Hope Breakfast Bar lives by its name in more ways than one. Located right off Grand Avenue, this St. Paul restaurant wasn’t even deemed to exist. But, there is always Hope. The all-day breakfast joint resides in St. Paul’s oldest public building, the firehouse of Hope Engine Company No. 3. Built in 1872 and operating…

When temperatures drop below zero, most Minnesotans prefer a hearty bowl of chili, a classic wild rice soup, or the cheesy potatoes of a plentiful hotdish. Not this Arizona-raised Minnesotan. I want colorful flavors, aromatic spices, a dish that wakes up the senses — and I want tequila. When my face hurts from the bitter…

My family migrated from Minnesota to Arizona when I just a tot. However, in our home, Minnesota foods, sports, and nomenclature reigned supreme. In our Scandinavian family, Christmas time meant lutefisk and lefse. My Swedish-American Grandmother was the queen of the church suppers. We used the term “Uff Da” interchangeably when we were full, happy,…

A donut-shaped cake with a lot of history When you think of a Bundt cake, a dense circular cake with a hollowed-out middle comes to mind. The flavors may consist of chocolate, red velvet, vanilla, spiced, or lemon. It might be topped with frosting, a dusting of sugar, glaze, or plain. There isn’t one recipe…

Get ready for some life-changing baked goods. The first time I tasted a baked creation from Bread Art occurred when a friend kindly dropped off a cake for me. When I inquired about the type of cake I was receiving, my friend responded, “does it matter? It’s cake.” Wow, I thought. There is a lot…

Hailed as Minnesota’s burger, the Jucy Lucy (also known as Juicy Lucy – we will get to that later) is a burger with cheese cooked inside the hamburger meat instead of on top of the patty. Resulting in melted cheese oozing out of the burger when you take a bite. The creation of the Jucy…

Ask me which Stillwater restaurants are a must-go-to, and LoLo American Kitchen makes the top of the list every time. Their famous house-made cocktails, alluring ambiance, and exciting twists on gourmet street food (let’s take a moment of silence for their bacon jam) are why many venture from all around the Twin Cities to visit…

It’s the worst. You grab a six-pack (or most likely a four-pack) of an IPA you have never tried. The can looks spiffy; you pour it out, it has a great head, the scent of hops enters your system, you take your first sip…and it’s just piss with some hops. A bad IPA is up…

In 1909, P. Edward Pearson, along with his brothers Tom and Oscar, started Pearson’s Candy Company, a confectionery distribution company in Minneapolis. Realizing manufacturing was more profitable than distribution, the Pearson brothers introduced their first candy, the Nut Goodie, in 1912. The Nut Goodie is a Minnesota candy staple consisting of maple nougat, topped with…