Dining Diary: Fish fry at St. Paul Brewing and a gas-station tasting menu at El Sazon
This was a great week.
Last week, I hit up some of my favorite spots in St. Paul for meetings and friend hangs, but this past seven days was about a few new experiences, including a new favorite fish fry.
This isn't really a secret — I'll tell anyone who asks — but I am not a fan of beer-battered fish. Not only is it nearly impossible not to find some uncooked batter under the crust, but it also hides the flavor of the fish.
I grew up eating lake fish on Fridays — mostly perch and sunfish — lightly dredged in a breading and pan-fried to crispy perfection. I love that version of a fish fry so much that almost every time I visit family there, I leave with enough time to hit a supper club or bar for a Friday dinner.
So imagine my delight when I found out that St. Paul Brewing is serving perch and sunfish that are breaded, not battered!
My husband and I arrived on a very busy pre-St. Patrick's Day Friday. Live music from a Scottish duo was happening in the main taproom, and because of some unseasonably warm weather, the patio was open. This all meant that staffing levels were a little below what's optimal and that brings me to make this point: If you're dining on a patio before May, it's unlikely that the restaurant will have had time to properly staff up to increase its capacity. In other words, be patient.
Our fish fry, a small pile of super-crisp panfish atop a generous portion of steak fries and served with a pile of coleslaw and some homemade tartar sauce, was worth every second of the wait.
We'll be back as frequently as we can manage.
One small piece of advice: If you like ketchup with your fries, you have to order it as a separate side for an additional 75 cents. Order it when you order your food (via QR code at the tables) or you won't get it in time to enjoy your fries hot and with ketchup.
St. Paul Brewing: 688 E. Minnehaha Ave., St. Paul; 651-698-1945; stpaulbrewing.com
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Sweet corn gazpacho from El Sazon's Night at the Gas Station # 12. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
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I can't believe I hadn't been to one of these fancy-pants, multi-course dinners in a not-fancy Eagan BP station before!
El Sazon, which will open its fourth location in Eat Street Crossing any day now, celebrated its third anniversary slinging tacos and other Mexican favorites out of a window in that BP with an amazing five courses.
It's the 12th time they've closed the interior of the station and put out long tables and folding chairs to serve some of the best Latino food in the Twin Cities. It started, chef Cristian de Leon said, as a joke. The trio who started the operation were brainstorming places to hold a pop-up dinner and someone said, 'We could do it at the gas station!' And while de Leon initially envisioned tables outside, they ended up doing it inside, amidst the aisles of cold medicine, salty snacks and energy drinks. And it caught on like wildfire.
They sell out most dinners, which happen 'when they have time.' The first one was just 22 people, but now they can accommodate 50. Follow them on social media to find out when the next one might be.
Our dinner was fabulous, from an unforgettable, creamy corn gazpacho with olive-oil-poached lobster, to pillowy masa and potato (gluten-free!) gnocchi with wild mushrooms and an ultra-creamy ricotta to a burnt cheese plate to a masa and yuca (also gluten-free) beef wellington that was insanely tender and flavorful. We ended with capirotada, the Mexican version of bread pudding, spiked with raisins and coconut and some of the best horchata I've tasted.
Because it's served in a gas station and they quite understandably don't have a liquor license, each course was paired with a delicious non-alcoholic cocktail, which was funny because we were indulging on what has become a national drinking holiday: St. Patrick's Day.
For a more traditional pairing experience, the outfit hosts a taco omakase experience at its Stillwater location (Xelas by El Sazon, 1180 Frontage Road, Stillwater) three days a week. It's a ticketed dinner, so check their website for availability.
El Sazon: Three (soon to be four) metro locations. Find them all at elsazonmn.com.
Dining Diary: Potato pancakes and spätzle at Waldmann, dumplings at Ruam Mit and Sunday specials at Brunson's
Dining Diary: Saint Dinette, Bar La Grassa and cocktails at Berlin make for a tasty week
Award worthy: Visiting St. Paul's three James Beard semifinalist restaurants
It's fish fry time! Here's your 2025 list of restaurants and organizations with Lenten specials
Welcome back! Six St. Paul restaurants that are finally back after pandemic, construction
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