{images should be working now, please PM me if they're not}

Just returned from a long weekend in Minneapolis (with a smidge of St. Paul) -- better weather there than Chicago: until the Monday rains hit, we had cloudless skies and mid 70's, just perfect.

I'd already talked about our Friday evening Jucy Lucy -- enjoyable experience, worth doing, not earth-shattering.


Saturday morning we went to the Mill City Farmer's Market, which was a nice way to browse through some local vendors: A ham-and-cheese croissant from Salty Tart was perfectly balanced on salt, grease, crisp and creamy; turkey and veggie momo from Gorkha Palace were fun steamed dumplings -- like big potsticker size, good texture, nice tomato chutney; and pancakes with local maple syrup from Black Cat.

Mill City Farmers Market
704 S 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55415
(between the Mill City Museum and Guthrie Theater)
Saturdays May-October

(more vendors under the roofs in the back there)


Saturday evening we scored a table at Eater-recommended Hai Hai, labeled vietnamese but definitely skewing Thai. Spring rolls (not pictured) had great flavors and texture, with crisp egg roll wrapper inside the chewy rice paper. Tapioca gnocci (think big bubble-tea pieces) with pork belly, shrimp and chile jam were fantastic. The crispy rice salad I think was better than Rainbow Thai's (I know, sacrilege), with lots of heat, sour and herb, and Hanoi Sticky Rice was sort of a Vietnamese bibim bap with ground pork and pork floss. Dessert was a Racines cake (flourless chocolate) with a quenelle of creme fraiche.

Tapioca Gnocchi


Crispy Rice Salad


Hanoi Sticky Rice


Racines Cake


Bar, lots of fresh herbs


Sign outside


Hai Hai
2121 University Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418
Phone: (612) 223-8640
www.haihaimpls.com

More later

Were you there May 11-12th? If so, we missed each other at Mill City by minutes apparently.

I was very impressed with MSP. My son is living and working there and I am happy for him.

Octarine wrote:Were you there May 11-12th? If so, we missed each other at Mill City by minutes apparently.

I was very impressed with MSP. My son is living and working there and I am happy for him.

No, we were there Memorial Day weekend -- we left Thursday evening and stopped in Madison, then onward to mpls after a stop at the Mall of America.

Continuing onward - Sunday Morning we stopped at Butter Bakery, highly recommended for their biscuits. Goal was a light breakfast, since we had reservations for lunch. We split a sausage-egg-cheddar biscuit, which was outstanding. Also very good coffee, but no pix.

Butter Bakery Cafe
3700 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55409
Phone: (612) 521-7401

Lunch was at Handsome Hog, a tough place to get into for dinner, so we decided on lunch, not realizing it would be an egg-centric brunch menu. Oh well, no more eggs, right? (hah, see below). Food here was stellar. If it hadn't been so early, I'd have had a cocktail, their selections looked very good, with several smoked bourbon items.

I had the Cajun Benedict, with house-cured Canadian bacon, collard greens (which should really make it Cajun Eggs Florentine), Cajun hollandaise, and pickled green tomatoes, which added a nice sweet-sour bite to the dish. Only criticism is I'd have liked the english muffin a little toasty-crisp, otherwise perfect. The green salad helped foil the rich dish.



Sue had the Hot Brown with house-cured ham and bacon, mornay sauce and an egg, with home fries and marinated tomato. Really, really nice, and I normally am not much of a ham fan (it's a texture thing -- Canadian bacon is fine).



Handsome Hog
203 6th St E, St Paul, MN 55101
Phone: (651) 340-7710
http://www.handsomehog.com

At dinner time the weather was just perfect, we walked over to Nicollet Mall (a street, not a shopping center), and ate at The Brit's Pub, which has rooftop bocce (but a smaller menu on the rooftop) in a beautiful building from the 20's. We ate at a table out front, a caesar salad and the Royal Sampler, which, as you could guess, had more eggs -- Scotch, to be exact. In addition there were chicken fingers, cod nuggets, and fried mac and cheese, with ketchup, chipotle aioli, barbecue sauce and tartar for dipping. A cold lemonade (for me) and red wine (for her). Nothing really special, but a gorgeous night.

The Brit's Pub
1110 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Phone: (612) 332-3908
http://www.britspub.com

Last meal was, of course, more eggs, as the storms started to come in.
Our Kitchen is a classic old diner. Their motto is "14 stools, one counter, no bathroom." Just breakfast and lunch (close by 3PM, 2 on weekends). The guy at the griddle is a machine, cranking out pancakes, hash browns, eggs, and breakfast meats. The cakes are plate-sized, you can (and should) sub your toast for one at no upcharge -- in fact, they let me sub OJ for coffee on the Special: two eggs, hash browns, a hunk of sausage bigger than a typical griddled burger, pancake or toast and coffee. The hash browns are perfect: crispy shreds surrounding a creamy middle. Eggs were just as I liked them (over medium). They keep a selection of national and local hot sauces -- the Crybaby Craig's was very tasty, not very hot.

Sue had a short stack (2 pancakes) and bacon. Sorry, no pix, but definitely a place worth going back to.

Our Kitchen
813 W 36th St, Minneapolis, MN 55408
Phone: (612) 825-3718
www.ourkitchenmn.com

Was in Minneapolis briefly this summer and visited an old fried: The South Jersey Hoagie from Broder's in SW Minneapolis. Broder's is a long standing family run deli/cafe/pizzaria who have expanded to multiple posts on the corner (a fancy pasta bar and more formal restaurant). I'm sure the two restaurants are great but I can't attest to anything but the original. The South Jersey Hoagie is among my favorite things to eat in this life. I won't tell you its better than Bari or JPG's or Tempesta but its the classic italian sub I grew up on and its worth a hit if you're in the area. Their pizza rules too. I'm partial to the sausage (ground and crumbly with lots of fennel) but everything is great. I don't think I've ever sat down to eat at Broder's. Get a pizza or subs to go and take them to Lake Harriet in good company.

BRODERS' CUCINA ITALIANA
2308 West 50th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55410

Sad news--made about a 1/2 dozen trips to Minneapolis over the past 18 months and tried to get to Bachelor Farmer several times, but for various reasons, didn't get to eat there.

"Dear Friends,

Six weeks ago, we closed the doors to The Bachelor Farmer, Marvel Bar, and our cafe to protect the health of our team, and the community. And today, I have reached the very difficult decision that we will not reopen.

As you know, the future of hospitality is incredibly uncertain and over the past month, we have tried our best to navigate this uncharted territory. We have explored the option of takeout, most likely evolving into a hybrid model of takeout and reduced-capacity dining room service in the months ahead, but there’s just no way for that level of business to support the financial weight of our company and the building we call home. We were already walking a fine line before COVID-19, and given that no one knows how long the impacts of this pandemic will last, or what the new normal will be, I do not see a viable path forward.

The loss fills me with sadness, but I am also overwhelmed with gratitude. We had the privilege of serving you for almost nine years. We celebrated important milestones right alongside you, hosting countless birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries. We welcomed a president, a vice president, and a first lady. And we were fortunate to be able to go out on a high note, having recently received another four stars from the Star Tribune and reimagining a bar as a space where everyone feels comfortable. We helped to create a vibrant neighborhood and I hope we contributed something of lasting value to the fabric of our community. I’m proud of that legacy and can’t thank you enough for making it possible.

We have tried to provide support for our team through this incredibly difficult time, and this decision doesn’t change that. Every employee received six weeks of pay while furloughed and we will continue to provide full health benefits through May 31. And for our guests, if you have an unused gift card we will transfer the balance into a credit at Askov Finlayson. Any outstanding event deposits will be refunded in full. There is no easy way to do this, but we’re committed to doing it right.

I want to thank Mayor Frey and Governor Walz for their steady leadership through this crisis. I strongly support the decisive steps they’ve taken to protect our collective wellbeing and this decision is not a result of their actions, which have been commensurate with the crisis we face.

Lastly, to our friends in the Minneapolis restaurant community: It has been an honor to be in your company and I believe in your ability to overcome these unprecedented challenges. Hospitality will be more important than ever as we heal from the shared trauma of this experience and I know you will continue to raise the bar for many years to come.

Thank you again, everyone, for your incredible support. We will miss welcoming you through our doors, but hope to see you again soon.

Until then, please take good care of yourselves, and each other.

My best,
Eric Dayton"