Solid, but almost too spicy for my baby

Looks who’s back, back again

Thanks CK!

No way Christy didn’t help with this

That was one good sammie

Shouldn’t this be a state secret?

Not usually a fan of prime rib, but this was delicious

Leeann Chin is still v tasty

HBO + Candyland

Thanks Chef! Thanks Nive Man!

The 3 Finger

Third visit to the fairgrounds in 2020

Cossetta Alimentari, FTW

Thank you, Buttered Tin

And I haven’t even gotten to the cake yet…

…it’s been a minute

More perks from having a kid at Candyland

Didn’t taste like piss and flies to me

There will be wine too

With the whole fam too

Swedish meatball stroganoff

First day @ Candyland

It will always be the Audrey, right Chef (and Nive Man)?

Christmas cookies are so good

Chicago Mix, FTW

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks, Keri

Spicier than we expected

Double-wrap drive-thru line around the building (but worth it)

Breakfast, lunch or dinner – always good

Such a solid joint

All by myself (thanks, Greg’s Meats)

Nice 🍟

Luna going to town on green chippies

No surprise I seem to be plateauing on the weight loss

Restaurant Alma rocks

All for under 30 bucks!

Chicken sliders and the “too much space” onion rings

They gave me a damn apple

fritter instead of a hash brown 😡

No shitty Mac for this girl

Three years ago, I did a “Top 7” post on my favorite foods, but that talked about food categories in general terms. Lots of people have asked me about my favorite specific food items, so here they are (in no particular order):

• Homemade bleu cheese @ Vermilion Club

Let’s start in the Northland at one of the premier dive bars in the country, the VC. Also known for it’s 24-inch Bamboozler pizza, the homemade bleu cheese is the best I’ve had anywhere. Wednesdays are wing night, so load up on buffalo sauce and dip away in that amazing bleu. I usually order some Poor Gary’s pizza too, but I never really have room for that in the end.

• Chocolate cake donuts @ World’s Best Donuts

Staying on the Northland theme, let’s take a trip to the little village on the big lake, Grand Marais. While there are many great food traditions in town (Sven and Ole’s, Angry Trout Cafe, Blue Water Cafe – hell, even the local DQ is bomb), the claim of “World’s Best Donuts” is 100% true. Given the chance, I could eat an entire bag of the chocolate cake donuts in one sitting. Pro tips: pre-order online to skip the line and pay extra for a box instead of a bag so the chocolate doesn’t stick to the side.

• Cheeseburger @ Saint Dinette

Closer to home, the cheeseburger at Saint Dinette is my favorite burger of all time (and I’ve tried way too many). The competition between Chef Adam’s masterpiece and Au Cheval in Chicago was anti-climatic (and definitely not worth a multi-hour pre-pandemic wait). I’ve long had a soft spot in my heart for the burger at Fuddruckers in Bloomington (RIP), but that was good in a different way. Lots of people in town love the Parlour burger (and I think it’s very, very solid), but I’ve got to give the nod to the St. Paul contender. Team Nive Man, all the way!

• Pronto Pups and Fresh French Fries @ Minnesota State Fair

Going to cheat with a two-fer of Minnesota State Fair classics: the Pronto Pup (NEVER CORN DOG SINCE 1947) and Fresh French Fries. Of course, the fair has an amazing assortment of excellent food options (corn roast, Blue Barn, Lulu’s), but I can eat Pronto Pups right when I get there in the morning and just before we leave after a late Grandstand concert (and usually several more times in between). I LOVE French fries (Barbette, the clown, many others), but this year’s pandemic Food Parade reminded me that the red and yellow booth serves up the best ones ever.

• Pepperoni pizza @ Carbone’s on Randolph

If you’ve been following this site at all the past few months, you probably saw that we’ve been making a habit lately of visiting Carbone’s on Randolph for pizza on Mondays. This is the pizza of my childhood, and only the original Randolph location is legitimate in my book (the other franchises try admirably, but they just aren’t the same). We had our concerns when they closed down briefly to remodel and expand, but the original ovens remained and the greasy flavor lives on. In a metro area full of great pizza options, Carbone’s on Randolph is the one for my list.

• 3 Finger Combo @ Raising Canes

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have a fast food entry on my list, but the 3 Finger Combo at Raising Canes is something I could order every day and not get tired of it. The quality of the chicken is always top notch, they have great fries, the Texas toast is a nice extra and for someone who grew up wanting things plain, Cane’s sauce is the best. Also love the little ice cubes in the freshly made lemonade. Egg McMuffins from the clown are also something I could eat every day (and the quality never wavers no matter where you are in the world, which is an incredible feat). And of course, Arby’s has the meats.

• Steak @ Murray’s

I’ve handed down my love of steak to my eldest daughter, but I’ve yet to take her to the temple of Minneapolis beef, Murray’s. Now I know that many people consider Manny’s to be the temple of Minneapolis beef, but I went to Murray’s first, sharing a Silver Butter Knife steak with my mom way back when. I thought it was magical that they could cook such a thick steak so uniformly perfect and have it be *so* tender. These days, I usually get there for the luncheon filet, a 6 ounce tenderloin with au gratin potatoes that is an absolute steal at $32. Just like pizza, there are a lot of great steak places in town, but Murray’s is my fave.

After I came up with this list, Colleen asked me, “what about Cecil’s?” Their New York style hot pastrami & Swiss on egg white absolutely needs to be top 7, but I don’t know what I want to bump off the list. Let’s just go with eight for now…

UPDATE: I also forgot about mild chilitos with extra cheese at Zantigo.

Still the champ

30F on the St. Genevieve patio

Brake Bread 🍞

Also missing Kyatchi

This pandemic trend is okey-dokey

Chicken wild rice soup @ Minnehaha Cafe, Mystic Lake

So great to hang out in the Commons today with JV, RW, JK and the kiddo

So great to see Talia again!

Short-staffed, limited hours, two hour wait @ Sven and Ole’s

Mmm…buttered bread

Mac and cheese taco?

World’s Best + no lines

Fit *and* obese

Pepperoni *and* sausage today

Top notch food at Fortune Bay

Jamaica in Gilbert

Masks now required at the VC

Thanks for another great season, Gordy

Do it yourself in 2020

Having an empty nest is strange

Greg’s Meats FTW

I’m wearing this new one if we get to go back again

Beautiful evening on the patio at Kado no Mise

Punch + Carbone’s 🍕

Kinda sad, but way better than nothing

I wish it could be year-round

Lil’ Chovi Sunday menu in Minneapolis

Pine Tree Apple Orchard

Good luck to Danielle in her future endeavors (Mississippi Pub, Inver Grove Heights)