I was totally surprised by how much fun I had at Toast and Taste at the U of M Landscape Arboretum last night. My friend Jon and I were glad to have changed into clean clothes before we arrived - the place was absolutely beautiful, and everyone looked great. We were greeted by a tuba duet and the gracious Arboretum staff who sent us on our merry way, armed with a map and a couple of wine glasses.
To say that Toast and Taste was a who’s who in Twin Cities local food would be an understatement. The first three tables we saw were staffed by Alex Roberts, serving almost full-sized sandwiches from Brasa; Tracy Singleton and the Birchwood crew, serving Peace coffee brownies, strawberry rhubarb cobbler, and crostini with Riverbend Farm radish butter; and Brian Hauke from the Red Stag Supper Club, serving fantastic foie gras. It was hard not to overeat in the first 5 minutes.
Things continued from there - samples of Surly, Schell, and Brau Brothers beer; wine from Morgan Creek (I was one of many who failed the taste test, confusing their Minnesota wine with a Pinot from California), Alexis Bailly, and Northern Vineyards; and food - glorious food - from Cafe Maude, Barbette, the soon-to-open OM, and more than twenty other local favorites. Highlights for me included:
- Finally getting to spend a few minutes with The Strip Club’s JD Fratzke, whose “grown-up BLTs” (his words) were astoundingly good.
- Enjoying a little bit of silliness while sampling sublime pork terrine with Mike Phillips from the Craftsman.
- Meeting Chefs Brenda Langton (Spoonriver, Cafe Brenda) and Jack Riebel (Dakota Bar and Grill) - Jack’s ahi tuna with pickled ramps and pressed watermelon was good enough to go back for seconds.
- Meeting Brett Olson from Renewing the Countryside and catching up with Jenny Breen from Good Life Catering on the way out.
The two hours Jon and I spent at Toast and Taste flew by - we were sad to leave. I left energized, as ever, by the people I’d met and talked with, the food and drink I’d sampled, and the prospect of doing it all again in a year.