Saffron Mpls

A couple of years have passed  since we last dined at Saffron in downtown Minneapolis.   The restaurant, run by brothers Saed & Sameh Wadi, specializes in contemporary Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine.  Chef Sameh Wadi is the only Minneapolis Chef that has competed against Iron Chef Morimoto on the Iron Chef America Show on Food TV Network. We had the opportunity to meet up with our friends, Keith and Trycia, last Saturday night.  We didn't have reservations, but we lucked out and got seats at the bar.  Dinner was a treat. 

We started out with drinks and a plate hummus (drizzled with olive oil and served with bread).  Goodness. . .very similar recipe from Holy Land Deli's hummus, but fresher.  Yum.

Then we ordered a few Mezze Plates to share.  First, the Giant Beans. 






We also got the  Haloumi Cheese with Saffron Tomato Jam and Mint and the Koftka Meatballs.  Sorry, no pictures.  We ate them too quickly:)  They rocked.

Trycia and I got the scallops (of course) with crab croquettes, tarragon saffron autumn-vegetable chowder. Delicious.

 

Courtland had the Duck Breast with goat cheese-medjool date tart, thyme, and caramelized onions.  Incredible.

Keith had the Chicken with eggplant lovash, spices, and tahini.   Keith liked the chicken, and left most the lovash on his plate.

Dessert: Chocolate Ganache Cake with black olive ice cream, caramel sauce, and olive oil.  The ganache with the caramel sauce was a rich and sweet treat.  The olive oil taste in the ice cream was a little too much for me.

Overall, we had wonderful dinner.  Next time, I'd like to go back and try more small plates or the Happy Hours specials.  Lovely night out with friends.