drink

Minneapolis restaurants. Oh, the restaurants!

/ SheaTripper / 4 Comments

I came here with exactly 1 friend in the Twin Cities. That beautiful woman has managed to see me about 10 times already, despite the fact that she has a toddler, infant twins, and works full-time. At the recommendation of my amazing friend and her husband, my mom and I made reservations at Spoon and Stable. I have since found out that we were incredibly lucky to get said reservation since most people book weeks in advance. It was either meant to be or someone cancelled at the last minute–probably the latter, but the end result was the same.

I’ve lived in some foodie havens–New York City, Charleston, SC, even Washington, DC is catching up–but I am so impressed with what Minneapolis/St. Paul has to offer. Like, seriously impressed.

Everything about Spoon and Stable makes it worth the trip. Each morsel that touched my lips was delicious. The One of the most important things to me about a meal is the wine that accompanies it, and they have many great options, as well as craft cocktails.

The restaurant is truly beautiful and has top notch service. I am anxiously awaiting my opportunity to return.

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delicious endive salad

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my pot roast was so good I forgot to take a picture

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for “special” occasions there is cotton candy

 

Don’t get me wrong, I loved Spoon and Stable, but I really LOVED Corner Table. I’m on a constant mission for restaurants that can be my place–ones in which I can go frequently and kind of be known. Corner Table is definitely more that than Spoon and Stable. It’s neighborhood-y, friendly, and completely fabulous. Unfortunately, I have no photos of my trip there, but I shall snap some on my next visit… and there will be many more visits. When I went, we asked one of the owners to pick our courses and pair the wine. OMG, was it fabulous! Not all of the wine pairings were what you’d traditionally receive. For instance, he paired a lamb dumpling with a really funky white wine (versus a red that you may expect with lamb) and it was glorious perfection. If I lived in their neighborhood, my waistline and wallet would be in big, big trouble.

You need reservations (unless going at some odd time and hedging your bets), so plan ahead. I have so many restaurants left to try, so bear with me. As of now, I absolutely love this place!

 

**Online dating update: The 1 guy, out of 4, that I liked, that I didn’t hear from after meeting, finally did reach out…

I’ll leave you with a pre-debauchery photo of my friend and me at the Solo Vino wine tasting event in St Paul.

aforementioned beautiful friend at the Solo Vino Rosé tasting

Rose’s Luxury IS all it’s cracked up to be

/ SheaTripper / 1 Comment

There’s nothing like a lot of hype to ruin an experience–be it a movie, restaurant, or a helicopter ride over Kauai. That is not, however, what I experienced at Rose’s Luxury the other night.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to writing about Rose’s (a fabulous and critically acclaimed restaurant in Washington, D.C.). Bon Appétit wrote about it (here) and it’s been open since 2014. Bearing that in mind, my experience was so fabulous that I just HAVE to say something.

Aaron Silverman, the owner, strives to, and fully achieves, his goal of providing fabulous food and happiness–yes, happiness–to his patrons. The combination of delectable cuisine, ambiance, top-notch service, and great music really does promote happiness. Everything about Rose’s is cozy and comfortable and joy-inducing.

Reservations are possible for groups of 6 or more (plus a private, rooftop, price-fixed option for 10), but most diners show up and wait in line. My friends and I came from the suburbs and were NOT going to mess up our opportunity, so we arrived at 3:10, and were the first ones in line (cue jazz hands). Two nameless members of our 5 person group tend to be anxious in these situations and, therefore, opted to stay in the yet to form line while the others went to a nearby bar. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t suffer…there was Jameson in my HydroFlask, and it was a gorgeous day for standing outside, dreaming of what was to come… in approximately 2 hours.

 

Yes, the entire block is also waiting to get in

Shortly after 5, the doors opened, we were warmly greeted, and shown to our table. As a group of serious eaters, we ordered every item on the menu and could not have been happier. Seriously.

Rose’s is the thing of which foodie dreams are made. Though the prices are quite reasonable, what really drove up our bill (despite ordering the entire menu) were the 2 bottles of wine from the premium list. SO WORTH IT, by the way! Our server recommended a white Burgundy that was fabulous and complimented the food perfectly.

I’m not going to describe all the food as I truly believe that, with the guidance of the staff, you cannot go wrong. Everything is delicious, but there are 2 things that have sort of become their signature dishes, remaining on the menu since the beginning–the pork sausage, habanero, peanuts and lychee salad and the family style brisket with white bread, horseradish, and slaw–so if you’re a meat-eater, order them both and maybe throw in the citrus salad as well for something on the lighter side. With the exception of the veal (for moral reasons), I would eat everything on the menu again and again and again.

Since I left, I can’t stop thinking about when I’ll return. It’s worth the line. It’s worth the wait. It’s worth everything. GO!

 

Happiness courtesy of Rose’s

**They are opening a fine dining restaurant next door called Pineapple and Pearls. You make a reservation up to 4 weeks in advance and pay $250 per person, including alcohol and gratuity. P and P is currently open as a coffee bar but I’m eager to try that restaurant based on how much I loved Rose’s.

For additional DC spots and tourism info, look here.