Real Meal Deli
Named appropriately, Real Meal Deli has awesome lunch offerings in the Minneapolis Skyway. Walk right by the Subway, Taco John’s, and Starbucks to a non-chain fast food deli.
Real Meal Deli gives people a fresh, affordable, and minimally processed menu. Started by a chef who has been working in the restaurant business since 1986, he wanted people who work in areas where there are many fast food offerings to have a place that is fast but fresh and healthy. A trend he thinks will never go out of style.
As you can see above, this place offers a meal with color. Red, green, purple, and yellow make for a beautiful lunch. My favorite item on their menu is their small sack which includes a small salad, cup of soup, and bread for under 7 dollars. When you order this lunch you have the choice of over 12 salads and 3 different kinds of soup. If you can, try the curried butternut squash soup. It has a hint of curry and is perfect for a fall day.
The sandwiches are also very popular and next time I am going to try the Cranberry Goat Turkey Sandwich. Is Thanksgiving here yet?
Real Meal Deli can be found in Minneapolis at the Baker Center and the TriTech Center and in Saint Paul at the 1st National Building. They each have different hours and some of the locations serve breakfast for under 5 dollars and a lunch special.
Have an event coming up? They also cater. Under 10 dollars a person you can get an awesome lunch or breakfast.
because fresh and local never go out of style.
@mplsgossipgirl
What is your favorite place to eat in the skyway?
Cheeky Monkey Deli
I want to move into the Selby-Dale neighborhood because of this restaurant. Cheeky Monkey does breakfast, lunch, and dinner right with fresh, local, seasonal fare. I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed the food here.
This visit was the first time I had been on the patio out back. It is beautiful. I would suggest sitting there on a warm fall day.
I went here for brunch where they had available both the brunch menu and the lunch menu. I opted for the french toast which is pictured above and as you can tell it was delicious. The berry compote was to die for.
We also had a mushroom and brie omelette with the hash-browns after seeing someone else eating it. I would also suggest the coffee here, it is very good and made correctly. The servers always keep your cup filled.
I love going here for a calm meal. It is a relaxed atmosphere and the food is great. The prices are right as well.
because a good brunch can make a weekend great.
@mplsgossipgirl
Indianapolis, Indiana
I am not sure if I ever would have thought of traveling here if it was not for my cousins wedding. But, it ended up being a pretty good vacation. If you are looking for a city that is relaxed and easy to walk around, Indianapolis would be it. Indianapolis is only 10 hours away from Minneapolis and the drive is not too bad unless you hit traffic near Chicago.
Firstly, I have to mention our hotel. It was great! I have never had this spacious of a room. They also had water in the lobby and two attached restaurants. The beds were comfortable and the halls were quiet. The pool area was a bit small and it was really hot that weekend. So, more pool area would have been better, but not a deal breaker.
There were also some great views right outside the hotel. You can walk to many of the monuments and historical areas.
I wouldn’t recommend the breakfast at the hotel. The service was not great, they wouldn’t let my family sit by each other but still charged a group rate. One of my cousins was served a moldy bagel and did not apologize or take it off the bill. I had one experience there and it was also not good. I needed something to go and it was foreign to the worker, even when there was a posted take out menu.
My favorite part of the trip other than the wedding was going to a small town called Zionsville. It had it’s own Bentley dealership.
It is a town that is full of little shops and quaint restaurants. We had lunch at the Cobblestone Cafe. I wish it was not blisteringly hot as it was because they have a wonderful patio in the alley. Instead we sat inside and ate wonderful food. I had a salmon plate and a taste of a few other items on the menu.
If you go to Zionsville you need to stop at this cafe. It is everything I love about a small town restaurant especially the fresh food.
We also made stops at a chocolate shop called Ghyslain which was completely unexpected. It was housed in a beautiful old church with artwork on it’s walls.
They had a lunch menu and a case filled with desserts. I bought a box with many different kinds of chocolates.
We also stopped at a wine shop called The Wine Guy where they had an excellent selection on reasonably priced wines. I would love to have a shop like this right near my home. They also sold gift baskets and gourmet food items.
After this trip to Zionsville we explored more of downtown Indianapolis. We saw this large glass structure when we were walking around before and wanted to see what it was. It was a garden/concert venue that spanned the area between the streets in downtown.
When we got there there was a concert going on. What a great little venue. I would love to see some of my favorite bands in this close and unique setting.
That night we went to eat at the Colts Grill which was the only restaurant that could house my whole family without a previous reservation. I now know why it was so easy to get in there.
This restaurant committed some major fouls in the restaurant industry. First, it sells itself as a bar with craft brews, when I asked what was on tap the server could not tell me he had to find a menu and that took at least 10 minutes. I ordered a beer off that menu and it turns out it is not actually on tap right now and I ordered another one. It took almost 30 minutes to get a drink.
We ordered and waited and waited. Which was fine because we had good company. But, when the food finally came out, I had a completely different meal then I ordered. I told the server that I am a vegetarian. So, I purposely ordered a pasta dish that came without meat. He must have ordered the wrong one when entering it in the system. He apologized and brought out the right dish. Which was not good anyways.
We got the bill without any comp on it.
Then to make things worse I went to the restroom and of course picked a stall without toilet paper. Only to come out of the bathroom to find about 8 workers standing around the hostess stand.
The bar area had a good vibe. But, I definitely would not recommend going here if you make the trip to Indianapolis. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if it already closed.
While we had some free time during an afternoon we spent time at the monument. There was a flash mob there one day when we were hanging out. It was really neat to see a bunch of people dancing together.
We then made a big mistake by thinking we should climb up the stairs in the monument. BAD IDEA. Especially, if you get a little claustrophobic. This is not the time to be a cheapskate.
331 steps later I made it to the top and then took the elevator back down.
All in all, it was a great trip. There is not too much to see in Indianapolis so a weekend is the right amount of time to see the sights, try some food, and go to Zionsville.
Because it is nice to get away to somewhere you have never been before.
@mplsgossipgirl
Aristos
My plan was to never share Aristos on my blog because it is my special place. It is my place to go if I want a good Greek home cooked meal.
Aristos specializes in homemade Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. I knew it was not fair to my readers and to Aristos to not share this wonderful restaurant.
When you pull up this place looks like a cheesy Greek family restaurant straight out of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. But, don’t let the looks fool you. The cooks here know how to make real Greek food.
You need to start with some of the cold appetizers, I suggest doing the combo and getting 3 or 4 different kinds. You then can bring some home with you for the next day. If you can resist not eating them all right away. Also, try the soup. I love this lemon soup because it is light and a great way to start the meal.
Never-ever-ever order the french fries. Not because they are not good, but because this is a Greek restaurant and they do all the other sides much better. I would not order the sandwiches either just because their entrees, meat, and pasta dishes are great. I have had the falafel and gyro plates and both are great. Below is a picture of the falafel plate.
But, what is even better than the meals listed above are the specials which are listed on a white board right when you enter. These have always been the best. This time we had the mussels in white wine and linguini.
As you can tell from this picture, it was good.
They also have beer and wine for great prices. Including Mythos a Hellenic Lager Beer. It’s tasty with Greek food.
My goal is to one day take a cooking class from the cooks here. Yum!
After your meal head down to Stillwater and get a drink at one of the bars or walk around by the river. It is a great place to spend a fall day.
Because it’s time to go Greek.
@mplsgossipgirl
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?
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
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
mplsgossipgirl 