22 Northmen Brewing Company – Alexandria, MN

We took the scenic route home when we were up north a few weekends ago and there “just happened to be a brewery” on the route we took. This brewery is part of the Carlos Creek event compound that includes a wedding venue, a vineyard and winery, a pizza restaurant, an outdoor entertainment space, food trucks, and the brewery. 

The brewery is very much a Viking theme, but a very expensive and polished Viking theme. Alexandria is a fancy boating community, and 22 Northmen made sure they could meet the needs of the original boat people (the Vikings) and the modern day boat people. 

There are axes that function as door handles on the main Viking-lodge-doors, and there are all kinds of shields on the wall above the bar. 

It’s a very tall Viking lodge with lots of seating. Many of the drinks are a little tongue-in-cheek or double entendres, so if you’re a prude, be forewarned.  

All of the beers I had were really quite good, so I’d recommend them all. 

·      Norwegian Haze – Hazy IPA (really good)

·      Barrel Aged Night Axe – Stout (sooooo good)

·      Joe Dort – Lager (really good)

·      Black Lager (really good)

·      Punch Face – Sour (pretty good)

We got a wood-fired pizza from Stoke, and it was awesome. We got the Spicy Hawaiian – jalapeno bacon jam, pepperoni, pineapple, bacon, onions, red pepper flakes, mozzarella, hot honey, and fresh parsley. Thin crust, but not doughy in any spots. We couldn’t finish the whole thing, so we brought our leftovers in the car… and then ate those leftovers before we got home.

 

We will be back to this place in the future, and hopefully, we will be able to enjoy the outside space, and perhaps some tasty wine. If you’re up in this area anytime, then you really should check this place out. There’s stuff for wine people, beer people, food people, and outdoor people. Or heck, have your wedding here!

There's a lovely carved dejected viking out in front of the building, as well!!

 

http://www.carloscreek.com

 

Mr. Mustacheo – West St. Paul, MN

West St. Paul got a new restaurant that opened this week and based on the menu alone, I knew I had to eat there. When the wife suggested it, it didn’t take much arm-twisting to get me in the car. I scoped out the menu ahead of time to help narrow down some decisions. They’ve got a big push for their mexi-wings and tacos, but there are other things on the menu, as well. They have some boneless wings, quesadillas, a sushi burrito, some sandwiches, a type of burrito bowl, some good sides, and even a few unique salad options. Check out their menu before you go so you can make some good decisions.  

We ordered some Pipian wings, and my wife was feeling invincible, so we got pineapple habanero wings (the hottest wings on the menu), taco al pastor, fish taco, and an order of waffle fries. We also got Limoncito to drink. There’s a salsa bar with mild, medium, and hot salsa, so you can grab whatever your flavor is while you wait for your food – they’re very quick, so it won’t be long. All the salsas are homemade, and have deliciously unique flavors – very happy with the three options.

 

The wings were fantastic. I’m not afraid of heat, but I’m also not the guy that walks into a wings place and orders the hottest wings on the menu. The pineapple habanero wings were really awesome though – don’t get me wrong, they’re hot, but not pointless hot – they actually have flavor. A lot of my daredevil friends would say they aren’t hot enough, but I was really happy with them. More of a thick sauce, than a drizzle sauce, but bright flavors and not angry ones you sometimes get when people are just trying to hurt their friends. 

 

The Pipian wings were a flavor I haven’t had before – the website describes it as a “creamy ancestral blend of pumpkin seeds, herbs, and chili”, which I’m now a huge fan of. Lots of meat on all of these wings, and I’ll be looking forward to working my way through all of the flavors on this list. These wings actually DO have Mexican flavors in the sauces, which is why they’re called mexi-wings – the chef really makes those flavors shine.

The Taco Al Pastor was filled with so much delicious pork and pineapple chunks - look at the photo to see how full these tacos are. I tried bites with all three salsas and decided the mild green salsa was the best combo for me. But they didn’t skimp on the fillings, so I was really happy with this order. 

 

The Fish Taco had a great breading on it and lots of fillings, as well. All of the salsas were good on this one, so don’t be afraid to order this one. There’s a bit of an upcharge for the fried fish (and for the shrimp), but it’s totally worth it. Live a little!

 

The waffle fries I thought would be boring, but they were very heavily seasoned and fried perfectly. We ended up dragging the waffle fries through the sauces from our wings and were really happy we did – in fact, the best dip was the pineapple habanero sauce with the fries.

 

And I would also suggest getting the Limoncito – it’s a drink made with limes, sugar, and muddled mint – like the lime version of a lemon shake-up with a mojito flavor. Soooo good. 

And, they have an axolotl on the sign for the restrooms, so you know they appreciate the fun things in life.

 

The owner (yes, he does have an awesome mustache) came out and chatted with us to make sure we were happy and we assured him everything was delicious and we needed to try more things on the menu. We will definitely be back to Mr. Mustacheo. Tell your friends and neighbors to go check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

https://mrmustacheo.com/