Reetsy Reviews: Cooqi

At some point this past winter, Alton Brown (Food Network) did an episode about gluten-free baked goods.

Not having a gluten allergy myself, I've never gone out of my way to seek out the gluten-free goods. But then I heard Alton say that gluten-free brownies are possibly better than traditional flour brownies because they are gooier.

BETTER?!!?! Color me interested.














(Photo from MarysBlueBook.com)

We live a hop, skip, and a jump from Cooqi (Gluten-Free Delights) on Marshall in St Paul. The place has a eye-catching window art, and I had been curious about it for awhile. So when Alton suggested that their brownies might be better than traditional brownines, I just had to check it out.

Plus, Cooqi has a commitment to sustainable foods:
"We source local and organic ingredients, we limit the packaging we use, and we strive to minimize our use of non-renewable earth resources....We ardently support local economies, local communities, and local distances for our suppliers and customers to travel."

I sampled the Outrageous Nut Butter Brownies (Zebra Stripes)














Ingredients: Gluten-free organic dark chocolate (contains soy), sweet cream rBST-free butter, organic evaporated cane juice, gluten-free flour mix (organic brown rice flour, organic millet flour, organic sorghum flour, potato starch, tapioca starch), free-range eggs, unsweetened chocolate, organic cashew butter, organic tahini, organic sunflower butter, fair trade organic coffee, pure vanilla, gluten-free baking powder, xanthan gum, sea salt.

Single -- $2.75
½ Dozen -- $14.95
Dozen -- $29.00

The brownie was insanely gooey with stripes of cashew butter over the top. I will say this; if you like your brownies insanely gooey, you will like this brownie. If you do not, sample at your own risk.

The gluten-free granola from Cooqi is da bomb, using McCann's Irish oats as the base ingredient.
1-lb bag -- $8.95

Concocting a gluten-free baking base can be a bit complicated, so Cooqi makes it easy for you by selling pre-made gluten-free cookie dough and baking mix.

Feel like giving gluten-free products a try? Interested in an insanely gooey brownie?

Cooqi
2186 Marshall Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55104
phone (651) 645-4433

[where: Local Food, St. Paul, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Finding a Good, Sustainable Eatery

Having trouble finding a local foods restaurant in Minnesota?
Want to travel to the countryside but fear not finding "green" folks?

Good news!

The folks at Renewing the Countryside have developed a pretty cool map of "green" places in Minnesota.

From the site:
The Green Routes website is an easy-to-use tool to help you find one-of-a-kind places to eat, play, shop, sleep, and learn. Use the map to find a destination, or add filters by clicking the categories above.

According to Jan Joannides, Executive Director at Renewing the Countryside, in addition to the web page, "Seven Green Routes glove-box maps, featuring 180 destinations, were developed and printed in conjunction with regional partners. Nearly 28,000 glove-box maps were distributed. In 2007, 350 people signed up to take the Green Routes challenge, committing to visiting at least five Green Routes destinations within a year. We also launched the monthly Green Routes e-newsletter in the summer of 2007..."

Unfortunately, the maps don't show places in the Twin Cities, but as far as the rest of the state goes, there's a lot to offer on the map.



[where: Local Food, St. Paul, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Reetsy Reviews: Campiello

We recently had a great meal at Campiello's during restaurant week.
When I saw they were offering a 3-course meal for $30, I decided it was time to finally make a reservation and dine there.

Campiello's menus change seasonally, to reflect a commitment to fresh ingredients.

Possibly my favorite part of Campiello's was the aroma of the dining room due to the open kitchen. The dining room is wide open, full of chatter and sparkling glasses of red wine. It smelled of wood fire and prosciutto. Very appetizing indeed.

The dining room was packed on that Friday night. We were sitting at the bar waiting for our table and some girl with a bad dye job kept giving me snotty looks because she didn't have a seat at the bar, or maybe she hated my purse...Bad behavior aside, our cocktails were tasty. I enjoyed a negroni martini - equal parts Campari, Sweet Vermouth and Bombay Gin, with a twist of Orange.

After we were seated at our tiny table, we were served a simple bowl of bread with butter. The bread had sesame seeds, which was a plus for gerg - a lover of sesame seeds.

For an appetizer we ordered butternut squash and taleggio crespelle with toasted hazelnuts. The taleggio paired with the sweet squash was brilliant. We both raised our eyebrows in delight.

We also enjoyed the wood-fired margherita pizza with tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella. Aside from being a typical wood-fired pizza, the crust was dusted with Parmesan, which was crispy and salty.

Gerg's entree was easily the best part of our meal: seven-hour roasted pork shoulder “porchetta style” with root vegetables. Seasoned perfectly and cooked until velvety, the pork shoulder was delicious. It literally melted it my mouth, and inspired me to try making it at home with pork shoulder from Pastures A' Plenty. Gerg paired the pork with a glass of Rocca Della Macie Chianti.

I ordered the fusulli with seared sea scallops, pesto, and cherry tomatoes. The flavor of my dish was on point. The scallops were seared nicely. The pesto was a little disappointing in that it was so well blended that it lacked texture. I prefer my pesto mixed in a more rustic manner, and this pesto was practically frappeed. The cherry tomatoes were a delightful burst of texture and flavor, but honestly, I was far more interested in gerg's pork shoulder than my pasta. For a side, I had to try the fire roasted brussels sprouts with cubed and seared pancetta... my conclusion: possibly every vegetable should be served with bits of seared pancetta. I paired my entree with a glass of Zardetto, Veneto NV prosecco.

Dessert was a treat when we finally received it 25 minutes after our dinner plates were removed from the table. We selected two: the vin santo creme brulee and the warm apple pecan cake with with hot brandy sauce. The apple pecan cake was served as a tart with the most exquisite buttery crust. It was ridiculous and awesome. The creme brulee was acceptable.

In addition to Campiello, D'Amico and Partners also run local restaurants Cafe and Bar Lurcat, D'Amico Cucina, D'Amico and Sons, and Masa. While it's clear that they have a commitment to excellent food preparation, civic engagement, and quality ingredients, I have not been able to ascertain their commitment level to using local foods or sustainable methods.

Campiello
1320 West Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN
612.825.2222

[where: Local Food, St. Paul, Twin Cities, Minnesota]