Barrio

Mexican food.  On a patio.  Margaritas.  Friends.  I could just leave it at that. 

But I won't.  Here are the pics from an amazing happy hour!

You have to start with the fresh chips and guacamole.  I got a big smile on my face when I saw the avocado chunks in the guacamole.  I like it chunky and fresh. 

The happy hour menu is extensive so my husband and friend and I decided just to order a bunch of the appetizers as our dinner.  The prices are really good and the portions are large for the price. 

Pork Carnitas Taco (one of my faves of the night and you get two per plate) $3

Chicken and Black Bean Tostada $4

Spicy Habanero Chicken Tamal $2

Dos Equis Battered Mahi Mahi Taco (also get two per plate) $3

Barbecue Pork Sopes (definitely my favorite of the night) $6

Barrio is also gifted at crafting the perfect margarita.  They have the traditional margarita on the happy hour menu for $5.  I also ordered the Mama Cita which was amazing.  I've also tried the Cesar Chavez during another visit and that one is quite tasty as well.  There are many other variations to choose from that contain fun ingredients like hibiscus flower and blood orange.  Another drink on the happy hour menu is the Maestro Dobel Shot which is a shot of top shelf tequila.  My husband ordered it and it was a wonderfully smooth, citrusy tequila.  I usually wouldn't sip tequila, but this was just delightful.  Barrio is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in the city.  The Minneapolis location is right on "happy hour row" on Nicollet Ave.  They have a wonderful patio space as well as an open air feel in the restaurant.  The St. Paul location right by Mears Park in Lowertown also has patio space and an open air feel.  Love.

Truman Days

I grew up in the very small town of Truman, MN.  Each summer on the last weekend in July, the town holds a celebration called Truman Days.  Each year, my siblings and I as well as our significant others and friends descend upon my parents' house and engage in Truman Days activities and shenanigans. 

Motorcycle Ride In
This year Truman Days commenced with the motorcycle ride in.  My husband, brother, and my brother's girlfriend rode their motorcycles into town.   When they got into town, we went on a motorcycle ride through the countryside and had a drink at the Channel Inn in Fairmont, a small bar and grill right on the lake.  My brother-in-law and his friend rode into town on their motorcycles a few hours later.

Softball
I would say the men's softball tournament is kind of the main event that brings everyone home each year for Truman Days.  About 16 teams enter the tournament which is played throughout the entire weekend.  Softball games kind of set the schedule for the rest of the weekend.  My brothers and their friends form a team each year so we spend time at the softball field cheering them on.  This year they had an odd schedule and didn't play until Saturday evening at 9 and then played again at 8 in the morning on Sunday.  That was not idea, but still fun. 

5K Race
The Truman Days 5K is my biggest commitment of the weekend.  I started this race in 2007 and it has been going strong ever since!  My family and other volunteers have been so wonderful to help me plan, organize, and facilitate the race.  We try and get as much done in advance, but Friday is usually quite busy with purchasing last minute supplies, marking the course, stuffing bags with t-shirts and bibs for those that pre-registered, and packing up the truck with all of the supplies.  On Saturday morning I get up super early and set up the finish line, set up the registration area, and handle race day registration.  Then we are bussed to the start line and the race commences.  We had 83 runners this year and everyone had a great time.  We provided chocolate milk, water, pretzels, almonds, and apple sauce at the finish, took pictures of each person finishing, handed out medals to each age group winner, and did a prize drawing.  It's always a little stressful to pull everything together and gamble with the weather, but so rewarding to see everyone enjoying the event. I then manage a facebook page "Truman Days 5K" where I post results and pictures of the event.

Yard Games
As people trickle in on Friday night as well as after the 5K and before softball, everyone just hangs out and plays yard games.  We have a keg of beer and a nice deck and lawn so hanging out outside on a nice day is a highlight of the weekend in and of itself.  We had really nice weather on Saturday and enjoyed playing bean bag toss and fris-beer.  I was so relaxed and really enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with family and friends.  Another benefit of my parents' house is that it is located in the center of town.  One block from the pool, one block from the race finish line, one block from the park, two blocks from the street dance,  four blocks from the softball field, and right on the parade route.  A bunch of people stop by to hang out at our house.  There are six years between me (the oldest) and my brother (the youngest) so we collectively know a bunch of people.  It's so fun to catch up with everyone; a lot of these people I only see once a year. 

Parade
Truman is serious about its parade.  I am pretty sure there are more people in the parade than people that live in the city.  It generally lasts two hours (which is entirely too long), but parts of it are entertaining.  We always have a few drum lines and bands, all of the local businesses, a farmer herding his ducks (what!?).  Since it goes right by our house we always watch at least most of it. 

In general, it was another wonderful Truman Days.  Quality time with family; quality time with friends; quality time with the sun.  I love that Truman alum make Truman Days a priority each year.  It's such a huge homecoming event that is undoubtedly more fun as more people participate.  I don't think I could live in a small town again, but on Truman Days weekend, I truly appreciate and embrace the slower pace, simplicity, and novelty of knowing everybody in town.  I want to thank my parents again for hosting about 20 people at their house, providing food, and letting us just do whatever and have an amazing time. 

Torchlight 5K

The Torchlight 5K is hands down one of the most fun 5K races in the Metro.  The 5K kicks off the Torchlight parade that runs down Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis, which is part of the Aquatennial celebration.  The 5K starts at the Basilica of St. Mary, continues down Hennepin to Washington Ave and then cuts over to the Stone Arch Bridge.  The race finishes on St. Anthony Main.  The 5K is fun in and of itself as there are crowds cheering you on the length of the race.  Plus it is so beautiful running through downtown and across the Stone Arch Bridge.

But after the 5K is when the fun really starts.  First of all there is the finish line swag.  By far the best mix of post-race snacks I've experienced - fruit snacks, pretzels, energy drinks, water, salted nut rolls, rice crispy bars, apples, and ice cream treats.  Top notch.  Check out our loot below. 

But that's not all!!!  You also get two drink tickets each attached to your race bib that can be redeemed for Miller Lite.  I usually don't gravitate toward Miller Lite, but when you finish a race in hot weather, it's pretty much the most perfect beer for the occasion.  My husband and brother-in-law and I ran the race and then two friends joined up with us after the race for the festivities.

                                                                                 
While you enjoy your beer, you can also enjoy the band and visit booths of various vendors for more free stuff.  You can also enjoy the view of the city and watch the sky line change from dusk to night time. 

You might also see famous people!  My brother in law recognized Tom Hauser and Brad Sattin from KSTP Channel 5 news.  Very cool.











I highly recommend the Torchlight 5K.  So much fun every year.  Even if it's hot outside.  If you are a Lifetime Fitness or REI member, you get a discount by signing up at those locations.

I forgot to mention that the Torchlight 5K has THE BEST shirts ever.  The regular shirts are a super comfy and nicely fitted 50/50 cotton poly blend.  If you sign up before March, you have the option of a nice tech shirt instead.

Masa

Yesterday was such a beautiful day.  Give me 90 degrees over 70 degrees any day of the week.  I headed into Minneapolis for the monthly family happy hour.  We selected Masa on Nicollet, and I purposely parked several blocks away to enjoy the walk, the weather, and the energy of the city.

We got to Masa early enough to grab a happy hour drink before our reservation for dinner.  I enjoyed a wonderful blood orange margarita.  Best margarita I've had in a long time.  I also tried the 180 which is a skinny margarita.  That was good too, but a bit salty.

We went outside and sat on the patio for dinner.  In a genius move, we combined happy hour and restaurant week festivities.  Restaurant week deals include an appetizer, entree, and dessert. 

My husband ordered the queso which was really good.  I had one of the other appetizers - the tortilla soup which was entirely too salty.  I actually couldn't eat it. 

My husband ordered the beef enchilada which was really good.  Not too much sauce, and not overly filling.  I had the pork tamales which was okay but was more tamale than meat. 

The dessert is where Masa really shined.  The chocolate flan was completely fabulous.  Accompanied by little crunchy chocolate balls and caramel sauce, it was the perfect balance of flavor and texture.  We also shared the tres leche cake which had a lemon creme frosting and pink guava puree. 

I guess this wasn't my favorite restaurant menu, but I would love to go back and order off the regular menu.  They have some wonderfully complex and interesting dishes that I'd love to try. 

Sisyphus Brewery

This one was a sleeper!  I found out about Sisyphus from my sister the same day City Pages ran an article featuring it just a few days ago.  It is conveniently located just a few blocks away from my sister's apartment near Loring Park.  We decided to check it out on Saturday night since we were in the area.

 The taproom is fairly large with two shuffleboard tables and plenty of seating.  They currently have four beers on tap.  They don't serve flights yet, but they are very generous and give a free sample of whatever you would like to try. 

My sister and her husband really enjoyed the Brett IPA.  My husband and I shared the Oatmeal Pale Ale which was really good.  We also tried a sample of the black ale which was my favorite beer of all of them.  I was really surprised to learn that the black ale is not brewed with coffee beans.  Instead, they pour straight up cold press coffee into the black ale.  I've never heard of that.  My brother ordered that and it was interesting.  Probably too coffee forward for me at midnight.  I feel like they have the beer situation down, but they need to beef up their marketing.  I'm sure I'll be back.  I kind of get the small time hippie vibe from them and want to support their business. 

Bauhaus Brewery

It's no secret that I keep a pulse on the local micro brewery scene.  I've recently been following Bauhaus on social media, eager for the taproom to open so I could try their beers.  The taproom finally opened this past Friday, and we were able to go on Saturday to check it out.  As we pulled up to Bauhaus, located just down the street from 612 in Northeast Minneapolis, the enthusiasm continued.  What a gorgeous patio!  I love the lights, they were playing good music, and it was a beautiful evening to be outside. 

We ordered a flight of all the beers on tap; full of excitement.  Unfortunately they didn't quite live up to the hype I had created in my mind.  I did like the stargrazer, but the wagon party and wonderstuff were just okay.  And they were oddly similar to each other despite one being a pilsner and one being an IPA.  I think this place has potential, but I'll probably wait several months before going back.  Give them time to kind of find their groove.

Boating the St. Croix

Boating is for sure one of my favorite past-times.  I love the heat, being on the water, the wind in my hair, and the expectation of just laying out and relaxing.  Somehow it's just so much better than laying out on land.  My brother-in-law's family owns a boat and he was kind enough to take us out yesterday.  Despite the cooler temperature, we had a blast and did see the sun shine for a while.  We launched in Hudson, WI and made our way to Afton.  We continued to cruise down the river and just enjoy this experience.  So relaxing... a perfect way to spend a Saturday!

An added benefit of launching in Hudson is stopping at the liquor store beforehand and getting some Spotted Cow for the journey!!!

Minneapolis Farmers Market

To continue my tour of farmers markets, I decided to target the Minneapolis farmers market on Lyndale Ave.  Whoa.  This place is huge!  Thankfully they have a large parking lot as well as plenty of cheap street parking.  There are a ton of vendors and quite the variety of goods to peruse and purchase!  I met my brother there and we wandered up and down each aisle.  There is a ton of jewelry, clothes, produce, and free samples.  There are also some food vendors selling all kinds of baked goods and coffee.  We ended up buying fruit, hummus, and ultra healthy chocolate.  We really enjoyed the market, but decided it's actually just too big.  I much prefer the Mill City Farmers Market because it's a bit smaller, is more my taste in goods, and I just like the vibe and location more.

We were pretty darn pleased with our hummus selection.  We got the black bean and a container of the roasted pepper feta (that was consumed before we made it home for the day :D ).

Bang Brewery

Last night my husband and I enjoyed a drink at Bang Brewery.  Bang wins the prize for most unique and interesting brewery structure - a grain bin. 

The brewery also wins the prize for least social media friendly.  I've found that when a brewery is active on social media and takes a second to post a picture of what they have on tap, I am way more likely to stop in.  Actually, the only reason we were at Bang last night is because it is only 6 minutes away from Burning Brothers who is quite active on social media (we wanted to try BB's Stout and Blackberry infusion beer and both were excellent).  Since Bang is so close, we decided to check it out.


Now on to the most important category - the beer.  Bang had four beers on tap last night.  We shared the session beer and it was good.  Nothing spectacular, but it was good. 

I would definitely say other breweries have more personality in their atmosphere and in their beers.  But I do give Bang props for having an outdoor patio and a food truck stationed at the brewery for some good eats.  In conclusion, I would say Bang is not at the caliber to headline an evening, but works as a stop on a brewery tour. 

A Duluth Evening

Yesterday I ended up heading to Duluth mid-afternoon for a wonderful evening with my brother.  I'll preface this by saying that I do not recommend driving up to Duluth and back within twelve hours, especially if you don't get home until 1:00 am.  It was a little rough, but so worth it.

Thankfully traffic flowed nicely out of the Cities and I made good time up to Duluth.  Then the true test:  once I get to Proctor, a) can I see the lake like I'm supposed to or is it crazy foggy and b) does the temperature drop 20 degrees.  I have a serious love/hate relationship with this city, but I am happy to report that we had a good day.  I could see the lake and it was beautiful!  And somehow it was 78 degrees in Duluth when I got there!  I was so very happy.

Amazing Grace
I kind of had to do the whirl-wind tour of Canal Park in Duluth so I started at my favorite coffee shop in the city - Amazing Grace.  I knew it would be a late night so I decided on an iced cold press coffee. Delish!!!!

Boardwalk
I walked to the boardwalk by Lake Superior as I sipped my coffee.  It was such a beautiful evening.  What a blessing.  My brother met me there and we went for a little walk.  Even ran into my husband's parents as they were enjoying their vacation. 

Canal Park Brewery
Since the weather was gorgeous, we agreed it was necessary to dine outside.  We decided on Canal Park Brewery which is located right off the boardwalk with a wonderful view of the lake.  I had a salad and my brother had the Minnesota burger - black bean/wild rice patty with all the fixings.  We also shared some beers.  We tried the pilsner which was really good.  But the stand out was the nut brown.  Wonderfully caramelized with a subtle but present malty sweetness, it is definitely one of the best beers I've had from CPB.  Definitely worth the stop... and the view!

Les Miserables
Now on to the main event.  My brother gave me a ticket to see Les Mis with him at the DECC.  The show was put on by the Duluth Playhouse and we could not have been more impressed.  The caliber of acting, singing, and stage performing was worth the drive and late night alone!  The company is definitely talented.

Drive Home
I left Duluth at 10:45.  Thankfully I made it home without a late night coffee, pulling off for a nap, egregious speeding, hitting a deer, or falling asleep at the wheel.  You better believe I blasted every song on my ipod.  I'm also thankful I had a voice today.

I normally would spend a lot more time in Duluth, enjoying all my favorite parts of the city, but I had to head home for work in the morning.  I think I did pretty well for an evening, though.

La Fresca/ Cafe Ena/ Rincon 38

I saw a review of La Fresca in the Minneapolis St. Paul magazine and quickly added it to my summer bucket list.  Not necessarily for a whole meal, but for sure I knew my husband would want to try the creamy coconut flan as flan is one of his favorite desserts.  La Fresca is located in the Tangletown neighborhood of Minneapolis which is close to Lake Harriet.  We'd actually never been to this part of the city before so we were eager to check it out and have some fantastic desserts. 

We found La Fresca which is a totally adorable little cafe right smack in a residential neighborhood.  The restaurant is literally surrounded by houses.  How fun would it be to walk across the street to dinner!  (Probably too much fun, and convenient.)  We sat outside on the patio and ordered the flan as well as tres leches cake.  Then we perused the dinner menu just for fun.  Oh my goodness, we definitely have to go back for dinner.  I looked around at what other patrons were ordering and I was quite impressed with the creativity and presentation of the dishes.  La Fresca specializes in upscale latin fusion cuisine sold at quite reasonable prices.  In particular I was enamored with the ceviche and guacamole.  The desserts were quite good.  I'm more of a creme brulee fan than a flan fan so I'll have to go back for the espresso creme brulee at some point.

After dessert, we continued to explore the area and found that just down the street are Cafe Ena and Rincon 38 which are sister restaurants to La Fresca.  They have quite similar dinner, drink, and dessert menus with small variations.  Cafe Ena and Rincon 38 also have outdoor seating and have a larger dining area inside which will make it easier to get a table in the winter.   Next time we go back, I will not be opposed to cruise into each restaurant and check out the menus to make sure we hit the right one on that night.  Or if one has a long wait, just walk down the street to the next and try to get on that list.  I love options.

St. Paul Farmers Market

I will posit that July - September are the best farmers market months.  I can finally get peppers, onions, zucchini, and tomatoes.  Fantastic, all the things I love to cook with most!!

Yesterday I went to the St. Paul farmers market which is located in Lowertown by Mears Park.  This market is huge, but has a different vibe than the Mill City farmers market.  There aren't any food trucks at the St. Paul one (or not at 6:30 am anyway) and they don't have the variety of arts and crafts.  It's mostly a ton of produce.  I ended up with onions, zucchini, asparagus, rhubarb, and green peppers.  I was also quite tempted by the bourbon maple syrup.  I tried a sample of that and it was fantastic.  It would be perfect on sausage, a pork chop glaze... man I should have just gotten it.

Here's the plan:

Zucchini - Some of the zucchini will be cut up for salads and the rest will be used for paleo zucchini bread.

Green peppers - Some of them will be cut up for salads and the rest will be used for shish kabobs or just sauteed for a tasty side dish.

Onions - These are destined for the grill for sure.  Just rub with olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt on top.

Asparagus - Also destined for the grill.  I like to drizzle olive oil and sprinkle sea salt on top.

Rhubarb - My husband really likes my family's recipe for rhubarb cake.  My brother is coming next weekend so I'll bake that up next Saturday.

Granny Donuts

To continue the tour of top donuts in the Twin Cities, I went to Granny Donuts in West St. Paul.  They are known for their apple fritters so that's what I went in for.  I also ended up getting a creme filled donut and the owner threw in another donut for free for some reason.  I brought them home and had a bite of each.  The apple fritter was good, but we both agreed the other two donuts were better, fantastic.  Slightly more eggy than cakey.  Good stuff.  They don't have any crazy, different donuts or pastries, just a nice selection of the normal stuff.  If you go, be prepared - they are a cash only business.

Sweet Science Ice Cream/ Verdant Tea

Sweet Science might be the Metro's best kept ice cream secret.  You have to go to the Verdant Tea shop on Franklin Ave in Minneapolis to get it.  It's not even advertised on the Verdant Tea sign.  You have to go in and ask for it.  They don't even advertise their flavors, you have to specifically ask what they have on hand.  It's like a speak easy for ice cream.  It's ridiculous but I totally dig it.  And let me tell you, it is one secret that I feel quite compelled to share with the world.  There are over 31 flavors that are seriously next level.  Creative, unexpected, and quite delicious.  There were only five flavors on hand last night when we stopped in so we chose salted caramel, berry crumble, and stracciatella.  You can get either minis (4 oz cups) or pints.  We went with the minis.  The ice cream was so smooth and truly delicious.  I highly recommend stopping in.  I'm looking forward to trying some of their more unique flavors like stout oat crunch, rhubarb cinnamon almond, sweet corn blueberry, and pear reisling.  In fact, they are doing a free tasting next Sunday (July 20) from 4-7. 

Sweet Science uses only the finest of ingredients - organic grass fed cow's milk and organic sugar.  They use locally-sourced products and swear off chemicals like high fructose corn syrup.

An added benefit of visiting Verdant Tea to get ice cream is that you can also try the amazing tea!  As I shared last weekend, the chai concentrate is epic.  Verdant Tea actually serves chai concentrate over Sweet Science ice cream.  Verdant Tea also has a wide array of fantastic loose leaf teas, gluten free deli/bakery foods, and vegan foods. 

Lake Calhoun

Lake Calhoun is beautiful.  And it's a wonderful place to hang out and relax.  My husband and I spent the evening there yesterday and watched the sun set.  We just went for a long walk, but you can also lay out on the beach, grab a bite to eat at Tin Fish, rollerblade/bike,  rent a kayak, or veer off the path and explore Uptown.  Perfect location for a night out.  Lake Calhoun was on my summer bucket list and thankfully, last night turned out to be a wonderful evening to be outside. 

Lake Calhoun is located in Uptown and has a perfect 3.1 mile (5K) walking path around the lake.  I love that the bike path and walking path are separate.  We parked on the south side and walked around the lake until we got to Tin Fish.  Tin Fish is similar to Sea Salt at Minnehaha Falls.  They specialize in all kinds of wonderful fish dishes.  Sandwiches, tacos, fried fish... But they also have some really different and fun appetizers.  Check them out.  They also serve beer and wine on the patio, but a snack purchase is required.  I see they conveniently have peanuts for 50 cents :) . 

 Oh and did I mention that Tin Fish faces west so you can watch the sun set over the lake?  Yeah...

It was fun to see the sun set as we walked back to the car.  We even got a good view of the sunset on the Minneapolis skyline. 

Ted Cook's 19th Hole BBQ and Harriet Brewery

I did some serious research on the best BBQ places in the twin cities before settling on Ted Cook's.  Good BBQ is serious business in our household.  Ted Cook's is just a hole-in-the-wall shack in South Minneapolis right off Hiawatha on 38th Street.  There isn't a place to sit, you just order and take your food elsewhere.  My husband and I  had our minds set on ribs so we ordered the full rack pork rib platter (includes homemade chips, coleslaw, and two Wonder bread slices).  I had high hopes, especially since it really isn't convenient to grab food and find a location to eat.  Thankfully, Harriet Brewing is just a few minutes away.  We packed up the food and rode to Harriet and set up shop.  Harriet Brewing's hefeweizen and pilsner were a perfect compliment to the amazing ribs.  Best. Picnic. Ever.   The ribs had been smoked for several hours leaving them quite tender, juicy, and wonderfully flavored with the BBQ sauce.  Definitely worth the hassle of getting there and relocating to eat.

Excelsior Brewery

Saturday afternoon was the perfect day for a motorcycle ride.  We picked up my brother, sister, and brother-in-law and headed for the west side of the Metro.  We found ourselves in Excelsior.  Naturally we had to check out the brewery.  We purchased the flight which contained the hefeweizen, blonde ale, nut brown, and the IPA.  All of them were actually delicious, but the hefeweizen stood out for sure.  Maybe it was the hot sunny day, but that really hit the spot.  I'll probably have to make the journey out there during other seasons to see what else they have to offer.

We enjoyed the rest of our ride by Lake Minnetonka.  The windy roads around the lakes were super fun on the motorcycles.   I hadn't really been out that direction so it was fun to explore.

Mill City Farmers Market

Yesterday morning was probably the perfect morning.  We woke up early ( I have FOMO when I sleep in - Fear Of Missing Out) and drove to Minneapolis.  My husband went to yoga at Corepower on Washington Ave.  I walked over to the Mill City Farmers Market.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  Nice and warm, sunny.  I reveled at the idea of walking to a destination.  In the suburbs, walking and bicycling are really only appropriate for exercise.  Everything is so spread out and far away.  But in the city, that's when walking and bicycling is transformed into a viable mode of transportation.

I took my time at the farmers market.  I stopped at every vendor and admired their goods.  I really didn't need anything (peppers, onions, and tomatoes aren't in season yet), but just enjoyed looking at everything, thankful that people make pure, healthy goods, and sell direct to consumers instead of being forced to use grocery stores which can impose alteration or processing of goods (like pasteurization).

Mill City FM is one of my favorites - I love the location and there are a ton of vendors.  Here are some of the goods that were for sale yesterday:

 The Smack Shack food truck was on site!


After visiting every vendor, I decided to purchase something from Verdant Tea.  I got the homemade chai latte - organic concentrated chai tea, almond milk, and a bit of honey.  Oh my goodness.  Best chai latte ever.  It was wonderfully spiced, not too sweet, and quite refreshing on a hot morning.  I walked across the Stone Arch Bridge and enjoyed the view.  I was so enamored with the latte that I bought another for my walk back to the car.

So even though I was by myself, I had the best morning.  It was beautiful outside, I enjoyed exploring the market, I had time to reflect on how blessed I am, and I enjoyed the peacefulness of the day.  Too bad I can't start every day that way.