This week, we surveyed the Twin Cities for the best version of this famous dish, and found a surprising amount of variety.

According to Korean cookbook author Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall, this style of bibimbap originated in the city of Chonju. The stone bowl is called tolsot and is seasoned by boiling it in salted water and rubbing it down with oil. A tolsot lends its inhabitants the same flash of greatness that a cast iron pan can give to a blackened cheese sandwich.

When your sizzling stone bowl arrives, it’s a good idea to avoid hugging that hot bowl right to your chest, even though you’re glad to see it. Squirt a healthy zigzag of the sweet and spicy red pepper sauce across the top of the rice mountain, break the egg yolk, give the mess a stir, and then sit tight for few minutes so the rice along the bottom has time to develop a chewy, brown crust. Texture, texture, texture, and adjustable levels of spice, sweet, tang, and nuttiness are all at your fingertips.

LANSDOWNE, Va., Feb. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ —SSP America, the North American division of SSP, the leading operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations worldwide, is proud to announce the introduction of its restaurant, Hot Dish, to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.  Located in the Terminal 1-Lindbergh, pre-security, travelers will have the opportunity to dine with loved ones before departing on a flight or can grab a bite to eat for a welcome home celebration.

Serving 33 million passengers in 2011, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is ranked the 12th busiest airfield in the United States, supporting more than 150,000 jobs and $10.7 billion in business revenue.  

“Hot Dish is ideally located in the Terminal 1-Lindbergh Ticketing Lobby, where people who aren’t traveling can still sit down for a bite to eat with travelers who are arriving, departing, or just catching a connecting flight at MSP,” said Jeff Hamiel, executive director of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which owns and operates MSP.  “The menu reflects Minnesota and the Midwest, and is offered in an environment you won’t find anywhere else in the Twin Cities.”

Hot Dish is a hip, daring spin on the family favorite, a modern interpretation of time honored tradition. Hot Dish boasts Fried Pickles and bacon wrapped tater tots tucked into bleu cheese bechamel sauce.  Those with a more ambitious appetite can indulge in exceptional fillings placed between two pieces of bread like Hot Dish’s parmesan crusted Walleye BLT with arugula and a dollop of chipotle tartar for a little kick.

Equipped with Etch-A-Sketch toys and a special menu designed for traveling tots, Hot Dish is the perfect destination for hungry families.  Parents will be pleased to find house-made natural applesauce served with every Little Tots meal including the Junior with slow baked creamy macaroni and cheese, and the Spilled Cheese with golden grilled cheese served with spam nuggets.

Within the stylish environs, the restaurant connects the newest creations with the reinvention of home cooking.  Hot Dish is decidedly eclectic combining an artistic retro-chic appeal with an aesthetic that is witty and fun.  Larger than life art pieces adorn the wall and are complemented with artifacts and nostalgic homewares as they pull funky vibrant visions of the motifs from the past. 

Tom Waldron, Senior Director of Business Development of SSP America commented, “We are proud to showcase the local flavors of Minneapolis through our partnership with Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.  This is an exciting opportunity to deliver the very best to consumers who travel through MSP.” 

Hot Dish is located pre-security in Terminal 1.

First of all, we wonder what Landon Schoenefeld would have to say about this.

Also, “Those with a more ambitious appetite can indulge in exceptional fillings placed between two pieces of bread…” Isn’t that a… sandwich?

(Source: prnewswire.com)

mspmag:

Stephanie March reports there’s a new food truck rolling around the streets. Welcome to the food truck scene, R.A. MacSammy’s.

Serving up mac n’ cheese in all its many forms plus a sampling of sandwiches like the pulled pork Cuban, MacSammy’s has been hanging around Burnsville and Rice Park so far. But be sure to follow them on Twitter to find out where.

Their menu reminds me of Forrest Gump. Mac & cheese, cheeseburger mac, pizza mac, Cape Cod mac, General Tso’s mac, mac scampi, mac & mac…