We Dream of Food....

The Metrics:
3460  =  The total number of daily calories in the RowStein house.
5        =  The total number of mini-meal consumed per day.
0        =  The number of restaurants on this list we can visit while on this diet.
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Sorry for the delay, readers!  On Tuesday night, Dan and I went to the Guthrie's production of Time Stands Still and we got home very late.  Then, yesterday, I was at a meeting until well into the evening.  But, as promised, this week... we give you...  THE FOOOOOOD BLOG!

If you don't already know, Dan and I love food.  LOVE it.  And we love going out to eat.  Trying new restaurants is one of our favorite ways to explore the cities.  So, in true Compendium spirit, we're sharing a short list of some of our Twin City staples (in no particular order) and what we love best about them.

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Little Szechuan

RowStein Rated - Best Chinese.

Our Favorite Dishes = Dan Dan Noodles, "Taste of Szechuan" Chicken, Pork Shreds in Peking Sauce, among many others.

Mmmm... Dan Dan Noodles...

This little gem can be found in the less-than-savory Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul.  But, believe me, a trip to Little Szechuan is totally worth it.  The place is clean, cute, welcoming (on the inside), with unbelievably delicious food and friendly staff.  A large, picture-enhanced menu makes choosing new and daring dishes easy (and we strongly suggest staying away from the boring Americanized stuff on the very last page).  Dishes are served family-style, shared plates piled high with huge spicy, savory (and affordable!) portions.  For Dan and I, two dishes and an appetizer is enough food for a decent meal at the restaurant and at least two more rounds of leftovers, each.  What better way to enjoy food than having the joy of repeating the meal, again and again?

Spicy fried fish and hot tea.... yummm....

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The :D Spot

RowStein Rated - Best F&%ing Wings Ever.

Our favorite dishes (so far) = "Black Widow" wings, the 50/50 burger (which is 50% beef, 50% ground bacon... yes, really... BACON).

Oh, you tasty meaty morsels you...

We've only recently discovered this place, but it has quickly rocketed to the top of our list of local favorites.  A tiny little hole-in-the-wall restaurant, housed in a stripmall in Maplewood, that packs more personality and surprisingly delicious flavor than you can possibly imagine.  It's not fancy on the inside.  It's your basic "order at the counter, then and grab yourself a seat" kind of place.  They don't serve fountain drinks, just cans and bottles.  And the wait can get long for your food (I recommend two cans of soda, if you're like me...).  BUT... the reason the wait can get long is because the cooks are crafting little nuggets of made-from-scratch perfection.  Seriously.  They serve over 60 kinds of chicken wings!  (Click here for the complete list of flavors.)  And many of these recipes are interesting, complicated, multifaceted, gourmet combinations!  And, even coated in sauce, the wings retain a hint of that crunchy, crispy-fried goodness.  A culinary feat, to be sure.

When we went to :D Spot for the first time, Dan took one bite of the Black Widow wing (suggested to us by the staff), looked up at me with an astonished expression and said, "This is, by far, the best f&%ing wing I've ever had."  Even the fries, the regular ole' fries, were surprising!  They were spicy and salty, and they came with an aioli dipping sauce that tasted like some miraculous combination of tomato-basil and curry powder.  Maybe it was crack.  I don't know.  But I could not stop eating them.

Darin, the owner / chef, who regularly visits with patrons.

So, to summarize: While the :D Spot admittedly has some cons (terrible parking, limited seating, and the wait can get a little long), the food is truly, truly phenomenal.  Worth it, we swear.

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Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge

RowStein Rated - Best Ambiance, Best Place to Eat Outside.

Our favorite dishes  = The "Suzi Burger," the "Pontiac II," the "Four-Barrel" deep dish pizza, and any of their delightfully wicked Tiki drinks.

Oh, that Tiki charm.

Now, I know what you're thinking... "Best ambiance?  Best place to eat outside?"  But, it's true.  While we love the food (and we do), the real reason we go back to Psycho Suzi's is for the fun, relaxed, gloriously tasteless atmosphere.  The carpet is patterned with cartoonish wood-planking, the walls are covered in woven grass, there are masks and giant wooden utensils hanging everywhere, the restrooms are labelled "Chicks" and "Dicks" (and the handicapped bathrooms are "Chicks & Dicks on Wheels"), and there's a smoke-spewing waterfall just inside the front door.  "Tiki Chic," let's call it.  And we love it.

Inside view, part of the dining area and one (of three) of the bars.

If the inside isn't fun enough for you, Psycho Suzi's has one of the best patios around.  It's a deck that's easily as big as the inner dining area, with dozens of grass huts, statues, and tiki torches.
 

A daytime view of the river, from Suzi's patio.

Not to mention the thing looks right out over the Mississippi river.  The place even has a dedicated dock, so you can motor on over in your fishing boat and grab some eats.  How cool is that?!

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Lucia's - To Go

RowStein Rated - Best Light Breakfast.

Our Favorite Dishes = Ham & Cheese crepe (with extra chives), Nutella crepe, Ham & Cheese on a Homemade Biscuit, and... of course, the Mini Budapests.

Our adorable little Lucia's To Go.

This place is a sentimental favorite for Dan and I, as it's right in the heart of our old neighborhood in Minneapolis.  We'd spend just about every Sunday morning here, having coffee, sharing some baked good or other, talking about our weeks, and watching people walk to and from the shops or the lakes.  Lovely memories.

But, Lucia's To Go is great place to grab a light meal, fond memories or no.  They use mostly (maybe even all) organics and local ingredients, and the menu changes both weekly and seasonally.  There are options for vegetarians, as well as vegans, and everything is fresh and made daily.  There isn't much seating, as you can see in the photo above, but cute, cozy restaurants often have that problem.

Coffee and baked goods.  The very best breakfast.

It should be noted, for the sake of anyone that might try to find the place, that Lucia's To Go is part of a three-restaurant group that's all connected together (literally, they're all right next door to each other).  There's "Lucia's To Go," which is the bakery, cafe, quick lunch-and-breakfast sort of place, then there's "Lucia's Wine Bar," which is... well, a wine bar, and lastly there's just plain "Lucia's," which is a more high-end, organic and seasonal, full scale restaurant.  We like Lucia's, too, but the "To Go" side of things really captured our hearts (and our stomachs).

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The Blue Door Pub

RowStein Rated - Best Juicy Lucy, Best Cheese Curds.

Our Favorite Dishes = The "Breakfast Blucy," the "Merriam Park Blucy," and the oh-so-delicious fried cheese curds.

The Blue Door... in all it's burgery glory.

Like many of the restaurants on the RowStein favorites list, this one is small.  It's rare (very rare) that you don't have to stand around and wait a while for your seat.  But, a basket full of fried cheese curds, a fresh made Juicy Lucy (or "Blucy," as they say), and a cold local brew make it all worthwhile.

What's a Juicy Lucy, you ask?  It's a Twin City favorite: a burger patty, stuffed with cheese.  Think of it like a molten chocolate lava cake, only with meat and cheese!  Delicious!  The stories vary, but most locals agree that the Juicy Lucy originated at Matt's Bar in Minneapolis.  It was soon picked up by other burger joints, including the famous Casper's and Runyon's Nook in St. Paul.  I've tried the burgers at all three and, while all have tasty food and their own brand of bar-centric charm, for my money and stomach-space... it's the Blue Door all the way.

Gooey awesomeness....

The picture above may look a little... well, gross... but believe me... this burger is killer.  It's called the "Breakfast Blucy" and it's main components are as follows:  1.) A generously sized, fresh-made beef patty filled with melted cheddar.  2.) Thick-cut, smoked bacon.  3.) A fried egg.

I mean, damn.  That's a burger, right?  Right.

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Quang

RowStein Rated - Best Vietnamese.

Our Favorite Dishes = The Cha Gio (pork & veggie fried egg rolls), the Pho Tai (a simple, classic Pho), and Bun Bo Hue (super spicy pork hock & noodle soup).

This "Eat Street" institution is one of our regular wintertime stops.  A steaming bowl of Pho (pronounced like "fuh") is the perfect way to warm up on those cold Minnesota nights.  This was the first Vietnamese place we'd ever been to, so I can't vouch for it's authenticity from my own personal experience.  But if packed-in crowds of smiling, convivial Vietnamese families are any indication... Quang is pretty darn authentic.

Now, if you've never been to a place like this, I'd start with the standard Pho.  It's (usually) a savory, herby clear broth which is poured, while still boiling, over a pile of rice vermicelli noodles and thinly sliced beef.  Then it's topped with onions and sprouts and other green things.  The meat actually cooks in the broth as the bowl is brought to your table, so it arrives at this wonderful medium-rare consistency (note the hints of pink in the picture above).  It's usually served with a small platter of flavor-enhancing sides.  At Quang, these are bean sprouts, jalapenos, lime, and Thai basil.  There's also the standard tabletop accouterments of soy sauce, hoisin, sriracha, and garlic-chili paste.

 

If you're brave, you can try Dan's favorite... the "511" or the Bun Bo Hue, which is a super spicy soup that has thick cuts of meat, pork hock (with the bone), and is flavored with pork blood.  Not for everyone, I'm sure... but Dan swears by the stuff.

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The Bulldog - Northeast

RowStein Rated - Best Tots.

Our Favorite Dishes = The "Stilton" burger, the "Togarashi' tots, and the "Truffled" tots.

A shot of the bar & dining area.

As you can see, it's a bar.  A little noisy, a little slow on the service, sports on every TV... but it's a great place to grab a burger, a hot dog, a beer and... of course, some tater tots.  Who'd have thought that an elementary school lunchroom classic, like tater tots, would fuel a restaurant up to the top of my favorites list?  But, truly, the Bulldog's tots are worth punching a baby for.  Hard, even. 

Sorry, baby.  It has to be done.

They come in a variety of flavors and are often accompanied by a complimentary dipping aioli (and I use that term in two senses, as the aioli is free AND the flavor changes to compliment the tot).   You can order them as a stand-alone appetizer or as a side for your burger or hot dog.  Dan and I each ordered some as a side for our burgers, with the intention of sharing.  We... well... let's just say... good luck to you, if you try to share.

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Punch Pizza

RowStein Rated - Best Fast & Fresh Meal.

Our Favorite Dishes = The "Cortina" and the "Vesuvio."

Our local Punch Pizza, on Grand Ave in St. Paul.

I'll end the blog today with the first Twin City restaurant we ever went to, Punch Pizza.  It's a small, local chain of Neapolitan pizza restaurants and it's still a regular stop for us.  The pizzas are made with made-from-scratch dough, freshly chopped ingredients, and cooked in a flaming oven for about 90 seconds.  Since the cooking time is so short, every person's pizza is individually made to order and baked right away.  So, you order at the counter, have a seat, and your pizza is brought to you a few minutes later.

The Punch oven, flames and all.

Seriously, it's some of the best thin crust pizza I've ever had, and it's a great alternative to a greasy fast food joint.

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Longest post ever at the Compendium, but certainly the most mouth-watering.

Thanks for reading!

WR

Times a-Changin.'

The Metrics:
4        =  The number of divisions Dan managed to chop our Ben & Jerry's
                        "Phish Food" Pint into, carton and all, with his super-sharp Shun.
3        =  The professional theatrical productions seen in a two-week period.
40      = The degree difference between Sunday's high and Monday's low.
14      = The number of minutes it took DW & WR to come up with "The Metrics."
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Welcome back, loyal RowStein readers!  A lot has happened this week.  A lot.  Choices have been made, futures have been decided, workouts have been completed (much to the chagrin of our quads), and new restaurants have been discovered (a topic for next week's blog post).

Mmmm... delicious upcoming blog posts....

First bit of RowStein news:  Dan has signed his papers!  After much thinking and talking and debate, he officially committed to the Masters in Speech Language Pathology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.  It's a great program, in a great town, and we think it'll be a wonderful next step toward his new career in SLP.

An aerial photo of part of the UMN Campus, with Mpls in the background.

The program itself is two years, plus one year of clinicals or practicum work (I'm not sure what it's actually called, but it's working and studying out in the field... something like a residency).  Since Dan's academic background is mostly in Music and Voice, he'll spend one additional year making up the small remainder of his prerequisite courses.  So, for him, this decision means four more years of living the Twin Cities.  (See the first photo, above, of the tasty, tasty wings.)  Hmmm.  Darn.  ;-)

As for me... well... this brings me to my news, both good and bad.

Whit's Bad News:  This application season, I didn't get an MFA offer I was enthused about.  It's a shame, really, because I was thinking I was ready for that next step in my academic & writing career.  Oh, well.  Rejection stings, but the programs I applied to are very hard to get into... and I knew that from the start.  Maybe, with a few years more dedicated craft-work, I'll be one of the lucky ones.

Whit's Good News:  Now, the good news!  I got the job!  I've been short-listed (read: accepted) to the JET Program!  I'm moving to Japan in late July to start working as an Assistant Language Teacher!  Exciting!  To see an example of what I'll actually be doing, click on this link and watch the video at the bottom of the screen.  I'll be an ALT (versus a CIR or SEA).

Next year, I'll be there.  Err... Somewhere.

People have reacted to this news in a variety of ways:

1.)  "But Japan is so far away!"  Yes, I'm aware.  It is far.  But with the internet and Skype and the zillions of ways you can stay connected these days, it'll really not be all that different.  I already live a long distance from many of my friends and family.  We'll be able to make it work.  Besides, Japan is only a plane ride away (albeit a long and pretty expensive plane ride) and friends who are brave enough to visit me will have all the comforts my tiny apartment can offer!  They can sleep on the tatami with me, get lost in my town with me, and dine on whatever food I've figured out how to make.  Sounds like fun, right?  Let's call it "adventure."

2.)  "You mean, Dan's not coming with you?!"  Yep.  That's right.  Dan's staying here.  He's beginning a new phase in his life and career (one he's thrilled about) and I would never dream of asking him to wait.  Just as he would never dream of asking me to pass up on this amazing opportunity.  I've been talking about wanting to live and work abroad for years.  YEARS.  It's been a major life goal of mine and... really, there's never going to be a better time than right now.  Dan will be here, in a community we both know and love, studying like mad... while I'll be in Japan, working hard, learning a new language and culture, experiencing all sorts of crazy new things.  We'll stay in contact.  We'll Skype.  We'll visit.  But, our respective absences will be a constant reminder, like a red-hot-poker to the buttcheek, fueling the other to remain committed and focused to the tasks at hand.  Yes, we know it'll suck to be apart.  We love each other like crazy and we're the best of friends.  We know it will be hard, but we have absolutely no doubt that our relationship will survive the distance.

See this?  A love that overcomes time-zones.

3.)  "Can I come visit?"  Yes, PLEASE!  What good is having an apartment halfway around the world if no one will come and take advantage?  I don't know where I'll be placed (and I won't know until late May or early June), but I'm hoping for someplace with relative closeness to a nice-sized airport.  That's not too hard, in Japan.

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Regardless of your reaction to the news (both Dan's and my own), we sincerely hope that you'll be supportive of our choices.  Going in to this major transition, we need all the e-cheers and high-fives we can get.  As for our online presence, the RowStein Compendium will continue!  We plan to tag-team author the blog over the next year, likely alternating our weeks.  (We'll see, though....)  What a multi-cultural blog we shall be!

Thanks for reading, folks!  Or should I say...ありがとうございます!

WR

Scripted Frenzy!

The Metrics:
4        =  The number of blog entries posted on time.  (In your FACE, Dan!)
3.5     =  Average of pages written per day, by WR.
363    =  Grams of sunflower seeds used in DW's baking.
???     =  Grams of sunflowers seeds batted away by cats & subsequently lost in the many cavities of the apartment.
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Welcome back, friends!  The Compendium is in it's fourth week.  My, how time flies!  This week's post will cover a little of this and a little of that.  (Much like our actual week.)

First, I'll talk about an event I'm participating in called "Script Frenzy."  It's an annual activity sponsored by the lovely people at the Office of Letters and Light and it's a great way to get out that great American screenplay you've always had rattling in the back of your mind.  Basically, it's a challenge to write 100 pages of scripted material in the 30 days of April.  (If you've ever heard of NaNoWriMo ["National Novel Writing Month"], it's supported by the same organization.)  It's free, it's fun, and it's a great way to kick your own would-be playwright / screenwriter butt.

 

This is what my April looks like.

I love participating in "Script Frenzy" every year, because I find that the challenge really reinvigorates me as a playwright.  It keeps me on my toes (creatively speaking), keeps me focused on a single concept, and... with my other writer-friends monitoring my daily page count... it keeps me quite accountable!  Check out their websites (in the links above).  They are rich with event information, as well as some pretty sweet purchasable swag.  If you like what you see, consider donating!  They're a very worthy organization that's always in need of a few more bucks.  Note:  For those Elementary-thru-HS Language Arts and English teachers out there, they even offer school-friendly, modified "Young Writers" challenges!  It's a great way to get kids excited about crafting new work!

Your ticket to creativity, folks.

So, that's what I've been up to for the first ten days of April.  I'm 35 pages into my new play, tentatively titled "One-Third."  It's a full length drama, broken into three acts (or scenes... I haven't decided what I'd like to call them) with no intermission.  The subject of the play isn't really... ummm... blog-appropriate... but I'd be happy to forward the script on to interested parties once it's in a complete and decent form.

What else have we been up to this week, you ask?  Well... running, biking, swimming (see last week's post), reading, playing video games, and watching "Game of Thrones" and season two of "Downton Abbey."  For me, there was... a lot of waiting and thinking.  For Dan, there was also some fabulously tasty home-baking!

Dan & his Pullman pan, laden with bread.

Sourdough Sunflower rolls, a la Dan!

The loaf version, close up.  TASTY.

To read more about Dan's delicious work, check out his baking blog, The Baritone Bread Log.  To read more about my waiting and thinking... well, tune in next week!

As always, thanks for reading!
WR

Tri-Half-alon.

The Metrics:
6        =   Number of Tri-related gear items purchased.
50.7   =   Miles traveled by means of foot or bike.
10      =   Total training "workouts," between both DW & WR.
10      =   Total number of times DW & WR wished they were doing something else. 
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What a week of ups and downs!  My Alma Mater made it into the Final Four (against everyone's predictions), but then lost in the final NCAA Championship game.  Then, I received unfavorable news from my favorite potential grad school, leaving only a few weeks and a few schools remaining in the 2012 application season.  Sad, but not totally unexpected.  Next, Dan & I attended our last class at our previous (and too expensive) gym, but then quickly discovered a closer, WAY more-affordable gym (with a pool!) that will be much better for our triathlon training.

A mural on the outside of the YWCA, our new gym!

Which brings us to the subject of this week's post:  Tri-HALF-alon training!  Let me explain.  If you didn't already know, my husband and I are out of shape.  And, while discussing fitness (or our lack thereof) with his co-workers, Dan discovered an event called the Sprint Triathlon.  It's got all the same events as a regular Olympic triathlon (swim, bike, run), but it's only about half the distance!  Get it?  Half the distance?  Tri-half-alon?  Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!  Anyway, the Sprint Triathlon consists of about 750 meters of swimming, 20 kilometers of biking, and 5 kilometers of running.  While we know that's still a lot, we decided that having a worthy (if difficult) goal would better keep us on the path of health and fitness.

We started researching races at TriFind.com.  Check it out, if you're interested!  They've got listings for races nationwide, and you can search by all sorts of variables.  We haven't settled on an exact race yet, but we're looking at a couple in Minnesota that are being held in mid-to-late July 2012.  That meant, at the time we decided, that we had about twenty weeks of training.  We figured, with a little hard work (and a LOT of sweaty laundry), twenty weeks would be just enough time to get us from "Couch to Tri."

We're pretty good at the "couch" part.

So, for the first three weeks of training, we worked out about four times a week.  These were a mix of the following:  1.)  Individual training sessions, where we worked on improving our skills at a single event.  2.) Yoga classes, to properly stretch and recover (a thing we sometimes struggle with).  And 3.) "Brick" workouts, a term that means stringing together two of the three events, in the appropriate order.  So, "swim + bike," or "bike + run."  Since we didn't have a pool at the time, we stuck to biking and running (unless you count swimming in your own sweat, which we did regularly).  But, all in all, these last three weeks have been pretty successful.  We've been feeling stronger, leaner, and very excited about our progress.

It should be noted that, while we don't want to spend a fortune on the triathlon (we don't want to be that "guy" wearing the suit with abs painted on... or the "girl" in the aquatard... yes, you read that right...) we have needed to improve some of our basic gear.  These have included a few new workout clothes, new running shoes, goggles, lap-worthy swimsuits, a swim-cap for me, and a new bike for Dan!  Granted, his new ride isn't just for competition (he uses it for commuting, as well), but he's definitely much speedier.  And more stylish.

Dan, with his new Surly bike, "BlauHilde."

Starting this week (week four), we're transitioning to a new training regimen.  It's now up to five days a week and it consists of a Brick day, a single event day, a "duration" single event day, a day off (SWEET JESUS ON A CRACKER, THANK YOU...), another Brick, another single event, and one more day off.

It's going to be tough.  I know.  But the joy and sweat and tears and beer and glory that await us on the other side of that finish line... I think it'll be well worth it.  (The beer, at least.)

Thanks for reading!

WR