Contest: Enter to Win VIP Tickets to DOLE Banana Dinner at Caribe

DOLE Caribe VIP Dinner
We have 2 tickets to give away ($120 value).

April showers brings...bananas!

The folks from DOLE Bananas caught wind of Caribe's interesting uses of bananas in the menu, and, as part of their "Go Bananas After Dark" tour, they've asked Caribe to partake in the Twin Cites stop of their tour.

We're excited to help DOLE show local food bloggers and the banana-loving public that "bananas aren’t just for breakfast and lunch anymore."

On Thursday, May 26th at 6:00pm, together with Shaina Olmanson, the home cook and photographer behind Food for My Family and Olmanson Photography we will host a VIP media event, featuring a four course, banana-centric dinner menu created by Tony Panelli, and some new signature banana drinks (alcohol) to enjoy that evening. The dinner is for a select group of Twin Cities food bloggers, food writers, and media to get the word out about creative ways to enjoy bananas...after dark.

But wait! We thought, nobody's more "VIP" to us than our own customers! Our supporters! You! So we requested that we be allowed to give away a couple tickets to OUR VIP's.

And two tickets we have.

HOW TO ENTER

Nominate someone (it can be yourself!)...anyone who deserves to win VIP tickets to our 4 course banana dinner.

Nominate by sending us an email telling us in as many words and pictures as you like, why they (or you) deserve to win.

Email: heidi @ caribemn . com (minus the spaces)
subject: "VIP ticket contest entry"

Do you know a couple who desperately deserves a night out? Know an aspiring chef, home cook, foodie, or food blogger who'd love to schmooze with food media guests? Know someone who's just plain bananas for bananas? Nominate them!

JUDGING

Make us laugh...or make us cry...but make us say, "yes! This person must win!"
This is not a random drawing. Simply emailing us a name will not count as an entry. We (Tony, myself, and the staff) will be choosing who we feel is the most deserving entry to win based on the email entries you write and send us.

If you are nominating someone other than yourself, email addresses of nominees are not needed at this time. Should your entry win, we will email back and request the necessary information to contact the winners.

DEADLINE

Deadline for entry:
Send us your email by Friday May 6th

Winner will be chosen by Thursday May 12th (entrant will be notified by email, winner announced on our Facebook Page)

RULES

The small type...
Family members of Caribe staff & owners are not eligible to win.
Entries must be sent by email only.
By entering, you grant Caribe permission to publish your entry online and in our email newsletter (private contact information will not be shared, last names can be omitted if requested). Winner will receive two tickets, via email invitation. Each ticket includes admission to event, four course dinner, and two alcohol banana mixed drinks (per person). Any further question? Don't hesitate to ask:
heidi @ caribeMN . com (minus the spaces)

An Evening for the senses: Caribe Beer Dinner

Sharone, setting the stage for an intimate dinner.

Every beer glass was washed, sanitized, polished and inspected closely to ensure it was "beer clean." Without perfectly clean glassware, the beer will not form the desired head upon pouring.


Adam Schulte, the certified Cicerone from Ale Jail starts off the evening with a fun sensory trick we all got to try, and encourages guests to breathe deep, take in the smells, and savor the flavors.


After frying the tostones, Tony & LaRonn quickly plate the first course.


The Amuse Bouche before it got whisked away to the dining room: Salt Cod Ceviche, toston, with avocado relish. Paired with Hennepin Saison.


The food guy & the beer guy.
With each course, Adam speaks about the beer, and Tony speaks about the food.


Back in the kitchen, the staff works like a machine (even with me in the way!) LaRonn & Tony pull the hot appetizers out of the oven & within minutes they are all plated and ready to serve.

II. Appetizer: Pionono (a "mini piñon"), topped with coconut chutney. Paired with Weihenstephaner Hefe.


Tony talks about the next course, explaining cooking techniques, ingredients used, and answers questions.


"This is soooo good!" was heard several times in the back, as we got to sample dishes once everyone in the dining room was served. Sharone (left) and Jenn.


In another well-choreographed act, they pour, drizzle, garnish & send off the third course.


Guests at Adam's table are served the third course.
III. Soup: Gazpacho topped with black bean sauce and micro greens.
Paired with Flat Earth Belgian Pale Ale.


The fourth course is underway in the kitchen.
Rum glazed jumbo shrimp sits in the pan of bubbling glaze; waiting to top the Paella.


Tony pulls the cover off the steamed mussels & I grabbed a picture.
Here they are, just before being scooped out and plated with the Paella.


IV. Entrée
Caribbean Paella: Saffron rice, spicy chorizo, jerk chicken, octopus, mussels, langoustines, almonds, golden raisins, roasted sweet peppers; topped with rum glazed shrimp. Paired with Lagunitas Maximus IPA.


The Paella is served.


These LaTrappe chalices are specially designed for the LaTrappe beer, made by monks in the Netherlands, to be served in. They feature a tiny etched feature in the bottom to enable the carbonation to originate from the center of the glass.


Tony sprinkles powdered sugar over the Banana rum cheesecake, made locally by Muddy Paws . It was complimented with pineapple caramel, whipped cream and fresh berries.
Paired with La Trappe Quadrupel.

Shortly after the cheesecake course was served, Tony and Adam surprised guests with an extra beer; a pour of Rodenbach, as we toasted to celebrating our first year in business!

A happy chef.

Twitter & tasting. How the beer dinner came about.

It began on Twitter. @CaribeBistro met @AleJail. Adam from Ale Jail had a question. Heidi (me) from Caribe tweeted back. And not long after he was eating our food; we were tasting his beer, and soon planning a beer dinner.

If you haven't heard the buzz on Twitter yet, we've teamed up with Certified Cicerone (similar to a sommielere, but of beer. There are currently less than 200 of them in the United States) Adam Schulte, of Ale Jail, to put on Caribe's first-ever beer dinner.

What's the big deal? Isn't it just beer and dinner?

If you're already a connoisseur of fine beers, you probably know all about beer dinners and food pairings, (and several of you have already made your reservations). But if you've never heard of a beer dinner, you're not alone.

Yours truly was skeptical at first when Adam first tweeted me a message, asking if he could bring by some beer to try with our food. I mean, my only prior experience with beer was with whatever was cheapest on a night out in college. I'm a grown up now. Beer? No, I'll have wine, thanks. I, after all, had graduated from the college days of quarter tapper nights and never looked back. Was I really missing out on anything?

And then Adam sent me descriptions of the beers he had in mind to maybe add to our menu. Here are a couple examples that piqued my interest:

Flat Earth Belgian Pale Ale: Toasted biscuit malt meets banana, spice and floral hop aromatics. Caramel sweetness lends to a medium body before the beer dries on the finish. A very versatile food beer.

Lagunitas Maximus IPA: Orange zest and herbal hop aromas combine with subtle malt sweetness and balanced bitterness. A powerful beer for powerful food. Try something spicy!

Whaa? Was this beer he was talking about? Add to this list a bright, effervescent, aromatic German hefe who's yeast swirls in the bottom of the bottle, a quadrupel made in the Netherlands by Monks, and a refreshing saison made in New York. Everything I (ignorantly) thought I knew about beer had changed.




Why April, 2011?

In all honesty, we hadn't considered looking into specialty beers since Caribe opened last year because, being such a small restaurant, we barely met minimum order quantities as it was with the more mainstream beers we carried. And, truly, we didn't know what we were missing. But Adam persisted and took it upon himself to not only bring us samples (that instantly won us over), but lined us up with distributors who could work with our "smallness."

We figured a new beer menu like this deserves celebrating. And what better way to kick it off, than to have Adam pair the new beers with a 5-course Caribbean dinner and talk about the beers at the dinner? Tony's prepared a fantastic menu, (which we'll reveal later on the website) and Adam will join us for the dinner to discuss the beers, fill your glass, and answer questions.

And, to make things sweeter, the dinner falls mid-April, which happens to be Caribe's 1-year anniversary. Another big reason we want to (need to!) celebrate this month.

Now what?

So where does this leave me? I've now tasted all the beers to be featured in the dinner (also shown and described here). I love the new beers. I can't wait to try them with various dishes on our menu. I'm no longer an ignorant beer-scoffing snob. I'm humbled, eager to learn more, and look forward to sampling more unique beers from Ale Jail, which, by the way, is an experience in and of itself. If you haven't been by the store, you're in for a treat. If you're not sure where to start, Adam can help you put together a custom 6-pack from the walls lined with beautifully labeled bottles you won't see in other liquor stores.

So that about sums up my enthusiasm! This beer dinner is more than just a pairing of fine beer and food, but a pairing of Tony's passion for Caribbean cooking, with Adam's passion for beer. One can't help but get caught up in the excitement when creative, delicious ideas collide. So much so, that I admitted to Adam how I was sipping some wine the other night and kinda wished it was a beer. "It's OK," he assured me, "it's part of the process."

More information

To get the word out about the dinner, we've been having fun with "the story"- beers escaping Ale Jail and taking Caribe hostage. Watch the site, as the story continues to unfold (was the chef really taken hostage? Or was he conspiring all along?) while we draw closer to April 18th.

The beer dinner is by reservation only. Tables are still available. Call the restaurant to get on the list: 651-641-1446

Caribe Valentine's Day Menu, 2011

This Valentine's Day, we'll be dimming the lights,

lighting the candles, and dressing up the dining room
to set the stage for a romantic evening.

Guys: Trust us; she will be impressed (and have you to thank).

Ladies: There will be molten chocolate cake (need I say more?). Now is the time to start dropping hints. Make it easy for him; just show him this menu!

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Valentine's Day, Monday February 14th, we will be open for dinner from 5pm-9:30pm, and in place of our regular dinner menu, we will be offering a special prix fixe Valentine's Day dinner menu.

Call now: 651-641-1446 to reserve your table.
(if you call after hours, just leave a message and we will return your call & confirm your reservation.)

There will be two dinner options:
a 3 course dinner, & a 5 course dinner, each with optional wine pairings.

The wine for the wine pairing will be selected by our staff, who will choose the perfect wine to best accompany each course. Wine pairings will be a 1.5 oz. pour of a different type of wine for each course. Wine by the glass or bottle will also be available, as well as our full beverage menu.

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Valentine's Day Menu: 3 Courses

3 Course Dinner ~ $37
Optional wine pairing, add $15

~First Course~
Salad
Spinach & Arugula Salad with Avocado relish and citrus vinaigrette

~Second Course~
Entrée

Choice of the following:

1. Grilled Lamb Chops with jerk beurre blanc,
and pigeon pea cassoulet.

2. Grilled Rib Eye Steak with caramelized onions,
roasted garlic and yucca mash.

3. Seafood Paella. Seafood and saffron rice
cooked in Jamaican coconut rundown.

4. Pan-seared Pork Medallions with apple chutney
and roasted tropical root vegetables.

~Third Course~
Dessert

Choice of the following:

1. Cafe con Leche Créme Brulée

2. Piña Colada Panna Cotta with berry coulis

3. Spiced Molten Chocolate Cake (allow approx. 10 minutes extra prep time)

4. Tropical Fruit Bread Pudding


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Valentine's Day Menu: 5 Courses

Same as the 3 course dinner, with the addition of an appetizer and soup.
5 Course Dinner ~ $50
Optional wine pairing, add $20

~First Course~
Appetizer
Arepas (3): Salt cod ceviche, curried bananas, and pulled pork

~Second Course~
Soup
Chick Pea and vegetable Curry

~Third Course~
Salad
Spinach & Arugula Salad with Avocado relish & citrus vinaigrette

~Fourth Course~
Entrée

Choice of the following:

1. Grilled Lamb Chops with jerk beurre blanc,
and pigeon pea and chorizo cassoulet.

2. Grilled Rib Eye Steak with caramelized onions,
roasted garlic and yucca mash.

3. Seafood Paella. Seafood and saffron rice
cooked in Jamaican coconut rundown.

4. Pan-seared Pork Medallions with apple chutney
and roasted tropical root vegetables.

~Fifth Course~
Dessert

Choice of the following:

1. Cafe con Leche Créme Brulée

2. Piña Colada Panna Cotta with berry coulis

3. Spiced Molten Chocolate Cake (allow approx. 10 minutes extra prep time)

4. Tropical Fruit Bread Pudding

Please note: Our regular dinner menu items will not be available on Monday, Feb. 14. Coupons, special offers or friends & family discounts are not valid during the Valentine's Day dinner. Walk-ins welcome, but tables will only be guaranteed with a reservation made prior to Feb. 14. Prices do not include tax or gratuity. Reservations must be made by phone 651-641-1446 or in person; not via email.

Caribe Caribbean Bistro. Phone: 651-641-1446 791 Raymond Ave. St. Paul, MN 55114

Now serving gourmet plantain chips!

I can't tell you how excited I am to announce we have switched our plantain chips to a major upgrade. These are the chips we serve with all of our lunch sandwiches.

The new gourmet plantain chips are made by a small company in New Jersey. They're thin and crispy (compared to the thick, crunchy plantain chips we were serving before), all natural, and lightly salted with sea salt from the South American coast.

They're my personal favorite of the plantain chips we've been sampling and we think you'll agree, they're a great addition to the lunch menu (at no extra cost to you).

Ingredients are simply: plantains, safflower oil, and sea salt. Nothing else. Oh yea, and they're gluten free, too. Can't wait to hear what you think of the new chips!

Step by Step Photos: How to cut a Breadfruit

How to cut a breadfruit...

But first, what is a breadfruit?

If you read the St. Paul Pioneer Press restaurant section, you may have caught a recent article on unique fries in the Twin Cities where food critic Kathie Jenkins interviewed Tony and several other area chefs to talk about their non-potato fries.

Step 1. Cut off the top & bottom.

Our new breadfruit fries hit the menu this fall, but don't feel bad if you have no idea what a breadfruit is. I sure didn't. I grew up in Minnesota. I know about bread and fruit; but breadfruit? Well, I had a vague recollection of it from a trip to Puerto Rico a few years back when Tony showed me all sorts of produce I had never heard of.

Step 2. Cut off the skin in strips.

To refresh my memory, he brought one home and excitedly cut it open. "Smell this!" he said, "Doesn't it smell so refreshing? You just can't describe it!"

Step 3. Cut in half and admire the weird looking center.

Step 4. Cut lengthwise in quarters.

He was right. There really are no words...it smells citrucy and somehow also like fresh baked bread, especially when it's cooked. It's a big round fruit that grows on trees and is starchy like a potato or plantain and slightly sweet. It's popular in the Caribbean and usually served sauteed, boiled, or baked.

Step 5. Cut out the core and all porous portions of the flesh.

The outside looks like snakeskin & the inside looks weirdly porous like bread. Cut off the skin off and porous part, slice into fries, and there you have it...breadfruit fries! Well, OK, there are a few more steps like tossing in adobo spice & deep frying & something with pumpkinseed oil & serving them with avocado dipping cream, but at least you can see how we cut fries from a breadfruit.

Step 6. Slice into 1/4" - 1/8" strips and prepare as desired.

And if you've had our new fries, then maybe you can help me describe the taste.

Our finished breadfruit fries.

Colorful details

More color on the way! We're super excited about this seemingly "little thing" but we've finally placed an order for new dishes after weeks of scouring china catalogs, testing factory samples (maybe you've eaten on them!), and narrowing down our choices...so above is a sneak preview of what our new dishes will look like. Along with the new dishes (plates), will also come some new dishes (food), as Tony's working on some new additions to the menu.

Being this is our first restaurant venture, we had limited funds. Being creative and resourceful was about the only way we could get this thing off the ground. A major part of this was the decision to purchase a location that was previously a restaurant. A place that would already have furnishings, equipment and all that little stuff that adds up to buy new. Part of that business purchase included things like the chairs, tables, and the dishes. Sure, they're sturdy. They work, and probably worked for the past two restaurants operating in this location. And, hey, they did help us get our dream off the ground! But they didn't quite fit our vision. The old white plates were lacking the color, class, and whimsy we wanted.

With all the "business of running a business" we have to do on a day to day basis, this is the fun stuff. Unable to choose just one shape, we decided to go with some curved triangular plates, some circles, and some squares...each in various colors that'll pop on the black tables, tie into our decor, and best show-off the food presented on them.

So now that we've been in business for a little while, we're starting to be able to focus more on these little details that help make your meal special, different & memorable. Watch for more fun details popping up this winter as I get in to do more painting & decorating. Who knows, I might even finish the mural this winter. :-)