Camacho Watcho

It’s been two days since the incident happened so I think this is enough recovery time for me to move on and write about it. They predicted it…I will give them that, and I should have been forewarned. So when I woke up to an overcast, brisk Sunday morning I should have known that, for once, their predictions would be correct. But I remained naive, oblivious to the warnings and set out without a second thought.

At first it wasn’t so bad. Just another chilly fall day at the end of the season when the golds, reds, greens and browns all mix together to form an interesting array of color on the ground and on the trees. I knew I wasn’t dressed perfectly for this time of year, but it was also kind of nice to jam my fists deep into the pockets of my down vest to find warmth. I shuffled along, the leaves making a “shoosh-shoosh-shoosh” sound as I moved through them.

I stopped along the way to take pictures of the trees, the leaves, the lake and a small mushroom that was camouflaged along the path I was walking. Of course, stopping made me colder and my hands could hardly move once they left the warm coccoon of my vest pockets. This I didn’t mind. But the further I walked, I started to feel the reality of the predictions…the knowledge that winter was just around the corner.

The corner, as it turned out to be, was the very last bend before I returned to my car. I put away my camera and sipped on my hot coffee while I waited for my friends to return from their run. And at that exact moment it happened. It snowed.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind the snow and I don’t mind winter. I actually love the coziness of the season…warming up next to the fire with warm soup or cocoa. The tragedy of this particular snowfall is that it was the most disappointing first snow ever. With the temperature hovering right around the freezing point, there was no chance of white fluffy flakes drifting to the ground and accumulating to create a winter wonderland. (Although Kyle did lie on the grass and pretend to make a snow angel, which did lighten the mood.) Instead, the flakes came down in a fury…a wet, slushy fury. Sigh.

Taste of Scandinavia
Perhaps it was the setting of the slushy snow that swayed my breakfast experience that morning as well. Since we were up near Vadnais Heights, we headed to Taste of Scandinavia, a small bakery and cafe in a strip mall in North Oaks. I have had several breakfasts there before and enjoyed them. But this time, unfortunately, was not fully the case. I would have to say that they were 50-50 for me and, based on this visit, I would return back only for their sweet breakfast items and baked goods.

Taste of Scandinavia is a cute little restaurant with a large glass display case along one wall with cakes, breads, and pastries that are sure to make your mouth water. We entered and immediately sampled their apple coffee cake that was offered to us. Wow! I was sold. I ordered the classic egg breakfast (of course with crispy bacon and eggs over medium) and a full piece of the apple coffee cake. Unfortunately, they told me that they were out of the coffee cake. Wait…they offer me a sample to entice me into buying it and then they tell me they’re out? Humpf. Odd, but okay. A little disappointed but we changed the pastry order to something with slivered almonds and almond paste (which was not nearly as good) and an order of the pulla french toast with lingonberries and green apples for Kyle.

Thankfully the coffee was very good and there were free, help-yourself refills…which were much needed on that gray, cold morning. (By this time the snow/slush was coming down almost sideways outside. Yuck.) Our order arrived quickly and we dug in. The down side is that I just don’t think eggs are their thing. Mine were browned and spongey and the poached eggs that Carly got had hard yolks (that is how she likes them, but that’s not how she ordered them). The bacon wasn’t crisp, the hash browns were oily tasting and the toast was just, eh.

Kyle’s breakfast, however, looked and tasted spectacular. It was a huge order of french toast, loaded with lingonberries, caramelized green apples, whipped cream, powdered sugar and a few chocolate shavings. I had a little taste at first and then finished his breakfast for dessert. The yogurt, fruit and homemade granola that was ordered also looked fantastic. It was polished off quickly so that speaks volumes.

All in all, I will return to Taste of Scandinavia but I will stick to their coffee cake (when they have it) and their sweet breakfast items like the french toast or yogurt and granola. And as for the weather? It’s a beautifully sunny day out the window right now, but winter is lurking. And while I know this is a naive thought, I’m hoping the next snowfall fulfills my more romantic ideals of winter.

Taste of Scandinavia
845 Village Center Drive
North Oaks, MN
651.482.8285

Tags: breakfast, Food, restaurants, twin

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 9:21 am and is filed under Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.