East meets Lake Peruvian is out and Japanese is in at Lyn-Lake. By mid-September, the former home of Machu Picchu will reopen as moto-i (2940 Lyndale Av. S., Minneapolis). Blake Richardson, owner of the Herkimer (2922 Lyndale Av. S., theherkimer.com), is channeling his fascination for Japanese pop culture into a speakeasy-style bar and cafe just a few doors down from his popular brewpub.
Although the chef's name is still under wraps, the menu takes its cues from Asian street foods -- ramen bowls, dumplings, beef bulgolgi, squid jerky -- with most prices falling in the $10-and-under range. Following another Minneapolis trend, the restaurant will feature an open-air rooftop venue. Smart & Associates, the Minneapolis architecture firm (and the crew behind nearby Fuji Ya) is handling the design duties. Richardson says there's more, but he's not sharing what that is ... yet. Stayed tuned.
Big money With paychecks like these, it's no wonder that culinary schools are churning out more graduates than ever before. Salary-conscious Forbes magazine recently announced its top 10 celebrity chefs (the emphasis seems to be more on "celebrity" than on "chef") by annual earnings, and they are: Rachael Ray ($18 million), Wolfgang Puck ($16 million), Gordon Ramsay ($7.5 million), Alain Ducasse ($5 million), Nobuyuki Matsuhisa ($5 million), Paula Deen ($4.5 million), Mario Batali ($3 million), Tom Colicchio ($2 million), Bobby Flay ($1.5 million) and Anthony Bourdain ($1.5 million). Emeril Lagasse seems conspicuously absent from the list, and I know I'd love to see Minnesota's own globetrotter Andrew Zimmern, host of cable TV's "Bizarre Foods," make the cut sometime soon.
Food at the (burp) State Fair There's always something new to eat at the Minnesota State Fair, and the 2008 edition of the Great Minnesota Get-Together is no exception. This year's big talker is chocolate-covered bacon (Famous Dave's, Dan Patch Av. near Liggett St.), but there's also maple syrup coated bacon on a stick (Big Fat Bacon, Carnes Av. near Nelson St.).
How about deep-fried s'mores on a stick (Oodles of Noodles, Food Building) or battered and deep-fried green beans (O'Gara's, Food Building) or frozen pickle juice in a push-up sleeve (Preferred Pickle, Food Building)? I like the sound of bison kabobs (Mini-kabob, Dan Patch Av. at Underwood St.) and hand-cranked vanilla ice cream (Old-Fashioned Ice Cream, Lee Av. and Cooper St.).
For a rundown -- pro and con -- of all the new fair foods, check out my review in Saturday's Variety. And go to startribune.com/statefair for food-specific fairgrounds maps.
RICK NELSON
