Author: Mike Mitchelson

Fine dining gets a re-write

It’s not often that the Belly wakes up these days, but this is something for which it’s worth leaving the house this winter. With all the new restaurant openings soaking up all the attention in the local food media, it’s…

Baking with “barm”

When it comes to experimenting with unfamiliar ingredients, I’ve never been much of an incrementalist. Even if something is good on the first try, I move from there quite broadly to establish the ends of the spectrum. Maybe that first…

Budget Casualty No. 1: Dining Out

If one is searching for personal enlightenment, forget yoga, meditation surrounded by crystals, sweat lodges or religious conversion. Merely itemize—honestly—your monthly expenses. You’ll likely find an assortment of surprises and embarrassments fueled by inattentiveness—or, at worst, complete lack of discipline.…

The Entrepreneurial Leap

Is it really the dream of every line cook to open their own restaurant? That was among the first questions posed by moderator Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl at the Mpls.-St. Paul Magazine Tastemakers event on Wednesday, July 17 at the Ritz…

Money shots and marinade

After a decade of writing about food and restaurants for actual publications, and, in particular, being the photographer for all my work, there is a food shot I’ve come to appreciate the most. And that’s shown above. The “After” shot.…