As a Twin Cities-based blogger and food writer, there's one question that I hate more than any other: "What's your favorite restaurant?" Immediately, my mind goes blank and I forget everywhere I've ever eaten. Typically I stammer out the first place that pops into my head, and my questioner inevitably looks disappointed.
Hidden entrances, secret passwords, strong drinks: once an illicit way obtain alcohol during Prohibition, a century later, speakeasies have been reimagined as stylish spaces to enjoy craft cocktails. As I mentioned in my post about the best distilleries in the Twin Cities, I am very much a cocktail person, and speakeasies appeal to my love of history and penchant for the dramatic.
Chanhassen Dinner Theatres is serving up 1950s nostalgia, romantic comedy, and beloved tunes like "We Go Together" and "Greased Lightening" in their current production of Grease. Inspired by the 1972 play and the 1978 Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta film adaptation, the story of retro teenage romance has timeless appeal, whether you know all the songs by heart or you're encountering Danny, Sandy, and the Pink Ladies for the first time.
Seven years after quitting my paralegal job, things are still chugging along at Stacy Inc. Over the past few years, I've settled into a groove of covering the Twin Cities food scene for the Heavy Table, Eater Twin Cities (recently reorganized as Eater Midwest), and Racket; writing about food and travel for various web publications; a part-time paralegal gig; and copywriting work for clients in the tourism industry (although that aspect of my work has decreased over time for a variety of reasons).
Afternoon tea is fun treat, with fancy china, tiered trays of beautiful desserts, and often, a unique, historic setting. Ready to settle in for an afternoon of tea, treats, and conversation? Here's where you can find afternoon tea in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the Twin Cities suburbs.
There's a good reason Minnesota's football team is named the Vikings—the state is home to more Nordic-Americans than any other state. About 28 percent of Minnesotans, or over 1.6 million people, have Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, and/or Icelandic heritage. Even if you don't have Nordic roots, Minnesota's wooded landscapes and chilly winters evoke the Nordic countries, and Nordic-inspired cuisine, minimalist design, and hygge appeal to people of all backgrounds.
I love compiling my annual "best things I ate" post because it's a chance to relive the year's most memorable moments. 2024 included trips to Japan and Montreal, an exquisite kaiseki meal and Laotian feast in Minneapolis, and everyday delights like a top-notch plate of truffle fries and an amazing chocolate croissant. Here are the culinary highlights of my very tasty 2024.
You may have spotted Jono Pandolfi Designs dinnerware on season 3 of The Bear. You might have noticed the mention in Wirecutter's review of the best dinnerware sets. Maybe you've even seen it on this blog, serving as a backdrop for kimchi fried rice. Jono Pandolfi ceramic stoneware has a minimal, modern feel and was originally designed for restaurant use.
I know that fried rice is typically a dish thrown together with leftover rice and whatever vegetables and proteins you have on hand, but I can't handle that sort of ambiguity. I didn't actually get around to making kimchi fried rice—despite my longtime love of kimchi and rice—until I sat down and wrote a recipe.
Some people love beer, others prefer wine, but my drink of choice is a craft cocktail—I think that's due to the fact that I didn't really start drinking alcohol until my late 20s. My favorite place to enjoy craft cocktails is straight from the source: at a local micro distillery. Minnesota is home to over 30 micro distilleries, which typically have tasting rooms where you can purchase cocktails, tasting flights, and bottles of spirits.
This is my 12th annual summer recap post—I've been writing them every September since 2013. They've become a nostalgic throwback to a time when blogging was a more personal medium, when the text...
On a recent trip to Montreal, I discovered an amazing Canadian invention: all dressed potato chips. The flavor combines a bunch of common chip flavors into one, and instead of tasting weird or muddled...
Montreal is often pitched to U.S. travelers as a budget-friendly alternative to Paris: plenty of French cuisine and culture, a cosmopolitan feel, a charming historic district. But as Josh and I discovered on our weeklong trip to Canada's second-biggest city, Montreal isn't a European knockoff—it has a Quebecois appeal all its own. From poutine to pastries, here are my favorite things I ate in Montreal.
Ramen, sushi, udon, tempura, mochi—Japan has an incredibly rich cuisine, with specialties that are popular worldwide. As I planned my trip to Japan, I knew that dining would be a highlight, but I wasn't expecting Japanese food culture to be such a multi-sensory experience. Meals are carefully prepared and presented, often featuring a balanced assortment of dishes. The quality of food (at all price points) was noticeably better than the U.S., and we were constantly impressed by how delicious everything tasted.
On our first few journeys along the Road to Hāna, Mike and I skipped the banana bread stands along the route. It seemed like a novelty for people who never made homemade banana bread, and I'm an avid...
I love numbers and baking, so Pi Day is my kind of holiday. As you may recall from geometry class, pi is a circle's circumference divided by its diameter. If you go out to two decimal places, pi...
Singer-songwriter Carole King is a musical icon: she wrote or co-wrote 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100, has won four Grammy awards, and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame not once but twice, both as a performer and as a songwriter. You can learn more about her career and personal life—and enjoy dozens of her songs—at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres with Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
Disney World is much more than an assortment of rides—each section (or "land") of the theme parks is intended to transport you somewhere magical, whether that's a Parisian streetscape or a galaxy far, far away. The theming also carries over to the decor and menus of Disney World's restaurants.
Disney's Art of Animation Resort is like stepping into a Disney or Pixar animated movie—obviously, it's a great base for your Disney World vacation if you're a kid. However, Mike and I discovered that the Art of Animation is an excellent resort for grownups, too.
I recently updated the head shot over on my writing portfolio site, as well as on this blog. For the past six years, I'd been using a photo from the law firm I used to work for—I got a new head shot...
