My Birthday!!!

My wife makes the best food in the whole world. She’s super underrated when it comes to what she can just “throw together” (things that would take me days to complete). She’s one of those people that always knows what to make and when.

For my birthday, she made me rice krispy treats with sprinkles. She knows I think everything is better with sprinkles, so she went nuts with the sprinkles. Sprinkles in the mix and then a layer of sprinkles on top. Thanks for being my lady. I hope you’ll be by my side for a hundred more years. (when the sprinkles get under my dentures)

Mucci’s Italian – St. Paul, MN

D.Rough has a pretty good grasp on which restaurants are planning to open in the Twin Cities – I rely on her a LOT for this. When she told me the guys who run the Strip Club and Saint Dinette were opening a new place in St. Paul, I perked up a little bit. I will admit: I’m biased. These guys can do no wrong in my opinion. Oddly enough, I saw on Twitter and Instagram that Strip Club was making donuts – like FANCY donuts – as some trial they were running. As it turns out, these donut trials were very closely tied to Mucci’s.

Mucci’s Italian is a very small restaurant with an unassuming (and unlabeled) storefront and room for about 40 people inside. On weekend mornings, Mucci’s makes delicious fancy donuts. I don’t mean the same garbage that everyone is doing, where they put on maple glaze and a strip of bacon. That isn’t fancy. Fancy is what we saw when D.Rough and I rolled in and shook hands with the super personable owner Tim (who may or may not recognize us from frequenting his other restaurants). The donuts have some creativity and they’re also larger than most donut places. I mentioned these weren’t snacking donuts, these were meal donuts.

We got a vanilla glazed donut (with tons of vanilla beans),

a salted caramel glazed something-or-other twist, a chocolate glazed donut,

and a donut filled with mascarpone cheese, covered in chocolate glaze, and then sprinkled with fried salami bits. I’m not joking. I can put back some donuts, and I was honestly full after I ate the ONE mascarpone filled donut. So embarrassing. I loved the donut, though! Salty and sweet and fried and chocolate. There’s no bad part of this donut. We brought the other ones home to eat for lunch, since we were quite full.

But, wait! There’s more! During the evenings, they serve really interesting modern Italian food at an extremely reasonable price. We knew right away after eating the donuts that we’d be back for dinner sometime. That sometime was VERY shortly after the donut experience. This place doesn’t take reservations, so when we rolled in, we were told there was a little bit of a wait, but they suggested we walk down the block to The Spot – a wonderful St. Paul dive bar – and wait for a call. We walked down, ordered a drink, Mucci’s called, we pounded the drinks in one fell swoop, and walked back to Mucci’s. They’re REALLY friendly here, and not in a bad or creepy way. Just super helpful. We got seated at the counter (not a bar, despite it having high stools to sit on), and everyone was able to help us.

The drink list is short, but they have everything you need on it, including Prosecco on tap and a custom-made beer from Maine called Hive. But they also have something called Mucci Juice – it’s red wine with Orange Fanta in it. And it’s cheap. And it’s DELICIOUS. Just shut up and order this. So good.

Deciding what to order was more of a challenge. Too many good things on the menu. There is also a tasting menu available, which changes each night, so you’ll have to ask about it. While it sounded wonderful, we had sort of decided on getting one of their signature items: Deep fried pizza. They roll out the dough, deep-fry it, and then put toppings on it before putting it in the oven. Brilliant. So we got the Kenzie-Jo – crème fraiche, pears, pecans, pancetta, mozzarella, and a red wine reduction. We also ordered the Devil Hair pasta, which has cioppino, guanciale, mussels, mint, and chili oil. And since we obviously needed a starter, we ordered some potato croquetas. Then we hung out with the serving staff and got caught up on all the happenings and what their favorites were and what were the best and worst sellers on the menu and why. I will say, the counter is the place to sit – you get to watch ALL the food being brought out, and you get to chat with really fun and helpful people.

The croquetas arrived and they were like big tater tots with a delicious marinara-type sauce and locatelli (a very nice parmesan). They were stacked high and looked incredible. They also tasted incredible. Very crunchy outside and light and fluffy on the inside. I’m not sure how they got that crunch on the outside, but it was perfect. The Mucci’s sauce has great flavor with it and paired well with the salty cheese. A great start! Time to order some wine!

Our entrees came out after we had finished up the croquetas. The Devil Hair looked like a simple dish, but it had some very complex flavors in it. The mussels were perfectly cooked and not chewy nor rubbery, and the black pasta noodles were also cooked perfectly. The sauce the whole thing was in was amazing, we were dipping everything in it to make sure we didn’t waste it (yes, even the pizza crust, like savages – don’t judge us). The chili oil just made this dish sing. Soooooooo good.

The Kenji-Jo pizza was awesome. The fried pizza dough is like nothing I’ve had before – it’s brilliant. It tastes fried, but doesn’t taste greasy. I’m a huge fan of this now. Each of the flavors had their own profile in this pizza and the mozzarella didn’t hide any of it. Plus the wine reduction was perfect on top of this pizza. Seriously, the best pizza I’ve had in a really long time. You ned to get one of these Pizza Montanara (that’s what they call the deep fried pizza).

 

Since we were already on a roll, we decided to get dessert, although the decision was difficult. So we just doubled up. The chocolate budino (like an Italian lava cake) has a scoop of olive oil gelato  drizzled with olive oil and salt and is exquisite! This was awesome. They home-make all of their gelatos, so you should order a trio like we did. The red wine gelato was great, the pistachio was also good, but the real winner was the coffee gelato  – really great!

As you can see, we had nothing bad here. In fact, while we were still eating, I was texting some of our friends and setting up a dinner date with them the following Wednesday. That’s how good this place was. And we’ll keep going back!!! Thank you, Mucci’s!!

Top 5 things about Mucci’s Italian

1. Kenzie-Jo Pizza Montanara

2. Devil Hair Pasta

3. Potato Croqeuta

4. Mucci Juice!!!

5. The staff was so impressive and fun

Bottom 5 things

1. Just a heads up, it isn’t labeled at all on the outside, so you’ll likely drive past
2. No reservations (like the other restaurants they own), but you won’t mind waiting for this food
3. The waiting area inside is pretty small, so you may end up outside waiting for your table (or… go to The Spot! down the street to wait)
4. They’re not set up for groups of more than 4 (although they were incredibly nice about rearranging furniture and booths for our group of six when we came back with more people!)
5. The Mucci’s sauce is delicious, but some people like it more spicy (which they are totally willing to spice up or change out for arrabbiata sauce if you ask)

www.muccisitalian.com

Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, and After the Burial – Skyway Theater – Minneapolis, MN

I was in the mood to check out this fashion-core/metal-core/prog-metal/skeedle-dee-dee show, since I’ve been a fan of these bands for a while. I wasn’t expecting the hour-long line to get into the place, nor was I expecting the guy yelling through a bullhorn about Jesus to accompany me while I stood in line, but I eventually made it inside JUST in time to see After the Burial begin playing.

I like most of what I’ve heard from After The Burial (ATB). They’ve got some good breakdowns and chug parts, but watching them live was pretty disappointing. The drummer looked bored while playing some pretty awesome parts – he’s a fantastic drummer, but seriously boring to watch. The entire band was a little finicky and didn’t show any passion or stage presence at all. The band had a TON of prerecorded parts in the background, so you really couldn’t tell who was playing what – which was hilarious because the guitarist played only the solos and the chug parts, the rest was all pre-recorded. Makes me wonder why they don’t have a second guitarist (but I think I know…). They were working in a new bass player, so they swapped  between two different guys. The newer guy kept looking at his left hand while playing, which made me laugh because he’d even watch his left hand while playing the chug patterns (which is all right hand stuff). All of these guys did a lot of standing around for such a huge stage – lots of toe-pointing and posing (skinny jeans and comb-overs all around). I’d much rather listen to these guys on CD than watch live. Pretty disappointing, overall.

I’m a big Veil of Maya fan, even though they get a little sing-y from time to time. They make up for it with talent, creativity, and time changes. When they started out, they had some sound/PA problems, but they kept playing right through it like pro. Well done! They moved around the stage a ton, including the guitarist who was really… uh… spinny. Loved it. The drummer played with an earpiece in to stay in sync with the pre-recorded background, but he did it flawlessly. Sometimes when that happens, the drummer audibly speeds up or slows down to keep with the track. This guy nailed every entrance and beat and totally played with flair. He also played hard, which is something I’m a fan of – he made it look like he was absolutely killing it – difficult to do when you’re playing amazing tracks with your hands and feet. Fantastic performance (despite also having lots of skinny jeans) (I’m just kidding about the skinny jeans – it’s my way to be an old guy and complain about things that don’t matter at all). Seriously fantastic.

Born of Osiris is one of those bands that I can’t get enough of. Yes, I know they get sing-y and yes, they’re noodling around on their guitars, but seriously, they have mad skillz. I’ve seen  them a few times, but this one was the weirdest time. They had a pre-recorded background (sense a theme here?) that started before the actual song and then ran past the end of the song. The downside of this was people had NO idea when the song was starting nor when it was over. The band would quit playing, but then there would be this outro part playing so no one would clap or cheer. VERY weird. The songs would roll in and then never quite end. Again, you couldn’t tell what the guitarist was playing because of the soundtrack. Sometimes, you’d look at him during the solos and he’d be strumming chords. The same went with the keyboard player – there would be a killer keyboard part and you’d look over at him and he’d be holding out chords. I guess he already played the fancy part in the studio and didn’t want to risk it live – kind of a waste. The lighting was REALLY weird on the band, as well. There wasn’t a single light facing the band. Every light on stage (above and behind) was facing the crowd from behind the band. Their faces were always in the dark and you couldn’t see what they were doing very well. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Also, mad props to the guitarist who was dressed in impeccable Nordic metrosexual knee-length sweater with a big cowl and black skinny jeans with a precise tear in the left knee. He had black calf-length boots (nice ones)  and was sporting a beautifully styled and manicured large red beard. CLASSY. Overall, this band is still amazing to listen to and to watch, but some of the stage stuff probably didn’t work as well as they had intended them to.

I had a good time at this show, but aside from the combovers and skinny jeans (and me being 20 years older than anyone there), there were a couple of other things I can point out about this show:

• There were a lot of first mustaches
• The newest thing, apparently, is crowd surfing while selfie-video-singing
• Finally, if you’re going to shoot video or snap photos with your phone, don’t splay your fingers as widely as possible like the Wu-Tang/Batman logo. Just be a little more discreet and polite

Tanpopo Noodle Shop – St. Paul, MN

I’ve been trying to get D.Rough to go to this place with me for at least two years. It isn’t that she didn’t want to go, I was simply asking at all the wrong times. Like when we had just eaten or had our hands full from shopping or because they’re only open for dinner. But somehow, the stars aligned and we found ourselves there. I was tremendously excited about it. The wall decorations are sparse inside, but the tables re reclaimed wood by a local artists and each one of them is a piece of art. They’re beautiful. And the atmosphere in the restaurant is… um… quiet. There’s no other way to describe it. It is like museum quiet in there. The servers all whisper. Even the family with kids in there was silent. It’s a little unnerving, but again, I’m there to eat.

I got the Tori Udon noodles, which is pan-fried chicken breasts, some wakame seaweed, and scallions. I was really interested to try something very basic to see how the flavors hit me. I love Japanese food, but I like to start simple and move up to more and more flavors – that’s just me, though. D.Rough got something with a little more action in it – Nabeyaki Udon noodles – shrimp tempura, chicken, shiitake mushrooms, fish cake, tomago-yaki (a type of Japanese omelette), wakame, and scallions. We also heard one of the specials was sumi gyoza – pork dumplings with a light fire oil drizzled on top.

The gyoza was even better than we expected. Sometimes dumplings can be a bit bland – these were NOT bland at all. I’m not sure if it was the pork filling or the fire oil, but they had great flavor. Top-notch.

The noodle soups were absolutely wonderful. A lot Japanese cooking relies on the flavor of quality ingredients and doesn’t’ use a lot of seasoning or sauce, but both of the dishes we ordered had wonderful flavor. The Tori Udon that I got was wonderful. The broth was simple, but had flavor, and the chicken was perfectly cooked. D.Rough’s was a bit more advanced, but was also quite amazing. PLUS, hers was presented and looked like a smiley face in her bowl.The one odd thing about her disch was that the tempura shrimp was in the soup, which meant the breading on it wasn't crispy at all. We thought it odd, but who's to say what is regular practice?

I’m glad this first time we went here was so amazing, now it will take far less convincing to get D.Rough to go back there with me (or maybe I’ll sneak down there every time she goes to roller derby practice). I’m so glad this place is even better than I expected!

www.tanpoporestaurant.com

Gogi Bros. House – Eden Prairie, MN

Sometimes, I get a hankerin’ for Korean food. But I don’t come across very many Korean restaurants where I spend most of my awake hours. When I heard there was a foodtruck-turned-brick-and-mortar-shop right by my office, I definitely perked up. It was even close enough to walk – even better.

The inside has a very unusual and data, yet fun, retro feel to it. The mustard yellow booths line the walls and then the garden area has an odd vibe to it. But I’m not there to absorb atmosphere, I’m there to EAT. The menu has really good descriptions of each menu item, so you aren’t taking that much of a gamble. I kind of had a few dishes in mind that I was in the mood for, and was happy to see them on the menu. That being said, I still struggled a bit to narrow down my order to just one thing. I got the lunch bento box, and because I Couldn’t decide, I got it with two meats in it – the Galbi (Korean-style short ribs) and Daeji Bulgogi (spicy bbq pork).

If you know much about Korean culture, these people love their drinks (and not just tea). Soft drinks and sodas are off the charts with their flavor combinations. I was in the mood…    

So, I ordered a melon-flavored carbonated milk drink. It sounds like a freak show, but it truly isn’t. I like melon. I like milk. I like carbonation (within reason). Put them together and make it not overwhelming and you’ve got a Milki. Yes, it’s weird, but it’s also fun and delicious!

The bento box came out and had lots of fun surprises in it. It has some glass noodles and rice, it had some steamed broccoli, it had some kimchi, and then it had two different sauced cubes of some vegetable in it. I tried to figure out what they were and I couldn’t do it. And then I was so excited by how awesome the food tasted that I forgot to ask what they were. They were great though. 

The bbq pork was by far my favorite. Really tender and not spicy bbq, just about perfect. The Korean bbq beef I find difficult to eat with chop sticks, because it’s usually a little more touch and stringy (due to the cut of the meat, not the quality) (that’s just how Korean beef is). So I ended up eating these delicious beef ribs with my fingers so I could keep my shirt clean. The beef was fantastic, but the pork was soooooo good.

Overall, a huge success, in my book. I’m looking forward to going back here again, especially since it’s close enough to walk to (even when it’s 10 below zero). Great work, Gogi Bros! I ave a feeling if you can get some people through your doors, that word of mouth is going to spread quickly. I plan on doing my part!

www.facebook.com/GogiBros/

Pub 819 – Hopkins, MN

On weekends, sometimes it’s difficult to get up for breakfast. That’s why brunch is such a great idea. I had seen a few reviews and some photos of this new-ish place in Hopkins that had delicious looking breakfast and brunch items. D.Rough and I got out of bed early enough to make this brunch thing happen.

The inside of the place is cut in half by the bar. One side has booths and the other side has lower tables for larger groups. We got a booth with a couple of drink menus and started perusing cocktails. I found one that intrigued me more than the others and ordered it – A New York Sour: Hochstadlers Slow and Low whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, and a pinot noir float. Sounds weird, but it was fantastic. Truly incredible, to be honest. D.Rough had something with gin in it and what appeared to be part of a Christmas tree. She liked it just fine.

The menu has a lot of really unique things on it, all of which sound good, but I finally narrowed it down to two things: the stuffed French toast and the donut breakfast sandwich. I think you guys all know which one I chose – the donut sandwich. I really ordered this thing because it sort of sounds like a monstrosity. To my surprise, it was actually absolutely delicious.

It’s a maple glazed donut from my favorite donut shop (Yo-Yo Donuts)  cut in half like a bagel. Then they load it up with scrambled eggs, bacon (or sausage), hashbrowns, and cheese. The maple is about the perfect level of sweetness for this sandwich – not too heavy on the sweet ,but a nice maple flavor. And the fillings were plenty generous. This was definitely the right choice.

 

 D.Rough got the brisket grilled cheese. A good-sized sandwich with lots of delicious brisket and tons of onions (if you like that sort of thing). She was really happy with this choice and was even happier that the fries were worth raving about. They were really good.

Note: I'd steer clear of the housemade BBQ sauce. This may sound weird, but the flavor of it doesn’t go well with the sandwich. It immediately changes the sandwich into something you’d get at Sonic or some other fast food joint. Don’t use the BBQ sauce – it stands on its own just fine.

We were both really happy with this brunch outing and we look forward to going back here. There are plenty of other breakfast and brunch options for me to get, and I need to work my way through the whiskey menu they have there.

Great showing, Pub 819!!

Top 5 things about Pub 819

1. Donut Breakfast Sandwich
2. Brisket Grilled Cheese 
3. New York Sour 
4. Delicious fries 
5. It has a comprehensive whiskey list and great local beer options

Bottom 5 things 

1. Housemade BBQ sauce 
2. Cocktail menu isn’t on the website 
3. The rampant use of apostrophes in the phrase “Bloody Marys” 
4. Weird that they put children on one side of the bar and drinkers on the other side of the bar 
5. It’s on the opposite side of the Twin Cities from us (but we’ll still go there!)

www.pub819.com

Junior’s Café and Grille – Eagan, MN

It’s been far too long since I’ve had a lunch date with EnyaFace!, but after many postponements, we made it happen. She works in Eagan, so she suggested Junior’s. I had never heard of it, but she said the food is pretty outstanding. Apparently, there are two locations (one in Burnsville), but we obviously chose the closer location.

The inside is like an old 50s diner. Lots of checkerboard patterns, photos of old gas stations and movie stars, lots of diamond plate, and red sparkly tables. The menu is much more expansive than I would have suspected plus they serve breakfast all day, so that was tempting. It took me a really long time to figure out what I wanted, but I finally decided on the Handyman Burger. It’s two hamburger patties, thick cut peppered pork belly, cheddar, swiss, and all the fixin’s. EnyaFace! got the fish n chips blue plate special, which I also had my eye on.

The place gets really packed at lunch, so you either need to plan ahead for that, or show up early/late. Just warning you in advance. Thankfully, the food was awesome. The burger is immense – double patties always make it larger, but it was still large, despite that. Lots of juice, without being greasy and the burger meat tasted good – I always check this to make sure they’re not masking inferior meat with a bunch of toppings. This place had high quality everything. I had to cut this one in half to make sure it fit in my face better. Seriously a great burger.

EnyaFace! was really happy with her fish n chips. She liked the fish flavor a lot, but the breading, she said she’d had better, but was still pretty happy with it.

Overall, I Think everyone was quite happy with the decision to eat here. I have a feeling I’ll be back here pretty soon. There are a ton of burgers and breakfast items I’d still like to try!

Not enough for a top 5, but obviously the Handyman Burger would be on there!

www.juniorssports.com