Sea Change ? strawberry basil

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we headed out to Minneapolis for dinner and the theater. (I love the sound of that!) We stayed over night at the ?Aloft? hotel, a stylish little off-shoot of the W Hotels. The room was cute and comfortable, though it lacked a bathtub (boo). The Guthrie Theater is right next door, and the Sea Change restaurant is on its premises, which was super convenient.

Sea Change specializes in sustainable seafood, and they list up their daily selections on a blackboard, so you can see where the catch originates. The atmosphere of the place was nice, with deep sea colors, high ceilings and pretty lighting. We were seated in a booth but not against the wall, so I felt comfortable but still engaged with the bustle of the restaurant. :)

In a strange twist that had nothing to do with the meal itself?shortly after we got up from dinner to head over to the theater, we were standing around the maitre?d stand waiting for coat check when I suddenly fainted! Usually I can get myself to a chair (or am already seated) when I feel lightheaded, but I didn?t make it this time, and collapsed on the floor. I don?t really understand why I faint sometimes. I think I?ve usually had a drink, but it?s not even that much (no, no, I?m not some drunken wino!) Anyway, the manager rushed over and helped me to a seat and brought me a glass of ice water. I recovered just in time to see the play that evening: A Christmas Carol! (It was lovely).

On to the food! I?ll start with my main course, pictured above. I had the crisp skinned arctic char with white bean and artichoke giardiniera. (I looked up giardiniera, and it?s just a fancy way to say that something is pickled). It was definitely very crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked and delicious on the inside. Loved the chips (mushrooms?) that came on top.

The rest after the jump:

I shared this platter of oysters with my brother. There were three different kinds, but my favorite were the smaller ones lining the outside. You would think that most oysters just taste the same, but when lined up like this, you can really taste the difference! The bigger ones in the middle were distinctly buttery and rich. They weren?t bad, but I guess I just prefer bright and briny flavored oysters.

I loved this! The oysters came with a set of sauces that you apply with droppers. These were all fab but my favorite was the horseradish emulsion.

This was a fascinating mix of East meets West?bacon chawan mushi with scallop, yuzu and chive! I love chawan mushi, which is a Japanese egg custard dish. I order it often when I?m at a Japanese restaurant, but I?d never seen it served with bacon before. Naturally, this meant I had to order it to check it out! I really liked it! The bacon flavor was very prominent, smoky and tasty.

My brother had this dish, described on the menu as ?brandade / ravioli egg yolk / bagna cauda / tomato. Bagna cauda is apparently some kind of dip, like a fondue. I?m not entirely sure which part of this dish was the bagna cauda, but it was pretty tasty. My only thing about ravioli dishes is that they never seem to be very filling. I should?ve asked my brother if he thought this was enough as a main course..

The three of us shared this dessert: chocolate cremeux with brownie, black currant and malt. Very chocolatey and sweet!

In all, a fabulous meal.

Source: http://strawberrybasil.com/2012/12/sea-change/

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