stories:
Travel
Destination: Twin Cities RNC Crawl
Well fed and hung over at the
Republican National Convention
Congratulations, 2008 Republican National Convention staffer or protester! You’re headed for Minneapolis-St. Paul, which, as far as you know, is a random collection of Targets, Burger Kings, and featureless convention centers up near the Canadian border. Indianapolis, but bigger. Dubuque, but not as churchy. Detroit, minus the blight.
Plus Lutherans.
But guess what? There’s also really good food here. Besides the local fried walleye, wild rice, and smorgasbord, you’ll find tasty evidence of the Twin Cities’ robust Hispanic (heavily Mexican), South Asian, Somali, African American, American Indian, and Eastern European communities. There’s real soul food, Ethiopian stews, pho, tacos al pastor, and even—thanks to the magic of early-morning air delivery—decent sushi.
Volunteers at the convention traveling on a budget should have no problems eating well. The real food, the food that defines this place, is affordable, assuming you know where to look. Here are some fine restaurants that offer good value while showing off the Cities’ ethnic diversity and cosmopolitan flair, along with some great bars, both cocktail lounges and beer-drinking establishments. (Despite a Prohibition-era hangover that keeps us from buying booze at the grocery store or the liquor store on Sundays, the Cities really know how to throw one back.)
I'm sure they'll sell lots of Bud Lite, meat, and potatoes. I doubt the attendees to this particular soiree will be seeking either "ethnic diversity" or "cosmopolitan flair".
Hmm.. this is a little off the mark. Mexican food is fine because it's been co-opted through "Tex-Mex." Anything else projects an idea that there is virtue in the culture of 'furners', which could be misconstrued as unAmerican. I suggest this bunch stick with the fast food joints and convenience stores so they can eat a Big Texas Whopper and hork back a few pounds of Toby Keith's Great American Meaty Manly Beef Nuggets on the road.
MsDiPesto, After pondering your cheap shot for a few minutes I realized that despite my love of many foods from many cultures, I would gladly stick to meat, potatoes, and cheap beer if that were the conditions of membership to the GOP. Thank goodness that would never happen. Unlike the opposition, who would gladly take away another aspect of our freedom.
So you would let your political party restrict your culinary choices if they deemed it a component of their identity? It sounds like you are the one who doesn't grasp the concept of 'freedom.' Before you position the GOPs as champions of freedom, what exactly has the party offered in terms of 'freeing' the people as a part of its current platform? Mismanage a military operation whose 'official' purpose changes like the weather? Withhold the rights of consenting adults by using widely held prejudices to their advantage? Suspending habeas corpus? Instituting government spying on private citizens as permissible without due process?
It's clear that members of the GOP are instructed on what to eat, and that appears to be a byproduct of the bull.
To editors: By the way, "hungover" is the appropriate way to indicate that there was plenty to drink the night before, unless you intended to say the GOP is biologically gifted downstairs. I'd expect the LC Repub's and the ladies might know more about that.
s8ist, on the "hungover" comment: two words is our house style, see here for validation, if you want: http://dictionary.reference.com/searc... We have done no research into downstairs gifting or lack thereof.
It does appear to be a valid use, but the potential confusion is there (especially with the word "well" at the beginning having the potential to modify both "fed" and "hung"). That's how I read it, but I could just have a dirty mind. Thanks for considering it though.
Anyway...
I hope people (protestors, conventions goers and media types) get to enjoy the many wonderful food options in Minneapolis and St. Paul. We have some great meat and potato type places, as well as all the ethnic and hip places mentioned above.
I'd suggest, if staying in Minneapolis, you make your way to Eat Street and make your way down the street, choosing a place at random. I'd also suggest Babani's Kurdish Restaurant for those staying in St. Paul.
If you want some solid food that is somewhat fancy yet affordable, I suggest Cafe Levain. The food is French but pretty homey. Order the hanger steak and a side of the braised wild mushrooms and you won't be sorry.
What, no Mayslack's?
http://www.mayslacksbar.com
OK, probably better for the convention protesters than the convention attendees, but still the Original Beef (with extra garlic and peppers) is memory inducing (and it's been a while since I've been in Minnesota). And don't kid yourself about ordering other dishes, that sucker is HUGE!
There is a lot of great in many different areas of culture in Minneapolis.
Al's Breakfast is indeed fantastic, but I almost don't even want to give Chino Latino the attention it takes to suggest that they suck horribly. I guess if you are into overpriced, overdressed and forgettable, then it's all right.
For a good bar/restaurant I would suggest Matt's Bar on Cedar for the Jucy Lucy, or the Chatterbox Pub on E 35th St for the video/board games and variety of furniture including things like a couch or two. As I recall the food was well, and I think they also have a unique sake they only make there, but I can't remember details at the moment..
One of my favorite sandwiches in the entire universe is the #7 aka Hot Shot Italian at Caffrey's deli right near Lake and Lyndale.
http://www.mattsbar.com/
http://www.chatterboxpub.net/
http://www.twincitiesfun.com/Caffreys...
<3 MPLS
There's nothing I love more than people who try to prove the ignorance of one group with completely ignorant comments of their own.
I'm really excited to see our cities showcased during the convention, and for the wonderful restaurants to get an infusion of convention cash. The diversity and inventiveness of cuisine here is amazing.
We don't call it "right-wing talk radio". We call it "talk radio" or "conservative radio". Heh.
Being a Twin CITIAN * (not Citizen, heh), I appreciated the commentary on the local eats here, though I thought that the last page's recommendations were slightly more useful.
ITA with the previous poster on Chino Latino, they're not worth a name drop.
* Otherwise we say "Minnesotans", although there ARE folks around here who will say it's, "Twin Citizens"... but those who agree with that are mostly of some newfangled lot of young, hardcore types.
Well if there are any meatheads among them and of course there will be they can head over to the gastropub grassfed steak house known as the "strip club" in st paul; or in Minneapolis they can try to sleep with someone to get into the "becoming more fascist by the day Brit's Pub" which has been mysteriously co-opted (sell-out?) for that week for a private party.
Local hipster meateaters like the Modern Cafe or the Local for easygoing erudite down home favorites.
I think the attendees will dine heavily on fricassee of crow, followed by a nice helping shoe fly pie, bye bye.
McCain.
I would add 3 places to this list, all of which are in St. Paul.
For Breakfast...The Copper Dome on Randolph and Hamline Ave.
(kitty corner from where the Twin's Joe Mauer played high school baseball)
Two Restaurants just down the street a block or two from the Xcel on West Seventh St.
Cossetta's Pizza (Great casual classic Italian food) Highly rated
Downtowner Woodfire Grill (Upscale restaurant), a very popular place where you will find a cross section of politicians, businessmen, doctors and just everyday folks who have breakfast, lunch or dinner there. May be difficult to get reservations this coming week, but worth trying.
These three restaurants all should have been included in the original story. Inexcusable they would get left off the list.
Scandalous!
I have the convention on right now, and upon careful consideration of the contents of the speeches, may I suggest something crisped in oil, then throughly nuked?