Two
George Cheng: I was going through the Michelin Guide to see where we should go next. That’s how we found our way to Two, just off the I-94 highway. The interior decor was very rustic and dim. The restaurant was divided into two sections. The section by the entrance was set for larger parties, the second section in the back, for parties of four or less it seemed. Now on to the food. It has been described as New American cuisine.
Alex Wen: New American has always been a category that’s difficult to pin down. Like America, its inspirations come from various sources--some completely divergent, resulting in a cuisine that’s constantly straddling the line between the familiar and the experimental.
GC: We ordered 6 dishes plus one dessert. The first dish served was the Duck Egg Fettuccine, which was delicious. It was basically buttered noodles, but the butter was duck fat. Surprisingly it did not feel too heavy to eat. The scallions sprinkled in helped freshen the overall taste. The duck meat was very tender and flavorful. What did you think about it, Alex?
AW: The Duck Egg Fettuccine was my favorite dish. It tastes like a paradox, the strong aroma of the fatty duck gives way to reveal light, slippery noodles. We also got the Lamb Shank. As with all the meats here, they were cooked to perfection: tender and chewy, but it never grew tiresome. At the same time, there was little that made it really stand out, a disappointment among the sea of strong scents and punchy flavors.
GC: The Lamb Shank was good but didn’t feel that spectacular. I would say the butternut squash bisque was the highlight of the dish for me. Dipping the lamb into the bisque enhanced the savoriness of the lamb.
GC: Our next dish was Brussel Sprouts. My initial thoughts on this dish was that it was very light but the flavor was very deep. Some of the brussel sprouts were very tender, while others felt tougher, like the crunchiness of raw lettuce.
AW: The Brussel Sprouts were a nice change of pace from the meat-heavy dishes we were having. I found the flavors rich and tasty, but it lost some of its appeal once I got through a few sprouts.
GC: Our second lamb dish came, it was a tenderloin cut. It tasted very similar to the Chinese Char Siu BBQ duck. So it might have been that flavor that confused me to thinking that it was duck at first. For a good 10 min we thought we were eating duck until we finally asked our server. There was also a root mixed in. They told us it was called sanchouse, but I can’t find anything about it. The texture reminded me of lotus root. It had a crisp to it, but did not carry a lot of flavor.
AW: The root was certainly new for me. It was mostly flavorless, and a bit plain, but made a good compliment to the Tenderloin. There wasn’t a strong scent of lamb, and I think that contributed to why it resembled duck. While it tasted good, it couldn’t compare with the actual duck we had.
GC: I was impressed with the duck special. It had dollops of raspberry sauce around sliced duck breast. Duck isn’t the usual poultry that we eat on a daily basis, I feel like I am easily impressed with the flavor. But while this duck seemed very simple, each bite delivered a flavorful punch.
AW: We followed it up with walleye. The fish was delicious: crisp and flavorful. The bones were still in, a minor hassle, but at least a sign that it’s fresh. It came in a fennel puree that just didn’t quite connect with me.
GC: To me the fish tasted very fresh and tender. The fish flavor was enhanced by the chanterelle mushrooms. The fennel puree had a unique taste especially with parsley oil dripped in, but I wasn’t really feeling the combination of the puree with the walleye.
AW: Two! It’s a bit pricey, but I like it. They strike a good balance between delivering very solid traditional meat cuts with a few curveball ingredients and spices.
GC: Overall, I really enjoyed my time at Two. There wasn’t anything in particular that stood out to me other than having very well made duck dishes.
4 out of 5 rocket ships.







