Minnesota State Fair – 2012
The Minnesota State Fair is one of my favorite times of the year. I love everything about the fair from the donuts, to the roasted corn, and last but not least to the people watching. The fair is fun on a stick.
It is almost a right of passage for every young Minnesotan to work at the fair and for every other Minnesotan to visit at least once a year.
It is one of those magical places where you can go and be who you are and eat fried foods without judgement. Okay, maybe a bit of judgement, I mean really, did you wake up today and think today is the perfect day to wear my utility kilt.
Each fair-goer has their favorite things to do and eat at the fair. These are my favorites.
Deep Fried Candy Bars are always on my list of must haves. They are a great way to dive into the fried world that is the Minnesota State Fair. Warning: these are very rich! I would only get one to share for 3 people.
This is a deep fried Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. The breading is fantastic and fried to perfection. The inside is gooey, peanut-buttery, and chocolaty. I usually get the deep fried Snickers bar which is equally as good, if not better. I would avoid the deep fried Oreo’s. They are just not as good because they don’t melt like the other candy bars.
Although, you cannot eat the food on display. I love to go to the Creative Arts building to check out the prize winning foods and crafts. I am someone who believes in the homemade local foods movement and want to learn how to can food myself. It is amazing what some people can do.
It is my goal to at some point in my life win a baking ribbon at the State Fair. It would be even more kick-a** if I could win with a Vegan cake. It looks like I have some pretty stiff competition.
Need some “real” food at the fair? Try Giggles. It is the “La Belle Vie” of the Minnesota State Fair. This year their new food item is the Walleye Roll, which is pictured above. It is walleye mixed with mayonnaise and wild rice on a buttery brioche with fresh shredded lettuce. They also serve up other great items like the elk burger and walleye cakes.
You have to go and see the crop art in the Horticulture building. Many this year were political. I got a few good laughs from this cake which says, “Defending Marriage Sanctity” and then has names of several politicians who have had some “trouble” in their marriage. It was all decorated with seeds. Also, stop by the Minnesota Craft Beer section as well. It is new this year and serves craft brews by some of my favorite breweries like Surly, Harriet Brewing, and Boom Island.
All of this eating made me thirsty. Thirsty for some local wines. This was a great new addition to the fair this year. Right outside the Horticulture building you will find Minnesota Wine Country booth. It is simply beautiful and it offers flights to try many different Minnesota wines. It even comes in the shape of Minnesota.
The Cannon River Winery had my favorite red wine with the Mill Street Red. The Minnesota Wine Country booth also had food available. I didn’t have any but the people around me looked like they were enjoying themselves.
If you need to cool off, you should head to the Fine Arts Building and the Eco Experience building. They are free to go in and usually there is some pretty neat stuff to see.
Time for more food. I wanted something healthy with some greens and choose this tabbouleh from the Pita truck it was delicious with the garlic sauce. It is outside the merchandise mart.
O’Gara’s is my favorite place to people watch at the fair. They have lots of tables outside and some inside as well. They usually have live music and during hot days the roof mists you to keep you cool. They have beer and a great food selection. I love the tater tots and the air conditioned bathrooms.
Last but not least, I had to have a final snack as I was leaving.
Because our state fair is the best state fair, don’t miss it, don’t even be late.
@mplsgossipgirl
What is your favorite food at the fair?
Vote No
If you have not heard, Minnesotans have the opportunity to vote for a constitutional amendment that would ban same sex marriage in Minnesota. This amendment defines marriage as between only a woman and a man. If you vote no, it does not mean that same sex couples will be allowed to marry it will just not allow this amendment not to pass and define the specific wording in the Constitution.
I am putting this out there as a conversation. So, that maybe someone in Minnesota will read this and think about how they want to vote on the amendment. I believe it is part of my civic duty to put myself out there and speak my truth.
For those of you who know me personally, you know exactly where I stand on this issue. Not only do I think that everyone should vote no on this amendment, I believe that Minnesota should allow same sex marriage.
Marriage to me is a lasting commitment shared between two people who love each other.
In the future, I want to be married in front of all those who love me, friends and family, and believe that anyone who wants to enter into this commitment should be allowed to do so. Marriage is a way to publicly say that this is the person that I want to spend my life with and is now part of my family.
I am someone who will not face the challenges that same sex couples face currently. When I decide to enter into marriage I will not have to worry if my employer allows my partner on my insurance coverage, I will not have to worry about having to pay lawyers fees to have my partner make medical decisions for me or if my partner needs to adopt my child/children, I will not have to fight to have my partner in the room with me when I have an emergency.
I do not want my friends, neighbors, family members, or anyone else have to struggle to have the same freedoms as I get to have without doing anything other then marrying a partner that is the opposite sex as I am.
because love is love, Vote No.
@mplsgossipgirl
Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving me a comment.
Amore Victoria
How great does that dish look? It was delicious. But, now I will tell you why I will never be back there again. The service was horrible.
Now, this has nothing to do with our actual server. Who was really nice talked to us about the dishes and was friendly. After the meal she even apologized to us for the service that we got. I asked her how many tables that she had because it seemed like that might have been the problem. She had 7 tables outside plus another 4 inside with a huge group. Now, that is unfair to both the server and the diners. I hope this is not a normal occurrence but from how the sever handled it, it seemed like it was.
But that was after we got seated. The worst part of going there was before we were actually seated. First, we walked into the restaurant but it was a nice day so naturally we wanted to sit outside and asked if we could. The server inside told us that she did not know if they had any availability upstairs and told us to go to the back walk up the stairs to see the hostess there. She was rude, most likely because people are always asking this all the time and she has to tell them to go upstairs.
My question is why is there no communication between the rooftop and the restaurant? Shouldn’t they be able to figure out some way to let each other know when they are full or not. I really cannot blame the hostess either for her rudeness because how frustrating must it be when there is no room between the door and the hostess stand, she cannot tell us if there is any availability upstairs, and everyone wants to sit outside.
Things got worse, as we were walking up the stairs there were two young girls who were trying to get up the stairs in their heels. We let them go first because they were struggling. They were seated and we waited for the hostess. We asked for a table for two and she said they were all full. Now, I am pissed.
I had to walk up these damn stairs, I have things to do and all I wanted was a good meal outside.
Unfortunately, I gave the hostess a piece of my mind. This is because we let those girls go before us, because there were at least 5 open tables left. Granted they were 4 person tables, but I think we could have sat there anyways. We were told downstairs it was first come, first served and they do not take any reservations. We were told to go downstairs.
Now, this is where I made a mistake. I should have left.
We went downstairs to be seated outside on the sidewalk. The hostess inside said she would follow us out to a table. She saw someone else and sat them first inside and then decided to come out and seat us. As we are sitting down they were clearing waters that were left at a table because some diners actually got up and left. It is never a good sign when people leave without eating.
Now, this is where I made a mistake again. I should have left.
All and all, the dinner was not horrible because the food was good. Service was painfully slow and dinner took over 2 and a half hours. Which is a long time when you have two people sitting by you discussing the dates they had met on okcupid and how they were sooooooooo in love but he was ignoring her calls.
The bread was wonderful and so were the pasta dishes that we ordered.
Look at this food. I feel sorry for the chefs because after my experience there. I will never be back. You have been blacklisted.
Because who the hell manages this restaurant? Yikes.
@mplsgossipgirl
Masu
Yum. This place reminded my why I love Northeast Minneapolis. Masu has a great late night happy hour and great food on that happy hour menu. All the rolls that you see above were from that menu. Plus, parking is free after 10PM. Right when the late night happy hour starts, coincidence, I think not. You do need to sit in the bar area if you want to take part in the drink specials. Otherwise if you are just there for the food, you can sit in the restaurant and pay full price for any drinks.
My favorite item at Masu that night was the roll topped with a jalapeno, I took the jalapeno off because they are a little too hot for me and just ate the roll. It was not too spicy but flavorful. Their California roll is the best that I have had at a Minneapolis restaurant so far. This roll sometimes is done cheaply and sloppy because usually people who order these don’t know much about sushi. This one had real crab in it. Not that imitation crap.
I also liked the edamame it was salted and cooked correctly. I could have eaten an entire bowl by myself.
Next time I think I will skip the Miso Soup just because I didn’t need it with all the other items on the menu. I also would skip the Nigiri because it was really hard to eat and fell apart. It was awkward to eat at a table full of people watching you struggle. This place fills you up which makes it hard to try many things on the menu. There was so much more that looked interesting that I wanted to try. It gives me a great excuse to go back.
Masu has a great atmosphere with some odd art on the walls that adds to its charm. We also had great service and a server who explained to us what we didn’t know about the menus. It was helpful and not overbearing. I am excited to go to the new location in Mall of America.
If you go there try the plum sparkling tea. It is non-alcoholic and out of this world.
because sometimes the real stuff is the best stuff
@mplsgossipgirl
Pazzaluna
Are you going to The Ordway for a show? You should stop at Pazzaluna for their happy hour beforehand.
They have a great happy hour menu with some delightful items on it. My favorite was the scallops. They were cooked perfectly and I liked the citrus that was used on the plate. (see below)
You cannot go wrong with any of the pizzas or the bruschetta. Both are delicious. This is because of good ingredients that are used well. Nothing ruins a tomato bruschetta like bad tomatoes. These were just perfect. The photo at the top of the post is a chicken artichoke pizza and below is the tomato bruschetta.
I have to say that the service was not good. at all. But, it was not our servers fault. They has scheduled her for an unreasonable amount of tables in the bar area and outside during happy hour. She had about 13 tables in all, both inside and outside. There is no way that she could have given us good service because she was always running around. It was a shame. I think this would have made my experience here better. Hopefully, this was just a fluke.
I am hesitant on going back to order off their regular menu because it is a slight bit pricey for me and if I am not going to get good service it wouldn’t be worth it. Too bad because the food I had was good.
Because I love a good tomato.
@mplsgossipgirl
“Mama’s Good to You” “Chicago” the musical -The Ordway
With a system called rec-i-pro-city, “Chicago” was one of the most entertaining shows that I have attended at The Ordway to date. The Audience was engaged from start to finish, clapping, cheering, and I think I heard a few cat calls. I would suggest front row seats to get up close and personal with some of the dancers and their convenient shirtless costumes. Goodness gracious, if you need an idea for a bachelorette party this would be the show to see.
I now know why Broadway does practice runs of their shows in Minnesota. We are awesome audience members who love a good performance. I cheered along with the other audience members in the middle of songs because I felt connected to each and every character. It was a genuine cast who played their parts much closer to what I saw as the original meaning of what the characters were supposed to be like. Roxy Hart (Tracy Shayne) was not the shy, kind, and nice character that I have seen portrayed in the role before. She wants to be a star and will be ruthless to get to the top. Amos Hart (Ron Orbach) was hilarious, self deprecating, nerdy, and most importantly not boring. I dread the song, “Mister Cellophane” and think it is the worst song in the show. Not this time, I found myself laughing along and enjoying Ron Orbach’s choreography and movements.
The star of the show for me was Matron Mama Morton (Kecia Lewis-Evans) who stole the show with her voice. Mama knew how to work the audience with her tough love and introduced me to a new song called “Class” that I normally overlook.
Another standout performance came from Billy Flynn (John O’Hurley) who is famous for the role of “J. Peterman” on “Seinfeld”. Other performances of “Chicago” that I have attended missed the boat on this character by putting in someone famous who couldn’t sing at all. When this happens, you lose the magic in songs like “We Both Reached for the Gun” and “Razzle Dazzle” and it ruins the show. This was not the case with John O’Hurley, who delivered a wonderful performance with stunning vocals.
I cannot say enough about the wonderful cast. As an avid theatergoer I have seen “Chicago” several times. This version was different because of a smaller cast, a smaller set, and less props. There was only one part in the whole show that needed a bit more dazzle. Otherwise, in no way did smaller mean less entertaining. In fact, the “Cell Block Tango” was enhanced without the stupid jailhouse props that are usually used. The performers did not have to hide their voices behind any unnecessary props.
I am giving this version a round of applause because the second act did not suck. In the past, after watching the first act with most of the familiar hits in it, the second half seems boring and hard to stay awake during. The characters were witty and the humor carried me the songs that when listening, I usually wonder when they are going to be over and changed it to I don’t want this to be over. The humor of the exit music and the interaction between the characters and the orchestra made the difference. It tied up the show with a big red bow or rhinestone buckled shoes.
“Chicago” will be running from August 7th-12th at The Ordway. You can go to their website to find out how to get tickets to this show and other shows for the 2012-2013 season. Bring all of your friends, your bachelorette party, and your mother to see this show and enjoy it as much as I did. Oh, and get those front row seats too!
Many thanks to The Ordway for letting me participate in Blogger Night.
The Ordway
because don’t you deserve a sure thing?
@mplsgossipgirl
Caffrey’s Deli
I can’t believe I lived in Uptown for a year and never discovered this place! On my way out of town on a recent trip a friend suggested we stop here to get a quick bite to eat. I had never been there before but I remember seeing their menus all around town. I thought it was actually called Laffrey’s because of the font of the first letter. On Lake and Lyndale, this place is now one of my favorites in Uptown.
Although, I have only had one sandwich so far, I would go back. It was a great turkey sandwich. I think if I still lived over there that I would have them on speed dial when I get to lazy to make dinner. They deliver!
Caffrey’s Deli is old school and does not really have a website. They do have their menu online because a fan decided to put it online. Stop in sometime and have a sandwich. You won’t regret it.
Because there is something good about the old school way of doing things.
@mplsgossipgirl
Duluth, MN
Looking for a weekend trip in Minnesota? Try Duluth and the North Shore. It is a beautiful place to visit all four seasons during the year. I have been there during the Summer and Winter and I am hoping to make it up to the shore for Fall this year.
The best part of going to the North Shore is that you can find so many different things for free. For my recent trip, the most costly expense was gas and then food. Not that the food was expensive, I just kept eating. 🙂
One of the first stops we made when we got into town on Friday was Lake Avenue (called Lake Ave by the locals). A cozy restaurant located by the famous smoked salmon shop in Canal Park. It is a great place to get a drink with friends, with a really great late night menu. Below is the Mixed Olive Bruschetta ($5 on late night). It was good and I wished I would have eaten a meal here and had a few cocktails. They have a great beer list as well. Next time I am going to try a concotion that was suggested by a server there, Crispin Cider with a shot of Ginger Liqueur. You know it is a good restaurant when the servers stay after their shift to eat a meal and suggest different items because they have eaten it before. Lake Ave has music as well. Check the schedule on their website.
Going camping? I did! It is a great cheap way to travel the North Shore. The best way to do it is to have friend that have camping equipment. Thanks to everyone in Duluth that so graciously borrowed your equipment to me. Our Saturday started off with a trip to the local Co-op which had lots of choices for camp food and a great breakfast selection (Vegan Mocha Chip Muffins). We made a stop at a beach, the picture at the beginning of this post is from that spot and spent the afternoon waiting for the sun to go down a bit. We chose a site that was at the turn off for Wolf Ridge and had to hike about a mile or so in with water. Pack light and bring bug spray. We ran into some Boy Scouts who were preparing for a hiking excursion in New Mexico and took in the beautiful views (see picture below).
If you don’t camp or like to glam-p. There are several places you can find a room and lots of vacation rentals on VRBO. I would suggest staying in either the North Shore or Duluth. That way you can have enough time to experience each place. If you have more than a weekend I would travel to Duluth and then to the North Shore or the other way around. You could also try what we did where we started our trip with a day in Duluth and went up to the North Shore for a night and then back to Duluth. It made the drive much shorter. Below is the view from our campsite.
On Sunday, we headed back to Duluth and on the way we did a few scenic stops. It is really easy to do, when you are driving up from Duluth or down from the North Shore you can just turn off where the signs say. The picture below is from Palisade Head one of the most popular places on the route. Really, all you should do is make sure you have enough time to make this relaxing drive and stop along the way for things that look interesting. I am not one for gift shops, but next time I make the trip up the shore I want to stop in Castle Danger at the new brewery that they have going there.
When we got back into Duluth we headed to Park Point to swim in Lake Superior. I cannot express on here how much I love to go swimming there. I feels like you are in the ocean in Minnesota. This year the water is pretty warm and it felt good to get in and cool off. There is quite a bit of debris on the beach left over from the flooding but it didn’t bother anyone and helped with creating some shade. I unsuccessfully tried my hand at paddle boarding, lets just say my middle name is not grace.
The next day we went to my new favorite spot to get a meal in Duluth. Thank goodness I was in Duluth with some friends who had lived there before and knew all the really great places to eat. Duluth Grill is a must. If you haven’t stopped there yet, you need to stop there because the meals are simply amazing. So good in fact that I had more than one meal here during my short trip. This is one place where if you are Vegan or Gluten Free you are not sacrificing any taste. It also does not compare to any place in the cities. Sort of like a Perkins (decor) with REALLY GOOD food. It was recently featured in Diners Drive-Ins and Dives and even though I think Guy Fieri is a total tool box, he made a good decision when he decided to come here, I cannot say the same about his haircut. Duluth Grill strives to use quality ingredients and the food shows that. Plus, there is something on the menu for everyone. For dinner you can order a burger, buffalo tofu melt, or a smoked salmon wrap.
Their breakfast is also great! Take a look at that cinnamon roll it is one of the ten choices of a side that you get with many of the breakfasts (the flannel hash is good too). Duluth Grill serves cage free organic eggs and has some unique options for breakfast. I really liked the curried polenta skillet, kinda spicy and very filling.
I got the french toast with apples on it. YUM! I got about 1/4th of the way into it and was full. I shared it with the rest of the table who loved it as much as I did. Even though Duluth Grill is not located in Canal Park it is worth it to drive there. Way better then the chain restaurants in Canal Park, what a waste of beautiful space.
We spent more time at the beach in Park Point and ate some smoked salmon spread from Lou’s and headed over to Northern Waters Smokehaus for some more salmon sandwiches. You must go there as well. One of the best sandwiches I have ever had and even bought some more salmon spread to bring home. As we loaded back into the car for the ride home to 100 degree plus weather in the cities, I was sad this adventure was ending, but excited to do this again. New Ulm Oktoberfest anyone?
I have links on most of the places that I went and you can click on them for more information.
because traveling with friends is the best way to travel.
@mplsgossipgirl
Osaka
Yes, it is off the freeway. Yes, the decor outside is tacky. But, Yes, they do have happy hour, a pretty good one at that. Although, they have Osaka restaurants all over the suburbs in Minnesota each one is very different. Chain, not a chain? I am not completely sure. They each seem to have different happy hours. So, do not take what I am saying as going for each of the Osaka’s across the suburbs.
The particular restaurant that I have visited is in St. Louis Park and has happy hour from 4-6PM and some kind of lunch special that I am not exactly sure of. They do not advertise their happy hours but they should.
Osaka is both a hibachi (I have not been) and a sushi restaurant. Although, on their website is called a seafood and steakhouse. Maybe, they have some kind of identity disorder.
I have been here several times and although the service is horrible. They left us outside for 15-20 minutes after they seated us without taking a drink order. I still keep going back because I like the sushi and the happy hour. If you can handle not having great service but getting fairly good sushi this might be a place for you to try.
They have a fairly nice patio outside, other than the fact that your view is a highway. The decor inside is typical of an Asian restaurant with water features and has a modernish twist.
Although, I don’t think I would ever take anyone here for a meal, I like it for when I don’t want to cook dinner and craving sushi. Although, I have heard about Sushi Tango in uptown having a great happy hour. So I might try that next time. Let me know what you think of the other Osaka locations or places that you like to get sushi.
because sometimes I don’t want to cook. When that happens, it is best to call in reinforcements.
@mplsgossipgirl
Restaurant Week – Acqua
With beautiful views of White Bear Lake, Acqua was my choice for MSPMAG’s Summer Restaurant Week in Minnesota.
I was blessed with the perfect day yesterday to spend time by the lake. I have been to White Bear Lake many times and have never dined at this restaurant. It is truly a hidden gem, that people are now discovering. White Bear Lake is about 25 Minutes outside of the cites and is worth the drive.
Acqua in my opinion is an Italian Seafood place. Meaning, when you come here you need to try something that has come from the sea and also has pasta with it. It has charm because it is located in a small house on a one way road and has a wonderful patio. Although, you cannot make reservations for the patio which is often full on sunny days like yesterday, dining in the house is equally as nice.
The Restaurant Week menu had at least 3 choices for each course allowing diners many options to choose from. My suggestion would be to try the item on the menu that seems the most unique to you and that you would not normally try. Those are always the menu items that I enjoy the most. I started with the Cantaloupe and Honeydew Puree with Strawberry and Mint.
This was definitely one of those items that I was not sure if I would like or if I would normally pick at a restaurant. But, it was great and look at that design. With hints of Cayenne Pepper this cold sweet soup was just what was needed to start off a great meal. I also had a few bites of the field greens with the tomato vinaigrette, also good, but more on the safe side of things.
You also get bread with honey butter while dining here…. I literally could not stop eating it. The wait staff who were friendly and professional kept bringing me more. Thank goodness for them.
Then on to the main event. You cannot go wrong with any of the choices on the restaurant week menu and from what I was hearing from other diners you can’t go wrong with virtually anything on the menu. I was told I need to come back and try the braised shank.
I had the main picture of this post, a Spaghetti with Grilled Shrimp, Roasted Tomato and Lemon Butter Sauce. It was delicious and I finished every bite. I regretted afterwards not saving some for leftovers.
I also tried the Eggplant Parmesan which had a delightful sauce on it.
Last but certainly not least was the desserts. Choose which ever item sounds good to you and go for it. You cannot make a wrong choice here. I had both the Creme Brulee and the Chocolate Souffle with the amazing graham cracker ice cream. I also saw the Pistachio Semifreddo come out and regretted not trying it.
Overall, try this place out for Summer Restaurant Week today or tomorrow and hope that next Restaurant Week they will be back again. Make sure to get your reservations in here early, you will not be disappointed. Heck, come here anytime you can because their regular menu looks fabulous also.
because sitting by a lake eating good food is what I want to be doing in heaven
@mplsgossipgirl
mplsgossipgirl 