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Minnesota State Fair

As summer nears it’s devastating end, I can’t help but feeling a sense of strange melancholy, a nostalgic twinge of anxiety, trying to fill my days with as much adventure, bliss and incantation as possible before the chilly zephyr strikes again. For some, this fleeting emotion leads to hours upon hours at the beach soaking up the last of nature’s Vitamin D. For others, it’s late-night biking and cocktail sipping patio laziness. But for so many Minnesotans late August/early September can only mean one thing: a trip to the Minnesota State Fair.

It’s hard not to be just the slightest bit curious as to why the Fair attracts so much attention (why last year alone crowd readings were in the 1,700,000’s). Is it the people watching? The chance to see eclectic, oddly paired live musicians - “Weird Al” Yankovic and Brandi Carlile, anyone? Is it the surprising exhilaration a ride on the Gondola Wheel brings? The awe of witnessing the miracle birth of a baby calf? Some say it’s all about the food, and as official foodie I may just have to agree. Where else can one find such a seamless juxtaposition of old fair favorites and creative taste experiments. The Minnesota State Fair might just be nonpareil when it comes to “feasts on a stick.”

Since opening last Thursday, news of the Fair’s newest array of libations and comestibles is definitely abuzz and everyone’s a critic. This year, the State Fair has brought in a few familiar names in Twin Cities dining including vendor treats from Minneapolis’ Midtown Global Market and French Meadow, brats from Northeast’s legendary Kramarczuk, nosh from the Green Mill and more.

The copious menu of “au courant” fare can seem daunting to a Fair virgin- even us veterans can get bewildered - but don’t get defeated just yet. One trick to keeping Fair food tasting within budget and nausea-free is to shop around. Take at least one good swoop around the fairgrounds before deciding on which dishes to consume and don’t be afraid to indulge your adventurous side.

To whet your appetite, here’s a pint-sized preview of new Fair delectables - the yummy, the eye-brow raising and the just plain gruesome.

Deep Fried Bologna ($5) Netterfield Food Court - disguising itself as a crescent-shaped corn dog, this deep fried wonder is a a perfect example of a twist on a classic Fair favorite.

Photo by Rachel Hutton

Corndog Pizza ($4) Pizza Shoppe - I can’t help but think this sounds like an idea someone had after a few too many cocktails. A junk-food lover’s delight or a greasy prelude to indigestion? You be the judge.

Fried Pigs Ears ($5) Famous Dave’s BBQ - an acquired taste?

Photo by Rachel Hutton

Stuffed French Toast Tots ($5) French Meadow - spongy French toast bites dusted with powdered sugar and filled with melted Swiss and Parmesan cheese. Um, yum!

Grilled Marshmallow Chocolate & Banana Sandwich ($4) Moe & Joes Coffee - warm bananas, chocolate syrup and marshmallow nestled inside a griddled sandwich. Be prepared for instant sugar comatose. Though my guess is it’s well worth it.

Other honorable mentions include Granny’s Cheesecake & More’s Deep-Fried Strawberry Shortcake ($7), O’Gara’s Sweet Potato Tots ($5), Chinatown Minn’s Tempura-battered Szechuan Shrimp ($6), Holy Land’s homemade Baklava ($2), My Sausage Sister & Me’s Jalapeño Poppers ($5) and Manny’s Tortas made-to-order virgin Piña Colada served in a hollowed-out pineapple ($7).

Stay tuned for next week’s “Fair in Review” post where I take my “glutton for punishment” appetite to the fair grounds for a taste test.

The Minnesota State Fair runs through Labor Day, September 6^th and is located at 1265 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul.

Black Dog Cafe

When the hustle of the day slips away and the summer evening light begins to fade, there’s nothing better than a relaxing dinner out with the simple pleasures that only a city night can afford. I rounded up a few close friends and started out a steamy summer evening with a refreshing glass of wine on the rustic terrace of the Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar. This Lowertown gem offers an eclectic mix of coffee bar, wine and beer outpost, and cafe style dining. It’s a perfect “go to” for a casual dinner or - in our case - a quick glass of wine before dinner.

Tanpopo Chef/Owner, Koshiki Yonemura, photo by Andrew Ciscel.

Our true goal for the night was a Zen-like evening of Japanese noodles at the delightful and unique Tanpopo Noodle Shop. Tucked in a row of lively art galleries and artist co-ops, Tanpopo is an oasis of authentic Japanese flavors. If your only experience of Japanese cuisine is the sushi bar, you may be stunned by the comforting warmth of a steaming bowl of Japanese noodles, somehow able to evoke the exotic and the homey simultaneously. The rustic meets industrial vibe of the entire space - enormous exposed wood beams and shoji style partitions matched to exposed ducts and sealed concrete - strikes the perfect balance between historic and modern. We were seated at a large communal table with stones and candles recessed into the center, a nice touch that immediately immersed us in the calm atmosphere. Our table-mates were two sweet seeming middle aged couples who appeared to have just come from a day of golf and chatted amiably with each other in Japanese while perusing the menu. While trying to decide on an appetizer, we each ordered a sake flight. The 3 sakes are served in delicate glasses along with a small mat that identifies the sake and orders them from dry to sweet. It’s a nice introduction to the beverage if you are not already an aficionado, but if you are already a sake fan, you may want to order one of the 300ml bottles (ranging from $16 to $18) to share with your dinner companion. Beer and wine is also available with most beers under $4 and wines by the glass mostly in the $7 range. Sushi is on offer, and the shop hosts sushi education workshops, we suspect they would be worth checking out if even a small amount of the simple elegance of Tampopo’s food could become part of your home cooking skill set.

For starters we ordered Agedashi Tofu ($4.75) and Cold Tofu ($4.00). The Agedashi is a deep fried tofu served in a warm savory broth with an artful and delicious topping of bonito flakes, green onion and ginger. We loved the contrast of textures and flavors between the silky tofu and the unami flavors of the broth and the bonito. Vegetarians should consult their server to determine what on the menu is in fact compliant, but one item that is a treat for vegetarians and omnivores alike is the Cold Tofu. The deceptively simple dish brings together house made fresh tofu and a rich and savory sesame paste to create and addictive and refreshing starter. We could have eaten additional orders had we not already had our noodles on the way.

Nabeyaki Udon, photo by Andrew Ciscel.

For our main courses we sampled noodles both hot and cold. The menu is separated into Hot and Cold Soba or Udon bowls and Teishoku, home-style meals consisting of an entree, rice, miso soup, a salad, and a side of pickles. With either option you receive a georgious laquered platter littered with traditional Japanese ceramics, each meticulously arranged for maximum visual delight. This is food as minimalist art, and all the more delicious for the obvious care and effort that goes into the preparation. I decided on the Kitsune Udon (after much debate between Udon or Soba) ($11.95) which was a huge steaming bowl of Udon in a hot broth with deep fried tofu, shitake mushrooms and wakane (seaweed). It was exactly what I was craving and somehow managed to be fun to eat in addition to endlessly sophisticated. Perhaps it was the setting or perhaps the noodles are just that good, but I literally felt more calm and content with each bite. One of my companions declared “I’m having some meat” and ordered hot Nabeyaki Udon ($11.95), served in a ceramic ‘nabe’ bowl with shrimp tempura, chicken, shitake mushrooms, a fish cake, japanese omlet and wakane. She was delighted with her choice and constantly surprised how harmoniously the various flavors worked together with each bite. My other companion opted for cold Bukkake Soba with shitake mushrooms, wakame, cucumbers, seasoned tofu, Japanese omelet, tempura shrimp and nori ($13.95). He was also enamored with his choice declaring it “refreshing, clean and beautifully balanced”.

As the evening progressed our Japanese table companions became increasingly friendly, chatting us up about our sake selections and giving one of our party’s chopstick challenged members friendly tips. The vibe was perfect, like having an impromptu dinner party at the house of a close friend - who also happens to be a phenomenally talented chef. We left Tanpopo feeling we had participated in the uniquely urban experience of trying something new and exotic that also manages to become a study in the power of wonderful food to sustain and comfort. That’s the kind of dining experience that has you patting your full belly while vowing to return often.

Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar, 308 Prince St. #100, St. Paul, 651.228.9274

Tanpopo Noodle Shop, 308 Prince St. #140, St. Paul, 651.209.6527

Ah, the simple pleasures of summer. There’s hardly a more appropriate way to spend a lazy summer day than indulging in a time honored trip to the Ice Cream Shop. If those ice cream shops happen to be tucked into the shady, gracious, tree-lined streets of St. Paul, you have an even more perfect way to spend the day. Recently I took my voracious appetite for the simple pleasures of ice cream for a test drive by extending the fun and hitting a number of my favorite places in a makeshift St. Paul Ice Cream Crawl. It was such a tasty adventure I would make it a weekly tradition, if it didn’t mean I’d need to purchase a new wardrobe heavy on the elastic waistband!

Izzy's Ice Cream shop

My favorite spot to hit when embarking on a St. Paul ice cream crawl: Izzy’s. Besides being the official home to the famous Izzy scoop, Marshall Avenue’s modern little nook is nestled between some of the city’s most charming shops, including a specialty store devoted entirely to train enthusiasts - Choo Choo Bob’s Train Store - and a confection shop practically cavity-inducing from window gaze alone, Sweets Bakeshop. Stop into Izzy’s and you’ll be greeted by a friendly staff of eager youngsters, just as happy to serve you a scoop as you are to eat one. Izzy’s rule is easy: pick a flavor and get a free tiny scoop of your choice flavor on top. This is your Izzy scoop.

The Izzy, in all its glory.

Choose wisely. Because while it may seem like a relatively trivial decision, it’s not. Certain tastes align; certain flavors repel. It’s this magical alchemy that elevates Izzy’s above the usual ice cream suspects. Green Apple may sound like a delicious pick, but throw an Izzy scoop of Norwegian Chai on top, and everything changes. Consider it a palate expanding flavor experiment. If you’ll still craving the Green Apple, why not pair it with the Salted Caramel? Be careful though, before you know it you’ll have eaten yourself into an afternoon nap!

For my first flavors of the day, I chose a scoop of Cinnamon with a Norwegian Chai Izzy and my over-indulgent brother/ice cream adventure pal picked a double scoop of Mexican Chocolate Fiesta and Salted Caramel with a Butter Pecan Izzy. The Cinnamon is amazing, delightfully sweet with a kick of spicy zest. The muted Chai flavor would have been great on its own, but just couldn’t compete with the Cinnamon kick. I stole a taste of the Mexican Chocolate Fiesta, which indeed was like a party in my mouth. It had the flavors of a perfect mole sauce - minus the onion/garlic-y taste, of course - with just the right blend of dark cocoa and spice. The Salted Caramel proved to be too salty for a scoop-size portion - perhaps it’s a flavor best kept as an Izzy. The prices are quite reasonable for the exceptional quality. A single scoop goes for $4.75 and a double will only set you back $5.60.

Another vital step in ice cream crawl is the cleansing of the palate, especially since I had my heart set on something fruity for my next scoop and my mouth was still swimming in spice. A great cup of coffee or a cup of cold water should do the trick. Onward!

Grand Ole Creamery

Placing one amazing ice cream parlor so dangerously close to another practically begs for gluttony. Not being ones to pass up a good deadly sin, we acquiesced. Voted one of the “Top Twelve Ice Cream Stops in the Nation” by Saveur Magazine, the Grand Ole Creamery is truly a gem of St. Paul and in atmosphere the antithesis of Izzy’s. In place of a mod-ish, clean design, the Grand Ole Creamery relies more on the nostalgia with malt shop aesthetics. The menu is hand-written. The ice cream is homemade and the shop is full of 1950’s relics. It conjures up thoughts of a simpler time - sans smart phones and On Demand cable - a time when hanging at the ice cream shop was the “cool” thing to do on a hot summer’s day. The array of suspiciously happy-seeming families completed the scene. All the stresses of modern life seem to melt away when a scoop of creamy goodness is in your future…

The Grand Ole Creamery offers what’s known as a “split scoop” for $5.75. Perfect for the indecisive, the split scoop allows you to have all the delicious frills of a double scoop without the extravagant portion size or the calories. So on this stop,

Taste of heaven - a split scoop of Rum Cherry and Black Walnut.

I can pretend to over-indulge as well. I picked a split scoop of Rum Cherry and Black Walnut and my ice cream eating friend chose Cheesecake and Cotton Candy. There are no words to describe the Rum Cherry/Black Walnut combo. It was perfection in a dish. And the Cotton Candy actually melted in my mouth the way real cotton candy does. Beautiful stuff.

The location of Grand Ole Creamery on the East end of the Victoria / Grand shopping district is an invitation for a pleasant stroll through the delightful shops of this bustling and genteel hub. Not to mention a good way to burn off a tiny bit of the calories you’ve just consumed.

With all this ice cream you may be ready for something equally summery but a bit lighter. We headed a bit further east and across the Wabasha Ave. bridge into the District del Sol neighborhood to tiny La Chiquita for a taste of ice cream done Mexican style (helados), or one of the delightful fruit popsicles called paletas. We thought these refreshing treats would be the perfect end to our adventure. Alas, we had forgotten the limited hours (3pm to 8pm) and arrived too early to satisfy our craving for frozen Mexican goodness. Don’t make our mistake. Time your crawl right so you can enjoy the charms of this unique del Sol spot. We took advantage of our location and finished off the day with a lunch at the excellent Grand Dame of Mexican restaurants Boca Chica, which sits directly across the street from La Chiquita. The lightly spicy Mexican staples were a tasty, if incongruous, end to our ice cream jaunt.

Try an Ice Cream Crawl for yourself, or visit just one of these ice cream spots before another summer passes you by. You’re sure to find the perfect flavor combinations to compliment a sunny St. Paul day.

Your ticket to a sustainable summer is just a neighborhood away tonight as El Burrito Mercado, the Youth Farm and Market Project and the Riverview Economic Development Association team up to bring locally-grown organic produce to Saint Paul. Now in its 15^th year, the Twin Cities-based youth development organization is dedicated to building youth leadership by involving the kids in every dirt-ridden, gritty step of growth and harvest, from planting pepper seeds to preparing, cooking, and selling the final product. Made possible by generous grants from Ecolab and SuperValu, the project is a hands-on way to make organic, high-quality produce accessible, keep money flowing through the local economy and engage the community’s youth while connecting them to their food and the environment.

Early today, the mini-entrepreneur Youth Farm kids were busy harvesting their veggies and transporting them to West Side restaurant, El Burrito Mercado, to be snatched up by families and residents all over Saint Paul.

This year, the Youth Farm project will feature special tasty menu items prepared with produce straight from the West Side Youth Farmers at neighborhood restaurants including Boca Chica, Jerabek’s New Bohemian, and St. Paul’s artisan bakery, Bread, Coffee and Cake. Head down to the District del Sol tonight for a first hand look at the fresh produce available through early fall, snack on delicious appetizers and get to know your talented budding farmers.

Youth Farm and Market Project Happy Hour Kick-off

Wednesday, August 4 at 6pm

El Cafe at El Burrito Mercado, 175 Cesar Chavez St., St. Paul, 651.227.2192

Want to know more about the project? Check out this adorable short documentary about the Youth Farm and Market Project:

128 Mobile Café

It appears the trend du jour for progressive restaurants and self-motivated food savvy entrepreneurs is to take it to the streets. No, we don’t mean panhandling or street corner acoustic guitar performances, thank god. Instead these foodies are taking a simple concept like the “lunch cart” and twisting it into a creative way to make gourmet food more mobile and accessible. Call it “street smart meals,” if you will. And our favorite pop-up cafe of the moment? The 128 Mobile Café .

The 128 Mobile Café in Downtown St. Paul. Photo by Katie Cannon/Heavy Table.

In addition to being one of St. Paul’s best dining spots, the 128 Café is now operating out of a AmeriPride linen truck in Downtown St. Paul. From this humble venue, they cook up speedy yet delicious grab-and-go signature plates and are creating quite the buzz. Inside the truck’s sizzling mini-kitchen, Chef Ian Pierce and the mobile truck assistants prepare some of the Café’s regular menu items like a third of a rack of the restaurants heavily-hyped ribs served with kettle chips and tangy red cabbage slaw or a Greek-style pasta salad, plus a few grilled-to-perfection lunchtime items. On the weekly menu, one can find anything from marinaded beef and shrimp skewers ($8) and grilled ahi tuna sandwiches served on New French Bakery bread, to tasty tossed salads like the $7 grilled asparagus salad with goat cheese, fennel, red onion and shaved pickled carrots. All these tasty treats can be delightfully washed down with a refreshing mint lemonade and followed up with Kahlua Rice Krispie treats - definitely not your average lunch cart provisions, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

128 Café skewers. Photo by Katie Cannon/Heavy Table.

“Street food,” according to co-owner Jill Wilson, “is something cool and hip for broke restaurant owners to do.” Go to where the people are; it makes sense. For hungry workers on their lunch break seeking out freshly prepared street food is the cool and hip alternative when taste and style trumps time constraints.

Look for the 128 truck near Rice Park, Mears Park and MPR’s offices all summer long. Or follow 128 Cafe for the latest news and daily updates on their menu and whereabouts. We’re sure you’ll agree it’s a welcome alternative to the same old lunch routine, and a welcome trend to watch in the local food scene!

Here’s where to catch the 128 Mobile Café this summer:

Tuesdays through August 18^th the 128 serves up at Summer Tuesdays in Stillwater 4:30-8:30

www.summertuesdays.com

Wednesdays & Thursdays

Downtown St. Paul 11:00-2:00, various locations

Friday Lunch

Turf Club Late Night, dates TBD

http://www.turfclub.net/

Saturday, August 21^st

West Bank Music Fest

Local Street Food presented by Metro Magazine

http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2010/07/west_bank_music.php

Saturday, September 11^th

The Northern GRADE Menswear Market in NE Minneapolis

http://northerngrade.blogspot.com/

128 Café, 128 Cleveland Avenue North, St. Paul, 651.645.4128

St. Paul Farmer's Market.

When it comes to sustainability, Heartland Restaurant has long been one of St. Paul’s finest proprietors of fine dining with a local and organic spin. Once tucked away in the Mac-Groveland location, Heartland recently made the jump to the district often likened to NY’s Soho, Lowertown. This allows it to highlight a relationship between its food and direct farm sources on display at the St. Paul’s Farmer’s Market across the street - a simple paring, yet an innovative idea that subtly links fresh produce with the final product, fresh cuisine. After all, there’s a mindset that goes hand-in-hand with a trip to the Farmer’s Market. While surrounded by delicious organic ingredients and friendly local farmers you may find yourself making tiny goals towards culinary self-improvement. You inevitably start daydreaming about creative recipes for that bundle of Swiss chard in your bag. You want to eat better, to live better…maybe you’ll even take up composting… It’s that steadfast mantra of better living through dining that flows from the hearts and fingers of the chefs in Heartland’s kitchen straight onto the meticulously arranged plates night after night.

Hand-cut angel hair pasta from Heartland. Photo by Steve Rice.

One could call Heartland a foodie’s dream restaurant, because like the mainstays of dreams the nightly menu is constantly morphing, a new set of provocative dishes every evening. This ever-evolving carte, not only provides diners with a multifarious sample of a Heartland’s artistry, but also a mouthful of season-appropriate ingredients. On any given night, one can expect such delicacies as veal bacon glace de viande and Butterscotch duck egg pot de crème on the three course Fauna fixed menu ($40 per person) or chilled golden beet borscht and morel mushroom gnocchi on the Flora menu ($30 per person). Their upscale, chef-driven menus feature ingredients indigenous to the Upper Midwest, including wild boar, salmon, Rainbow trout, savory wild mushrooms and regional artisan cheeses. In past years, the restaurant has received soaring reviews from former City Pages’ food critic, Dara Moskowitz, Mpls/St. Paul Magazine’s, Andrew Zimmern, and the Star Trib’s Rick Nelson, who have praised it for a creative and ingenuous twist on simple heartland-style cooking.

Heartland Executive Chef, Lenny Russo.

Heartland owner, Executive Chef and James Beard Foundation’s 2010 Best Chef Midwest Finalist, Lenny Russo, continues to showcase the best modernized Midwestern cuisine in his newly opened downtown restaurant with a few added bonuses. One, the new space is located in the Market House building (a former shoe factory turned condos) and is significantly larger than the Mac-Groveland location. It features a 80-to-90 seat dining room that overlooks the farmer’s market, several chef tables that wrap around the exhibition kitchen, an in-house, watch-them-work butcher shop and a gourmet market (set to open at the end of August) that will feature Heartland’s own proprietary label products including house made charcuterie, jellies, and stocks and soups, plus and grab-and-go Heartland prepared lunch items.

Can self-improvement really start in the kitchen? After a visit to Heartland, we think you’ll be inspired to say yes. So, maybe start your day with a trip to the St. Paul Farmer’s market and end with a fabulous dinner at Heartland to see if you can make the goal of better living through food a reality!

Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, 289 East Fifth Street, Suite #104, Lowertown, St. Paul

After spending a grueling hour in the car getting from Minneapolis to its sister city - a closed 94 being the culprit - the serene drive down Marshall Street brought a welcomed wave of calm. In fact, there’s just a general tranquility about St. Paul that instantly settles me, that allows me to take a breath and forget the anxiety-ridden car trek, or anything stressful really. The sun was shining, the air was perfectly breezy and I was on the hunt for the ingredients to a hassle-free picnic. More specifically, a picnic on par with those in French New Wave films, the kind of picnics where everything seems lazily simplistic.

Cheeky Monkey Deli

I’ll go out on a limb here and say it starts with the perfect sandwich. Not some commonplace lunch meat/sliced bread sandwich. No, what I have in mind is much more delicate. My first stop: the Cheeky Monkey Deli. Besides being one of my favorite names for a deli (and unapologetically British), the Cheeky Monkey is a chic and charming restaurant/deli-quick-stop with a sophisticated menu.

Photo by Chris Bohnhoff

Choose from a mouth-watering variety of prepared-to-order gourmet sandwiches like the Smoked Turkey with bacon, avocado, and grass-fed gouda on crispy flaxseed bread, the Mushroom and Brie with lightly marinated, tender pieces of heaven mushrooms and warm brie pressed inside a grilled panini, or the Pot Roast with leaves of fresh arugula, pickled onions, a heaping portion of seasoned beef strips topped off with a tangy horseradish cream. They are the sort of craveable sandwiches the mind wanders towards for weeks to come. And at only $6-8 each, they are also the kind you can afford to crave. Add a few elegant sides like braised seasonal greens ($3), pot of pickles ($1), the hummus starter ($3.5) - a generous bundle of pieces of flat pieces and baguette with olive oil drizzled hummus - or the soup of the day, and the food portion of your picnic is set!

I might add, Cheeky Monkey isn’t just a deli. Peruse the menu and you’ll find the potential for a scrumptious dinner with entrees sounding just as complex as the sandwiches. They also offer a tempting happy hour from 3-6pm Sunday through Thursday and 7-11pm Friday & Saturday featuring a stunning and surprisingly inexpensive selection of beer and wine. But I don’t have time for happy hour today. I’m going on a picnic, remember? Besides, there’s a much better suggestion for an afternoon drink and it lies right next door at St. Paul’s premier wine shop, Solo Vino.

Rated as one of the “best wine stores in the Midwest” by both the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Magazine and the City Pages, the independent shop, Solo Vino, prides itself in keeping abreast with wine evolution and providing “voice to the smaller, artisan vineyards.”

Solo Vino inventory

The practically floor to ceiling shelves are stocked with the most impressive, progressive and affordable wines available, boasting an inventory of 95% imports and 5% domestics all tasted and hand selected by a highly educated staff. Solo Vino co-founder, Chuck Kanski, remains one of the most vocal, enthusiastic, oenophile, wine expedite and advocate a fellow wine lover will ever meet, not to mention ready and willing to answer all of your wine shopping queries. Whether your question be something reasonable such as “what’s a perfect summer picnic grape?” or something maybe more maudlin and personal like “what wine is best paired with Edith Piaf records?,” Chuck isn’t there to judge but merely to act as your private cicerone through the world of vino. If you love wine, it is a must-stop shop that just so happens to frequently host wine tastings.

The answer to that great, season-fitting grape - I learned from Chuck - would be the Vinho Verde. A light, white wine, the Vinho Verde is citrusy, clean, effervescent with a hint of stone fruit. I also discovered that the Verde is lower in alcohol content than most wines, making for the perfect afternoon picnic wine because it won’t cause mid-day sleepiness the way a heavier wine can.

Solo Vino

Then Chuck preceded to parade me around the store introducing me to the Terra Antiga, Fâmega and Broadbent - to name just a few - all imports of the Vinho Verde ranging from around $7.99 to $10.99, a sensational bargain for both the palate and the wallet. And best yet, Solo Vino has a super fancy, high tech wine gadget, the micro chiller, which uses rapidly recirculating, near freezing tap water to chill any bottle of wine to the perfect temperature in 3-6 minutes - an element that adds extra excitement to your picnic array.

Irvine Park

Now the only thing you lack is a setting. And finding a peaceful park in St. Paul to enjoy your delicacies isn’t hard. The best bet? Irvine Park on Ryan Avenue and Walnut Street. It’s shady, quiet and there’s even an ornate foundation and a gazebo!

Happy picnicking!

Cheeky Monkey Deli, 525 Selby Avenue, St. Paul, 651.224.6066

Solo Vino, 517 Selby Avenue, St. Paul, 651.602.9515

Amid this fast-paced frappuccino-filled summer where there’s a coffee shop on every corner, there exist a coffee house that isn’t afraid to slow down. Enter Kopplin’s. Nestled next door to notary hole-in-the-wall burger joint, The Nook, in Highland Park, Kopplin’s Coffee is often easily - and unfortunately - missed. But despite its hidden locale, the spot preserves its identity with an emphasis on the gourmet coffee experience. Stroll into Kopplin’s and expect to find not only a work of art in your latte, but classically trained, friendly baristas prepared to explain the inter-workings of a great cup of joe and tasty espresso delights. Their secret? It starts with superior, carefully selected coffee beans with minimal to no pesticides and perfectly pulled espresso shots from state-of-the-art, cult-status Clover machines - the very kind that everyone from the New York Times to the Economist is raving about. From there, they add single-sourced, grass-fed, organic milk from local dairy farms and other locally-based ingredients ensuring each coffee drink not just tastes fresh and impossibly unforgettable but consistent, trip after trip.

Inside you’ll find a small quaint cafe with subtle ambiance. What they lack in seating, they make up for in simplistic charm. It must be stated that Kopplin’s is not your average “have it your way” coffee shop. They don’t carry decaf beans, never use skim milk and the words “venti frappe” are nowhere to be seen on the menu - a refreshing twist to coffee, if you asked me. But despite the restrictions, wait time and price - around $4 for a small cup of brewed coffee - Kopplin’s remains a constant “best of.” It definitely has my vote for the best soy latte in St. Paul - a bold claim, I know, but one totally merited. The fern-shaped foam design topping off my latte was reason enough for glee, but after one sip it’s apparent that Kopplin’s doesn’t rely on sheer aesthetics alone. The soy milk was a perfect temperature - neither scorched nor lukewarm - and the espresso shot lingeringly smooth and creamy with a hint of sweet and smoky flavor.

Feeling overly caffeinated, Kopplin’s “warm lattes” are a not-to-be-missed delicious mixture of warm milk, honey and cinnamon. Or try one of their specialty teas - a 16 oz pot of ambrosial Teasource tea. And don’t forget to grab coffee’s best counterpart - an artisianly-crafted pastry from MPLS’ celebrated bakery, Rustica. Chose from orange flower water soaked brioches, flaky butter croissants or delectable scones.

Kopplin’s is the perfect choice for a Sunday afternoon or a lazy summer day. A cafe encouraging its patrons to slow down, sit back, relax and take a moment to smell the coffee.

Kopplin’s Coffee, 490 Hamline Ave. S. St. Paul, 651.698.0457

Under new management, this year’s Taste of MN has attempted to “reboot” its offerings from an impressive four-day musical line-up down to its most distinguishable staple - the food - and they appear to have nailed it. After spending the better half of the day at Taste with family and friends yesterday - gorging ourselves on the fest’s delicacies (for ‘research’, of course!) - I’ve compiled a mini-guide on the fare of the feté. Whether you’re carnivorous or vegetarian, calorie-counting or a slave to your sweet tooth, there’s a little something for everyone. Here’s a run-down of some of this year’s not-to-be-missed edibles:

There’s nothing more daunting than entering a food-focused festival famished. But unlike the granddaddy of all MN fests - the State Fair - Taste actually has several options that even your mother would consider “real food.” My advice: go local. Not only is the cuisine from vendors representing local restaurants more appealing by sight and scent, but a seemingly better value for your precious food tickets. Take Crave’s sushi rolls featuring small portions of raw fish favorites - complete with wasabi, soy and ginger accoutrements - and filling Asian noodle salads (ranging from 3 to 16 tickets), or Seven’s menu of edamame, carved beef sandwiches or chicken wings - two local restaurants that bring upscale dining to traditional carny grub.

Bacon enthusiasts and burger aficionados can unite over the Pig-Pen from South Minneapolis’ 5-8 Grill. Like its sister burger - the crowd-pleasing Juicy Lucy - the Pig-Pen is a hefty chuck stuffed with melted goodness - bacon cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles to be exact. As excited as you may be to bite into the hot-off-the-grill delight, I would suggest waiting for it to cool to cut down on messy cheese squirting and mouth burning - you’re gonna need those taste buds for later!

Another local vendor well-worth the stop is MPLS/St. Paul’s famed tequila bar & restaurant, Barrio. At just 8 tickets, Barrio’s traveling Taco Truck serves up the perfect light ‘n’ summery snack: pint-sized tacos. Chose from pork carnitas with Serrano chile salsa, chicken al pastor with avocado and habenero-pickled onions or fried mahi-mahi tacos with citrus-cucumber pico de gallo. Vegetarians must try the Mexican-style grilled corn with chipotle aioli - in lieu of the Fair standard corn-on-the-cob - or their delicious chips, salsa and homemade guac - a steal at just 4 tickets.

Greek fare from Holy Land and Falafel King represent more options for the vegetarian fest-goer, offering up treats like falafel on a stick and grape leaves on a stick (6 tickets), to the larger-portioned falafel sandwiches (16 tickets).

Holding off on beer as long as possible to avoid the sleepy mid-day buzz, isn’t hard with thirst-quenching alternatives such as the perfect blend of sour/sweet freshly squeezed lemonade (8 tickets, or 13 for a Jumbo) and yummy pearl-infused bubble tea from the dessert drink gurus at the Tea Garden (8 tickets).

Cream Cheese Comets, photo by Nikki Miller

While pastry sweets like the “cream cheese comets - wonton-like fried puffs filled with either strawberry or brown sugar-cinnamon cream cheese (12 tickets for two) - and Retch’s deep-fried cookie dough (12 tickets) caught my attention - especially with their “you can’t say no to cookie dough” slogan - I thwarted temptation. That is, until I broke down and got a batch of mini donuts from MN’s own Tom Thumb - best washed down with another local fave, an ice cream/soda confection from 1919 Root Beer Float. For a healthier dessert choice, head back to Crave for a refreshing slice of fresh watermelon.

Top it all off - if you can - with a fittingly American dessert, warm apple pie (8 tickets) served a la mode (+3) with cinnamon ice cream from the Rogers-based, Minneapple Pie.

With so much local flavor at your fingertips, save the funnel cakes and corn dogs for the State Fair and delight your taste buds with the ultimate Minnesota “taste.”

It’s not too late to get a Taste of the Taste. The Fourth of July festival continues until 10:30 p.m. tonight with food, music and entertainment. Bring plenty of cash and dig in!

Taste of Minnesota, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m., $20 in advance or before 4 p.m. or $30 after, $75-100 VIP, Free for ages 12 and under or 65+, eight food tickets for $5, Harriet Island, St. Paul, www.tasteofmn.com

Sometimes it’s a good thing to get greasy. Sometimes it’s a good thing to sink your teeth into a piece of food that will likely hurt your overall health. Not to mention your cholesterol score.

In my mind, nothing fits the bill for grease better than Minnesota’s own contribution to the burger world: the juicy lucy (or jucy lucy, depending on which Minneapolis bar you believe invented this animal of a sandwich). What is there not to love? Two thin patties of beef, stuffed with cheese and other goodies, then melded together to create a seamless burger filled with gooey goodness. I’m salivating as I write this. Grease is my weakness, and St. Paul just happens to be home to my version of kryptonite: the Juicy Blucy from The Blue Door Pub.

The signature burger at Merriam Park’s Blue Door Pub (1811 Selby Ave), the Juicy Blucy is stuffed with…yup, blue cheese. The concept sounds so simple, yet it is in the execution of this beautifully greasy idea that The Blue Door sets itself at the front of the pack.Good meat, good cheese, good buns and good, simple sides make The Blue Door a must stop in your St. Paul travels. The ambience, the staff and the flavorful juicies make it unbearably hard to leave hungry.

A tiny neighborhood pub just off Selby and Fairview, The Blue Door doesn’t feature fancy-pants menu items, slick lighting or waitstaff who moonlight as runway models. What The Blue Door does offer are the most creative adaptations of the classic cheese-stuffed juicy lucy that I’ve ever seen. Take the new Blucy special, the Ballpark Blucy. A half-pound of beef stuffed with cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese and white onions. Then topped with jalapeno sauce, tomato, celery salt and yellow mustard. Amazing. Snappy, salty, cheesy and grilled to perfection, the Ballpark Blucy takes the art of stuffing beef with cheese to another level.

From the Ballpark I next tried the Bacon Blucy, a classic cheddar and bacon stuffed experience that can only be described as decadent. And, maybe deadly. Delicious too, but you get the point. Another great interpretation of the juicy lucy form, the Bacon Blucy is tender, chewy and surprisingly delicious - without being over the top, a feat seemingly impossible to achieve when one takes everything tasty and unhealthy in a kitchen and stuffs it into a burger patty.

My final burger was the classic Mushroom Swiss Blucy, a well-adapted treat that felt lighter, somehow, than any of the other burgers I had eaten. Maybe I caught my second wind. Or maybe, the men behind The Blue Door have somehow figured out the magic equation that makes swiss cheese and mushrooms light. I doubt it, but denial makes me feel better after downing three massive burgers in one day.

Don’t fret, reader, for the Blue Door isn’t just a one-hit wonder. A great selection of sides, from cajun tater tots (sinfully delicious and well portioned so you don’t pig out too much) to classic french fries and really tasty beer-battered green beans. All the sides make great choices, but the tater tots take the cake for me. Crisp, salty, spicy and the perfect size for popping into the air and catching in one’s mouth, the Blue Door’s tater tots may be the potato version of heaven.

Grease is hard to get wrong in the restaurant world, yet very difficult to get right. The Blue Door Pub happens to be one of those places that gets it right. Be ready to eat. You won’t leave hungry.

The Blue Door Pub

1811 Selby Ave

651.493.1865

http://www.thebluedoorpubmn.com