Here’s a photo slideshow of the chocolates:

Words, photos nor video can do justice to the most charming thing about the place: The moment you walk through the door of Q Fanatic, you’re hit with a wall of smokey, St. Louis barbecue aroma. The ribs are wonderful, of course, but try the sandwiches, too. My favorite thus far is the rib tip sandwich with Espresso BBQ sauce.

Though I love this place, some of the sides have kept it from being a 100% positive experience. My mashed potatoes for one meal tasted just…weird. They only tasted normal after I brought the leftovers home, threw some garlic and sour cream on them and reheated. Also, I’ve tasted bland, uninspired coleslaw before, but I’ve never had slaw that was too vinegary. Until now, that is.

Nevertheless, Q Fanatic is well worth a visit…and return visits.

I had some Hop Henge Friday night at The Muddy Pig in Saint Paul. They served it in these very glasses. The beer is made by Deschuetes Brewery out of Portland, Oregon, and, according to Deschuetes: “Hop Henge started its life as an India Pale Ale, but this year it was bumped up to ‘Imperial IPA’ status, with a hefty dose of additional hops.”

If you like Surly’s Furious, you’ll like Hop Henge.

On Friday I met up with some friends at the Leaning Tower of Pizza on University by Dinkytown and aside from the abysmal service (I have never ever in my life not left a tip, so this was a first), I had fun and part of that fun was taking pictures.

It’s funny. The one photo I thought would turn out to be pretty interesting wasn’t that at all but one that I just snapped, not thinking much at all about it, turned out pretty nicely. I just like the way the people are framed, engaged in conversation. I especially like the contrasts in light: The dark interior with the lighted exterior  and how the blue light from the Cocktails sign highlights the booth, table and plant:

They are inviting customers to take pictures of their restaurants (in Eden Prairie, Highland Park, Lake Calhoun, Northeast Minneapolis, and Wayzata) and giving away a $500 dining card to the winner and $250 dining cards to the runners up.

The contest runs now through February 15. Get the details at ILovePunchPizza.com.

Stub & Herb’s is a Uof M college student hangout and a sports bar near Dinkytown that has entirely too many Packers fans. They have plenty of small screen TVs and two very underwhelming large-screen TVs for watching sports. Their food is decent and reasonably priced–the French dip sandwich is particularly good and their chilli is decent, as well. They ocassionally have live music, which is really unfortunate because the place is far too small for the too-loud garage bands that seems to be the only "talent" they employ.

They have pool tables and they serve Summit Beer but they do not have wi-fi access. The place is owned by Sue Jeffers, who is running for Governor of Minnesota as an independent candidate because she’s pissed off about smoking bans. I really can’t blame her.

If you park in back, MAKE SURE THAT YOU GO INTO THE BAR IMMEDIATELY or they will put a boot on your tire and tow your car away. Once, after a Lions game in 2004, I went across the street to get sme gum at the drug store and they already had a boot on my Jeep. I practically went into a righteous rage until I got them to take it off. Minneapolis sucks. Here’s the notice they left on the Jeep:

But getting my vehicle booted wasn’t the most interesting thing that happened that night. As we were watching the Packers game, a girl in the next booth started flirting and I’m game, of course, ’cause flirting’s fun. So it’s back and forth flirting here and there throughout the night but when it comes time to pay the bill and I’m digging in my wallet, she says something to the effect of "twenty-five bucks to look, fifty to touch."

?!?

I was shocked. I was speechless. That was the last thing I expected because this cute young woman looked and acted nothing like what I imagined a prostitute to be. But, I guess, having no experience with them, I wouldn’t have known what to expect, anyway.

Just so you know: Watch out for the boots and the hoes.

Check out more cool places around the metro at my Twin Cities Bars, Restaurants & Entertainment Hotspots map.

Technorati tags: stub and herbs | restaurant | bar | sports bars | minneapolis | dinkytown

My eldest sister is the best! I absolutely love Tavern On Grand and she knows it because I took her there when she visited from Vermont for her annual trek through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. She remembered and sent me a gift certificage from Tavern On Grand for Christmas. Sweet!

Whenever I have friends or family in from out of town, I take them there for the Walleye dinner. It’s about seventeen, eighteen bucks for a two-fillet dinner but it’s worth every penny. Uhhhhhhhh, so good. They’ve got plenty
of seating but a small bar, so if you’re going there to hang at the bar and take
in a baseball game, good luck.

Not only do they have the best Walleye
ever, but they serve Summit
Beer as well. They have wi-fi access, but it’s restricted. ASIDE: You
might want to mention something to them about that .

Check out more cool places around the metro at my Twin Cities Bars, Restaurants & Entertainment Hotspots map.

Technorati tags: tavern on grand | walleye | minnesota walleye | saint paul | st paul | minneapolis | twin cities | restaurants | food | bar | summit beer

Technorati tags: minnesota | twin cities | twin cities minnesota | st paul | saint paul | minneapolis | twin cities mashup | google maps | google map | google mashup

My turkey sandwiches got infinitely more tasty about two months ago when I discovered Nelson Cheese and Deli on Como and just off Snelling Avenue in St. Paul.

They sell aged swiss cheese that absolutely makes the sandwich. When you cut open the wrapper, the cheese is often swimming in water and when you cut it, water seeps from the holes onto the cutting board. It is much more pungent than the ordinary swiss cheese you’ll find in the grocery store. As you cut slices off, it will flake off on your knife like slate will when chipped with a hammer. The taste is much sharper and just far more interesting than your garden variety swiss cheese. I have bought no other type of swiss cheese since I found the stuff.

Num, num, num, num.