Previously Unpublished Reflections: Take Me Out To... Target Field

Stumbled upon this draft post from forever ago. Not only do we have funding for the new Vikings Stadium, but construction has begun, plus they were awarded the Superbowl in 2018. How times have changed in such a short time! 

Finally it was my turn to visit Target Field with my Hubby & Munchkin.

It's truly a sight to behold.

Although we didn't win I now know: 

We are truly blessed to have been able to build this fabulous home for our Minnesota Twins.

(Now if only the Minnesota Vikings could get their act together & sell the legislature on rallying around funding for their new stadium)

Recent Food Truck Tour Stops - Sushi Fix & AZ Canteen

So it's been a while since I've done a post on lunchtime visits to some of the downtown Minneapolis area food trucks. I'm a creature of habit, frequenting the same three food trucks most of the time, but in the past weeks I've tried a couple of new trucks.

First up is Sushi Fix.The truck is normally parked between 7th & 8th street on Marquette when it's in downtown Minneapolis. The owner: Enkhbileg “Billy” Tserenbat, who is a former executive chef from Yumi Sushi Bar.

Nothing is pre-made. Everything on the menu is made to order. The fish they use is as fresh as possible delivered to the them the night before they use it.  No fishy smells, it is so tasty & tender, not hard & cold from sitting assembled in a package with fake green plastic leaves beneath it.

For $15, I splurged I tried that day's special...  
"The Hennepin Roll: Inside: shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber Outside: Spicy Tuna, Tobiko, Sweet sauce."


 It was a good sized portion, so I shared a piece with an inquisitive co-worker. We agreed it was the best sushi either of us had eaten in a long time & could hardly believe it was made in a truck. Yum!

I had also heard good things about Andrew Zimmern's newest food truck venture called AZ Canteen from Jason DeRusha on Twitter. AZ Canteen is normally parked a couple of trucks down from Sushi Fix on the same block. While Jason was singing the praises about the tongue he had eaten there, I was more eager to try the Andouille, Oyster & Crab Gumbo.

This particular recipe is a bit different than the Baton Rouge-style Gumbo I grew up with my Daddy making for me, which was always chock full of shrimp & crawfish, beside the sausage & chicken. 

The different ingredient in this cup was oysters. I admit I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It was actually really enjoyable. The roux was well made & the gumbo had a nice consistency - not too thick or thin There was even a taste of okra in the cup. Light on heat, it could have used a few splashes of Louisiana Hot Sauce, but for a dish made for a MN palate, it was pretty tasty.

The logo design is very quirky & fun.

In honor of the Great Minnesota Get Together, aka The MN State Fair, Smack Shack came up with a Lobster Corn Dog in a  Sweet Corn Batter & served with Lemon Chive Aioli, which was incredibly yummy. We have been begging & pleading on facebook for them to be brought back to the truck before the season is over.

Last but not least, our building management held a get together in the lobby for tenants of the building. Although this has nothing to do with food trucks, I had my first taste of "ice cream", or Raspberry Sorbet as this variety was, from Izzy's Ice Cream Cafe. It was good - I might just be tempted to stop by their store in St. Paul sometime with my Munchkin & try out some other flavors.

So that's it for a while. This coming weekend is the 3rd annual Minnesota Blogger Conference. I'll be attending & will place recaps of the sessions out here. Renewed inspiration for getting my blogging grove back is what I expect to find, along with a taste of Muddy Paws Cheesecake & a new avatar/head shot.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like: Mn Blogger Conference 2011 - Take Two or My Lens Into The First Ever MN Blogger Conference

Food Truck Tour Stop: Hola Arepa

Hola Arepa is the fourth Food Truck I've visited this Summer.

They describe themselves as: "A food truck bringing delicious, mostly sustainable Latin cuisine to the streets of Minneapolis." 

A couple of weeks ago my coworker mentioned that she really wanted to try the Arepas at Hola Arepa & I was like: "the what?! What is an Arepa?" You too? Ok, now I don't feel so bad!

So the cornmeal they use to make the patty seems to be a white cornmeal, which I love - I may be totally wrong, but for those of you who need to eat Gluten Free, it's a great way to enjoy a "sandwich" without the traditional bread. It's also a great vegetarian option.

 

So they will take your order & give you a playing card - when the number & suite on your card is called - it's to to eat. Easier than butchering a bunch of strange names.

 

My girlfriend had the Pulled Chicken Arepa, which I was instantly jealous of because the pickled cabbage looked like it could have been pretty tasty. She also chose a side of chips & salsa.

 

Pulled Chicken Arepa - Kadeyan Farms Chicken, Black Beans, Tomato, Salsa Verde & Pickled Cabbage

I tried the Slow-Roasted Pork Arepa with a side of Guacamole.

Fischer Farms Pork, Black beans, Cohja cheese & Special Sauce (I think!)

The juices from the pork oozed out as I went to pick it up to take a bite. I had drizzled a small amount of the med-hot red salsa & I immediately thought I should have added more - I love spicy food. The combination was so very flavorful.  I added another layer by squeezing some of my guacamole over my sandwich as if it wasn't messy enough to eat.

I highly recommend you bring a fork, otherwise you'll be doing a lot of finger-licking as I did.  Grab lots of napkins too. So to no surprise I went back for more the very next day.  It was still hopping - they had brought down an extra person, so they were still turning out orders pretty fast, but there was a line.

This time I tried the Black Bean & Queso Fresco Arepa with tomato & pickled cabbage (yes, I had to try it), then ordered the Chips & Salsa (They had run out of guacamole by the time I arrived.) 

They give you two little cups to hold the salsa, but there was really only room in the little tray for one - I doubt that I would have made it back to the office without a second getting dumped all over my clothes.

It was surprisingly filling for there being no meat.  It was still pretty messy to eat because of the juice in the beans. If I have to choose a favorite, however it would be the Pork. The Vegetarian option could have used a couple more ingredients to add to the layers of flavors. Next time I will add some of the pickled cabbage & a lot more salsa in lieu of the guacamole on top.

I do recommend that people give Hola Arepa a try. It's something totally out of the ordinary & very flavorful.  For the guys you may want to try two Arepas to feel totally satisfied.  For more information, follow them on Twitter or check out their website at http://holaarepa.com.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: My Food Truck Tour Continues: Dandelion Kitchen or Minneapolis Loves A Good Food Truck Vendor

Wordless Wednesday - Simple Joys in Life

Nothing says sit down & take a rest after a tour of the stands at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market like a tall cup of fresh squeezed lemonade...

Or your Munchkin deciding that he really wants some freshly made 

mini donuts sprinkled with cinnamon sugar 

after catching a whiff of them cooking.

They were light, tender & oh, so yummy 

- one of the most simple joys in life.

A portion large enough to gladly share with his Momma 

- Lucky for me!

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Not So Wordless Wednesday: Sample the Beauty - Mpls Farmers Market or Carnivals - Simple Family Fun

My Food Truck Tour Continues: Dandelion Kitchen

Today I was swamped at the office & although I planned to wait to visit the Minneapolis Farmers Market until Saturday when I could shop at a leisurely pace, I wanted to grab a quick lunch at one of the food trucks.  The first truck I walked past was already closed for the day, so I headed toward Nicollet Mall.

Dandelion Kitchen it was! 

I tried their BLT with maple-glazed bacon, heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado, served on a baguette.

I love that they source their ingredients locally when possible:

The bacon comes from Pastures A Plenty in Kerkhoven, MN

The tomatoes come from eQuality Farms in MN

The baguettes come from Salty Tart Bakery in Minneapolis, MN

At first I was skeptical about trying a BLT with avocado - but... it was delicious. I almost tasted like there was some sort of sweet & tangy dressing on the sandwich - a combination of the smoky & sweet in the bacon blended well with the perfectly ripened heirlooms & the creaminess of the avocado.

"Great flavors. Messy fingers. Happy tummy." 

So. I'd say my first experience was a positive one, so don't be surprised if before the end of the season I make a return trip to try something new.  If you'd like to learn more about Dandelion Kitchen - check out their website, or follow them on Twitter.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Not So Wordless Wednesday: Sample the Beauty - Mpls Farmers Market or Minneapolis Loves A Good Food Truck Vendor

Lunch via Vellee Deli

For lunch the other day I ventured the 3 blocks over to Marquette & instead of my old faithful spot, I thought I'd try out one of the newer Food Trucks that serve downtown Minneapolis.   Parked between 5th & 6th Street on that day was Vellee Deli. They call themselves creating food that is a fusion of Asian & Mexican.

I had heard that they served fish tacos, but did not have a clue what to expect.

For $7.00 I tried what they call The Kraken which is 2 "tacos" - a beer batter fish filet topped with shredded red cabbage & pico de gallo, served on a couple of cold corn tortillas.

 

They all wore tee shirts that said on the back:

"it's not just good...it's VELLEE GOOD! "

My verdict?!

The portion size was small - I almost wished I would have ordered something else to go along with it.  The presentation was good, however I would have preferred to have it in a box that I could close for the walk back to the office.  Onlookers jealously peered at it as I walked back up the street.

The crunch of the battered fish was a nice contrast to the cold corn tortillas & the toppings were surprisingly flavorful, enough so that I though a portion size of 3 tacos would have been perfect for lunch.

I may have missed the boat with my order because as I stood waiting for my lunch a number of dishes quickly sold out: The Dragon Melt ( a Quesadilla), one of their Burritos, and one of the Baugette sandwiches.

It peaked my taste buds enough to go back another day & give one of the other dishes a try as you know a woman can not nosh on Lobster rolls alone!

I did appreciate that they made their social presence known with the Twitter & Facebook buttons on their truck. If your are interested in viewing their menu - click Vellee Deli & check out their website.  I'm following them on Twitter & you can also @VelleeDeli.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Minneapolis Loves A Good Food Truck Vendor or Happy Mother's Day To Me!