Summer Highlights

I've been a bad, bad blogger.

No. Seriously. Long time no see. Now that fall is well underway in Minneapolis, I think it's safe to say I let myself get a bit wrapped up in summer activities and forgot all about blogging. I have lots to catch up on, but I'd probably spend from now until Christmas doing so. Instead, I'll share a few highlights from this summer and make it easy on you.

I hope to be back at it with some regularity and even have a few fun recent restaurant visits to recap in the coming days. So with that, a quick glimpse at summer in photos...

When I last left you in June, I'd promised to recap one additional restaurant visit from that trip...and a quite memorable one at that. The last night in NYC brought us to John's Pizzeria in Times Square, an incredibly popular pizza spot that was once a church. The converted space left some elements in tact, like the beautiful stained glass dome. The building was built in 1888 and is now home to the country's largest pizzeria. The brick oven pizza was quite delish. Ham and black olives, are an unbeatable combo in my opinion.

I had quite a busy summer travel schedule and took many a great Instagram photo, soaking in all the great architecture to be had. From tall skyscrapers and the breathtaking St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, to Bourbon Street in NOLA and lovely churches in San Antonio.

And of course, I had good fun here in Minnesota too. I finally got to experience Music and Movies in the Park at the Walker, I helped my grandma celebrate her birthday with a fun (yet win-less) night of Bingo, I took a quick road trip with friends and took pictures of small town churches.

AND, I even went with family to the State Fair. Those who know me well, know this isn't one of my favorite activities. After working the State Fair every day one summer as a college student, I can now only handle going every couple years or so. But, we had a blast :) We went on the big slide, rode on the space needle, visited the farm animals, ate cheese curds, inhaled Sweet Martha's cookies and even gave bacon ice cream a try.

To top it all off, I even tried out a few new things in the kitchen at home (clockwise from top left): BBQ chicken quinoa salad - the seriously most delicious quinoa dish I've had to-date thanks to Iowa Girl Eats; my summer staple of little capreses with roma tomatoes, fresh mozz, basil and balsamic; my own variation of Noodles' pesto cavatappi with chicken, thanks to some ridiculously expensive but awesome pesto my local grocer talked me into; and a colorful vegan caprese salad courtesy of Mamavation.

Woofta. That's all for now :)

Dinner at Hell's Kitchen

During my stint in NYC last week, I took advantage of all of my surroundings: Times Square, Hell's Kitchen, Midtown and more. Having heard good things about all of the restaurants lining 9th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, we decided to check one out with that very moniker: Hell's Kitchen, the Mexican restaurant.

As I'm discovering with many of the restaurants I visit in the Big Apple, the space was small - several two- to four-person tables surrounding the bar - and dimly lit, creating a feeling of exclusivity (you'll have to forgive the poor photo quality; I intentionally left the flash off so as not to interrupt the ambiance). We were excited to find a handful of open tables when we arrived, so we didn't have to wait very long for seating.

I had a hankering for sangria (a rougher than normal allergy season left me craving one after missing out at a friend's birthday party recently) and quickly ordered a glass of red. Which definitely did not disappoint with its delicious chunks of fruit.

The tapas-style menu had so many attractive options that it was hard to narrow down my selection. So, I decided to try two. First the steamed lobster tacos with avocado, coleslaw and passion fruit aioli. Holy cats, these were fantastic. Giant pieces of fresh lobster, thick slices of avocado and the crunchy coleslaw were well-paired with the sweet-flavored aioli.

My second selection was the roasted chicken and monterey jack cheese quesedilla with a poblano cream sauce. These were also crazy good with just the right amount of heat and tasty pico de gallo.

I'm really glad we walked along the bustling streets of Hell's Kitchen to discover this spot. I'd love to go back and try several of the other notable spots. Stay tuned for one more post from last week's dining adventures :)

Din Din in NYC

I'm in NYC for work this week; always my favorite city for trying new restaurants. There are just so many options. And, I love how you can just discover delicious places at random.

Tonight, my co-worker and I explored some Times Square area options.

Obligatory photos:

And we landed at Bella Vita Pizzeria on 43rd Street (a place that no longer seems to have a website, but apparently you can order online here). I forgot to grab an outside shot, but as you can see below, you can walk in and order pizza by the slice or dine in and order off the menu.

It's a quite charming space, small and cozy. It kind of reminds me of Broders' Cucina Italiana in Minneapolis (the deli component of Broders' located across the street from the full restaurant) but with a bit more of a warm and intimate feel and full-service.

I ordered the fettuccine alfredo, which came with large slices of chicken and a thick, creamy sauce. Oh, and it's enormous. After catching a glimpse of the giant bowls of pasta, we knew we didn't need to order any starters or side salads. This was more than filling (and, no, I didn't quite join the clean plate club). The sauce was packed with flavor, and the pasta well-prepared. Overall, it was quite delightful, and I'm glad we happened by it :)

Annual Tradition: Art in Bloom

Spring is in the air! Well, at least that's what my allergies tell me... With the season change also comes my favorite springtime activity (and now an annual tradition): Art in Bloom at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

The last Sunday in April, I spent part of the afternoon with a friend taking in all of the wonderful floral interpretations throughout the museum. This is now my third year in attendance (and my third time sharing highlights here), and each time I'm struck by how Art in Bloom makes me take a second look at so many pieces that I normally just glance over. Also for the third time, my favorite of the floral arrangements has taken me by surprise. This year, more than others, I had a hard time actually picking a favorite. But in the end, it came down to this one:

Normally, I just breeze right through the contemporary galleries, but this one stopped me in my tracks. I love how the lips and the shawl are captured so vividly, and how the floral arrangement really seems to bring the person aspect of it to life.

The two others I was really wowed by were:

Seriously. How awesome are these? And, of course, for your viewing pleasure, here are a few of my other favorites in no particular order:

You know what I love even more than Art in Bloom? Wandering around, getting lost and making completely new discoveries at MIA. I seriously could not stop staring at this... :)

Dinner at Masu

I definitely let way too much time pass before sharing this treasure. Hopefully, I can still do it justice :) I had my first Masu Sushi & Robata (NE Minneapolis) experience with some of my favorite colleagues last month, and all I can say is that this definitely shouldn't have been my first time. It's fantastic.

From the very start with some of my favorite restaurant decor to-date...

(Seriously, aren't these guys sweet-looking?!)

To a spread that was overwhelmingly good. I kicked it all off with a fancy martini, called "Alive with Pleasure." It's a sparkling yuzu ginger gin martini with cherry pimms. Pleasure indeed. I'm not a major gin fan, but that didn't stop me from savoring every last sip.

And, of course, we had snacks all around. The required edamame (look at those salt crystals!).

The ah-mazing beef jerky. It's no joke when I say I would come back just for this. Tender. Chewy. Flavorful. Goodness.

Potstickers. Again, basically required.

Pork belly steam buns. With Masu pickles and hoisin.

Crispy pork kara-age with a sesame soy dipping sauce.

Oh, and even bacon-wrapped quail eggs. One of my more adventurous friends convinced me to try one of these. In all sincerity, it really wasn't that bad. Highlight of dinner? No. Would I eat it again? Sure.

After all the delicious small plates we shared, I almost couldn't imagine digging in for more. But that thought really only lasted a hot minute...before I knew it, my pork belly ramen was staring right up at me. Ramen noodles with pork belly, slow-roasted pork shoulder, a soft poached egg, fish cake and flavorful broth.

This isn't something I'd normally order, so I didn't really have strong expectations. I love that I tried something out of my norm. I love that I tried (though maybe didn't really love) fish cake. And I love that I got to eat it all with chopsticks.

So many times I say I want to go back to a place but then spend most of my time in search of something new. I think Masu's menu is diverse enough that it could feel like a new experience all over again next time. Plus, my sushi-loving friends would jump at it :)

Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato and Brie Mac & Cheese

This week marked my fourth Meatless Monday. Though I've followed it faithfully, I've found myself with plans on two occasions, where I've had to order meatless meals out. But, that also means that I've now cooked meatless-ly for myself twice. :) The latest: Sweet Potato and Brie Mac & Cheese from Healthy Food For Living (a Pinterest find).

I had a couple of missteps in my preparation (I couldn't find the neufchatel cream cheese it called for at Trader Joe's (so I just went without it) and I've gotten so used to hand-mashing/hand-stirring everything that I've forgotten to replace the mixer I broke well over a year ago now (read: my puree was more lumpy than silky)).  

While my mac and cheese may look a little lumpier than the original, it still packed a great deal of flavor. And, I made so much of it that I was eating meatless leftovers for two days too.

I'm still in search of other meatless suggestions, so please share any ideas :) I've also dedicated a whole board to it on Pinterest :)

Juicy Blucys at the Blue Door Pub

I FINALLY made my way to the Blue Door Pub on Selby Avenue in Saint Paul for an early-ish dinner after having it on my list for the last couple of years. I've had several failed attempts due to its sheer popularity and not offering reservations.

The odds were in my favor with my sister, her fiance and my little niece in town wanting to meet up for an early dinner, so I figured we'd beat the normal dinner rush. After a quick look at the BDP's menu, it seemed like it had potential to be family-friendly, and so it became our destination.

Despite arriving just a little after 5 p.m., there was already an hour-long wait. Since I was the first to arrive, I decided we could wait it out. It was a beautiful day, so we took turns walking my niece up and down the sidewalk to kill time and just enjoyed each other's company.

Once we finally made our way inside, it was quite overwhelming with people in every nook and cranny. And, as luck would have it, we were put at a high-top table - one of just two and totally not well-suited for the little tyke. I was too busy feeling angst about our seating arrangement to take an inside photo. Probably because I'm normally child-less, I was extra sensitive about the situation. But, my sister and her little fam took it in stride, reminding me that they gave us the first available table.

Thankfully, our server was awesome, and she quickly put the Blue Door back in my good graces. She brought over little cups as play toys and some crackers for a snack. My niece didn't seem to mind the seating sitch except when we tried to put her in the high chair and she was a solid three or four feet shorter than the rest of us :)

Also working in the Blue Door's favor? The fact that our food came out in no time. And. It. Was. Crazy. Delicious. I ordered the Blucy, BDP's signature take on Minneapolis' iconic juicy lucy, stuffed with bleu cheese and finely chopped garlic, along with some tots. My sister had a french dip-inspired version and proclaimed it the best burger she'd ever had.

Yummers. I love juicy lucys, and I will now go on record saying that both of my two favorites come from Saint Paul (The Nook is home to my reigning champion). Now that I'm a Minneapolis dweller, that statement seems almost blasphemous... ;)