tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15808003370437571642012-02-11T07:48:01.223-06:00Restaurant reviews, food items, grocery stores, markets, food co-ops, and general thoughts about food, all are within the scope of the Passport to the World of Food. We focus on the food scene in Rochester, Minnesota, with occasional (sometimes more than others)trips outside of the area.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.comBlogger1011100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-9746192930461906302012-02-11T05:29:00.003-06:002012-02-11T05:48:50.625-06:00

Recently, I participated in a discussion about what sort of cuisines that were needed in Rochester. My position was that Rochester just isn't a food city and that we lacked several different types of cuisines. I was then challenged to name some cuisines that we lacked. I suspect that the person doing the challenging didn't think that Rochester was lacking in that many. And to be sure, we do have

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-86798105174769907442011-01-24T07:08:00.001-06:002011-01-24T07:08:00.558-06:00

Location: Located in a small shopping area, nevertheless, this place was hard to find if you're unfamiliar with the area. We saw it as we drove past, and then it was really hard to try to get back to it again.Cuisine: American, breakfast.Atmosphere: This has the feel of a small-town restaurant. It was busy when we arrived, and quite loud as well. This is a place where you seat

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-17288203899904851132011-01-17T07:07:00.003-06:002011-01-17T07:07:00.245-06:00

Location: Dekalb, Illinois, which is south of Rockford. I hesitate to say this is in Rockford, but it's been grouped into the "Rockford area" on Urban Spoon in much the same way that Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin, have been grouped together with Milwaukee. However, at least this restaurant is on one of the main streets (East Lincoln Highway) of Dekalb, in the downtown area.Cuisine:

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-84905098666440317972011-01-10T07:07:00.002-06:002011-01-10T07:07:00.583-06:00

Location: Brooklyn Deli is located in a strip mall along with other stores, making this a more convenient location. However, it is not located in Rockford but rather a nearby small town, so it's location takes a small hit here.Cuisine: American, sandwiches. Atmosphere: Well, it's in a strip mall. While that alone doesn't necessarily tell you much about the atmosphere of this place, also take

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-15310630305144370132011-01-03T06:34:00.000-06:002011-01-03T06:34:00.189-06:00

Location: This restaurant is located at the Shrine of the Lady of Guadalupa. That means that this restaurant is a bit out of the way from most of LaCrosse.Cuisine: According to Urban Spoon, this is a European restaurant. I would consider it to be more American in style.Atmosphere: The view from here could be magnificent if it's the right season. Unfortunately, when we were there, it was past peak

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-81036541709471497802010-12-27T06:54:00.000-06:002010-12-27T06:54:00.347-06:00

Location: Located near the South Center mall in Tukwila and near other restaurants and shopping centers in a stand alone building.Cuisine: Caribbean and American.Atmosphere: This is a chain restaurant, and it looks and feels like it. They do make an attempt to make you feel like you're in a Caribbean location, but in the boxed confines of a theme restaurant, similar to Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-2738632652389618822010-12-23T09:01:00.003-06:002010-12-23T09:01:00.478-06:00

Location: This particular Chino Bandido, one of two in the Phoenix area, was located in a strip mall. It was a poorly lit strip mall when we were there, and it was after dark, so I can't tell you what else may have been close by. But regardless, after this place has been featured on television, location doesn't matter as much as it may have once.Cuisine: This is a fusion of Chinese and Mexican.

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-83970028957902391262010-12-20T05:32:00.001-06:002010-12-20T05:32:00.283-06:00

Looking for a sub sandwich while in Bemidji, Minnesota, the home of the legendary Paul Bunyon? Look no further than Paul Bunyon Sub Shop on the shores of Lake Bemidji. Also, don't expect to find a pick-your-toppings layout like you would have at Subway or Quiznos. This is a small town restaurant, and it looks and feels that way. When entering, you walk through the dining area to a small order

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-92093966002746233182010-12-13T06:53:00.002-06:002010-12-13T06:53:00.113-06:00

While we were in Seattle, we also went to a couple of chain restaurants, as well. Both of the chains we went to were chains that we don't have locally in southeastern Minnesota, nor had I really heard much about them prior to this trip. The first of these was Claim Jumpers. As the name implies, this is somewhat of a "theme restaurant" where the theme doesn't jump right out at you. Yes, it's based

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-26507695715472323102010-12-06T06:52:00.000-06:002010-12-06T06:52:01.010-06:00

If you're looking for good Indian food while in Seattle, I would recommend Bengal Tiger East Cuisine of India on Roosevelt Way. No, I can't say that I've sampled other Indian restaurants in Seattle; therefore, I cannot tell you that Bengal Tiger is the best in Seattle, or even near the top of the list of Indian food in Seattle. Not when there are over one hundred places in the Seattle area where

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-67523717147930253402010-11-29T06:53:00.006-06:002010-11-29T06:53:00.157-06:00

A Steve's World of Food Top 10 of 2010!A short walk from the Space Needle, in the Queen Anne section of Seattle, you will come across a restaurant that MSN and Gayat listed as being one of the Top 10 best new restaurants in America in April 2010. Toulouse Petit is that restaurant.Based on the French quarter of New Orleans, the decor as well as the food carry that theme through very well, as well

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-73589263631117482192010-11-22T06:51:00.000-06:002010-11-22T06:51:00.709-06:00

Paseo in Fremont is one of those small restaurants that doesn't go over the top with extravagence. It's a very basic-looking building that doesn't even have a sign advertising that the restaurant is there. But then, it doesn't need one. Relying on locals and word of mouth, this place has been getting the buzz, and is ranked high on Seattle's list of restaurants. It has been featured on TV as a

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-37538130287982142602010-11-15T08:59:00.000-06:002010-11-15T08:59:00.295-06:00

This is a Steve's World of Food Top Ten 2010 Restaurant.We don't get to French restaurants all that much, thanks to the fact that they tend to be priced out of the range of what we can afford. Coup des Tartes, a small French restaurant in Phoenix, would have fit that description had they not been open for lunch. Despite touting what they claim as the most romantic Phoenix dining scene, Coup des

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-3036804502583614432010-11-09T06:13:00.000-06:002010-11-09T06:13:00.335-06:00

While it’s hard to try to determine the exact number of places to get food in Rochester (currently, the website urbanspoon.com lists 258, though I’m not completely convinced that’s an accurate number, and as a prime user on that site, I’m trying to ensure that it’s accurate; however, with there being places that I wouldn’t normally frequent, I’m not convinced that places like Kathy’s Bar or

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-37363899696940599712010-11-08T06:56:00.002-06:002010-11-08T06:56:00.505-06:00

The line was out the door as we approached Red Mill Burgers at the Phinney Ridge location, making a mockery of the tiny parking lot located next to the small building, this in spite of the fact that it was about an hour to closing time for the burger place. At least we knew that the hype was actually true about this place and not a fabrication or an overstated claim by its owners. And with this

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-71311268070020972792010-11-05T07:33:00.001-05:002010-11-08T07:40:40.800-06:00

Location: Along the frontage road on the west side of Highway 52, near Target North.Cuisine: Pizza/American.Atmosphere: Broadway Pizza from the Twin Cities took this restaurant, which used to be the Minnesota "Up North" look of Timber Lodge Steakhouse and turned it into a train-themed pizza restaurant and bar. There are model trains which run along the walls of the restaurant near the ceiling.

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-30160700151988816642010-11-01T06:55:00.002-05:002010-11-01T06:55:00.844-05:00

Nestled away in the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, near the Seattle Tacoma airport, I am unsure what the name of this small crepe kiosk actually is. On the surface of it, it would appear that this place's name is Unicone Crepes (the name on the sign), which makes sense, as the crepes are rolled into a giant cone, resembling an ice cream cone. However, in searching for this place online, I found

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-36809225800151492402010-10-28T07:37:00.001-05:002010-10-28T07:37:00.952-05:00

India Garden is always one of our favorite restaurants in Rochester to go to, and ranks high in terms of top restaurants in Rochester. It has won numerous accolades over the years, being named Rochester's best Indian or best Asian/other.You may find some who try to claim that India Garden isn't authentic Indian. This is something that always irks me, as India is a country of many cuisines and

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-52429229329100811762010-10-27T07:42:00.002-05:002010-10-27T07:52:36.659-05:00

Spooky BBQ SauceI recently tried the Hot & Spicy version of Spooky BBQ sauce, and I was pleasantly surprised with this BBQ sauce. This product isn't what you're going to find with sauces that try calling themselves spicy. It's not going to have a vinegary taste, nor does it try to mask the flavor of whatever you are using it with. All of the flavors of this sauce really come out and help to

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-73403961726362349842010-10-22T06:50:00.001-05:002010-10-22T06:50:00.165-05:00

We are always looking for good places to go to eat for breakfast while we are in different cities. It seems that breakfast is always the hardest type of cuisine to find, especially when looking for local and/or independent restaurants. Sure, there is always places like IHOP, or Denny's and Perkins, but what if you're looking for something else entirely. The hotel that we were staying at while in

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-56501495446118847662010-10-18T05:45:00.000-05:002010-10-18T05:45:00.935-05:00

Being Beatles fans, when we heard about Ella's Deli and Ice Cream Parlor in nearby Madison, Wisconsin, this place immediately went in to our wish list for places to eat in that city. See, Ella's deli is full of animatrics to the point of overkill, which is likely one of the reasons this place is voted as the Best Place to Take Kids in Madison, as well as the fact that they have ice cream and a

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-51677848392702302372010-10-15T07:15:00.000-05:002010-10-15T07:15:00.515-05:00

Just when I think ice cream can't get any better, someone has to prove me wrong. And okay, this place doesn't sell ice cream, it serves gelato. Gelato is Italy's variation on ice cream, and as such, it contains the same ingredients that you would find in other ice creams. It is different, however, in that it has less butter fat (4-8% vs 14%) and less sugar (16-22% vs 21%). Thus, one could argue

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-11929691170918664082010-10-13T05:05:00.000-05:002010-10-13T05:05:00.464-05:00

If you are looking for a mild, but still spicy pepper, look no further than the Hatch pepper. Going according to the size vs. hotness that is a good indication of how spicy a pepper will be, by looking at the hatch pepper, you should be able to deduce that it's not going to be the hottest pepper out there. The hatch pepper is long, and is the pepper that is most associated with New Mexico, found

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-25384257556792772062010-10-11T05:47:00.000-05:002010-10-11T05:47:00.471-05:00

We walked into Honeypie about an hour before it was to close for the night, and found the lighting here to be dim--think pizza parlor dim, and rather loud. Not busy, per se, though the bar area seemed to be full, and a few other tables had people sitting around eating. It was just loud. I am not sure which came first, the loudness from people talking, or the loudness of the piped in music, which

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-79195450690917250632010-10-08T05:49:00.001-05:002010-10-08T05:49:00.535-05:00

I've heard about Kopp's Frozen Custard for awhile, with the restaurant being featured on television, and the place winning the best custard award in the Milwaukee area. That says something in a place where you don't have to look very far to find a restaurant that is serving frozen custard. They are seemingly everywhere in this area.And when we got to the store in Brookfield (one of three in the

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-62618617798052260152010-10-04T05:31:00.002-05:002010-10-04T05:31:00.353-05:00

It was our last meal in Chicago before heading home, and since we had just eaten a somewhat late breakfast, we weren't all that hungry at noon yet, so we had to delay coming here, and thus, our trip back home. Not that an hour made that much difference as far as our stomachs were concerned, but we had heard about Portillo's hot dogs and had as yet been unable to try them on previous trips to

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-74202450042343593302010-09-29T06:47:00.000-05:002010-09-29T06:47:00.529-05:00

Travelling through the mountains from Skagway, Alaska, on the way through northern British Columbia to the Yukon territory, you will find (as we did) a pink blossomed weed standing in brilliant contrast to the greens and the blue of the mountain lakes. It may surprise you to learn that this plant, known as fireweed, could be used in cooking. You will find fireweed in such things as jelly,

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-50939479313590373992010-09-27T05:30:00.002-05:002010-10-02T09:05:36.070-05:00

We almost missed out on this charm of a breakfast/brunch location on our trip to Chicago. It was our last day in the Windy City, and we knew two things when we woke up: 1) We wanted to try Portillo's Hot Dogs before we left, and 2) We'd be leaving Chicago around noon for our sojourn back to Rochester. Since we likely wouldn't eat breakfast until 9 or 10, that meant we likely wouldn't be hungry

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-2029800601703371352010-09-26T06:49:00.000-05:002010-09-26T06:49:00.385-05:00

What would a discussion about food be without a discussion about Pike's Place Market in Seattle. Okay, like the Westside Market in Cleveland, Pike's Place Market isn't really a grocery store, nor does it fall into the category of a true farmer's market, but rather something in between. Or possibly into it's own category of that in-between of public markets. Always busy, always loud, unless

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-86365460875571361382010-09-25T07:33:00.001-05:002010-09-25T07:33:00.143-05:00

Who has the best burgers? That is an often asked question, asked at a local level as well as at a national level. And that is a question that will never have a truly satisfactory answer to those who ask it, thanks to differing taste buds and differences on what makes a truly great burger and what the qualifications are for the best burger. Everyone, of course, will have an answer to this, and if

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-48963130650155116652010-09-24T05:48:00.001-05:002010-10-02T09:12:31.991-05:00

The students at Marquette University are lucky to have a place like The Broken Yolk to go to for breakfast. We were here on a Sunday, and during the summer, so it was relatively quiet for our visit for breakfast, so we were probably able to get a better view of the menu and able to enjoy our meal in peace. Which after so many loud places that I have been to lately, it's such a treat.When you

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-18043960027743834502010-09-20T07:39:00.000-05:002010-09-20T07:39:00.756-05:00

It isn't often I get the opportunity to try cuisine from El Salvadore. Okay, so I've never had that opportunity before, so when I found out about this place, I definitely had to make sure we went there. I was actually surprised to find this cuisine in Winnipeg, because while Winnipeg has a (somewhat)diverse population, it doesn't have a lot of Mexican/Southwestern restaurants. There are

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-1595269179956750642010-09-17T06:50:00.000-05:002010-09-17T06:50:00.189-05:00

Okay, so this is a chain restaurant, with 55 locations around the country. And until recently, I had never heard of them before. I vaguely remember driving by a Dave & Busters somewhere, and wondering if it was something like the now defunct college-inspired men's clothing chain of stores Steve & Barry's. Thanks to a co-worker who wants to try this place, I was educated that this is a Chuck E.

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-41070389351899032962010-09-13T05:25:00.000-05:002010-09-13T05:25:00.444-05:00

Located in a strip mall, this place was hard to find. I'm not the sort to ignore restaurants that are in strip malls, as I have come to find that small restaurants in strip malls are just as likely to have good food as those in stand alone buildings. And at least a strip mall is going to look more appetizing than some stand alone buildings in run down parts of town.The restaurant looked

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-36114999286561722992010-09-12T08:40:00.002-05:002010-09-12T08:45:17.480-05:00

Pictures from the galley on board the Carnival Spirit. Us with our wait staff on board the Carnival Spirit--Wanida from Thailand and Lloyd from India.

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-7305225371732099362010-09-10T06:23:00.000-05:002010-09-10T06:23:00.614-05:00

I have been a fan of Space Aliens ever since I discovered it in Fargo in 2001--back when they only had two locations--Fargo and Bismarck. They have since expanded into other area cities as well (Albertville, Waite Park, Minot, Grand Forks, and Blaine). I have to say that Space Aliens is probably my favorite themed restaurant, although admittedly I haven't been to that many.You can find Chucky

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-30409321118517251142010-09-06T05:27:00.000-05:002010-09-06T05:27:00.137-05:00

Mmmmmm.....ice cream. What more can I say?Well, quite a bit, actually. We heard about Margie's Candies from the book, "500 Things To Eat Before It's Too Late." It had the turtle sundae listed as being among the best turtle sundaes, and since Chicago isn't far from where we live (ok, so its five hours by car, but closer than many other places in the US), so we knew that we had to check this out,

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-88770636432651490232010-09-03T07:02:00.000-05:002010-09-03T07:02:00.483-05:00

While The Original Pancake House is a chain that you can find throughout the United States, in Canada, there are apparently only three in existance that I can find. And all three of those happen to be in Winnipeg. I was sure that they were part of the same chain, but the temporary inability to find some of the same menu items we had at the Scottsdale (Arizona) restaurant and the Winnipeg

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-50122171446060874902010-08-31T05:57:00.000-05:002010-08-31T05:57:00.637-05:00

I came across this dessert strolling through the aisles at Hy-Vee. Choco Roll, What a Sweet Taste. As evidenced by the packaging, it is taro flavored.What exactly is taro, you may be asking yourself. It's one of the earliest cultivated plants, and now primarily cultivated in southeast Asia and Africa. It is considered a staple in the diets of African, Oceanic, and Asian cultures. It was popular

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-80506795710608050932010-08-30T06:21:00.000-05:002010-08-30T06:21:00.549-05:00

A group of us went to Beetles Bar & Grill after work on a Friday. I had only been here once before, and wasn't too impressed with it at that time, but when the group decided to come here, I felt that it may be time to give it another chance. Perhaps a one-time visit may not necessarily be enough to truly get the whole jist of what a restaurant is all about, and most restaurants I don't like is

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-35177824196014319112010-08-27T05:27:00.000-05:002010-08-27T05:27:00.209-05:00

A recent excursion to Des Moines, Iowa, brought us to La Mie Bakery, and while their menu isn't the largest, and maybe not even the most unique, it was worth the stop.We parked in the parking lot behind the restaurant, where other than the patio with a few tables, there wasn't a lot to indicate there was a restaurant in the vacinity. In fact, even once we got to the door, La Mie isn't marked,

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-68920383395725353102010-08-23T07:30:00.000-05:002010-08-23T07:30:00.941-05:00

On the lookout for a good Indian restaurant, one of our favorite cuisines, we decided to go to Tandoori Hut on Corydon. This was especially important given the fact that we've been told that the Ivory restaurant started adding mushrooms to their entrees and significantly raised their prices. I'm not sure if those two things are true, but because the people that we would dine with in Winnipeg made

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-79295736497264576652010-08-22T07:36:00.000-05:002010-08-22T07:36:00.135-05:00

One of the stores you will encounter in Canada is the Real Canadian Superstore (or Atlantic Superstore Or Dominion on the east coast). What is the Real Canadian Superstore? If you're not from there, would it be that hard to figure out? Probably not, from my experience with the stores in Winnipeg. It's a big box store that looks like what a grocery store should look like. Granted, some

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-50849837134249298632010-08-20T05:52:00.000-05:002010-08-20T05:52:00.517-05:00

When I walked into Rochester ’s Five Guys Burgers and Fries, I must admit it was the first time I had ever been in a Five Guys before. Adding to the interest (which, there was already some interest before) was the owner claiming that its burger wars with Newt’s was going to be starting, that they had taken their staff to Newt’s for a taste test, and that there was no way that Newt’s would remain

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-9213713235952553322010-08-17T05:53:00.001-05:002010-08-17T05:53:00.151-05:00

What is a plumcot? As the name implies, a plumcot is a hybrid resulting from cross-breeding between plum and apricot trees. A plumcot will, depending on what varieties of plums and apricots are used, and to what level of pollination is used, display characteristics of either parent fruit. Plumcots have been achieved in nature in areas where both plums and apricots grow together, though

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-36267825807573044112010-08-16T04:39:00.001-05:002010-08-16T04:39:00.445-05:00

It's been quite a few years since I've made the trip down the alley and up the stairs to find myself at Newt's--I'd say probably about 15 years. It was nice to see that most of the bar had remained unchanged. It's a small bar with a couple high tables, and then a small dining area with tables. And they still serve popcorn to all the tables which was probably a tad bit too salty. But then let's

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-19415795177027647982010-08-15T05:50:00.000-05:002010-08-15T05:50:00.454-05:00

If you're visiting Wisconsin (or live there), you may come across one of five Brennan's Markets in the state. Brennan's is a specialty store bringing you the best of Wisconsin as well as places beyond, focusing on wine, cheese, produce, and specialty products. And to be fair, most of the produce, wine, and specialty foods are not actually from Wisconsin, but the cheese is. And isn't that what

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-35054881496902125442010-08-13T07:38:00.000-05:002010-08-13T07:38:00.986-05:00

I had read the reviews for Hickory Park restaurant at UrbanSpoon, where there was talk about how huge this restaurant was. Even with that, I was unprepared for the sheer size of this restaurant. From the outside, the building looks big, and we arrived at 1 pm for lunch to find the parking lot still incredibly full. And even though UrbanSpoon has this restaurant listed as the number one restaurant

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-39266563367505911592010-08-09T06:02:00.002-05:002010-09-29T06:10:57.589-05:00

What do you get if you cross a Chipotle with a Subway? The answer is Chico ’s Burritos. Except that Chico ’s lacks the same attitude that Chipotle has, and it’s clear that they aren’t aiming for the college crowd the way Chipotle does. As of this writing, I am unsure if the Chico ’s Burritos that has made its home in the downtown subway is related to other Chico ’s Burritos that are dispersed

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-36724866814166010832010-08-07T05:19:00.001-05:002010-08-07T05:19:00.418-05:00

The Travel Channel aired a show back in January called "The 101 Tastiest Places to Chow Down," and you can still catch repeats of it. They don't go into a lot of detail about each location they visit, as they need to air 20 different restaurants in the course of an hour. And some, if not most or all, of the places they visit aren't new. They are restaurants that the Travel Channel and/or the Food

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-65427713437331062002010-08-04T05:14:00.000-05:002010-08-04T05:14:00.432-05:00

Last week, I was directed to check out the fudge at the Thursdays on First market. Why? Because they were selling a couple of different fudges that a couple of coworkers felt were right up my alley when it came to foodstuffs. While fudge is usually good, I wondered what kind of fudge they had that I would like. There were two I was told--a white chocolate jalapeno fudge and a "kicking and

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-78294800446335969962010-08-02T06:47:00.001-05:002010-10-02T09:10:21.440-05:00

If you are looking for some good Mediterranean/Lebanese food, Baraka Pita Bakery should be your first stop. Located in a small, unimpressive building on Main Street, it may be easy to drive by and not give them a second thought, but if you do stop, you won't be disappointed. When you first walk in, you are met with a food counter with six or seven different menu items posted above it. The person

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-32970000809418265822010-08-01T07:40:00.000-05:002010-08-01T07:40:00.574-05:00

One may not consider Cincinnati to be much of a destination location. Especially if your destination within Cincinnati is a grocery store. However, Fairfield, Ohio, is home to what can only be described as Foodie Mecca, and anyone who considers themselves a Foodie should make the journey here at least once, and visit the store known as Jungle Jim's International Market. What is so special about

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-61364370512473095642010-07-31T07:36:00.000-05:002010-07-31T07:36:00.685-05:00

Rochester's food scene isn't one that you will find highlighted among the area foodies, and everyone will probably give you a different reason for this. They will say that we don't have any good restaurants, or that we don't have enough independent restaurants or too many national chains. Rochester also seems to be lacking a large number of national chains that you can find in other cities

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-54861134315622663572010-07-29T07:51:00.001-05:002010-07-29T07:51:00.658-05:00

The closest pick-your-own farm to Rochester, Sekapp Orchard offers up pick-your-own strawberries each June, something that we typically look forward to. We had at one point our own small strawberry patch in the backyard, but once that became unmanageable, and with limited results, we tore that out in favor of a vegetable garden. We still like picking our own strawberries, and there is no

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-74097302229790205612010-07-27T05:35:00.000-05:002010-07-27T05:50:57.648-05:00

One of the up and coming food trends that is beginning to make it's way around the country is the Sonoran dog, which comes from the Sonoran desert of northern Mexico and southern Arizona. While everyone has heard of a Chicago dog, with whole restaurants built around them, the Sonoran dog isn't as well known--yet, but someday may challenge the Chicago dog as the dog to beat.The Chicago dog is

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-34556981005103998812010-07-26T07:02:00.002-05:002010-07-26T07:02:00.065-05:00

It was a Friday night, and we decided that we'd go to Jasper's for the first time. It's been around for a number of years now, but we'd never gone because of the incredibly high prices for the meals. However, I had bought gift certificates for there at half price, making a meal there much more affordable. I wasn't sure how busy they'd be, so I followed the instructions on their website and called

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-48514343299016731002010-07-25T06:40:00.002-05:002010-07-25T06:40:00.184-05:00

Located in Rochester, the Good Food Store Co-op has been a staple for more years than I have lived in Rochester for those people who are looking for organic or healthy alternative foods and products. And over the past few years, the Good Food Store has undergone lots of changes. These changes, starting with the Backroom Deli, have all served to improve my impression of this store. And then,

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-55081183416856259442010-07-19T06:30:00.002-05:002010-07-19T06:30:01.298-05:00

This is my first experience with a Brazilian restaurant of any kind, so I don't know how they normally stack up against each other. With a name like Cafe Beaudelaire, I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Perhaps a nice, sit down restaurant, moderately expensive, with some Spanish and Portuguese influences, and maybe some French influence thrown in as well. Or perhaps a nice, quiet, quaint coffee

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-64884883069357983562010-07-12T07:37:00.001-05:002010-07-12T07:37:00.838-05:00

Ranked as one of Winnipeg's best restaurants, The Bridge Drive-In, near Osborne Village, is always busy. This ice cream stand was brought to our attention last fall, after it had already closed for the season. We had mentioned to my in-laws that we had found a place that sold the 24 flavors of soft ice cream, and they said that this place had more than that. They were a little off in their count

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-31426583451726528322010-07-11T05:24:00.003-05:002010-07-14T06:49:02.644-05:00

In Chicago, we came across a small market that is always busy, and for good reason. The prices for produce at Jerry's Fruit and Garden is unbelievably low. When you go in, like any supermarket, the produce section is at the front of the store, fitting for a name with produce in it's name. Because it's a fairly small market, the aisles initially look narrow, but that is likely due more to the

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-47555000416437959732010-07-05T06:28:00.005-05:002010-07-05T06:28:01.146-05:00

Along the south side of Gimli on Highway 9 you will find a restaurant called Shelley D's. There isn't much to distinguish this place from the outside--it's in an ordinary looking white building next to an old, small lighthouse. On the inside, you will find a few tables and booths that will resemble any number of other small town cafes and restaurants. But the food you will get here is among

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-81303436628114148532010-06-30T06:15:00.003-05:002010-08-09T05:53:58.645-05:00

Although hard to find, gooseberries are a great fruit to eat. They are little and need little advanced prep in order to eat. I don't think I have ever seen gooseberries in the store--either fresh or canned. You can, however, find various products flavored with gooseberry, or find gooseberry jelly.There are a couple of different varieties of gooseberry--European and American. Depending on variety

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-80497668894749025722010-06-29T05:34:00.000-05:002010-06-29T05:34:00.585-05:00

I was at what I would consider probably the best Pick-Your-Own fruit farm that I have ever been at over the weekend. Unfortunately, this farm is two and a half hours away from the Rochester area, in Ames, Iowa. When my wife said that she would like to go and pick gooseberries, we made a couple of phone calls--the first one to a farm near Maiden Rock, Wisconsin who said that their gooseberry

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-16847353160989118502010-06-28T05:52:00.000-05:002010-06-28T05:52:00.749-05:00

I've been wanting to go here since it opened a couple of months ago, but unfortunately haven't been able to get here until now. Like all restaurants, it has undergone a few changes between when it opened and what it's like a couple of months later as things are fine-tuned and the menu is refined. For one, when it opened, it was called Katz's World Bistro and Bar, and now if urbanspoon is to be

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-2963661101647957862010-06-27T06:47:00.000-05:002010-06-27T06:47:00.280-05:00

Throughout Canada, you will find places called M&M Meats. These are little stores, usually in small strip malls, where you can go and find an assortment of frozen meats and a selection of other frozen meals to help with your meal planning. These can be frozen french fries (or sweet potato fries), frozen berries, burgers, chicken, seafood, fajitas, or even desserts, and include multi-serving boxes

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-57744638021695371112010-06-23T05:15:00.000-05:002010-06-23T05:15:00.455-05:00

I came across Mon Petit Cupcakes down in the Peace Plaza when I was walking through during the weekly Thursdays on First and Third street fair in downtown Rochester. Mon Petit, based out of Winona , Minnesota , is a specialty and special order bakery, and you can find their products at the Bluff Country Co-op at 121 W. 2nd Street in Winona . What caught my eye was the variety of cupcakes that

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-28372361523713057032010-06-21T06:06:00.000-05:002010-06-21T06:06:00.396-05:00

I'm always looking for good ice cream shoppes of any variety. Ice cream (along with its relatives, frozen yogurt and frozen custard)is one of those things that there really is no end in variety in terms of flavors that you can make. So, from places like Dairy Queen, Cold Stone Creamery, or Culvers to places that sell the 24 flavors of soft serve ice cream to local creameries, if they can find a

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-56177772223228300562010-06-19T05:56:00.003-05:002010-06-19T05:56:00.543-05:00

Say you just arrive in a new city on a vacation or you are looking to try a different restaurant in the city you live in, but you don't know what's good. The secret to find a good restaurant is to do your research before you go. There are a number of websites out there than can help you with this--Urbanspoon, Chowhound, Menuism, and Yelp are such sites, and there are likely others as well.But

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-67186622932820797812010-06-16T05:53:00.000-05:002010-06-16T05:53:00.558-05:00

Known by a variety of names, such as honey mango, manila mango, or champagne mango, the ataulfo mango is slowly starting to become more popular throughout the United States. These mangos, which are sweeter than a regular mango, are smaller as well, with smaller pits, and oblong-shaped. Because the pit is smaller, you get more mango meat per size than you would with other mangos. The flesh is

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-22938813436757116052010-06-14T05:27:00.008-05:002010-06-22T07:18:52.029-05:00

I was looking for someplace to go to for my birthday, and I was trying to decide if I wanted to go someplace that we have never been before (which most of the places I have never been in Rochester are the more expensive restaurants) or some of the same places that we always tend to go to for birthdays because we get coupons for them for my birthday (mostly chain restaurants). Instead, I started

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-23785861168111634672010-06-06T05:40:00.004-05:002010-06-15T07:37:39.502-05:00

We love seeking out new restaurants and new and unique places to eat. Things that you just can't find at other places. Places that help to define some of the places that we go to, but yet won't empty out the pocket book at the same time. And we sometimes chase down restaurants that are featured on the Food Network or Travel Channel.But that doesn't include just the typical sit-down restaurants.

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-43883761284870228822010-06-05T05:15:00.004-05:002010-06-05T05:35:11.326-05:00

The third and final restaurant we tried out during our recent trip to Louisville was North End Cafe. It doesn't look like much from the outside--a small brick building in a neighborhood that likely doesn't get much traffic from the tourist crowd, and as I was driving through this neighborhood, I began to wonder what kind of restaurant was in store for us. Inside, however, it had transformed

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-63693740791557337592010-06-03T05:38:00.002-05:002010-10-02T09:13:48.158-05:00

On our second morning in Louisville, we decided to check out the restaurant Wild Eggs. With two locations in Louisville, it bills itslef as the best breakfast in town on its website. That's a pretty tall order, especially with places like Toast on Market and Lynn's Paradise Cafe (which we have tried previously and was once again recommended to us on this trip). Of course, this is another

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-6869115314344856602010-06-02T05:35:00.003-05:002010-06-16T05:21:19.374-05:00

During the month of June, Culver's is running a burger contest for the best burger. The winner will be chosen from the top 50 vote-getting recipes by a panel of ButterBurger experts, who will then get a trip to Wisconsin and stay at the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells and meet Culver's founders and executive chef.Despite the fact that the Wisconsin Dells is a short drive from Steve's World

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-69246280385414122932010-06-01T07:49:00.007-05:002010-10-02T09:14:31.472-05:00

A recent trip to Louisville over Memorial Day weekend for Abbey Road on the River gave us the opportunity to try some restaurants for breakfast that we had heard about through Urban Spoon.The first place we went to for breakfast was Toast on Market. It was busy, but not so busy that we couldn't get a table right away, and the wait staff was still very attentive to serving us. They had a small

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-50419244725799554372010-05-25T07:38:00.000-05:002010-05-25T07:38:00.195-05:00

Here's a recipe to try on the grill for your Memorial Day barbeques.Southwestern Tortilla Burger:1 pound lean ground beef1 cup salsa 1/2 cup green onions, chopped and divided1/2 cup tortilla chips, finely crushed and dividedDiced green chilies1/2 Tbsp garlic salt1/2 Tbsp chili powder4 hamburger buns4 slices cheddar or pepper jack cheeseCombine the ground beef, 1/2 cup salsa, 1/4 cup green onions,

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-48551768509820266632010-05-23T06:29:00.002-05:002010-05-23T06:37:15.247-05:00

The second annual food blogger conference, hosted by Foodista (www.foodista.com)and Zephyr Adventures (www.zephyradventures.com), will be held in Seattle, Washington, August 27-29. There will be many seminars and guest speakers for the event, many of which I wish I could attend. However, I already have other plans during that time and will be unable to attend. Cost of the conference is $350 if

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-37695403106765931232010-05-22T07:28:00.002-05:002010-06-16T05:14:56.134-05:00

On our trip to Arizona this past February, we fell in love with all things prickly pear. There was prickly pear fudge, prickly pear candy, prickly pear bbq sauce, prickly pear syrup, prickly pear ice cream, and prickly pear milk shakes. Well, the list could go on and on and on when it comes to prickly pear food items, especially in Arizona. We even brought back a small bottle of prickly pear

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-45625971587305902612010-05-21T06:09:00.004-05:002010-05-21T17:54:57.613-05:00

The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile made an appearance in Rochester this week. Or should I say, one of the weinermobiles, as there are six of them that cross the country, making stops at grocery stores and various food related events. This marks only the second time that I can recall seeing the weinermobile in my life--the first time was when I was at the National Mustard Day and Festival in Mount Horeb

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-65712862960768588342010-05-19T06:12:00.002-05:002010-06-16T05:22:59.329-05:00

Dandelions, dandelions, everywhere dandelions. Well, at least in our yard, this is true. Although classified as a weed, and introduced to Minnesota in the 1850s (yes, it may be hard to believe, but true, that prior to that time, there were no dandelions here), every part of the dandelion is edible. However, before you decide to start cooking with dandelions, you need to make sure that you don't

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-58261072023841999012010-05-01T05:52:00.004-05:002010-06-16T05:15:51.446-05:00

I have been waiting for Clay Oven to open for almost a month with baited breath, eager to try this new restaurant. Even though we drive by it every work day, we would make special trips past the area on weekends just in case it would be open. So, on Monday, April 26, when I heard that it was opening that day, we made sure we stopped by that evening for supper.Clay Oven, whose name would imply

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-86400613088456271082010-04-11T06:24:00.000-05:002010-04-11T06:51:16.667-05:00

In Rochester, where Chinese, Mexican, and even Indian restaurants seem to be everywhere, it's important to note that Mediterranean/Greek restaurants shouldn't be ignored, and there are getting to be quite a few of those in Rochester as well. Pappa Georges, Mac's, Zorba's, A Taste of Egypt, and Nupa all fit in that growing category of ethnic cuisine.Set up as a quick service-style restaurant, you

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-71402033172322288222010-04-10T05:14:00.006-05:002010-10-02T09:11:39.185-05:00

Everyone has their own favorite pizza--beit New York-style, Chicago-style, or something in between. You have your favorite crust, your favorite sauce, and your favorite toppings. You have an ideal pizza in your head, and maybe you've already found the one place that gets all the elements of your ideal pizza perfect. If so, you may see no reason to change. Or, maybe you're like us and you're

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-49688202091958765712010-04-04T05:16:00.007-05:002010-06-16T05:46:36.699-05:00

Nestled away in an out-of-the-way area of Minneapolis, along a pothole-filled road, you will come to a building that isn't exactly eye catching, located behind another similarly drab-looking building. You could easily pass by this area and not realize that there is anything there to even stop for in this highly industrial area of the city. As you turn into the driveway, and drive pass the first

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-60719202595803395502010-04-02T05:31:00.001-05:002010-04-11T06:54:39.229-05:00

Below is a list of my favorite restaurants in Rochester, in no particular order. There are five chain restaurants and five independent restaurants in my personal list of the top ten restaurants that I am most likely to think of going to when we decide to eat out.CHAIN RESTAURANTS:Culver's--This is my favorite burger fast food restaurant. There isn't anything that I've had here that I don't like.

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-8387316703066012272010-04-01T06:00:00.002-05:002010-04-11T06:55:18.296-05:00

Imagine a place where you can go and enjoy the ethnic cuisine from nine different cultures in a matter of minutes, in about the size of one regular sized restaurant. If you are someone who enjoys ethnic cuisine, the concept may sound too good to be true.However, on Saturday, April 10, 2010, that will be a reality for one day. That is the day that the World Festival, hosted by the Rochester

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-40494631984966734162010-03-31T05:46:00.001-05:002010-04-11T06:55:47.332-05:00

A new internationally-flavored restaurant has sprouted up in Rochester, and it is one that has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants, although I can't yet add this to my Urban Spoon map or review. Why? I can't add the restaurant to their listing unless I have a phone number, and I can't seem to find a phone number for the eatery anywhere.The restaurant is A Taste of Egypt, and it is

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-54376605317755431092010-01-23T09:39:00.004-06:002010-04-11T06:56:10.096-05:00

Professional chef and cookbook author Marcela Valladolid has launched her new TV show on the Food Network. I caught the first episode Saturday morning, and I think it's going to be a great series. Of course, Mexican is one of my favorite ethnic cuisines, and I actually only caught the show by accident. Usually during the time that it's on (8:30 a.m. Central time), I am still on the internet. On

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-77524922674497700012010-01-01T08:56:00.006-06:002010-01-02T06:53:08.322-06:00

A tradition with my wife and I is that on New Year's, we go to India Garden for the lunch buffet. This is something that has evolved from heading there for New Year's Eve, but after a couple of years, we changed it to New Year's Day in order to be able to eat off of the buffet instead of needing to order off of the menu. There is no significance to the Indian food, other than the fact that we

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-71060454184826819672009-11-04T05:02:00.006-06:002010-06-16T05:16:31.743-05:00

One of the fruits that has really become popular in the United States in the 2000s has been the pomegranate, particularly in juice form, although it certainly has been around--even in the US--for much, much longer than that. Still, not much is known about the oddly-shaped fruit by a lot of people.It is native to areas of the Middle East and India, up into some of the southern countries of the

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-47897227710999164252009-11-02T09:58:00.000-06:002009-11-02T06:03:54.064-06:00

Everyone has different tastes and the things they like and don't like. I will admit I will eat a lot of different foods, including foods that other people aren't going to even consider eating, or if they do eat it, or a particular flavoring of a food, they are going to think it tastes disgusting whereas someone else is going to think that it's great.Here is my list of foods that I find to be the

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-10562188752526583292009-11-01T08:50:00.002-06:002010-06-16T05:50:49.685-05:00

Sometimes, our wander bug may only take us as far as Uptown Minneapolis. I'm not quite sure I have ever been to Uptown before, where even on a Saturday afternoon, the traffic was crazy. Perhaps there was some special event going on in the area, but the area did attract my attention for a potential future trip. For this trip, however, we went for one specific purpose. To try Galactic Pizza . This

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-74759967807226539242007-10-16T11:16:00.000-05:002007-10-16T11:29:05.996-05:00

Product of: IndonesiaMore candy! Sometimes I think you can't get enough candy in your diet, so therefore when shopping at a Wasabi store in Winnipeg, we came across some hard candies, FruitGo, that we picked up. They had a couple of different flavors (I think the other two flavors they had were pineapple and mango). Since both pineapple and mango are fairly common flavors that you can find in

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-12749289048117324842007-10-15T11:56:00.000-05:002007-10-16T11:29:55.948-05:00

Product of: JAPANFrom Glico, the makers of pocky, which is a snack food from Japan that I have recently discovered and become a fan of. Poare is essentially a reverse pocky, with the biscuit on the outside, and the flavored "filling" on the inside. The flavor I tried of the poare is the banana custard, which I happened to find at a supermarket in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I had been looking (

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-12091426890162699332007-10-12T10:17:00.001-05:002010-06-16T05:44:31.616-05:00

Product of:Okay, well today's featured food isn't actually something I have already tried and seeing if it was good or not. Actually, it's more of a call for help, especially from people who may know of some good Indian recipes. Why? When in Winnipeg, we went to Canadian Superstore looking for some Healthy Choice french vanilla pudding cups (which we can't find here in Rochester), and came across

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-42417043662325429992007-09-09T06:45:00.000-05:002007-09-09T07:00:05.945-05:00

Product of: UNITED STATESGot Milk? In today's world, you don't have to limit yourself to choicing between whole, 2%, 1%, or skim. Or even the old standbys, chocolate and strawberry-flavored milk. Now we have vanilla milk, banana milk, blueberry milk, french vanilla, rootbeer milk, and the list goes on. That doesn't even begin to touch soymilk and hemp milk and other nondairy "milk"

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-74967385154167940002007-09-06T12:24:00.000-05:002007-09-07T06:17:24.632-05:00

Product of: UNITED STATESOkay, after two days of healthy foods, I have to break down and get back to snacking. On a recent trip to Cleveland, we thought that we would make a slight detour to Port Clinton, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie, after hearing about the Great Lakes Popcorn Company. What makes this popcorn company so unique that we would take a detour--granted, only about 15 miles out

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-21124720509680138722007-08-31T07:50:00.000-05:002007-09-02T07:19:59.367-05:00

Product of: JAMAICAIt's Friday, and a long weekend to boot, so what better time is there to discuss Tortuga Rum Company's banana flavored rum? A smooth, golden rum made from famous Jamaican rum and bottled for the Grand Cayman's Tortuga Rum company. Now, I'm sure if you look around, you can find a banana rum from other companies, but this one is a two-time taste test winner, in 1998 and 1999.

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580800337043757164.post-85264417361014873122007-08-30T07:50:00.000-05:002007-08-30T11:58:36.953-05:00

Product of: UNITED STATES (Thanks Roland)Well, I think this is a product of Mexico, though it wasn't actually printed on the jar. All it says is that is is distributed by Goya foods in New Jersey. I have seen the Goya brand in Mexican grocery stores, though so I think it's Mexican, but I'm not entirely sure. This is symbolic of why it is so hard to know where our foodstuff comes from, which

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07030748571025567012noreply@blogger.com1