latte4me's Profile
Pie for national Pi day
Jerabek's delivered fresh-baked pie to their skyway location in downtown St. Paul after I called to inquire (which was nice), so we celebrated at work with cherry and triple berry. It was good, and I'll definitely be ordering from them again.
Informal Catering
Ace Catering (part of D'Amico's, I think) catered hubby's birthday with appetizers, which they delivered to St .Paul. Food was really good and quite different from their regular menu. I've also done D'Amico's takeout for a group as a buffet and it's hard to go wrong with their entrees and salads, which worked well for a diverse group of folks.
VALENTINE'S DAY CHOCOLATES
La Maison du Chcolat is fabulous.
http://www.lamaisonduchocolat.com/en/
CocoaBella is also a great option.
looking for a good birthday cake - St. Paul
Wow - thanks for all of these great ideas! The CHers come through, once again! May need more than one cake. No, make that definitely need more than one.
looking for a good birthday cake - St. Paul
I'm stumped... Surely there's a decent bakery where one can find a good birthday cake in/near St. Paul? Bonus if it has a fabulous chocolate cake. I don't get the affection for Cafe Latte - meh - but surely there are other places as we're not exactly a small town. Where did all the bakeries go?
Many thanks!
Best Old School Spaghetti and Meatballs?
Not at all old school, but D'Amico's has pretty good meatballs. And they even slice them up and add them to their lasagna, which beats mine all to heck.
What's missing from MSP's culinary landscape?
I've given up on the possibility of more seafood restaurants due to our location, but as long as cuisine from other regions is on the table, we could use more teriyaki restaurants like they have all over the Pacific NW. Oishi in Brooklyn Park is the only one I know of.
A great Jewish deli? I keep reading mixed reviews of the newcomers.
Oh - and a really great over-the-top dessert place that is open late. (and no, Cafe Latte, you don't come close. Sorry.)
Help! Need catering advice!
I'm not a caterer, but I've hosted my fair share of events, and I just want to point out that your office folks are mildly delusional (and I mean that in the nicest way, not being harsh here) if they think they can make this happen for $500 unless they send someone to Costco for a few large bags o'stuff. And even a food truck has food costs and overhead, so that isn't necessarily going to make it within the budget. And don't forget delivery, gratuity for setup, etc.
I just had hubby's birthday party (one of those milestones) catered and D'Amico's catering group (Ace Catering) did a nice job, if you're looking for a recommendation. Barrio also has a food truck, but I'm guessing they will charge considerably more than $500 for tacos.
Good luck on your quest!
Pho at Ngon
Thanks for the info. I've never ventured past the pho (because it's just darn good) but will definitely plan otherwise.
best Twin Cties brownies??
How could I have forgotten Bars Bakery? I must be losing it. Besides great brownies, I pine for their Congo Bars.
Also, Wilde Roast Cafe deserves a shout-out for a great brownie, too.
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Wilde Roast Cafe
518 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55414
Bars Bakery
612 Selby Ave, St Paul, MN 55102
best Twin Cties brownies??
Depends on what you like in a brownie. I'm not a fan of Bread & Chocolate's brownies, but like their other items very much. My favorite "basic" brownie is from Wuollet and Birchwood Cafe has a few great varieties (like German Chocolate) but I'm not sure how often they carry the regular type.
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Birchwood Cafe
3311 E 25th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406
Bread & Chocolate
867 Grand Ave, St Paul, MN 55105
Meringue powder and other supplies?
+1 on Lynn's, and she will also do special orders of items she doesn't normally carry.
Lunch recommendation for this Saturday
I agree with GutGrease that you should do the 'Chin. It's not my cup of tea, personally, but I get the strong pull that food memories have (which explains my love for all things See's Candy, but I digress...)
You mentioned noodles, so I want to put in my vote for Ngon Bistro, where you can groove on a giant bowl of fabulous pho, or anything else, for that matter.
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Ngon Vietnamese Bistro
799 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55104
Left-handers - how do you handle your cutlery?
Wow, that WAS rude. You can cut up your food in front of me any time.
Oh, and I'm a leftie, but switch knife-to-left, fork-to-right. Not that there's any good reason for it, but I probably determined when I was younger that it was "correct" because I wear my watch on my right wrist. You all that keep your fork in the left hand have the right idea - way more efficient.
Thanks, and report
We just returned from from a week-long vacation, and I just wanted to thank you all for the guidance! I spent time lurking on the board and was not disappointed with the suggestions:
- Zaytinya was simply fantastic. I'm still dreaming of the grape leaves, as well as lamb in phyllo, one of the specials that day. The wine list was also a pleasant surprise as it's unusual to see one focused outside of Europe or the U.S.
- Co Co. Sala was that evening's stop for dessert, and while I read mixed reviews on the food, the dessert did not disappoint. The Chocolate Onyx was intensely chocolate, but not overly so, and the combination of mousse, sorbet, and salted caramel provided enough variety to avoid "overdose."
- Jaleo was great fun, especially since we were able to meet friends and dined as a larger group. Several dishes - shrimp with oil and garlic, Iberico ham on bread with fresh tomatoes - tasted exactly like Spain, but other items like sausage had a citrus note that was unusual, but delicious.
- Johnny's Half Shell was nice - seafood simply prepared with a Southern touch. Unfortunately, good seafood is hard to come by here in the Midwest, so I always try to take advantage of the opportunity when on either coast. And their pecan pie - Best. Ever. Not cloying sweet, and loaded with pecans
- Bistro Bis was delicious, and I was surprised that it wasn't mentioned more often. It happened to be in our hotel, which made wandering home after a good dinner particularly easy. We had both a lunch and dinner there, and each were quite nice, although I think I preferred the lighter touch on the sauces at lunchtime (but enjoyed the wine-by-the-glass selection at dinner. Several times. )
- Pitango Gelato was great, and bonus points for that thick drinking chocolate, which isn't often found outside of Europe. Yum. the gelato was good, too.
Was sorry to not be able to get a reservation at Rasika, and while hubby swore by his crab cake at The Wharf in Alexandria, I thought mine was a little uncooked in the middle - if that's possible.
Thanks again for the recommendations!
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Jaleo
480 7th St. NW, Washington, DC 20004
Bistro Bis
15 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
Johnny's Half Shell
400 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Co Co Sala
929 F street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Zaytinya
701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Pitango Gelato
802 S Broadway, Baltimore, MD
I need apple strudel
Once again, I fall under the influence of television (Sugar High) and find myself wondering: where does somebody find good strudel? Noticed that Kramarczk's website lists a version that also contains coconut, but I confess to being a purist, so I am suspicious.
Crescent Moon for Ramadan
+1 on Marina Grill. Ordered off the menu tonight for a change (although their buffet is consistently good at any time of the year). I'm not usually attentive to price vis-a-vis volume, but $8 for a one-half of a tender, delicious chicken with rice, veg, salad, bread, and hummus was quite the deal. Everyone talks about Holy Land but I always wonder why this place doesn't have more buzz.
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Marina Grill
4755 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55421
What's your fix when the Heat Index tops 95 degrees?
Ooh, I should have read this earlier today - lots of great ideas!
I can report that for today's weather, a nice glass of vinho verde and Sebastian Joe's ice cream both worked well, but would not work well together.
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Sebastian Joe's
4321 Upton Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55410
ISO great hot dog place - MSP
Maybe it's because I'm watching Iron Chef America (hot dog challenge) or thinking about my West Coast hometown where we had a great homemade hot dog/sausage place, but I realized: I have no idea where one should go for a great hot dog in the Twin Cities area. I get that the hot dog issue is subjective - Chicago style, etc - but all opinions are welcome.
Rusty Taco
Maybe I'm missing something, but I thought it was pretty good for what it was: a step above fast food that happened to serve beer. Hubby and I stopped by on our way to visit TJs and were pleasantly surprised. Everythinf we tried was delicious and it ended up around $15. Plus, I liked being able to order in quantities to match my appetite. (I'm sure that nobody else does this, but sometimes I end up eating more than I intended, thanks to the mega portions...)
You know it's bad when your chinese buffet comes with a security guard...
Man, I need to go here soon. The show sounds like it has the Chanhassen Dinner Theater beat by a mile.
Where to find kumquats in MSP?
Just saw them at Whole Foods in St. Paul Sunday evening.
Need cookies/rugelach recipes using cream cheese, please!
I've done the Lora Brody recipe several times, and it's consistently fabulous. You definitely won't go wrong with it.
need a GREAT cake for wife's 60th bday
+1 on T&T - received raves at my milestone b-day party.
I think I've found the best sandwich in MSP
Keithinmpls - You're right - the shortrib sandwich at St. Paul cheese was beyond great. Thanks for the tip!
Faces Mears Park
I had lunch there today, and while I"m reluctant to review any restaurant based on one visit, I would say that it definitely deserves to be added to my lunch rotation.
One of the biggest issues I had with LoTo was their service, especially at lunch. It was definitely improved and both my dining companion and I enjoyed our salads as well. Next time we'll try happy hour to see how that works. Oh, and I'm curious about the Lobster Mac & Cheese...
booya festivals this fall
Oops! My error. I swear there was an article in the printed version of the paper this week. Who knew last year's schedule would pop up on the search? They don't usually let you see articles that old.
Shoo bee doo: sorry for sending you on a wild booya chase!
