I had come to the Twin Cities only once in my life prior to last week. At around 9 years old my siblings and I spent the weekend at the Mall of America absolutely entranced by the rides, and more importantly the myriad of options at the (now permanently closed) General Millsā¢ļø cereal bar. Perhaps itās the sugary-soaked memories, but 20 years later I feel like a kid again. Food here is fun. Itās thoughtfully baked, lovingly topped with butter, or confidently fried. Soda is āpopā and burgers are stuffed with cheese. After a good tour of the Twin Cities, hereās a little list for ya.
Things We Ate, Things We Saw: Minnesota š„
Family-owned and operated, this is one of the spots on the list I hit twice in one week. They post up at the Mill City Farmers Market where every 20 or so minutes it seems another pastry is crossed off the menu due to morning market goers absolutely ripping through orders. Things I tried: berry pull apart bread, spinach & cheese croissant, chocolate almond croissant.
Dinner night one was a mind-blowing Ecuadorean/Andean feast, my photos did not do it justice. One plate and youāre set for breakfast and lunch the following day, none of which takes away from the quality of meat and flavor youāre getting. I fell asleep dreaming of flank steak marinated in highland spices. Things I tried: Llapingachos, Churrasco, Guava Juice, Chicha Morada
If you follow my lore, you know Viet is my #1 cuisine of choice and if itās an option Iām opting for it 10/10 times. Quangās is a big and bustling Vietnamese spot that is exactly what you need on a chilly Minnesota day. The pho came out fast and piping hot, and in my case accompanied by a nice light beer. Things I tried: Ribeye Pho, Banh Bao, Goi Cuon
NUTS. Absolutely nuts. When you think (dream) of a cinnamon roll...this is what youāre envisioning. Iām not usually a frosting gal, but this changed my mindset. Allegedly they used to offer to-go containers to fill up as much frosting as you wanted. Thankfully for my blood sugar now theyāre scooping it for ya, but donāt spare an ounce. Things I tried: Isles Bun, fresh OJ, Iced Latte (THE ABSOLUTE COMBO)
This was another stop at the Mill City Farmers Market, where $5 got around 7 steamed chicken & ginger mo:mos with curry sauce. If I could have gone back a third time to try that mango lassi.. I would have in a heartbeat.
Restaurant, hotel, cafe (trifecta) Alma was everything. A solid wait was worth the time spent for a good coffee and the āUp Southā, a breakfast sandwich made up of scrambled eggs, house pimento cheese, sauteed sweet peppers & onions on a warm buttermilk biscuit. All my pics sucked because I was devouring this thing, but found a close second on IG. Things I tried: Breakfast sammy, cawfee
Itās worth mentioning: Root Beer goes so much harder here. I didnāt get a pic of every ice cold root beer I drank, but just know they slapped. The last one I had was from Lift Bridge Brewery in Stillwater, they had a little booth shaped like a barrel out in the street for their Harvest Fest.