Old Southern BBQ...Sweet!!!!

Old Southern BBQ

Old Southern BBQ

 

Well, well, well...the landscape has changed.

It's so hard to find something reasonable to eat in Shoreview and Arden Hills that isn't fast food or deep-fried.

I see a glimmer of hope.

Old Southern BBQ, a Dave Anderson family concept, has opened location #5 in Arden Hills (for once, we're not on the bottom on the list or NOT on the list at all).

A much smaller and more focused effort than Famous Dave's, with a better layout than any Dickey's BBQ I've ever been in, this place has some possibilities.

First, let's look at the cooking equipment rundown...NO deep fryer anywhere in the place.  Smokers and stoves--they're actually making some food here.

Old Southern BBQ Value

Second, prices. This place is affordable for lunch or for your family dining out after schools and sports and everything else that makes you say "there's no time to make dinner tonight."   

 

A pulled pork sandwich and a side for $7.99 is quite the deal.  Sides range from slaw to potato salad to potatoes (sweet or mashed) to beans...and even some things you might have found at Marianne's Kitchen...like pickled cukes (like refrigerator sweet pickles) or garbanzo & grilled veggie salad in vinaigrette.   On the catering side, you can grab 4 dz BBQ sliders for $1.99 each or go with a big party pack of ribs or BBQ tacos or BBQ sandwiches.  

Old Southern BBQ ... the menu

Third, options.  We like to start near the beginning of the menu....we can work our way through during our future visits.   So we both opted to start with a bowl ($7.99).   We started at the top with the Dixie and the last one on the list...the Memphis.   The bowls are based on mashed potatoes or rice, then offer an assortment ingredients from Jimmie Beans (think the flavor of Bush's), Party Corn!, red onions, slaw, etc. 

Old Southern BBQ -The Dixie

The Dixie:  think Mexican BBQ bowl...rice, jalapenos, tomatoes, corn, BBQ sour cream...and the twist, Jimmie Beans....then topped with pulled pork.   

 

Overall, we liked this bowl better than the Memphis...but we thought the texture of the rice detracted from the overall bowl.  It's like a carnitas bowl add baked beans.   All in all an interesting combo of flavors.

Old Southern BBQ - The Memphis

The Memphis:  mashed potatoes with cheddar and Jimmie beans, corn, red onion, tomatoes, BBQ sour cream, and the Memphis combo--brisket and sliced Texas link.  

 

Here we really liked the Texas link...we'd order that alone...great flavor and texture.   The chopped brisket added another layer of flavor.  The rest of the bowl was similar to the Dixie without some of the 'freshness' offered by the Dixie.   Here, the red onions were in pieces that we too big--they should have been chopped more finely.   The jalapenos in the Dixie were nice thin slices with the seeds removed---so jalapeno flavor without overwhelming the balance.

You can get a big garden salad, a sandwich and side, pitmaster platters, smokehouse 'packs' that serve 2 to 6 people plus meats by the pound.   Many areas of exploration for next time.

Verdict: Old Southern BBQ

Good enough that we'll return to work our way through the menu. 

Service  & Ambiance At Old Southern BBQ

The service was quick and friendly.   We had a nice chat with one of the management team-who the went to the kitchen and rubbed pounds and pounds and pounds of meats to prep for the smoker.   The newly trained staff had absorbed their customer service training and gave great service.  And since they've been open less than a week, no one was burned out--we hope the optimism and cheerful dispositions continue!

The interior was pretty BBQ standard...corrugated, but painted in good colors, flag inspired tables, high and dining height seating options, Lift Bridge beer as a beverage option in addition to soft drinks and iced tea.

 

Final Thoughts on Old Southern BBQ

My reservations so far....it appears they use Smithfield meats.   Years ago that would have been seen as a positive.  But Smithfield is now a Chinese-owned company, so wished instead that  Old Southern BBQ was supporting local farmers and local products.  Times have changed, and the expectations for local food and fresh options means they should be upping their game from the get-go.  Since they only have 5 locations, maybe they'll look at their local roots (MN and WI) and change their sourcing model to bring jobs and business to local producers and local farm families...supporting rural  communities in the states where they operate restaurants.  Perhaps you'd all like to suggest that to them when you visit.  It would be a good test of their customer responsiveness!

Give 'em a try....great to have another option on Lexington Avenue...in the new addition to the Lexington Station development (which will be adding 2 more buildings in the future).

 

Old Southern BBQ

 

Lake Elmo Coffee << Fills East Metro Gap

Lake Elmo Coffee - Great East Metro Option

We have our favorite metro coffee destinations.  None of them are the name brand places.  Most tend to be hidden away gems on Hennepin, West Seventh, Central, etc., the kind of places that lack a drive-thru, where people sit and chat, often with strangers.

The east metro is a bit short of those real options.  We were delighted to come upon Lake Elmo Coffee recently.  They've been around for a year or so and based upon our first visit their future looks good. 

Lake Elmo Coffee ... and Food!!

All day breakfast is high of people's expectations these days and Lake Elmo Coffee came through with the Beetnik Bagel and a Breakfast Sandwich.

The Beetnik Bagel included cream cheese, pesto, greens and beets.  The combination of cream cheese and beets was a new spin on enjoying beets.  The bagel was fresh , flavorful and unlike the 'tough to get a bite' versions most often found. Using spicy pickled beets would bring this sandwich to greatness.

The Breakfast Sandwich put most to shame with a real egg, maple bacon, ham and real cheese on a nicely toasted English muffin.  The addition of a side of sliced strawberries was a surprise.

We started off with scone that appeared to be baked on-premise.  It looked dense and heavy but was flavorful but more moist than expected. 

The Mocha and Cold Brew pairings completed our breakfast.

Lake Elmo Coffee Ambience and Service

Seating includes tables and soft options around a fireplace.  Were it not 28 degrees there was also outside seating available.  The high ceiling space is warm and casual, not particularly loud.  Overall it was welcoming.  

Prompt service accompanied by a sense of humor (John asked if they had marital counselors on site) means we will be back. 

Nick's Diner in Cannon Falls for Comfort Food

Nick's Diner in Cannon Fall...Good Stop For Comfort Food!!

Last week we headed to Cannon Falls to Ferndale Market to stock up on all things 'turkey' which was a good reason to stop in town for lunch at Nick's Diner (also known as Nick's Downtown Diner).

The Food At Nick's Diner

We went right to the comfort food on this cold November day. Linda opted for the chicken pot pie served in a bowl, topped with an herbed puff pastry square with plenty for another meal later in the day.

John was indecisive, but all along wanted the meatloaf.  It was flavorful and moist because of that old fashioned ketchup glaze that carmelized while baking. The skin-on mashed red potatoes were a delight in texture and flavor over the standard mashed spuds.  Grilled nicely, the Texas Toast was far better than the expected standard white bread.  The gravy appeared to be from a can and could have used drippings from the meatloaf to bring out a homemade flavor.



The treat was the unexpected side of green beans with Asian sauce drizzle...we'd go back right now if  there was an 'all you can eat' green bean option.  

The Ambience

This cafe uses a classic, old space re-done, high-lighted with architectural items reminisient of America's past, cafes adjacent to gas stations.  Simply stated it's cozy with windows on two sides, wood floors and an overall comfortable feel.  Seating is spaced so that you have some privacy but you get a sense of other conversations...small town-like.

The Staff

John narrowed his choices down to two or three items, was wavering, and just asked the waitperson to pick without telling him ahead of time.  "Oh, that's going to be fun and I know exactly what I'm going to pick" was the enthusiastic response.  John was giving off meatloaf vibes.

Overall Rating At Nick's Diner

At Marianne's Kitchen a nice family regularly brought their children in for lunch. They wanted them to know that there are places where the owners and employees are genuine and the food is real.  Their return visits were one of the best compliments that we ever received.

We put Nicks's Diner and their staff and their food pretty high on the 'genuine' list.  It's the real deal.

 

Trio Plant-Based Dinner on Lake Street

Trio Plant-Based on Lake Street

We made our first visit to Trio Plant-based on Lake Street near Hiawatha in Minneapolis.  Info on their origin, menus and deals are available on their website and on Facebook.

Trio Plant-Based, appropriately named, serves a completely plant-based menu, using 'meat' from the Herbivorous Butcher and plant-based 'cheez'.

Great space with many windows to watch the activity on Lake Street, interesting wallpaper, plant-green molded chairs and a hint of 'industrial' decor.

John went with the big meal,  the soul platter (you can mix and match a variety of sides), and I opted for the soup and sandwich combo, but replaced the soup with their already famous spaghettrios!

Grilled Cheese & Spaghettrios

My sandwich choice was grilled 'cheez'...made with vegan cheese on a nice crusty bread.   I've had some vegan 'cheese' in the past that wasn't particularly tasty or was off-putting.   This was delish.  The sandwich was a perfectly made grilled 'cheez' with crunch and ooey-gooeyness.   The spaghettrios taste exactly like spaghettios...so they've managed to capture that taste of childhood in a vegan dish.   Great work!

Trio Plant-Based Soul Platter

John's soul food platter included ribs from the Herbivorous butcher, collard greens and cornbread with maple 'butter' on top.  John thought the sauce on the ribs was a bit harsh and the 'meat' texture a bit grainy.   It's hard to top our great meal last year at the Howe on Minnehaha south of Lake Street where

they perfected the presentation of the 'meat' from the Herbivorous Butcher.   This one fell a bit short of expectations.   The cornbread was okay (John says "not corny enough"); I loved the maple 'butter' on top.   We both agreed the collards were over-the-top salty...we mentioned it to our server and she returned with a fresh batch for us to take home.   

Trio Plant-Based Peach Cobbler

A complimentary dessert was offered to make up for the salty collards but we'd ordered a peach cobbler which was large enough to share. The offer of another dessert was appreciated.  The bowl had plenty of peaches and a nice level of peachy spicing.

Overall, we felt that the choices were much more grain-based that we anticipated.   We had been hoping for more veggies in various forms.

But, the good news, right after our visit, one of the owners responded to a request for 'more veggie' and created a beautiful plate of sweet potato and black bean lettuce wraps.  The picture was so tempting that lots of us asked them to add this dish. Voila...it's now on the menu!!!

I think more veggie-based options are on the horizon.  That will extend the current basic menu and add a variety of interesting textures and flavors.

Mac 'n Cheese Next Time at Trio

As we finished up our meals several other tables filled up.  We always look to the 'regulars' to see what they are ordering.  All four millenials ordered the soul platter with mac 'n cheese.  That's a great recommendation.

We look forward to our next visit to see what the new items will be.   I'm sure we'll pair them with a comforting bowl of spaghettrios!!!!

Coffee Bene - Feels Pretty Corporate. Sad. Nothing Special.

Coffee Bene - Striving to be special.

A bit overbooked,  I was reluctant when Linda suggested a drive to Coffee Bene.  Perhaps recognizing that early morning fatigue could be offset with caffeine, I finally agreed.  Located near St. Thomas we passed a pretty big 'Tommie' backyard house party at 10 AM.  Well organized, we could see the iconic red plastic cups and a Satellite and a hundred enthusiastic college students.  I would have preferred hanging out with the college kids.

Parking is a bit of a challenge but we found a spot right behind the building.  Coffee Bene's website promotes their orginal maple floor, wood wainscoating, fireplace, paint, etc.  From an ambience perspective it was OK but nothing special.

Ordering at the counter we took a quick look at the pastry, baked onsite, looked at each other and without discussion put that on the 'skip' list.

A small placard on the counter described six or seven breakfast sandwiches.  We chose the Greatest Breakfast Sandwich Ever! and the Southwestern Breakfast Sandwich.

The Food

Greatest Breakfast Sandwich Ever!<<caution

The sandwich name is misleading.  The croissant was flakey and buttery.  The egg patty was wet.  The cheese was non-descript.  Somewhere in there was a small piece of red pepper.

Southwestern Breakfast Sandwich

It remains unclear what was 'southwest' about this sandwich.  The cibatta bread was nice, airy with a pleasant crust.

Generally we felt the sandwiches to be a slight step better than convenience store breakfast choices.

The Drinks
Espresso Con Pana  Fine, but the coffee was a bit bitter.

Cafe Mocha  Over the top sweet.

The Service
The drinks and food were prepared quite quickly.  When set on the counter they call out what it is and you go back up to pick them yourself.  No one seemed particularly interested that we were there; that set the tone for the experience.

Conclusion:  The Tommies lost today to The Johnnies but a nice tribute was paid to John Gargliardi.

Home Street Home Cafe ... Comfort Food on a Tough Day

Home Street Hone comfort food!

Psychologically difficult day (SCOTUS), so a good time to indulge in a fabulous locally-sourced dinner.

Home Street Home Cafe
Blue Stuffed Burger

I’m having the Banh Mi salad & John is splur (ging on the blue stuffed burger (made from wonderful beef ground in-house) with grilled red peppers & onions, havarti, & house-made ketchup. 

Home Street Home Cafe
Banh Mi Salad

My salad has mixed greens, slow-roasted pork, cilantro, jalapeño, cucumber, pickled carrots & daikon, & creamy cilantro-sriracha dressing.

Everything house-made here; love the lemony vinaigrette from this outstanding kitchen.

Great food and great conversation with Destiny and Elicia at Home Street Home Cafe turns a rainy night into a great evening.

Airport Food at MSP|MKT Humphrey Terminal

MSP!MKT at the Twin Cities Humphrey Terminal

MSP|MKT Humphrey Terminal

Airports have really upgraded food options.  Gone are the day of hot dogs and bad pre-wrapped sandwiches.  Terminal 2, the Humphrey Terminal, is the smaller of the two departure/arrival facilities at the Twin Cities International Airport.  On a recent morning we were headed out on a quick trip  to California to have dinner; that's another story.

Although cutting it a bit tight on time, the traffic was light and the TSA security went quickly despite John's 100% rate of being pulled aside for more scanning and patdowns.  This offered thirty minutes for something quick.  Away from the other food services, MPS|MKT offers 'anything between bread' ... or it might be 'everything between bread.'  At Marianne's Kitchen, Linda and Anne took the venture far beyond a basic egg sandwich setting a high standard.  The expectations for 'airport food' at MSP|MKT were low.

MSP|MKT Pastrami & Egg

The pastrami and egg sandwich reminded me of Marianne's Kitchen.  The friendly staff said it would be five minutes.  Obviously many customers cut things close in boarding.  Her question was very thoughtful and respectful.  The sandwich arrived in five minutes.  Bigger than I expected the egg was nicely fried and served with a totally adequate amount of pastrami on a lightly floured bun.  The only criticism was the lack of napkins which complicated the slightly too much sauce situation.

Grab and go sandwiches and salads, labelled 'made just before you arrived here' looked fine and fresh fruit and fruit cups were also available.  The flatbreads were enticing but it was morning and it seemed it should start with an egg.

MSP|MKT Flatbread

The egg and pastrami sandwich and orange juice was around $13, reflective of airport pricing.  The staff was friendly, it was clean and helped set the stage of a long day of sitting on an airplane.

MSP|MKT Humphrey Terminal

You Can Get All You Want At Alice's Restaurant

You Can Get All You Want At Alice's Restaurant

It's 1967 in small town Minnesota, Albert Lea to be exact.  Late at night you could pull in WLS from Chicago, and really late you received a static-filled dose of 1960's counter-culture on 'Beaker Street' hosted by Clyde Clifford.  Music, Viet Nam, President Johnson, Haight-Asbury and Arlo Guthrie's long, iconic song, Alice's Restaurant.

Today we visited Alice's Restaurant on Skyline Blvd in Woodside, CA.  The drive up from the San Francisco Bay area through the redwoods and into the foothills was a scenic delight.

As we pulled into Woodside both sides of the rodes were filled with cars, motorcycles, hikers, tourists and mountain bikes.  We saw the sign and all simultaneously exclaimed "Alice's Restaurant!  Arlo Guthrie!  Let's stop."

There was a twenty minute wait but with all the people even waiting was a worthwhile event.  The inside and outside seating, strangers chatting and beautiful weather all put together was  'California cool'...it was all mellow.

The atmosphere turned out to be much better than the food but the 'experience' could not have occurred elsewhere.  The biscuits and gravy with one egg was a disappointment other than the gravy.  The locally grown organic kale salad with pine

nuts and house-made avocado vinegrette was lacking in vinegrette.  A handful of chips, a small coleslaw and house-made bourban barbeque sauce accompanied the pulled pork sandwich which was the best  choice of the three.

But as we said this is a stop about the experience, not the food.

Now the bad news.  Woody Guthrie's song was released in 1967 on his first album of the same name, Alice's Restaurant.  This Alice's Restaurant was purchased by Alice Taylor in the 1960s and renamed after herself and Guthrie's song.  It was a famous stop long before it was called Alice's Restaurant.

White Castle Vegan!!! Wow!!

White Castle Has A Vegan Slider!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Almost everyone grabs some fast food (questionable if it's food) once in a while.  After a challenging few weeks John caved and suggested going to White Castle.

White Castle Vegan Slider by Impossible Foods

Oh, my, were we surprised.  White Castle is now offering their plant based Impossible Slider.  Skip the smoked cheddar cheese and it's vegan. White Castle buns have been vegan since 2015.  The patty is produced by Impossible Foods.  The flavor was good, (better than the standard White Castle slider),  it had great texture and really made us wish we'd ordered more; it is like most White Castle sliders, small.

Impossible Foods has a big goal of saving the planet by offering plant based food alternatives to traditional meat, which is an environmental disaster (even with hurricane rains overflowing the Carolina hog waste ponds).

We also ordered our standard double cheeseburger with ketchup which was just fine as sliders go.

Holman's Table ... St. Paul Airport Dining

Holman's Table ... St. Paul Airport Dining

"Eat, Drink & Depart" 

Finally, downtown St. Paul at lunch time...picking someone up from Jury Duty (his third chance...maybe he'll get a trial this time).

So, we flew across the river to Holman's Table at the airport!

I have so many wonderful memories of Holman Field...from penny-a-pound plane rides way back when or my dad hiring a pilot and plane a few times to circle the Twin Cities on a Sunday

afternoon...nothing but great experiences.

I love the building (Holman Field History)...and now I love the comfortable decor at Holman's Table.

Holman's Table Ambience

Seating at a high, snuggly booth was cozy on a cool rainy day.   Quite a few people enjoying late lunch...a mix of people in business attire and many seniors laughing it up at tables all across the room.

Holman's Table Dining

The lunch menu includes some starters, fairly standard salad and sandwich options, plus pasta.   Surveying other tables, it looked like the sandwiches were big with mountains of fries.   Maybe something a little more fresh....and maybe not deep-fried.

The harvest salad includes mixed greens, chopped apples, pepitas, craisins, & parmesan, dressed with vinagrette.   We'd have to describe this as a pretty common salad these days....greens with some fall fruit and seeds or nuts.   
Here, John and I had the exact same response instantly.   We said, simultaneously, this salad would be much better with Destiny's bright lemon vinaigrette from Home Street Home Cafe.   The vinaigrette actually on this salad was not very exciting and suffered from being terribly salty.   At first we thought the salt was from the pepitas or just the saltiness of the parmesan.  But each bite of a green leaf brought a lasting saltiness that ensured we drank our daily requirement of water.  

Our main course was a difficult choice...pesto pasta or duck ragout with ricotta gnocchi and topped with parmesan (there are 2 other choices, as well).   It's hard to pass up duck...so we didn't.    The ricotta gnocchi were rich with great ricotta texture and a nice exterior....excellent in the tomato ragout.   We loved that the veggies in the ragu still held a little crispness..difficult with a fine dice,

but well-executed here.   The duck was moist and succulent...and there was a good portion of duck.   Topped with a crisped dill sprig that brought a soothing aroma to the table, overall we'd rate the dish as quite good.   The only problem was that, like the salad, someone in the kitchen has a heavy hand with the salt.   There was nearly enough salt in the cheese to accent the dish, with perhaps a dash in the ragout.   By putting a more salty ragout with the parmesan, the resulting saltiness was a distraction.  Otherwise, we loved the idea and the preparation of the parts.

Holman's Table Service

Our server was friendly and efficient.   He checked on our level of lunch enjoyment and we mentioned that while the dishes were good, we found both overly salty.   He thanked us for the feedback...and returned shortly to offer us a dessert on the House.   We declined the generous offer...but appreciated the great customer service.  

Conclusion: Holman's Table 

A comfortable lunch experience on a rainy day, thinking about memories of past fun, and enjoying lunch served by attentive staff.   The topper would have been taking the time to follow the sign in the lobby to sign up for a helicopter ride...there are 3 options based on the radius they fly.   Next time, for sure.