September 11, 2008
Dine Fresh Dine Local
St. Croix River Valley
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What is Dine Fresh Dine Local?Dine Fresh Dine Local is a special one-day culinary celebration of good local food that last took place on Thursday, September 11, 2008 in St. Croix River Valley restaurants. Thanks to participants of DINE FRESH DINE LOCAL who
CELEBRATE SUCCESSFUL GROWER/BUYER RELATIONSHIPSFinding local foods and building relationships with a number of producers and processors is much harder for restaurateurs than ordering everything they need from a few distributors. DINE FRESH DINE LOCAL PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTSThe Deli at River Market Community Co-op DeliJerry Green, Deli ManagerStillwater’s downtown workers know about the delicious, healthful lunches they can get in The Deli at River Market Community Co-op. The market’s customer count jumps over the noon hour as people drop in to grab a sandwich or wrap made on locally baked bread with organic vegetables and all-natural meat and cheese, a cup of delicious soup, fresh hand-made sushi, or a nutrient-packed smoothie. A special all-local sandwich is featured daily, along with the Tiger Woods, Huck Finn, Jessie Ventura and other uniquely named hot or cold sandwiches and wraps. Regulars often look at the menu on line at http://www.rivermarket.coop/takeout.html , then call ahead (651-439-0366) and order a quick and easy supper to pick up on their way home from work. For special events, the River Market Deli has a catering menu offering hor d’oeuvre trays of fruit, meat and cheese. Like the whole market, the deli is committed to providing healthy, great-tasting food that also benefits local farmers and the environment. Just some of the St. Croix Valley suppliers used by the deli include:
Savories European BistroJeffrey and Kristin Klemetstrud, Chef & OwnersA favorite of locals and tourists alike and located in the heart of historic downtown Stillwater, Savories Bistro exudes the spirit of a Provencal village brasserie. Eclectic menus for breakfast, lunch & dinner that change monthly with the seasons – feature local produce, farmstead cheeses and free-range meats. All selections are prepared from scratch including breads, pastries, desserts baked fresh daily. The Chef’s Philosphy: Residing in the heartland inspires a certain respect for fresh produce grown in our own back yard. And exposure to the European reverence for food, fine wines and the art of dining has influenced how these chef partners at Savories Bistro show respect for their craft and the products they search out to prepare for their guests. Forging relationships with local organic farmers and growers provides such local delicacies as wild mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, and Amish free-range chicken, fresh pork & lamb. Coaxing the maximum flavor from exquisite ingredients is an honorable and enjoyable profession. Savories sources ingredients from the following local producers:
And regional suppliers outside the St. Croix Valley:
Fresh Fields Bakery and CafeDavid and Jennifer Michaud, Owners & OperatorsA favorite place for Stillwater area people to meet for breakfast, coffee or lunch, Fresh Fields is a full service European style bakery that specializes in authentic Artisan breads, fine pastries and a café line which offers a daily selection of soups, salads and sandwiches. All are prepared daily from scratch, using the highest quality ingredients possible. Whether inside or on the front patio, customers relax in a light, comfortable setting and find a wide choice of delicious dishes on the menu along with approximately 25 different kinds of bread and patisserie goodies. Fresh Fields will integrate some local ingredients into menu items for the “Dine Fresh, Dine Local” event on September 11. Dave Michaud recently became the co-owner of Fresh Fields, and his goal is to gradually purchase many local and organic ingredients for his kitchen. Café WrenStephanie Lundeen, OwnerCafé Wren is a community gathering place where both local folks and travelers on Highway 35 enjoy delicious, thoughtfully made food from fresh local ingredients. Now a popular destination, people drive from miles around to feel right at home. This rural oasis is a half-mile north of Luck, WI on Hwy 35. Established in an old two story house, the café was formerly a residence and beloved bait shop (now the community room). Café Wren is comfortable and eclectic with regularly changing works of local artists on the walls. Café Wren makes food from scratch using organic free-range eggs, locally grown produce and meats. Only the freshest ingredients are used for vegetarian and non-vegetarian soup, salads and sandwiches. The menu also features a full espresso bar and Fair Trade coffee, real-fruit smoothies, bagels, granola, baked goods, soup, sandwiches, salads, local wine & beer. Dine in or take-out available and ready fast! Some of the local suppliers for Café Wren are:
Read a longer profile of Café Wren’s owner, Stephanie Lundeen and John Adams and Mike Noreen, the farmers who supply the Café with vegetables, on Land Stewardship Project’s web site at http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/foodfarm-main.html#stcroix. DFDL Podcast: Café Wren & The Good Luck Farm This LSP Ear to the Ground podcast features Stephanie Lundeen of Café Wren and John Adams of The Good Luck Farm talking about how they work together to bring local food to a small community in western Wisconsin. To listen, click here. Shady GroveSteve (Chef) & Heather Snook, OwnersShady Grove Pub & Eatery is culinary treasure hidden among the hillside farms outside of Ellsworth, WI. It’s open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. This charming, unassuming restaurant features a delicious array of appetizers, entrees, and desserts made with local ingredients that will make dinner out a special occasion—and any special occasion a night to remember. An important goal for Steve and Heather when they established Shady Grove Pub and Eatery was to incorporate as many locally produced ingredients into dishes on their menu as they could, and they certainly have met that goal. Enjoy the cozy interior or sit outside on the beautiful new patio with its raised beds of flowers and vegetables. Relax and enjoy one of 4 local beers on tap from the nearby Rush River Brewing Company. Shady Grove buys ingredients from many local growers and processors:
Bellarietta BistroJ. V. Zontelli, Chef & OwnerBellarietta Bistro, in downtown New Richmond, WI, is a charming family-owned restaurant offering contemporary cuisine in a relaxed, modern atmosphere. The authentic menu items are made with fresh and unique ingredients that result in a delectably distinct flavor. Try a Gorgonzola Chicken Wrap or Crab Cake Sandwich… and don’t forget dessert—Bellariatta Bistro is one of few small restaurants in the nation with its very own pastry chef! If the herb flavors and vegetables taste incredibly fresh, it could be because they have been picked right outside the back door of the restaurant! Bellarietta Bistro’s local sources include the following:
Ava’s RestaurantMeghan Bacon, ownerAva’s is a family friendly restaurant in New Richmond with a huge number of choices on the menu. Classic breakfasts are served all day and the drive- thru on the south side offers espresso and bakery goods, as well as salads, soups, and sandwiches. Inside, the sit-down “Farm Dinners” include all American classics, like pot roast, meatloaf and fried chicken, as well as walleye and pasta and ribs and a variety of homemade pies for dessert, at affordable prices. Ava’s wants to source more ingredients locally, but needs suppliers that can provide the quantity she needs. Ava’s plans to put trout from Star Prairie, Wisconsin, on the menu for Dine Fresh Dine Local on September 11 and hopes to gradually find more local products to use in the future. Dalles House Restaurant & LoungeSteve and Judy Balej and Sonya Fry, ownersThe Dalles House is located near the entrance to Interstate Park in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. This area is a favorite of tourists throughout the year. The warm and spacious main dining room, overlooking a beautiful outdoor garden, features expansive lunch and dinner menus and is open daily at 11:00 am. The Dalles House offers an extensive steak menu, with all steaks cut fresh right in the kitchen. Their hand-pattied burgers are available all day. They feature a Sunday brunch every week from 10-2. The two private dining rooms are available for business meetings or social functions. The cocktail lounge, also overlooking the garden, is open daily and features nightly drink specials, live entertainment weekly and wide-screen televised events. The Dalles House local food sources include the following:
Sprouts Hometown Market & GiftsC.J. Gustafson, Owner & OperatorJust what every small town needs, Sprouts is a market and a friendly gathering place for coffee or deli lunch with a cheery, raised dining area overlooking Pine City’s historic 5th Street and Robinson Park. Sprouts offers healthy, delicious meals made with fresh, local ingredients. Customers can choose from daily “foodie” specials, build-your-own sandwiches served on organic breads and seasoned wraps, soups, healthful salads, fruit bowls, yogurt parfaits and snack items. Sprouts purchases many deli ingredients locally and also sells locally grown produce, eggs, honey and other grocery items, along with health products in the market. To further support the local economy, Sprouts features artwork, books and gifts created by area artisans, and offers classes on a variety of health, art and cooking subjects to help people develop more healthy, self-reliant lifestyles. Sprouts buys some of its ingredients from:
Bayport CookeryJim Kyndberg, Chef & OwnerThe Bayport Cookery provides a delectable culinary adventure in cozy, intimate surroundings. Chef-Owner Jim Kyndberg pampers diners with a unique style of dining at a leisurely pace. His five-course meal creations focus on quality ingredients, which Jim finds in the fresh, locally grown produce and meats he uses. And the seasonally-inspired menus, like his late summer garlic fest, are a wholly unique, utterly satisfying, sensory delight. Kyndberg celebrated the beginning of his second decade this summer by opening a new Wine Bar. You can now walk in for a glass of wine and order appetizers and specials from the bar menu. The Bayport Cookery is open Wednesday through Sunday, but reservations are needed for the multi-course tasting menu (651-430-1066). Bayport Cookery sources ingredients from the following St. Croix Valley producers:
Marx Fusion BistroMark Hanson, Chef & OwnerOn any given day or night of the week, no matter what the season, rain or shine, Marx Wine Bar & Grill is the liveliest place on Main Street in Stillwater. The colorful, exuberant, cosmopolitan atmosphere of this popular restaurant perfectly compliments the eclectic and imaginative cuisine of chef-owner, Mark Hanson. Hanson’s unique blend of Caribbean and Italian-American fare invites adventurous sampling from the starter menu and exquisite difficulty when trying to decide on a pasta, salad or main course. Individual pizzas, pastas and salads are popular lunch items, and for dinner, main courses range from roast chipotle & cumin rubbed chicken to beef tenderloin filet to butter-poached wild Alaskan salmon. Local sources of ingredients:
The Nova of HudsonJana Gaffer and Tyrell Gaffer, OwnersCorey Elliot, Chef The Nova Wine Bar and Restaurant, located near the banks of the beautiful St. Croix River in Historic Downtown Hudson, opened in 2004 to showcase the exciting new wine selections of Casanova Liquors. The Nova serves dinner and light appetizers in a relaxed atmosphere and invites guests to experience the wonders of wine by offering a free table-side wine tasting each night. To keep things fresh, the food menu and by-the-glass wines change each season. In the fall and winter soups are a must and in the summer fresh produce can’t be beat. Each weekend Chef Corey offers specials and will even bring back old favorites if customers request it! The Nova’s seasonal menu features foods from the following local suppliers:
Vino in the ValleyLarry Brenner, ownerVino in the Valley offers a unique, outdoor dining experience in an open air pavilion. It’s located about 8 miles east of Ellsworth, Wisconsin, which is actually a little out of the St. Croix River Valley, but not far. It’s open every Thursday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoons, May 15th through October 12. The menu features several kinds of pasta dinners, Italian Nachos and brick oven pizzas, along with salads and desserts. Many different wines from all over the world are available to sip while waiting for that gourmet pizza to come out of the oven. This new dining venue is located on the site of an emerging five acre vineyard, planted to six grapes designed to stand and thrive in the western Wisconsin climate. There are three red varieties-- Frontenac, Sabrevois, Marquette – and three whites - Frontenac Gris, La Crescent, and Prairie Star. Eventually wine will be produced right there from the vineyard harvests. Added attractions include acoustical music played by local musicians, a gift shop and a small farmers’ market set up by neighbors near the parking area, featuring honey, maple syrup, vegetables and crafts. Suppliers are mostly neighbors:
Tangled Up in Blue RestaurantEclectic Food and wineRoss Reed, chef/owner Tangled Up in Blue is a small restaurant in Taylors Falls, Minnesota with a sign and a name that catches your eye as you drive through on Highway 95 (Bench Street). Inside its pleasant blue-accented bar and dining room, It offers fine dining with an informal feel. Executive Chef Ross Reed has created a unique menu of French influenced cuisine with a Midwestern feel. Chef Ross changes the menu seasonally but likes to keep things fresh throughout the year. Each night Chef Ross creates a unique and exciting 4 Course tasting menu with Wine Flight that has been a huge hit with guests. His mission is to provide guests with a complete dining experience, and don’t be surprised if he comes to chat with you at your table when you are in, just to make sure everything was perfect. Look for local trout on the menu at this Dine Fresh Dine Local Restaurant on September 11, and maybe some vegetables out of the chef’s own garden. Local Sources of Wine at Tangled Up in Blue:
The Buzz Café and Dessert BakeryJon (owner) & Pat Bjork (baker)After it opened in March 2008, The Buzz quickly became a favorite spot for workers and shoppers in downtown St. Croix Falls to have a cup of gourmet coffee and something special from the bakery, or to sit down with a bowl of soup, salad or sandwich at lunch. Couches and coffee tables in one part of the room and tables and chairs in another comfortably offer both options. The Buzz wants to be a gathering place in the evening too, so Live Music attracts customers on Friday evening from 7:00 to 10:00. Pat Bjork, the baker, invites advance Bakery orders (48 hours in advance) for cookies, pies, cheesecakes and other desserts. In the future, The Buzz hopes to build business relationships with local suppliers to add fresh, local ingredients to the sandwiches, soups and salads on their menu. On September 11, stop at The Buzz for desserts made with apples from the St. Croix River Valley. ConfluenceMark McGraw, chef-ownerConfluence is a gathering place. It is where two streams meet, and it is where town and country fade into one another. Located in Prescott, WI, where the beautiful St. Croix River flows into the mighty Mississippi, Confluence is a small chef-owned restaurant specializing in seasonal, New American Cuisine and a very intimate, personalized dining experience. Confluence offers the style and sophistication of an urban dining room and a contemporary cuisine that is comprised of the confluence of ingredients from next door, and around the world. Confluence is a dinner restaurant, open at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Confluence buys honey from Wolfe Honey Farm in Baldwin, WI. Regional suppliers include:
Dam Bistro(at the end of September, the new name will be Greccos on the St. Croix)Justin A. Grecco, chef-owner A unique, casual restaurant overlooking the dam in St. Croix Falls, WI. During the warm seasons, have a glass of wine with a friend on the little outdoor balcony and watch the St. Croix River roll by, or on a chilly day, sit by the fireplace inside and sip your wine in comfort. However, expect changes in the décor this fall as the new owner settles in and imprints his own style in this space. Justin Grecco bought the Dam Bistro in late August and quickly established a unique menu to attract tourists visiting historic St. Croix Falls, as well as local customers. The menu changes weekly, and features two to three choices for the first course, salad course, fish course, pasta course, meat & game course, and dessert. Diners can also choose a “Chef’s Tasting Menu” (4, 6, or 9 courses w/wine) where customers agree to “Chef’s Discretion: Put Your Evening in My Hands.” A special opening party will be held on October 1, 2008, and reservations are required. “Quality of ingredients is very important to me, which is why my menu will change weekly to ensure that you receive the highest quality product available. I hand pick my wines to coordinate harmoniously with my menu to bring you the best dining experience I can offer.” As Grecco becomes established, Justin would like to buy many ingredients from local growers and processors. Current sources in the St. Croix River Valley area:
Eichtens Bistro and MarketEichtens is a popular stop for tourist busses, where visitors can have lunch inside or out and shop for Eichten’s own flavored Gouda cheeses and bison summer sausage, as well as a variety of other food products and gifts. In the evening, it transforms into a bistro, offering a dinner menu with dishes such as bourbon pork chop with bourbon sauce and sautéed vegetables. And of course, Eichtens features bison: bison chili for lunch and bison roast for dinner.Eichtens offers special “date night” meals in cooperation with St. Croix Falls’ historic, professional Festival Theater, about 5 miles east and just across the St. Croix River into Wisconsin. An entire evening out can be arranged with Eichtens by making reservations for dinner and a play, or dinner and a concert, all for one price. The most obvious local ingredients for Eichtens Bistro come from Eichtens Hidden Acres bison and their own artisan cheese. Eichtens sells their cheese and bison in several Twin Cities farmers’ markets, and they buy seasonal vegetables for the bistro from a variety of growers also selling in those markets. Suppliers from the St. Croix River Valley include the following:
Farmer/Buyer Workshop held on June 26Renewing the Countryside presented a farmer/buyer workshop on Thursday, June 26 at the Phipps Center for The Arts in Hudson, WI that was attended by 40 people. Most were farmers, interested in learning how to get their products into a restaurant, grocery store or institution. Sponsors
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The St. Croix River Valley 
that support the development of a community based food system as well as farmers, food processors, restaurants and retail businesses selling local food products. The St. Croix River Valley BFBL is engaged in a campaign to educate Valley residents about the economic and environmental benefits of buying local and help them find local food products. 
The Minnesota St. Croix Scenic Byway extends 124 miles through the heart of the St. Croix River valley. It begins at Point Douglas near the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers and winds north. Landscapes along the route include deep, narrow gorges, rugged bluffs and expansive river valley views. Extensive recreational opportunities and near-wilderness solitude are interspersed between historic river communities.