twinning

Kicked off my first visit to Minneapolis with a Smoke at Surly Brewing.  We came to the consensus that this giant brewery needs to be or could be a beautiful house.  Specifically my house.  Picture it.  Wide open downstairs floor with a wall of windows that folds open to a closed off courtyard lined with fire pits for the summer.  Wooden floors and wood paneled walls for a earthy cabin feel.  Hanging lights zigzagging across the ceilings.  All kinds of a greenery in the yard, on the walls, a raised herb garden, rows of veggies, different fruit trees along the border ... and a koi fish pond with a mini waterfall.  We can keep the bar in the corner, a restaurant-sized kitchen in the back, but I want one giant mahogany banquet table in the center of the room for all the potlucks I will inevitably host.

The next day started early with the Donut Crawl.

And after recovering from that, we went to Blue Door Pub to quench my perpetual burger thirst by going splitsies with Jules.
Half a Bangkok Blucy, which I thought was the most intriguing thing on the menu with the coconut-soaked mozzarella and ginger slaw.  And you absolutely must try eating a burger with a cup of curry for dipping.
Half a Cease & Desist at the waitress's recommendation.  The Land O'Lakes white American cheese sounded too locally special to pass up.  And with the pickles, onions, lettuce, and "Merican" sauce, the oozing beauty tasted pretty much like a Big Mac.  Just to clarify, it was not a negative experience, reminding me of how much I thoroughly enjoyed Big Macs as a kid... except with a thicker patty and sturdier bun.

Next door was the Mall of St. Paul, which awoke the knick-knack obsessed hoarder within me.  It's too bad I wasn't looking to decorate an apartment in MN because I totally would've purchased many useless things.  I should also mention that I, in no way, would ever want to be wandering this store at night... alone.

 At one point, I internally laughed until I cried to see a children's game surrounding "careers."  Wishing I could go back to the days when we could be anything we wanted because we had no sense of what it actually meant to have a job.  And choosing a career was actually a game of mood and recent events.

But peace was restored when I saw these shelves of kitchen ware organized by color.  Sigh, it's so beautiful.

Explored Midtown Global Market, which immediately reminded me of those indoor flea markets in Asia - stalls of dresses and blankets and more knick knacks flanked by cafes or street food.
After making our rounds, I found myself at Sonora Grill where I savored every bite of my fried eggplant with cilantro aioli and tongue tacos.

Bar time to end the eating adventure at New Bohemia, where I went out of my comfort zone of stouts and porters and went with an apricot ale of sorts while ogling the list of adventurous sausages.  Would've gone for the rattlesnake rabbit curiosity if I had the stomach space for it.  Although my stomach would not have objected if they offered an 'adventurous sausage sampler.'  Where does one source rattlesnake and yak in Minnesota anyways?
They did have the biggest soft pretzels I've ever seen though, and that is no exaggeration.

I know what you're thinking, so don't.  Just had to get a [however poor] shot of the monstrosity of this half eaten soft pretzel with cheese sauce.

"You have to get a bite of the full girth of it."