Even though I live in Minneapolis, I still drive all the way to A’Salonna in Stillwater, because I only trust Kelly to do my hair…luckily for me, I have family (Cecil & Noelle) in the area and they agreed to start an afternoon of “Saturday Funday” by meeting me and boyfriend for lunch and cocktails at Lolito Cantina!
I love the vibe at Parlour Bar and in fact have been to both the Minneapolis and the Saint Paul locations for cocktails. However, it was becoming quite apparent that I’ve been doing myself a disservice by not having ever eaten their burger. there.
PSA: Lift Bridge Brewery is actually NOT by the Stillwater Lift Bridge.
I was excited to finally get to the tap room though, after years of drinking the beer and telling everyone out of state that “I’m from there!” Continue reading
Burger Dive is the new name of the kitchen operation at Tony Jaros Rivergarden, similar to how Smack Shack runs the kitchen at 1029 (another Northeast gem), Smack Shack chef, Josh Thoma partnered with chef Nick O’Leary (Borough, Coup d-etat, and Travail) to rejuvenate the food at this classic Northeast dive bars.
You can read the full Tony Jaros Rivergarden Hipster Hack HERE. It also looks like a second Burger Dive location will be opening up in Rosedale Center’s second attempt at a Food Hall so stay tuned there! Continue reading
The “Not Justa” family has been growing over the years. Starting with Not Justa Cafe in Bayport almost 20 years ago, NJ’s has been a staple for weekend brunch with lines out the door. They’ve since expanded with locations in Somerset, New Richmond, and opened up “Not Justa Bar” next to the original NJ Cafe in Bayport…naturally this location is my favorite, because they serve liquor and I live for a brunch cocktail!
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I went into the Minnesota State Fair with an ambitious list of new foods and drafted my line-up of three other people willing to help; Noelle, Lisa & Tom…as you probably already guessed, we did not make it all the way through the list haha. The hard part about new fair foods is that it doesn’t take into account all of your Minnesota State Fair food staples OR the copious amount of beer you’re going to be drinking.
I think we made a valiant effort and secretly am thankful of the rain that swept in around 5pm so that we had a legitimate reason to leave with our mission incomplete.
6 hours. 11 foods. 6-ish beers. Minnesota State Fair ✓
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We discovered Cold Front Ice Cream while visiting their next door neighbor, The Nook.
I was in love with them the moment I read their savage sign out front and knew it wouldn’t matter how full we were after dinner, because we were definitely going in there to support this locally owned establishment.
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I’m almost embarrassed to say this was my first time eating at The Nook in Saint Paul considering for 3 years I lived a mere 5 blocks away. In my defense, I was a regular at Shamrocks on West 7th, which is owned by the same people and has most of the same menu items! My favorite coworker happy hours started at Shamrocks and proceeded up Randolph. Literally, the best happy hour route there is in Saint Paul.
I’m happy to have finally corrected this wrong and luckily, because we went on a Thursday night, the wait (which was my previous deterrent, since it has a reputation for being pretty long) was only 20 minutes!
I get it. Hudson is a little far out there, but trust me on this one!
Full Disclosure: I’ve spent more time eating (and “drinking wisconsinbly”) at Agave Kitchen than any other restaurant in the Twin Cities. Yes, the food is good, but the real reason for me is because I love being able to go there to spend time with my sister who is Agave Kitchen’s General Manager. A few times a week you can also find Andrea behind the bar slinging mojitos and screaming “SEE YOU TOMORROW” at guests who are leaving haha… So yeah, full disclosure: I know many of the people who work there because they are my sister’s 2nd family, but I am not getting any kick backs for writing this Hipster Hack (not saying I didn’t try, just saying it didn’t happen…hahaha just kidding).
My sister has been working at Agave for somewhere around 9(?) years so it’s safe to say I’ve tried a LOT of their food. Originally I used to go there when I was in my mid 20s as a loophole, because if your sister is the bartender you’re not eating and drinking alone, right? RIGHT?! However, their keto menu is the star of this Hipster Hack.
It has been a strugglefest to find places to go out to eat that are actually affordable (aka not a steak house) and have keto food options other than a bunless burger and a side salad. Agave Kitchen has a whole keto friendly subset to their menu AND they have keto monthly features like the lobster mac & cheese you’ll see below (made with cauliflower rice). If you’re keto, this definitely makes it worth the 30 minute drive for a date night!
Hipster Hack 