Top Five Restaurants in the Twin Cities

Having out-of-town guests is a treat for me. But finding the best restaurants in the Twin Cities is my treat in return!

Living in Denver, I had my Top Five and then some in less than a year. (Could have been the green chile that quickly locked in two spots!) Living in Atlanta, my top three were within walking distance from our house!

After two years in the Twin Cities, I simply haven’t perfected myTop Five list. But the beautiful part is I know there are wonderful local restaurants still waiting to be discovered by me … and my guests!

Below are the restaurants who have secured Spots One – Four in my Top Five and a few add ons who have a place in my heart as honorable mentions. May I find Spot Five very soon!

1. Jax’s Cafe (on University) – SOLID!
2. Kramarczuk’s Sausage (on Hennepin in Northeast)
3. Taste of Scandinavia (on 96 Hiway in Shoreview)
4. Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter (Stillwater)
5. St. Anthony, St. Anthony, Please Come Down, Spot Five is Lost, And MUST Be Found

And for honorable mention …

1. Psycho Suzi’s (Northeast – Not the best pizza in town, but there is something about the atmosphere!)
2. Cup and Cone (White Bear Lake – I simply can’t count Cup and Cone’s flavored ice cream as a full spot on the Top Five list.)

Our BIG Family Weekend

The weekend flew by with my family, and we took in a wide variety of activities and covered a lot of land.

I picked up my older brother at MSP on Friday afternoon, and then we had a late patio lunch at Jax’s on University in Northeast. We ate way too much, but it set the pace for the weekend!  I started with a Stella on tap, and together, we enjoyed onion rings, a house salad with creamy peppercorn dressing, and tenderloin with sauteed mushrooms and onions on pumpernickel bread with horseradish sauce. To top it off, we shared a rich serving of bread pudding. As always, Jax’s provided excellent service, a great atmosphere and amazing food.

On Friday night, we were off to the pre-season Vikings game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

On Saturday morning, all eight of us headed to Theo Wirth Park for a morning run and then stopped by the Minneapolis Farmers Market for breakfast and people watching. I also picked up a bouquet of fresh flowers for $5.  Jeff and my brother skipped the farmers market for a more hardy breakfast at Moose and Sadie’s.

We showered and headed out for a tour of the city. We made our way down St. Anthony Parkway, traveled north to visit our office in Shoreview,  toured the North Oaks neighborhood, east to White Bear Lake downtown, south through downtown St. Paul, toured Grand and Summit Streets, and then back west and north by the St. Paul Saints stadium, State Fairgrounds and Como Park.

On Saturday afternoon, we ate an early dinner at Psycho Suzie’s on the patio . We enjoyed happy hour drinks and ordered the famous cheese curds, wings and a couple large pizzas.

After dinner, we went in separate directions. A few headed to Valleyfair for roller-coaster rides and thrills, and the rest of us went to  went to the Mall of America for some shopping!

On Sunday morning, we splurged one more time. We had breakfast on Hennepin at the Krumerkaz Sausage Co. For $9.99, they offer an all-you-can-eat buffet that is spectacular. It runs from 10 am – 2pm. I highly, highly recommend this!

After 6+ months in the city, these are some of my favorite city highlights!

Preparing for House Guests on the Cheap

As a family, we celebrated my parent’s 25th wedding anniversary in Minneapolis this weekend.

In the 6+ months that we’ve lived in the apartment, we have not had one guest so I had done very little to make the place seem presentable. So last weekend, I moved into high gear to ensure I felt good by the time they arrived. And fortunately, we also had a new recliner on order from Carroll’s Furniture that arrived Friday morning, just in time.

To keep things on the cheap, I visited Ikea, Target, Wal-mart and an estate sale. Here are the items I purchased to help pull the house together and to help accommodate our guests.

Ikea (Approx. $55)

• 3 magazine box sets – $2.99 each
• Plant – $9.99
• Pot – $14.99
• 2 silver picture frames – $2.99 each
• Stainless steal bowl – $6.99
• 4 Sheets – $1.99 each

Wal-mart (Approx. $60)

• Small potted plant – $7.50
• Black and white canvas wall hanging – $27.00
• 2 10×13 black frames – $12.96 each

Target (Approx $115)

• 2 giraffe print throw pillows – $14.99 each
• Purple silk throw pillow – $17.99
• 2 twin air mattresses – $18.89 each
• Air mattress pump –  $21.14
• Wicker basket – $10.48
• Bathroom rug – $11.98

Estate sale ($9)

• 2 Saturday Evening Posts – $1 each
• Oil painting – $7.00

The house came together nicely for $250 and garnered lots of nice comments from my family!

Shifting Focus

I find that my focus bounces from topic to topic every few weeks. For instances, only a couple weeks ago I was uber obsessed with restocking my closet with a few new pieces, getting rid of the old and evaluating what still needs a match. This stretched over a two week period, and then – Boom! – that’s it. I am satisfied and on to the next.

My new focus is our housing crisis. Our home in Georgia has yet to sell, and our lease is up on our rental in Minneapolis. So my mind whirls and whirls until I find a solution. And then I want instant gratification. My solution is for us to buy a “starter home”  at a lower price using a FHA loan (to not tie up our cash since we will now have two homes). Here are the advantages I see: 1) our mortgage payment would be equivalent to monthly rent; 2) the property can become rental property when we purchase a larger home; 3) this gives us some time to continue to research where we want to live permanently; and 4) if we need to sell it, homes are more likely to move at this price point.

I formulate this plan on Friday, and then spent the weekend trolling neighborhoods and looking for homes. My conculsion after two days on the hunt and numerous open houses is to stay in Northeast since it is the area of Minneapolis we know best.  And the last open house on Sunday afternoon proved to be my favorite. http://msp.themlsonline.com/search/3676412.html

It has great bones and is immaculate inside.  With a few modern touches, I think it could be a great home for us … considering the circumstances.

And since this is where my mind is, I spent a little time on HGTV online tonight. Here is a link to some inspirational interior design videos. http://www.hgtv.com/100-half-day-designs/package/index.html

I’ll keep you posted.

MPLS St. Paul Local Artists

A couple weekends back, Jeff and I ate at the Mill City Cafe in Northeast. Lucky us – the local artists in the building where the cafe is located open their studios to the public on the second Saturday of each month. It was a great morning outing, and here are a few of the artists that caught my attention.

Jennifer Massoll (oil painting)

Marcia McEachron (steel and bronze sculpture)

Kit Wilson (jewelry)

A Wedding. A New City. And More to Explore!

My last post was August 1, 2008.  And here it is – January 23, 2009!

Since my last post … Jeff and I were married in Roswell, Georgia on October 24. Jeff and I moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota immediately following our wedding and just in time for -10 degree weather (and lots of it). Jeff graduated in Hawaii with his Masters of Science in Management from the American College. We temporarily lived with my parents in Kansas for a month and worked from our Topeka office. And more, but you get the point. Life has been, well, a little crazy for a few months.

And, now finally … our active lifestyle is slowing, and we have begun to actually enjoy each other and exploring the Twin Cities.

So the first question … do I change the name of my blog? I suppose I should. We have completely changed our world, so let this blog live where we do!  Now for the harder part … what should it be? Welcoming all suggestions, readers.

And how about the food theme?  While it is a favorite, wouldn’t be nice to throw in, I don’t know, themes like boutiques, running and bike trails, tools and tips, recipes, and other adventures? And there is no better time to start than now!

Within the first few weeks, Jeff and I stumbled upon Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lodge. Located near the St. Anthony area of Minneapolis, it is a “tacky” restaurant with outdated tiki decor but atmosphere galore!  Since stumbling, we’ve done a little research and come to find it’s a northeast favorite. It made the “Best of the Twin Cities” list in the December issue of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, and everyone we meet seems to have a story to share about Psycho Suzy’s. So far, Jeff and I have only cozied up to the bar for beers and pizza, but we hear that their patio and rum drinks are great during the summer months.

And my summary is … I could eat there once a week. Perfect draft beer selection. Simple: Miller Lite, Stella, Blue Moon and a few other favorites. Cheese curds. Cheese curds. Cheese curds. Yes, I think I could eat three baskets of their cheese curds. Friendly bartenders who remember your name and even a few details about you to make you feel right at home.

Other Twin Cities favorites:  Downtown Dogs. Grand Avenue. Cub Foods donuts. I ate 2.5 (almost 3) today. Opps, but I worked my tail off in the gym this week. Isn’t that why we work out so we can totally splurge once in awhile?!

This weekend … I have more to explore!