TASTE of the Sample Circuit - a foodie coma

‘A beautiful foodie coma’ is what state TASTE of the Sample Circuit aimed to put its participants in, and boy did it deliver. Ending the year with a bang was most definitely an understatement. There was already a buzz of activity hours before partygoers arrived, with chefs, demonstrators, musicians, and artists excited to set up and have fun. Young and old, hip and funky, traditional and classic – these types of food, wine, and people were all to be found. My first sensation was a waft of chocolate that immediately circulated the many kitchens at the beautiful Roth Distributing Showroom, where the event took place. This sensation was the first of many, that kept participants sampling all through the night.

The hosts, KARE 11’S Pat Evans and Shop NBC’s Daniel Green, who are heavily involved in the Twin Cities community, were eager to present local top chefs. Bright, chipper, and lively – these guys made sure both the chefs and participants were comfortable. The classroom-style setting allowed the demonstrations to be very interactive as the chefs took center-stage and viewers had complete viewing access. The chefs, 20.21’s Asher Miller, McCormick & Schmick’s George Snyder, FireLake’s Paul Lynch, and Stella’s Chad Rasmussen, all cooked in an approachable style and encouraged asking questions. Their styles of cooking were as diverse as the various wine classes seen around the venue – all special, unique, and equally valuable. And, no surprise being at the Sample Circuit, they all passed out samples- straight from their stove. One of the most valuable tips was George Snyder’s, “The basis to good cooking is to use good salt and pepper!”

If sitting down wasn’t one’s thing, there was plenty to taste while strolling around. Seeing the vast venue of demonstrators, I didn’t imagine I’d be waiting in line to get from one room to another, but the popularity of each vendor was equally received. No matter your palate, there was a vendor for you. Thyme to Entertain gave out scrumptious roasted herbed nuts, while Kowalski’s Jill Forster gave out the most decadent chocolate and goat cheese truffles my tongue has experienced. When the rich food started to weigh down your palette, Crispin’s refreshing hard-cider was right around the corner to give it a fresh lift.

I consider myself to be fairly adept in the Twin Cities restaurant scene, but was surprised to learn many things about the various vendors, namely CRAVE restaurant. The chef explained that it’s an American restaurant, but they also specialize many regions – Asian, Italian, and French. This conversation happened as another CRAVE chef was making fresh sushi rolls silently, putting care in each individual one. As people were able to talk with the chefs one soon learned how many food businesses and restaurants are becoming more conscious about the sources and sustainability of their food.

In all, we couldn’t have asked for a more successful event to close out the year of dining with the Sample Circuit. We want to thank sponsors, vendors, chefs, and volunteers who made the event possible. And especially, you, dear readers – who are curious and involved enough to embark with us this year by sipping, socializing, and Sampling.

Pat Evans

Another one of the Taste of the Sample Circuit's hosts includes KARE 11's Pat Evans. He joined KARE 11 News in 1994 and has played many roles during his time at the station. Currently, he co-anchors KARE 11 NEWS @ 4:00pm weekdays on television and online with Diana Pierce. He is also considered a valuable part of the weather team. Evans was recently awarded a Regional Emmy for his "Guthrie On The River" news special. He is also a contributing writer for Twin Cities Luxury + Fashion Magazine. Evans earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of San Francisco. In his free time, he loves to walk the lakes of Minneapolis. More importantly, he enjoys being an active community volunteer.

Jill Forster

At 7:15 pm, Jill Forster, the Imported Cheese Specialist of Kowalski’s Markets will be holding a demonstration at the Taste of the Sample Circuit. Jill is Kowalski’s Imported Cheese Lead Organizer, a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, and cooked at some of the best restaurants in the country before moving to Minnesota. Her long time passion for cheese makes her ideally suited for her position at Kowalski’s. Kowalski's Markets have an incredible selection of artisan cheese from over 50 countries. With over eight stores and a ninth slated for opening in Eagan in November, you should always be able to satisfy all your fromage desires.

Z-Wines

The multitude of VIP demonstrators at the Taste of the Sample Circuit include Roy Goslin and Dianne Ferrandi of Z-Wines. They grew up in the winelands of South Africa. Family vineyards, hands on experience, and friendships with winemakers provided them with access to some of the finest wines made in the Cape. Z-Wines selections win the attention of wine connoisseurs and novices alike. They’re not about high volumes of product, nor about wine snobbery. They’re about friends sharing excellent wines with delicious food. We represent lifestyle wine lovers and want to share our passion.

About Z-Wines (from their Web site.)

The Love Affair

A day without wine is like a day without sunshine – French proverb

"We live to eat – our daily meals consist of food simply prepared from the freshest ingredients we can find along with a glass of wine. Much of what we do in life is ultimately connected to our love of food and wine.

We entertain at home; pulling the treasures that we have discovered from our cellar; preparing food and breaking bread with friends; and, sharing good conversation. On many evenings we will whip up a few courses that would pair well with one or two of our wines and sit and enjoy one another’s company. Our gifts to friends and our community are centered around the food and wine theme.

When we travel, the journey always includes a destination where the focus is a food and wine experience. We seek out the places where the local people like to gather and eat; we ask about the wines that they enjoy and then search out the wineries – we will often end up in the cellar with a local winemaker sampling new wine from the barrel.

Many of our fondest memories are woven from the threads of these moments – and, this is how we have found the wines that constitute our initial portfolio!

South Africa

Growing up in the winelands of South Africa we were blessed with many opportunities to experience food and wine as the foundations of a sound lifestyle. We lived amidst some of the world’s most beautiful scenery; there were many natural foods available to harvest from the wild; our meals were always made from fresh ingredients and were unhurried affairs often shared with extended family and friends. And, we were introduced to the appreciation of wine at an early age.

Both of our families had connections to the wine and food industries. Dianne’s parents owned vineyards and she thus learnt a great deal about vineyard management through her close relationship with her father. Roy spent several years working on the production side for one of South Africa’s largest wine producers and several mentors helped shape his interest and knowledge. Friendships with winemakers provided us with access to some of the finest wines made in the Cape. In hindsight it seems inevitable that these influences along with our business experience would guide us to devoting our energies to launching a venture like Z Wines USA."

Chef George P. Snyder, III

Demonstrating at 5pm in the Taste of the Sample Circuit's VIP section will be Chef George P. Snyder, III. A self taught, multi-talented chef who began his career in the early 80’s at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, Snyder worked under prominent chefs Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme, perfecting his culinary skill and developing his signature style with diners. George returned home to Minnesota to round out his resume working at The Fort Snelling Officers Club, Palomino/Kincaid, Table of Contents, and The Radisson Hotel and Conference Center Plymouth. George proudly exhibits his award winning food at McCormick and Schmick’s Fresh Seafood in downtown Minneapolis.

Asher Miller

At 5pm Chef Asher Miller will be a VIP demonstrator at the Taste of the Sample Circuit. A New Hampshire native, received his culinary training at the Art Institutes International in Minneapolis and has since brought his passion for food to kitchens around the Twin Cities. One of his first projects was assisting in the creation of Fermentations, a wine bar and bistro outside Northfield, Minnesota. After two years at Fermentations, Chef Miller joined Barbette in Minneapolis as sous chef, finding his space in the close-knit culinary community of the Twin Cities. Since he joined 20.21 and Wolfgang Puck Catering, he has fine-tuned his leadership and work philosophy in the kitchen.

Sample Circuit Recommends...

Daniel Green

Daniel Green is scheduled to be the Taste of Sample Circuit's VIP Host on October 29th. He is a world renown chef who has hosted television shows on Discovery, BBC, ITV and Sky. He is currently the in-house chef for ShopNBC in the USA, as well as filming several series in Asia. In addition to his television work, Chef Green has hosted cooking events around the world including the Mandarin Oriental, Shangri-LA, and the set up of the major London nightclub, Nells. Forever staying busy and wanting to share his passion with others, he finds time to share is recipes to the world through his four published cookbooks.

Chef Paul Lynch

A demonstration at 7:45 pm for the Taste of the Sample Circuit will include Chef Paul Lynch of Fire Lake Grill House. He is a Texas native who moved to Minnesota in 1999 and has embraced the local ingredients of his area in the food he serves at his restaurants. A father of two, he is an avid gardener and passionate supporter of local and regional farmers. Read his bio here.

At FireLake, Chef Lynch has delved into the regional cuisine of the heartland and reinterpreted it with a creative and often whimsical flair. His menu at FireLake features a wide range of regional products, from artisinal cheeses, many of them from Minnesota cheese makers, to fresh organic produce from nearby farms. He has sought out local beef, buffalo and elk, as well as freshwater fish. His Texas roots are evident in his signature rotisserie dishes. By using several different hard woods, including hickory, alder, mesquite and apple, he creates diverse and rich flavors to perfectly compliment his ingredients.

Chef Lynch has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Carlson Fellows Lifetime Achievement Award for creativity and innovation. In 2007, he was named one of the “Restaurateurs of the Year" by Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine and was the recipient of the 2006 Beef Backer Award, presented by the Minnesota Beef Council. Chef Lynch received top honors at the 2005 Minnesota Taste of Elegance competition and was named “Best Newcomer” by Where Magazine in 2004, shortly after opening FireLake. His culinary talents have been recognized in numerous national and regional publications including Bon Appetit, Chocolatier, Delta’s Sky, Minnesota Monthly, Lavender, Midwestern Living, Minneapolis St. Paul magazine and The St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Sneak Preview

Stay tuned through the next following weeks in order to get sneak previews about the talents and personalities who are going to present at Taste of the Sample Circuit! We're excited to give you a Sample ...

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See you there!

restaurant Max

Simply put, this event was over-the-top. One would think that a modern venue like this would be intimidating, but as soon as I walked in I was softly greeted and shown directions. Its history is something to note in itself - a renovated banking lobby (if you pay enough attention, you can even spot some of the old bank vaults where they put wine), turned chic restaurant, located under the new Hotel Minneapolis, which is a branch of the Doubletree Hotels. The bold atmosphere typified the food that was to come.

One word that comes to mind when I think of this event is - sexy. Most everything about this event was lush. The red lights (which my friends commented were reminiscent of their favorite plastic malt cups), the earth-toned candle holders, the simple and classy table setting, the rich smells of buerre blanc sauce, the deep tastes of La Crema's red wine, and the appealing food display.

The warm environment was not the only thing that got my heart racing. The food was absolutely decadent. The menu included:
Napa Chopped Salad: napa cabbage, green onion, toasted ramen noodles, almonds, sesame seeds
Scallop Salad: braised red endive, roasted salsify, artichoke, watercress, orange-tamarind glaze with a tarragon beurre blanc sauce
Beef Tenderloin with herb risotto
Lamb: pomegranate marinade, farro barley, topped with a tomato/mint jam
Grilled Salmon (loch duart): quinoa, balsamic baby eggplant with huckleberry mojito sauce
Double chocolate cake and Raspberry limonchello

Two areas of the meal that caught my tongue's attention were how well the grains were done and how appropriately the sauces were used. Grains, in my opinion, are hard to do well, and they nailed it. The risotto did not resemble mashed potatoes like I've seen too many times, the quinoa still had its mini pearl-like texture, and the nuttiness of the farro barley added the right element, not too strong to fight with the lamb's marinade and jam. The freshness of the tomato/mint jam cut right through the rich lamb and the beurre blanc sauce blanketed the scallops so softly. And those scallops weren't just any ordinary scallop, they were nearly the size of half a fist.

The list above doesn't include the bites that were passed around on platters by the wait staff. These included:
Ham and Cheese croquettes with red pepper dipping sauce
Duck rolls with hoison cherry sauce
Cauliflower fritters
Multiple flatbread pizzas including Beef & Veal and Garden Veggie

A person next to me commented on the duck eggrolls saying, "These are like eggrolls on crack!" And for the garden veggie pizza, I was somewhat relieved when (what I thought was) a light dish was passed around, offering some relief for my over-stimulated palette. But, the garden veggie pizza was as rich as the rest, the artichokes adding a strong hearty flavor. This pizza was a favorite part of my night because it brought up the conversation about vegetable farmers, and it turned out that the women across the table from me got a farm-share box from the place I interned this summer - which is one example of many of the connections I saw made that night.

At my table everybody had at least one mutual friend that they didn't know of. As conversation flowed, people exchanged names and business cards even though this venue was more of a 'sit-down' Sample Circuit. It didn't inhibit people from connecting. My friends and I ended up sitting with a couple who are long-time supporters of the Sample Circuit's events. Despite not meeting more than a handful of people, we were able to have worthwhile conversation - ranging from the weather, to the best dining in Milan, the state of Minneapolis public schools. Conversations and food like this is why the Sample Circuit exists - to give people a taste. A taste of the food, of the wine, of the atmosphere, and (most figuratively) of each other.

Mingling with the Fish - Stella's Fish Cafe

Uptown was host to the most recent Sample Circuit event - Stella's Fish Cafe. The place was filled with beautiful people as there were many events going on, and I came early enough to see upfront how much planning and preparation goes into the production of these events. We hung banners, laid menus, and filled gourmet goodie bags, among other things. (Speaking of which, they were awesome - Stella's Gift Cards, Lehmann Farm cinnamon cherries, Nutrisoda energy drinks, bottled water, Minneapolis/St.Paul Home magazine, and a Kowalski's recipe magazine.)

One of my first trips was to the bathroom as my (almost) favorite part about going to restaurants is seeing what they've done with the bathrooms. I think it says a lot about a place when they pay attention to that detail, and can greatly add to the experience of being taken care of. These bathrooms were bright, shiny, and clean. If you ever get tired at Stella's, walk into their bathrooms and your mind is sure to perk-up. Their sinks have a lot of character as they look like wash bins - something one would, maybe, clean fish in.

Sure enough once 5:30 hit, people were already in the door waiting to sample. One of the first ladies I met was a corporate jet flight attendant who found out about the Sample Circuit while she was dining at a restaurant that was concurrently hosting a Sample Circuit event. She came alone and was most excited to meet new people in Minneapolis and to gain some ideas for catering on the corporate jets.

There was a good mix of people who came alone to mingle with new people (like the woman mentioned above), and groups who came to hang out together. I couldn't help myself from approaching a certain table of light-hearted women who were very obvious that they were having a great time, grinning from ear to ear. The ladies found out about the Sample Circuit because a friend from Target recommended it to them. As the group of girlfriends tries to get together once a month, the Sample Circuit events have turned into their meeting place. They nearly reminded me of older versions Samantha, Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda as they sipped, laughed, and gossiped.

As the waiters and waitresses started to bring platters out, my attention shifted from the people, to the food. The night was gradually reminiscent of the shore as the light buttery fish aroma caressed the room and the hum of conversation sounded like rolling waves. I absolutely loved the Ceviche - a citrus marinated fish salad, served with tortilla chips, but I think it could also be called a 'chunky fish salsa.' The colors in the salad were half of its grandeur- pinks, oranges, greens, whites, reds, and purples. The swordfish and halibut added an appropriate amount of 'fishiness,' not too strong to prevent one from going back for another plate - which I did within minutes.


The Grilled Salmon with Creole Hollandaise looked and felt like little pillow nubs, so light and soft. I usually hate hollandaise sauce, but was surprised to taste it wasn't overtly lemony. The last dish I ate was among the best. The Blackened Blue Marlin with caramelized onions and bleu cheese. The latter two additions typified that I'd fall in love immediately. My instincts didn't let me down, once again. This was perfect - the crispy, pan-seared, nut-colored coating on the outside was so enticing. You know the color when you have that perfectly toasted marshmallow? Take that one shade darker and you've got the Marlin. I am currently making my way through a block of bleu cheese at home by myself and thought I'd be sick of it by now, but the Marlin reminded me of my love for the stuff.

In all, the fish at Stella's was very approachable, and I would recommend it to anybody who is new to seafood. It beats Kipper Snacks by a long shot, but is far-removed from a ritzy restaurant. It's just fish - captured well.

Beverage sponsors included:
Lehmann Farms
Sorella Wine & Spirits

TASTE of Sample Circuit October 29th, 2008

Discover . Taste . Enjoy

Enjoy the luxurious 10,000 square foot Roth Distributing showroom and state-of-the-art performance kitchen with theater seating. Make yourself at home in one of the designer kitchens showcasing some of the Twin Cities finest restaurants and gourmet food purveyors.

Gourmet Tasting 15 premier restaurants, caterers and food purveyors

Wine Tasting Indulge your inner sommelier with over 100 exclusive labels

Ketel One Vodka Bars with designer cocktails

Demonstrations by local experts in the “Living Kitchen”

Charity Raffle

Live Music

Valet Available

Want the VIP treatment?

In addition to the above schedule, VIP's will enjoy...

5:00-6:30 Exclusive demos hosted by Daniel Green of Last Chef Standing

Venture into the World of South African Fine Wines with Z Wines, Competitive Vodka Tasting with Ketel One & VIP Cooking demonstrations hosted by Daniel Green of Last Chef Standing

Riedel Wine Glass for tasting

Hosted Valet

VIP Goodie Bag

* This package is only available to 100 lucky guests.

More Details and Buy Tickets

restaurant Max

September 23th
5:30-7:30

Seduce Your Palate at...

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Stella's Fish Cafe and Oyster Bar

September 9th
5:30-7:30

Seduce Your Palate at...

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