Epic Sandwich: Colossal Cafe

Colossal Cafe is the tinniest cafe serving up the biggest biscuit sandwiches that I've ever seen. They're a scratch-made shop, and I absolutely love that they aren't cutting corners. The portions are huge, the prices are small and the comfort is colossal, just be patient if there aren't any seats open! Full review here.

Epic Sandwich: Surdyk's Deli serves up a surprise

Surdyk's Deli is a foodie wonderland where you can snag all the goodies you need to throw a killer cocktail party and grab an awesome sandwich at the same time. Cheese is always the star on their sandwiches, but the variety and quality of ingredients is always stellar as well. Full review here.

Epic Sandwich: Emily's Lebanese Deli

I've heard from several folks that Emily's Lebanese Deli in NE is worth checking out. It's easy to get tired of the same cold-cut style sandwiches, and a burger isn't always a welcome change of pace, so I was happy I found something unique and different enough to feel special at Emily's. Full review here.

Lyndale Tap House Preview

I heard the murmur from across the room and couldn’t help but get excited. I was over at a friend’s place the other night, and inevitably the “where are we going?” conversation came up. This is typically a pretty solid debate. Some people will want to go to the place with the drink specials, while others stake their claim for a good place to dance, or the best place for people watching. Needless to say, I didn’t think anyone would mention the Lyndale Tap House. I couldn’t have been happier that this is where we landed.

The Lyndale Tap House is a new bar/Restraunt/Gastropub/Beersnob haven/whatever-you-want-to-call-it located in the former JP’s American Bistro space near the Lyn-Lake intersection. The atmosphere is intriguing with exposed wood, a pressed tin roof, enormous bar and a completely confusing path to the bathroom for the untrained.

I’ve heard two knocks on the recently opened Tap House: one is that the pin-up style pictures are offensive and the other is that the tap list is out-dated. I can’t say I agree on either account. All of the girls in our group are intelligent, forward thinking women who seem to be very comfortable with both themselves and expressing their opinions. I didn’t hear one word about the art either bad or good, and to be honest I hardly even noticed it. I'll let everyone form their opinion on the art, as the beauty of art is that it is open to your own interpretation. Also, I wouldn’t venture to say that the tap list is amazing, but I didn’t think it was lame. There were some mainstreamers on the list such as Guinness and Blue Moon, but there were also some nice additions, such as Lagunitas, which is one of my favorites. There wasn’t an overwhelming selection of local taps, but there seemed to be some others to fill the void.

The accessible kitchen quickly fills the space with the strong smell of the open pit (they specialize in Baltimore Pit Beef), which wasn’t ideal for a Saturday night social gathering, but it wasn’t a hindrance either. There seemed to be a ton of burgers and sandwiches pouring out of the kitchen and one of the folks in our group seemed to be singing the praises of the sloppy joe (this one will be on Epic Sandwich for sure!) as well as the fries. They have what I think is a pretty deft late night happy hour (10-12) including three dollar domestic taps as well as food specials including Tap House Burgers ($5), Turkey Sloppy Joes ($4), and Mugs of chili ($2). Is there ANY doubt in your mind that it is officially chili season?

I can’t speak for the food yet as I only drank and socialized, but I’ll definitely be back to try it out soon and suggest you give it a try yourself. I’ll miss JP’s but I feel that their model may work a bit better for the area and wish them success.

Happy Eating,

-Teddy

Epic Sandwich: French Meadow Cafe

Decisions, decisions. It's always tough for me to make up my mind when I'm dealing with a menu the size of what they produce at French Meadow. Will I be thrilled with my purchase, or will I have some buyers remorse? Eventually, I was able to navigate the French Meadow menu and landed on the turkey bacon croissant. Full review here.

Epic Sandwich: Holy Land Deli's Kufta Kebob

I swung by Holy Land Deli the other day and managed to pick up a tasty sandwich amongst the masses during their lunch rush. The sandwich was super tasty with awesome little lamb meatballs and a good smear of their famous hummus. Full review here.

Epic Sandwich: Pairings Food and Wine Shop

I was unfairly skeptical of the quality of food at Parings Food and Wine Shop in Minnetonka, but my first visit managed to prove me wrong... fast. I had a great sandwich there and they conveniently have their own wine and beer shop that allows you to go over and pick out something to wash you meal down with at liquor store prices. A great sandwich and a great beer makes for a mean pair. Full review here.

Epic Sandwich: Nick and Eddie

The Chicken BLT was too much to pass up at my most recent trip to Nick and Eddie. There's just something so captivating about a nice grilled chicken breast adorned with salty, crispy bacon. Full review here.

Happy Eating,

-Teddy

Epic Sandwich: Lucia's To Go

Lucia's is one of my favorite places to eat in all of the Twin Cities. The main restaurant is exquisite, their wine bar (my favorite) has the kind of food that inspires me to go home and cook, and Lucia's To Go is there to bail me out when I need something good, but have to do it on the fly. Full review here.

Oh, don't miss out on their mini Budapest cakes!

Epic Sandwich: Punch Neapolitan Pizza's Off The Menu Panini

Punch Neapolitan Pizza instantly rises to the top when I think about restaurants that are doing an excellent jobs of marketing themselves. They've got good distribution on an excellent products that I feel are priced just right. They're all over Twitter as well as Facebook and they're always emailing me with awesome promotions like discounts, premium upgrades, BOGO, free brews and most recently an awesome "Off the Menu" panini promotion for only $2. "Off the menu panini" - possibly the best phrase since "can't touch this."

Needless to say I had to head down to the NE location (only store pushing it) to try this out. The line was long and the panini was only offered from 11-2 (limited toone per customer), but I soon found out that this would be more than worth the wait. On paper, the sandwich sounded humble: A split pizza crust stuffed with ham and fontina cheese. However, when you saw it all come together you realized that it was actually quite artful - an inflated crust as round as a balloon was rotated and pulled from the oven only to be carefully split at a separate work station. Next, the split crust quickly moved over to an assembly counter to get piled high with gorgeous, milky fontina and thin ham before enjoying another quick session in that amazing oven.

I am in love with the crust at Punch, and the panini version was as rustic, charred, meaty and delightful as their pizza standard. It's hard to believe that such simple ingredients can yield such robust flavors when appreciated and treated properly - 800 degrees properly. The circular panini was oozing with creamy cheese that was perfectly rich and decadent. The cheese warmly caressed the thin slices of salty/sweet ham that had charred on the edges intensifying the flavors creating a bacon like finish. Watching them create it so masterfully, and then enjoying every bite made me want to drop everything and head straight to Naples to learn the craft myself.

Sandwich Rating: Killer. Simply put - it was easily the best $2 sandwich money can buy. The only disappointment was that unfortunately, this event could not last forever. I never thought such intense flavors could come from such humble beginnings. I'll always keep an ear out for the Punch promos, but I'll be heading back there organically soon, which as I suspect is exactly what they are trying to do by giving away such delectable treats at amazing prices in the first place.

Happy Eating,

-Teddy

Dinning Deals in SW

So maybe the economy isn’t shifting as quickly as we would have liked under the new administration, but at least we still have a ton of great dining deals around town to help keep us satiated. A few of some of my favorite neighborhood spots are still offering some killer deals and although this list is by no means exhaustive, I feel that it gives you a great opportunity to enjoy the flavors of SW Minneapolis without breaking the bank. I’d also encourage you to visit the restaurant’s website or call ahead to make sure the dinning deal is accurate.

Prima, located over in Tangletown near the intersection of Diamond Lake Road and Lyndale Ave. is a casual Italian eatery that has some really nice antipasti, pasta, salads and a range on entrees including chops, chicken and seafood. I also am a huge fan of their Panini al Bistecca – think really thin rare roast beef with brie and caramelized onions. It’s a great place to stop after a busy day to enjoy some nice food in a casual setting – especially when you don’t have hours to spend over a long meal (I know, what a shame!).

Their killer dining deal is a prix fixe menu for two and includes half a carafe of their wine of the week, salad, pasta and dessert all for the low price of $28. Their offer is good after 8 p.m. Sun-TR and after 8:30 Fri and Sat. Kids also eat free on Monday nights (one free kids meal per adult entree).

Café Maude – Located near 54^th and Penn in the heart of SW is one of my favorite neighborhood spots. They serve creative Mediterranean creations including a lamb and saffron skewer (one of my favorite small plates), a nicoise olive and chicken flatbread and a really nice roasted half chicken with Moroccan spices and apricot to name a few. There’s a little something for everyone with their menu including small plates, sides, salads,cheese, a la carte offerings and big plates – the grilled pork tenderloin sounds awesome!

Their deal is available Sunday and Monday nights and features a three course prix fixe dinner that includes a glass of wine. A nice neighborhood setting, good food and vino is more then I could ever want for a mere $25. Café Maude is usually pretty jammed, so I’d call ahead for sure.

Broders’ – OK, I’m in love with the place. The setting is awesome, especially with their new outdoor antipasto bar and the food is top shelf all the way down the menu. The pastas are all hand made and the sauces are crafted with care and an amazing attention to detail. The variety on the menu is pretty stunning for a pasta bar.

Their deal includes a choice of 2 pastas (you have to choose from a limited menu, but there are quite a few choices including a bolognese, puttanesca and carbonara to name a few). You will also receive and olive assortment and a seasonal salad for two on top of a half bottle of a selected Italian red or white – all for just $28. This special runs Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Last, but not least, I have to include the half price bottle of wine nights at Cave Vin. It’s just right around the corner from my place and there are few places in the city where I have experienced such consistently awesome food and service.

They run the half price bottle special on Monday and Tuesday nights and their wine list has a nice selection to pair with their delicious rack of lamb and always-outstanding pork tenderloin. If nothing else you have to make your way in just to try the Mussels!

Happy Frugal Eating,

-Teddy

Epic Sandwich: Kramarczuk's Krakowska Sandwich

Kramaczuk's is a great place to pick up gourmet sausages for your grill, but I decided to try something new on my latest trip. The result was a tasty sandwich and a new cold cut discovery. Full review here.

Epic Sandwich: Bun Mi

I was craving something different so I made my way to Bun Mi in Stadium Village to grab one of their Vietnamese inspired sandwiches. You can get the full story here.

Rock Solid

So last night, I got a case of the lazys (blaming it on the rain), and rather then go out to the usually extravagant Tuesday night dinner, or cook something at home, I decided to head to one of my neighborhood favorites: Gigi's Cafe. In fact, it was so informal, that I forgot my camera - sorry, I need to get better about that, but when I'm thinking about food, it's hard to concentrate on anything else. Anyways, I'll definitely be back and will post pictures next time. See, the thing about Gigi's is that it is consistently good, fast, welcoming and best of all - Cheap! They offer a wide variety of dishes from pastas or salads with curry to Mexican, Italian, Thai and everything in between - even some delicious hybrids. They always have good pasta salads and comforting specials.

I'll check my usual food snob musings at the door here (no mention of flavor combinations starches, proteins or seasonings today). No, the food there is simple, tasty and rock solid. I go to Gigi's quite frequently and will continue to do so. 

Seriously though, if you haven't been to Gigi's you need to do so. Its quick counter service is the perfect stop before/after a shopping spree in Uptown or a nice walk around Lake Calhoun. Their menu changes daily, so they are always serving up something fresh, inventive and most importantly, delicious. Also, they have good, cheap beer. I think a Premium is $2 during Happy hour and a Summit EPA is $3. They have many more beers and actually crank out a pretty diverse list.

By the way, if Key Lime Pie/Tart is your thing (or dessert in general), then you need to floor it to Gigi's asap. I'm noticeably not huge on sweets, but my girlfriend and I attacked this hunk of sweet/tart preciousness with an aggression that would make any thing that ran on Shark Week look soft and un-motivating. 

Happy Eating,

-Teddy