Mothers Day Brunch with the Grudge Monster

When you think of culinary hot spots, you might automatically think of New York City, or Chicago. Portland with it's food truck scene. California for health conscious fresh fare. Texas or Kansas City for barbeque. You might not immediately think of Des Moines, but times are changing friends! We are "on the map" so to speak and it's time to give some serious cred. Des Moines is home to a number of James Beard Award winning chefs. The culinary scene has exploded with downtown, the East Village, and western suburbs taking on a Disneyland-like quality for foodies. 

We have events throughout the year that peak interest in the food scene too- the Food Truck Showdown. Winefest. World Food and Music Festival. Italian American Festival. The Taco Festival. We have Greek food fairs, Baconfest, even a cheese curd festival. There is literally something for everyone in the city. I just can't get enough either. Every week I find something interesting to attend, or taste. New restaurants pop up and it's hard to even get in the door with all the buzz. That was the case with St. Kilda. Nestled in the Harbach Lofts building on the southern edge of downtown, St. Kilda is owned by Alexander Hall, who brings his culinary vision all the way from Australia. 

My Grudge Monster knew I'd been wanting to go to St. Kilda for a long time so her Mothers Day treat for me was a beautiful brunch. I was so excited to finally get to go! The restaurant space is just gorgeous. Industrial with soaring ceilings, exposed ductwork and brick, but flooded with sunlight and sprinkled with elegant and modern seating and fixtures, the dining room pays tribute to the loft building it's situated in. The menu is so creative, and surprising. Portion sizes are perfect- just perfect for your meal, without needing a to go box. This might seem a bit "light" to some people but honestly, in the U.S. portion sizes have gotten out of control anyway. St. Kilda's philosophy is to provide you with a perfectly sized meal you will eat NOW while freshly prepared. Every dish is beautifully plated and garnished and flavors are best described as- FRESH.

We started with beverages, and they have the perfect cup of black coffee. Single origin fair trade coffee is roasted dark, and brews a beautiful strong cup with the perfect hint of oil on top. No cream or sugar added, this cup was warming and happy.

We shared a bowl of the housemade granola and yogurt. Big crunchy nuts, seeds and perfectly toasted oats filled one side of the bowl while Greek yogurt dotted with chia seed filled the other. Local honey drizzled over all, and fresh berries and peach slices were scattered on top, along with a sprinkling of beautiful microgreens. It was perfectly sweet without being overly so, and loaded with flavors and textures.

We each chose a toast for our entree. Grudgie ordered the Mushroom Toast, which was a big slab of toasted crusty sourdough, spread with a truffled cheese spread, and topped with roasted maitake, bunapi, and bunashime mushrooms, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with microgreens. She added a perfectly poached egg. The bread is just....... yum. Crunchy crust, thickly sliced, perfectly toasted, and piled with the mushrooms, it was so savory and delicious.

I went hipster style with the Avocado Toast. This plate is a serious contender for Best Thing I Ever Ate. That same slab of wonderful sourdough is covered in fresh avocado- just smashed just enough. A dollop of salsa, fresh sliced cucumber, feta cheese, a healthy sprinkling of roasted corn and pickled red onions on top- absolute food heaven. I added a scrambled egg to mine, and I don't know HOW they did it, but somehow they managed to absolutely flawlessly duplicate my grandmother's buttery perfect scrambled eggs. Done exactly as I love them, NO brown spots, not too soft, not too overdone. I ate every kernel of corn, every pickled onion ring, every crumb of bread. 

I can't wait to go back, and you better believe I will be. St. Kilda also serves some very creative cocktails, beer and wine, a nice selection of coffee and espresso beverages, handmade bakery items and recently started serving dinner. I. Can't. Wait. To. Go. Back.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Mother's Day Memories

With this Sunday being Mothers' Day I thought it would be fitting to recreate one of my mom's best dishes and share with all of you. My mom is no longer with me, but she is in spirit and I know she's be tickled to see me share and brag about one of her "Erika Only" specialties. I call this dish that because I have never heard a recipe quite like it- a lot of very similar dishes, but just nothing like Mom's.

Mom, me, and my daughter Debbee

My mother was a funny little gal. Born and raised in Germany she had a mastery of the English language one can only acquire living near a lot of American GIs in the 40s and 50s. She cussed A LOT, and often didn't realize you probably shouldn't use THAT word in THIS instance. She was a young girl during World War II and remembers the people welcoming the Allies to her hometown of Weisbaden, which had been badly damaged by bombings, people were hungry, many homeless and destitute. Shew grew up and later married an American soldier from Minnesota, my dad, and together they moved from Germany back to a teeny tiny town in Minnesota, where I would be born several years later.

Mom was a waitress at Johnny and Kay's waaaay back in the 70s

Because she came from a family of very modest means, they ate very simply. Meat on Sunday, soup and other inexpensive and easy-to-stretch foods the rest of the week. She was not a gourmet German cook by any means, and many of our meals growing up were very simple meat and potatoes dishes. The occasional German foods but not as much as just everyday normal American food. Her spaghetti sauce was legendary, her chili like no other and her lentil soup is by far my favorite food on this entire planet. But any time Mom asked if we wanted something special for dinner, this was my most requested dish, and I can't help but think she is probably looking down, hoisting her beer stein high and saying "Salut" as I type.

Mom's Chicken Paprika

chicken (whole, parts, breast only- whatever you prefer, I used boneless skinless thighs this time)

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery- I use the leaves also

coupe gloves garlic, chopped

chicken stock or broth

1 bag frozen noodles or about 1 lb homemade

1 cup sour cream

paprika

salt and pepper

In deep stockpot place onion, celery, garlic and chicken. Add chicken stock to cover chicken, add a couple grinds black pepper and a big pinch of salt. Cover pot, bring to boil then reduce and simmer until chicken is very tender and falls off the bone.

Remove and strain broth (SAVE THAT BROTH!!!) and when cool enough to handle, remove meat from the bones and cut into bite sized pieces. You CAN use boneless chicken but you definitely get better flavor with chicken on the bone, if you have time to cook it. Otherwise, leftover roast chicken and a can of chicken broth is a good quick substitute.

** Note- you CAN skip straining the brother if you are able to get all the chicken bones and skin and yuckies out if you want to leave the onions and celery bits in the broth. I sometimes do.

Return meat to pot, bring to boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, adding more broth if necessary. You want the noodles to soak up most of the liquid during cooking, you don't want a soupy consistency. Stir OFTEN to prevent noodles from sticking or burning.

When noodles are done, remove from heat, drain off any excess liquid that might remain, and stir in the sour cream and 1-2 tablespoons paprika. Mix well, and serve.