I have a semi-regular monthly dinner date with a friend of mine and she picked one I hadn’t heard of – Hyacinth off Grand Avenue in St. Paul so I was pretty excited to see what it was about.
Continue readingHyacinth | Saint Paul, MN
Minnesota
CrowBar Pop-Up Bar | Saint Paul, MN
I’ve had a couple friends tell me I needed to get to the CrowBar pop-up bar in the old Hamm’s Brewery and after looking into it I couldn’t agree more.
The CrowBar is a cocktail lounge by Voliere Spirits, the first all-women owned whiskey distillery in Minnesota. Read below for more.
Continue readingTwin Cities Top 5 Espresso Martinis | 2026 List
Espresso martinis are my love language, my favorite little girl’s night treat, and usually the way husband can determine solely by looking at a menu if it’s a restaurant I will enjoy haha.
A couple years ago I shared some of my favorite martinis in the Twin Cities, and while a couple on the list are still accurate, I thought I’d do a 2026 update.
Continue readingEarl Giles | Northeast Minneapolis, MN
I know what you’re thinking and no, I hadn’t been to Earl Giles before. Yes, I do agree this is odd, but my justification is that I haven’t lived in Northeast or Minneapolis for almost 10 years and my usual Northeast visits are to the loveable dives.
Continue readingInver Grove Brewing Co | Inver Grove Heights, MN
We had some friends staying in town who requested a brewery for drinks and dinner and I knew just the place: Inver Grove Brewing Co. Since moving to South St. Paul last fall I’ve only heard great things so I was excited to finally get over there to try it!
Full disclosure I totally forgot to take any photos other than my food and drinks, because we were too busy talking and laughing so the below will be a little short, but the vibe inside is really nice and they also have a patio!
Continue readingFeast Buffet & Banquet | Woodbury, MN
Husband has been wanting to try out Feast Buffet & Banquet in Woodbury ever since we saw signage that it was coming almost a year ago. While we moved to South St. Paul last fall before Feast officially opened, we used to live down the street and were excited to see something different coming to that space, a space that has seen quite a bit of restaurant turnover through the years.
Full disclosure, it took some convincing for me to go.
- I don’t particularly like buffets, because my eating style just isn’t exactly conducive. I get full pretty quick, but then can have a snack a few hours later, whereas at a buffet the goal is to eat as much as you can immediately.
- As a marketer who used to be a marketing manager for a restaurant group, I find it sketch that I have yet to find their official website and/or social media accounts. There are quite a few sites saying they carry their menu and many influencers/websites who have covered their opening on Google, but I want my information to be official.
- Last fall, some of the local foodies I followed posted some concerns and not the best experiences, so I wasn’t sure if it would be worth it.
With all that on the table (#dadjoke), we decided to go for dinner on a Tuesday night. Overall, while I did enjoy some aspects, it is probably not somewhere we’ll go back to. My full review is below.
Continue readingVinai | Northeast Minneapolis
I love Union Hmong Kitchen so I had high hopes (and high expectations) for Chef Yia Vang’s new spot, Vinai. Not only has it been getting a lot of press confirming how good it is, on a personal level, it took over the former tap house space for my beloved Dangerous Man Brewing, so I just knew in my soul it was going to be good. Happy to report I’m always right…and so were the reviews by real food critics 😉.
Continue readingCobble Social House | Minneapolis, MN
A friend recently had a birthday and to celebrate we had a night of sushi, espresso martinis, and adventure…all of my favorite things!
If you haven’t been to Cobble Social House in North Loop Minneapolis, definitely add it to your list. Full review below.
Continue readingStockyards Tavern & Chophouse | South St. Paul, MN
It’s a rare occasion these days for husband and I to have a Friday evening off together so when husband suggested we go check out one the new to us restaurants in our neighborhood I jumped at the chance.
Keep reading for more of our visit to Stockyards Tavern & Chophouse.
Continue readingBLVD Tavern | West St. Paul, MN
I don’t know that I’ve shared it here yet, but husband and I bought our first home this past October in South St. Paul, which is not only exciting, because we’ll never have elephants for upstairs neighbors again, but we’ve got a whole new culinary neighborhood to explore!
This is actually our second time dining at BLVD Tavern. Our first time was a dinner pitstop on our way back from Home Depot in the middle of painting pre-move, but by the time life calmed down enough for me to sit down and write out a review, I didn’t feel like it was fresh enough in my mind to give it justice so I’m excited to right that wrong!
Where we live we’re pretty much a stone’s throw from West St. Paul and Inver Grove Heights so expect to see a lot of reviews for places in these cities!
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