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... ;)

Dinner at the Herkimer

This weekend actually marked my first dining experience at The Herkimer Pub & Brewery, a Minneapolis staple on the corner of Lake and Lyndale. It's best known for its hand-crafted beers and a pretty fantastic happy hour menu. Oh, and pretty city art (photo snapped above with a little Instagram TLC).

Given its prime location on the bustling intersection, it's also a great spot for people-watching if you snag a spot at one of the few tables out front. Which is where Friday night found us with 68-degree temps. It may have felt more like 48 but as far as our fellow Minnesotans were concerned, shorts season was in full swing. :) 

In a rare move for me, I selected both of the appetizers for the group to share. First up: deep-fried pickles. I absolutely love fried pickles (as you may remember from my Pat's Tap excursion). Something about the combination of salty pickles fried in batter and creamy Ranch dressing just gets me every time. The Herkimer's were very good, though budding fried pickle connoisseur that I am, I would rank a couple of other local options slightly higher. 

For our second starter, we had the sweet potato fries. One of my friends loves all things sweet potato so this seemed like another easy crowd-pleaser. Served with a tasty chipotle ketchup, these were pipin' hot, salty and addicting.

For my entree, I was impressed to see quite a few meatless/seafood menu options that all sounded quite good. I was quickly swayed by the crab melt special, which came served open-faced in a creamy artichoke sauce on ciabatta, along with tater tots (in place of fries, with an upcharge). The sandwich itself was pretty good, though I poked around from time to time to make sure it actually came with some crab. And the tots? Well, the tots were get-in-my-belly awesome.

I think I might set my sights on a return visit for the happy hour in the very near future. And, my intrigue with several of the menu items will likely bring me back for dinner/lunch again soon.

Meatless Monday: Butternut Squash and Sage Quinoa

Did you see the recent study about how all red meat is bad for you? Surely there are counter-arguments about the need for eating [insert anything] in moderation, but still, the study is pretty scary. It definitely gave me pause and made me take some time for self-reflection. I love me some bacon and pork chops (and let's not forget a perfectly prepared burger out on the town), so I started to wonder just how much red meat I consume in an average week.

I've started a red meat journal, and in the last week found that with beef and pork combined, I'm definitely consuming more than my fair share. So, I've decided to start a new tradition: Meatless Mondays. Totally meatless. I won't even allow myself fish. I'm thinking of it as a new culinary adventure and an opportunity to dig up fun new recipes.

I know lunches might not offer a whole lot of variety (my first MM lunch centered around a veggie wrap with cheese and hummus), but I'm excited to explore what dinner might have in store for me. For my very first Meatless Monday dinner, I went with this Butternut Squash and Sage Quinoa recipe from Eat, Live, Run that a friend suggested to me a while back (it was her birthday Monday, so I decided to make it in her honor). :)

Caveat: it does call for chicken broth, so the purists might call me out on my totally meatless declaration, but it's my first time out, so I think I'm okay :)

I have to tell you, this dish was shockingly quite delicious. All of the flavors combined to really bring out a hearty meal. I'm coming to find more and more delight in quinoa (of course, garlic, onion and seasonings make it hard not to) and in my opinion, squash just doesn't get enough credit for its tastiness.

To up the veggie ante, dinner was well-paired with a simple side salad of romaine hearts, cherry tomatoes, sliced bella mushrooms, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and ranch dressing.

Got any good meatless recipes that I should try? Send 'em my way :)

Dinner at Victory 44

I've had Victory 44 on my list since it first opened. But, it wasn't until I read We Got Served's review of it that I moved it to the tippy-top of my list. Not long after, I was looking for a new place to try for dinner with friends, and the choice was a no-brainer.

Nestled within an unassuming spot in north Minneapolis (I swear the only other thing I remember seeing on the same corner was a Domino's), the vibe at Victory 44 is awesome. The space was jam-packed with a nice, low-key atmosphere on our visit. And even with a bunch of people all around us, the tables were spaced well enough that you didn't feel like you were part of everyone else's conversations.

Even the light fixtures were cool...

And, cooler yet - Victory 44's menu is ever-changing. The chalkboard serves as your guide. During our visit, we opted for the tasting menu - five courses for $30. Two notes: 1. if you pair it with wine for $50, you get a fairly generous half pour with each course, and 2. it's requested that the entire table participate if you get the tasting menu (that's right...even the finicky eaters...ha).

The first course was the beet in textures. I'm not a major fan of beets, so the beet-driven menu almost made me reconsider the tasting menu option (remember though: all for one and one for all). In the end, even I had to admit that this dish packed a lot of flavor. Beets of varying degrees with a tasty sauce and crumble.

Then came the scallops. I cannot even begin to describe how fantastic these were. SO rich. SO melt-in-your-mouth awesome.

And then, the main event: hanger steak with a bleu cheese butter and...wait for it...more beets. :) Actually, this was so incredibly well prepared and well-paired together that it was my favorite part of the whole meal. I'm still day-dreaming about this amazing steak.

Next up was a composed cheese plate with soft cheeses, a tangy jam and more crumble. This was a great follow-up to the steak and transition from dinner to dessert.

And lastly, the dessert course: coffee, peanut butter banana. If I could think of a critique for our meal, this would be it. Overall, it was pretty good. I don't like coffee, but it was barely noticeable. It did however seem to add to the crunchiness, which I wasn't crazy about. And the filo dough was a mixed bag for me. The ice cream and puree were delish.

It certainly wouldn't be a stretch to say that Victory 44 is the best restaurant I've eaten at so far in 2012. The whole meal was fantastic. The ambiance perfect. And while maybe a bit off the beaten path, well worth the trip.

Lunch at Wise Acre Eatery

I'm not sure whether I should be excited about this or worried, but I've been eating at a lot of good restaurants lately. Apparently so much so that I'm backed up in posting about them. (And maybe just a tad bit worried that I'll forget about eating at home altogether.)

One of the best recent examples is Wise Acre Eatery on Nicollet in south Minneapolis. This is probably our finest local example of farm-to-table (as you can read in this City Pages review from last summer). Even just spending two seconds on the restaurant's website will prove it with the colorful farm-meets-food photos and the Gone Farmin' rationalization for being closed on Mondays.

Located in a former oil station - and still featuring the garage door that opens onto an outdoor patio - the space is adorable.

It's quaint and small and lovely. At the counter you can purchase items ranging from pastries to eggs, and the bar at the back makes everything from sustainable coffee to homemade sodas.

Greenery is strategically placed around the space, making it feel even more natural and homegrown. It's also incredibly complimentary to the overall ambiance.

I'd heard good things about their housemade sparkling sodas, so I tried a lemon verbena version. While it was quite refreshing, I think the combination of its sugary sweetness and it taking a little while to get to me (it seemed our server forgot about it) made me wish I would've just stuck with water.

For my rural dinner/urban lunch selection, I ordered a full meal of beef roast, cranberry macaroni and cheese and brussels sprouts. Ooh la la :)

Oh, you know I totally ate all of this! Because I'm a brussels sprouts fanatic. Because I love grass-fed, tender beef roast. And because there probably is no better pairing than creamy mac n cheese with cranberries. 

What a delightfully satisfying lunch. And with so many seasonally-changing menu items, I'm excited to go back for breakfast or "urban dinner." :)

NYE Dinner at Rinata and Crashed Ice Event

This post is going to bring together two very different events - one that I should have posted about already (New Year's Eve dinner at Rinata) and one that took place this weekend (Red Bull Crashed Ice in Saint Paul).

Let's start with Rinata. I've always heard good things about its Italian fare and had it on a list of spots to visit but just never seemed to find the time. Then, when planning for New Year's Eve dinner at the last minute, I remembered reading this great post from The Heavy Table about five good restaurants people are overlooking. I figured it was a sign I should try to score NYE reservations. And, I did! For six!

Rinata, with its lovely Christmas decorations still hanging, had a lovely, intimate ambiance. With just a few tables in each of three rooms, every nook and cranny was packed when we arrived (I took the shot below on the right just as we were the last to leave so as not to interrupt other diners). The whole space felt warm and cozy on the snowy evening.

As we placed our wine order, our server brought out some fantastic bread with olive oil and tapenade. We were already off to a good start.

We then ordered two appetizers for the group to share; my selection was the bruschetta with cannellini beans, pancetta and roasted brussels sprouts. I give it solid marks for presentation and an interesting combination of ingredients. Overall, though, I thought the beans were just a little too much and ended up drying the app out a bit (of course, this could partially be attributed to my non-love of these white beans, though I keep trying to convince myself otherwise). One friend suggested that it might have been better had the beans been pureed...that might not be a bad idea :)

The second starter was the crostini with roasted mushrooms, caramelized onion and bleu cheese. As a lover of all things mushroom and bleu cheese, I thought this one was very enjoyable.

And then - the main event. I ordered the gnocchi with balsamic braised short ribs and roasted mushroom pan sauce for my entree. OMG. This was outstanding. The short ribs were so tender and flavorful, and the gnocchi perfectly prepared. I was really blown away by this dish and ate every. last. bite.

I was really impressed by how reasonably priced everything on the menu was given the caliber of food. It was all well-prepared and quite generously portioned. And another thing I really enjoyed about our Rinata experience was the staff. We had a fantastic server who was absolutely delightful. Plus, the restaurant was very accommodating when I called to adjust my reservation (even on NYE!).

So, if you haven't yet tried Rinata in Uptown, consider this a little nudge.

******

On to the Crashed Ice event. This weekend, the steps of the Cathedral in Saint Paul became home to a steep, icy and winding track for the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship, where nearly 200 skaters from around the world came to compete. It's estimated that more than 80,000 people swarmed the streets of Saint Paul to take in the action. I joined the mad house for a bit Saturday evening. Here are just a couple of photo highlights from the event :)

Christmas Treats Perfect for Holiday Parties

I meant to post this before traveling for work all last week. Oops...you'll have to appreciate seeing it now even though you're probably so over Christmas :)

If you remember my Thanksgiving pumpkin gingersnap cheesecake post, you remember that I practically had to bribe the family to eat it. So, I decided to go a different route for Christmas - one that didn't require as much time and energy. My parents hosted Christmas dinner, and I opted to provide the pre-meal fare.

It started with peppermint-flavored puppy chow (recipe found on the back of a Crispix box). What a fun, holiday twist on one of the world's greatest guilty pleasures! To make it, you start by melting a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips with a stick of butter. Once melted, add a 1/2 or full teaspoon of peppermint extract (I went with the full teaspoon). Next, mix the cereal and chocolate together.

Place the chocolate-y cereal mixture into a large baggie of powdered sugar. Zip it up and shake to coat the cereal.

Let it cool, and you're ready to put it in a container of your liking and serve to your loved ones. This is my 'cookie jar' that I bought at Sur La Table a couple of years ago. I just love the look of it and that it's easily transportable (in fact, I made this peppermint recipe for two holiday gatherings this year).

I paired the sweet treat with a delightful holiday-themed cheese tray. I saw a friend post this to Facebook in early December and was totally sold. Then it started popping up all over Pinterest as a perfect option for holiday entertaining, and I knew I had to make it.

I used cubes of cheddar, colby-jack and pepper-jack cheeses, along with grape tomatoes and baby dill pickles to make the little tree. Days before Christmas, I picked up the perfect serving tray at CB2, my favorite new home store that just opened in Uptown.

And, what a relief. Family happily devoured these Christmas treats. Maybe I'm on to something... :)