I noticed Cafe Maude has 2 locations. Is one any better than the other?

I’ve been to Travail a handful of times and loved it every time. What I have noticed are the chefs seem much more rushed and have less time to explain what’s on the plate. My first few times the chef was very precise about what he/she was serving and pointed out each element of the dish in great detail. Lately, the chef puts the food down, does a hurried explanation, then off to the next table. Perhaps a smaller place will reign in the craziness and give the chef’s back the time to spend with the clientele. That’s my hope, anyway.

Lunds (their brand). A little more expensive but well worth it.

Received the following an email from a friend. Any ideas?

"I have someone retiring who likes foodie places. Could you give me an east metro place to buy a gift certificate for her."

Had a drink at a restaurant called a maple manhattan. Made up of bacon infused Jameson, bitters, and a dash of maple syrup - garnished with an orange slice. While not terrible, it would make a good holiday drink for those who like sweeter whiskey drinks. Not to mention it's a good conversation topic...

Is it worth the trip from MN to Iowa to get a bottle?

Noticed there's an event at the brewery this weekend and you have to get a wristband in order to buy a max of 6 bottles.

I've never tried it. What's the allure?

CP declares the Cubano from Cheeky Monkey in St Paul is the second best sandwich in the Twin Cities.

http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2012/...

City Pages gave their nod to Skinner's over Mac's because it was easier to eat. Go figure.

http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2010/...

Spending a week in Chicago with the family this summer (wife & kids ages 12, 9, and 7):

Hot Dog: Superdawg or Portillos?
View: Sears Tower or Hancock?
Pizza: Ginos East or Lou Malnati's

Thanks

Do they serve beer / wine? If not, can you bring your own?

According to Dara, the ice cream will come from Madison, Wisconsin’s Chocolate Shoppe.

http://blogs.mspmag.com/dara/2012/03/...

Taking the kids to a teppanyaki restaurant this weekend and not sure how to tip (haven't been to one in many years). I assume we'll have a server. Do I tip the server on the bill amount and give something extra to the teppanyaki chef or does 1 tip cover everyone? Standard 20% of the bill?

They have it in jars at the bar or you can get it packaged. Great salty treat to munch on while sipping a beer.

http://www.dixiesongrand.com/products...

Dixie's on Grand Ave in St Paul has very good jerky.

Why not catch you own? I believe Tiff's and Shamrocks have this game...

http://thelobsterzone.com/

It was made with bacon fat and that's precisely what it tasted like - bacon fat.

I tried a homemade bacon infused vodka and it was horrible. Has anyone tried this Bakon vodka : http://bakonvodka.com/

Does it really taste like bacon?

Excellent huevos rancheros. They usually have a huge cauldron of menudo simmering away - smells wonderful, just haven't had the courage to try it.

You mentioned the delivery guys. What's the tipping protocol for home delivery?

As a kid we used to go to Yarusso Brothers in E St Paul for spaghetti and meat balls. Loved it then, but that was 25+ years ago. I think they use the same red sauce for everything.

Anybody been there recently?

http://www.yarussos.com/

Had chocolate bread pudding at Scusi Sat night. Very good.

Skinner's is really 2 places in 1. The restaurant is almost always full of families eating pizza, fried chicken, reuben's...all if which is pretty good. The bar is, well, a bar. Once the dinner crowd is gone, the crowd gets a little suspect...

As a Christmas gift I received a bottle of 3 Olives Cake vodka. While it does taste surprisingly like cake batter (very sweet), I have no idea what to do with the stuff. Any ideas?

Just happened to see this city pages:
http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2011/...

Sounds like my next Manhattan will be a rye Manhattan! Next question is do I order a specific rye or do I take my chances with whatever the house pours. Note: assume I'm ordering from a bartender and not a mixologist - meaning they will probably have a limited number and won't be top-top shelf. What's a good rye that a typical bar would have on hand?

What is the difference rye vs bourbon in a manhattan? I've never had rye hence the question. Thanks

My kids (ages 11, 9, and 7) love steak so we're heading out next Wed to a steak joint to celebrate by birthday. While I know there are better steak places in the Twin Cities, I've boiled our choices down to Lindy's or Mancini's.

Which one would you choose?

I will be visiting my nephew who is a freshman at Mankato State next week and need a few restaurant recommendations. I assume he'll want to drag a few buddies with so nothing outrageously expensive. Not a big chain fan.

Thanks

Is this the Chocolate place you're referring to:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/blood.and....