The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

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The menu at the new Red Pepper in Saint Paul combines Vietnamese, Thai and Hmong dishes, but since the first two cuisines are pretty widely available elsewhere, I decided to try one of the Hmong dishes. Number 27, sweet pork belly with eggs, turned out to be a savory stew with big chunks of roast pork, (not nearly as fatty as I had feared), hard-boiled eggs, red bell pepper, fresh pineapple green onions and ginger, in a rich brown slightly sweet gravy accented with star anise (I think), served with steamed rice. Delicious, and served in very generous portion.

There is a lot more on the menu that I would like to try, including the squash curry, made with butternut squash, bamboo shoots, peppers, onions and coconut red curry sauce, available with beef or chicken ($7.50), shrimp ($8.50), or a combination of shrimp, squid and scallops for $10.50. The whole fried tilapia with sweet pepper curry sauce ($10.50) also sounds promising. A friend reports that when she ordered the kow poon, a Hmong/ Laotian dish made with shredded chicken, bamboo shoots, red curry and lemongrass, the broth was delicious, but she couldn't find any actual chicken in the dish. Still might be worth a try, but I would ask about the chicken first.

Otherwise, the menu offers a variety of familiar southeast Asian dishes - Vietnamese pho (beef noodle soup), plus variations with seafood and crispy pork belly ($5.50-$7.95); pad Thai ($7.50-$10.50); green papaya salad ($5.95 / $8.50 with beef jerky), and a variety of stir-fried noodle and fried rice dishes.

Red Pepper Cafe, 864 University Ave., St. Paul, 651-292-8800. Closed Sundays.

Six Buck Hank?

Henry Chan at Giapponese Sushi in Woodbury is starting a new promotion this Sunday: selected wines for $6 a bottle. Here's the fine print: the offer is open to everybody on Sundays, and to people in the hospitality industry on Tuesdays. As soon as the outdoor patio is open - Chan says that'll be a couple of weeks - the offer will be good on the patio every day.

Don't expect Chateauneuf-du-Pape at these prices - the labels are trustworthy old cheapies like Oxford Landing Chardonnay and Shiraz, Penascal Sauvignon Blanc, Stella Pinot Grigio; and Shiraz, Riesling, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from from Banrock Station, an Australian winery that donates a share of its proceeds to environmental causes. Still, a great deal.

What Would Gandhi Do?

Coming Tuesday to 27^th and E. Lake: Gandhi Mahal, a new Indian restaurant, next door to Midori's Floating World. The menu seems to be pretty much the standard north Indian repertoire, but owner Rahman Arshad - whose family also owns the Little Taj Mahal in Dinkytown, and several Indian restaurants in New York City - is promising some unusual touches, including a lassi bar, serving several flavors of the traditional yogurt beverage, plus a tapas-like assortment of Indian finger foods. A lunch $9.99 lunch buffet will be offered daily, and eventually, live music on weekends.