It’s only appropriate that I start my Minneapolis
food journey in the same place I began in Louisville . That’s right, DONUTS!!! Trying to decide what shop to visit I did
what any self respecting food lover would do, I Googled “bacon donut in Minneapolis .” And this is where my journey to Glam Doll
Donuts begins. It started as a quest to
find the match to my beloved Nord’s Bakery in Louisville , it ended with a pretty cool find. My mother had come up to visit and help me
house hunt and we were hungry. I knew I
wanted to go to Glam Doll so I decided this was the perfect opportunity. It was a Saturday morning and when we arrived
there was a small line, but nothing too crazy.
The menu was too large for the two of us to tackle in one day, so we
each decided on 3 getting a half dozen and taking one bite of each donut. They were rich, sweet, and delightfully
fluffy. Walking into Glam Doll is like
walking onto the set of a vintage photo shoot. Retro aprons, vintage clothing,
and a staff that to be honest, I would love to hang out with, the shop is inviting. I was sad the photo booth was out of service,
but I guess I will just have to go back.
In all we had the following donuts: Glam Doll, Showgirl (this is the one
with bacon, I’m going to throw it out there, it’s not as good as my Louisville favorite, but
good.), Calendar Girl, Femme Fatale (my favorite), Varga Girl, and a
Bombshell. Top that off with a few Chai
Teas and you have yourself a pretty spectacular morning. I can’t wait to go back and try the rest!
Living Life One Bite At A Time
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Revamp!
I’ve been in hiding.
This is not on purpose. Work has
taken me all over the place. But now it
has placed me in Minneapolis ,
for good. Which means I get to go back
to taking in the city through culinary exploits. Needless to say, super stoked doesn’t even
begin to explain my feelings. New city , new
experiences, new food. With that I’m
also taking on a new endeavor, I’m looking to become a homeowner. I have been doing a lot of refurbishing and
refinishing projects on furniture. You’re
most likely going to get graced with stories of my adventures in home owning. That’s right folks, it’s a revamp on the
blog! I’m sure no one but my family
reads this, but now they will be able to see what I’m up to so far away. Enjoy and thanks for visiting!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
BelAir Cantina- Milwaukee
I’ve been trying to find a place that made me feel like I
was back home in Louisville up here in Milwaukee . You know, that place where you step inside
and think “Oh my goodness, I have found it, no I have found YOU. I have found you and I am home.” Well, took me a few months (mainly because of
work being so crazy) but I think I finally found my spot. BelAir Cantina reminds me of everything I
loved about Louisville . First off it was packed, at 8pm on a Tuesday
night. Always a good sign. Second, I’m not one to classify people into
groups or stereotype, but this was my kind of crowd. Mid to late 20s, cheap but good beer in hand,
what most I suppose would call hipsters if you had to pigeon hole. When we arrived there was a 45 minute to hour
long wait (It was $2 taco Tuesday after all), but the hostess took our name and
number, told us she would txt us and that we were more than welcome to try and
find a spot at the bar, or walk across the street to the bar there. This setup is mutually beneficial for everyone
involved. Fink’s gets the customers who
are waiting for a table, BelAir doesn’t end up with angry people waiting, and
the customer get’s to enjoy a nice beverage in an invitingly small bar and then
enjoy tacos next door. Win, win, win.
Side note, the two are owned by the same people. So anyways, we had a few beers and then
received that glorious txt. It’s like
the new age dinner bell, ringing to let you know that you may now come and get
your grub on. Still packed, we sat down,
ordered some Tecates and then went over
the menu. Not all of the tacos on
Tuesday are $2, but a good selection are.
When our waiter returned with our beers we were ready to order. 3 tacos meant a side of rice and beans, so
that’s what I did. Ordering Carnitas,
Zihuatanejo Shrimp, and Pollo Verde tacos and choosing the pinto beans I was
ready to enjoy. I don’t think it took
that long, even though the place was packed.
It could have been long, but if you have good conversation, and a beer,
really time is all fairly relative at that point. When the food arrived I took a bite of each
taco. I prefer to eat things like this
in order from least enjoyed to most, so that the most enjoyed is the last taste
I have. So I went shrimp, carnitas,
pollo. The shrimp tasted a little too
overdone for me, the slightly rubbery way shrimp gets when you cook it that
extra minute too long. The carnitas were
a bit dry, good flavor, but needing some of the salsa on the table. The pollo had a good flavor and I added a bit
more salsa verde to them as well (by this time I couldn’t eat the corn
tortillas anymore, so I just ate the meat so I didn’t explode from being full). I’m not normally a pinto bean eater, but I
have to say these were extremely tasty.
Overall it was a good cheap meal, great environment, and a little bit of
the Louisville
scene up here in the cold.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Cafe Benelux- Milwaukee
Any place that has a beer book is alright by me. My parents and I ended up at Cafe Benelux for dinner after a suggestion from some coworkers. To drink I ordered a Bier Pallettes with 4 taster sized beers, all which were great. As an appetizer we decided on Pork Belly Sliders (my father wanted tater tots, I over-ruled). Served on pretzel bread with a cilantro sesame slaw and a sambal aioli they were delicious, the best part of the meal according to my father. He eventually chose the bier battered walleye, which he said wasn’t that great, he wished the fish had been flakier. My mother went with the kulminator, a grilled cheese with 4 cheeses, bacon, and tomatoes on 9-grain bread. Following the waitress' advice she got the farmhouse tomato soup. Both were great, the soup having a perfect hint of basil in it. I fell for the basque mussels, steamed with tomatoes, chorizo, chilies and scallions. They were fantastic, actually fan-freaking-tastic. I used the bread to soak up the leftover jus, then I used some frites after that was gone, it was worth it. Overall good atmosphere, good beer, really good food.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Gyro Palace- Milwaukee
If you have read any of my previous blogs you know the
following things: I love local, I think the best way to experience a new city
is through their food, and I don’t judge a book (or in my case a restaurant) by
the cover. My first venture out into the
Milwaukee epicurean realm was Gyro Palace . Yes I am fully aware that this will now make
my fourth blog about gyros, but as I explained before
I freaking love these things. I also know
what you are probably thinking. “But HC,
gyros are not quintessential ‘Milwaukee fare’
and they don’t originate in Wisconsin .” Yup, I know.
But that’s what my stomach wanted, and I don’t argue with it, no point,
it doesn’t listen at all. This is not
the best looking restaurant, tucked away in a little strip mall on the south
side. The inside just has a walk-up counter and some booths, nothing special and not all together too inviting. I honestly didn’t mind, I was grabbing to-go
on my way to work anyways. So I ordered
a gyro and took it to the arena. Opening
it at my desk I was so excited. This was
the most meat I had ever seen on a gyro, ever.
It was tasty, the tzatziki meeting all of my qualifications; creamy with
just the right amount of cucumber mixed in.
There was so much to this “sandwich” that I left half of it for
dinner. Overall not a bad experience,
not the best gyro I’ve tasted, but definitely the most filling. Next time I will go some where a little more
archetypical Wisconsin .
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Hiatus Comes to a Halt
It’s been a long time since I’ve taken the time to
write. Work has transferred me to Purdue University ,
so I no longer live in Louisville . My heart still and will always belong to the
Ville. However, I love being at Purdue,
my alma mater is always a great place to be.
Writing for me has always been a way to get my energy out. I’m able to leave my thoughts, frustrations,
feelings, and opinions on the page.
Today I realized that I miss writing this little blog and trying new
food. Sometimes people get caught up
with the everyday life and forget that the things which make you happy should
be brought to the forefront. So with
that epiphany I will be resuming my blog.
After being transferred to Purdue, I am now supporting in Milwaukee . No longer will I be visiting Louisville eateries, it’s the land of beer
and cheese for me. Stay tuned, stick
around, suggest somewhere if you would like and as always thanks for reading.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Artists Colony Inn- Nashville, Indiana
Never have I seen a
restaurant so mismanaged as the Artists Colony Inn. I don’t mind waiting
for a table, that isn’t a big deal to me, but when the reason I am waiting for
a table is because of the way management has staffed, set up the dining room,
and executed I tend to be a bit irritated. Honestly I should have known
we were in for a bad experience when an older couple was telling the manager
how disappointing their experience was and he seemed not to care at all.
After we were sat it took the waiter a minute to come over, when he finally
brought beverages he managed to spill water all over the place. At first
I thought it was our waiter who wasn’t that great, then we began to slowly
realize that wasn’t it at all. His section was huge, literally reaching
from one wall to another and outside. He probably had at least 9 tables,
and was not only taking orders, delivering orders but also busing as
well. Looking around we noticed that it wasn’t just him; all of the staff
was stretching super thin. How could the manager not have looked at the
weather report, known that we were going to get a break in the crazy heat, and
seen the possibility that they were going to get slammed? The
disappointing part of the whole thing was that the food actually wasn’t too bad
with the exception of my salad which I sent back because it tasted dirty.
During the entire time we were there the manager never once did a table
visit. He was too busy running in and out of the kitchen, busing tables,
and generally looking displeased at his staff. Excuse me sir, but your
lack of planning is no fault of the people who are busting their hump to try
and work. Also, I might recommend that you get a couple 2-tops since most
of your dinning room was being wasted by two people sitting at tables designed
for four, sometimes six, people. The kitchen was slow, neither the soup
and grilled cheese, or the pot pie that we ordered should have taken long at
all. It is a shame when a waiter has to deal with a rough kitchen and a
worthless manager. And it wasn’t just our table that struggled. We
watched an elderly couple be almost completely ignored, wait about 45 minutes
for some soup and have it immediately followed up by their entrée only to then
again be left to the point that the man eventually got up, tracked down his
waitress and handed her his card. I honestly would not return to this
restaurant if it was the only one open in town.
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