World Street Kitchen

It's not the fault of World Street Kitchen that their cuisine didn't live up to my expectations, considering the fact that everybody who talks about it describes it as the most amazing culinary experience in the Twin Cities. When you go in expecting to be amazed, just being mildly impressed is turned into a disappointment. But I liked it ok. I thought it was pretty good. I'll probably even go back again, if only to give them another chance to amaze me. But I didn't love it, and I can't say I really understand the hype.

The place is nice, in that stripped down, retro kind of way where the ceiling's pipes are exposed and everything is unpainted wood. This is what every new restaurant looks like these days, and that's fine because it must be saving the restrauant industry millions of dollars on paint and varnish. Then again, I bet some construction companies charge extra to give restaurants that less is more feel. Anyway, I do like that look and thought that WSK's space was attractive and well designed, but they should get better chairs. Skimp on the paint and the ceiling, but make sure your chairs have cushions.

The service is one of those order at the counter, get a number, then wait for your food to come kind of deals. That's fine with me, although when they are busy I get stressed out because I hate having to order food before I am guaranteed I'll have a table, doubly so at a place that has a big sign that says to order before claiming a table. But feel free to disregard that sign because, frankly, that's unenforceable and too much to ask of soon to be paying customers. But when my sister Tanya and I went on a Thursday evening, the place had a nice crowd, but plenty of tables and booths to go around. The server behind the counter looked like every other hipster in every other Uptown Eatery, but she had a lovely smile and she was very friendly and helpful.

For my meal I got the guacamole appetizer and a Yum Yum Rice bowl with chicken, broccoli, and shiitake mushrooms. Tanya got a Yum Yum rice bowl with Korean BBQ short ribs and kimchi. Mine was ok, hers was better. A friend of hers recommended the yum yums, but with the caveat that we asked for the sauce on the side. Tanya did just that, but I did not. Perhaps this is why hers was better, but perhaps it's just that beef always trumps chicken. Anyway, mine had too much sauce, which was way too rich and way too salty. Even with the sauce on the side, Tanya's was also too salty. The flavors were good and the ingredients went well together, but yeah... too salty. And order the sauce on the side.

The guacamole was good, if bland, but it came topped with edamame and pickled onions, which I found off-putting. I don't like edamame, and they certainly have no place with guacamole, and since they are identical in color they were hard to avoid. The chips were homemade and fantastic, however, and probably the best part of the meal. That's not a knock at the other selections, that's just how good these chips were. I dunno if they have salsa, but if so, I'd try that next time.

They also have a decent tap selection, but I'm off drinking so I didn't peruse it. I got a can of soda, which was fine, but at a place like this, they really should have fountain drinks available. I finished my can before the food came, and I wasn't about to buy another one. Have a fountain so I can get refills.

Anyway, that's World Street Kitchen, a very nice little restaurant with an interesting menu and great service, but not one that I'm going to rush back to anytime soon... but I will probably amble back there eventually.

JJ's Coffee + Wine Bistro

Uptown has another coffee shop, which at this point seems about as ridiculous as Uptown getting another Thai restaurant, condo development, douche bar, or a third outdoorsy sportswear store sandwiched in between the Timberland and the Northface. At this point, Uptown Minneapolis must be rivaled only by Seattle and Portland for having the highest number of coffee shops per capita, and since almost all of them are truly exceptional, any newbies are going to have to really struggle to not only distinguish themselves, but to justify their very existence. Well, JJ's Coffe + Wine Bistro opened maybe a couple months ago so I just tried it last Friday, and I've been back every morning since then.

JJ's doesn't just prove itself worthy of trying to sell coffee in the Hipster capital of America, but it pretty much ups the game for all Uptown coffee shops. Anyway, I have a new favorite place to hang out in the mornings.

Maybe it isn't even fair to compare JJ's to other coffee shops since it defines itself as a "coffee + wine bistro," whatever that means. I guess it means they don't just sell coffee, but wine, beer, and food as well. So far, I've only come in the mornings so I haven't had a chance to try out their evening selection, but if it's anything like the morning, I'm sure it's pretty cool. To begin with, this is the most beautiful coffee shop I've ever seen, so much so that I actually felt a little intimidated and uncomfortable the first time I walked in. I mean, it doesn't look like a coffee shop, but like some kind of bar you'd find on the lower east side of Manhattan, and I almost expected to turn a corner and see Woody Allen sipping a martini with Spaulding Grey. That's what happens in New York, right? Who's Spaulding Grey? Anyway, everything is shiny (even the wood) and sparkling and clean, with tables along the all glass window wall that faces Lake Calhoun and various hidden booths that are placed in the walls like little nooks. There's even a widescreen TV up on the wall, and their menus are actually vertically hung widescreen tvs as well. That's some fancy stuff right there. You order at a counter that is a little awkwardly placed in the middle of the bar, so there isn't much space to line up, but luckily there has only been a line once.

And the patio is awesome. The chairs are ridiculously comfortable (why are patio chairs almost always horrific?) and the space itself is long and thin so there is a lot of room for tables but you still don't feel as though people are right on top of you. It is also right across the street from Lake Calhoun, so while the view isn't exactly breathtaking, it's quite lovely. 

The service so far has ranged from ok to great. The best service I received from a young Asian woman who was exceedingly polite and helpful and a taller dark haired gentleman with (I think) a mustache and goatee. My other encounters with the servers here left me thinking they were maybe a little bored or otherwise unengaged, which is fine and better than being rude. I also had my dish taken away once by a very beautiful girl wearing a batman t-shirt, but that was the full extent of our interaction, but like Mr. Bernstein's monologue in Citizen Kane, not a day will go by that I won't think about that girl.

The food is unexceptional, but still very good. The first time I came I got a breakfast burrito that was serviceable but boring, and came with a side of salsa that tasted like Pace. That's fine because I like Pace, but I wouldn't recommend it. On my second visit I got a caramel apple fritter that the server suggested I try warm, and it was very good. It didn't taste like it was freshly made nor did it really distinguish itself as something I couldn't get ay any other coffee shop in town, but again... it was a caramel apple fritter so it was good.

(Interjection: For what it's worth, a woman at a table near me just said to her friend, "I don't know where they get their baked goods, but they should switch." But these women actually dragged three tables and put them together lengthwise in the middle of the patio effectively blocking anybody's passage around their group, so clearly they're idiots.)

On my third visit (this morning), I got a breakfast sandwich and it was pretty great. I ordered the "Southwestern" which is an egg sandwich that comes topped with cheese, red and green peppers, and mushrooms, but I think I actually received the "Fargo," which is basically the same thing only without the mushrooms. I'm not sure if I was charged for the more expensive one or not, but it's only a quarter and I didn't really care either way since it was a very tasty breakfast sandwich. As far as these things go, it was probably the best "egg mcmuffin" style sandwich I've had in a coffee shop that wasn't actually a full-on restaurant. This isn't going to beat what you'd get at Common Roots, but I still recommend it highly.

Oh, and since this place is a coffee shop, I suppose I'd better get around to talking about their coffee. Every time I'd come I've gotten something called 494 Blend (I think that's the name) and it's just about the best cup of coffee I've ever had. They don't use a clover or any other type of single cup brewing system nor do I know anything about their roasting and grinding, but this is still an exceptional cup of coffee, and it's the main reason I've come back every day. And, really, everything else aside, a damn good cup of coffee is all any coffee shop really needs.

I say... check it out.

Prime Bar

(This restaurant has closed)

First there was Figlio, a long-standing Calhoun Square staple that was beloved by all in Uptown, had great food, a killer happy hour, and good service. Of course, because it was popular, the management company Parasole (I think) closed it, gutted it, and rebranded it as the phenomenally dismal Il Gatto. Il Gatto was everything that Figlio wasn't: It was dark, dank, had a crummy menu, and was always claustrophobic, and not because it was every crowded, but because the layout was terrible. If you wanted to get happy hour (which wasn't very good to begin with), you had to sit in the tiny bar area at the center of the restaurant, far removed from any windows or views of the outside world. I'd imagine this bar was popular only with sailors used to living in a submarine.

Needless to say, Il Gatto didn't make it, freeing up the prime location for somebody else to swoop in, with the appropriately named Primebar. It's too soon to tell if it will replace Figlio (and the still mysteriously absent Independent) in the hearts and memories of Uptown drunks, but after five seconds I already preferred it to Il Gatto.

Not sure if I've mentioned this yet, but Il Gatto really, really sucked.

To begin with, Primebar is lovely, with big windows that look out on Lake Street, making the new space even brighter and more open than Figlio was. It wasn't the most stunning or striking restaurant I've ever seen, but it was nice and well designed and the best this space has looked in years. For whatever reasons Uptown's restaurants and bars tend to be dungeonous and dank and cavernous, so I always applaud a place that actually allows some sunlight and fresh air inside. I didn't notice any patio seating, but that's ok with me since the tables on the sidewalk next to Lake street was always awful at the previous establishments. I'd much rather sit inside at a window than right on the sidewalk where buses zoom past, bikers knock into me, and those green vest charity beggars hound people for their credit card numbers.

I met my sister at 5:00 on Sunday evening to take advantage of their happy hour that runs from 3-7 Sunday through Thursday. I knew about the happy hour because I looked it up on their website, not because they have it posted anywhere. In fact, as of yet they don't even have a menu posted outside their door, which I find to be appalling. That's kind of a breach of restaurant etiquette 101. It wasn't desolate but not crowded either, and we got a table immediately, near a window and in view of at least three widescreen TVs hanging around the place all showing the Olympics. I love the Olympics and really like being able to check out a TV or two during dinner or happy hour, but if you're one of those people who hates TVs in bars, well... get over it already.

The happy hour menu itself was good for food but lacking for drinks. Well, lacking for beers anyway, since there were only two selections, one is Premium and the other is a rotating "manager's choice" selection, both for $2. Their tap beer selection is astoundingly good, so it's a real shame that their choices for happy hour are confined to one that is really mediocre and another that's a wildcard. I'd rather pay a little more than $2 and have a better selection of beers I'd actually like. There's also wine and well drinks available, but those might be a mixed bag as well. My sister got a gin and tonic that came totally flat. The waitress was understanding and apologetic and exchanged it immediately... with another gin and tonic that was just as flat. I'm not sure if that was a failure on the part of the waitress or the bartender, but that's pretty bad.

The food, however, was great and very well priced. We shared a few dishes, all of which were tasty and mostly made up for the weak drinks.

The pork sliders were pretty big and succulent, but be warned that they come topped with slaw. I used to live in the south so I'm used to BBQ coming smothered in slaw, and this was actually darn good slaw. I'd get these again.

The carnitas tacos were just as good and probably had the same pork, but that's ok because it was delicious. You got two with a side of salsa, both of which were covered with onion, avocado, and cheese (which I picked off because I'm not eating cheese this month).

The deviled eggs were plentiful and about as good as you'll ever get, although I could've done without the bacon (or whatever) on top.

And then we were still hungry so we got the warm pretzels, which seemed more like big loafs of pretzel bread, with honey mustard and cheese sauce for dipping. We definitely weren't hungry anymore after eating them.

Lots of pork there, now that I think about it, but that was pretty much all they offered. There was also hummus if you're into that sort of thing, but that was the only option for a vegan or anybody on a diet. I guess the biggest compliment I can pay to the food is that it all looked so good, I must've forgotten to take any pictures of anything to post here. Oh well.

So that's Primebar: A worthy and welcome new addition that will hopefully save the floundering Calhoun Square shopping center. The service was friendly and inviting (if not altogether exceptional) and the food was great. I liked the look of the rest of the menu and will definitely come back and get a real meal some day, probably after pay day since it's not the cheapest menu I've seen. I say... check it out.

Uptown Bathroom Survival Guide

Uptown Minneapolis has a lot of bars and coffee shops and restaurants, so that means a lot of people in Uptown have to pee. Sometimes finding a nice -- or, even usable -- bathroom can be an adventure, especially on a weekend when the streets are full of drunk people all on the same mission as you. So that's why I've put together this Uptown bathroom survival guide. I've lived in Uptown for years, and I'm always on the look out for a nice place to do my business.

Anyway, let's get to it. Click on each location's name to be taken to a Google map.

Jackson's Coffee & Gelato
This is my pick for the best bathroom in Uptown. It's always clean, fresh, and well stocked. Even better, there's a back door connected to the bathroom hallway so you can go in and out without being seen or feeling the need to buy anything. Just enter in the side on Bryant. There are two bathrooms, one female and one male, both are singles. Of course, once you're in there you may as well hang out and get a bottle of Bubble Up or some gelato.

Calhoun Square
Lovely facilities. Calhoun Square is a large, mostly abandoned shopping plaza that somehow still has money, so they have great, lush, clean bathrooms that are always stocked and usually empty. They are upstairs, across the hall from Sushi Tango, and just before the exit to the parking ramp. Pretty sure the men's room has two urinals and two stalls, so you'll be treated like a king.

Lunds
Want to talk about money? Lunds is money. Prepare yourself for the cleanest, nicest bathrooms in Uptown. Located on the loft above the produce section, there are two single, unisex bathrooms way in the back, past the magazines and greeting cards. There's even a bench outside in case you need to wait. I live right down the street and actually had to use these bathrooms all the time a few months ago when the toilet in my apartment was broken. I've even been known to sneak down the street to use them when I've had company over. I didn't mind, cause this bathroom is money.


Rainbow
Rainbow ain't money. Rainbow is cheap and gross. I shop there and I've peed there, but I ain't proud of either. This isn't a very good bathroom, but it's there and Rainbow is open 24 hours, so go for it. I've gone for it. 

Booksmart
Located in the basement of Cheapo, Booksmart is a sprawling book store with a pretty nice bathroom way on the back left. There's even a sign pointing toward it because they must know how often people come down there just to pee. Booksmart is a really cool bookstore, but it's huge and usually empty so the bathroom is pretty secluded so it's perfect if you need some privacy. Don't bring in any books that you haven't purchased though, because that's just rude.

McDonald's
As fast food places go, this is ok. This wouldn't be my first choice, but it's on the corner of Hennepin and Lagoon, so it's centrally located and easy to get to. The bathroom is to the right when you first come in, so you don't have to pass the counter or talk to any employees. It's not going to be clean, of course, but it's also not going to be the worst. Then again, I don't think I've ever used this bathroom on a Friday or Saturday, and since I live right down the block, I don't think I ever will.

Lyndale Tap House
I'm not including many restaurants on this list, not only because that's a given that they'll have one, but because they're not usually easy to get to without being seen. But this one is. Go inside and make a right, then go downstairs to the basement and you're golden. You're taking a golden shower, that is. Anyway, lovely, clean, large bathrooms.

Caffrey's
Caffrey's has a bathroom, but you have to walk past the counter and all the way though the deli to get there.  But who cares? Certainly not the hipsters and stoners who work here. They're all nice people, but they're not the type to give a crap if you come in at night just to pee. Go for it, and get a sub while you're there. They're pretty good.

Mesa Pizza
Great pizza, decent bathroom. The bathroom is way down the hall toward the back, and there's even a backdoor you can sneak through without being seen. But stop and get a slice, since the pizza is good and the people there are cool.

Common Roots Cafe
Two bathrooms located to the side of the bar, but there's a side door you can enter through to access them without being seen. Nice bathrooms. 

Arby's
Don't use this bathroom. I mean, if you gotta go, you gotta go and lord knows we all gotta go sometimes. But there are other, better options around, and I'm only including this one because it exists. Have you ever eaten at Arby's? Of course not. No just imagine going to the bathroom there.

I'll update this as I think of more, and please feel free to send in suggestions.

Rusty Quarters Retro Arcade and Museum

(This establishment has closed)

I like Rusty Quarters a lot, but I desperately wish I could love them.

Rusty Quarters, in case you've never been there, bills itself as a "retro arcade and museum," which is to say they have a bunch of old arcade games. Most of their games are from the golden age of the 80s (Ms Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, etc), but they also have a couple fighting games from the 90s, and Asteroids, which I think is the oldest game I've seen there. With at least three decades worth of game cabinets, I'll let them get away with calling themselves a museum.

Of course, museums aren't always fun, even when they are fascinating and full of history. As I said above, I like this arcade a lot, but I just don't really love it. I can't love a place that's only fun for about ten minutes two or three times a month, if that. Whenever I'm in that part of Uptown, I try to stop in and drop a couple quarters, but I always end up getting bored after about five minutes or so. This isn't a knock against Rusty Quarters, since it's a nice place with a decent selection of classic games, but that not all of these games really hold up after all these years.

Here is the list of games on their website, but I'm not sure how up to date it is:

Arkinoid
Asteroids
Attack from Mars Pinball
Bubble Bobble (Neo Geo Cabinet)
Burgertime
Centipede
Defender
Dig-Dug
Donkey Kong (2 of them!)
Donkey Kong Junior
Frogger
Funhouse Pinball

Galaga
Gauntlet II
Indiana Jones Pinball
Joust
Mario Bros.
Metal Slug X (Neo Geo Cabinet)
Mr. Do!
Ms. Pac-Man
Q*Bert
Rampage
Space Invaders Deluxe
Tetris
Track & Field
X-Men: Children of the Atom

I always play a round of Donkey Kong, and it's absolutely as fun today as it was back when Shigeru Miyamoto first unleashed it on the world back in 1981. RQ clearly knows this is their best game, since they have two cabinets. The sequel Donkey Kong Junior isn't as fun and doesn't hold up, in my opinion, but it's worth a quarter at least once.

After DK, the other games that hold up fairly well and make a visit worthwhile are Frogger, Ms. Pac-Man, Centipede, and maybe Space Invaders. Mario Bros. is also pretty fun, as long as you're playing with a friend and not by yourself.

Some of the others are worth checking out at least once, like Arkinoid, Q*Bert, and Dig-Dug, but most of these others are fairly forgettable. I was actually shocked by just how awful Gauntlet II was. I rememebr loving that game. Honestly, I'd like to see more games from the late 80s and early 90s. For a while they had a Street Fighter game, but it was one of the later ones so I didn't care for it. Get a just straight up Street Fighter 2 in there! Or some other classic beat em ups, like Final Fight, X-Men, or Turtles.

But I can't complain about what they don't have, since I can't imagine stocking a place like this is easy or cheap, so I'll applaud them on how they've managed to actually create a retro arcade in the heart of Uptown Minneapolis. It's not their fault most of these games aren't actually all that fun anymore. The owners are nice and friendly, and this is their third business venture in the same location. First it was a decent but not all together exceptional comic book store (which failed, I'm guessing, because the Twin Cities has more than a few exceptional comic book stores), then it was a cute but fairly forgettable hipster gift ship, and now it's Rusty Quarters, which I hope is hear to stay. Soda and candy are available for purchase, but I usually stop in after I've already some drinks at either Jackson's or Bryant Lake Bowl.

The cabinets all seem to be in good condition and look great. I certainly can't remember having any problems. Some of the slots have signs over them saying "use other slot," but I've never lost a quarter in one of their machines, and I'm confident that if I ever do the manager guy behind the counter would fix it or just reimburse me. My only real comment would be that the games could be louder. I'm saying, they could be obnoxiously loud, since that's how I remember Arcades sounding when I was a kid. You'd walk in and get bombarded by the sound effects and music from every game at once. I'm not saying they have to crank the sound up that much, but maybe a little more than they are now.

So I say check it out. All of the games only cost a quarter, and almost all of them are worth the price, and at least a few of them are worth even more.

Galactic Pizza

I'm going to go ahead and call Galactic Pizza the best pizza place in Minneapolis.

Of course, I haven't tried every pizza place in  Minneapolis, with the most notable lapse in my culinary journey being the critical darling Blacksheep, but I feel confident that Galactic has them all beat not only with their flavor, but with their sense of integrity as well. Galactic uses only locally produced and sourced ingredients, their restaurant is powered completely on "renewable wind energy," and... well... let me just cut and paste from their website, because everything they do is worth mentioning and worth letting them explain in their own words:

Here are a few of the values led activities we are currently engaging in:

• When conditions allow, our food is delivered to your door using 100% electric vehicles.
• All of the power purchased to run our restaurant is renewable wind energy.
• All of our mozzarella cheeses come from cows not treated with rBGH.
• We have incorporated a number of organic items into the menu.
• We have the Second Harvest Heartland pizza, where $1 is donated to this hunger relief organization every time the pizza is ordered.
• We strive to use packaging that is either made from recycled materials, or is 100% biodegradable.
• We incorporate hemp products into each menu category, and print our menu on hemp paper. Hemp is not only good for you, it is also very good for the Earth.
• In season, we try to purchase all of our produce from farms here in Minnesota or in nearby Wisconsin.
• We have an in depth waste reduction program utilizing composting for food waste and recycling whenever possible.
• 5% of our pre-tax profits are donated to charity.

 Very cool.

Of course, all of that wouldn't mean a damn if their food didn't taste good, and luckily their food tastes phenomenal. As I said in my opening: The best pizza in the city. I would even have gone so far as to say the best pizza in the Twin Cities, but that kind of goes without saying. Saint Paul does many great things and has more than its share of wonderful restaurants, but what do they know about pizza? If you want great pizza, don't bother crossing the Mississippi, unless you plan on continuing on all the way to New York City. And, yes, I'm aware that Chicago is en route.

But we were talking about Galactic Pizza. I'll admit that I've been somewhat remiss in my Galactic Pizza eating. I've lived in Uptown for the past five or six years, and I've only had their pizza maybe three times. The first time was probably four years ago, and the next two times have both been within the past month. Of course, I knew about them and had seen their delivery drivers around, all of whom are impossible to miss because they zip around in tiny electric cars and dress like super heroes. For whatever reason, I've always been a Luce man. Or Mesa. Or Parkway. But the other day my friend Ben suggested Galactic because he's a fan, and because somebody gave him a gift card. And now I'm a fan too.

We got a pitcher of beer, but I don't remember which one, but probably something local and delicious. I think it was $15 bucks or so, but we got there after happy hour had ended so that's not too bad for what amounted to maybe four beers or so. For an appetizer we got the Hand Rolled Italian Egg Rolls, which was their twist on an egg roll, except with an Italian flair... and, um, hand rolled. They were basically a gourmet version of a pizza flavored hot pocket. That description is accurate, but it doesn't even begin to do them justice. They were great. The main course was the Pizza Alla Vodka, which had a creamy vodka sauce, mushrooms, prosciutto, and basil. Except they were out of basil, so the waitress suggested we substitute spinach, which we did and it was phenomenal. As I said, the best pizza in Minneapolis. If you ever go, I recommend this one, since the sauce was incredible.

The second time I went, just last week, my friend and I got a large pizza sausage, but half olives and half mushrooms. The mushrooms are my half, the olives are hers. Maybe I've described this pizza before, because that's what my friend Jester and I get every time we get pizza. She's very picky, but I guess so am I cause I don't like olives. Anyway, this pizza was phenomenal. As I said, the best pizza in Minneapolis. This was vastly different from the other one I got, but somehow both are the best pizza in Minneapolis.

Both times my friends and I finished the entire large pizzas, and yet I didn't feel as grossly full as I normally do after gorging myself on too much pizza. I didn't feel great, of course, but I didn't feel sick to my stomach and full of the shame and regret that usually accompanies that kind of meal. So that's another win for Galactic.

And then there's the atmosphere, which is just cool. It's a small place, but it's got a disco ball and decorated in some kind of 70s vibe, but not obnoxiously so. The first time I went with Ben, all of the servers were dressed like basketball players from the 70s, but the second time they were just dressed like normal Uptown hipsters. I preferred the second time around, but the first time was fun too. Also, their menu is decorated in 3D, and they give you 3D glasses alongside. That's just fun.

Anyway, that's Galactic Pizza, doing their part to make the world a better place through sound business practices and great pizza. In fact, it's the best in Minneapolis. Check 'em out.

Breakfast at Common Roots Cafe

I'm currently sitting at Common Roots Cafe, sipping on some Peace Coffee and digesting my breakfast. There: I've managed to make myself look like an annoying hispter and completely disgusting at the same time. Anyway, this was a good breakfast and Common Roots Cafe is a great place, which you'll already know if you read my original review way back when.

Here's what I got: a fried egg and cheese sandwich on a garlic bagel. It came with side of grapes and a slice of orange -- which I haven't eaten yet, but I should even though I'm not excited about them -- and then I smothered it all in Sriracha.

(Interesting tidbit: Until about five seconds ago, I had no idea that it wasn't spelled "Siracha." Sriracha? How do you pronounce that? Certainly not the way I've always said it, which was like "sir ah cha." Sir Ahchah was a Knight from Camelot, right?)

Back to the point: This was a good sandwich. The egg was perfectly cooked, although I might ask for the yolk to be runny next time since that's the way I prefer it, but most people seem to think I'm weird about that. Not sure what kind of cheese was on it, but it tasted mild and melted very nicely. And, of course, the bagel was great. Common Roots always wins the award for Best Bagel every year in various local magazines, a category which seems to exist only because Common Roots exists. Of course they have good bagels, the cafe's owner is a nice Jewish boy from the East Coast. Do these bagels deserve to win awards? Sure. Why not? I wouldn't give them an award for the best thing ever, but best bagel in Minneapolis, sure. I'm also a nice (half) Jewish boy from the East coast so I also know a thing or two about bagels. These are great, but I've probably had better... but maybe not out here in the Midwest.

And Peace Coffee is also great. I'm currently drinking the Roots Blend, which sounds like a blend specifically made by PC for CR. It's a nice, medium bodied cup, even though the description on their website calls it a dark roast. Anyway, Peace Coffee is another great, locally owned company and I've never had a bad cup.

I've had their bagel sandwich before, but the previous time I ordered it with the optional Bison sausage, because that sound delicious. And it was delicious, but nearly impossible to eat, since it wasn't a patty but links that were cut into chunks that didn't work on a sandwich. They weren't uniformly cut so they didn't fit and kept falling off and making the entire thing into a mess, so I ended up taking them off and eating them by themselves. It was still good, but I still recommend going with just the sandwich, saving yourself the extra $1.50 and the added mess. 

So how good was this breakfast? Well... pretty good, considering it was only about five bucks. But the best thing I can say about it is that I came here this morning with my laptop because I was going to write about a couple other things (for this blog and my other), and ended up writing this because I wanted to rave about it.

Dulono's Pizza

Dulono's Pizza
(612) 827-1726

607 W. Lake St.
Uptown, Minneapolis
55408

The other day my friend Jester told me that Dulono's was her favorite pizza in the Twin Cities. We weren't in a confessional or anything, and it only came up because she mentioned she was going to have left-over pizza for dinner that evening. I asked her were the pizza was from, and then history was made. Or something. Anyway, all of this is my roundabout way of saying a new pizza place was recommended to me by a source I trust, which was very exciting for me because I love pizza and thought I'd already tried it all, or, at least, all that mattered.

Dulano's has no website, so I wasn't able to study a menu before I ordered. This was slightly frustrating because I didn't know all that they had to offer, nor did I know how much anything was going to cost. On the other hand, not having a website does make a pizza parlor feel that much more authentic, as though maybe it's run by an old Italian couple who don't even own a computer.  But, whatever, I was ordering pizza, so it's not like I needed the Rosetta Stone in order to decipher the riddle of Dulono's cuisine. I found the number on some website (maybe Yelp or Urbanspoon, or some other such place. Hey, maybe somebody just found their phone number here!) where they have those pointless reviews that are all written either by somebody who loves it and says it's the best place in the Twin Cities or by somebody who hates it and says their food is pure, unadulterated crap. I just ignored the reviews, found the number, and ordered my standard pie: sausage, mushroom, and onion. That's about as perfect as pizza gets, in my opinion, and usually good enough to be edible even if the pizza is mediocre, but refined enough to be close to a religious experience when knocked out of the park.

Dulono's wasn't quite a religious experience, but they definitely knocked it out of the park. I can't concur with Jester that this is the best pizza in the Twin Cities, but even after one time I'd definitely put it in my top ten and absolutely everybody to give it a try. Dulonos is damn good pizza.

I got delivery, and judging by the time log on my phone, I called at 6:22pm and it arrived at 6:59pm. I know the time it arrived because the delivery guy called me as he pulled up out front of my apartment. I'm not sure why he called since I have a buzzer that's clearly labeled in the front of my apartment building, but maybe it's just a policy they have to avoid any confusion. Either way, it seemed like a courtesy to me, so I give them props for that. So... 37 minutes for delivery isn't fantastic, but since it was Friday night, it's not bad either. I'd say their speed is about average, but I'm willing to say that anything under an hour on a Friday night in Uptown is on the good side of average. The delivery guy himself was very pleasant and nice, but it's not like I stood an chatted with him very long.

The pizza cost... I don't know, to be perfectly honest. They told me over the phone, but I immediately forgot right after I hung up. The delivery guy said it would be "nineteen dollars and some change," so I just gave him the 23 bucks I had in my pocket. He said thank you, wished me a good night, then left. That was the full extent of our relationship, but I wish him well in all his future endeavors.

The pizza looked like typical Minnesota thin crust pizza, with the pie cut in a grid instead of in slices. Having grown up on the East Coast, this was one of the most difficult things to which I had to acclimate myself when I moved to the Midwest about 8 years ago, but I've since learned to appreciate this style. Every slice starts to feel a little different, since some have crust, some are from the middle, and some are those itty bitty corner pieces that everybody fights over because they're so cute. To be overly critical, Dulono's pizza cutter was maybe in a rush that night, since my grid was really off center, so half of the slices were bigger than the other half, and they were all a bit crooked since the lines were slightly askew. But, again, this isn't a huge deal since it also makes the place feel more authentic.

But who cares about their lack of a website, the personality of the deliver driver, and the style they used to slice the pizza? How does it taste already?!

Well... it tasted great. I'm not the world's biggest fan of thin crust pizza, but this was quite good, and still soft enough that it didn't feel or taste like that cardboard-style lots of places have out here. The sausage was tasty and the veggies seemed fresh. The cheese was cheesy and not overly greasy. But the best part was the sauce, which was sweet and tangy and definitely one of the best sauces I've ever had. One of the reviews I read recommended some pizza that comes with extra sauce, and I definitely would consider that next time... if I ever learn the name of it because I still haven't seen a menu. Anyway... great pizza.

If it's not my pick for the best pizza in town, that's only because Luce and Parkway are just so damn great. But this is very close and well worth 19 dollars and some change. Just go give it a try. Jester wouldn't steer you wrong.

Dogwood Coffee Bar

This is my mug, not theirs

Dogwood Coffee Bar is exceptional coffee in search of a better coffee shop. It's gourmet coffee that is well worth the gourmet price, but I'll probably only get it when I'm taking my coffee to go.

Dogwood Coffee was already a well established and well respected locally owned coffee roaster, but the location in Calhoun Square in Uptown, Minneapolis is their first stand alone coffee bar. They serve single-cup brewed coffee from their own locally roasted beans, which means that every cup you get is made just for you while you watch and hasn't been sitting in a pot for who knows how long. The end result is a delicious, fresh-as-can-be cup of coffee, of course, but it's also a lot of fun to watch the process. Dogwood is sort of like the Benihana of coffee, and it's worth checking out for the show as much as the cup of coffee you get at the end of the performance. Lots of coffee shops brew by the cup using the same tools as Dogwood, of course, but the open layout of this place makes the baristas' efforts almost impossible not to watch, and they are all very friendly and open to questions and comments about anything coffee-related. This is very cool, but do take note that it'll take around five minutes or so to get a single cup of coffee, so this isn't the kind of place to stop into on your way to work.

However, it's also not really the kind of place to stop and chill with a cup of coffee either, which is a shame because drinking a great cup of coffee is almost like a religious ritual, and when it all works out right, it's something to be savored. Dogwood is just... uncomfortable, and I mean that literally. There were two plush chairs, only one of which was taken when I went the other day but they were both pushed so close together that had I sat in the free one my legs would've become entwined with those of the other gentlemen. And, no, I couldn't move the chair, because the layout is long and narrow leaving zero space for anything to be nudged even an inch. There's also a bar by the window with a bunch of stools, and I have sat their before but this time I had my laptop and was going to do some work, so I wanted a chair. I opted to sit at one of the four or so tables with actual chairs around them, but immediately regretted this decision since the chair was hard and incredibly unforgiving on my bottom. Also, the legs of the chair were too narrow and jutted forward to far, so it was almost impossible to find a comfortable place to put my legs.

Making my coffee

When I looked around for a power outlet, I found only one, but it was already in use. One of the sockets was taken up by the laptop of the guy who was already taking up the comfy chair spot, and the other was taken up by a lamp. Now, I'm not one of those self-entitled snobs that thinks every coffee shop needs to have enough outlets to supply every customer's electronic devices (laptop, phone charger, heating pad, vibrator, or whatever you're bringing to a coffee shop), but it does seem like a smart decision to have more than one, single power socket available at any given time. I'm not saying that only one socket is a deal-breaker, but it's something the owners should probably look into if they want to cultivate returning customers, or if they just want to please people who review coffee shops on their blogs.

Oh, and just to be clear, the chair thing kind of is a deal breaker.

This used to be a Starbucks

The bar itself is quite lovely, however, with a lovely design and a very open, airy feel, even though the space is actually quite narrow and confining. Dogwood is located in the front of Calhoun Square that, perhaps ironically, used to be a Starbucks years and years and years ago. If you remember that Starbucks, this place has the same basic shape and dimensions, only they seem to have knocked some walls down so it feels more open, and there are lots of windows looking out on Hennepin Avenue that should make for great people watching during the summer.

They offer pastries from Rustica Bakery, but I didn't get anything so I won't comment on the taste, freshness, or selection. I have been to Rustica, however, and can comment that the stuff I've gotten there is usually overcooked and so flakey more of the pasty gets on my shirt than in my mouth, but lots of people rave about them.

Dogwood Coffee Shop is definitely a great idea for a coffee shop (a hand-crafted coffee bar run and serviced by a local coffee roaster), but there is still much to be desired from their execution. If this place was more comfortable (meaning chairs that don't actually hurt to sit on) and offered a couple more outlets, I'd probably come here a few times a week. On the other hand, it's probably a good thing that this place is kind of awkward because I definitely can't afford a $4 cup of coffee more than a few times a month, but you'll notice that I never once complained about the price because the flavor, taste, and freshness are well worth what their asking, and maybe even worth more.

I say... check it out. It's good coffee, and there are plenty of chairs and couches in and around the rest of Calhoun Square to chill on.

Ice Ride

I saw this odd site outside of Calhoun Square on the corning of Hennepin and Lake. I'm assuming it's a promotional ad for the Nice Ride bikes that are available to rent during the summer here in the Twin Cities. Anyway, I just thought it was pretty cool. And, yes, that's a real bike encased in real ice.