The James Beard Award Foundation released their longlist of semifinalists for their 2018 honors Thursday morning. Minneapolis–St. Paul was well represented, placing seven entries in the regional powerhouse category of Best Chef: Midwest. For national honors, the 2010 Best Chef: Midwest, Alex Roberts of Restaurant Alma, nabbed his second consecutive semifinal nod for Outstanding Chef nationwide. … [ Read more]
Minnesota Spoon: Thomas Boemer’s expansive vision for cooking with fire goes beyond barbecue
Chef Thomas Boemer’s eyes are watering. He’s standing in front of an improvised outdoor kitchen, made up of a cinder block fire well, with a steel-mesh grate laid across it for a cooktop, and a two-course block wall stacked on top of that for a windbreak. It is so rough-hewn and brawny looking as to … [ Read more]
Trailblazers 2016: Thomas Boemer and Nick Rancone of Revival and Corner Table
When Nick Rancone and Thomas Boemer transformed Corner Table in 2013, they connected with a zeitgeist. High-end diners and food adventurers still craved sustainability, but with a little less bang-you-on-the-head zealotry. Instead, they angled for seasonally-focused, casual elegance with a side of soul—think coq au vin next to maple-roasted jowl. That modus operandi carried them … [ Read more]
Restauranteurs breathe life into the Schmidt Brewery Keg House
For nearly a decade after 2004, the Schmidt Brewery sat empty on St. Paul’s West Seventh Street—a fossil of Minnesota’s golden age of brewing. In 2013, the historic “castle” brewery and bottling house were once again filled with the bustle of people as residents filled the the newly developed Schmidt Artist Lofts. But still, a piece of the … [ Read more]
Minnesota Spoon: Smoked brisket recipe from Thomas Boemer of Revival and Corner Table
The brisket hit the smoker at 8am. The whiskey was open by 11am. An early start is important. It’s well established that good barbecue should begin around dawn. It needs the better part of a day to drip, blacken, and break down into tender perfection. That’s why Thomas Boemer, chef at Revival and Corner Table, … [ Read more]