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.

Wait an Hour for the Magic: St. Paul Cheese Shop 2

We posted earlier on our trip to the St. Paul Cheese Shop on Grand to get their Signature Chevre. Tonight we got our chance to enjoy the cheese with Jeff and Maureen.


The chevre came with various dried fruits and nuts and some olive oil drizzled on top. Our instructions were to lit it sit out at room temperature for at least an hour, at which point the magic happens, and serve with warm bread. I picked up a baguette from New French Bakery (which are on sale after 1pm on Saturdays!) and we dutifully took the cheese out of the fridge half an hour before we left the house.


The chevre was truly magical - smooth and creamy with a little sweetness from the dried fruit. This is definitely the start of a long relationship!

We enjoyed our chevre with homemade margaritas - thanks Mo!

We said it before, but we definitely recommend the St. Paul Cheese Shop.

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...

Veggies and a Whole Lot More: Midtown Farmers Market

Kate has to go back to work on Monday, which means that some of our normal routine is starting to creep into our days. One of the normal parts of our life is trips to the Midtown Farmers Market (Lake St. and Hiawatha) on Saturday mornings.

I got there a little late today, so things were starting to die down some, but there was plenty of food to choose from and plenty of folks browsing.

We love the Midtown Farmers Market, because it has a great mix of veggies, meat, food vendors, other stuff and usually live music. For me at least, it's the perfect size - not too big to be overwhelming and not too small as to limit selection and drive up prices.


Today I only grabbed a few items as we haven't hit peak harvest season quite yet. The haul: red potatoes, baby bok choy and fresh onions.

Along The Midtown Greenway

Of the many reasons to bike the Twin Cities, the Midtown Greenway is pretty high on the list. Especially in the Summer.

I refer to it as the bike super highway connecting to the Mississippi River on one end and the Cedar Lake Trail on the other. Every time I bike the trail, I think about stopping to take pictures. So that is what we did. That's me and the carbon up above.

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.

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

Pedals, Wheels + Chains: Bike Day - 4 Bike Shops

We bike. We've been biking as one of our primary modes of transportation since 2008. We have been a 1 car + 2 bikes household for a while, but recently became a 3 bike household thanks to an amazing spontaneous gift from my uncle Max.

One of the great things about the Chinook Book is that it has coupons for practically every bike shop in the Twin Cities. As I had some differed maintenance on my bike to do and we needed to get a few things for our new bike (it needed a front wheel, pedals and a lock), our staycation seemed like a great opportunity to hit up several bike shops. Four to be more precise (actually we went to five, but one didn't have the item we were looking for). Here's the run down:

Behind Bars - 208 13th Ave. NE Mpls
Agenda: buy pedals for the new bike.

As we were headed to Red Stag Supperclub in NE for lunch, it seemed appropriate to go to at least one NE bikeshop. They have smartly put out sandwich board signs at various nearby intersections. The shop is set pretty far back from the street and would be easy to pass by unless you knew it was there.



The shop was spacious and fairly typical, but I did appreciate the couch/waiting area. We were greeted warmly and given good advice on our options, the tradeoffs, value for money, etc. Kate settled on a pair of stylish red pedals to match the red cog on the back wheel of the bike. Coupon got us $5 off.



Behind Bars location isn't particularly convenient for us, so I don't know when/if we'll go back, but I'd recommend it if you live in or near NE Mpls.

The Hub Bike Coop 3020 Minnehaha Ave Mpls
Agenda: drop my bike off for serious repairs.

The Hub is one of the closest, if not The closest, bike shop to us. This is our typical go-to place for bike stuff unless we happen to be somewhere else. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only coop bike shop in the cities. Technically, if we knew what we were doing, we could use their space and tools to work on our bikes for a small fee.



Anyway, my front crank has been bent for a while and my brakepads were worn down to almost nothing. The plan: to fix those issues and remove two of my three front gears converting my bike from a 24 speed to an 8 speed - I really only use 4 gears anyways. What I didn't know was that I also needed a new chain and cassette. Turns out, a typical chain is good for about 1,500 miles and a cassette for maybe up to 3,000. Based on my calculations, I'm pretty sure I've easily put more than 2,500 miles on my bike.

I got great advice and service. The bad news was that I needed to spend more than anticipated and my bike won't be ready until Monday. It's a good thing we now have 3 bikes. Coupon will reduce the cost of my repairs $10.

Overall, we definitely recommend the Hub.

Grand Performance 1938 Grand Ave. St. Paul
Agenda: purchase a front wheel for the new bike.

Next, we headed over to St. Paul to Grand Performance, which is a shop that tends to cater more towards high end racing bikers. Nevertheless, we used to live close by and have used them for some emergency repairs in the past.



We've had some mixed experiences with customer service at GP, but this time we had stellar service. Our bike dude was super nice and was happy to explore different options, at several points he consulted other staffers to make sure we had all the info we needed. We also found a tire for 50% and left with a complete assembled wheel ready to ride. Our coupon netted us $10 in savings on top of the $17 discount on the tire.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend Grand Performance for commuter or mountain bikes, but for racing/road bikes they seem to be one of the best shops. It's not that they can't help with other things, but there are other shops that specialize in those areas. Nevertheless, we had a fantastic experience there today.

Boehm's Cycle 1592 Selby Ave St. Paul
Agenda: lock for the new bike.

Boehm's is a funny place. It's half bikeshop and half hockey store. They are down to earth and very friendly. They have a solid selection of products.


We found what were looking for, got some good insights and were in and out quickly. Coupon got us $5 off.
Having gone to 4 shops in one day with a positive experience at all of them, it's hard to offer recommendations of which one to visit. The prices were all pretty comparable and our coupons were generally the same $5 off $25 or $10 off $50. The differences seem to be in two areas: the products carried (more specifically the brands) and location. Unless you are looking for a specific item that your nearest bike shop doesn't carry, I'd just go to the shop that's the most convenient for you.

Total saved from coupons on bike-related purchases today: $30

Ride on!

Good till the Last Pearl, Tea Garden: A Review

Today we decided it was St. Paul day or at least partially. Mostly because it was 80 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and I wanted to go to the pool. At noon we hopped on our bikes and pedaled across the river. Lots of ground to cover to reach our goal of 6 coupons used by the time we got to our 545 dinner reservation. After a tasty lunch at Trotters, followed by an hour of pool lounging, we rolled up to Tea Garden on Grand Ave for some Bubble Tea.

I can't think of a better taste of summer and I can't tell you how much I LOVE Bubble Tea. My friend Wendy and I dream about its deliciousness. Perfect blend of sweet, caffeinated, refreshing, and fun to drink. For me, my standard: large, Iced Jasmine Tea Latte, with tapioca pearls and extra ice. (Yes, I believe it's not actually bubble tea without pearls) For Pip: large, Strawberry Cooler with pearls. Thank you Tea Garden!

Yes, of course, recommended. Our coupon gave us each $1 off, 'cause we had two. Total Savings: $2. Total miles Biked: 10

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.

There's a Place for Fun in Your Life: A Review

Flipping through the Chinook Book, we have Grocery, Dining, Entertainment and Family, Health and Style, Travel and Recreation, Yard and Garden, and Home to choose from. For our purposes we have been focusing on the Dining section but it never hurts to flip through the options just to see what's out there. Today was forecasted to thunderstorm so an indoor activity was in order.

As a giant departure from our regular habits, we picked Underwater Adventures now known as Sea Life, which Minnesota's version of an aquarium and is located at the Mall of America. When the Mall first opened, it's marketing campaign included the a catchy little tune whose main line was, "there's a place for fun in your life, Mall of America." My present day self wonders regularly why teenage self never thought to buy a t-shirt with that logo. It sure would be sweet to have something like that now.

Back to Sea life. This is by far the hardest post to keep succinct. So much to tell perhaps I will split it up. Basically, it was totally fun. Highly recommended. We went with a coupon for each of us, $4 off the price of admission. Lucky for us, today was Laid-Off State Employee Day. That meant Pip was free and I was half price. Sweet!

Great fun, take your kids or partner or friend and have a good time with fish!

1/2 Off for Laid-Off State Employees: Heidi's - A Review

This morning, I noticed a tweet from @hotdishblog that Heidi's (29th & Lyndale) was offering laid off state workers (that's me) 50% off tonight. Kate's sister Maggie also alerted us to the offer. We had never been to Heidi's, but a quick review of their website was enough to know this would be a place we'd like.


For a Tuesday, this place was hoping - almost a full house. We managed to grab a table on the patio shortly before 8. We were delighted to learn that Heidi's is brought to you in part by the letter Y and the number 13.


First course: Although we were tempted to roll the dice on the "Shefzilla Surprise" appetizer, which our waiter indicated was "exotic," we instead opted for Beets 2.1 The 2.1 is significant - this was a step up from a typical beet salad. I could say a lot about this dish, but the key ingredient for me was the truffled golden beet sorbet. Hard to imagine without actually trying it - it was a powerful, sweet ice cream that hit the taste buds fast and delivered immense flavor.

 *perhaps, the beet schmear was a bit much

Second course: Kate had the black truffle pappardelle (thin strips of pasta) with lobster, which was rich and smooth. I only had a couple bites, but it was amazing. I opted for the special of the day: pan roasted quail with baby artichokes in a rabbit/bay leaf sauce. It was hearty and very tasty.

Dessert: we finished the meal with donuts, but not just any donuts: honey-cream filled donuts. They were served with a blueberry ice cream and a candied mint leaf. Really wonderful - we fought over the last drops of melted ice cream.


We'll definitely go back.

Fixtation

While in Uptown, we walked past the new "Bike Fixtation" in the transit center above the Midtown Greenway on Hennepin and decided to check it out. There's an air pump to fill up your tires and tons of tools attached to a stand to make adjustments.

Missing a part? No problem. There's a vending machine stocked with tubes, patch kits, lights and snacks. It's pretty sweet.




Definitely need to remember this exists - could be a life saver.

Staycation Soundtrack

On Friday, July 1st my brother gifted me a mix tape for my 34th birthday. Her name is Lucille. We decided to include this as our Staycation soundtrack given the convenient timing. View the playlist and liner notes if you're interested. For now, I leave you with this sound bite. Staycation goal = encourage Pip to really belt it out.

This is side one, track two-Dawes, When My Times Comes

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!

Sweets Bakeshop: A Review

Yesterday, we picked up 12 cupcakes for the price of 6 from Sweets Bakeshop...a sweet deal. It was a great experience. We received great service and the cupcakes were delicious. We shared them with several friends and everyone agreed that the cupcakes were just the right level of sweetness and were the perfect size--not too small and not too big. From my perspective, the frosting wasn't too hard and didn't overpower the flavor of the cupcake.



This morning we enjoyed the "breakfast" cupcakes, which were maple syrup and bacon flavored - very tasty!



All in all, Sweets delivered and we'd definitely recommend them.

http://www.sweetsbakeshop.com/