I make kombucha but I still pronounce it incorrectly.
“Kom-Boo-ka” I say. Kombucha enthusiasts are quick to say, “Ohhh, that’s great. We love “kom-boosh-a.”
Since it hit the mass market, we’ve enjoyed drinking kombucha but felt too intimidated to make it. This all changed when my cousin offered to send me a scoby.
“Sure!” I replied, thinking that if I actually had a real life scoby, I would get over my fear of kombucha-making out of obligation.
This was true.
At first I thought about adding a blurb about Fogo De Chao’s lunch to my Minneapolis Skyway food post. However, Fogo’s Market Table lunch is so glorious that it deserves a post of its own.
Fogo De Chao is a Brazilian steakhouse chain. Servers wander the dining room with metal spears of meat that they slice table side. You can choose from a wide variety of steaks, and cuts of chicken, pork, and lamb. The options are practically endless. Bacon-wrapped, ribs, parmesan chicken, filet mignon, top sirloin, you can have it all. Servers will also ask what doneness you prefer. The well-done people can have their well-done steaks without preventing everyone else from eating medium rare.
As if all of the meat isn’t enough, all meals come with the salad bar Fogo calls the Market Table, feijoada and soup bars, and side dishes.
I never want to drink another Wondrous Punch but I have no regrets about trying one.
Until this weekend, I had never had a “Wondrous Punch,” but I’ve always known the name. Most Twin Cities residents do. It’s the signature drink at Red Dragon, a dive bar located on Lyndale in South Minneapolis. As far as I know, Red Dragon’s always been there. The exterior looks the same as it did when I used to drive past every day ten years ago.
People tell their Red Dragon stories wistfully. They typically occurred a while ago and end in “I don’t remember much,” a brawl, or puking. “The Wonderous Punch is really strong,” they add.
Many things in Uptown have changed. When everything becomes newer and shinier, I’m drawn to establishments that keep serving what they’ve always been serving in an unapologetic, irony-free manner. They don’t serve kale salad or change their menu font from Comic Sans because they don’t want to.
I love going to haunted places, but I never ever ever want to find a ghost.
Haunted places are old and interesting. They’re cloaked in storytelling and steeped in history. I especially love visiting haunted dining/drinking establishments because you don’t just wander through; you get to pull up a seat and eat.
Forepaugh’s is 147 years old. The mansion is tucked into a quiet stretch of West 7th near the river. Jake and I have driven along West 7th a million times and somehow never saw Forepaugh’s. I’m not sure how, because the mansion in all of its glory looms on the peaceful, grassy lot.
Since 1870 the sign says.
Every once in a while my friend Beth publishes a “What’s On My Camera Roll” post. I get a kick out of the photos she shares along with their corresponding stories.
Now that we carry phones equipped with high quality cameras at all times, it’s effortless to snap a photo of whatever is amusing us at the moment. Here’s a glimpse into my past couple of weeks:
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