Pizza Luce

Its been months since I posted something. Pregnancy, post delivery recovery and my new bundle of joy kept me super busy. Not that I havent been cooking, actually I have and my recipes are now even faster and my time management spectacular :)
I always believed in pre prepping and freezing but now its my new golden rule!

Recently we ordered a yummy mediterranean pizza from Pizza Luce. Was amazing mouthfulls of warm scrumptuousness! Pizza Athena - Fresh spinach, fresh tomatoes, feta cheese, calamata olives, artichoke hearts, red onions, Greek oregano and toasted garlic with mozzarella cheese on bianca sauce.

We requested it on the red sauce, yum yum yummm...

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Crema Cafe

Crema is my new favorite breakfast/brunch place. They get 5 stars for ambiance, service, food and on top of it all - they have Sonny's ice cream!
Everything here was made and served to perfection.
The outdoor patio took me reeling back to an afternoon in Avignon, France. They had paid such attention to detail with the decor - the paint colors, contrasting blooms, gorgeous ceramics and the intricate wrought iron.

I had the Yummy Organic Veggie Burger:
Ron’s secret veggie burger recipe made w/oats, garbanzo & black beans, walnuts, almonds, celery, green peppers; served w/oven-roasted spread & cucumber $7.95
And it was soooooo delicious!

Hubby had the blueberry pancakes which he really enjoyed, I thought they were a bit eggy for me, but I am strange with my egg super sensitivity. Must say they were extremely soft and fluffy though.

And there was french toast - that I didnt taste but it looked so good.

Even their latte was a world's apart!

Did I mention the ice cream...mmmmm what a wonderful Sat afternoon that was.

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Bangkok Thai Deli

Have you ever had coconut soup? I did a long time ago at a Thai restaurant in Alpharetta GA and never again did I find a combination of those flavors - tangy, light, with a kick, some sweet and mouthfuls of vegetables! But I did - just recently at the Bangkok thai deli and supermarket in St. Paul MN.

The deli was an absolute hidden treasure. My friends that were meeting us there went up and down the street a couple times and completely missed the deli. Its housed inside a rundown, short, no-name building. The area around it is comparably rundown too I'd say. But as you walk in, you will be pleasantly surprised at the expansive Asian market galore - there's a grocery store with Asian vegetables (lemon grass too!), tailoring/alteration shop, Asian parlor, and this deli - smack in the middle of the market. A no-frills seating with friendly staff who speak broken English. We got the soup and split it in two -- slurped every last bit of it.

Address: 315 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55103

I couldnt find a website, I ended up trying this place based on a bunch of local blog reviews and I am so glad I did. I am going to go back to try more dishes.

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Pancho Villa

Check em out at: http://www.panchovillasgrill.com/

This authentic Mexican place is one of Eat street's many treasures, with the best margaritas ever! You can drink 2 easy and they are 2 for 1 from M through F making them 2.50 each! To top that they serve food till 2am! They have outdoor summer seating and a large indoors divided into two sections - one for those who prefer quiet and the other for the louder, music loving crowd. Any night and this place is kickin!

Friendly servers start you off with tasty chips and roasted salsa.

The green sauce enchilada is yum, and the rice is really flavorful.

And the fajitas are my favorite! No one sautes vegetables that good.

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Jasmine Deli

If you are looking for hit-the-spot, no-frill, reasonably-priced-Vietnamese, go to Jasmine Deli. The owner, Luke is such a friendly personable soul and gives you the best service. Every time we have taken friends with us here, they leave SUPER satisfied with every dish!
They dont have a website. Here's their address: 2532 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55404-4248
Tel: (612) 870-4700‎

They are located on Eat street. There's a bunch of other hole in the wall type places to try out if you have never been to Eat street. Jasmine Deli doesnt take credit cards, so make sure to carry cash. Pancho Villa across the street has an ATM in case you forget. And the last thing to remember is that they close relatively early. Make sure to call ahead before you plan to go there. Eat street is beautifully lit up in the winter, a romantic stroll after is always fun. We love the place so much, it was our valentine evening this year!

Their mock duck sandwich is YUMMY - spicy, sweet with cilantro, sauteed onions, slivers of carrot and jalapeno in fresh french bread roll. They can make it with tofu too, but you have to order the curry tofu salad for that. Because they dont keep the tofu marinated. This sandwich is so popular that towards the end of the day they run out of bread.

Another must have for me is the vegetarian pho. Its the best I have had so far and is truly vegetarian. Other places I have been to cant even make me pho because the broth is not vegetarian. The broth is actually very tasty with the fried onions. It makes for such a healthy portion with vegges, rice noodles and tofu. I like it spicier so I add in all the jalapenos, squeeze of fresh lime and some soy sauce before I set to slurp.

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Crescent Moon Bakery

Have you tried Afghani pizza? Its so delish you'll be licking your fingers. This deli is tucked away on Central Ave. They have frozen items to take away as well - pizzas, naans, yogurt, and lots more..In the summers there is outdoor seating with people smoking hukkah. There are signs for catering and an attached banquet hall I think.

The staff is warm, polite and friendly. The deli doesnt have much of an ambiance but gets 10 stars for their food. Even their mocha milkshake was just like I would have wanted it.

For $14.99 you can order the large football pizza, we generally ask to split it with the eggplant version and the spinach version. It comes with a tangy mint chutney that makes all the difference. You can ask for the 'red sauce' too, for more kick.



Roasted eggplant (similar to Indian bharta) with onions, mushroom, olives, mozzarella, and sumak (pomegranate pwd )


The Spinach version comes with a spicy red sauce base and cooked spinach (similar to spinach bhaji). This is my favorite!


And yesterday we splurged just a little more, for the birthday celebrations had begun! Juicy flavorful walnut baklava, and that HUGE piece for only $1.50! After this ever so satisfying meal we had a beautiful relaxed lazy Sunday afternoon with a gripping Hindi movie.

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Ecopolitan

We tried lunch at Ecopolitan recently. I must say a small hesitation from fear of the menu had been holding me back for close to 6 months. Finally I mustered up some courage with close friends and we decided to be adventurous.

This place is an experience! Cozy little old home, converted to a restaurant, with rooms to rent, and an exotic massage parlor. Everything that can be eaten uncooked was uncooked, plus it was a vegan place with a huge emphasis on fresh and healthy.

For starters we had the "cheese" log - yummy! The cheese was made out of nuts and served with more nuts and flax seed crackers.



One of us had the lettuce wraps, apparently excellent!


Another one of us ordered the soup of the day (not so good), and a burger which was really delicious.


I got the flax seed tostada, the smaller portion and that was amazing - loaded with fresh vegges - purple cabbage, onions, lettuce, lentils sauteed with curry and cumin, and an impressive salsa plus guacamole. It was tangy, wholesome and had a good kick to it. Sorry no picture. But I highly recommend it. I also ordered the fresh apple-ginger juice and really enjoyed it, but I am a ginger fanatic too so that might explain it.

There's so many more items I want to try off the menu, I am definitely making another trip there.

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