St. Anthony, MN
I found out Smashburger was coming to town and looked into it some to find out that a location in St. Anthony was already open. It's a short drive from work so I decided to try it out for lunch.
Smashburger is a Denver based fast food chain that has some ambitious plans to expand into Minnesota. They plan to open 30-35 stores over the next 4-6 years, including 4-6 new locations by the end of the year. It's a slightly more upscale fast food joint, akin to something like Chipotle. The burgers are of higher quality and, thus, a slightly higher price than regular fast food places. The name Smashburger comes from the practice of smashing the burger on the grill. Apparently they take a ball of hamburger and press it onto the flattop and they claim that makes a juicier burger. They also claim they have "the best-tasting burgers anywhere", which is a bold claim to make while trying to enter into Minnesota's burger culture. I mean... Ju(i)cy Lucy... 'nuff said.
I decided to get a one-third pound (you have the choice of 1/3 or 1/2 pound) Classic Smashburger. I thought that would be a good place to start and if I liked it I could expand to something else next time. I also ordered the Smashfries, which are tossed in olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. I ordered it to go so I didn't buy a drink, sticking with water at my desk, but I was kind of impressed at the beer selection they had. They had bottles of Grain Belt Premium, Leinenkugel's HoneyWeiss, and Summit EPA along with Miller Lite and High Life. That's more than what I'd expect from a fast food joint.
The takeout packaging was a little confounding to me. They start by wrapping your burger and fries in paper, ok I get that. Then they put it in a cardboard box that is about the perfect size for a burger and some fries. "That's kind of neat," I thought to myself. Then they stick it in this giant plastic bag and throw napkins and ketchup in. The thoughts I had about that included, "What's the point of that?" and "What a waste." Plus, now I get to feel all weird about carrying around a giant bag that says Smashburger on the side in huge type when all I have is a third pound burger and fries. Skip to the end of my meal and I'm left with a giant plastic bag, which thankfully is recyclable, and a cardboard box that normally would be recyclable but is covered in food grease, condiment drippings, and rosemary, rendering it unrecyclable. I think next time I will dine-in.
Anyway... my burger was loaded with veggies; leafy lettuce, tomatoes, thick-cut pickles, and red onions. It also had melted American cheese, ketchup, and their Smash sauce. I actually really enjoyed the freshness and crunch of all the veggies. The Smash sauce didn't have much of a presence on the burger. I knew it was there, but I didn't really notice it. The burger itself was pretty good. It was very juicy and seemed very fresh, it was cooked somewhere between medium and medium-well, I don't know if that is standard or just the way mine turned out, and it was a complete mess. My hands were covered in condiment, veggie, and burger juices and it seemed like I was constantly on the verge of burger catastrophe. The bun did hold up pretty well considering the circumstances.
The Smashfries were also good. If you've never had any kind of garlic, rosemary fries, then you are missing out. These were seasoned pretty well, but I felt they required the slight application of ketchup. I've had better seasoned fries, but I'll save that for my next post.
Overall, it certainly blasts anything McDonald's does out of the water, but it's not going to be "The Best Burger You Ever Tasted". It's still rather good. The $7.25 I spent seems like a decent price for the offering. I definitely say give it a try if you're curious.
Showing posts with label Restaurants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Restaurants. Show all posts
Jun 19, 2009
Jun 9, 2009
Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers
Minneapolis, MN
I've been about a week behind on these things so I will try to catch up.
On the last day of May, the wife and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and do some outdoor activities at The U. We needed to get some lunch first. My wife wanted to go to Raising Cane's. She had been there before. I had not.
There are 3 locations in the Twin Cities area. This one is right on Washington Avenue on the campus of the University of Minnesota. They essentially have 4 items on the menu, which are basically 3, 4, and 6 finger meals and a chicken finger sandwich meal. It's just chicken fingers, fries, coleslaw, and toast. The chicken fingers are made fresh when you order them and come out to you extremely hot. We both ordered The Box, which is 4 fingers, fries, coleslaw, Texas toast, and a thing of Cane's sauce. We were informed that we could substitute items so we both got another thing of sauce instead of the coleslaw.
It only took a few minutes before our food was ready. The first thing we did was try to tear open the fingers so they could cool faster, but that was hard enough to do because of how hot they were. Eventually they cooled down to a tolerable level. The chicken fingers were very moist, not dried out in the least, and the breading (or batter... probably) was very light yet crispy and very good. These chicken fingers weren't overwhelmed with a thick, hard breading. I don't think I could name any better chicken fingers that I've had. The fries were your standard crinkle cut fries. The Cane's sauce is also tasty. Although, I liked it better on the fries than on the chicken. The chicken was so good that it would be a shame to use too much sauce on them, so I would lightly dip them. It goes really well on fries. The Texas toast is pretty awesome too; buttery and clearly toasted on a flattop. I recommend this place for any chicken finger cravings... or Texas toast cravings.
The story behind the place is pretty neat. The founder submitted the business plan for a chicken finger restaurant for a class assignment in college and got a bad grade on it. His professor didn't think it would work and the banks weren't too thrilled about it either. He then worked as a boilermaker in L.A. and a salmon fisherman in Alaska after that to raise the money for it. He opened his first place at LSU and it was an instant success.
I've been about a week behind on these things so I will try to catch up.
On the last day of May, the wife and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and do some outdoor activities at The U. We needed to get some lunch first. My wife wanted to go to Raising Cane's. She had been there before. I had not.
There are 3 locations in the Twin Cities area. This one is right on Washington Avenue on the campus of the University of Minnesota. They essentially have 4 items on the menu, which are basically 3, 4, and 6 finger meals and a chicken finger sandwich meal. It's just chicken fingers, fries, coleslaw, and toast. The chicken fingers are made fresh when you order them and come out to you extremely hot. We both ordered The Box, which is 4 fingers, fries, coleslaw, Texas toast, and a thing of Cane's sauce. We were informed that we could substitute items so we both got another thing of sauce instead of the coleslaw.
It only took a few minutes before our food was ready. The first thing we did was try to tear open the fingers so they could cool faster, but that was hard enough to do because of how hot they were. Eventually they cooled down to a tolerable level. The chicken fingers were very moist, not dried out in the least, and the breading (or batter... probably) was very light yet crispy and very good. These chicken fingers weren't overwhelmed with a thick, hard breading. I don't think I could name any better chicken fingers that I've had. The fries were your standard crinkle cut fries. The Cane's sauce is also tasty. Although, I liked it better on the fries than on the chicken. The chicken was so good that it would be a shame to use too much sauce on them, so I would lightly dip them. It goes really well on fries. The Texas toast is pretty awesome too; buttery and clearly toasted on a flattop. I recommend this place for any chicken finger cravings... or Texas toast cravings.
The story behind the place is pretty neat. The founder submitted the business plan for a chicken finger restaurant for a class assignment in college and got a bad grade on it. His professor didn't think it would work and the banks weren't too thrilled about it either. He then worked as a boilermaker in L.A. and a salmon fisherman in Alaska after that to raise the money for it. He opened his first place at LSU and it was an instant success.
Jun 3, 2009
Pizza Ranch
Perham, MN
We were up at my parents' place for Memorial Day weekend, which isn't in Perham. There is a little knitting store in Perham that my wife likes and they were having a sale that weekend, so she really wanted to go. We decided to go Saturday afternoon. It wasn't going to be a problem because my dad and brothers were going to be in the field all day and mom was busy making cakes and going to graduation parties.
I just have to show off this cake she made.
Anyway, we were off to the yarn store, but first thing's first. We needed to get some lunch. We had been planning on going to this barbeque place we had heard about in Hawley, but we weren't sure if it was open or even still there. I consulted with the Google but it didn't have much information. We went anyway and, sure enough, it had moved to Fargo. That's another 40 minutes in the opposite direction of the yarn store. Instead, we headed towards Perham knowing we had other options. We also searched the Garmin to see if there were other options we didn't know about. It had a listing for Dee's Ribs in Detroit Lakes and we were both skeptical about whether that was there either. We juggled 3 options; try Dee's, go to Zorbaz in DL (which is pretty good and the DL one has a pretty good draught beer selection), or Pizza Ranch in Perham. After much hemming and hawing the decision was made to see if Dee's existed then go on to Pizza Ranch if it didn't. Well... unless there was a rib joint inside the clinic, then it wasn't there. Pizza Ranch it was.
Pizza Ranch is an upper midwest chain with restaurants in mostly smaller cities and towns in 9 states. Eating at Pizza Ranch brings back memories of college. There's a Pizza Ranch in Morris, where we went to school, so I have some previous experience with the place. Some of that experience is selling a lot of it at the concession stand as a fundraiser for the baseball team when UMM hosted high school basketball tournaments. The free slices here and there were always nice.
We got to the one in Perham for the lunch buffet. You gotta love a pizza buffet. I know I do. I had some of the cheesy Ranch stix as well as pepperoni, sausage, buffalo chicken, chicken broccoli alfredo, bronco pizzas, and cactus bread. It was all very delicious. The buffalo chicken pizza is particularly good with a little bit of ranch dressing to dip in or drizzle over. It's got some kick but certainly isn't too hot (well it might be too hot for the typical Minnesota taste buds).
Alfredo pizzas can often be not very exciting, but the chicken broccoli alfredo was very tasty. This was the only thin crust pizza on the buffet and I think the thin crust goes well with this particular pizza. Their thin crust is very thin and very crispy. It's rather cracker like, but in a good way. Their original crust keeps the same crispiness on the outer crust and is soft and not too chewy on the inside. The rest of the crust holds up very well. They also have a "skillet crust", but I don't think I've ever had that.
The Bronco pizza is their "all meat" pizza with beef, Italian sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and bacon pieces. It's hard to make something like that not taste good. The cheesy Ranch stix are basically like a breadstick pizza topped with lots of cheese and then cut into sticks. Again, very tasty.
Finally, the cactus bread. Cactus bread is a can't miss item. It's their version of a streusely dessert pizza. I was somehow able to limit myself to only two pieces of cactus bread. Yum.
We were up at my parents' place for Memorial Day weekend, which isn't in Perham. There is a little knitting store in Perham that my wife likes and they were having a sale that weekend, so she really wanted to go. We decided to go Saturday afternoon. It wasn't going to be a problem because my dad and brothers were going to be in the field all day and mom was busy making cakes and going to graduation parties.
I just have to show off this cake she made.
Anyway, we were off to the yarn store, but first thing's first. We needed to get some lunch. We had been planning on going to this barbeque place we had heard about in Hawley, but we weren't sure if it was open or even still there. I consulted with the Google but it didn't have much information. We went anyway and, sure enough, it had moved to Fargo. That's another 40 minutes in the opposite direction of the yarn store. Instead, we headed towards Perham knowing we had other options. We also searched the Garmin to see if there were other options we didn't know about. It had a listing for Dee's Ribs in Detroit Lakes and we were both skeptical about whether that was there either. We juggled 3 options; try Dee's, go to Zorbaz in DL (which is pretty good and the DL one has a pretty good draught beer selection), or Pizza Ranch in Perham. After much hemming and hawing the decision was made to see if Dee's existed then go on to Pizza Ranch if it didn't. Well... unless there was a rib joint inside the clinic, then it wasn't there. Pizza Ranch it was.
Pizza Ranch is an upper midwest chain with restaurants in mostly smaller cities and towns in 9 states. Eating at Pizza Ranch brings back memories of college. There's a Pizza Ranch in Morris, where we went to school, so I have some previous experience with the place. Some of that experience is selling a lot of it at the concession stand as a fundraiser for the baseball team when UMM hosted high school basketball tournaments. The free slices here and there were always nice.
We got to the one in Perham for the lunch buffet. You gotta love a pizza buffet. I know I do. I had some of the cheesy Ranch stix as well as pepperoni, sausage, buffalo chicken, chicken broccoli alfredo, bronco pizzas, and cactus bread. It was all very delicious. The buffalo chicken pizza is particularly good with a little bit of ranch dressing to dip in or drizzle over. It's got some kick but certainly isn't too hot (well it might be too hot for the typical Minnesota taste buds).
Alfredo pizzas can often be not very exciting, but the chicken broccoli alfredo was very tasty. This was the only thin crust pizza on the buffet and I think the thin crust goes well with this particular pizza. Their thin crust is very thin and very crispy. It's rather cracker like, but in a good way. Their original crust keeps the same crispiness on the outer crust and is soft and not too chewy on the inside. The rest of the crust holds up very well. They also have a "skillet crust", but I don't think I've ever had that.
The Bronco pizza is their "all meat" pizza with beef, Italian sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and bacon pieces. It's hard to make something like that not taste good. The cheesy Ranch stix are basically like a breadstick pizza topped with lots of cheese and then cut into sticks. Again, very tasty.
Finally, the cactus bread. Cactus bread is a can't miss item. It's their version of a streusely dessert pizza. I was somehow able to limit myself to only two pieces of cactus bread. Yum.
May 26, 2009
Plaza Moreno - Owatonna
Owatonna, MN
My wife and I and friend were in Owatonna last weekend (the one before Memorial Day weekend) and needed to find a place to eat. We decided to take a chance on Plaza Moreno for some Mexican food. The service was good, everything else... meh. It was Mexican food for the meat & potatoes Minnesota palate.
They immediately had chips and salsa at our table to start, naturally. The chips were fine. The salsa was super mild, bland, and very thin and runny. I kept fishing for some chunks of tomato... or anything. Then came time to order dinner. My wife wasn't very hungry so she just ordered a couple tacos. I ordered the pork tamales and our friend ordered the chicken tamales. It was three tamales served with rice and beans, again, naturally. The tamales were ok. The pork had some flavor, but the tamales had zero spice. The rice looked like Spanish rice, but had almost no flavor, and the beans, sadly, were as spicy as the rest of the food. The sour cream on the side seemed very unnecessary. Was that there in case I accidentally found some spice in my food? I did find the spice, though. It was all in a bottle at the end of the table. The hot sauce improved both the tamales and the rice.
My wife said the tacos were ok, but also on the bland side.
On what sometimes is a plus side, the portions were huge. When I was finished it looked like I barely made a dent eventhough I almost finished the tamales and ate over half of the rice. It reminded me of the PJ Bland's commercial.
My wife and I and friend were in Owatonna last weekend (the one before Memorial Day weekend) and needed to find a place to eat. We decided to take a chance on Plaza Moreno for some Mexican food. The service was good, everything else... meh. It was Mexican food for the meat & potatoes Minnesota palate.
They immediately had chips and salsa at our table to start, naturally. The chips were fine. The salsa was super mild, bland, and very thin and runny. I kept fishing for some chunks of tomato... or anything. Then came time to order dinner. My wife wasn't very hungry so she just ordered a couple tacos. I ordered the pork tamales and our friend ordered the chicken tamales. It was three tamales served with rice and beans, again, naturally. The tamales were ok. The pork had some flavor, but the tamales had zero spice. The rice looked like Spanish rice, but had almost no flavor, and the beans, sadly, were as spicy as the rest of the food. The sour cream on the side seemed very unnecessary. Was that there in case I accidentally found some spice in my food? I did find the spice, though. It was all in a bottle at the end of the table. The hot sauce improved both the tamales and the rice.
My wife said the tacos were ok, but also on the bland side.
On what sometimes is a plus side, the portions were huge. When I was finished it looked like I barely made a dent eventhough I almost finished the tamales and ate over half of the rice. It reminded me of the PJ Bland's commercial.
How is everything?
Average, but there's a lot of it.
May 14, 2009
Punch Neapolitan Pizza
Eden Prairie, MN
I took my parents out to Punch Pizza on Mothers Day. I decided on Punch because plans for this weekend were a bit up in the air until the last minute on account of the weather, my dad is a farmer, so I couldn't really make reservations for some Mothers Day brunch. And, I didn't want to wait some place for 45 minutes to an hour and fight crowds and noise for some food where the quality had more than likely been sacrificed in order to feed a giant number of people on account of the holiday. I knew with Punch it may still be busy, but the wait wouldn't be long and the pizza would still be good and, above all, mom would like it.
Punch is authentic Neapolitan style pizza. In fact, they are one of only about 25 U.S. members of Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, which is an international trade association that seeks to “promote the culinary tradition of the Neapolitan pizza”. They have strict rules for members ensuring the authenticity of the pizza, which include wood-burning domed ovens and dough that is made from only flour, yeast, water, and salt. Punch actually flies in some of their toppings from Italy each week.
We arrived there with my parents at 11:35. I remember this exactly because I was going to meet my parents at their hotel at 11:15 in order to be at the restaurant at 11:30 and I would have been perfectly on time had I not nearly forgotten mom's card and had to turn around to get it and waste 5 minutes in the process. My brother and his fiance were meeting us there and beat us by a few minutes. The place was still pretty quiet at this point with maybe not even half of the cozy dining room filled. We spent a few minutes going over the menu and my wife and I tried to answer any questions the best we could but neither of us have done the "craft your own" option, so we weren't exactly sure on all the details. I was willing to spend as much time as needed on the menu because I had some concerns about bringing this group here. My mom, my wife, and I will eat pretty much anything. My brother's fiance is a really picky eater. She does a good job of making it her problem and not everybody else's, but I really don't know the things she likes and doesn't. My dad is Norwegian and most of my siblings display this trait when it comes to food. I seem to have overcome this affliction.
My brother and his fiance ordered and grabbed a table while we spent another minute on the menu. My wife ordered her favorite, the Siciliana (proscuitto, artichoke, picholine olive, basil), and then I ordered my favorite, the Visuvio (spiced salami, saracene olive, cracked red pepper, pepperoncini, basil). Mom order the Palermo (spiced salami, sun-dried tomato, saracene olive, oregano) and then told the girl at the register that "you're going to have to help him" and pointed to dad. Dad then explained to her that "I'm Norwegian". He ended up ordering a Napoli (sauce, oregano, mozzarella) with ham, sausage, onion, and garlic. My brother had also ordered the Palermo and his fiance got the same thing dad did but without the sausage.
We couldn't have been sitting at our table for more than five minutes before our pizzas came, which is about par for the course. It only takes 90 seconds to bake a pizza in their 800° oven (there is video of this on their website). If you aren't familiar with their pizzas, they are individual sized and are very thin crust. The outer crust rises in the oven and the middle stays thin and doesn't get crispy. You will need to be prepared to use your utensils or carefully dive in with both hands. It can be a messy experience between that and the wonderful charred spots on the crust that can leave your fingers and lips black.
I just love Punch and everybody in our group seemed to really like it too. The ingredients at Punch are very flavorful and I love the spiciness of the Visuvio. The only blemish was that my brother must have missed that the Palermo has olives on it and, after eating a couple, he picked the rest off. I'm not a fan of olives myself, but I do kind of like the saracene olives that are on my Vesuvio.
Punch has 6 Twin Cities metro locations.
UPDATE:
Here is that video I mentioned, courtesy of Punch Pizza.
They also have a Flickr page where you can check out some photos like this one.
The Siciliana.
I took my parents out to Punch Pizza on Mothers Day. I decided on Punch because plans for this weekend were a bit up in the air until the last minute on account of the weather, my dad is a farmer, so I couldn't really make reservations for some Mothers Day brunch. And, I didn't want to wait some place for 45 minutes to an hour and fight crowds and noise for some food where the quality had more than likely been sacrificed in order to feed a giant number of people on account of the holiday. I knew with Punch it may still be busy, but the wait wouldn't be long and the pizza would still be good and, above all, mom would like it.
Punch is authentic Neapolitan style pizza. In fact, they are one of only about 25 U.S. members of Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, which is an international trade association that seeks to “promote the culinary tradition of the Neapolitan pizza”. They have strict rules for members ensuring the authenticity of the pizza, which include wood-burning domed ovens and dough that is made from only flour, yeast, water, and salt. Punch actually flies in some of their toppings from Italy each week.
We arrived there with my parents at 11:35. I remember this exactly because I was going to meet my parents at their hotel at 11:15 in order to be at the restaurant at 11:30 and I would have been perfectly on time had I not nearly forgotten mom's card and had to turn around to get it and waste 5 minutes in the process. My brother and his fiance were meeting us there and beat us by a few minutes. The place was still pretty quiet at this point with maybe not even half of the cozy dining room filled. We spent a few minutes going over the menu and my wife and I tried to answer any questions the best we could but neither of us have done the "craft your own" option, so we weren't exactly sure on all the details. I was willing to spend as much time as needed on the menu because I had some concerns about bringing this group here. My mom, my wife, and I will eat pretty much anything. My brother's fiance is a really picky eater. She does a good job of making it her problem and not everybody else's, but I really don't know the things she likes and doesn't. My dad is Norwegian and most of my siblings display this trait when it comes to food. I seem to have overcome this affliction.
My brother and his fiance ordered and grabbed a table while we spent another minute on the menu. My wife ordered her favorite, the Siciliana (proscuitto, artichoke, picholine olive, basil), and then I ordered my favorite, the Visuvio (spiced salami, saracene olive, cracked red pepper, pepperoncini, basil). Mom order the Palermo (spiced salami, sun-dried tomato, saracene olive, oregano) and then told the girl at the register that "you're going to have to help him" and pointed to dad. Dad then explained to her that "I'm Norwegian". He ended up ordering a Napoli (sauce, oregano, mozzarella) with ham, sausage, onion, and garlic. My brother had also ordered the Palermo and his fiance got the same thing dad did but without the sausage.
We couldn't have been sitting at our table for more than five minutes before our pizzas came, which is about par for the course. It only takes 90 seconds to bake a pizza in their 800° oven (there is video of this on their website). If you aren't familiar with their pizzas, they are individual sized and are very thin crust. The outer crust rises in the oven and the middle stays thin and doesn't get crispy. You will need to be prepared to use your utensils or carefully dive in with both hands. It can be a messy experience between that and the wonderful charred spots on the crust that can leave your fingers and lips black.
I just love Punch and everybody in our group seemed to really like it too. The ingredients at Punch are very flavorful and I love the spiciness of the Visuvio. The only blemish was that my brother must have missed that the Palermo has olives on it and, after eating a couple, he picked the rest off. I'm not a fan of olives myself, but I do kind of like the saracene olives that are on my Vesuvio.
Punch has 6 Twin Cities metro locations.
UPDATE:
Here is that video I mentioned, courtesy of Punch Pizza.
They also have a Flickr page where you can check out some photos like this one.
The Siciliana.
Apr 27, 2009
Stella's Fish Cafe
Minneapolis, MN
8 thumbs up!
In all seriousness... ok... in some seriousness, we went to Stella's on Friday night with some friends. We started with the sushi grade tuna dip. It was some pico de gallo, guacamole, and small chunks of slightly seasoned raw tuna served with tortilla chips. That was pretty tasty, or "yummers" as our server liked to say. I had the Florida Stuffed Grouper as my entree, which is stuffed with shrimp, crawfish, and brie. My exact words after taking a huge first bite were, "Oh hells yeah." My wife shared some of her King Crab legs with me too. It was a good night.
8 thumbs up!
In all seriousness... ok... in some seriousness, we went to Stella's on Friday night with some friends. We started with the sushi grade tuna dip. It was some pico de gallo, guacamole, and small chunks of slightly seasoned raw tuna served with tortilla chips. That was pretty tasty, or "yummers" as our server liked to say. I had the Florida Stuffed Grouper as my entree, which is stuffed with shrimp, crawfish, and brie. My exact words after taking a huge first bite were, "Oh hells yeah." My wife shared some of her King Crab legs with me too. It was a good night.
Apr 17, 2009
Umbria Pizzeria
Bloomington, MN
Yesterday evening we went out to Umbria Pizzeria in Bloomington. They have several other locations around the Twin Cities. Our motivation to go was because we are looking to cater in some pasta for an upcoming party and we knew that Umbria had both catering and pasta. As the name suggests, Umbria also has pizza, which we have had several times.
Let's start with the pizza. There has been an increase and improvement in pizza options in our corner of Bloomington since we moved there a year and a half ago. At first there were a couple of the major delivery chains, Papa Murphy's, and the local Frankie's. Frankie's isn't bad, but it didn't really float our boat. (Ha ha... I just had a flash back to school lunches and pizza boats.) It's worth trying. It just wasn't our thing. Then Umbria showed up, or we just found out about it, followed by Nick-N-Willy's. Our delivery preference has now shifted to Umbria.
Umbria's pizza has a thick crust, not deep dish by any means, but thicker than most places. It's maybe a little breadier than most crusts too... if that's a thing. They have a wide range of toppings and, overall, it makes a very nice pizza. We've had a few different kinds of their gourmet pizzas. The one that stands out the most to me is their gyro pizza. It sounded interesting and possibly tasty and it turned out to be surprisingly awesome. They have some pretty good gyro meat and this Greek white sauce that really makes the pizza. We always end up getting an order of garlic cheese bread when we order pizza, partly because they always have coupons for it and partly because it's really good. It's pretty much perfect.
Back to the pasta. We decided to each order a different pasta so we could have an idea of the quality. My wife ordered the meat ravioli and I got the cheese tortellini and then we shared a bit. The pasta dishes come with a salad and a piece of garlic bread. My tortellini was in a creamy alfredo sauce. A lot of times alfredo sauce can be pretty blah, but this one actually had some parsley and a nice peppery kick to it. The pepper might be a little too much if you're eating an entire plate of it, but I was able to break it up with the garlic bread and some of my wife's ravioli. I would eat it again.
The ravioli were huge and were stuffed with what must have been pork sausage. The sausage had a little bit of a spicy kick to it, but certainly not enough spice to scare away too many Minnesotans. We both enjoyed the ravioli.
After we ate we talked briefly with the manager about catering. He did tell us that the pastas aren't limited to the menu. If we wanted to add stuff like chicken or spinach or whatever, they would do it. It would cost a little extra, but they would do it. They may even do that for you in the restaurant.
We don't really go out for pasta very often. When we do, we like to find a place that's really special, like Donatelli's. However, if we were craving some pasta that we didn't want to make or don't normally make, Umbria would certainly fill the bill.
Yesterday evening we went out to Umbria Pizzeria in Bloomington. They have several other locations around the Twin Cities. Our motivation to go was because we are looking to cater in some pasta for an upcoming party and we knew that Umbria had both catering and pasta. As the name suggests, Umbria also has pizza, which we have had several times.
Let's start with the pizza. There has been an increase and improvement in pizza options in our corner of Bloomington since we moved there a year and a half ago. At first there were a couple of the major delivery chains, Papa Murphy's, and the local Frankie's. Frankie's isn't bad, but it didn't really float our boat. (Ha ha... I just had a flash back to school lunches and pizza boats.) It's worth trying. It just wasn't our thing. Then Umbria showed up, or we just found out about it, followed by Nick-N-Willy's. Our delivery preference has now shifted to Umbria.
Umbria's pizza has a thick crust, not deep dish by any means, but thicker than most places. It's maybe a little breadier than most crusts too... if that's a thing. They have a wide range of toppings and, overall, it makes a very nice pizza. We've had a few different kinds of their gourmet pizzas. The one that stands out the most to me is their gyro pizza. It sounded interesting and possibly tasty and it turned out to be surprisingly awesome. They have some pretty good gyro meat and this Greek white sauce that really makes the pizza. We always end up getting an order of garlic cheese bread when we order pizza, partly because they always have coupons for it and partly because it's really good. It's pretty much perfect.
Back to the pasta. We decided to each order a different pasta so we could have an idea of the quality. My wife ordered the meat ravioli and I got the cheese tortellini and then we shared a bit. The pasta dishes come with a salad and a piece of garlic bread. My tortellini was in a creamy alfredo sauce. A lot of times alfredo sauce can be pretty blah, but this one actually had some parsley and a nice peppery kick to it. The pepper might be a little too much if you're eating an entire plate of it, but I was able to break it up with the garlic bread and some of my wife's ravioli. I would eat it again.
The ravioli were huge and were stuffed with what must have been pork sausage. The sausage had a little bit of a spicy kick to it, but certainly not enough spice to scare away too many Minnesotans. We both enjoyed the ravioli.
After we ate we talked briefly with the manager about catering. He did tell us that the pastas aren't limited to the menu. If we wanted to add stuff like chicken or spinach or whatever, they would do it. It would cost a little extra, but they would do it. They may even do that for you in the restaurant.
We don't really go out for pasta very often. When we do, we like to find a place that's really special, like Donatelli's. However, if we were craving some pasta that we didn't want to make or don't normally make, Umbria would certainly fill the bill.
Mar 22, 2009
Sunrise Donuts
Bloomington, MN
Who doesn't love donuts? It can be hard to find good donuts, though. You can get decent donuts almost anywhere, but good donuts... not so much. Sunrise Donuts in Bloomington is a good place to start in your search for good donuts. The faded sign and the old curtains hanging in the windows are a good indication that this place knows donuts. It's a tiny hole-in-the-wall at the White Bear Center on Lyndale Ave. The interior is straight out of the 70's with a few booths and some stools at the counter, the cafe style stools and short counter, where you can sit with a donut and coffee and read the newspaper. They even have a couple large donut photos hanging on the wall that have to have been hanging there for at least 30 years. The place seems to be owned and operated by a Vietnamese family. They open up early on weekdays, 5:00 or 5:30 am, and close at 11:00 am (or maybe 11:30). They are also open on Saturdays until noon, but I don't think they open until 7... maybe.
I have only had a couple of the plain old fashion donuts and a couple of the chocolate frosted cake donuts. Both the old fashion and cake donuts are crispy on the outside and very soft on the inside. The old fashion donut almost melts in your mouth once you get through the crunchy exterior. The cake donut's interior has a little more substance than the old fashion, but it is still very soft and moist. My wife loves the glazed old fashion donut, but I have only been there at about 11:00 on a Saturday. You need to get there earlier than that to hope to get a glazed old fashion. In fact, by that time there isn't too much left to choose from. These donuts are very good and easily beat anything you'll find in a grocery store. They may not be the best donuts ever, but the only donuts I've ever had that were better were from the Donut Drive-In in St. Louis.
Who doesn't love donuts? It can be hard to find good donuts, though. You can get decent donuts almost anywhere, but good donuts... not so much. Sunrise Donuts in Bloomington is a good place to start in your search for good donuts. The faded sign and the old curtains hanging in the windows are a good indication that this place knows donuts. It's a tiny hole-in-the-wall at the White Bear Center on Lyndale Ave. The interior is straight out of the 70's with a few booths and some stools at the counter, the cafe style stools and short counter, where you can sit with a donut and coffee and read the newspaper. They even have a couple large donut photos hanging on the wall that have to have been hanging there for at least 30 years. The place seems to be owned and operated by a Vietnamese family. They open up early on weekdays, 5:00 or 5:30 am, and close at 11:00 am (or maybe 11:30). They are also open on Saturdays until noon, but I don't think they open until 7... maybe.
I have only had a couple of the plain old fashion donuts and a couple of the chocolate frosted cake donuts. Both the old fashion and cake donuts are crispy on the outside and very soft on the inside. The old fashion donut almost melts in your mouth once you get through the crunchy exterior. The cake donut's interior has a little more substance than the old fashion, but it is still very soft and moist. My wife loves the glazed old fashion donut, but I have only been there at about 11:00 on a Saturday. You need to get there earlier than that to hope to get a glazed old fashion. In fact, by that time there isn't too much left to choose from. These donuts are very good and easily beat anything you'll find in a grocery store. They may not be the best donuts ever, but the only donuts I've ever had that were better were from the Donut Drive-In in St. Louis.
Mar 12, 2009
5-8 Club
Minneapolis, MN
I've only been to the 5-8 Club three times. Every time I've had the same thing, a Juicy Lucy and onion rings with a cold Leinie's. I think most people who have lived in the Twin Cities knows what a Juicy Lucy is, but for the rest of you I'll let you in on it. A traditional Juicy Lucy is a burger stuffed with American cheese, so when it is brought to your table it's a burger with a core of molten hot, gooey cheese. It's a wonderful thing. The 5-8 makes it by crimping 2 quarter pound burgers around the cheese, they also offer Juicy Lucys with blue, pepper, and Swiss cheese, but those take a little longer because no cheese melts as easily as American cheese.
I've thoroughly enjoyed the food every time I've been there. The service can be a little spotty at times, but I've never had an issue with that. The 5-8 is a no frills, seat yourself, neighborhood bar type of place and you just have to love that. I have not been able to confirm whether or not it is a 3.2 bar.
The 5-8 claims to be the "Home of the Juicy Lucy", but that is a hotly contested issue between the 5-8 and another south Minneapolis bar, Matt's Bar. Another hotly contested issue is how to actually spell Juicy Lucy. At Matt's, they leave the "i" out. There it's a Jucy Lucy. I have yet to make it to Matt's. There are a number of other bars and restaurants around the Twin Cities that offer Juicy Lucys as well.
The 5-8 Club has a unique history. It was established in 1928 at the height of Prohibition and operated as a speakeasy. At the time, it was a stucco sided house out in the country. The house had an underground garage where cars could pull in and unload their illegal hootch without being seen by police. When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the 5-8 Club went "legit" and became known for their burgers and beer. Now they have two other locations, 5-8 Tavern & Grill in Maplewood and the 5-8 Bar & Grill in Champlin.
I've only been to the 5-8 Club three times. Every time I've had the same thing, a Juicy Lucy and onion rings with a cold Leinie's. I think most people who have lived in the Twin Cities knows what a Juicy Lucy is, but for the rest of you I'll let you in on it. A traditional Juicy Lucy is a burger stuffed with American cheese, so when it is brought to your table it's a burger with a core of molten hot, gooey cheese. It's a wonderful thing. The 5-8 makes it by crimping 2 quarter pound burgers around the cheese, they also offer Juicy Lucys with blue, pepper, and Swiss cheese, but those take a little longer because no cheese melts as easily as American cheese.
I've thoroughly enjoyed the food every time I've been there. The service can be a little spotty at times, but I've never had an issue with that. The 5-8 is a no frills, seat yourself, neighborhood bar type of place and you just have to love that. I have not been able to confirm whether or not it is a 3.2 bar.
The 5-8 claims to be the "Home of the Juicy Lucy", but that is a hotly contested issue between the 5-8 and another south Minneapolis bar, Matt's Bar. Another hotly contested issue is how to actually spell Juicy Lucy. At Matt's, they leave the "i" out. There it's a Jucy Lucy. I have yet to make it to Matt's. There are a number of other bars and restaurants around the Twin Cities that offer Juicy Lucys as well.
The 5-8 Club has a unique history. It was established in 1928 at the height of Prohibition and operated as a speakeasy. At the time, it was a stucco sided house out in the country. The house had an underground garage where cars could pull in and unload their illegal hootch without being seen by police. When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the 5-8 Club went "legit" and became known for their burgers and beer. Now they have two other locations, 5-8 Tavern & Grill in Maplewood and the 5-8 Bar & Grill in Champlin.
Mar 3, 2009
Donatelli's
White Bear Lake, MN
Friday night we went out to Donatelli's with a couple friends. Donatelli's is a little Italian restaurant located in an innocuous strip mall in White Bear Lake. They also offer American food. You can't hardly be a family restaurant in Minnesota without offering some kind of hamburger, but Donatelli's actually has many burger options, many of which are Italian inspired and use monterey jack and mozzarella cheeses. They also have American and Italian sandwiches and wraps... but that's not why you came. The appeal of Donatelli's is their homemade Italian food. They make it all by scratch, including the pasta.
We found out about this place from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and we knew we just had to make it there sometime soon. The place is pretty little and there isn't much room to wait for your table, especially when it's February outside. They do have ice cream right up front, so you can stop in to get ice cream to go and they also have a couple coolers with pizzas, pastas, sauces, etc. that you can pick up and make at home. After a brief wait, we were seated at a table in the large group/busy night overflow room and not in the main dining room. We could have held out for a booth, but it was our understanding that the food came to both booths and tables, which it did.
My wife and I put together a game plan. We were each going to order something different and share. She had been craving some manicotti, so she ordered the baked manicotti, and I ordered the baked mostacolli. Most of the pasta dishes come with the option of meatballs, Italian sausage, or meat sauce for a small up-charge. Since my wife isn't a huge fan of sausage and heartburn, she got the meatballs and I got the meat sauce. The game plan fell apart as soon as the food arrived. I did get a bite of the manicotti and some meatball (the meatball was awesome) and she got a couple bites of the mostacolli, but we were both fully enjoying what was in front of us that neither one of us cared if we got any more of the other dish. The red sauce was killer. The mostacolli was cooked perfectly and topped with mozzarella and sharp cheddar and baked. Then some grated parmesan was added at the end. The sharp cheddar really completed the dish. Those bites that included everything were just fantastic. I haven't been that into a pasta dish in a long time, if ever.
Donatelli's also offers pizza, which I understand is also really good. But that will have to wait for another time, assuming I can resist the lure of the mostacolli.
Friday night we went out to Donatelli's with a couple friends. Donatelli's is a little Italian restaurant located in an innocuous strip mall in White Bear Lake. They also offer American food. You can't hardly be a family restaurant in Minnesota without offering some kind of hamburger, but Donatelli's actually has many burger options, many of which are Italian inspired and use monterey jack and mozzarella cheeses. They also have American and Italian sandwiches and wraps... but that's not why you came. The appeal of Donatelli's is their homemade Italian food. They make it all by scratch, including the pasta.
We found out about this place from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and we knew we just had to make it there sometime soon. The place is pretty little and there isn't much room to wait for your table, especially when it's February outside. They do have ice cream right up front, so you can stop in to get ice cream to go and they also have a couple coolers with pizzas, pastas, sauces, etc. that you can pick up and make at home. After a brief wait, we were seated at a table in the large group/busy night overflow room and not in the main dining room. We could have held out for a booth, but it was our understanding that the food came to both booths and tables, which it did.
My wife and I put together a game plan. We were each going to order something different and share. She had been craving some manicotti, so she ordered the baked manicotti, and I ordered the baked mostacolli. Most of the pasta dishes come with the option of meatballs, Italian sausage, or meat sauce for a small up-charge. Since my wife isn't a huge fan of sausage and heartburn, she got the meatballs and I got the meat sauce. The game plan fell apart as soon as the food arrived. I did get a bite of the manicotti and some meatball (the meatball was awesome) and she got a couple bites of the mostacolli, but we were both fully enjoying what was in front of us that neither one of us cared if we got any more of the other dish. The red sauce was killer. The mostacolli was cooked perfectly and topped with mozzarella and sharp cheddar and baked. Then some grated parmesan was added at the end. The sharp cheddar really completed the dish. Those bites that included everything were just fantastic. I haven't been that into a pasta dish in a long time, if ever.
Donatelli's also offers pizza, which I understand is also really good. But that will have to wait for another time, assuming I can resist the lure of the mostacolli.
Feb 24, 2009
Pappy's Smokehouse on Man v. Food
I somewhat recently went on a trip to St. Louis to visit some friends. Whenever we are down that way we just have to get some barbeque. Although St. Louis isn't as famous for barbeque as some other cities, it's still pretty abundant. Last year we hit up Fat Toney's, which was really pretty good.
This time we found Pappy's Smokehouse. It's good. It's very good. The line at the counter let's you know that immediately as you walk in. Pappy's opens every morning at 11 and stays open until they sell out of meat, which is 7 or 8 on weekdays and about 4 on the weekends. Mike Emerson, the owner of Pappy's doesn't believe in reheating his meats, so he tries to cook just enough for each day. Although, by now he may just be cooking to capacity. There is a small whiteboard that you pass while in line that will let you know what they are out of and when, if at all, they will be available again. If you are going later in the day, it's probably a good idea to call ahead first.
We showed up right around noon on a Saturday. The line was about 25 to 30 deep and it was that way when we left. The beautiful thing is, they move people through quickly and efficiently so that if everyone does what their supposed to, and be assured that Mr. Emerson is watching over his establishment, then there will be a place for you to sit and enjoy your meal.
We just missed out on the ribs. They ran out before we got up to the counter and weren't going to have any more until 1 o'clock. But that was ok with me, it just meant there was 1 less delicious meat for me to agonize over. I ended up getting the brisket sandwich. Everyone in our party (of 6) got either the brisket or the pulled pork, or both, in either sandwich or platter form. We all loved it. The brisket was smokey, tender, and juicy. It wasn't to the point where it would fall apart on your fork, but you certainly weren't fighting with it in the least. It was just about perfect. Pappy's cooks their meats in the Memphis style. That is, they smoke it using a dry rub and serve it dry with sauce bottles at the tables. Pappy's has 3 sauces, Pappy's Original, Sweet Baby Jane, and Holly's Hot Sauce. The original was my favorite. I do enjoy a little kick in my sauce from time to time, but I preferred the flavor of the original. For sides I had baked beans and sweet potato fries, I have a thing for sweet potato fries. The fries were good, but I like a little bit thicker cut, and there was nothing wrong with the beans. Both complimented the sandwich well.
The Travel Channel's Man v. Food made a stop at Pappy's Smokehouse while making their St. Louis episode, which airs tomorrow night. Adam Richman's food challenge, however, is to finish 5 24-ounce milkshakes in 30 minutes at Crown Candy Kitchen. I really do love this show. I didn't think I would. It's like Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, only with 70% more gluttony.
Good news! The Minneapolis episode airs on March, 25th. It includes Matt's Bar, Brasa, 5-8 Club, and Gasthof zur Gemutlichkeit, so get ready for Juicy Lucys and Meterbratwurst on the Travel Channel.
This time we found Pappy's Smokehouse. It's good. It's very good. The line at the counter let's you know that immediately as you walk in. Pappy's opens every morning at 11 and stays open until they sell out of meat, which is 7 or 8 on weekdays and about 4 on the weekends. Mike Emerson, the owner of Pappy's doesn't believe in reheating his meats, so he tries to cook just enough for each day. Although, by now he may just be cooking to capacity. There is a small whiteboard that you pass while in line that will let you know what they are out of and when, if at all, they will be available again. If you are going later in the day, it's probably a good idea to call ahead first.
We showed up right around noon on a Saturday. The line was about 25 to 30 deep and it was that way when we left. The beautiful thing is, they move people through quickly and efficiently so that if everyone does what their supposed to, and be assured that Mr. Emerson is watching over his establishment, then there will be a place for you to sit and enjoy your meal.
We just missed out on the ribs. They ran out before we got up to the counter and weren't going to have any more until 1 o'clock. But that was ok with me, it just meant there was 1 less delicious meat for me to agonize over. I ended up getting the brisket sandwich. Everyone in our party (of 6) got either the brisket or the pulled pork, or both, in either sandwich or platter form. We all loved it. The brisket was smokey, tender, and juicy. It wasn't to the point where it would fall apart on your fork, but you certainly weren't fighting with it in the least. It was just about perfect. Pappy's cooks their meats in the Memphis style. That is, they smoke it using a dry rub and serve it dry with sauce bottles at the tables. Pappy's has 3 sauces, Pappy's Original, Sweet Baby Jane, and Holly's Hot Sauce. The original was my favorite. I do enjoy a little kick in my sauce from time to time, but I preferred the flavor of the original. For sides I had baked beans and sweet potato fries, I have a thing for sweet potato fries. The fries were good, but I like a little bit thicker cut, and there was nothing wrong with the beans. Both complimented the sandwich well.
The Travel Channel's Man v. Food made a stop at Pappy's Smokehouse while making their St. Louis episode, which airs tomorrow night. Adam Richman's food challenge, however, is to finish 5 24-ounce milkshakes in 30 minutes at Crown Candy Kitchen. I really do love this show. I didn't think I would. It's like Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, only with 70% more gluttony.
Good news! The Minneapolis episode airs on March, 25th. It includes Matt's Bar, Brasa, 5-8 Club, and Gasthof zur Gemutlichkeit, so get ready for Juicy Lucys and Meterbratwurst on the Travel Channel.
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