Month: July 2017

The Twin Cities’ Best-Kept Culinary Secret

St. Paul’s Hmongtown Marketplace A pillar of the Twin Cities’ Hmong community—which is the largest in the country—the sprawling Hmongtown Marketplace in St. Paul is the next best thing to hopping a flight to Southeast Asia. This market and those making the food represent centuries of Hmong traditions. In warmer months, you’ll find people selling plants,…  Read More

Andrew Zimmern Explores Cowboy Life in Texas on Bizarre Foods

Bizarre Foods Season Premiere Tuesday July 25, 9|8c on Travel Channel On the season premiere of Bizarre Foods, I’m headed to Texas to explore American cowboy life, past and present. The cowboy is the last great American icon, a romantic, rugged symbol of our frontier past. Camping along the Chisholm trail—the storied bovine highway that…  Read More

Burgers Stuffed with Cheese & Ingenuity at Blue Door Pub

Blue Door Pub If burgers stuffed with cheese aren’t on your list when you visit Minnesota, then you’re not doing it right. We Minnesotans love to debate who does the best juicy Lucy. There are plenty of spots serving up classic beef burgers with a molten hot cheddar cheese filling, such as perennial favorites Matt’s…  Read More

How to Make Whipped Cream

Make Whipped Cream from Scratch, It’s Easy Canned whipped cream doesn’t even compare to freshly whipped cream. It’s so easy to make, and in my opinion, the best way to top off my favorite dessert—key lime pie. Really, the only mistake you can make is over beating it and turning your cream into butter. When making whipped cream, it’s…  Read More

Real-Deal Farm-to-Table Brunch

Wise Acre Eatery It seems just about every restaurant claims to be farm to table. In the case of Wise Acre, it’s part of the business plan. Depending on the time of year, 75 to 95 percent of ingredients originate on sister business Tangletown Gardens’ 100-acre farm in rural Plato, Minnesota, including Scottish highland cattle,…  Read More

Finally, a Worthy Bagel in the Twin Cities from Rise Bagel Co.

Rise Bagel Co. The Twin Cities are my second home, and I love living here, but over the years there’s been one gaping hole in the food scene and it was bagel shaped. As a Jewish kid from New York, I’m admittedly picky when it comes to bagels, and there wasn’t a worthy one in…  Read More