During the first two weeks of December, I traveled to my hometown of White Bear Lake, Minnesota to visit family and friends. While I was there, I made it a priority to visit some favorite restaurants in the area. Delicious meals, stimulating conversation, and the great atmosphere of these restaurants make them perfect for cold, snowy days when you want to cozy up to some good food.
Just across the street from Ursula’s Wine Bar and Cafe (a favorite hangout of mine) is Ingredients Cafe. Ingredients is what I would describe as a contemporary comfort-food focused restaurant. From elegant entrees and trendy cocktails to a simple but ravishingly delicious grilled cheese and tomato soup combo, Ingredients does a wonderful job creating subtly delicious food in a way that is clearly heartfelt.
Chickens, beautifully prepped
During this particular visit to Ingredients on a day when snow was gently falling in White Bear Lake, I was lucky enough to be served a heaping, delicious bowl of mussels. I adore mussels. But if they are over cooked, not fresh, or just paired with the wrong ingredients, mussels can lose a lot of their unique sweet flavor and delicate texture.
These mussels were perfect. Cooked in a coconut milk broth accented with juicy red tomatoes, fresh cilantro, spicy jalapeño, and rich chorizo, the flavors worked perfectly together without competing with the tasty, soft and pillowy mussels.
After the mussels, I indulged in one of Ingredients‘ desserts. Their “Chocolate Tart with Raspberries Three Ways” was beautifully presented on a clean white plate. The bright color of the raspberries in their 3 forms (sorbet, coulis, and fresh) bounced off the dish.
Chocolate tarts tend to have a heavy texture, but I found this particular tart to be surprisingly light, although it was still dense with delectable flavor. As you can see, I had no problem finishing it.
Ingredients makes their own fresh bread on a daily basis, although I just missed being able to sample any this time around. In addition, the well-stocked bar is staffed with ridiculously friendly (and knowledgeable) bar tenders. Thursdays are $5 martini nights (my personal favorite time to stop by.) I would highly recommend the French Sidecar.
As always, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Ingredients. Tony, a head chef at Ingredients, was exceptionally accommodating and a pleasure to work with. Thanks to everyone who helps make Ingredients another great place to visit in downtown White Bear Lake! I know I will be back again (at least when I make the long journey from Tokyo to Minnesota!) Click on the image below for some extra photos of my Ingredient’s visit:
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| Ingredients Cafe, White Bear Lake, MN |
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