“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating”
Lucky for those of us living in the Twin Cities; we are provided with seemingly endless opportunities to not only eat, but to do so abundantly well. I field frequent inquiries from friends and family regarding restaurant recommendations and I love sharing my culinary experiences so I decided to create a new feature. It will be a brief overview of our culinary adventures from the prior month.
The pinnacle of football game days is almost upon us and the anticipation has been building. There are throngs of exciting events surrounding this colossal affair. The Bold North is ready! We’re bursting with immense cultural activities, tremendous musical talent, ice bars aplenty and of course bounteous opportunities for dining and imbibing.
“We all need to make time for a burger once in a while” ~ Erica Durance
In the past 2 years John and I have devoted a plethora of time to searching out as many mouth-watering Twin Cities burgers as possible. Sometimes we enjoy the company of friends and/or family on these outings, other times it’s the two of us.
Morning Latte overlooking the sea in Praiano, Italy
Croissants and Cappuccinos at a cafe near the Campo De Fiori in Rome, Italy
Latte and cookies at Rustica in Eden Prairie, MN
The Boone’s Beard Latte at Vicinity Coffee in Mpls
Latte at Barbette Cafe, Mpls
Cappuccino at The Bachelor Farmer Cafe, Mpls
Latte and a cookie at the Hilton Hotel in Pattaya, Thailand
My morning cappuccino at the Hotel Margherita in Praiano, Italy
Cappuccino and Croissant at La Boqueria Mercat in Barcelona, Spain
“Adventure in life is good; consistency in coffee is even better” ~ Justine Chen, North of Beautiful
My search for the perfect cup of coffee knows no bounds. I am ardent and unapologetic regarding my caffeine infatuation. Whether it is our weekend latte treks in the Twin Cities or when traveling abroad, I am always on the hunt for the consummate coffee experience. While the quality of the java holds high significance, it is as much or more about the venue and who I’m getting caffeinated with that matters. Sipping a morning espresso alongside the locals at the Mercado De La Boqueria in Barcelona or slipping into a café near the Campo De Fiori in Rome with John are a couple of my very best café memories. Today I am sharing some of my favorite coffee occasions through photos. Enjoy and please share yours with me, I look forward to seeing your pics and hearing your cafe recommendations. Read on if you would like to learn more about the definition of espresso and the associated terms.
John and I traveled to Thailand last summer and fell in love with the fascinating culture and the stunning food climate. Since that experience I have been craving Thai food regularly. While I do plan to do a lengthy blog post on that trip, today I am writing about a hidden gem of a restaurant that I found tucked away in an unassuming strip mall in Golden Valley. My oldest son and I try to meet for a meal when I am in his neck of the woods . Usually those outings take place in Golden Valley, close to his job.
The desire to try something new for lunch last week had us yelping nearby restaurants. Nong’s Thai Cuisine popped up. The restaurant was close in proximity to our location and the reviews were consistently above average so we gave it a try. My impression: insanely good! The incredible menu made it hard to choose just one dish. I’ve found that a long menu doesn’t always correlate with high quality, favorable food choices but at Nong’s I truly could not decide what to order because there were so many fantastic options. I ended up with the Sukiyaki Soup found on the noodle page. Ingredients included: glass noodles, egg, Napa cabbage, onion, green onion, celery and special sukiyaki sauce. The flavors were addicting. The choices on the spice scale were mild, medium, hot and thai hot. I am a spice girl so I opted for hot and loved it. The portion was extremely generous which I appreciated as I had the remaining soup for lunch the next day. I don’t refer to that as leftovers, I call it: same soup, different day….
Sunday’s seem to the best day for John and I to venture out and explore the coffee scene in the Twin Cities. This was our first visit to the Sparrow Cafe on Penn Avenue in Minneapolis. I love the bright wall murals and the sparrow theme. On a January day in Minnesota this cafe was a definite spirit lifter. Friendly baristas, amazing pastries (We split the Pan Au Chocolat) and oh yea, the Fair Trade Coffee made the Sparrow Cafe worth the drive. We’ll definitely return again. Bonus: it’s across the street from Broder’s Pasta bar and just around the corner from Terzo restaurant and wine bar. The location is prime.
