Product review: Udi's Hamburger Buns

 

I waited (somewhat patiently) for months for these! They were worth the wait. I had been craving a burger (a REAL burger - on a bun) for so long. These made me so happy. I hope they are around for the long run....and not a seasonal thing.....I might cry if they disappear.

Product Review: Kim & Scott's Gourmet Pretzels

 

To.Die.For. These are PHENOMENAL! I wish I were rich. I would eat one of these daily.

They are about the size of a standard bagel and there are two per box. One box is $8.99. So, while $4.50 for one soft pretzel might be reasonable at the Xcel Center (where it would be twice the size)...it's not exactly reasonable for a daily snack. Sigh. It's really too bad....because these kick ass. I will just have to settle for them being a splurge item now and then.

 

Product Review: Kinnikinnik Hot Dog Buns

 

Yay!

I am generally skeptical of GF bread products, having spent a lot of money on inedible products....but it is grilling season and I REALLY wanted a hot-dog in a bun (a dog wrapped in a slice of bread is not the same thing). I had been waiting for the Udi buns for weeks and still wasn't able to get them, so last week I bought these on a whim - they were fantastic! They were light (not two-pounders like the nasty Whole Foods Bakehouse hamburger buns), the texture was right, they weren't too dry, and the flavor was perfect. They tasted real!

I have some Udi buns to try tonight - but am glad I have another delicious choice!

 

Product Review: Amy's Black Bean Vegetable Soup

This soup is so good. I like to add a little shredded cheese to it....and sometimes I eat it with Fritos. Yumm. I highly recommend this GF soup!

Product Review: Van's Natural Foods, frozen waffles

I've never been big on frozen waffles....but I do enjoy them from time to time....and what I've learned about going gluten-free is that as soon as I discover that I can't have something...that's exactly what I want. I am, apparently, a child.

I found these waffles in the frozen food section at Rainbow, they are really very good. Finally - a GF product that was affordable (fairly) and yummy!

 

Product review: Trader Joe's Indian Fare, Punjab Choley

I love, love, love this. The flavor is so good. I like spicy....this might be a little too spicy for me. I can usually eat about half of it before my mouth is on fire and I have to stop. It is soooo good.

This is also super easy, you just open the pouch, pour into a bowl and heat. When it's hot, I put it on top of white rice. Delicious!

Restaurant Review: Pizza Luce

Yum! I dined at Pizza Luce in downtown Minneapolis - which now has a GF menu EVERY DAY! They used to offer GF options once a week....but it was so popular they now offer GF pizzas every day! It was delicious. I was a little worried about cross contamination - after all, they are using the same kitchen, counters, ovens etc. for their gluten-filled pies....but I didn't suffer any consequences from this meal. I highly recommend checking it out:

Product review: Udi's frozen pizza crusts

So far, I think this is my favorite gluten-free pizza crust. I wasn't too terribly impressed with Namaste. Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust is also VERY good....but not as convenient. I like that Udi crust is ready to go, I just pop on my toppings (generous amounts of green olives, pepperoni and white onion) and in the oven it goes - for just 10 minutes. It's awesome. Bob's has good flavor and texture...but you have to mix the dough, let it rise, pre-bake and then add your toppings and finish baking. Good, but much more effort.

I love pizza. After first going GF - this was one of my big cravings....it's good I've found a delicious replacement.

Namaste GF Pizza

I wasn't super impressed with this crust, there were herbs mixed in and the flavor just didn't do it for me. The texture wasn't great, but not awful either. Pizza is mostly about the cheese and toppings (for me)anyway, but I'd like the crust to be a little better tasting. I am anxious to try another brand soon.  This dough might make great foccacia, though, with the herbs already mixed in...just bake and baste with butter and dip in marinara.....there's a thought!

This mix is really easy, you just add water, eggs and then spread on the pan and bake.

Restaurant Review: Bar La Grassa

Luke and I received a very generous gift from our friend Courtney - a gc for Bar La Grassa in Minneapolis. We loved it. The food was incredible. I highly recommend giving this place a try.

Here is a link to their web page:
http://www.barlagrassa.com/
and they have their menu on the site. The food is sooooo good.

Pardon the quality of the photos....I forgot my camera and so we snapped these with Luke's iPhone:)

Luke and I each had a glass of wine, I had Pinot Grigio and Luke had a Chianti. We started with the caprese salad, the cheese was to die for.

 For our entree, we shared the Pork Tenderloin and the grilled asparagus.

 We finished our meal with the caramel crispelles. Words cannot describe this. Too yummy.

Review: The Blue Door Pub

Oh my gosh. I love burgers so much, and this place served me the best burger of my life! I highly recommend checking out the Blue Door, if you like burgers - you'll love it.

Here is their website: http://www.thebluedoorpubmn.com/

They specialize in a MN favorite - the stuffed burger (the cheese is INSIDE the burger) - Genius. Luke sampled the "Blucy" which is a bleu cheese stuffed burger and I had the Luau - which was stuffed with mozzarella and Canadian bacon and topped with pineapple. Again, genius.

We had really good service, though we did have to wait for awhile to get a table. It was a Friday night and the restaurant is small - so be prepared to wait.  However, the food was served pretty quickly for the amount of customers they had in the queue. 

The only "disappointment" (and I can't even really call it a disappointment) was the fried pickles.  They were still good.....just not up to the standard set by the Chatterbox Pub. You really can't go wrong with pickles. 

Here are some fabulous pics of the food:
Fried pickles

Luau burger:

The blucy

Review: Beirut Restaurant

I love, love, love Middle Eastern food. Luke and I used to go to Jerusalem's in Minneapolis all the time.....until we rediscovered Beirut Restaurant. Luke's family used to go there frequently when they visited Minnesota - and it is amazing. The restaurant is located on Robert Street in West St. Paul, here is a link to their website:

http://www.beirutrestaurantanddeli.com/

We usually go there for dinner when Luke's dad is in town, and I try to get everyone to go eat there when they visit us. I crave their hummus...and their tabouli is so fresh and the best I've ever sampled. Here are some photos from our most recent trip there. The white sauce in the cup is garlic, lemon and oil -mostly garlic - and it is Luke's most favorite thing in the world.

Lulu's shawirma sandwich:

My shish ta'ook (chicken) kabob:

Luke's kafta mishwe kabob:

The Festival of Nations

Each year I attend the Twin Cities Festival of Nations at the St. Paul River Centre.  This year I went with Luke and my sister Lulu and our friends Courtney and Gus. We had a blast, as usual.  We go for the food, but enjoy walking through the shopping area as well. This year we sampled many delights, and posed for some photos as well.

My falafel sandwich from the Palestine booth:

Luke's American Indian fry bread taco:

Lulu's Egyptian hummus:

This is the "Viking in a blanket" from the Norwegian booth....it's a sausage wrapped in lefse, as much as I love both lefse and sausage....I don't recommend this:

Lulu's chicken adobo from the Philippines:

Luke's Polish sausage with kraut and mustard:

My cream horn from the Czech and Slovak booth:

Lulu's Swiss Frosty Kaffee:

Luke's French Eclair:

and Lulu's Dutch Cream Puff:

and here are the pics of us being awesome in front of stereotypical cultural cutouts.

Lulu:

Luke and I:

Courtney and Gus (whose food consumption was not documented on camera):

Luke and Lulu:

and my personal favorite:

Here is the website for the Festival of Nations, I highly recommend attending next year - I know I'll be there!
http://festivalofnations.com/