Sushi Masa. Alive and Kicking (Ass).

What we have here, is a failure to communicate.

I don't necessarily get downtown as much as I want to sometimes.  Especially for fish, and especially for lunch.  But when I want fish downtown, I immediately think of Sushi Masa.  Damned good stuff.

Well, of late, I have been confused.  I have heard that, perhaps, GASP, Sushi Masa is closed.  (Sorry, Cory, you confused the hell out of me there.) Say it ain't so, Fume, say it ain't so!

Well, turns out Sushi Masa is only closed for lunch.  Not dinner.  Matter of fact, I just finished an amazing dinner here and am very happy to report that any rumors of the demise of Sushi Masa are most definitely premature.

So, get downtown and get that raw fish!

WTF: Kid In Bars

It occurs to me that there is such a thing here in South Dakota that I would call the "Family Bar."  Face it, if you find yourself off of I-90 of I-29, especially if more than by, say, 20-30 miles, you are going to find yourself in a small town.  Chances are, that if the town is franchise free (including grocery stores), then there might be a place that serves food.  But, that place is also probably the town bar. So, if you are going to eat, bowl, play video lottery, shoot pool, watch football on the NFL Package, or play Golden Tee, this is it.  Chances further are, the kids who are running around the joint are related to you or are kids of friends you know or at least like.

In Sioux Falls, this isn't true.  At all.  We have places where families can eat, and mommie and daddy can get some alcohol- think Granite City, Applebees, Olive Garden, or any other number of places.  But, there are also places that are more bar, or all bar, that just happen to serve food.  I am thinking of places like T.C.'s Referee, Cherry Creek or The Attic.  Most of these places try to have a couple "sides" of the joint, i.e. a bar side versus the restaurant side.  Granted, this is even better since the smoking ban because no place was really smoke free previously.  This is great if you like to have your kids experience bar food.  It's bad, however, if you like bar sans kids.

Look, I have a simple plea:  If you bring your kids to a place where adults (21, or so, and up) are hanging out drinking, eating, and doing whatever, please control your forking kids.  I am sure they are really adorable and all.  I am sure grandma and grandpa love them.  I am sure they are harmless.  BUT, I don't want them forking with a dart game I have going with the SSS because they are intrigued by the lights and sounds.  And, I don't want to teach your kids new vocabulary words.  (Think of things that rhyme with "Duck" and especially things that rhyme with "Mother Ducker.")

If you are going to bring your kid(s) to a bar here in Sioux Falls, for the forking love of God, exercise a great deal of parental control.  Watch them.  Don't allow them to run around with a dollar to put in any flashing machine without supervision,  And, whatever you do, do NOT just let them roam.  I am sure your kids are lovely.  But think of it this way: If you take your kids to a sitter so you and a few other friends or couples friends can have a diner party at your house, don't turn your little darlings loose on me in my bar.

Am I clear?

Check This Out: Khorasan Kabob House

Okay, so I got to tell you about this place.  The SSS and I have recently been on a mission to go to places to eat that we talk about, but don't seem to ever actually visit.  Big hit this last week at Khorasan Kabob House.

Khorasan is located across from the Western Mall at 41st and Elmwood.  The location was previously occupied by Troika, a European grocery store and eatery.  Okay, it's an old 7-11.  No Slurpees anymore, but I did see a mango lassi or two make their way by.

The decor is nothing to brag about.  The interior of the restaurant is small and the decor fairly sparse.  There is a great collection of carpets in the dining room.  But trust me, you aren't going to care about the decor.

The food is Asian in the sense that India and Afghanistan is part of Asia.  Sure, as the name promises, kabobs are available and there is the omnipresent Butter Chicken on the menu, but there are also several highly authentic Afghan and Indian dishes on the menu.  Make sure you try some roti with your meal and also be sure to get the stuffed grape leaves for an appetizer.  The entrees are reasonably priced and really tasty.  One word of caution, though.  If you can't navigate the anatomy of a chicken that has been cut into about 15 pieces, bone on, then you might want to look at lamb or beef dishes.

Get in there and try it, though.  Super good stuff.  And while you are at it, get yourself out of your usual routine.  There is a ton of great food here in Sioux Falls.  Go try it.

Holy Forking Clairvoyance, Batman!

We are clearly into extreme bonus material here.  On August 21, I wrote this.  The very next day, the professional journalists over at The Atlantic Wire posted this.  Well, you're totally welcome, Atlantic.

You'd think it was Secret Fork Day or something.

Bummer! It's a Bugger of a Burger Brain Buster!

Check it out, Forkies.  Two posts in the same day!

I have been thinking a LOT about burgers lately.  I love burgers.  Good burgers.  Especially burgers with eggs.  And burgers with jalapenos.  I love going new places for burgers.  Last week, the SSS and I found an interesting array of burgers at Rookie's.  Kind of a typical west-sidey sport's bar, but nice effort on the burger varieties!

So, while thinking a lot about burgers, I noted there are several schools of thought when it comes to burgers.  For, instance:

• Meat.  Ground beef, of course, but not necessarily.  I like a fattier blend of good ground beef.  80-20 (check) is about right.  You need to have some fat to get the flavor.  It mostly cooks out and self-bastes the burgers.  Ground pork can make for an interesting burger, as well.  Lamb? Sha-BOOM!  However, being a native South Dakota and very beef-centric, I gravitate to beef burgers,  Lately, I have been obsessed with trying to figure out a proper blend of chuck, brisket, and short ribs, and that leads me to the sub topic of:
• Grinding.  Got yourself a grinder yet?  Why not??!!  These are serious fun.  Find the one your grandma had, or buy one for a Kitchen Aid mixer, or if all else fails, use a sharp knife.  Personally, I'd avoid the Cuisinart for this.  Seriously, the motor will make the meat warm.  Start with cuts of whole meat- chuck roast, sort ribs, or whatever is on sale.  Keep things cold- put the grinder parts in the freezer.  Work fast.  You will be rewarded with ground beef that you won't think twice about cooking to medium rare and have opened the door to hours of cooking fun.
• Thickness.  Self explanatory.  Thick, like half-pound plus patties, or thin ones of, say, a quarter pound or less that are patted very thin.  Obviously, the thick puppies are easier to cook to lower temps like medium rare, but the thinness have advantages, too.  Think multiple patties.
• Additional stuff in the burger.  This can be a simple proposition that includes things like lots of dry seasonings and marinades, to more complicated ingredients like onions, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh herbs, to stuffing patties with cheese or other ingredients (the so-called Jucy Lucy).
• Cooking method.  Open grill? Flames kissing the patty.  Griddle?  A flat hot surface that lends itself to a crispy crust.  Personally, I like hot flat cast iron for thinner patties and the open grill for thicker patties.
• Cheese.  Why wouldn't you have cheese on a burger?  Seriously.
• Toppings. Sometimes, it is hard to beat simple.  Ketchup, mustard, pickles, and onion.  But sometimes, it is hard to avoid a little more complicated, aka the Jimmy Buffet burger, which for me means all the previous toppings, plus lettuce and tomato, and Heinz 57 sauce.  (Try it! Make sure you also have a big Kosher pickle and a cold draft beer.)  And, of course, there are the uber complicated toppings.  Think sauteed greens in balsamic vinegar, grilled onions, sun dried tomatoes, wild mushrooms, runny eggs, aged cheeses, other meats, etc, etc.  Here are examples of what I mean along these lines.  Next time you are in Vegas, go there.
• Buns.  Brioche, potato rolls, foccacia, whole grain, pita bread, ciabatta.  So many choices.  The bun can totally change the whole vibe of any burger.  But, no matter what, it must be toasted.

Sides?  That's a whole other post.  Hell, fries alone is almost a series of posts.  But, if you want a really good fry right now? Go to Jane's Little Coalinga.  

So many great burger options and we have lots of great places to try them here in Sioux Falls.  Get out and try them.  Let me know what you think.

Forking A!! I am like Nostradamus.

I was thinking about my recent Spezia post when it occurred to me that I had written this gem, a few years ago.  So, yeah, I am feeling a tad smug right now.

Let's see what you can do, Riccardo!

WTF: Can I Get Some Help Here?

As mentioned previously, one thing that really bends my tines is when people add an apostrophe s ('s) to any restaurant name, regardless of whether that's the name of it or not.

Well, I just happened to visit Spezia for the first time in quite a while for dinner and noticed this gem hanging on the front door:

Note the spelling.  Granted, this particular poster is an advertisement for Angry Orchard cider and was most likely printed up by the distributor to promote the product.  But, REALLY!

In related news, dinner sucked.  With the exception of decently priced salads for lunch, these guys are sucking air.  I made the utter mistake of ordering pasta in a place that tries to feature Italian food.  The pasta was blah.  The arrabiata sauce was more than vaguely reminiscent of a too-sweet jarred pasta sauce.  I am not sure why I was asked how I wanted the steak on it cooked, because I got medium well and it was cold to boot.  Utter fail.

Interestingly enough, it appears Riccardo Tarabelsi is back as manager.  He was GM at Westward Ho Country Club.  Not sure what happened there, but I am hoping he can turn the place around and up a notch or two.  Rumor has it, he is revamping the wine list to feature, GASP, Italian wines.  There's a thought.  I hope to see some good things.  This town needs some decent Italian.