Saturday, May 31, 2014

Tin Whiskers Brewery

Where is the best place to celebrate a birthday?  Or on the other hand, what is the best way to celebrate the opening of your new brewery?  Let my sister host her 25th birthday party with 50 of her closest friends at your brewery, of course! I'm not sure if the brewery got the better deal or my sister and her guests.  Either way, check this out!



Last night we invaded the new brewery in St. Paul - Tin Whiskers.  They have a really cool industrial space right off Robert St. in downtown.  The beer was really good.  My husband had the stout on Nitro tap.  So smooth and creamy.  I had the wheat which is brewed with chamomile tea.  I loved the creativity in the beers and wonderful flavors.  It's nice the see the beer scene grow in St. Paul.  Hang out at Tin Whiskers, order pizza from Black Sheep next door, and play some cards or a board game. 


Friday, May 30, 2014

Carver Lake

This is for sure one of my happy spots.  I can not tell you how thrilled I was to learn that there was a beach near my house complete with umbrellas, restrooms, charcoal grills, and a volleyball net. What I am most thankful for is that the beach faces west so I can still head over after work and catch some rays.  Carver Lake is quite small - too small for motorized water craft, but the beach provides a wonderful place to lay out, read, nap, picnic.  I go as much as I can in the summer.  There's just something about being on the sand near water on a hot day that boosts my mood. 

Here is the walk down to the beach.






Thursday, May 29, 2014

W.A. Frost & Co.

Finally, summer has settled its beautiful self upon Minnesota.  For the next 3 1/2 months, I will have a one-track mind focused on how I can maximize my time spent outside - laying out, going to the driving range, motorcycle rides, picnics, running, boating, kayaking, rooftops/patios, rollerblading, riding bike, walks.

Yesterday's focus was finding an epic patio for a dinner out with some friends as it was a completely glorious day.  We settled on W.A. Frost & Co. on Selby and Western in St. Paul.  Oh my goodness.  The patio did not disappoint.  It is basically a huge garden complete with trees, flowers, tables, couches, firepits, lights, and a bar.  This is for sure the best patio I've ever been to.  Check out the view!!








I suggest making reservations for the patio; it gets busy!!  They do also take walk-ins in the outdoor bar area. 

We did have good food, but I was there for the patio :P

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Steel Toe Brewing

I am on a quest to visit every brewery in the Metro area.  Possibly the state of Minnesota.  We'll see. 

Steel Toe is located in St. Louis Park.  I was really impressed with their variety of beers.  I had already had the dark beer - Dissent - from a bottle, but on tap it was perfection.  We ordered a flight to try all six beers, but the stand-out for me was the Sommer Vice.  Perfect light summer beer, probably a Hefeweizen style.  They also have a sweet selection of Steel Toe merchandise to purchase. 


Bad Waitress

I remember riding the bus down Nicollet Avenue on my way to the UofM campus when I was in school.  We'd go right through Eat Street but somehow it never occurred to me to get out and try the restaurants I passed by every day.  So it's been fun to get more familiar with that area now.  On Monday we needed a brunch location so we decided on Bad Waitress.  After having eaten there, I totally get why it's called that.  You don't really have a waitress.  They seat you, you decide on your meal, you get up and stand in line to order and pay at the cash register, they bring your food and whatever drink you ordered, and then they  really have no further interaction with you.  So like a fast food business model with organic, local, tasty food.  Odd. 

First of all, I love that Bad Waitress has outdoor seating, retractable walls for the open-air atmosphere, and tons of windows. 

I ordered a wrap.  It was huge.  I ended up just eating all the insides with my fork.  It sure was tasty, but so very big.  I was impressed with the creative menu items.  One that stood out to me was a zucchini pancake.  They also had a bunch of different egg dishes - omelets, scrambles, breakfast burritos, and eggs benedict.  Delish.


Monday, May 26, 2014

Amore Victoria

Six years.  That's how long I've had the pleasure of being married to mi amore.  We celebrate our anniversary by riding the motorcycle to Uptown, taking a stroll by Lake Calhoun, having dinner at Amore Victoria, and having dessert at the St. Paul Hotel.  It was a wonderful date night.

We had never been to Amore Victoria and when I found a living social deal for it, I thought that would be the perfect anniversary dinner.  The deal included a bottle of wine, appetizer, two salads, and two entrees.  I couldn't believe it!  What a great deal!  Unfortunately we couldn't sit on the rooftop with the deal, but they do have a nice rooftop dining area with a view of Uptown and Lake Calhoun.

We chose the Nightfall Pinot Noir which we both really liked.  It was a lighter body pinot - perfect for a warm summer day. 



We chose the fried calamari for the appetizer.  I am just obsessed with sea food right now.  Except when it is in the shape of an octopus... I humored him anyway and ate it without a fuss.  I don't think either one of us appreciated legs and tentacles in our mouths though.



I had this wonderful creation as my salad...oh my goodness.  Whatever dressing the drizzled on it was amazing.



My husband had a spinach salad with nuts and fruit and a raspberry dressing.

I had the shrimp/clam/veggie dinner.



My husband had the veal piccata which wasn't that impressive, unfortunately.  The veal was tough and not the right consistency.



I always really enjoy different and creative menu items and Amore does have that while staying within the confines of traditional Italian cooking.  We do like to go out to an upscale dinner on birthdays and anniversaries, but our favorite places tend to be the hipster/avant garde places.


Sunday, May 25, 2014

Orlando

I spent this past week in Orlando for a work conference.  Minnesota hadn't hit 80 degrees yet so I was happy to fly south to experience some actual heat and powerful rays.  The conference was located at the Marriott World Resort in Orlando and I actually didn't leave the complex during the week.  It was vast and had everything there that I needed for my stay.  The resort is located quite close to Disney World, making it a perfect place for families to stay.  It also has tons of space dedicated to ballrooms and meeting rooms, making it perfect for business conventions.  During my stay there, I enjoyed laying out by the huge pool, running around the beautiful golf course, eating at the outdoor restaurant by the pool, eating Hibachi at Mikado, working out in the large fitness center, and sitting out on the terrace by one of the many fire pits at night.  The resort also has several other restaurants, a few water slides, bean bag toss, ping pong, Starbucks, and a little convenience store.  And it has palm trees.  They make me happy.  The service was wonderful.  I would love to go back to explore Orlando and stay at this resort again.  I should have taken more pictures of the resort, it really was a wonderful place to stay.







Here I was reading at the outdoor restaurant.  You can see the firepit in the background.  These are scattered all over the area and just make for a fun atmosphere.




Happy Gnome

We set out with the following goals:  enjoy a motorcycle ride, find a good Sunday brunch, and eat out on the patio.  We succeeded and it was perfect.  Last Sunday my brother took me on a ride and we ended up at Happy Gnome which happens to have an amazing brunch, bloody mary bar, and sunny patio.  He loves the sun and warm weather as much as I do so I'm very glad we were able to do this together.  We had a wonderful time together and thoroughly enjoyed the first signs of summer.  And the food was seriously amazing as well.

The Bloody Mary Bar








The Food (fried veggie eggs benedict and below is prosciutto eggs benedict with pesto hollandaise)




The Bloody Mary

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Brit's Pub

I get a kick out of Minnesotans.  Most of us hibernate all winter, only going outside when it is absolutely necessary, bundling up to the point of being unrecognizable.  Then at the first sign of summer, the first nice day, everyone flocks to the nearest patio for brunch, lunch, dinner, drinks.  Well I joined in the fun last Saturday.  Our venue of choice - Brit's Pub in downtown Minneapolis.  Brit's has one of the best rooftops in the city.  The English pub's rooftop has plenty of room for many patrons, a lawn bowling turf, and a big screen.  We just enjoyed the weather and some drinks for a few hours.  It was wonderful.  At some point I need to play lawn bowling (basically bocce ball).  Maybe I'll hit the quad-fecta and have a drink on the rooftop while playing lawn bowling and watching the World Cup soccer game on the big screen on a warm summer night...

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Shrimp!

Okay, I jumped on the shrimp bandwagon.  In fact, I'm probably driving shrimp bandwagon at this point.  I've always liked breaded shrimp but never knew that I liked plain shrimp.  Shrimp is packed with antioxidants, vitamins D and B12, anti-inflamatories, and omega 3 fatty acids.  Also, a small shrimp only has 5 calories (jaw drops).  Last night I made this dish and it was the perfect dinner.  Kept me full but not stuffed, included a variety of nutrients, and was low calorie.  Best thing of all, it was super quick!  I like to keep a big tupperware of diced veggies in the fridge at all times so I just sauteed the ingredients in about 3 minutes.



Ingredients:

  • 20 small shrimp
  • variety of peppers and onion
  • rice
  • curry
  • cayenne pepper
  • salt
1.  Saute everything in a little olive oil!
2.  Squeeze some fresh lime over the plated food and cut up some avocado for the top if desired.


Friday, May 16, 2014

Sho Gun

Sushi club strikes again!  We're running out of sushi places to try in the southeast suburbs and had to venture a little further away from work to get our fix.  We made the trek to Sho Gun in Burnsville and loooooved it.  My eyes rolled to the back of my head in enjoyment.

I ordered the "Sho Gun" roll which was packed with avocado, shrimp tempura, salmon, eel, and spicy mayo.  Oh my goodness.



Another club member ordered the Snow Mountain roll which had avocado, shrimp tempura, mango lobster salad, and mango sauce.  That was really good and sweet.  This one is perfect for sharing since the taste is so specific.



The other club member ordered the Cowboy Roll which is avocado and shrimp tempura wrapped in filet mignon, scallion, tobiko, eel sauce, wasabi yuzu, and spicy mayo.

So much fun.  So many amazing rolls.

I also want to give a shout out to the shrimp and fried rice.  Whoa.  I took a bite of this dish and it was amazing.  It has actually started a new obsession of mine - SHRIMP!!!!


Thursday, May 15, 2014

Breakfast Pizza

I was in a weird mood and couldn't decide what to have for dinner.  I knew it had to include veggies.  I didn't have any meat in the fridge to make and I am sooooo over grocery shopping this week.  And so my breakfast pizza was born.



Ingredients:

  • various peppers
  • onion
  • cheese
  • gluten-free flatbread or tortilla
  • avocado
  • spinach
  • eggs!
  • salt
  • curry
1.  Sprinkle a little cheese on the tortilla and broil
2.  Saute peppers, onion, spinach and season with curry and salt
3.  Add eggs to the veggies in the pan after the veggies are cooked.  I like mine sunny side up and quite runny which is perfect for the pizza since I didn't use any sauce.  The runny eggs made the pizza nice and gooey.
4.  Spread veggie mixture onto the flatbread
5.  Cut up avocado and sprinkle slices on top

Seriously delicious.


Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Mason Jar

After working at the same place for five years, the lunch options get a little tapped out.  Thankfully, a new restaurant opened up in our vicinity.  I consider Mason Jar to be more of a lunch place - the menu features a lot of soups, salads, and sandwiches.  However, they do  have pizza and a few other entrees and are open for dinner.  I opted for the soup and salad which I really enjoyed.  The salad was super healthy - nothing but veggies - and the accompanying balsamic vinaigrette was a perfect compliment.  I also had the beef and barley soup which was delicious as well.  One of my friends had the mac and cheese which was just okay.  But he was wanting to compare it to Capital Grille's lobster mac and cheese.  Common.  Of course Capital Grille wins that match up.  When not comparing it to world-class mac and cheese, I'm sure it was fine.  :)  My other friend ordered the turkey sandwich which seems pretty run of the mill, but she said it really stood out as far as sandwiches go.  Mason Jar actually had a really good selection of teas which was nice.  I had the rhubarb oolong which I really enjoyed.  They also have beer, wine, and a full bar. 

Mason Jar just happens to share a space with Cupcake.  <sigh> I was able to hold out as their gluten free selection was quite small, but they have a huge variety of cupcakes and all of them looked completely wonderful.  Maybe after Grandma's half marathon in June I'll indulge in one. 


  

Four Daughters Winery

Four Daughters Winery & Vineyard, located southeast of the Rochester/Stewartville area, is definitely one of my favorites.  Both for the ambiance and for the wines that they produce.  They have a nice mix of white and red wines; most of them tend toward the sweeter side of the spectrum.  I do prefer sweeter wines in the summer months, so it was perfect to stop at Four Daughters on Sunday and stock up a little bit.  My favorite of their wines are the Frontenac Gris and the Sparkling Pinot Noir, but they have many other delicious styles.  Very crisp flavor, very refreshing.  You can do a wine tasting for $5, which I highly recommend.  For a small extra fee, you can also try their dessert wine which comes in a chocolate shot glass.  The wines are excellent, but the tasting room and grounds round out the experience with beautiful modern architecture, a patio overlooking the vineyard, and plenty of space for patrons to sip wine and visit.  They even do special four course dinners with wine pairings on Thursday nights for $55.  I'm hoping to try this at some point this year. 

Cheers!


Monday, May 12, 2014

Glockenspiel

Saturday night's festivities also brought us to Glockenspiel, a small German beer hall on West 7th in St. Paul.  Love this place!  They had several German beers in stock that I hadn't heard of before.  My brother-in-law ordered the Baltika Porter #6 which was unlike any porter I've had.  It was very malty, dark, and delicious.  My husband ordered a Ciderboys hard cider because it was on tap.  Everything is so much better on tap.  He may have also added a shot of Fireball Whiskey (cinnamon whiskey) to the cider to experience what we consider to be liquid apple pie.  Absolutely delicious.  I ordered a bottle of Sam Smith organic cider which was also very good.  We were also a little hungry so we ordered the pork schnitzel and my sister/bro-in-law ordered the pulled pork sandwich which was served in a pretzel bun.  It was quiet when we walked in, but about 15 minutes later, the several people emptied out of a shuttle bus and came inside.  Apparently the shuttle runs between O'Garas and Shamrock, shuttling patrons from one bar to the other.  The party ordered "the boot" which is a glass in the shape and size of a boot that is full of beer.  They downed that and took off.  I would definitely go back.


Prost!

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Summit Brewery

Summit Brewery in St. Paul is probably one of the first breweries I had ever visited.  I enjoyed their beer a lot, but haven't been back as I wanted to keep trying other breweries in the area.  Last night my husband, sister, and brother in law ended up there again and I'm really glad we did.  I had forgotten how much I enjoy their beer.  We grabbed some tacos from the food truck, grabbed some beer, and commenced with quite an enjoyable night out.  I like that they have a variety of sizes of glasses for taste-testing.  You can get just one 7 oz glass ($2) , a pint ($4), or a flight of 4 7oz glasses ($7).  We ended up trying all the beers last night - Saga, Extra Pale Ale, Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Summer Ale, Pilsner, and the Red Ale.  My favorites were definitely the Oatmeal, Porter, and Summer.  Their tap room is open Fridays and Saturdays.  They have trivia on certain nights, food trucks, a patio, and a beer hall which is makes it a great place to hang out for the evening.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Devil's Advocate

Brunch.  Bloody Marys.  Need I say more?  Devil's Advocate in downtown Minneapolis was the perfect place for us to enjoy brunch and a drink after a tough yoga class.  They have a few options for Bloody Marys, but I just went with the original.  I couldn't believe all the garnishes!  Lime, lemon, cheese, sausage, olives, cocktail shrimp, pearl onion, peppers.  Oh, and the snit was 7 oz bottle of Coors! What a great deal for $9!  I think this was only my second Bloody Mary experience, but it was delightful.  My husband ordered the mimosa which was also good.  At only $3, they are a steal!



My husband ordered the toffee sticky bun french toast which did not surprise me.  He is on his own mission to find the best french toast in the city.  He did really like this one, but swears the best is Highland Grill in St. Paul.



This blog has actually inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and order foods I may not normally get.  Like after I saw how ginormous my Bloody Mary was, I kind of just wanted to order one egg for breakfast.  But we had the livingsocial deal and had to hit the $40 quota and I wanted to write about something a little more interesting than an egg so I ordered the crab cake eggs benedict.  Wow.  Interesting combo, but so very very good.  It was so good I ate more than I should have.  Left most the english muffin, but devoured everything else - crab cake, eggs, hollandaise sauce served with grapes and breakfast potatoes as sides.



We are so going back.  Prices are really reasonable and I can't wait to try more of their menu items and dig into their extensive tap list.


Friday, May 9, 2014

The Nook

Well last night definitely didn't go as planned.  My husband and I were supposed to run the Medtronic 1 Mile race in downtown Minneapolis.  I was going to prove to him once and for all that I have enough fast-twitch muscles to rip off a sub 6 minute mile.  Since the race was cancelled due to the city being under a tornado watch, we had to devise alternate plans for food and entertainment for the evening.    Let me just say, I don't deal with change very well, especially when I'm all amped for a race and then don't get to run it.  It's like not hitting the golf ball after a hard swing - it's physically uncomfortable and  terribly unsatisfying.  But, my brother happened to be in town for work so we decided to take him out to dinner.  I had all this pent up energy and anxiety for the race so I decided the best way to relax would be with a burger and beer.  Completely the opposite of running a race and eating a chicken breast and veggies afterward.  Bah.   Now if I'm going to eat a burger, it's going to be worth it.  I want the best burger I can find.  The Nook was featured in Diners Drive-ins & Dives and has a cult following in the Cities so we settled on that. 

I had the bourbon bacon burger and it was seriously worth the calories.  So amazing.  The fries and coleslaw were also good.  My brother got a Guinness milk shake which was also really good, despite the ice cream just being soft serve.  The Nook has quite the interesting layout - bar/small dining area at ground level and then a bowling alley and additional dining area in the basement.  Not at all the most fancy atmosphere; I'm thinking it fell more into the "dive" category, but my burger really was fantastic. 







We ended the night by watching the last two episodes of season 3 of Game of Thrones.  To bring the day full-circle, let's just say I was able to use up the rest of my energy and anxiety.  WTF

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Shout House



It’s amazing how many restaurants and venues I have yet to check out despite having lived in the city for five years.  The Shout House in downtown Minneapolis was one of those staples on our bucket list, and we finally spent an evening there last Thursday.  So we picked the non-traditional Thursday night out because there was no cover charge and we thought it wouldn’t be quite as busy.  The Shout House is a dueling piano bar so I was excited to hear some good music and have some drinks.  It was actually quite different than I expected.  First of all, the pianists didn’t duel, they played all the songs together.  They were fantastic musicians, though.  The other unexpected result of going on a Thursday night was that 90% of the people there were over the age of 45 (we aren’t quite there yet).  I normally wouldn’t think anything of it, but the age gap became a little obvious when some of them were drunk and grinding on each other on the dance floor.  After my sister’s bachelorette party at Whiskey Park last year, I decided I’m too old and introverted for all that jazz.  I guess I was expecting the pianists to be the show, but it turns out that everyone out on the dance floor is the show.  I’m glad we checked it out and did something new, but being the wallflowers that we are, it wasn’t quite our scene. 

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Protein Shake

Need more ideas for breakfast or a post-workout shot of protein?  Here is the recipe for my go-to protein shake:

1.5 cups of almond milk
2 tablespoons PB2 (powdered peanut butter, but almond butter or regular peanut butter is good too)
1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 scoops Aria protein powder
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp ginger
1tsp vanilla
1/3 tsp maca powder
1 frozen banana
few ice cubes

Well that seems to reach the cap on nutrients that you can incorporate and protein that you can digest at one time without compromising the taste or consistency of the protein shake. 

This shake is about 300 calories and 18 grams of protein making it a perfect pre or post workout meal. 


Monday, May 5, 2014

Eagle Street Pub & Grille

I've been to this restaurant several times; I guess it's one of my staples when I'm in St. Paul.  Located right on West 7th by the Xcel Energy Center makes it the perfect location for a drink or burger before attending an event at Xcel.  (I'm guessing it'll be packed prior to Tuesday and Friday's hockey games.  Go Wild!!) It's a huge restaurant with a nice patio, great burgers and sandwiches, really reasonable prices, and a decent tap list.  My dad was in town for a quick trip so I brought him here and he really enjoyed it.  It's also a great pit stop while riding along the river in St. Paul. 

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Cinco de Mayo!

Need some ideas for celebrating Cinco de Mayo?  Mexican food is among my faves.  I think I like how it can be simple and complex at the same time.  Most of the dishes use all the same ingredients, but they can be whipped up into so many different recipes.  Cheese, avocado, meat, peppers, spinach, black beans, corn, salsa, tortillas, chips - mix and match and combine ingredients to create so many fun creations.  The following are some of my favorite recipes. 





Mango Salsa

  • Mango
  • Peppers
  • Tomato
  • Jalapeno
  • onion
  • garlic powder
  • salt
  • cilantro
  • lime juice
  • apple cider vinegar
Whip up all ingredients in a food processor.  So easy.

Guacamole
  • Avocados
  • lime juice
  • sea salt
  • tomatoes
  • tequila (secret ingredient)
  • cilantro
  • jalapeno
  • worchestershire sauce
Whip these up for a fantastic guacamole which is the perfect appetizer or can be incorporated into a meal!

Margarita
  • fresh lime juice
  • agave nectar
  • triple sec
  • tequila
  • ice
Throw these in a blender or just serve over the rocks.  For a little twist, add frozen mango, strawberries, or pineapple as well.  You can also pour some light beer into the margarita to create the beloved beer-garita.

Infused Hard Cider
  • Place a lime, poblano pepper, and pineapple slice in to a glass and pour a dry, hard cider over them.  Let it marinate for a little while and enjoy the new flavors!
Steak
  • Dry rub steaks with salt and cajun seasoning
  • Marinate in beer for a few hours (marinating in beer prior to grilling will significantly reduce the risk of cancer caused by char/carbon)
  • Grill steaks by searing the outsides and slow roasting them on a lesser heat or the top rack until fully cooked
  • Add steak to your favorite dish

May Day 5K

First race of the season! I think this is the third time I've done this race.  It's located each year in Inver Grove Heights on the first Saturday in May.  My brother in law is from IGH and runs it almost every year so it's usually on my radar.  In celebration of finally seeing the sun yesterday, I ran the race with him.  Doing a race is really one of my favorite ways to start the day - workout is done for the day, your mind is engaged and energized for the day.  It's a smaller race - probably about 200 runners and walkers.  My brother in law won the race and I got 2nd in the womens division!!!  I guess that's also a good way to start the day - winning stuff :)


Sociable Cider Werks

I have to give another shout out to Sociable Cider Werks.  Their creativity is really striking my fancy.  They've been playing with some delicious infusions in their Free Wheeler cider such as cucumber habenero, pineapple poblano, and rhubarb berry.  I'm not kidding, I've been stalking their facebook page several times every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (the days they are open) to see what new infusion they are up to next so I can plan my next visit.  I LOVE hard cider and I LOVE Sociable.  This will definitely be a summer staple and the perfect motorcycle ride destination.


Friday, May 2, 2014

Porter & Frye

These were tasty!!!  My husband, sister and I met for happy hour at Porter & Frye, an upscale restaurant in downtown Minneapolis yesterday.  It's a little off the beaten path, located on 11th Street and 2nd Avenue.  Again, my strategy is always to check out expensive restaurants for happy hour so I can get a feel for their menu without having to spend so much money.

Porter & Frye definitely has some fun menu options and good deals for happy hour.  We chose the lamb sliders, sweet potato fries, and BBQ chicken sliders.  They also had asparagus bruschetta, calamari, and duck quesadilla on the menu.  Happy hour runs from 4-6 and they have rails for $5, glasses of wine for $6, and appetizers for $5.  I was also happy with my gin and tonic and my husband's long island ice tea.  Both had some strength to them which is often missing in happy hour rail deals.