Hot Hands Pie & Biscuit – St. Paul, MN

I had a friend in town and she had a short window for breakfast, so we decided on Hot Hands Pie & Biscuit – some place I’ve been meaning to get to for a while now. They’re supposed to be experts in various flaky doughs, so it’s been in the back of my brain since they opened. I’m a biscuit snob and a sausage gravy snob, so I knew I was going to over-scrutinize this place more than my usual review. Spoiler alert: these folks knocked it out of the park.

I mentioned I’m a gravy snob, so I always regret ordering biscuits and gravy at restaurants, since I’m always let down. I ordered something else, which allows me to not be as much of a snob and gives me an opportunity to give a place a second shot. I ordered a simple breakfast biscuit. It’s got roasted serrano mayo, choice of bacon or sausage, American cheese, and a fried egg. Margs got the Classic, which is a biscuit served with salted honey butter, and also a strawberry rhubarb jam/spread. (I also ordered a couple of other things I didn’t take a photo of and brought them home with me)

 

The food comes out fast and honestly, it looked really appealing , even in a to-go container (I usually don’t care about “plating”, but I also know that some people are turned off by things thrown into a to-go container – I’m not that guy.) I tried the biscuit first, just so I could compartmentalize things – and it was awesome. One of the best I’ve had. Super flaky and buttery without being greasy. Lots of flavor which isn’t always the case at some places. The serrano mayo was a great touch and added that layer of pop that you don’t often get with breakfast. It wasn’t hot, by any stretch, but there was great pepper flavor there. Tons of delicious bacon, which never hurts. The egg was perfectly cooked and seasoned, as well. I’d happily go back to Hot Hands, even if it was just for this breakfast biscuit.

Margs was happy with her classic breakfast, but I didn’t get a picture of it, but it also looked tasty. She also shared her Nutter Better cookie with me, and it was way better than the snack bar of a similar name. I got a couple of things to bring home and share with the wife, and I’m glad I did because all of the items I got were awesome. I got a standard cheddar and chive biscuit, a berry turnover, and a ham and cheese turnover. Honestly, all three were better than expected. The berry turnover was sort of like a galette cookie with a shiny cooked coating and lots of berry filling. The ham and cheddar turnover stayed super flaky even thought I waited a few hours to eat it. And the biscuit barely made it home in one piece.

Based on the items I got, it was 6 out of 6 gold stars. Honestly, nothing was even OK. It was all better than expected. I’m looking forward to going back here again. Maybe I'll be adventurous and get the biscuits and gravy........

https://hothandspie.com/

Café Corazon – Kansas City, MO

It takes an awful lot to really make a coffee shop amazing enough to want to review it, but we actually found something head-and-shoulders over many other places. It helps that my wife will research and research and research and research places before she picks the one she thinks will be awesome – and damned if she isn’t always right. Haha. She found Café Corazon (with two locations in KC) and the more she talked about it, the more we knew we needed to go there.

Let me also tell you that this was the first time we rode those dumb Bird/Lyft scooters you see laying all over downtown areas. It was a short learning curve, but we scoot-scooted right over to Café Corazon from our hotel and felt pretty darn confident for having done it – gold stars for us.

There are multiple reasons this Café Corazon is awesome. It combines Latin and indigenous influences in the ambience, food, and coffee. They have latte flights AND mocha flights. They have an amazing breakfast menu like no other place – empanadas, tamales, and burritos – all super authentic. You can add booze to many of their coffee drinks. They’re also a sort of customizable yerba mate (pronounced yer-ba mah-tay) bar, as well. The staff is so incredibly polite, helpful, and respectful. You can see they have a LOT going for them.

I got a latte flight – which is horchata, dulce de leche, and churro atole. My wife got a mocha flight – which is spicy mayan, sevilla, and Azteca. We also got a beef empanada, a breakfast empanada, and a rajas (blue corn) tamale.

The latte flight was great – especially if you like cinnamon. The things are absolutely beautiful on their flight paddle, and they taste even better. The horchata one you could actually tell it was a cinnamon rice drink, even without the cinnamon dusting on the top. The dulce de leche was my favorite, since I’m a caramel fiend. The churro atole one was also good, again, if you like cinnamon, and a hint of maple. Such a good set of choices to sample.

The mocha flight was even better, though – because it has ALL THE WHIPPED CREAM and the sweet drizzles! The spicy mayan had just a little bit of kick, but wasn’t spicy and was still totally appropriate for a breakfast drink. The sevilla had a chocolate drizzle with some orange zest and whipped cream – my favorite one. And the Azteca had a lot going on, with chocolate, cinnamon, cacao nibs, peanuts, and whipped cream.

The tamale was top-notch with the blue corn, jalapenos, and cheese. Great flavor with the masa and they don’t skimp on the fillings. Really a memorable tamale. The beef empanada was really great, with a really tasty and crispy crust, and the chimichurri added so much fun flavor. It didn’t NEED the extra pop of flavor, but it definitely elevated it. The breakfast empanada wasn’t a boring old Caucasian breakfast pastry – it had eggs, bacon, and cheese, but also came with a salsa that had such good flavor – and again, the crust was so good.

This place cranked through the people, as well. Many stayed and sat down (inside or outside on the sidewalk tables), but many popped in and took it to go. We would tell anyone to go to this place and you’ll never regret it.

Also, we decided to walk back to our hotel and take it more leisurely than if we had scooter-ed home. Hahaha.

https://www.cafecorazonkc.com/

Slap’s BBQ – Kansas City, MO

I’ve been a huge fan of BBQ since way back. In fact, my family used to drive to Kansas City and purchases CASES of BBQ sauce from a place that unfortunately went out of business. I know everyone has their favorite BBQ place in each town, and KC has a pretty significant set of choices to select between, but I’ve been on the Slap’s bandwagon for a few years now.

Slap’s (also known as Squeal Like a Pig, when they do competition BBQ) has a weird but totally functional set up. They’ve got a smoker building in front (with a rooftop seating area), a bunch of large smokers on the side of the building, there’s the main restaurant building and bar, then they have a covered/heated patio as a dining room with picnic tables. You’re going to wait in line here, just prep yourself and settle in. On previous trips, I have waited more than 90 minutes, but I convinced my wife we needed to get there before they opened on a Friday. We showed up early and were still number 30 or 40 in line. People will line up for this food, even in the rain. But like most passionate fans, I’ll tell you it’s all worth it.

Once you get in the front door (after your wait in line outside), they have this genius set up where you can order yourself a beer or soda at the side of the bar and they’ll give it to you to drink while you’re standing in the last part of the line inside. They’ve got beer in cans and plenty of taps – genius idea for helping pass the time in line.

Also, they love the Kelce family here, and as a fellow shirtless brother, I had to take a photo of the Garage Beer sign inside.

It helps to know what you’re going to order when you get up to the counter – you don’t want to hold people up by asking weird questions and slowing them down (cough cough…Ben…cough cough). Luckily, you’ve got time to look at your phone online and also, when you get inside the building, there’s a large menu that you walk past on your way to the counter. So you SHOULD be ok. I just wanted you to be ready.

You tell the first person what kind of meat you want. Then you tell the second person what sides you want. Then you tell the cashier what kind of drink you want. Easy and organized. I ordered a pretty common order for me – a couple of ribs, baked beans, and macaroni and cheese. And when they ask you about peppers and pickles, yes, you DO want those. It’s jalapenos and pickles to add to whatever you want. My wife got a pulled pork sandwich, called The Sandwich, and some deep-fried pickles. They DO have large sampler platters, which I ordered last time, and I just stuffed myself until I hurt, so I tried to scale it back this trip so I could walk later.

They give you the food right there at the counter, so once you order, you’re off and running. Pay for your food, stop at the fountain drink station (or bar again), and then head into the dining room. Once you’re in the dining room, you can pick up your plastic utensils and various sauces (hot or mild), and there are plenty of napkins at the table. Doesn’t this food look delicious?!?!

Ribs are always spot on here – dry rub and you can add sauce if you want. Meat has a non-tough bark on it and still has some good chew and doesn’t fall off the bones from steaming, and the flavor is amazing. The baked beans are too “wet” or “saucy” for many people, but I love the consistency and the meat they put in it. The mac and cheese isn’t flour-y and just actually tastes like there’s real cheese in it. It’s so good.

The Sandwich has sooo much meat on it, and the meat it really good. A little bit of sauce is included on it, but you can always add more. It’s got two onion rings on it and then some “creamy Provel cheese”, as well. The fried pickles are super tasty and not greasy, which is exactly what you need. Overall, it’s such a large portion of food, and crazy high quality. It’s just going to satisfy you for at least one meal.

If it isn’t raining, you can sit out front or up on the roof of the building, as well. I didn’t want you to think that everyone had to cram into the covered patio – though somehow it works out and you don’t seem to have to wait on a table ever.

Just go here. I know people are going to argue other places and yes, they ARE good, but Slap’s has always delivered and it’s where I send people when they ask. And they're one of those places that cooks and serves until they run out - keep that in mind, friends.

https://slapsbbqkc.com

Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop – Kansas City, MO

We popped into Lulu’s to check out the noodles here. We didn’t know much about it, but we were all up for some tasty Thai food. It’s in a triangular-shaped building and it’s really fun inside – some good decorations and varied seating options, although there’s still some front-of-house areas being used for storage, which always changes the vibe. The menu has some good options on it – various street food appetizers, soups, salads, curries, and of course noodles. We thought we’d better check out the sampler platter, and then each of us got our own noodle dishes to try some things out. Drunken Noodles, Spicy Beef Jantaboon, and Rainbow Peanut Noodles. I also got a tiki drink (Mai Thai) since it was calling to me….

The appetizer platter came out pretty quickly. It had Vietnamese spring rolls, crab rangoons, pork dumplings, veggie dumplings, and some dipping sauces – a sweet carrot sauce, a gyoza sauce, and a sort of yellow curry peanut sauce. The Vietnamese spring rolls were good – I like mine with a peanut hoisin sauce, but the carrot sauce worked just fine. Tasted fresh and not like it’s been refrigerated all day. The crab rangoons were especially good – light and fluffy and crispy with plenty of filling. The dumplings were also really good – we asked the server if we should get them steamed or fried and she liked them steamed, so that’s how we got them. Really good and plenty of filling in them.

The drunken noodles arrived and though we had ordered our food with a medium heat, there wasn’t any at all. The noodle dish was good and satisfying, but not what I was hoping or expecting. There wasn’t a lot of seasoning nor flavor in this. It was perfectly fine, but the drunken noodles I’ve had at many other places are a bit darker and seasoned well (especially since I like thing medium-to-hot). The photo even looks a little bit white/plain. I will say that the basil flavor was the best and most prominent flavor in this dish, for what it’s worth.

I didn’t get photos of the other dishes (as they weren’t technically mine), but we made sure we each tried each other’s dishes to see what we got. The Rainbow Peanut Noodles were also just ok. The yellow peanut curry sauce from the appetizer sampler was the base for this dish (more curry than peanut) and it was also not up to the spice level ordered.  The Spicy Beef Jantaboon was also in that same ballpark of just fine but not the spice level requested. The sauce in this dish was probably the best tasting and the right amount, but there really wasn’t much in the way of seasoning for this one. Two or three jalapeno slices and some cilantro wasn’t what we were hoping for.

I think this dish might work well for people without a lot of spice tolerance or who are new to Thai flavors. I am always glad there are sort-of “gateway” restaurants like this, but we were all surprised this place has been cranking out noodles since 1997. They’re also serving noodles at the CPKC Stadium, which is also a good way to get into people’s brains, but if you want something with some heat or some flavors, there are a lot of other options to chose from in the KC area.

 https:www.lulusnoodles.com

 

Jellybean and Julia’s BBQ – Coon Rapids, MN

This BBQ place has been popping up in conversation a lot recently, mainly because some friends of mine had them cater their wedding – that’s a pretty good sign in my book. We showed up at J&J one night with a large group and they found us a table that fit us. It’s a large dining room with multiple seating options and seating at the bar – there’s also a stage for musical acts, which is cool.

I’ll say – tactfully – that the vibe is weird. It seemed like we were putting them out with our large group (and is 8 really a large group?). Then the servers seem like you’re putting them out, as well. Sort of hard to tell if it’s a schtick or if they are actually bothered. Then the menus themselves are hilarious – just names of sandwiches and other dishes – no description at all. If you want an actual description, you have to click on a QR code that takes you to their website where it explains ingredients, but you can’t order from there. It’s all just weird. I’m not complaining, I’m just warning people what you’re going to get, because I’ve heard this from pretty much everyone of my friends who has been there. And now that I’ve said that, every time there’s been weird or even bad service at a BBQ place, I’ve had reeeeeeally good luck – so I was actually getting very excited about this food.

We ordered some cocktails, which I was pretty happy to see they were tiki drinks. A Mai Tai and a Painkiller. We also got a pulled pork sandwich, fries, and a cornbread fritter; and a 1/3 rack of ribs, with beans and mac and cheese.

The food was right on point – the pulled pork sandwich was juicy and generous with really good flavor. It was sauced, but not in a way that made it sloppy, plus you could add more sauces, if you ordered them. The fries were done well and also seasoned heavily, which rules. So good. The cornbread fritter I never got a bite of, so I’m guessing it was really good. Hahaha

The ribs were actually pretty great. Lots of meat and dry rub, which allows you to try out a couple of sauces (again, you have to order them ahead of time). The beans were really awesome, and honestly some of the best I’ve had in a while – lots of different beans and meat in them. You can even throw in some of the jalapenos they give you to jazz it up a bit. Finally, the mac and cheese was awesome – nothing from a box, without question. Creamy and firm noodles with actual cheese flavor and no grit or flour texture. Well played, Jellybean!

I’m already planning my next trip to Jellybean and Julia’s. Like I suspected, the food quality allows them to be a little gruff, whether or not it’s intended. Just heed the warning so you’re not taken off guard. Look at the website menu ahead of time so you’re prepared. Then, just order your damn food and ENJOY it!

Jellybean and Julia’s BBQ

620 Club – St. Paul, MN

Keenan’s Bar or Keenan’s 620 Club has been a staple on West 7^th in St. Paul for many years. The owners retired, but some new folks decided to give it a go and re-opened it, after some remodeling. It popped up on my radar because of this and my wife reminded me about it, so we thought we’d better go check it out.

The menu is surprisingly robust considering it’s thought of as a dive bar. It isn’t a dirty skeevy dive bar, just a homey-but-clean kind of place with a pool table and TouchTunes and really good vibe. There’s also a board with daily specials on it, so don’t miss that one, either. Plenty of local Minnesota beers on tap and a full bar, for those of you that enjoy a fun cocktail.

We ordered some drinks, a fried chicken sandwich, and a Cowboy Killer burger right from the bartender and we didn’t have to wait long for our order, despite the place being full.

The Cowboy Killer burger had cheese, BBQ sauce, bacon and an onion ring on it. One of the juicier burgers I’ve had, as well. Super flavorful and just the right amount of messy. It comes with a delicious toasted bun and the thing wasn’t small at all. Lots of crispy crinkle-fries, as well.

The fried chicken sandwich was one of the better ones I’ve had. Really a thick chicken breast and served with lettuce, tomato, and Old Bay mayo – a delicious touch. Also, plenty of crinkle-fries to go around.

The light isn’t the best in the 620 Club, so the photos turned out a tad bit drearier than I had hoped, sorry. We would tell anyone to go here. While it might not be a destination to drive 6 hours to from another state, it’s definitely going to serve you up some great food if you’re anywhere in the Twin Cities. We’ll be back, for sure.

620 Club

Laka Lono Rum Club - Omaha, NE

When I’m out of town, I’m always going to find the local tiki bar in town. I’ve been to Omaha before and have been to some cool locations (that closed) and one location that exists, but it straight garbage. I knew there was a new tiki bar in town, since the last time I was here, so I figured I’d better check it out after my buddy FFIII’s birthday party. I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but I also figured since I was riding solo, I’d better take a Lyft and not have to limit my enjoyment of rums and juices. (Turns out, I’m glad I did…)

It took me a minute to find, since I didn’t know it was downstairs below street level. I followed a loud crew of college-aged folks downstairs and walked into an absolute madhouse of people. Shoulder to shoulder and everyone was having a great time. If I was with three or four other folks, I wouldn’t have been able to convince them to stay, but since I was solo and flexible, I made it happen. I grabbed a menu while I waited in line and finally made it up to the bar to order. The bartender was surprisingly chipper and conversational for how busy it was and I appreciated it immensely (and tipped accordingly). 

Since I didn’t want to wait in line again, I just ordered two drinks. Veteran move, if you ask me. Puka Punch and a Zombie. You really don’t care what various rums are in these drinks, so I’m not going to bore you with details. However, I will tell you that these drinks were really surprisingly delicious. The Zombie, is of course super-boozy, but not in a way that burns every time you drink it. There’s enough other flavors to make it delightful and it’s sort of a barometer for how others drinks are going to be. 

The Puka Punch had some other flavors besides booze, including passionfruit, pineapple, and lime, and it was also really well-made. I was really pleased with my order and loved to watch people look at me as I walked around the dining room, two-fisting fruit-lade cocktails, while looking for a place to lean or sit. I was really into this place. Lots of people watching and lots of decorations to look at. 

I eventually found a spot at the bar that had opened up, so I plopped down and got comfortable and listened to people order coronas and coors lights and laughed as the bartenders made faces at them. Hilarious. 

Since I had just found a spot, I figured I’d better order one more, since I now had easy access to bartenders’ attention. I went out of my normal lane and got a drink called “It’s The Wind That Gets Ya” – chai-infused bourbon, apricot, coconut, and lemon. Actually one of the better drinks I’ve had at a tiki bar. Really good flavors that worked together. Super happy with this order. 

At this point, I’ve had a lot of rum and am really glad I was taking a Lyft back home like a responsible grown up. However, unlike a responsible grown up, I figured I’d turn a two-drink night into a four-drink night. It was raining out above ground, apparently, and I was still having fun watching everything and drinking tasty beverages. I decided against the Holy Diver that I Was eyeballing and went with the tried and true Mai Tai. I forgot to take a photo of this one, but again, it was really delicious. 

Don’t let anyone scare you away from tiki bars in the middle of the Midwest – they CAN be awesome. I’m glad I stopped in here for a quick visit (it wasn’t quick at all, I assure you). And I’m also glad I didn’t have anything to do until about 2pm the following day…

 

I’ll be back!!

 

https://www.lakalono.bar