puddin head's Profile
Aida - A Taste Of The Mediterranean (Richfield)
We were there at 1:00 on Saturday as well! there was a groupon now for that day, which seemed to be what brought so many people in at that time. The food was really good, but they were overwhelmed. My husband ordered a gyro platter with french fries. It never came with our other food. I reminded the lady who was bringing the food out about it. Then...nothing. After about 25 minutes I asked about it again, and it was obvious it was completely forgotten about. They asked my husband what he wanted again, he said the gyro platter with fries and hummus. 15 minutes later we got a gyro platter with baba ganoush and rice. oh well. I will cut them slack for being new, but really they shouldn't have agreed to the groupon so early on. On the plus side, the chicken kabob was so delicious and moist, the rice was very nice, prices very reasonable, and the owners are very pleasant. I am looking forward to going back once they have the kinks worked out.
Great produce that won't break the budget?
kuan, at this point it's about the "total experience" for me - Gonnella rolls, sweet peppers, etc. so I just wait until I'm home visiting a few times a year rather than settle for "almost as good." I don't really crave it anymore so it's a nice treat I only get when I'm there.
Great produce that won't break the budget?
Welcome cscholl! If you do a search, you can probably find my own posts from about 5 1/2 years ago crying my eyes out about losing Caputo's when we moved here from Chicago (The Elmwood Park location was my regular grocery store). It has taken some time, but it DOES get easier to replace the things you loved in Chicago with things you love here :)
We shop ALOT at Costco for produce, buying our basics in bulk (carrots, asparagus, lettuce leaves, etc) then fill in around the edges with co-op, whole foods and lunds/byerlys. I have had some negative experiences with produce at Rainbow and Cub, So I stick to "hardy" items there (onions, potatoes, limes, lemons, apples). I can promise you won't find anything like Caputos, and you WILL spend more on food here. But on the plus side you will consume way less Italian Beef and sausage than you did back in Chicago, so yay for health :)
Meringue powder and other supplies?
Kitchen Window may carry the powder (I've purchased glucose from them before, so they probably carry other hard-to-find ingredients). Sur La Table carries meringue powder online, so probably in store as well, and they have a great selection of baking supplies, including bags and tips.
-----
Kitchen Window
3001 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408
Baby and toddler friendly, St. Paul & Minneapolis
I have no idea how "chowish" this is, but I am a diehard fan of Crave, particularly at the Mall of America, for Happy Hour with the kiddo. We sit on the "balcony" overlooking the amusement park, so kiddo has a great time watching the rides, they have sippy cups, a kid's menu, attentive, patient staff and good food. I know most locals hate to go to "the big mall" but it's a great diversion for her, and we can sit and enjoy a drink and insanely cheap happy hour food. It is relaxing. Crave at Galleria has the same happy hour, without amusement park visual diversion.
ISO El Milagro Corn Tortillas - MSP
Just wanted to give a quick update. Found! at Andale Taqueria y Mercado. Pricey at $1.50/package but if you need your fix you need your fix.
-----
Andale Taqueria y Mercado
7700 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55423
Andale Taqueria y Mercado
We finally went tonight for dinner, and I am going to say YUM! Best carne asada taco I've had in Minneapolis. The meat is perfectly seasoned and cooked. My only complaint was a couple of bites of gristle so hard it actually hurt my (sensitive) teeth.
As a bonus, I found my coveted El Milagro corn tortillas in the attached store. Downside: $1.50 a package (I think the store by my parent's house in the Chicago burbs sells them 3 packs for $1.00). I will still bring them home by the hundreds from Chicago, but it's good to know they have them in a pinch.
Pressure Cooker
Love ours! Haven't used it much lately, but I use it a lot in the winter rather than a slow cooker...I'm not awake enough in the morning to brown meat and get supper going, but I like to make corned beef and pot roast on the fly and it's great for stuff like that. I've also made a yummy thai shrimp rice dish in it that was quite successful. We have a Figor set, but I'm not sure what's available for induction.
Where can I buy skirt steak?
We've bought skirt steak at Costco Eden Prairie I'm pretty sure. Very good quality as far as I'm concerned. you just get ALOT of it.
verdict's out
Wholeheartedly agree. The portions are just meager, and the food, while quite tasty, is not so much tastier than other restaurants that it warrants the exhorbitant price-per-bite. As I said in my review earlier, the burger was quite delicious, but the tiny plate of less than 10 fries for $5.00 was almost insulting. Potatoes are the cheapest produce around.
It's too bad, because honestly an extra handful of fries or a couple more ounces of ground beef would probably make all the difference to diners, and the focus would be the quality of the food rather than the size...
Wise Acre Eatery open in old Liberty Custard space
We went for lunch today. It was very tasty! Here's the breakdown:
1 Brie burger
1 asaparagus, cheddar and mushroom burger
1 corn dog
1 plate fries
2 mexican cokes
total: $38.00
The burgers were very good, seasoned perfectly, cooked medium but not dry in any way. The bun was not too soft and not too hard, just right. Really, the burgers were the best burgers I've had in a while. They came with a wild rice slaw and a small portion of microgreens, a couple of slices of quick pickles which had just a bit of spicy bite to them, and a catsup-like sauce. puddin' man's only complaint was the small chunk of brie was too small to spread over the burger, so he ended up with one mouthful of brie in the center but not much more.
The corn dog I ordered for my daughter was a snappy hot dog encased in fried homemade corn batter. oh my goodness, it was delicious. I am ashamed to say both my husband and I were hanging over the poor girl like vultures asking "are you done? Are you finished?" just so we could steal the last few bites of corn dog. we eventually mentioned "custard" and she dropped the corn dog immediately. then we ate it.
The french fries were delicious, fresh cut and fried, so they were the perfect combo of caramelized brown outside and soft creamy interior. It was a very small plate though (think single layer on a bread plate), and at $5.00 I probably would not order again.
We each ordered a cup of custard to go. They offer chocolate or vanilla and a few different toppings. I got vanilla with maple granola topping. Puddin' man got chocolate with hot fudge. We agreed it was good, but had taken on a bit of an earthy, "good for you" taste we are not sure if we LOVE. I don't know how else to describe it. It was fine. Just not the main event by any means.
All told we spent $50.00. Not exactly a cheap casual lunch out, but we were happy with everything we ordered.
We are excited to try brunch next.
Wise Acre Eatery open in old Liberty Custard space
Looks like today is opening day. I may have to drag puddin' man there the minute he gets home from the BW tonight. Also intrigued by brunch.
wiseacreeatery.com
Los Ocampos, Amazing.
We also found the same thing moving here from Chicago. It's just a couple of dollars more, but it adds up.
Eating low carb at chain restos
I don't eat low carb, but you could put together a fantastic low-carb bowl at Chipotle. No rice, meat, veggies, beans?, salsa, sour cream, cheese, lots of lettuce...No burrito shell to dispose.
Morton's Prices now out of line with all other chains
We went to Morton's on NYE, and were definitely surprised by the prices. Especially considering the quality of the food and service could have been duplicated at a less expensive chain for nearly half the cost. Luckily we had gift cards to blow through, or I would have felt pretty suckered paying $200 for our meal (without wine).
cilantro coleslaw
wow, this sounds really good! thanks for sharing, will have to add it to my "make soon" recipe list.
ISO El Milagro Corn Tortillas - MSP
ah, I kind of gave up...I found myself back home so often this past year that I just pick up 20 packs or so every time and keep them in the freezer. :) sorry!
Hot "pantry" dinners that aren't pasta...
I love making a quick curry...red or green curry paste with TJ's frozen basil pods, coconut milk, a bit of chicken stock, fish sauce, brown sugar plus whatever protein I have (chicken or shrimp usually), canned chickpeas, onion, frozen spinach, canned tomatoes, thinly sliced red or green pepper, cubed potatoes...seriously, ANYTHING I have laying around that will be tasty with the sauce will get thrown in there. I'll finish it off with a squeeze of lime and some chopped cilantro if I have it.
New breakfast spot
We love Zumbro as well. Don't get there for breakfast nearly enough!
Not an independent place, but Wildfire in Eden Prairie has breakfast and brunch on weekends. It's not very busy so there's no wait, child-friendly yet low key, they provide the table with really yummy cornbread, the food offerings are very tasty, the prices are very reasonable, especially if you get the Lettuce Entertain You coupons in the mail. We went last weekend and Puddin hub got steak and eggs, which he thought was delicious. My only knock on the experience was the overeager busser, who was snatching plates out from under us before we were done.
-----
Zumbro Cafe
2803 W 43rd St, Minneapolis, MN 55410
No more Liberty Frozen Custard :(
This has been a regular stop for us during the summer...We are bummed!
Just read the article and comments...one of the commenters said the new restaurant to open will be run by the Tangletown Gardens folks...they grow a lot of veggies on their farm, I'm really interested to see what they decide to do there! But most importantly: they are keeping the custard machine!
My guilty secret: I deliberatly burn certain foods for the browned, crispy edges!
me too! also love mushrooms and peppers burned to a crisp on the grill.
My guilty secret: I deliberatly burn certain foods for the browned, crispy edges!
I knew there was a name for it, thanks! does it still apply if it's more than "slightly" burnt? :)
My guilty secret: I deliberatly burn certain foods for the browned, crispy edges!
guilty! guilty!
I like to make my grilled cheese with shredded cheese, which I let drip over the side of the bread and burn to a crisp in the pan.
Sometimes I just microwave mozzarella cheese until it turns hard and burn-y, then eat it like hard, cheesy cracker.
I let my rice cooker stay on warm too long so my rice gets a hard, burnt bottom.
Sometimes, I let the popcorn stay in the pot just a nano-second too long so some of it burns a bit.
And I love a piece of burnt-edge lasagna.
New to MSP...Dying for a good grocery store
Hi LiaM! Thanks for responding! I have indeed tried La Perla. My issue with them (and most corn tortilla makers) is that, even though they are locally made, they use many "extra" ingredients in their corn tortillas such as gums, etc. (I apologize, I don't have a pack in front of me to recite the ingredients.) My favorite tortillas have nothing but ground corn, lime and water. They are just amazing and clean-tasting. Luckily they freeze really well, and stay forever in the fridge, so I just haul back 20-30 packs to get me through for a few months until my next trip down. :)
New to MSP...Dying for a good grocery store
Hi fellow Chicago Expat! I started a similar thread on the old Chowhound board nearly mirroring your statement above...though I wept for my lost Caputo's and $2.50/lb portobello mushrooms :)
I will say this: if you have settled into the Twin Cities and plan to be here for a good long time, eventually you will fall into your own good deals, but you will never find produce like you had in Chicago, so readily available and cheap. I have been here 4 years now, and I will say that when I go back to visit these days the only thing I bring back in bulk is fresh corn tortillas. But what is lacking here in readily available cheap produce is made up for with great farmers markets, coops and a really accessible food scene. I don't have any specific suggestions for you that haven't already been mentioned, but I did join a CSA this year (Featherstone Farms), I also buy produce in bulk at Costco every couple of weeks, and try to be a bit more mindful of waste.
The upside is that you won't be constantly tempted by delicious italian beef sandwiches (dipped), vienna hotdogs, italian ice, combos, italian sausage, and all the other fatty and delicious Chicago specialties. That frees up more money to buy good produce! :)
Trader Joe's MSP - Crushing Disappointment (very long rant)
Has TJ's gone out of business in other areas Fresh n Easy has expanded into?
MEYER LEMONS -MSP
aren't they ridiculously easy? besides the meyer lemon taste, the bars were perfect, and took no time at all to make.
MEYER LEMONS -MSP
I wish I had seen this thread before I made my meyer-lemon-pledge bars a couple weeks ago :) I was so excited to find them (through Coburn's Delivers), and the bars just had a strange, almost plasticky taste. such a bummer!
Restaurants You Love - And Nobody Talks About
oh green56! I will not be able to eat injera without thinking of flabby dead flesh now! thanks a lot! :)
That aside, I do love Ethiopian food, and Fasika has always been very good.
Restaurants around the St. Paul UofMN campus [MSP]
I adore the steak kebab at Mim's, and the hummus is delicious as well! And it's on Cleveland right at the intersection of Buford. I ate there every day during my Split Rock workshops.
