Mill City -- Part I

Loads of thanks to K, E, and mom for a great weekend in Minneapolis!  They treated me to a wonderful weekend in celebration of what was then my upcoming nuptials (and as I write this, was many, many months ago)!  We did a lot of eating, a lot of touring, and generally had a great time.  And then we did some more eating.

We all arrived on Friday evening, and after scoping out our hotel, headed to 112 Eatery for dinner.  We lucked out timing-wise, because it poured down rain while we were in the restaurant, and it was a great place to be during a rainstorm.  It is a small place, very nicely renovated, but they held onto the dark bar feeling.  Our table was way in the back, so we were tucked safely away from the storm, peeking out the front windows at it like characters in an old-timey movie or a Sherlock Holmes story.  The food was incredible (which you'll see is a theme from the weekend): cauliflower fritters, burrata toast, gnocchi, and scallops for dinner.  Dessert was tripartite: banana tart with chocolate mousse, lemon ricotta cheesecake, and (to drink) bourbon with a brown-butter wash.  They were all good, and the butter flavor added to the bourbon was surprisingly delightful!  I still haven't tried it at home, but maybe soon.

From there, we wandered down to Marvel Bar for some delicious nightcaps.  Between us, we had the Remember the Maine, Presbyterian, Double Luxe, and the Savvy Blanc.  Their menu has changed now, so I can't tell you what any of our drinks had in them, but they were lovely.  The place was very crowded, and we were lucky enough to snag a table as some other folks were leaving, so it made for pretty good people watching while we were sipping.

Saturday morning was a true Minneapolis brunch at Keys at the Foshay.  K and I split a Keys omelet and a breakfast sandwich, and I started off the day right with a berry mimosa.

In case that wasn't enough food, we trekked the couple of blocks between there and Angel Food Bakery for some sweet treats to finish off our already-decadent meal.  I scored the last piece of caramel whiskey bread pudding (which they didn't even want to serve me, since "the end pieces don't get enough sauce," but I talked them into it) and a latte -- which was much needed to keep me just this side of a food coma.

We decided it was time get get some culture, so we headed over to the Walker.  I am not normally a big lover of modern art, but the Walker has a fun, we-don't-take-ourselves-too-seriously vibe, which I was totally able to get behind.  Here are some examples:

EU posters

A string of lights.  Because that's art.

Zoom in and check out the wallpaper.

There is an extensive garden outside the Walker, which includes this famous piece, as well as the blue rooster, and L-O-V-E!

There is a group of benches with a disturbing collection of thoughts carved into them. This was the least creepy one I could find in my collection.

Some giant worms in the garden.

We didn't want to let the overcast day get away from us, so we headed to the Mill City Museum to learn about the city's history in the milling industry.  I had no idea that so much of the country's flour was milled in Minneapolis, so it was fascinating learning.  The bad news was that the Flour Tower tour was sold out when we got there; however, we got a pro tip just to go get in line, and it worked!  We were able to weasel our way onto a tour!

The history of the milling industry in Minneapolis is more than I can possibly recount accurately, but there is a version available here.  What I found most interesting, especially in light of my love for industrial buildings,is that the Mill City Museum is housed in an old mill, the Washburn A mill. Just a few years after the mill had been completed in the 1870s, flour dust was ignited by a spark and the building burned to the ground.

The milling industry during WWII.

 The Baking Lab, where you can experiment and find free samples!

 

The still-standing wall of the burned-out Washburn A Mill.

One of the best parts of the Flour Tower tour is that you get to go out on the reconstructed roof of the mill building to take in the view of the river.

Dinner after the museum was at the cafe at the Alma, and it was a real treat!  We started with delightful-looking cocktails -- I had one called the Garden of Eden.  The remainder of my meal consisted of pork belly French toast (because who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?) and strawberry panna cotta.  The dessert, much to my surprise and delight, came with a tiny pop tart!

Our final Saturday activity was a trip to the Jungle Theater to see Hand to God.  I didn't know much about it beforehand; K and E had sent me two possible plays to go see on our weekend away, and I picked this one, but mostly based on the fact that it had gotten some good reviews, mostly saying it was funny, and a bunch of Tony Award nominations.  I'm always game for a laugh.

And it was pretty hilarious -- especially the first half.  The second half got a bit disturbing, but still a good pick overall, and an excellent end to our Saturday.