Papa's Cafe

It had been a long time since we visited Papa's Cafe in New Hope. I am not really sure why though. The food is solid and the service is fine. We need to go back on a regular basis.

 generous portions! 

The pancakes are really quite good. They are light and fluffy with crunchy bits around the edges. They are really almost perfect pancakes.

Here is a link from a previous visit. Not much has changed, so everything still applies: http://whereshouldwegomsp.blogspot.com/2012/04/papas-cafe.html


Papa's Cafe
7181 42nd Ave N
New Hope, MN 55427
763.535.4887
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Papas-Cafe/147811451948391

Revival Smoked Meats at Keg and Case Market

We stopped at the Keg and Case Market on our way home from at trip to Iowa recently. We just wanted to pick something up sort of quickly before getting Maya from the boarding place. We arrived at Keg and Case shortly after opening, so none of the lines were too bad yet. 

We both went with the brisket sandwich topped with black BBQ sauce and mustard slaw. I liked the sauce well enough and the meat was perfectly done, very smoky and tender. I was not crazy about the slaw on the sandwich. It really did not need it, but it did add a bit of crunch.

We both had a cornbread muffin as well. The muffins were OK. Not my favorite. 

Most dining spots in the market are set up like food court places, so you just wait in line, order and pay for your food. So not a lot of service interactions. Our food was fresh and hot and ready quickly though. We did not have any issue finding a place to sit and eat. Plenty of open tabes.

We would like to return to try In Bloom and I noticed a brewery on the second floor of the market that would be fun to try sometime. There are a variety of local kiosks selling baked goods, pet supplies and art, as well as lots of other things I am probably forgetting about. It is definitely a cool building and worth the trip.


Revival at Keg and Case Market
525 Selby Ave
St Paul, MN 55102
Phone: (651) 340-2355
https://www.kegandcase.com/vendors?v=revival-smoked-meats

Lat 14 Asian Eatery

We have been to Lat 14 twice now since it first opened in late 2018. On our first visit my pictures were terrible and I forgot to make a bunch also, so we were happy to return. Plus, it is located right in Golden Valley very close to where we live, so the location is excellent for us. It is not a huge restaurant, so we have made reservations each time we visited. You might be able to get lucky and spore a spot at the bar, but there are not that many seats there. Reservations do seem to book up in advance, especially on weekends.

The vibe is upscale, which I was not expecting at first, but it is very lovely. The service is fairly formal and polished, which cloth napkins and an industrial chic setting. This certainly does not look like a re purposed Perkins.

Hemingway daiquiri for me

Nam khao – crispy rice, Thai herb salad, name, peanuts. These were sort of like a lettuce wrap. The filling was very flavorful.

Basil wings for John. He loves these wings. The dry rub is super flavorful, and the skin could not be more crispy and perfect.

Snow crab wontons with crab, cream cheese and apricot sweet chili. Very simple but done well here.

Drunken noodles with chicken with thick rice noodles, dark soy, tamarind sauce Thai basil, tomatoes, egg and garlic.

Bacon pineapple fried rice – this is their signature dish and it is amazing! It has pineapple sambal tumis, house cured bacon, pickled golden raisins, cashews, egg, onion and scallion in it. This is even better the next day. Seriously. You have to order it.

Lechon, which is Filipino roasted pork belly with black pepper vinegar and mang tomas. This was super rich. Might be a good dish to share with a large group, but you can’t have more than a piece to two really since it is so rich.

We ordered way, way too much food, but the fried rice really does reheat well, and so do the noodles, so leftovers are a bonus. Prices of most items are in the $10-15 range with signature entrees $17-36 range. Things do add up since you will want to order a bunch of items to share and sample. So it really depends what you order.

We had the same server as our first visit, but this time she seemed a lot less frazzled. I think they are getting into their groove now. Lat 14 is a great addition to the Twin Cities dining scene and in particular a nice change from the standard suburban dining options.


Lat 14 Asian Eatery
8815 7th Ave N
Golden Valley, MN 55427
Phone: (763) 400-7910
https://www.lat14.com

112 eatery

Usually John and I go out for a pre-Christmas celebration together, but our last Vegas trip took the place of that. Instead we opted for an overnight downtown after the holiday. Plus, we had not been to 112 eatery in quite a long time. This time we were seated upstairs near the front windows.

Olives and spiced almonds to start.

I had a very delicious white Russian.

First we had the blue prawns with rooster mayo. The shrimp were very good.

Snapper crudo was next and it was very fresh and light. Excellent.

I had the pan fried skate wing with prosciutto crust.

John had the nori encrusted sirloin with ponzu.

Both entrees were really good. All of our food was perfect actually. I always forget how amazing the food at 112 is. The service was excellent as well, we had no issues at all.


112 Eatery
112 North 3rd Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401
612.343.7696
http://www.112eatery.com/


We stayed overnight at the AC Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. I had a comp hotel night to burn, so we thought we’d make a night of it downtown. We also went to Clockwerks brewing and Acme Comedy for a show after our dinner at 112.

Patrick's Bakery & Cafe

We visited Patrick’s in Maple Grove for brunch for the first time awhile back. John had been to the location near Southdale for lunch ages ago. We were seated immediately and had great service even though there was a large group next to us.

John had the Forestier burger, which is an angus beef burger on freshly baked baguette bread and topped with caramelized onions, mushrooms and bacon bits with French fries. He really liked that this is served on a baguette instead of a traditional hamburger bun. The fries were great also.

I had the ham and cheese croissant sandwich, which is a flaky croissant filled with ham, Dijon mustard, bechamel sauce and shredded mozzarella. The sandwich was served warm and had plentiful fillings. It was a lot of food and I liked the side salad and vinaigrette dressing. Everything tasted as great as it looked.

We found the service to be quick and friendly. We had a very enjoyable meal and would certainly return.


Patrick's Bakery & Café
The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes
12489 Elm Creek Blvd N
Maple Grove, MN 55369
Phone: (763) 420-7770
http://patricksbakerycafe.com/