I heard about a little neighborhood bar that was popular in Minneapolis called The 1029 Bar.
I popped in for a quick drink just to see what it was all about. I did not get anything special, just a vodka tonic.
It is a popular place among local police officers. There are badges all over the walls. They are from all over the country. It was fun to look and see where they were from.
I got to speaking to some of the locals and they gave me a
few suggestions of other places to check out.
I was also excited that they had a popcorn machine. I love popcorn. It is my favorite snack. When they popped fresh stuff, the aroma filled up the bar. I ended up eating 3 bowls of the fresh popcorn.
They had a menu of bar food that included lobster
rolls. I was not hungry while I was there,
however the food did look tasty.
This was a nice little pit stop for a quick drink. Check them out at www.the1029bar.com
Many cities across the US are famous for certain foods or dishes. Philadelphia has cheesesteaks, Nashville has hot chicken, Chicago has deep dish pizza. In Minneapolis they are famous for the JucyLucy. I had never had one of these specialties, so when I visited the city I had to make sure I stopped by Matt’s Bar. They are famously known as the home of the original Jucy Lucy.
For those who are not familiar with the Jucy Lucy, it is a
cheeseburger. But not an ordinary cheeseburger. They take two beef patties and
put the cheese in the middle of the patties. This way when you take a bite the
cheese oozes out.
Naturally Matt’s Bar is famous and when I got there a line was already forming.
I waited patiently for my seat. It gave me an opportunity to watch them cook the burgers on the flattop. I could not wait to order mine.
The wait was not as long as I thought it would be. I got a
seat at their bar, which of course I prefer for better and faster service.
I placed my order for their Jucy Lucy. Plus I got fries on the side. While I waited I got a Mike’s Hard Black Cherry Lemonade. I had never had this flavor before. It was both sweet and tart.
My burger came out all wrapped up. It was like opening a Christmas present. It was super hot. I could smell the grilled onions that were on top.
I got ready to take a bite. I knew the cheese would be pipping hot inside so I made sure not to burn my lips.
The burger was so juicy.
The meat had a great grilled flavor. The cheese was creamy and each bite was loaded with cheese. It was exactly what I hoped for.
It did not take me long to scarf down this famous burger. Once I finished I knew why they always have a line to get one.
There may be other places to get a Jucy Lucy around Minneapolis but a stop to Matt’s Bar first is a must. And make sure you bring cash because that is all they take.
I have really enjoyed visiting local breweries lately in my travels. My stop in Minneapolis was no exception. It was highly recommended that I check out Surly Brewing Co.
I got my stamp at the door and I was ready to go.
They were absolutely packed when I was there. They have
tons of seating inside, whether at the bar or at one of their long picnic
tables.
Plus, they have a huge outside seating area with lots of fun outdoor games to play. It was the perfect weather to be outside and enjoy the sun before the harsh Minnesota winter arrives.
They have an enormous selection of beers to choose from. No matter what your tastes are, you will find something to satisfy your taste buds.
I went for two sour beers. Sour beers are unique and hard
to find. There is something about that punch of sour taste that I really enjoy.
It’s almost like a piece of sour candy.
The first sour was the SignalProcess. This had a hint of strawberry flavor. It really was like sour candy with w hint of sweetness.
The second sour was the Pentagram. This had a sour cherry taste. It made my lips pucker when I first took a sip, but I got use to the taste.
To help enjoy these beers I ordered a few things from their menu. Their kitchen was really buzzing the day I was there. I started off with the Aki’s Breadhaus Pretzel. This was a large fresh made pretzel. It was piping hot when it came out. The dough they used was sweet and kind of light in texture.
They served a spicy ale mustard on the side, which was a
little tangy. They also served a side of homemade pimento cheese. I am not a
big fan of pimento cheese but this one was tasty. It was creamy and not as sour
as other ones I have tried. It was really good spread on the pretzel. I
certainly did not expect that.
I also got a plate of their pierogies. They were filled with potato and gruyere cheese. They popped them in the deep fryer briefly so that the outside got crispy. The combination of potato and cheese was rich and creamy.
They served a horseradish crème fraiche on the plate. The heat from the horseradish added a unique taste to the pierogies that was calmed down by the creamy cheese.
I would definitely stop by Surly Brewing Co again on a
visit to Minneapolis. Their pizza and Polish kielbasa looked really popular
among the other guests. Plus they have so many other beers to choose from.
I recently visited Minneapolis for the first time. I was
really excited to explore the beautiful city and to eat and drink my way around
town.
I started off my day by visiting Angel Food Bakery. As soon as I got to the door I could smell the fresh donuts.
They had a large assortment of unique flavors and combinations.
I went for two different ones. The MapleBacon was calling me. It was a yeast donut with fresh, creamy maple icing. Then they put two slices of crispy bacon on top. It was the perfect blend of sweet and salty. Bacon always seems to go with everything.
The other one I got was called the Dough-napart. It was a donut and croissant combination. It was much heavier than the other donut. It had a great sweet glaze covering the outside. It actually reminded me more of a fritter. It was sweet and had a slight cinnamon taste to me. It was the perfect option for sharing because if all the layers.
They have so many donut options to choose from. I only scratched the surface. Check out their offering at www.angelfoodmn.com and stop in to buy a dozen.
When people think of Philadelphia some people might think
about the Liberty Bell or Independence Hall. However, I am guessing most people
think about cheesesteaks. And choosing where to get a cheesesteak can be a
daunting task. There are plenty of famous places that all the tourists go. I
did not want to do that. I wanted to go where the locals go.
Throughout my trip I would ask all my waitresses and bartenders where their favorite place was. It was almost unanimous that Jim’s Steaks offered the best. So, I headed to South Street to check them out.
There was already a huge line when I showed up. Just seeing the line made me realize that I made the right choice to check them out.
The lined moved fast. Everyone knew how to order properly. I made sure that I figured out how to order before I got up to the window.
A “Wiz With” is what I ordered. This gave me a cheesesteak topped with fresh grilled onions and cheese wiz liquid cheese.
The bread was soft to begin with but with all the cheese it because squishy. The meat was chopped up really fine. It mixed together with the grilled onions. The cheese help bind it all together.
The flavor was fantastic. I could taste the sweetness of
the onions, along with the salty cheese. The meat had a great savory taste. It
was a messy sandwich to eat. Glad I grabbed lots of napkins.
On my way out of the restaurant, I passed the machine that slices all of the rolls. It was amazing how fast it sliced.
Plus I saw the machine that slices all the meat into the thin slices. That machine can take off your hand if you are not careful.
The line was out the door and around the block by the time I left. I hit them at the right time, around 11:30, right before the prime lunch time.
If you are headed to Philadelphia and want a cheesesteak I would recommend trying Jim’s Steaks. They were fantastic plus all the locals recommended them too. Make sure you bring cash, because that is all the accept.
I was really hungry for pizza when I was in Philly. We found a highly rated pizza place near our hotel that we decided to check out called Pizzeria Vetri.
They were not very big inside. Most of the tables were
already filled. We were able to get seats at the counter. These were awesome
seats because I could watch them make all the pizzas.
They were tossing the pizza dough in the air left and right. They made it look so easy.
I could also feel the heat coming from the wood fire oven. It amazed me how fast the pizzas cooked when they went inside.
We were starving so we ordered couple of things. We started off with the meatballs. They cooked these in the wood fire oven too. They came out sizzling. These were ground chicken meatballs. They had a light and airy texture. They were seasoned perfectly and paired well with their homemade sauce.
For the pizza, I shared the fennel sausage pizza. The sausage had fantastic flavor. I could taste the fennel in each bite and the sausage was tender. The pizza crust was super thin and crispy. It had a nice smoky taste from the oven. The fresh mozzarella cheese added a great creamy element.
The fennel sausage tasted so goo we ordered it in the calzone for sharing. The calzone itself looked beautiful when it came out of the oven. It had a pretty sheen on top.
When I cut into it the cheese just poured out. There was no
way I could take a bite, it was just way too hot. Once it cooled off I was able
to take a bite and taste the sweet dough. It tasted different form the pizza
crust, even though it was probably the same dough. The cheese added a creamy
and salty element that complemented the sweet dough. The sausage was just as
good mixed with all the cheese as it was on the pizza.
The food was amazing at Pizzeria Vetri. I am so glad we stopped in. They had many other pizza options to choose from. I would want to go back to try more.
Walking around on Chestnut in downtown Philly my friends and I came across a bar that we wanted to check out – Drinkers Pub.
If you don’t like clowns, then some of the décor in this bar might freak you out.
But looking past the clowns, they have a really cool wall of credit cards. These were all different kinds of cards that have been left at the bar over the years. It is a very creative idea. And definitely a conversation starter.
Their menu was filled with traditional bar food. They did have something unique – eggplant fries. I had never seen this before. I figured it would be similar to zucchini fries. So, I decided to try them. They were strips of eggplant that were breaded and fried. They served a jalapeno aioli on the side for dipping.
The breading had great flavor with the herbs they mixed in.
They were nice and crispy on the outside. The eggplant was a little softer than
I would have preferred. Despite that I still enjoyed them. They tasted even
better in the jalapeno aioli. It was not too spicy but had a slight kick.
Drinkers Pub was a fun place to hang out with friends. They had a full bar and good choices on their menu. Check them out at www.drinkersrittenhouse.com
One of my favorite things to do when I am traveling is to check out different breweries. They are popping up all over the place. When I was in Philadelphia I made sure to check out Yards Brewing Company.
It was a little on the outskirts of the city, but my friends and I made the walk. We were so hot when we arrived that we could not wait to have a nice cold beer.
The brewery was very large. There was seating everywhere.
We decided to sit at the bar so that we could get the best service.
We each decided to so a beer flight. They had several to chose from. I went after the Summertime flight.
IBG grapefruit pale ale
Heritage Surf IPA
Lucy
Knotty IPA
My favorite was the grapefruit pale ale. It had a great
citrus taste that was refreshing on a hot day.
We also got a bite to eat while we were drinking our beers. The Ruben Bites sounded good. These were shredded corned beef, sauerkraut, and cheese all mixed together. They deep fried them until crispy. These tasted just like a Ruben sandwich. I really liked that the cheese was melted throughout.
Yards is a fun place to hang out with friends and drink beer. We did not stay long because we wanted to move on and try some other places around the city, however I would definitely go back.
While in Denver I got to have dinner in a building that was built in 1883. The building that started off as a home has been everything from a flea market to a brothel. It is currently the home to the restaurant called Euclid Hall.
It has a rustic feel inside with reclaimed wood, exposed brick walls, and industrial metal accents.
To start my evening off I ordered one of their fancy cocktails. The Kansas City Kreamsickle sounded prefect. They blended together vodka, aperol honey, lime, cucumber, and basil. I guess because of the name I expected this drink to be sweet. It was not, even with the touch of honey. I could taste the freshness of the cucumber and basil.
We started off with some unique appetizers. The first dish was the Krakenpopper. By the name alone I had no clue what this dish was. Based on the description it was octopus that was braised in Kraken brand rum and wrapped in jalapeno. Hence the name Kraken, for the rum and popper, for the jalapeno.
They took this jalapeno wrapped octopus and dipped it into
a sweet potato tempura batter. It was lightly fried until it was crispy. They
served a bacon aioli on the side for dipping.
The octopus was extremely tender. The jalapeno did not add
any heat at all. The sweetness of the sweet potato batter was actually what I
tasted. The bacon aioli added a slight saltiness, but I preferred the octopus
without it.
Another starter was the Dark Wing Duck. These were crispy duck wings that were tossed in a black olive and Calabrian chile sauce. The sauce had great flavor. However, the duck was too gamy for me.
The last unique starter was the Bruleed Center Cut Beef Marrow Bone. I have never had bone marrow before. I was not sure what to expect. I had to take a spoon and scoop out the marrow. It had the texture of jelly. I then placed it on a small slice of toast. It spread like butter. When I took a bite, it was super sweet and almost buttery in taste. It was very delicate and delicious.
While I digested the appetizers and waited for our main dishes to come out, it was time for another cocktail. This time I got the Salty Oboe. This concoction was whiskey, orange bitters, lemon ginger shrub, and topped with a fresh lemon. The orange toned down the sharpness of the whiskey. It was a very comfortable drink that was best when sipped.
At last my dinner arrived. I ordered the Duck Poutine. I could not wait to try their version of poutine. They used fresh cut French fries and topped them with duck confit, cheddar cheese curds, and a black pepper duck gravy. The duck was perfect. It had a wonderful savory flavor and was not gamy or oily. The cheese and gravy added a salty taste. I was not able to finish the whole thing because it was a little too salty to me.
This was a unique dining experience. I was able to try a
few new things. I like being adventurous when I am eating. You never know what
you might like unless you try. If you are in Denver and want to try something
different, check out Euclid Hall.
Denver is a wonderful city. There is so much to do and a lot of it can be done by walking. However, all that walking around can make you extremely hungry. That is exactly what happened to me. So, walking around in the main shopping area downtown I came across Henry’s Tavern. They were busy, so I thought I would check them out.
Since I worked up a big appetite, I ordered a bunch of
dishes for the table. The good thing was all the dishes were able to be shared.
To start with was the spinach and artichoke dip. This dip was slightly spicy. The creaminess of the dip helped balance out the heat.
We also got a couple of chicken wings. We went for the traditional Buffalo sauce. This sauce was extra spicy which I was not expecting. This was not the traditional flavor of a Buffalo sauce. The wings were covered in the sauce which allowed for every bite to have some kick.
The bourbon glazed Brussel sprouts were a must try. They had great crispy edges. They were cooked along with walnuts and bacon. The walnuts added crunch and texture. The bacon added smoky flavor to the sprouts, because of the fat it was cooked in. Plus, it added a little saltiness that paired perfectly with the sweetness from the bourbon glaze.
The final item for the table was the spicy pepperoni pizza. It was a thick, doughy crust pizza. It was loaded with creamy cheese and slices of pepperoni. Based on the description I was expecting a spicy pizza. This was not spicy at all. It was just a good pepperoni pizza.
After working up an appetite, Henry’s Tavern was able to
satisfy my hunger. They were great for a quick pop-in.
