I lucked out growing up near Vali-Hi Drive-In. It was literally only a 10 minute drive for me unlike many people who have to make the drive in a destination, it was pretty standard for my friends and I to go and watch a couple movies and then rush home before curfew.
I went into the Minnesota State Fair with an ambitious list of new foods and drafted my line-up of three other people willing to help; Noelle, Lisa & Tom…as you probably already guessed, we did not make it all the way through the list haha. The hard part about new fair foods is that it doesn’t take into account all of your Minnesota State Fair food staples OR the copious amount of beer you’re going to be drinking.
I think we made a valiant effort and secretly am thankful of the rain that swept in around 5pm so that we had a legitimate reason to leave with our mission incomplete.
6 hours. 11 foods. 6-ish beers. Minnesota State Fair ✓
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We discovered Cold Front Ice Cream while visiting their next door neighbor, The Nook.
I was in love with them the moment I read their savage sign out front and knew it wouldn’t matter how full we were after dinner, because we were definitely going in there to support this locally owned establishment.
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I’m almost embarrassed to say this was my first time eating at The Nook in Saint Paul considering for 3 years I lived a mere 5 blocks away. In my defense, I was a regular at Shamrocks on West 7th, which is owned by the same people and has most of the same menu items! My favorite coworker happy hours started at Shamrocks and proceeded up Randolph. Literally, the best happy hour route there is in Saint Paul.
I’m happy to have finally corrected this wrong and luckily, because we went on a Thursday night, the wait (which was my previous deterrent, since it has a reputation for being pretty long) was only 20 minutes!
I get it. Hudson is a little far out there, but trust me on this one!
Full Disclosure: I’ve spent more time eating (and “drinking wisconsinbly”) at Agave Kitchen than any other restaurant in the Twin Cities. Yes, the food is good, but the real reason for me is because I love being able to go there to spend time with my sister who is Agave Kitchen’s General Manager. A few times a week you can also find Andrea behind the bar slinging mojitos and screaming “SEE YOU TOMORROW” at guests who are leaving haha… So yeah, full disclosure: I know many of the people who work there because they are my sister’s 2nd family, but I am not getting any kick backs for writing this Hipster Hack (not saying I didn’t try, just saying it didn’t happen…hahaha just kidding).
My sister has been working at Agave for somewhere around 9(?) years so it’s safe to say I’ve tried a LOT of their food. Originally I used to go there when I was in my mid 20s as a loophole, because if your sister is the bartender you’re not eating and drinking alone, right? RIGHT?! However, their keto menu is the star of this Hipster Hack.
It has been a strugglefest to find places to go out to eat that are actually affordable (aka not a steak house) and have keto food options other than a bunless burger and a side salad. Agave Kitchen has a whole keto friendly subset to their menu AND they have keto monthly features like the lobster mac & cheese you’ll see below (made with cauliflower rice). If you’re keto, this definitely makes it worth the 30 minute drive for a date night!
This is my first George and the Dragon Hipster Hack, but it’s my third experience there. The first time was based off a suggestion a coworker gave me when my (now) boyfriend was forcing me to pick out where we were going to go to dinner on one of our first official dates. Unfortunately, the wait was over an hour so we went elsewhere. We did end up going a couple weeks later, but back then I was still trying a bit and didn’t want to whip out my camera and take pictures of all the food just yet haha, so I’m excited to say that not only did I take pictures of my food this time, but when the appetizer arrived, boyfriend pushed the plate over to me, “get your picture so we can eat.” hahahaha. Trained.
I shared my first Hipster Hack last August for Twin Spirits Distillery, but a couple weekends ago we went again and I 1. tried some new drinks and 2. was able to experience the adorable outdoor seating, which is worth it’s own hack! Continue reading
The first time I was at Fair State Brewing Cooperative I was on a date in the winter so I’ve been meaning to get back there to try out the patio and also be able to take photos without it being awkward ha Continue reading
It was time for date night and after a pretty hectic week for both of us, so even though I hate eating with my hands and hate eating wings off the bone, I took one for the team so that Tom could go to his food mecca: D-Spot Wings in Oakdale, Minnesota.
Ok ok, I know this isn’t keto. It started off with the greatest intentions, I figured it’s a wing spot: Meat + look up the sauces ahead of time = good to go, right? Well, my plans got derailed when I received this text and burst out laughing: “If we’re going to D spot then I need to be granted a temporary keto reprieve.” Apparently, it’s a sin to go to D-Spot and not get the fries. So cheat meal time it is!
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We tried out the Don Oishi Kitchen Food Truck at Tattersall Distilling in Northeast Minneapolis.
The real hero is the person who initiated the first Brewery/Distillery and Food Truck partnership, because that person created the blueprint for socially acceptable drunk snacking.
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Hipster Hack 