Just days after the polar vortex, I thought it was only appropriate to visit local micro-brewery Bad Weather. Located just outside of Downtown St. Paul, half a mile off of the Mississippi River, the brewery offers a plethora of amenities that are anything but “bad.” I sat down with co-owner Joe Giambruno. Originally from suburban…
Quixotic Coffee offers warm soup, nitro brews and great atmosphere
Growing weary of the Macalester bubble, this week I set off to explore the neighboring bubble of St. Catherine University. I had heard rumors of Quixotic Coffee through the grapevine of fellow elite caffeine critiques in the 55105, and gosh darn it, it was high time I tried it for myself. I walked in and…
Sociable Cider Werks establishes unique flavors with beer-cider hybrids
Sociable Cider Werks is a common brand name spoken among Macalester students, and rightfully so. For those of you who haven’t heard of Sociable Cider Werks, you’re in for a treat, literally. Based in Northeast Minneapolis, the heart of the emerging Twin Cities microbrewery scene, Sociable Cider Werks makes unique alcoholic drinks that get mistaken…
Answering the age-old question: what is the best Juicy Lucy?
While Minnesota has a lot of unique spins on traditional American food, the Twin Cities is perhaps best known for the creation of the “Juicy Lucy,” a thick half-pound of beef stuffed with cheese and wedged in a bun. The burger is usually just those three ingredients: meat, cheese and bun. It is possible to…
Easy Lemon Chicken
College students are often intimidated by making “fancy” dinners, conflating “good” with “expensive.” This couldn’t be farther from the truth. One of my favorite cheap recipes to make during the school year only takes a couple of inexpensive ingredients, most of which are already found in your pantry. Ingredients: 1 lb chicken 1 tbsp butter…
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Recipe
Ingredients: 1 medium onion, cut into chunky pieces 1 big sweet potato, cubed 1 can black beans (I drain them almost completely – a little bean juice gives nice texture) 1 can diced tomato 1 can’s worth of broth (1 cup of water and a bouillon cube, or 1 cup of broth) Garlic to taste…
Oats Recipe
Ingredients: 1 jar 1/4-1/3 jarful of old fashioned rolled oats A few sprinkles of other seed items (like those chia seeds you impulse bought at the start of your last health kick) A few dashes of cinnamon Milk of your choice, twice as much as your oats 2-3 drops of vanilla extract 1 big squeeze…
Birchwood Cafe: The most brunch has to offer
Who doesn’t love a good brunch? This past Saturday, I was in the mood for something special, so my friend and I decided to head over to Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis to try out their brunch. After consistently appearing on lists of the best brunch spots in the Twin Cities, it was time to give…
Easy, yet savory Beef & Broccoli Recipe
With the introduction of food-delivery apps such as DoorDash and Uber Eats, I have seen my roommates increasingly binging on cheap, American-style Chinese food. I don’t blame them; it’s inexpensive, delicious, filling and most importantly, not Cafe Mac. However, this school year I’ve been trying to make my own American-Chinese “takeout” dishes at home to…
Leftover Vegetable Bake
Ingredients: I’m using (about 2 handfuls of each): Brussels sprouts, ahalved String beans Mushrooms, sliced Red Onion, cut into pretty big pieces Cherry tomatoes A swoosh of oil (I prefer olive) A good scoop of garlic in whatever form you want Many dashes of curry powder (enough so there’s some on all of the vegetables)…