Food and events in East Metro – St. Paul to Hudson
Even though I live in Minneapolis, I still drive all the way to A’Salonna in Stillwater, because I only trust Kelly to do my hair…luckily for me, I have family (Cecil & Noelle) in the area and they agreed to start an afternoon of “Saturday Funday” by meeting me and boyfriend for lunch and cocktails at Lolito Cantina!
I was excited to have an impromptu brunch with my friend Lisa when we both happened to be in Woodbury at the same time and I was even more excited when she suggested The New Woodbury Cafe since I had not been there yet.
Because of boyfriend’s work schedule, I’ve been spending a lot of time over on his end of town, which means a lot of my weekends have been spent on the East side, more specifically in Woodbury. I’ve made it my mission for us to try out all the different Woodbury brunch options there are. We had actually been to Lakes Tavern and Grill previously for a lunch and found it satisfactory (nothing bad, but nothing that blew us away) so when my friend said that it is his go-to brunch spot I was willing to try it out.
I was staying over at Boyfriend’s house and (surprise) he had no groceries, so we were excited to try a new place, Yang’s Chinese Restaurant.
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I have this unexplained anxiety about hibachi restaurants. I think it’s mostly due to the performance pressure of having food thrown into the air that you’re supposed to catch in your mouth and the social pressure of participating in having sake squirted directly into your mouth WITHOUT letting it stain your clothes…my refusal to go to hibachi has not gone over well with boyfriend so after a year of stubborn refusal I finally agreed, much to boyfriend’s outward jubilation, to visit Osaka Seafood & Steakhouse for date night.
While anyone who follows me on Instagram has probably figured out that I’ve become a regular at Not Justa Cafe’s Sunday Brunch, we were on a bit of a time crunch and trying to stay near boyfriend’s house. With the demise/closing of the Perkins a couple months ago we were at a loss until we remembered Key’s Cafe & Bakery and how everytime we drive by it we say, “we should go there.” Well, mission finally completed.
PSA: Lift Bridge Brewery is actually NOT by the Stillwater Lift Bridge.
I was excited to finally get to the tap room though, after years of drinking the beer and telling everyone out of state that “I’m from there!” Continue reading
Meister’s Bar and Grill in Stillwater has been a tradition of boyfriend’s family for as long as he can remember. When we were out and about in Stillwater, it seemed like the perfect dinner stop.
Nothing says “Happy Birthday” like tacos! I was excited to go out for impromptu dinner with my parents for my mom’s birthday in Hudson. I was even more excited when my mom picked Azul Tequila Bar and Grill, because I live for queso dip.
The “Not Justa” family has been growing over the years. Starting with Not Justa Cafe in Bayport almost 20 years ago, NJ’s has been a staple for weekend brunch with lines out the door. They’ve since expanded with locations in Somerset, New Richmond, and opened up “Not Justa Bar” next to the original NJ Cafe in Bayport…naturally this location is my favorite, because they serve liquor and I live for a brunch cocktail!
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Hipster Hack 