Category Archives: Food

January 26, 2020 · 7:32 am

Caffe Biaggio, St. Paul, Minnesota

Yes, another restaurant review!! I’m not sure why I’ve never written one for this place but no time like the present as it’s said. Oh! I’ve got to post an update because I HAVE previously written about it! Here’s a link to my other post.

This is another favorite of ours for dinner. The food is great and we always leave satisfied. It’s on the busy thoroughfare University Avenue which stretches between both Minneapolis and St. Paul. And Caffe Biaggio is on the St. Paul side fairly close to Highway 280. The Green Line goes right by it and the Raymond Avenue Station is close by. There is also a bus stop right in front. So many ways to arrive there! They also have a parking lot with plenty of spaces but get there before the dinner rush to get a spot. The restaurant is in a row of buildings so if you blink, you might miss it.

We’ve mostly eaten dinner at Caffe Biaggio but two summers ago when hubby had a day off he picked me up for lunch and we ate on their patio. It’s nice but a tad noisy due to the busy University Avenue. But it’s fun to see the world go by through the latticework that surrounds the patio for privacy.

Our most recent visit started off with a nice bottle of red wine and deep fried olives. Wait, what? We ordered their fried calamari and the waiter delivered these fabulous olives. We got his attention and he was about to take them away but decided to give us a bonus.

I didn’t realize they had a grilled calamari option until our waiter asked which calamari we would like. It’s been a while since we had the fried calamari and it was even more delicious this time. It’s served with a mayo type sauce which is different than the usual marinara type sauce that we’ve typically had elsewhere. When the waiter removed our empty plate he commented that they had changed the breading. Aha! So it wasn’t our imaginations that it tasted even better than we remembered.

deep fried olives topped with cheese, yum!!

fried calamari

Next came our main entrees. Hubby had one of the specials that night, a lobster tail risotto with langostino and I had their spinach gnocchi in tomato sauce, something new for me. Everything we have had there has been great and this meal was no exception. Here’s a link to their website for more information.

Small fun fact: Hubby worked for a very short time at Breakfast at Mama’s when he previously lived in the cities during the 70s. In the “about us” section of Caffe Biaggio’s website they mention Mama D’s. Mama is the mother of the owner of Caffe Biaggio and she ran both Mama D’s and Breakfast at Mama’s.

Lobster risotto with langostino

Spinach gnocchi

If you like Italian food and you’re in St. Paul, do stop by Caffe Biaggio. Great food and great service and several ways to get there.

They adorn their tables with a small vase of fresh flowers. Nice touch!!

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Filed under Food, Minnesota

Tagged as photography, restaurant review, St. Paul restaurants

January 29, 2017 · 8:20 am

Muffuletta, St. Paul, Minnesota

I have wanted to try this restaurant for many years. The biggest thing it had against it is the parking. I thought that the only place to park was on the street but I recently discovered there is a parking lot behind it, thanks to my employee. When going west on Como Avenue, turn left onto Carter Avenue, the parking lot is on the left. We did that our first trip and it worked great. We got there at 11:30 just before the lunch rush begins.

We’ve been there for lunch twice now and the trips were about three weeks apart. Hubby enjoyed it so much the first time he wanted to take me to lunch on another day that he had off. We sat in a cute and small corner booth the first time we went there and that added to the charm for our initial visit. Both times they served us a free appetizer consisting of a garlic puree along with a bread basket. YUM!!! The food is great here!

On our first visit I had the beet salad which looks small but it turned out to be just the right portion. Hubby had a ham and cheese sandwich but the cheese was on the outside of the sandwich? He had to eat it with a fork but he said it was delicious. The second visit I had their three course meal. You can see most of the menu from my photo below. It was great too but I didn’t have room for dessert so took it home with me. And hubby had the Muffuletta described thusly on their website: Smoked pit ham, Italian meats, pepper-jack and provolone cheese, olive relish, sesame bun. Except it looks like ciabatta bread and not a sesame bun. Either way, he loved it!!

The staff is very friendly and quick. I recommend this restaurant highly. Come have a look see at the photos I took of the restaurant and our food. We both loved this place so much, we will definitely go back.

Here’s a little ditty from their website:

Winter at Muffuletta
Let our heartiest cooking sustain you on these cold, dark days. Now is the time to crack a bottle of red, rediscover our classic beer-cheese soup, and cast your eye to our daily specials, beckoning with winter stews, roasted root vegetables and Minnesota game.
Located in Milton Square
2260 Como Avenue
St. Paul, MN
Reservations 651-644-9116

cute booth

looking out from that booth

garlic puree and bread basket

beet salad

ham and cheese and sweet potato fries

3 course lunch

first course

chicken linguini, yum

The Muffuletta and sweet potato fries

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Filed under Food, Minnesota, Restaurant reviews

Tagged as food, Muffuletta, photography, restaurant, restaurant reviews

May 21, 2016 · 8:00 am

Another review of Hell’s Kitchen, Minneapolis

It’s been a few years since I wrote my last review of this fine dining establishment so I thought I would create a new, birthday version this time. When I made the reservation to celebrate my birthday at Hell’s Kitchen they asked if we would be celebrating something so I answered “birthday”. When we checked in the hostess noted that we were celebrating a birthday and seated us with a little something with “happy birthday” on our table. This was to alert the wait staff to offer a special gift. I didn’t know they offered anything special but our waitress gave me several options of items that were on the house as their way of saying happy birthday. Well, how nice! I decided on a house wine to have with dinner. Perfect!

I always get the same thing when I come here because it is absolutely wonderful! At Hell’s Kitchen they offer breakfast items all day and the huevos rancheros are to die for! Here is how they’re described on the menu: A crisp flour tortilla layered with buttery hashbrowns, spicy black beans, soft-scrambled eggs and a 3-cheese topping baked to a golden brown. Topped with hand-chopped salsa and a dollop of sour cream. You can add all sorts of things like guacamole, bacon or avocado but I think it’s perfect without anything extra. Both Miss M and myself had the huevos rancheros while hubby had their French dip: This isn’t a standard deli-sliced French dip sandwich. At Hell’s Kitchen, we slow-roast a prime rib for hours until it’s so tender, it falls apart with a fork. We’ll serve yours piled with mounds of thin slices on a grilled ciabatta bun with plenty of roasted garlic au jus for dipping. He doesn’t get the same thing every time like I do and he’s always enjoyed every meal we’ve had there. I’m including a few photos from the great time we had last night.

the “happy birthday” doodad with my free glass of wine

Minnesota scenes placemat

Prince in front of famous mural across the street

Minnesota city names above the booths. I was surprised to learn there is an Elgin, MN! I was born in Elgin, IL.

Hell’s Kitchen Minneapolis for my birthday in May

hubby’s French dip

huevos rancheros estupendos!!

After dinner we walked across the street where the famous music mural resides on the side of the building of what used to be Schmitt Music’s headquarters. You might have seen the photo of Prince posing in front of it in the 70s, the same photo that is part of the place mats at Hell’s Kitchen in my gallery above. The music is by Ravel and according to Miss M, it’s the hardest piece to play on piano. I found another story online with more informaiton on the mural and it mentions this fact as well.

Schmitt music mural, Minneapolis

Hell’s Kitchen entrance from across the street

It was such a nice evening with great food and company. Once again, I highly recommend Hell’s Kitchen. And if you’re celebrating something, do mention it and get your freebie. They really treat you right here and I will continue to visit. Thanks Hell’s Kitchen for a wonderful birthday dinner!

I’ll leave you with a photo of downtown Minneapolis. Enjoy the weekend everyone!

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Filed under Food, Minnesota, Restaurant reviews

Tagged as downtown Minneapolis, Hell's Kitchen, Minneapolis, photography, restaurants

April 2, 2016 · 6:20 am

Eating our way through España

The next installment in what’s become my weekly post about my trip to Spain is all about the food. Did I mention that we had fabulous food during our two weeks in Spain? Pretty sure I did and it’s true! I tried to take photos of the great food we had but sometimes I forgot. I did get some good food shots and some come with stories too.

The food markets in Spain are filled with seafood, meats, nuts, candy, fruits, vegetables as well as food stands where you can sit at a counter and have a little snack while you do your fresh food shopping. We went to three of these markets but for one of the markets in Madrid we were there too early. I had hoped to find a leather goods shop at this market near the Lavapies metro stop but it was too early on Sunday morning and there were only a few stands open, so I did not take photos. But I did get a few photos of the other two markets we visited. They were Atarazanas market in Málaga and La Boquería in Barcelona. Click on any image in any gallery to see a larger photo and the gallery itself.

Atarazanas market in Málaga:

the beautiful stained window from the inside

Atarazanas market(Málaga) from the outside

La Boquería, Barcelona:

jamón guy

jamón close up

nuts anyone?

five kinds of shrimp??

meat, it’s what’s for dinner

fresh fruit and veggies

We had tapas frequently as meals but we did have some other meals too. For example, the best paella I ever had was at Cafe Varela in Madrid and the service there is impeccable. They also have an excellent breakfast buffet which is pricey so Miss M and I only went once and absolutely loved it! Hubby did not want to join us that morning. Another great meal was at Vinoteca Moratin in Madrid where we ate with my blogger friend from Te Veo en Madrid. You must reserve a table for this restaurant as it’s very popular and not very big. My friend made our reservations two weeks in advance. Another fabulous meal that we enjoyed was at Pura Brasa in Barcelona. We liked it so much that we went back a second time two nights later and it was just as good! We had a fun waiter at Taverna del Bisbe in Barcelona which, by the way, has THE best crema catalana in the known universe. Take my word for it. We had fun and delicious eating experiences all over Spain.

What follows is a conglomeration of some of the food we had in Spain, a couple of restaurant shots and a few people shots.

Food in Málaga and Córdoba:

mmmmm, churros y chocolate, Casa Aranda Málaga

churros y chocolate

Casa Aranda camarero extraoridnaire y feliz

tortilla española in Córdoba with a dolop of mayo? we noticed this only in Andalucia

croquetas and calamares in Córdoba

we had many tortilla española, this was one of them

tapas in Málaga

yummy Lepanto desserts

Food in Madrid:

the only flan that I had

Ensalada mixta, Cafe Varela

probably the best paella I’ve ever had! Cafe Varela

breakfast buffet, Cafe Varela

artichoke starter to die for! Vinoteca Moratín

roasted potatoes starter, Vinoteca Moratín

hubby was in heaven with his octupus at Vinoteca Moratín

succulent roast chicken and potatoes, Vinoteca Moratín

Creme broulee for dessert, Vinoteca Moratín

Barcelona food:

free range chicken curry at Pura Brasa, so good Miss M had it a second time

jamón, what else? Pura Brasa

ensalada mixta, Pura Brasa

croquetas, Pura Brasa

happy diner, Pura Brasa

happy diners, Pura Brasa

Pura Brasa

Crema catalana, Pura Brasa

a snack near the PIcasso museum. that was a tasty sandwich!

the most expensive cafe con leche! Note: don’t take a break near Sagrada Familia. Pretty cup though.

This last gallery consists of what is now a special place for us. Hubby had his first boquerones here six years ago when we stopped for refreshment after sightseeing in Barcelona and he’s been eating them ever since. Taverna del Bisbe is right next to the cathedral so it was easy to find. Hubby attempted to tell the waiter about his initiation into boquerones but I don’t think he understood. He smiled a lot and was a most jovial server. When I started to order one crema catalana he asked “Una?” meaning “only one?” sort of giggling. I laughed and answered yes. Miss M and I had the same desserts that we had six years ago as well and once again, they were excellent. When we paid and started to leave our waiter shook each of our hands and thanked us profusely. He was so much fun on our last day in Barcelona. Here’s what we ate at Taverna del Bisbe:

meatballs and shrimp, yum!

pan con tomate

boquerones en vinagre

chocolate crepe

Taverna del Bisbe

the best crema catalan ever

Taverna del Bisbe

Eating in Spain is one of the highlights of traveling there. I have not had any bad food ever in Spain. I highly recommend all the restaurants that I mentioned above. Cafe Varela and Vinoteca Moratin in Madrid, Pura Brasa and Taverna del Bisbe in Barcelona. Casa Aranda for churros y chocolate in Málaga and definitely try something sweet from Lepanto in Málaga. We also had nice meals at El Viejo Pop and Tapa Tapa, both in Barcelona. One rule of thumb we use when looking for a place to eat: are there many locals eating there? If there are, you’ve probably found a good spot. We also take a look at the menus to see if there are enough items that are appealing.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my food tour. What is your favorite from the photos above? Or if your favorite is not shown here, do tell me about it. I’d love to know your favorite foods.

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Filed under Food, Spain, Travel

Tagged as Barcelona, España, food, Málaga, photography, Pura Brasa Barcelona, Spain, Taverna del Bisbe Barcelona, Vinoteca Moratin Madrid

October 31, 2015 · 7:11 am

Oyamel Cocina Mexicana and Navy Memorial, Washington D.C.

I had a most delicious lunch at Oyamel Cocina Mexicana last week after visiting the National Gallery of Art. I met my blogging friend Cathy of nomad, interrupted at the museum and we had a fun time viewing all the impressionism. Please check out my post on that at the link.

For lunch we opted for this great Mexcian place just a couple of blocks from the museum. We felt a little awkward when asked if we had a reservation. Luckily they did have a table for us. Our waiter advised us on how to order our meal. They feature antojitos, or small plates of food. It is suggested that you get 4-5 antojitos to share then each of us choose a protein from the other side. We opted for two items to share and we each chose an item from the other side of the menu. Everything was fantastic! Come along and see what we had for lunch that day. First some restaurant scenes:

interesting things on the wall including words in Spanish

the butterflies gave it an airy feel

5 kinds of ceviche!

bloggers unite

We chose Frijoles refritos con queso: Slow-cooked refried beans stuffed with melted Chihuahua cheese, served with Mexican cream and fresh tortillas and Papas al mole: José Andrés’ favorite potato fries in a mole poblano sauce of almonds, chiles and a touch of chocolate, topped with Mexican cream and queso fresco. I loved both of these! Cathy chose a shrimp dish and I had a chile relleno but I’m not finding either on the menu online so I can’t copy the descriptions here. They were both very good! Albeit a little spicy. I didn’t get a photo of Cathy’s shrimp but here’s the rest of the food:

frijoles that looked like something you’d never eat

yummy spuds with sauces

my chili relleno

The rest of the photos in the restaurant were of the ceviche bar. I’m not sure how it works but it sure was pretty!

: Oyamel Cocina Mexicana

On our way to the metro station we bumped into the Navy Memorial. There were these 3D sculptures coming out of the wall that caught my eye. I’m so glad we went that way or we’d have never seen this memorial.

It was a wonderful day in D.C. and I packed in a lot in a few short hours. It can be done!

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Filed under Food, Restaurant reviews, Travel, Washington D.C.

Tagged as Mexican food, Navy Memorial, Oyamel Cocina Mexicana, photography, restaurant review, restaurants

March 21, 2015 · 7:00 am

Cheesecake Factory – Pembroke Pines, Florida

I just spent 10 days in Florida packing up my mother’s apartment with my sister and daughter. Mom is nearly 92 and can no longer be on her own. She is now living with my sister which gives me much comfort knowing she is no longer alone. We had a most awesome team, my sister, my daughter, Mom’s aide and me. We decided to keep Mom’s daytime aide so that we could concentrate on the sorting, tossing and packing and I’m so glad we did! I am quite sure we would not have made the deadline if we hadn’t. Merline was such a great help and we are all so thankful for the nearly three years of care she gave to Mom. She was there the last day too and said “Well Goldie, do you have anything to say to me?” Mom said no. “What?? You mean after almost three years you have nothing to say to me?” Then Mom said “I love you!!” So darn sweet. We were truly blessed hiring Comfort Keepers and Merline. I would not hesitate to hire them in the future. We had such a good experience.

After I took Mom and my sister to the airport, my daughter and I had a few more things to take care of before we headed back home. I am writing this on our final night here in southern Florida from our hotel room. And by the time you read this I will be on my way home, finally. We donated many things to Salvation Army and the rest was picked up this morning by Hands on Property Services. And I was so impressed with them. I was given a quote over the phone and he ended up taking much more than what I told him I would have and he was going to charge me the same amount! So I said “are you sure?” and then he added only $25 more! Wow. So if you’re in southern Florida and need junk removed, don’t hesitate to contact this company. They were on time and just plain awesome.

So back to the restaurant review that is the title of this post. My daughter and I decided to dine at the Cheesecake Factory in Pembroke Pines last night. We had such a good meal that we decided to go back tonight! Last night we both chose pasta dishes. Miss M had the Four Cheese Pasta: Penne Pasta, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Romano and Parmesan Cheeses, Marinara Sauce and Fresh Basil. And I had the Garlic Noodles with shrimp: Spaghettini, Fresh Asparagus, Shiitake Mushrooms, Oven-Roasted Tomatoes and Parmesan in a Delicious Garlic Sauce. I did not get photos of our meals but they were both fabulous!! And there’s always room for dessert right? Heh, almost. A friend had recommended the Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake and said it was to die for so that’s what I had. He was SO right!! Miss M had the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake, also very yummy! But we could not finish them and took them back to the hotel with plastic forks. We attempted to finish them later last night, however, they were just too rich!! So our desserts were finished in three sittings, the last one earlier today.

She would not smile. Note the photographer in the mirror (me!!)

Cheesecake Factory

we both ate about 1/3 of our cheesecakes

cheesecake round 3!!

Tonight’s meal was equally delicious!! Miss M had their Margherita Pizza: Fresh Mozzarella, Basil and Tomato Sauce. And I had the Grilled Steak Medallions from their Skinnylicious menu: Certified Angus Beef® Served with Fresh Asparagus, Shiitake Mushrooms, Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes, Crushed Croutons, Mashed Potatoes and Madeira Wine Sauce. Outstanding!! I’m so impressed with the great selection, excellent food and service. This time I got photos of our meals. We chose to dine on the patio and had the perfect spot just outside the door where waiters were coming and going so every so often we felt a nice, cool wave of air mixed with the breeze of a warm, southern Florida evening. It was perfect!

she decided to smile!

I love their mint iced tea and tonight’s tea included mint leaves

Grilled Steak Medallions

Margherita Pizza

Clean plate club!

we shared the kahlua cocoa coffee cheesecake: YUM!!

We were truly blessed and managed to get just about everything done by the deadlines. We had one snag today with turning off the water. I didn’t realize that I had to do it in the apartment so Miss M and I went back to do that this afternoon however it was not to be. For some reason, today the deadbolt would not budge. We used it the entire time we were there. Two nice gentlemen tried to help by spraying WD40 in the lock and then using a tool to try to pry the deadbolt out of the door jamb, to no avail. One of them said he thought the pin broke. The management company is going to get in there on Monday to turn off the water for us. Thank goodness because I’m not sure I’d be able to sleep tonight. Other than this last snag, everything went fairly well. We had awesome people along the way, from the lovely folks at the UPS store to the funny guy at the U-Haul place, the awesome Salvation Army team who took many things that we donated and finally the great company that hauled away the damaged furniture that Salvation Army didn’t take. And Mom is safe and happy in Virginia with my sister and her family. Finally, I’d like to share a photo of Mom and Merline, her aide of nearly three years. This was her last day in Florida.

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Tagged as Cheesecake Factory, food, photography, restaurant review, restaurant reviews, restaurants, travel, writing

February 28, 2015 · 7:13 am

Boca Chica restaurant, St. Paul, MN

Recently we dined at this great restaurant just over the river from downtown St. Paul. One of our favorites as we always have a great meal and leave satisfied. We started off with some margaritas.

strawberry for me

original for him

Next was the soup and then our entrees. We both had their delicious tomato soup with what looks like small pieces of spaghetti and fresh cilantro on top, oh yum. Hubby had the tamales, their grandmother’s family recipe described like this “Two fresh tamales filled with your choice of pork seasoned with chile ancho sauce or chicken seasoned with salsa verde, then wrapped in a plantain leaf and steamed to perfection. Served with chile gravy and sopa.” I had Los Dos Amigos: “Two handmade thick corn tortillas topped with refried beans, green chile sauce, onions, queso fresco and cilantro. Served with sopa and any one enchilada.” Hubby ate both his tamales and I took home most of his beans and rice and had them with the other half of the two amigos the next day for lunch. Yum!!