Chinookonomics Pt. 2

In an earlier post, I outlined some of the economics of the Chinook Book. As we wrap up, I thought I'd add a few more thoughts.

There are many ways to pay off the cost of each Chinook Book ($20 each) with savings. For example, each book contains a coupon at Patina for $20 off a purchase of $50 or more, which we've used for wedding presents. During our trip to the Guthrie, we saved $34. Grocery store savings in each book for us equals easily close to $35. You get the point.

This week we used 27 coupons from our Chinook Books, which saved us a total of $168.93 and we spent $500. On average, each coupon saved us $6.25 or 30% off the purchase.

Sunday Morning Stroll, Blue Moon: A Review

Despite what you may be hoping for, we kept it low key this final day of adventure. It was like 90 degrees when we woke up. Even though rain and thunderstroms were predicted all weekend, it's been nothing but sunny and hot. Champagne problem in MN, I know.

This morning we walked to 39th and Lake for a coffee and a pastry at Blue Moon Coffee Cafe. Super friendly neighborhood joint with a colorful welcoming interior. We reminisced about our week and wished for more days of adventure. An Iced Latte and Cherry Chocolate Scone for me and Coffee and Cinnamon Twist Muffin for Pip. Oops, looks like we enjoyed ourselves so much, we forgot to take a picture before it was all gone.

The coupon was for half off an organic coffee drink. Yes, recommended especially if you live in the zone. With two, total savings: $3.50

PS. The day lilies are in bloom! I hope you enjoyed the flowers I passed along the way as much as I did.

Cactuses and Tiny Puppies, Seward Cafe: A Review

Keeping it local this morning with a stroll down Milwaukee Ave to Seward Cafe. We drive by this joint most days, stare at it from the windows of Luce, and think of it when at the Coop. Despite all this, we've never been. Jacob also gave me lots of coupons, so we better figure out if we like this place.

When we walked in, I was immediately struck by the decor on the window sill...

An interesting selection of cacti and porcelain dogs, all with a layer of dust indicating love and neglect simultaneously.

Anyways, at the Cafe we were greeted with a smile and instructed to take a menu and fill out our order. "This place is more deli style than restaurant style" the dude behind the bar said. We hit submit on our order, and waited at our table for our name to be called over the intercom. The food was good but basic. I created my own omelet with Spinach, Mushroom, and Feta. Pip got Super Green Earth breakfast: Cheddar, Broccoli scramble melted over Hash. We liked the 2 egg and half order options respectively. Remember we are pretty full these days.

Really, the food was just fine. I don't really think a food photo will add anything to this post. This dirty hippy spot was much more of an experience. With its wobbly, rickety picnic tables in the pleasant tree- filled back patio and the above child art adorning the walls, on the right occasion we would definitely return.

Our coupon was buy one get one 1/2 off. Total Saving: $3.75

PS. The Birchwood still wins.

The Color of America: Ace Welna and Abbott Paint

Although we've focused our staycation activities on exploring the cities and enjoying ourselves, we've lined up one home improvement project for tomorrow: painting our bathroom. Today was about supplies, tomorrow will be about actual work. Two local shops: Ace Welna and Abbott Paint.

Ace Welna, 24th and Bloomington, Minneapolis
Agenda: Mirror


We have a wooden frame (courtesy of Tutu) that we wanted to convert into a mirror for our bathroom makeover, so to Ace we go. Welna has two locations, the closer of the two doesn't carry mirrored glass, so I had to go to the slightly further away location. I got immediate and wonderful service. There was even free popcorn.

Coupon: $5 off $20 or more.

Abbott Paint, Grand and Fairview, St. Paul
Agenda: Primer


We had enough leftover paint from previous painting projects to cover our small bathroom project, but we were fresh out of primer. Our Chinook Book coupon got us $6 off per gallon of their Elements, zero VOC paint. As with Ace Welna, we got great service.

While we waited for our tint, Kate decided we needed these stylish painting shirts. Abbot let us know, btw, that they have the Colors of America.


Coupon savings: $6

We'd recommend both.

PS. Before and almost after bathroom shots...

A Little Shop Along the Bike Super Highway

During yesterday's bike shop tour, we opted not to include Freewheel Bike because the coupon was a free cup of Java with $10 purchase. Having never been there, I imagined buying bike stuff only to get a cup from a thermos of luke warm coffee placed against a wall of Styrofoam cups. As today turned into Midtown Greenway day, and we were again starving on the way to lunch, I decided we should stop in and see if they had something to tide me over. That and I do like the fact that there's a bike shop on the greenway.

Wow this was a great shop! I am now a super fan. They have smoothies, pastries, snacks, and a full coffee bar! Man, I wish I had known. We would have stopped sooner for sure. I had a great chat with the smoothie dude, who recommended the Mango Banana Cinnamon Honey Whole Milk version. Delicious. The service dude also gave great advice on switching out my quick release. If you're on the Greenway and need a wheel trued or a protein fix, check it out.

Can't Forget the Cherry, Lucia's: A Review

In my mind, there are a few quintessential Minneapolis adventures. Lake Calhoun and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Here is a Calhoun pic from Tuesday's adventures. I don't believe any justification is necessary, right?

Believing that today was going to be the last day before the thunderstorms roll in, we thought a picnic in the sculpture garden would be a fitting way to spend the afternoon. This is another one of those things that always sounds like a good idea but something benign like the need to sit around doing nothing gets in the way.

We pedaled up to Lucia's To-Go for our to-go lunch. It's on Hennepin and 31st in Uptown. We'd never been but this is an established joint which comes highly recommended.

Pip got a Salami, Pesto, Spinach, Provolone sandwich with a Veggie Salad, Peanut Butter cookie, and a Root Beer.  I got Brie, Prosciutto, Arugula sandwich with a Cup of Fruit, Chocolate Seasalt cookie, and a Grapefruit Izzy.

The folks at Lucias were helpful, friendly and excited about our adventures. Every thing about our lunch in the garden was fantastic. Relaxing and tasty. The sandwiches were the right size and great blend of ingredients. We very much recommend this place, and suggest the pairing of some fun outdoor adventure.

The coupon was $3 off a purchase of $10 and yes of course we had two. Total Savings: $6. Total miles biked: 12.

Pizza Frustration: Luce, A Review

The Twin Cities has some good pizza places. There's the old standbys: Punch, Red Savoy, and Cossettas; and the more recent additions: Nea, Black Sheep and Lola. But in the Chinook Book, there are only coupons for two: Pizza Luce and Galactic Pizza both of which offer tasty pizza and good beer.

It's clear that Pizza Luce has committed to the Chinook book-they've taken out a whole page providing 3 coupons each for $5 off $25. Luce is a go-to option for us. They're close and consistently good with some fun options like mashed potato pizza. As we have 9 coupons (3 per book x 3 books), we've actually used a few already. So when we were deciding where to get food for family dinner, Luce was an easy choice.

As we've made the mistake of not reading the fine print before, we checked the coupon to be sure there were no restrictions (none listed), agreed on our order (Spanish Chicken and a Ruby Rae plus a Caesar Salad), and made the call.

At the end of the order, we mentioned the coupon and were informed that it was not valid for delivery. What?! We've actually used it for delivery before, so this was a bit of shock. We were told management sent a memo saying that the coupon could not be used for delivery. We offered to pick it up ourselves - no dice. Frustrated, we placed the order as the prospect of group decision-making on a new plan didn't sound appealing.


Is it even legal to change the terms of a coupon like that?

Anyway, when we informed the family of this wrinkle, Maggie took the matter in her own hands and called Luce. The manager acquiesced (Maggie can be quite convincing when she senses injustice) and credited our card $5, but likely to get Maggie off the phone rather than to admit defeat.


The pizza was good and we had a lovely evening on the porch - an otherwise perfect Friday evening in July. However, the coupon deal left a bad taste in my mouth and given all the other Pizza options, Luce will likely get less business from us in the future.

Total miles biked: 6

Another Reason to Check Out the Stag...

Proudly Serving Minneapolis Tap Water, Red Stag Supperclub: A Review

So, this afternoon led us to North East Minneapolis. For those that don't know, this is a distinct neighborhood and not just a directional orientation. It's the home to a few gems like Nye's Polonaise Room, the best Polka bar in town and Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge, whose cedar plank flooring is actually carpet.

Our destination was Red Stag Supperclub. The name can be deceiving. Sometimes makes me think of a smokey dinner theater, when in realty its the first LEED-CI certified restaurant in Minnesota!

After perusing the menu, we were happy to find that they are "proudly serving Minneapolis Tap Water (Still and Sparkling)"

For lunch, we chose to split a cup of Chilled Cucumber and Watermelon Soup with Poached Shrimp. Tasty and refreshing. The surprise bites of Cantaloupe made it something to write about. Pip had the Mac and Cheese with Lobster and I had the Grilled Chicken Cobb. The Mac and Cheese came in its own ramekin nice and hot, golden brown on the top and cheesy melty on the inside. The salad came with an Egg and Bacon strips, and Avocado with Seasalt. What's not to love about that.

We heart this place and will definitely return. Recommended! An added bonus, the coupon was buy one get one free for lunch. Total savings: $12. Total miles biked: 10

Giftshops and Bathrooms

Naturally, this little project has consumed our thoughts and conversations throughout the week. Really part of the point of doing it after all.

So, as I use "using the ladies" in Spoonriver today, I thought you all might be interested in bathroom reviews as well. It's a bit too late for that now but of the commodes that I have visited along the way, they have all embodied the character of the place. At Heidi's however the door to the potty area was in the middle of the dining room. As soon as I saw it, I thought the room smelled funny. Once I passed through the door, the hallway leading to the M and W was quite nice. At Spoonriver, there was no door to The hallway, just an archway. It made me wonder if my Heidi's experience could have been avoided with an archway instead of a door.

Another future thought has been gift shops. As I mentioned in the Sea Life post, I was very excited for the gift shop only to find a room filled with cheap Nemos and Arielles. At the Guthrie, however I was in my Gift Shop element. We got the above poster, yes with another coupon, special for the gift shop. 20% off. Total Savings: $4.

Taking in a Show...the Guthrie: A Review

For those of you who haven't been, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis is really quite a beautiful place to visit. Interesting architecture includes a cantilevered bridge that extends out towards the Mississippi. Neither of these shots are very good but they give you an idea of the view, or just consult the internet...

On a whim, we decided to take in a show, God of Carnage, as the coupon was only good on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Funny, 1.5 hour show about two couples discussing a playgound fight between their two sons. I am in no way shape or form a theater critic but I will say, I did not fall asleep. If you know me well, you should assume that speaks volumes. After I fell asleep at Rent, Maggie has since refused to be my broadway date. We definitely laughed.

Our coupon was buy one get one free. Total savings: $34. Total miles biked: 5

Location, Location, Location - Spoonriver a Review

As we were headed to the Guthrie to see God of Carnage, dinner at Spoonriver was the logical choice.


We jumped on our bikes, rode the Hiawatha Trail downtown and were there in no time. Spoonriver is right next to the Guthrie and the Mill City Museum. It's a great location - one that affords the chefs primo access to the fresh produce at Mill City Farmers Market (actually, I believe the farmers market was founded by Brenda the owner of Spoonriver).


We opted for two types of mojitos instead of wine or beer. Kate had the Moroccan with cardamom and I had the Minnesota with cranberries. The Moroccan was better - it had a more traditional flavor profile for a mojito, but an added spice that I liked.


As a fan of Minnesota beers, I do have to say that I was disappointed by a restaurant committed to showcasing local food that only had 2 Minnesota beers on the menu - one of which being Summit. Really?

But I digress. Although almost everything on the menu looked good, we decided to split a couple appetizers: the shrimp & avocado salad, shrimp quesadilla, and cheese/fruit plate. The ingredients were fresh and spoke for themselves. Nothing was over-prepared and the quesadilla was piping hot. The cheeses of the day: a blue from Iowa, a french brie and an Amish cheddar. They were good, but rather pedestrian as far as cheese plate offerings.


The dessert tray didn't speak to us, so we choose to skip the sweets. Note: I almost never think a tray displaying today's dessert options is a good idea. The items rarely look appealing, why was the sorbet not melted?, when they've been sitting out on a tray carried to and fro.

The crowd was pretty old and we realized that the location right next to the Guthrie placed some constraints on Spoonriver. Namely, that they need to cater to an older audience and families, who are likely to keep the chefs from pushing the envelope in menu offerings. Location, location, location - but location comes with a specific market.

Overall, we had good experience at Spoonriver. Our coupon was for $5 off.

I Went to Work Today, Well Not Really...

Our St Paul adventures included a peek into the Grocery section of the Chinook Book to grab the St Paul Cheese Shoppe coupon. As we strolled up Grand Ave with our Bubble Tea, post pool time, I was hyper aware that I was walking through campus, aka my place of employment, with my swimsuit on. Thankfully my sunglasses and baseball hat, coupled with my keen eye, kept me secluded from the view.

We hit up the Cheese Shoppe because, as I mentioned to the super friendly shoppe owner, I go often with my coworkers for their amazing sandwiches. Really quite a find on this popular St Paul street. A fantastic selection of cheeses great for the connoisseur as well as those looking for a departure from orange cheddar. I also mentioned the ITS nerds that I typically follow there and he confirmed the Josh should really be the 4 square mayor. Sorry Jacob.

Our coupon was for $3 off their Signature Chevre. Too much eating today to write the review. Stay tuned...

Right off the Bike Path: A Review of Trotters

For lunch, we biked over to Trotter's Cafe on Cleveland just south of Marshall in St. Paul. I've been to Trotter's a couple times before and have always enjoyed my food, but it's located just off my normal biking routes, so I often roll bye and forget that it's really close.


On a staff recommendation, Kate had the "Grilled 232 Focaccia," which has mushrooms, red onions, roma tomatoes, smoked basil gouda and sprouts. I had a bite and it was warm and delicious. Kate gave it a thumbs up, but did offer a small critique that the bread was a little too soft.

I had a 1/2 turkey sandwich and the Lemon Israeli Couscous Spinach salad. The sandwich was standard, but the salad was outstanding. The lemon added a bright flavor and the addition of golden raisins gave the otherwise savory salad a nice sweetness. We've been making a lot of couscous salads recently and this one has inspired me to explore some new recipes.


Our coupons got us each 25% off an item. Total savings: $3.75

Definitely recommend Trotter's if you're in Merriam Park and looking for a lite lunch.

Moss Envy

Why this cute little shop did not have logo adorned apparel, I may never know. I even had a coupon for $5 off $25. #fail

What's the Scoop

After an afternoon at Lake Calhoon, we stopped in for a scoop. No review necessary. By now, don't we all know how we feel about Ben and Jerry's ?!

Can you guess the scoops?

The Coupon was buy one scoop, get one free. Total savings: $4.25

It's Lunch Time, I'm Starving! Anodyne Coffeehouse: A Review

Today we spent the morning at home, left over bagels and stump grinding from previous posts. By the time we got out the door to start our Chinook Book adventure, we were starving. For lunch, we headed to the Kingfield neighborhood which is just east and south of Uptown, to a neighborhood cafe called Anodyne Coffeehouse.

Much like May Day, I really enjoyed the environment and the people watching and spent some time wondering why there were so many people hanging out on a Tuesday at 2. The staff was friendly and excited about our adventure.

They recommended we try the specials. Turkey, Bacon, Arugula, Pesto sandwich with Blue Corn Chips and a pickle for me (not a fan of pickles but am a fan of the clean plate club). Pip had Spicy Chorizo wrap. Mine was good though could have used a better bun. I find hamburger buns really only fitting on a cheeseburger. Pip said his tasted like a taco bar and was easily more than enough for one meal.

Overall, we liked it as a good neighborhood joint but probably won't go out of our way to go again.

The coupon was buy one sandwich, get the second half off. Total savings $3.75.

Gardening

Despite your thoughts on the small box hardware stores trying to move in on the neighborhood mom and pop's Frattalone's Ace on Lake St offered up this box garden to our Staycation.

Coupon was 50% off one item of $20 or less. Box Garden on sale for $14.99.
Total Savings: $8

May Day in July: A review

Happy 4th of July folks!

For breakfast this morning, the original plan was Moose and Sadies but unfortunately the coupon was only valid after 3. Boo. Anyways, Plan B turned out to be a big win. We ventured to May Day Cafe which according to Yelp is the quintessential Powderhorn Park cafe.

This hipster joint sure did deliver on the its promise. More pictures would have helped prove the point but this was the best one that I got.

The inside is a no nonsense coffee shop with recycled furniture and long tables for big groups or clusters of strangers. At 10 this morning the line was out the door but the service was fast and efficient. If you like neighborhood community, fixed gear bikes, and mismatched socks, check this place out.

The coupon yielded half off coffee and a pastry and today we decided to each use a coupon. Zucchini Bread and Coffee w/Cream for me. Stawberry Danish w/Cream and Coffee Black for Pip.

Total Savings: $5. Total Miles Biked: 5. Overall highly recommended!