Today is a day that will live in infamy..annually. Cheese is life and there is literally no food I love more than cheese curds. I probably have reviewed or took photos of cheese curds more than anything else in the history of Hipster Hack so I am going to properly document National Cheese Curd Day by sharing them all in one post for your viewing (and drooling) pleasure. 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
I’ve been staring at photos from MN Nice Cream on Instagram for, well, YEARS and I’ve passed it driving more times than I can count so when my sister went to the new Stillwater location before I got there and rubbed it in my face, it was game on! Luckily, during our annual brewery crawl this year we started at MN Nice’s nextdoor neighbor, Able Seedhouse + Brewery giving me the perfect opportunity!
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!
Continue reading
Working downtown means getting to enjoy lunch menus of places that may be a little too pricey for a normal dinner…like Monte Carlo. Fun fact: I had actually just broken my iphone the night before we went to lunch so my boss used his to take these photos instead haha. THAT is the epitome of a supportive job 🙂
Tamarack Tap Room used to be one of the defunct Champps Americana locations when I was growing up well into my adulthood. My family used to frequent this location pretty often and when I got older I used to go with friends to play “Bucks” and hang with CA the DJ. When they closed, I wasn’t surprised, because let’s be honest, they weren’t exactly “impressive” (although I still daydream about that club sandwich), but I am so glad that Tamarack Tap Room opened in it’s place a few years ago. This was the restaurant that Woodbury needed: good food, innovative food that takes risks yet not TOO risky for the ‘burbs, and has an AMAZING beer list.
This is my first George and the Dragon Hipster Hack, but it’s my third experience there. The first time was based off a suggestion a coworker gave me when my (now) boyfriend was forcing me to pick out where we were going to go to dinner on one of our first official dates. Unfortunately, the wait was over an hour so we went elsewhere. We did end up going a couple weeks later, but back then I was still trying a bit and didn’t want to whip out my camera and take pictures of all the food just yet haha, so I’m excited to say that not only did I take pictures of my food this time, but when the appetizer arrived, boyfriend pushed the plate over to me, “get your picture so we can eat.” hahahaha. Trained.
The great part about the Saint Paul Farmers Market is that it’s open on Sundays. While I love the Northeast Farmers Market summer Saturdays in Minnesota are jam packed while Sundays are generally more free. Not to mention the farmers market is the perfect “productive” hungover activity; food, music, and you can say you’re doing something outdoors. Or in our case it was the perfect reason to meet up for brunch!
Lauren & Jackie On A Mission
Farmers Markets are great for a variety of reasons; price, freshness, and you’re supporting the local farmers. I love buying vegetables here, because you get so many at such a great rate. It’s almost impossible for me to get through all of it before it starts to go bad!
There are also some meat areas (which seemed a little risky to me, unless you were planning on leaving right away).
And of course, being the Midwest there had to be a cheese curds station. My favorite was seeing that they sell milk in glass bottles. Total throwback.
While it was Father’s Day, I did abstained from buying any of the gorgeous flowers, because my dad, like myself, doesn’t exactly possess a green thumb.
There was also live music and some craft stations as well.
The Saint Paul Farmer’s Market is located on the corner of Wall & 5th Street. Literally right next to the new Saints Stadium. While the location is great for walking as it’s only a couple blocks from Mears Park it is not great for Parking.
There was a lot right next to the market that was charging $20, which is ridiculous considering street parking in St. Paul is not metered on Sundays. If you’re ok with a 5 minute walk I would suggest parking on the other side of Mears Park. There’s a nice little parking strip on the corner of Sibley and 5th that I like to park in, because there is usually a spot and you don’t have to worry about your parallel skills. Bonus.
A couple other travel options are of course the Greenline Light Rail and Bus. You can get a Free Metro Transit Pass that’s valid from 5am-2pm on the day of the Saint Paul Farmers Market on their website HERE.
Overall, if you’re looking for something interesting to do on a Sunday morning, this is your place.
Saint Paul Farmers Market – Downtown
Saturdays 6:00AM – 1PM
Sundays 8AM – 1PM
Dangerous Man Brewing Co has been at the top of my brewery list for a while, because I’ve been hearing such amazing things. I’m pleased to report that it lived up to the hipster hype.
We went to Dangerous Man for girls night and between us had the Oktoberfest, Chocolate Milk Stout, and Kolsch. Nowhere near the whole selection, but it was a good start! Continue reading
Vision The Kid & Tru released their new album, “Somewhere In A Dark City,” today and I’m definitely not mad about it. Being able to put in some headphones and blare this Midwest love story on repeat, is the ideal way to return to the office after a Labor Day weekend vacation.
A couple weeks ago the first single, “Devil” was released, and I have to say that this video was the best one, creatively, that I’ve seen produced by the Be Easy Music crew (although Lost Summer is still a personal favorite). Directed by Colin Kopp and featuring some stark white and black imagery, it gave the story a fresh perspective. Plus, a pyro at heart, who doesn’t love shit set on fire? Continue reading
Hipster Hack 