Paleos

Yeeeeeessssss.  So our friends and I occasionally adhere to the Paleo diet which is fruit, veggies, nuts, and meat.  More strict than gluten free because it's dairy free, grain free, and soy free.  It's incredibly hard to go out to eat and stick to this diet.  Even a lot of salads come with cheese.  The idea is that it's allergen free (especially if you ditch the nuts and only have seeds) and can reset your immune system and help the body heal.  Anyway, when we "go Paleo", we usually just invite each other over for dinner and make a meal from one of our Paleo cookbooks (I personally like "Against All Grain" from Danielle Walker).  What a treat it was when I learned that the Metro's first Paleo restaurant opened up.  But why is it all the way up north in Lino Lakes?  With such a specific menu, I'm a little concerned about Lino Lakes being a viable location.

We met at Paleos for lunch.  We didn't really know what to expect, but were excited to check it out.  I had the avocado eggs benedict.  Basically a poached egg over avocado, chicken, cauliflower rice, spinach, and tomato.  It was honestly delicious.  I'm a little weirded out by eating chicken and eggs together so I never included them in the same bite, but everything was really good.  I also had the paleo-friendly bloody mary.  Well I guess alcohol really isn't Paleo, but that really just meant that there weren't any preservatives - herbs, olives, tomato, vodka.  Then a gluten-free beer chaser.  My husband had the pumpkin pancakes and syrup.  The pancakes were made with coconut flour and pumpkin puree.  They were pretty good, but definitely more dense and moist than normal pancakes.  Then our friend had the portobello mushroom burger.  Yes, the ginormous mushroom was the bun.  We thought the food was good, prices were reasonable, we felt good about eating healthy at a restaurant.  What we thought was a miss was the location and the lack of more baked goods.  There are a bunch of bread, pastries, and bun recipes in Paleo cookbooks that call for coconut flour, coconut oil, and almond flour.  It would have been nice to have more of these options in the restaurant because they can be tedious to make at home.   There were also some non-Paleo things on the menu.  Mostly the alcohol.  I think they needed more of a draw to get people in the door.  I kind of wonder what people who don't know what the Paleo diet is think when they look at the menu.

Bloody Mary

Avocado Eggs Benedict with coconut flour muffin

Pumpkin Pancakes

Portobello Burger

You can still eat normal to some extent with Paleo by getting creative with ingredients.  I think that's partly why I like the diet.  Makes you think a lot more and use things in different ways.  Best lesson I learned - avocado can sub out cheese in most situations.  Anyway, I hope the restaurant succeeds.  I think it's awesome that they took a risk with such a specific niche.  

Beaner's Coffee House

After skiing at Spirit Mountain in Duluth, we warmed up with some coffee at Beaner's Coffee House in West Duluth.  It's a coffee house by day, and then they serve beer and have live bands at night.  Kind of a cool hang out.  They also serve homemade soups, sandwiches, and pizza.  We had dinner plans so we didn't eat, but my mouth was definitely watering as I read the menu.  My brother introduced me to the Mexican Mocha which is not on the menu.  It's a mocha latte with cayenne pepper to give it some heat.  Absolutely perfect after skiing.

Gannucci's

We spent most of the weekend in Duluth.  My brother had the genius idea of getting me a lift ticket to Spirit Mountain, a gift card to a coffee shop, and a gift card to Gannucci's for my Christmas present.  It was awesome.  After skiing, we went to dinner in West Duluth at Gannucci's - an Italian market/restaurant.  It's pretty much a hole in the wall, but the food was pretty good.  We all shared pizza, lasagna, and spaghetti.  I think the best part was the authentic Italian desserts, though.  The prices were incredibly reasonable.  Worth checking out.

The Tangiers

The North Loop is rich with restaurants and bars, some of the trendiest places in town reside there.  I was happy to mark another place off my list on Friday night.  We met some friends at The Tangiers.  

I think the whole point of this place is happy hour and late night.  Most of the restaurant is actually a lounge.  Several clusters of couches and chairs parked around a coffee table.  That was kind of different and fun.  With a big group, sometimes it's weird to sit around a long table.  With Tangiers' set-up, you can easily hang out in a group up to 8 people.  They do have some tables though, for the traditionalists.

The happy hour runs from 5-7.  I loved that it was a bit later.  The happy hour menu is quite extensive and cheap so it was a perfect fit for a large group (everything ranges from $4-$6).  I had the BBQ chicken and pineapple flatbread which was just okay.  My friend had the pesto shrimp flatbread and I liked that one a lot more.  There are two pork belly items on the menu - sliders and tacos - so they must be good.  My husband got the sliders and they really were amazing.  They also had a bunch of drinks on the menu.  They really don't have much of a dinner menu.  Basically it's the happy hour menu but everything is more expensive.  Sounds like the late night scene is live music and a dance floor.  

I thought it was fun.  Just a different atmosphere.  Nice change of pace.

Du Nord Cocktail Room

You've heard of a tasting room at a winery, you've heard of a tap room at a brewery.  The newest trend to hit the metro is the cocktail room in a distillery.  Yesterday I checked out the recently opened Du Nord Craft Spirits in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis.  My aunt and I scheduled happy hour at Du Nord to check out their space, the menu, and of course the craft spirits.  We both  enjoy gin so we ordered gin-based cocktails.  Started with the basic gin and tonic so we could appreciate and focus on the flavor of the gin.  Incredibly smooth.  Besides Hendricks, it's probably my new favorite gin.  Then I tried the Steady Eddie which is gin, cranberry juice, and lime sour.  Both were really good cocktails.  But even better than the taste was the price.  During happy hour (Wed - Sat 4-6), the cocktails range from $3.50 to $5.50.  Four drinks and tip amounted to $20.  We were impressed.  The atmosphere has a bit to build on, but I think it would be better on a weekend when there's a food truck parked out front and a band or other activities going on inside.  The cocktail room currently doesn't serve food but you are more than welcome to bring food in from anywhere.  Du Nord offers gin and vodka at this point and they are working on their whiskey program.  They sell in a lot of liquor stores.  They don't have an off sale license yet, so you have to buy a bottle in a liquor store. 

After happy hour we went to Midori's Floating World Cafe which was right down the street on Lake St.  We had some fantastic edamame, tea, and sushi.  Next time I'd plan ahead and bring the sushi to the cocktail room :) 

Fondue!

I was invited to a friend's house for dinner last night.  We decided to do something different and venture into the realm of fondue for our meal.  Fondue is one food trend that I don't have much experience with.  I'm not sure why...who wouldn't like assorted fruit, bread, pretzels, etc dipped in hot cheese or chocolate?  We scoured pinterest looking for the perfect recipe - one for cheese and one for chocolate.  Turns out every single thing we found sounded amazing and fun, but we narrowed it down to these recipes:

Gruyère and Cider Fondue (http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/gruy-re-and-cider-fondue)

• Ingredients

  Servings: 4 to 6
•  
• 8 ounces kielbasa sausage, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 4 cups coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 1 pound)
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup hard apple cider*
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Calvados, applejack brandy, or poire Williams (clear pear brandy)
• 1 Granny Smith apples, cored, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 baguette, cut into 3/4-inch cubes 

For the Chocolate Fondue http://www.marthastewart.com/354910/toasted-marshmallow-charred-bread-and-banana-sticks-chocolate-fondue?xsc=soc_pin_2013_12_13_Dessert_Christmas_D&crlt.pid=camp.8CeDt7fQXADi

 

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons bourbon (optional)

For the Skewers

• 2 rolls Skillet Bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 ripe but firm bananas, cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick pieces
• 1 bag (10 ounces) marshmallows 

Both recipes were amazing.  I think fondue is supposed to be super easy - just melt stuff in a pot right?  The chocolate one gave us a little headache but the second batch worked out well.  Apparently it's important to heat the cream to a boil, take it off the heat, add the chocolate, let it all stand for three to five minutes, and then whip it up.  It was kind of fun that both of the recipes called for a little alcohol - added a nice smoky/aged flavor to the cheese and chocolate.  I don't have an actual fondue pot, but I do have a very small crock pot that I think will work just perfectly.  What a fun thing to do with guests!

Trivia at Crooked Pint Ale House

We just got back from trivia night at Crooked Pint Ale House in Minneapolis!  We did not do amazingly well, but it was fun.  Sassy Trivia organizes the game and the questions focus on TV, movies, and music.  Trivia is every Wednesday night at 8pm.  A wonderful midweek activity.  Little tip, make sure your phone is charged.  To play the game, you go to the Sassy Trivia website and enter your answers there.  Some of the answers we were most proud of tonight:

• Seeing a small pixelated snipit of a Rolling Stones magazine and guessing it was the Melrose Place cast.  (thank you Mom)
• Hearing a 5 second clip of a song and guessing it was Betty Davis Eyes
• Parks and Recreation related questions (Ron Swanson is the best)

It's also a great way to learn about pop culture and get your news fix.  Chris Harrison is leaving the Bachelor and being replaced by Kimmel!?  Also, who knew the elephant was the only mammal that can't jump.  

It was good fun and Crooked Pint has a legit tap list (when they aren't sold out) and decent food.  I've been there for brunch and dinner.  

Tammy's Sammys

One business model that I quite admire is the idea of a pop-up.  It allows a small start up business to temporarily set up shop in an already established business to get publicity and meet potential customers.  My husband was at Northgate Brewery with some friends a few weeks ago and Tammy's Sammys had set up shop for the night.  That was perfect timing for him to place an order of sandwiches for my surprise birthday party.  He ordered an assortment and they were all quite fantastic.  The smoked turkey and triple cream brie was my favorite.  Definitely a step up from most sandwich places and at a really decent rate.  Check out the menu and contact info below and consider Tammy's Sammys for your next party!

Surly Pt. 2

Another of my birthday surprises was the new Surly Taproom!  I was so excited to see the finished space after hearing the hype this summer during a visit to the old taproom location in Brooklyn Center.  The brewery is spectacular even from the street.  I can only imagine how beautiful the grounds will be in the summer - fire pits, landscaping, patio, beer garden.  And that's just the outside!  The inside is straight up huge.  They have event spaces, multiple bars, and a dining room.  The most surprising is the food menu.  Not your run of the mill beer-accompanying foods like wings, burgers, and tacos.  No, the marriage of foodie-approved dishes and unadulterated tap lines provides a sophisticated atmosphere.  The menu features charcuterie boards, bone marrow, mussels, and other things I've never heard of.  Rest assured, though, they do have normal food like pizza, pulled pork, and the Surly Burger in case you aren't sure which beer to pair with bone marrow.  We wanted a light snack so we shared a flatbread pizza which honestly was delicious.  I also enjoyed the wide range of beers on tap.  Kudos to Surly.  The new ginormous space will allow them creative licensing with small batch beers in addition to keeping up with the demand of their flagship beers.

Blush Beauty Room

Another of my husband's gifts to me was a makeover/ make-up lesson at Blush Beauty Room in Uptown.  The lesson was perfectly tailored to me.  Kelly used the make-up I already had and showed me ways to apply it.  She also used the store's whole repertoire of products for things I was lacking such as bronzer, concealer, foundation, etc. and made suggestions for how to expand my make-up kit.  It was so much fun to be pampered and get my makeup professionally done, but the best part was the tutorial.  She provided a list of all the products including the colors she used on me that best suited my skin tone.  She also very price conscious and made suggestions for inexpensive products and money-saving tips.  I was so glad she wasn't trying to push a $300 investment in a particular product line.  So there was absolutely no pressure to buy anything at all, it was just an enjoyable lesson that got me ready for the rest of my special night.

Glam Doll Donuts

Trying a Glam Doll Donut has been on my list for quite a while.  And what better day to go than your birthday!  My husband planned a spectacular day full of surprises.  The itinerary was incredibly thoughtful and tailored to my passion of supporting local businesses and trying new places.  One of the stops was Glam Doll.  It was the middle of the day, but they were well stocked with a huge variety of fresh donuts.  My husband could tell I was somewhat panicked, wanting to pick exactly the right one out of so many fantastic choices.  So quite unlike him, he said we should buy 6-12 and just try a bunch!  We ended up with 6.  Starting at top right and moving clockwise, they are as follows:

1.  Showgirl:  Long john with maple icing and bacon!!!!
2.  Bombshell: spiced mexican chocolate donut with cayenne pecans on top.  Quite regrettably, this donut fell on the hotel parking lot ground before we could taste it :(
3.  Dark Angel:  Vanilla bean cream cheese filling with chocolate icing and almond slivers.
4.  Daddy dearest:  Surly (yes, the beer) cake donut with Surly infused frosting with bacon!!!!
5.  Flirty Frenchie:  Espresso cream cheese
6.  Femme Fatale (their flagship donut):  raspberry curd filling with vanilla bean icing.

Honestly, the best way to enjoy Glam Doll is to bring these to a party and cut them into small pieces for everyone to enjoy.  Unless you live near Eat Street and can go often, you will be quite unable to walk out with just one donut anyway.  They are all so creative and so delicious.  Embrace your inner hipster and supply your next get-together with a Glam Doll donut buffet.