May 11, 2008 - May 17, 2008

Drink of the Week: Miami Vice Grip

Filed under: Drink of the Week

What arrived was an electric blue concoction bright enough to stun the drunken ghost of 80s past (Don Johnson, is that you?). Served up in a martini glass, this beverage belongs more on the faux-tini side of things, but that doesn't make it any less tasty. It features Bacardi O (rum infused with oranges and tangerines), Blue Curacao, Red Bull, and a splash of pineapple juice. The waiter was right; it was sweet, but somehow not too sweet. Would I drink this every day? Probably not. But it does work strangely as a Sunday brunch drink. Yes, mimosas and Bloody Marys are will always be the alcoholic breakfast staples of choice, but Miami Vice Grip, with its fruit juice flavor, caffeine kick, and hyper-manic color, captures the essence of Saturdays spent watching cartoons and consuming sugar-loaded cereals. Which, despite what you mother may have said, isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Posted by Jessica Armbruster at May 16, 2008 5:56 AM | Comments (0)

A Recipe for a Perfect Cheesy Weekend Getaway

Filed under: Road Trip

What's better than the combination of wine and the great outdoors? The addition of cheese crafted by certified master cheesemaker Scott Erickson will take things to a still higher level. Lovers of cheese (goat cheese in particular, but there are some cheddars and truffle-infused numbers that'll definitely raise some eyebrows) should head on out to the wine tasting at the Bass Lake Cheese Factory this Saturday.

It runs from 1 to 5 p.m., and promises a series of taste pairings fine enough to match this week's weather.

Here are a few photos to whet your appetite, courtesy of photographer/my wife Becca Dilley:

First, some butter jack cheese with cinnamon:

Second, a shot of (a small bit of) the extensive cheese array at the Bass Lake shop:

Finally, some of the Finnish-style "bread cheese" that Bass Lake has become well-known for:

All this is accessible by driving east on 94, and taking Highway 12 north (exit 4 in Wisconsin). From there, drive through Burkhardt and take a left on county road I. Bass Lake's sign will pop up on your left. Total travel time's about an hour.

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Posted by James Norton at May 14, 2008 11:09 PM | Comments (0)

Discount Grocery Shopping

Filed under: Shopping

A recent Star Tribune business story suggested sales have been up 25-30% in recent months at a couple of local "salvage" grocery stores, which cull food that mainstream supermarkets are ready to get rid of (often because it's expired or about to expire, the packages are damaged, or the marketing campaigns are over). I visited the So Low Grocery Outlet in north Minneapolis and Mike's Discount Foods in Hilltop and the Aldi on East Franklin to see how the shopping experience compared.

So Low is located at Lowry and Emerson in North Minneapolis, one of the city's most impoverished neighborhoods, but when I arrive, there are plenty of nice looking cars in the parking lot (along with a couple of MPD squad cars). While So Low isn't nearly as big as a mainstream supermarket, it does have all the requisite grocery departments: produce, meat counter, lots of packaged foods aisles (one devoted to ethnic foods), a refrigerator and freezer case.

The produce quality varies widely: some is ridiculously past its prime--several pineapple are so old they're mushy, and ears of corn are so dry you could make dolls from the husks and pop the kernels--while others, like the greens being misted with water, look just fine. At the meat counter, there's a range of steaks, ground beef, ribs, plus some inexpensive options, like fish heads, you don't see in most grocery shops. In the refrigerated area, there's yogurt that's expired a few days ago and turkey salad that's been past its prime for a week. I find a few examples of out-of-date marketing campaigns (Christmas and Fourth of July-themed Little Debbie snack cakes prices 2/$.99) and new products that perhaps sounded better to corporate marketing gurus than actual shoppers (Green Giant "immunity boost" vegetables and a "breakfast pizza" topped with scrambled eggs and bacon in the freezer).

Some prices seem on par with mainstream groceries, including milk and eggs, while others--an 18 oz. jar of Peter Pan peanut butter for $.99 and a 6-pack of diet IBC root beer at 2/$3--are significantly discounted.

My next stop is Mike's Discount Foods in a Hilltop strip mall (it's just west of Central, on 45th Avenue), which is significantly smaller, but equally busy. While So Low offered most staples, Mike's selection is more hit-or-miss: They're selling everything from grapefruit to generic SPAM to (expired) Yo Baby organic yogurt. The whole setup feels as temporary, like it could pack up and move to a new storefront overnight.

Aldi, on Franklin at Bloomington in South Minneapolis, looks the most like a mainstream grocery store or Costco. It's clean and well-lit, with wide aisles where boxed goods are stacked, not displayed on shelves. Aldi seems something like a low-cost Trader Joe's, where instead of selling gourmet items (goat cheese) at lower cost, they sell more mainstream items (American cheese) at even lower cost. Eggs and milk seemed a little cheaper at $1.45/dozen and less than $3/gallon. As with many generic-brand items, sometimes the quality is on par with popular brands and sometimes its inferior. They do sell some brand-name, unexpired foods that seem the same as in a mainstream grocery store, except cheaper.

All in all, there are deals to be had on discount groceries, but with gas at nearly $4/gallon, the savings are probably not significant enough to make a special trip. If the produce looks fine, it's probably not that different from conventional supermarket produce. I thought it was interesting that most of the bargain items weren't the nutritious staples price-sensitive shoppers need, and instead things like Ben & Jerry's Cake Batter ice cream, Dove chocolates in Christmas packaging. If you don't live near a discount grocery, you'll probably do just as well buying items that are on sale and clipping coupons.

Posted by Rachel Hutton at May 14, 2008 8:49 AM | Comments (5)

Galactic Pizza on CNN

Filed under: Restaurants

First, they get their own photo gallery , then their own video. Does CNN have a thing for Galactic Pizza? And who knew there was such a thing as pizzatube?

Also: Sign up for our new food e-newsletter. Every week, we'll tell you about the latest food news, restaurant specials, the newest hot spots, upcoming events and festivals, and more.

Posted by Rachel Hutton at May 12, 2008 7:14 PM | Comments (0)

What's New at Mill City Farmers Market

Filed under: Shopping

Here's a list of hot new vendors ripped straight from the virtual pages of the Mill City Farmers Market website in the hopes that it'll drive people out to this week's market:

Brewery Creek Farm — bedding plants and a huge diversity of melons

Café Himalaya — Tibetan momo made with local ingredients

Nistler Farms — Asparagus and natural ornamentals

Omely Food — Handmade dim sum featuring market ingredients

The next market (at Chicago Ave. and 2nd St. South between the Guthrie and Mill City Museum) is this Saturday, May 17, and features a rummage sale, live tango music, a cooking demo by Chef Rachel Rubin and a yarn-spinning demonstration. Sign me up for the dim sum and cooking demo, for starters...

Posted by James Norton at May 12, 2008 5:44 PM | Comments (0)

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