Red Pepper - Grand Forks, ND

I don't know how I've forgotten to do a post on the Red Pepper in Grand Forks. We have been there many times and even gotten grinder kits to bring home. It is a favorite fast, affordable food option among locals, as well as UND students and alumni. I hesitate to call it fast food, because it tastier and more unique than your average fast food.

On a recent trip to North Dakota to visit John's family, we stopped in after going out for a few drinks. I believe that night time is the best time to visit the Red Pepper anyway.

John had a cheese tostada and a beef tostada. I guess I forgot to take a photo of his beef tostada. The cheese tostada is just cheese with a bit of Red Pepper hot sauce on a plain tostada. The hot sauce has a bit more zip to it than one expects in North Dakota though.

I ordered a beef taco and a combo tostada. I think the best thing about the tacos and tostadas is the freshly grated Colby cheese. All of the toppings are fresh, crisp and recently chopped as well. No brown lettuce here. For some reason they do not have forks available. I have become quite proficient at eating my tostada with a spoon though.

The original Red Pepper in downtown Grand Forks. 

The Red Pepper has lots of quirks, but the food is tasty and affordable. I think everyone likes it that way and I hope it remains the same for years to come. And I promise to take a photo of a taco grinder on my next visit!


Red Pepper
1011 University Ave  
Grand Forks, ND 58203
(701) 775-9671
http://www.redpepper.com

Chef Shack

I've ordered the Indian spiced mini donuts at the chef shack quite a few times, but I have never tried their other offerings for some odd reason. So on a recent noontime visit I was in the mood for a burger and I thought I'd try their bison burger. I need to add this to the regular rotation! It was amazing!

The burger was very rich and juicy tasting with a bun that was light and fluffy, but strong enough to hold the sizable bison patty. The fried egg and cheese on top of the burger added a very rich and flavorful element.  If you are ever in downtown Minneapolis over lunch time I highly recommend the bison burger at Chef Shack!

Chef Shack
Twitter: @chefshack1
http://www.chefshack.org

Angel Food Bakery - Cro-knots

I stopped into Angel Food bakery the other day to pick up some breakfast. I was hoping they would have the famed cronut or as Angel Food is calling them, cro-knots. The cronut is a hybrid of a donut and a croissant and bakeries in New York have been selling them like crazy. Apparently these are the hot new thing in the baked goods world. A bakery in New York has already trademarked the name cronut, so Angel Food had a Facebook contest and is now calling them cro-knots.  I suppose the fact that this is a new innovation in baked goods, makes this a really big deal. I know I for one can’t recall the last time a new category of baked good was invented. So, I admit, I was excited to try a cro-knot.

Turns out the cro-knot is worth all the hype. It was very light, fluffy and flaky just like a croissant. The glaze added just the right amount of sweetness. Though I admit I love croissants, so I figured I'd love these too. I was right. I just wished I'd bought more of them! Guess I will have to go back soon!

Here is a link to my visit to Angel Food last year:
http://whereshouldwegomsp.blogspot.com/2012/05/angel-food-bakery-coffee-bar.html


Angel Food Bakery & Coffee Bar
86 S 9th St
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 238-1435
www.angelfoodmn.com

Sushi Fix - 2013 Food Truck Season

The Sushi Fix truck is back on the streets of Minneapolis to my great joy. I have not had the chance to visit the new Sushi Fix restaurant yet, but I need to get out there soon. At least the truck is bringing high quality sushi downtown again.

On this visit I had the lunch special, which is 4 pieces of nigiri sushi and a roll of the day. They did not have a special, so I was able to pick off the menu, so I went with the spicy tuna roll. Everything was excellent-- very fresh tasting. For the nigiri I think I got two types of tuna, salmon and shrimp.

Here is a link to a post I did on Sushi Fix from last year:
http://whereshouldwegomsp.blogspot.com/2012/08/sushi-fix-truck.html


Sushi Fix
www.sushifix.net
Twitter: @SushiFix

Quick trip to Wisconsin- El Dorado Grill and Leinenkugel Brewery

A couple weekends ago we went to Wisconsin to visit our friends Megan and Jason and their kids. We visited the local water park Saturday afternoon and had lots of fun with Jack, Hattie and Lily. We had a great trip, even though we came home to a huge power outage in the Twin Cities area. 

Saturday night we went out to dinner in Madison and visited El Dorado Grill. 

I had the seafood enchiladas. Really good!

my sides

I think Megan had the fish tacos. 

Jason's scallops

Jason had the fish special that was a piece of fish with scallops on the side. 

John has the camarones de ajo, prawns in a chili cream sauce. 

El Dorado Grill

744 Williamson St #2  Madison, WI 53703 (608) 280-9378http://www.eldoradogrillmadison.com

Nice mouse with cheese in a gas station parking lot off I-94. 

On our way home on Sunday afternoon we decided to stop at the Leinenkugel brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. We were able to register for a tour just a few minutes after we arrived at a cost of just $1. The tour also included 5 beer samples. 

brewery buildings

visitor center

pretty grounds

We enjoyed the tour, the tour guide and the beer samples as well as a delicious pretzel.  I think the pretzel was $3, but it was a great addition to our beer samples. While the brewery is located about 20 minutes north of I-94, the brewery and tour is a nice place for a pit stop on the way back from Madison or even the Dells. 

Leinenkugel Brewery
124 E Elm St
Chippewa Falls, WI
(715) 723-5558
https://leinie.com