Twin Cities Vacation Checklist

All I could think of last week was V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. Yep, I finally went on one with no agenda! I know that Mike was waiting for me to say, “Oh, I just have to go shopping for this or that for a job.” OK, now that I have typed that, I realize that the last day I was there I did say that.

However, that doesn’t count because I waited until the end of the trip. So when we got to Minneapolis, it was late, and the first thing on my mind was food. Lucky me, I had made a few things. So we had pasta salad, and I really only ate a small amount. Off to bed and all I could do was dream about FOOD! Gee, what the heck is wrong with me?

I did, however, start my day off with a nice walk/run for about two miles. Although I wanted to do more, I found that all the traffic at 7:30 in the morning was way too much. So, back to my brother’s place with thoughts of yep… I don’t even have to say it.

OK, I should back up a little. When I was in Minneapolis before, for work, all I talked about was making a list of places I wanted to go. It ended up being 90 percent food. So… since I had the list I was determined to cross everything off of it.

One of the places on my list was called Nacho Mama’s, in Shakopee. At their official website, it states that “The city of Shakopee is located in the southwest corner of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, 23 miles from Minneapolis, on the Minnesota River. Residents of Shakopee enjoy both the atmosphere of a small town and the resources of a thriving metropolitan area. Incorporated in 1857 as a booming river town, today Shakopee is the county seat of Scott County, one of the fastest growing counties in the United States.”

I want to make it clear that I really believe this place is worth writing about. What I want to do is interview the owner for the Reader and find out more about how he ended up with what I call “gourmet Mexican” on a shoe-string budget for the customer. I could not believe the amount of food you get. I will be writing about him very soon.

But to give you an idea of what I had… I love stuffed chili rellenos. What a surprise this was. Oh, it was also on the high end of the menu. I DID NOT CARE — food, remember? This relleno was a poblano stuffed with shrimp, real crab, smoked gouda, spinach, black beans and corn salsa. Set on top of southwest mashers and topped with cheese sauce.

Actually, the sauce was on the bottom of the plate, and the plate was decked out with great presentation. I could only eat half of this meal. It also came with a salad. Ugh! Happy Happy. By the time I got into the car, I was already thinking, “so, what’s for supper?” It ended up being Japanese on Lake and Hennepin, I cannot remember the name, but I think that is OK; it was not as much fun as it could have been.

Over the next three days I did major damage, and without going into every bite, I want to list these places that I truly think you ought to check out when you’re in the city looking for a bite or two.

Panchovilla at 2539 Nicollet: I have written about them before, but it would be wrong not to mention it. It is always our last place on the last day to eat.

There was a new place that I actually just peeked in the window at but thought maybe next time, Trattoria Tosca http://www.trattoriatosca.com. It was connected to a wonderful bakery that Rita, my sister-in-law and I just had to stop at between our next meal. Can you believe that?

There was the Rice Paper Asian Fusion Restaurant (2726 W. 43rd St. at 43rd & Upton). I had a wonderful soup"delta soup,” a light lemongrass-garlic shrimp broth with pineapple, celery, tomato bits and bean sprouts. Topped with fresh herbs and lime. It was a delight to my month. I have never had pineapple in a soup. It was a wonderful compliment to the lemongrass.

Lastly, and this will not be a surprise, I had to have SUSHI. We hit the mother-load on this place called Ba Gu Sushi (4741 Chicago, http://www.bagusushi.com). The price here was really just right. We ate a lot and had great conversation and enjoyed the day.

Every day was perfect, really. The sun was out, and I was able to walk/run around Calhoun Lake one day and made it through my list, checking everything off. Now that is a vacation. Next time you are in the city, try one of these places and let me know your thoughts. Or send me to your fave place in the city.

Well, I have said my piece on eating on vacation, and I am ready to do it again! Enjoy the weekend, the street fair and, of course, eat well and be safe. Until next week. Any questions or concerns email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).