Hope Breakfast Bar

We finally made it to Hope Breakfast Bar in St Paul. The good news about Hope it that they are opening a new location sometime this fall in St Louis Park, which means we hope to visit more frequently since that is much closer to home. Regardless of which location, I believe reservations are still recommended. Busy place! 

John had the pork carnitas bowl with slow roasted pork carnitas, fingerling potatoes, seasonal vegetables, green chili cream with tortilla. The dish didn't quite look like the description, but he ate it anyway. 

I had the McHope sandwich with biscuit, bacon, cheddar cheese, fried egg and seasoned hash browns. 

The service was not great but we ended up seated upstairs, which had incredibly steep stairs to navigate. The servers that have to navigate those all day deserve a raise. If you have mobility issues you may want to request to be seated downstairs. 

Hope Breakfast Bar
1 S Leech St 
St Paul, MN 55102
Phone: (651) 330-8996
https://www.hopebreakfast.com

Sooki & Mimi

We visited Sooki and Mimi back in May. Apparently I am a smidge behind on posting. Oh well. My three readers have not exactly been complaining. 

Anyway, some things to know before visiting-- if you wish to do the multi course meal, be sure to make reservations well in advance. You can walk in and sit in the upstairs or downstairs bar, but the menus seem to be a bit limited. 

First course was the aguachile verde with spring vegetables, pickled rhubarb, thai basil and mint. Amazing. So fresh. Tasted like springtime in a bowl. 

We both added the drink pairing to our meals. For $40 it was a selection of cocktails, cider and wine. But I forgot to take photo of all of the drinks. 

My first course was the mackerel gravlax tostada with charred allium cream cheese, everything bagel spice and pico verde. This was so unique and delicious! The mackerel was not fishy tasting, very fresh. 

John had the english pea sope with requeson, horseradish and preserved lemon. 

John's third course was the walleye tacos with cabbage and fennel slaw, avocado, serrano and herb tartar sauce. 

My third course was the mole verde with white asparagus, spring onion, ogok-bap and tortillas. 

John's fourth course was kimchi mandu with masa, chrysanthemum, chayote and shivaji dashi. This was very unique yet traditional. 

Fourth course was the hominy grits with new Caledonia prawns, salsa macha and fennel. 

Dessert was a hibiscus rhubarb bar with whipped cream and lime leaf. So unique, seasonal and delicious. 

The service was excellent throughout our visit. Very efficient and polished. The room is bright, open and modern, yet traditional with the touches of wood and greenery all around. 

Sooki & Mimi
1432 W 31st St 
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Phone: (612) 540-2554
https://www.sookiandmimi.com

Stepchld

We hit the brunch at Stepchld awhile back. This is a little spot where J.L. Beers used to be in Minneapolis and they are doing some fun, creative stuff.  They did a light remodel but are working within the footprint of the previous tenant. 

I had the Real Deal Holyfield egg sandwich with cheesy soft scrambled eggs on a freshly toasted bun. The sale was dressed nicely as well. Simple but so well executed. 

John had the Cooper burger with alicia, pickles and American cheese. This was a nicely griddled double patty burger with lots of gooey, white American cheese. Really good and the fries were solid as well. 

It doesn't appear that Stepchld is one for brunch right now, but open for dinner daily. We enjoyed our food immensely and found the service to be quick and helpful. The menu has some very intriguing items, so we will try to return soon to explore further. I would strongly recommend reservations as it is not a large place. 

Stepchld
24 University Ave NE STE 100
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Phone: (612) 354-7409
https://www.stepchld.com

Nolabelle Kitchen & Bar - Mankato

I've been to Nolabelle again since this initial visit and I have to say, it is one of the best restaurants to open in Mankato in some time. The scene in town tends to be chain restaurants and lots of underwhelming fare. 

The food is southern inspired and locally sourced. The room is bright and fun with huge windows. 

Blackened walleye with Brussels spouts

  roasted chicken, cheddar jalapeño grits, natural jus, kale, apple slaw

Grilled cheese with chips

Grilled cheese with side salad

We found the service to be excellent and I loved the drink menu as well. Lots of fun drinks, not your usual basic fare. I'd highly recommend checking out Nolabelle if you are going to be in the Mankato area. Reservations strongly recommended. 

Nolabelle Kitchen & Bar 
520 S Front St Suite 500
Mankato, MN 56001
Phone: (507) 720-0841
https://www.nolabellekitchen.com

Hazelwood Food and Drink - St Louis Park

Hazelwood opened another location in St Louis Park this summer. We checked it out for brunch and found a beautiful restaurant in a great location with easy parking available. There is a large patio as well. 

I had the All American breakfast that includes three eggs any style, your choice of applewood smoked bacon, cob smoked ham, or sausage, smoked gouda hash browns, and toast. The bacon was excellent quality and I liked the gouda hash browns a lot. 

John had the breakfast burrito with choice of rotisserie chicken or sausage, scrambled eggs, charred corn salsa, queso fresco, roasted poblano salsa, lime sour cream, smoked gouda hash browns, and tortilla chips. 

The service was friendly and helpful, but not intrusive. We enjoyed our meal and the entire dining experience and look forward to returning again soon. 

Hazelwood Food and Drink

4450 Excelsior Blvd Suite #120 

St Louis Park, MN 55416

Phone: (952) 977-8000

https://hazelwoodfoodanddrink.com/slp-menus/

J.D. Hoyt's Supper Club

We've never set foot in J.D. Hoyt's Supper Club even though it has been around for years. They have valet parking most of the time or there is plenty of street parking in the area. The dining room is filled with greenery and memorabilia that's fun to look at.  

The garlic toast was top notch! 

John had the cajun pork chop and said it was good. 

The cajun hash browns were very crispy and delicious. Highly recommend. 

I had the prime rib. I did not love how they grilled it, it made it too well done and I prefer prime rib a bit more rare. It was nice that the meats included a vegetable though. 

The service was excellent throughout our meal. Overall, I enjoyed most of the food and I'd simply try something else next time around. 

J.D. Hoyt's Supper Club
301 N Washington Ave 
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: (612) 338-1560
https://jdhoyts.com

Bricksworth Beer Co.

A brewery and a pizza joint in one? Of course we had to check it out. I forgot to take photos of the beer though. Bricksworth is a huge space in an industrial park off 35W in Burnsville. Easy access and easy to find. 

We started with the dry rub wings. Flavorful rub and huge wings. 

We had the Box Logo pizza topped with house made Italian sausage crumbles, cupping pepperoni, sautéed cremini mushrooms, caramelized onions and roasted red pepper. This was a great Detroit style pizza. Very hearty and filling and I love the crispy edges. 

Bricksworth is a full service operation with table service and a full bar. It is a nice option compared to breweries with limited food and beverage selections. We enjoyed our visit and will certainly return. 

Bricksworth Beer Co. 
12257B Nicollet Ave S 
Burnsville, MN 55337

Phone: (952) 657-5236

https://bricksworthbeer.co

Las Vegas trip 3.30-4.4.2021 - The one with random wins and under quadding

Late, late very late! This trip report is so overdue it is not even funny. I am going to soldier on and report what I can I guess. At least I have some pictures to jog my memory and we can go back and recall where we stayed and ate and things like that. 

We stayed at the Cosmopolitan for three nights and at the Wynn for the last 2 nights. We upgraded to a fountain view studio south for an extra $40 a night. Pretty sure we were in the Boulevard tower again. 

We stuck around the Cosmo our first night and played mostly video poker. I had a couple quads, so things started out strong and kinda went downhill from there. 

We headed downtown Wednesday morning for breakfast at Magnolia's. Standard visit, standard fare. Always solid. 

We met up with my friend Deanna and we did a bit of couponing and wandering around downtown for much of the day. I had a nice hit on some free play at El Cortez on the might Buffalo. 

We had a late lunch at 8 East at Circa. This is starting to be a regular stop, which is a good thing. Great food and service. 

brisket friend rice

bao

wings

chicken dumplings

outside 8 East

We headed back to Cosmo and played some video poker at Chandelier bar. Kinda under quadded as usual.  

Deanna, John and I had a dinner reservation at Jaleo and we did the Jose Way tasting menu. 

While I did not love everything I tried, it was a great way to try a variety of times on their menu. 

Thursday morning John and I had breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi. The food and service were solid as always, but reservations were essential. That is the case at many places in town, especially more in demand places. 

John and I spent a bit of time at the Chelsea pool at the Cosmo after breakfast. 

After the pool we grabbed lunch at the Cosmo food court. I had sushi at Tekka bar and John got a sandwich at Lardo. 

We headed downtown for the rest of the afternoon to do some couponing and play video poker here and there. We TRIED to get into Legacy Club at Circa but we were not admitted due to unacceptable footwear. OK. Whatever. Done with that place!! 

We had a late reservation for dinner at Pizza Rock, which was wonderful as always. 

I believe we finished up the evening with some more video poker at Vue Bar at the D. 

We had breakfast at The Henry at the Cosmo. Again, reservations are essential. They turned away a lot of people. The food and service were great as usual.  

We checked out of Cosmo and loaded up the rental car and checked into Wynn. It was really early, but they did have a room available for us, which was really nice. 

We met Deanna over at Ellis Island and did some couponing there. I ad a nice win on Buffalo from some free play. I think we headed over to Gold Coast for some play also. 

John and I grabbed a late lunch at In and Out. The drive through line was massive, but the it went fast and the food was solid. 

Drinks at Parasol Down at the Wynn before dinner. 

We ended up at Zuma at the Cosmo for dinner. I think we had a hard time getting reservations anywhere at the Wynn on this trip, so back at Cosmo we were. 

edemame

spicy toro

gyoza

yellowtail tuna

sashimi

rock shrimp

shishito peppers

We'd never dined at Zuma before and found the food delicious, with great service and a buzzing atmosphere. I think we'd definitely go back. 

Video poker was not my pal on this trip, so here's a random Top Dollar win that helped keep me afloat! 

Saturday we went out to Suncoast for breakfast with Deanna, as she was staying there. And it is easy to talk us into coming to DuPar's! 

We played some video poker the Suncoast and then headed back to Wynn. I think I went to the pool for a bit, but it was kinda tricky because they were still limiting capacity, but it opened up as I was walking up, and there were plenty of chairs open. 

We had a late lunch at Wazuzu at the Wynn. Not cheap, but very good food and service. 

Guess we played a bit of VP at TI while wasting some time. Double double is killing me. 

We went to Esther's Kitchen in the Arts District for dinner. Very cute area and cute place. 

pear salad

yellowtail crudo

wild boar tagliatelle

room view at Wynn

Sunday was Easter I think, we had breakfast with Deanna at the Wynn at Jardin. John had the steak chilaquiles. 

eggs benedict

lobster benedict

in disguise at the Wynn!

John apparently had a killer trip on video poker, as well as a a couple random Buffalo slot wins. He hit aces twice without a kicker and once with a kicker. He had other hits for a total of 12 low quads. He was not under quadded. 😂

Overall, we had an excellent trip with tons of video poker played and a marginal amount of winning. Deanna kept telling me I was under quadded and that could not be more accurate. It was great to spend some time with her after not being able to see her for over a year due to pandemic crap.