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

Related Content

• Heures Joyeuses Chez Vincent

Carol and I got really lucky last night. We were on our way back to the Cities from visiting her folks on the farm, not too far from Decorah, when we decided to stop for dinner in Rochester. I wanted to check out Söntés, the new tapas bar and restaurant at 4 3rd St. SW, 507-292-1628. The lucky part was, ordinarily, Söntés isn’t open on Sundays, but they made an exception for Mothers Day. And the food itself was really delightful. We had been munching Fritos all the way from Protivin, so we didn’t order a lot – just a salad and a few of the small tapas plates.

Each of the dishes we sampled was a playful and imaginative combination of flavors – a salad of cherry tomatoes, green grapes, cherry tomatoes, watermelon balls, watermelon gelee, olive oil and black volcano salt ($7.50); a plate of fresh sashimi of New Zealand grouper, served with a light avocado mouse, ponzu jelly and just a dab of wasabi ($9); three succulent diver scallops in a savory chocolate sauce, served over caramelized shallots and topped with shreds of sliced fennel ($12), and a light and refreshing salad of squid, tossed with marinated fennel, sections of fresh orange, smoky Spanish chorizo and Arbaquena olives ($6). Presentation was artful without being fussy, and service was prompt and friendly.

There is a lot more on the menu I would like to try: thin-crust Neapolitan pies (i.e., pizzas) topped with everything from organic chicken tikka masala to grilled pears, Serrano ham and goat cheese ($12-$15); entrée-sized shared plates such as slow-roasted Scottish salmon with wild ramps and fennel ($22) and an impressive list of artisan cheeses.

Ordinarily, we don’t dine out much in Iowa, because my mother-in-law, Elmarie, is such a great cook, but yesterday being Mothers’ Day, she agreed to let us take her out to brunch at the Dayton House Café, 516 W. Water St., Decorah, 563-382-9683. It’s a charming little storefront next door to the Vesterheim Norwegian Heritage Museum, with a Sunday brunch is a la carte, with everything $8 or less. I had the mothers’ day special, a savory seafood strata, but got to nibble a bit on some of the other specials – a Nordic interpretation of eggs Benedict, made with seared salmon and poached eggs, topped with a lemon dill sauce ($8), and some simple but delicious ricotta pancakes, served with lingonberry sauce. I would love to go back sometime and sample the dinner menu (served Wednesdays through Saturdays) – the focus is on seafood, with offerings like a seafood martini ($7), cod and clams in a butter sauce ($15), and a fresh fish of the day. The lunch menu has a few Norwegian specialties – open-face smorbrod sandwiches, varme polser (hot dogs wrapped in lefse), and several Norwegian desserts: krumkake, rommegrot (cream pudding) and sandbakkels (shortbread filled with whipped cream and berries.) No wine or beer, but guests are allowed to bring their own bottle, for a small corkage fee.

There is one other restaurant in Decorah I would love to try, if Elmarie ever decides to take a Saturday night off. With a 200 bottle wine list, and entrees like grilled Iowa pork chops with a spicy peach and corn salsa ($21) and bacon-wrapped pheasant with lingonberry, leek and smoked bacon sauce ($24), Rubaiyat, 117 W. Water St., 563-382-9463, has to rank as the most ambitious restaurant in Northeastern Iowa.