ pound burger, cheddar on a grilled bun. It came with fries, so that’s what I stuck with.

We chatted about life in general and got caught up and talked about the band we were in, back in the day. And a VERY short while later, our burgers came out. They were serious burgers. There’s a photo on the website that looks tasty, and the burgers in front of us looked EXACTLY like the photo in the ads.

I know I throw out the term “Top 5” from time to time, but this burger is in the Top 5. It was delicious and juicy and all of the flavors of the toppings were perfect. There was just the slightest hint of pink inside the meat, and the bacon was perfectly cooked. The fries were slightly above average as well, so no complaints there. Somehow I got talked into a second Strongbow, but since I’m a tubby guy, I could handle it and still be able to drive back to the Twin Cities afterwards. Seriously, these were both amazing burgers.

The next time I go there, and I sincerely HOPE there is a next time, I’m getting Mike D’s Fatty Melt – two grilled cheese sandwiches act as buns to a burger with onion rings, bacon and Dijon mayo. Best patty melt ever. Now, I’m hungry all over again after typing that description.

The signs on the highway don’t lie. There’s a reason these burgers have won awards. They’re really quite good.

Top 5 things about Newt’s
1. Todd’s Burger
2. Marvin’s Burger
3. Super friendly staff after we got seated
4. Really thorough menu and everything looks good
5. Talking about band stuff from way back when had us both rolling

Bottom 5 things
1. Waited a long time to even get our name on the list to be seated
2. Waitress forgot our popcorn
3. A bit confusing to get to from the street
4. Worst music selection ever
5. I miss Tekmet something fierce. Seriously

www.cccrmg.com/newts.htm

Roscoe’s Ribs & Barbeque – Rochester, MN

We met a former co-worker from our previous job in Rochester for dinner. We hadn’t seen BatHater in about 5 years, so we were due. He recommended a barbeque place, since years ago, we gorged ourselves on ribs and steak at Carson’s in Chicago.

The place was like a smaller Famous Dave’s kind of place, but not as tacky. Not a lot of room, but waiting to be seated, you could see how awesome the food looked. The menu was pretty thorough, but you could tell they were a BBQ place. EVERYTHING on the menu looked awesome. I decided on the rib platter and Gerd got the pulled pork platter.

The rib platter was a half slab of ribs served on homemade fried potato slices and it came with baked beans and cole slaw. The baked beans had tons of bacon in them and the potatoes were an awesome addition to the plate. The meal came with garlic bread, which was apparently awesome, but I didn’t want to fill my belly with needless bread. The ribs weren’t falling of the bone tender, but the sauce was really good and they were REALLY meaty. No complaints at all. I also got the rootbeer which they claim is famous, but it was just average in my eyes. I’ll vote for 1919 or Sprecher anyday.

The pulled pork was served on the potatoes as well, which ruled. The meat was more chunked pork than shredded pork, which ruled. And covered in sauce, which ruled. The sauce is optional, but come on, you’re at a barbeque sauce place. Gerd also got a handful of deep fried shrimp to complete the platter. Word on the street is that it was awesome.

Quality meat, great sauce, good friends. That’s what it’s all about. Sounds like a Hamm’s beer commercial all of a sudden. Hanging out with BatHater was great. He is hilarious and one of the best dressers I know. He also has great taste in cologne, and he’s scared of rodents like no one you’ve ever met. EVER.

Top 5 things about Roscoe’s
1. Sauce
2. Great ribs
3. Pulled pork
4. Super waitress
5. Variety of things on each platter

Bottom 5 things
1. CRAZY hot-air balloon decor
2. Too far away for us to drive to regularly
3. Lots of ugly people in there
4. You will wait a long time if they’re busy
5. Rootbeer not up to the hype

http://www.roscoesbbq.com