Culinary Blog Tour

My Minneapolis Culinary Blog Tour

So, yes, I live in New York now. And yes, I should be giving you a culinary tour of New York. However, I don’t think a few short months is nearly enough time to find cool original places to eat in this city of 14,000 restaurants. 14,000, just in Manhattan. Sheesh. So, give me a few more months, a perhaps a stipend, and I’ll get there soon. Promise. I’m beginning to compile a list.

For now, to entertain myself at work, I’ve come up with a Minneapolis Tour. Thanks to Erin and Kate for your inspiration. And a note: this would clearly be taking place in the summer time, because I say so. Also, Alex had input in this as well.

Friday:

Breakfast at Hell’s Kitchen. I’ve never eaten here, sadly, but I hear it’s fantastic. Spend the afternoon meandering around downtown, or perhaps over to St Anthony Main for a bit. For lunch, make your way to Loring Park. Assuming it’s a sunshiny day, head up to the rooftop of Joe’s Garage to grab some burgers and enjoy the view. Afterwards, you can enjoy the park, walk across the bridge to the sculpture garden, and enjoy the Walker. I hear they also have a good happy hour at 20.21, though I haven’t tried it myself. For dinner, to conclude your downtown extravaganza, head up to Solera to enjoy sangria and tapas on the rooftop.

Saturday:

Breakfast at the French Meadow in Uptown. If you’re early, you can even snag a table outside to enjoy some sunshine. The breakfast quesadilla is a personal favorite. Wander through uptown, perhaps even stop for an ice cream at Crema Café. Rent canoes on Lake Calhoon and enjoy the afternoon on the water or bike down the Minnihaha Creek, my personal favorite place in Minneapolis. At the end you can treat yourself to lunch at the Sea Salt Eatery before you head back.

If you’re not feeling as fit for biking, you can instead head over to St Paul early. Wander down Summit, enjoy the old houses. Perhaps even grab some cheesecake or a sandwich at Café Latte. Or you could even grab a beer and some fries on the patio at Sweenys or try some fancy craft beer at the Happy Gnome. Dinner will be all about romance though with some live jazz at Zander Café. Make reservations for a little later in the evening and try and get a booth for two by the stage.

After dinner, if you have the energy, head out for some salsa dancing with live music at either Picasa or Babalu. The former for the more high energy crowd, the later for swanky dark lighting and great wine and caiperenas.


Sunday:

Brunch at Café 28 in the Linden Hills neighborhood. This little organic, local café is one of my favorite places in Minneapolis. Try the salmon egg scramble. Yum. After brunch, take a stroll around Lake Harriet, and enjoy watching the sailboats.

As a snack before dinner, head up to Figlio’s in Uptown. This bar hosts its $2 happy hour all day on Sundays, enjoy some wine and some gorgonzola cheese fries.

For dinner, it’s La Belle Vie with wine pairings. Save the best for last. I have only been to the original Belle Vie in Stillwater. I’m kind of sad it’s no longer there as it was lovely and quaint, and gave you an excuse to go on a little vacation. The food there was the best food I’ve ever had. I hear that it’s just as good at the new location in Loring Park. Enjoy!