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Cheeky Monkey Deli is a cozy place in the Cathedral Hill Neighborhood to get a cup of coffee, pen your next memoir or meet the gals for book club. When you walk in the wall colors are red, the room is open and the wood is dark giving the place a modern clubby feel mixed with cheeky London old world pub. The first thing you notice upon entering is a glass bakery case that greets you with pies and baked goods. Further into the room is a gas lit fireplace with cozy leather couches and chairs that you could sink into with a book for the afternoon.  But wait… its gets better. Not only can you write your next novel at this coffee shop or get into the latest book – you can eat full service lunch and dinner.

This is not your average coffee house fare.  Cheeky Monkey has delicious soups and salads, which you would expect, but also a very interesting sandwich menu. Try the Nutella and banana sandwich on a toasted English muffin or my personal favorite the Cubano. The Cubano has  cumin scented roasted pork, smoked ham, swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, mayo and delicious house made briny pickles all pressed together in a warm lovely crunchy ciabatta roll. The house made salt and pepper potato chips are really worth the trip alone. They are served alongside a blue cheese dipping sauce that is thick and chunky with bits of blue. These amazing little morsels are crisp, crackling and salty. I think potato chips might be the world’s most perfect food.

Dinner at Cheeky Monkey was a little more neighborhood bistro than coffee shop. The menu was ambitious and featured lots of seasonal ingredients and simply prepared comfort food amped up and with a twist. You can have braised beef pot roast, chicken, cheve and rosemary macaroni and cheese, star prairie trout with a horseradish cream and maple rosemary glazed chicken served with roasted root vegetables and Andouille sausage with braised greens that were spicy and fresh tasting with the perfect amount of heat. The chicken was perfectly cooked. It was juicy, tender and had a maple sweet glaze that coated the skin and flavored the roasted vegetables served alongside with a sweet and salty hit. The highlight at our table had to be the Gluten Free hazelnut pot de crème that tasted like a thick chewy brownie with fresh whip cream and the house favorite – a triple coconut cream pie. The crust was flaky, the custard rich and the whip cream piled high. If you like coconut this is a pie to check out. It was rich, decadent and we loved it.

So whether you are in the mood for a quick cup of coffee, a leisurely dinner with girlfriends or a quick sandwich that will be fast but nowhere near fast food check out Cheeky Monkey Deli on Selby Avenue.

Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and featuring a Saturday and Sunday Brunch from 10-2 in the Cathedral Hill Neighborhood at 525 Selby Avenue, St Paul MN 55102. 651-224-6066 or www.cheekymonkeydeli.com

With MNfashion Week kicking off early this weekend, it’s no surprise there happen to be a ton of stylish events happening in St. Paul this week. After all, Minneapolis isn’t the only Twin City with a happening fashion scene.

Thursday: An Evening at Eastcliff

Looks from Amanda Christine's Fall 2009 collection / Image by Nic Marshall / Styling by Eclecticoiffeur

The Friends of St. Paul’s Goldstein Museum of Design are behind this official MNfashion Week event at the beautiful home and gardens of the President of the University of Minnesota. Two local fashion designers, Amanda Christine and Allison Quinnell (both of which were featured in Voltage 2009), will share a selection of their Fall 2009 collections as guests sip wine and take in a rare opportunity to take in the surroundings at Eastcliff. Since space is limited, be sure to RSVP for entry to gmd@umn.edu. (6-8 p.m. Free. 176 N. Mississippi River Blvd., St. Paul. 612-627-6800.)

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