Camacho Watcho

Earlier this summer, Kyle and I took a trip to Europe. Our initial intentions were to hit northern Spain, but as we got around to actually booking tickets and seeing what was available, our plans changed.

Our final itinerary, which we dubbed Milan to Madrid, had us arriving into Milan, training it to Nice, renting a car and spending several days in Provence, then on to Barcelona and finally out of Madrid.

My next few posts will hit on the fabulous food of this trip. I thought it only appropriate to start with my favorite breakfast, which we had each morning in Provence.


Our time in Provence was spent in the hilly area of the Luberon. We drove aimlessly through small towns and countryside, taking in the vineyards and cherry groves. At times we consulted a map, but for the most part we just made up our minds as we went along. The countryside is gorgeous — stone buildings created from the rocks that are scattered throughout the fields and the poppy fields were in full bloom. A couple weeks later and we would have been there for lavender season — maybe next time.


Each day we started out with breakfast at our inn. Simple pleasures like toasted baguette and croissants with butter and jam and homemade yogurt served outside made for an idyllic start to the day. And despite the many espressos we enjoyed on our trip, we easily polished off a big carafe of cafe Americano with our meal each morning, ensuring we were fully caffeinated for our days of wandering.

On our way home from Sauk Center last weekend, we decided to stop for breakfast at Charlie’s Cafe, located right off I-94 in Freeport. We had never heard of it, although it is apparently well-known for its Garrison Keillor affiliation. (Later we read that years ago Keillor spent a lot of time in Freeport and at the cafe which led him to base his Lake Wobegon on Freeport and, some say, to model the Chatterbox Cafe after Charlie’s Cafe.)

Regardless, friends had told us that it’s an iconic Minnesota spot and that we should check it out. Enough said for a Sunday morning – we were there.

Driving up, I loved the huge sign outside that marked the spot “Charlie’s Cafe”. Given that there really isn’t much else around, and certainly no other competing signs, the sign screams at visitors with its bright yellow and red lettering. Walking inside I was instantly in love. From the booths to the display cases and the knick-knacks to the wallpaper, it was a true step back in time.

We took a seat in a small middle booth and immediately ordered coffee and one of their famous caramel rolls. The caramel roll arrived and we dug in – it was gooey, rich and tooth-achingly sweet. Seconds later, it was gone.

Our breakfasts arrived a short while later, the usual for me and a breakfast sandwich with sausage, egg and cheese for Kyle. A little disappointing, as overall it was pretty average fare on both accounts.

Perhaps not for their full breakfast menu, but when in the area again, Charlie’s Cafe’s throw back charm and caramel rolls might be just the thing to draw me back in for a stop.

For the long 4th of July weekend, we headed out to Oregon. The first couple of days were spent on the coast and then we headed inland to Portland to visit our friends Jeff and Lisa. A beautiful coastline, great weather (it was unseasonably hot) and plenty of great food and drink made the trip a fantastic getaway.

The trip started on the central coast where we stayed in the small town of Manzanita. I loved this little town – great shopping, expansive beach – but the food in the area was a bit lacking. Actually, we struggled to find good food on this leg of the trip at all. It seemed every restaurant we had previously researched and heard great reviews about was closed, so we were left winging it. We drove up to Cannon Beach one evening and ate at the Wayfarer. It had a perfect sunset view but, besides some tasty clam chowder, the food was pretty standard. We also ate at a new Mexican restaurant in Manzanita (not worth even mentioning the name here) and the Manzanita Seafood and Chowder House, which served up a decent order of fish and chips.

The highlight of our coastal eating was actually a breakfast spot in Nehalem called Wanda’s Cafe. We actually ate there twice and I got the same breakfast both times (my usual order of two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast). I did try a bite of the French toast and the breakfast quesadilla as well, which were very good. The best part of my breakfast was the thick-sliced, pepper-crusted bacon. Crispy goodness!

We also found some good eats at the Tillamook cheese factory. After taking the self-guided tour, which allows you to look down into the huge facility where the cheese is shaped and packaged, we tried a few small samples of cheese (fantastic cheese curds and extra sharp cheddar) and then headed down to get some ice cream.

Overall the ice cream was extremely creamy and very good. We enjoyed our cones, but it definitely seemed that these kids, who were there for a birthday party, were enjoying theirs much more.

On to Portland…

The first place we ate at in Portland was a neighborhood spot called Meat Cheese Bread (1406 SE Stark Street). Locally sourced ingredients are featured in creative salads and sandwiches like the popular BLB (bacon, lettuce and beets) sandwich and the flank steak with pickled red onions and blue cheese. My favorite, however, was the sandwich I ordered – asparagus, hard boiled egg and bacon relish (yes, you heard me right…bacon relish) on a chewy baguette.

Next up in Portland was to hit The Waffle Window in the Hawthorne neighborhood. After walking around the neighborhood’s cute shops, Jeff led us around a corner to the small window opening at the end of a long brick wall where these treats are made. Although there are many sweet and savory waffle variations, we decided on two sweet flavors – one with strawberries and another with blueberries and lime curd. The toppings were fantastic and the waffles were also very good, although more cakey than the typical fluffy breakfast variety.

A strong contender for the best pizza I’ve ever eaten (I struggle giving it this full title given my love for Wig and Pen pizza in Iowa City) can be found at Apizza Scholls. This gem of a pizza place makes their dough fresh daily, then opens up for business at 5:30pm. The masses patiently wait their turn to be seated, as they know what is to come…beautifully chewy, yet crisp-crusted pizza pies.

We ordered two pizzas – one pie with pickled red peppers and sausage and the other pie with half ‘Margo’rita (their version of the margherita with red sauce, two types of mozzarella, pecorino romano, garlic and basil) and half Tartufo bianco (mozzarella, pecorino romano, truffle oil and sea salt). The pickled peppers on the sausage pie and the truffle oil on the bianco were absolutely delicious! This place is a must. And if do want to try it out, be sure to get there early. When the fresh dough runs out, they simply close up shop for the day.

Saturday morning of our trip was perhaps the craziest breakfast morning ever. The day started with Voodoo Doughnuts. Awhile back I had seen an episode of Man v. Food on the Travel Channel where Adam visited this doughnut shop – home to the voodoo doll doughnut and the bacon/maple doughnut. I didn’t get the chance to visit the shop, but Jeff was kind enough to go pick up a box of doughnuts for us to sample while we got ready for the day. He chose the following flavors: Tang, voodoo doll, bacon/maple, and Butterfinger.

The bacon/maple (oh, that crispy bacon and super sweet maple frosting!) and voodoo doll (with raspberry filling) doughnuts were the favorites. As for the Tang and Butterfinger varieties? We could have done without them – the toppings were too powdery. The overall consensus was that for novelty, Voodoo Doughnuts is a must…but a high quality doughnut should not be the expectation.

After our light breakfast, we headed to the Portland Farmers Market. This busy market is chock full of beautiful produce vendors. Ranier and bing cherries were in season – $3.75/pound! The artichokes and berry boxes were my favorite displays. But we were on a hunt for hot food – biscuits and tamales.

Pine State Biscuits has a restaurant in Portland and, recently added a vendor booth to the farmers market. Fluffy buttermilk biscuits with rich toppings make up the menu – I couldn’t resist ordering the Reggie topped with fried chicken, bacon, cheese and gravy. We also got a plain biscuit that we topped with their marionberry jam. Absolutely amazing!

We also ordered tamales at a Mexican stand in the market. Huge tamales stuffed (and I mean stuffed!) with either chicken or vegetarian options like artichokes and cojita cheese. A surprise to me, I preferred the vegetarian tamale – the creamy cheese with the artichokes was a winning combination.

Our last meal in Portland was another extremely decadent breakfast at the Screen Door. Sunday mornings, this neighborhood restaurant opens its doors at 9:00am to a lengthy line of people in need of coffee and some Southern food. By 9:15, all the seats are filled (indoor and out), yet the line continues down the sidewalk. We were lucky to be in the first seating and put in our order right away. An obvious choice for a breakfast appetizer (yes, we ordered an appetizer, much to the confusion of our waiter) was the praline bacon. Three crispy slices of bacon with a crunchy topping of brown sugar and pecans – oh my god! Yes, it was that good.

As for our main course? At first, we thought of going the more subtle route; perhaps just an egg scramble and toast for me and french toast for Kyle. But, when the waiter approached, we changed the plan. Our order? The Fried Chicken and Waffle – a fluffly sweet potato waffle topped with three boneless pieces buttermilk-battered fried chicken. The order was quite large, but a great bargain for $12.95 (we split it and still had a piece of fried chicken left). I don’t know that I would need to order it again (it is a bit of an absurd breakfast entree), but it was certainly a great meal.

And that was how we ate our way through Oregon. Yes, it did make us thirsty (thank goodness for Portland breweries!), but that is for another post.

I’m rewinding back a few weeks ago, when I was in the midst of my April Bon Appetit challenge, to bring you a breakfast sandwich courtesy of my friend Carly. Perhaps it was a little crazy to forego cooking for a morning during the final week of the challenge, but Carly had been touting a breakfast sandwich creation for a long time and it was time for us to give it a go!

Born from a need for protein (egg) and something sweet (jam) in a to-go form (sandwich), Carly created a breakfast that fueled her every morning through several months of training, including for two marathons. She had her routine down pat – start the water to boil, start the coffee, drop in the egg, toast the muffin, spread the jam, dish up the egg, top with muffin half. With a routine like that, I had to see it in action.

Despite my love for savory and sweet (and my obsession with eggs), I had never tried the jam/egg combo. At breakfast, I have a few rules: bacon and sausage stay clear of maple syrup and there is no place for ketchup at the breakfast table (I know, I know – french fries get ketchup, so why not hash browns? Because they don’t. Period.) I never really had a jam/egg separation rule, but it just didn’t seem like a natural pairing to me somehow.

Breakfast was served – a toasted English muffin with a smear of strawberry preserves and a poached egg – very tasty! We ate them open faced, but the usual service is as a sandwich. Either way, I can definitely see this breakfast in my future. And despite my usual avoidance of breakfast greens, I thought the salad with orange slices was a nice offset to the savory/sweet meal.

Of course, on the way home Kyle and I really started pushing the limits of the sandwich, dreaming of a version with crispy bacon and a fruit pepper jelly. Not only would we have salty and sweet, but we would add crunch and spice! Now that is one sandwich I would break my breakfast rules for.

In need for a quick dinner on a rainy Monday night, I pondered the contents of my fridge. We had hosted brunch the morning before, so we had a few breakfast fixings that were begging to be eaten – eggs, asparagus and bacon…you can’t go wrong with that combo.

I rolled the bacon around the thin asparagus stalks and cooked them in the oven about 15 minutes, then finished them quickly under the broiler. A quick poach of a few eggs – firm whites and runny yolks – and toast of some sourdough slices and dinner was complete. The rich, runny yolks, salty bacon and tender asparagus were the perfect cure for the rainy Monday blues. Of course, it didn’t hurt that we also had some bubbly leftover in the fridge from our mimosas – and we didn’t want it to go to waste…

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

I thought I would do a little catch up on a couple meals that I ate out this summer but have not had a chance to write about.

Muffuletta
The first was a brunch at Muffuletta that happened, admittedly, awhile back. On a beautiful early summer day a few friends and I had plans to try out Muffuletta for brunch. I loved their dinner so much that I had had there and was anxious to go back. We sat outside on their patio, a large sitting area with wide umbrellas to minimize the heat of the sun and actually allow you to enjoy an AM cup of coffee with your meal. Something I loved was the initial treat they presented us upon sitting. It was as if they knew that if they didn’t give me food I would get grumpy. This beautiful blueberry treat just appeared before us. Crumbly and warm, it hit the spot.

I ordered the omelette with mushrooms, bacon and herbs and a side of potatoes. I did like my breakfast, but I do recall thinking that the eggs were on the verge of being a little too dry. My friends really liked their meals, including this order of breakfast pizza. All in all, I would definitely give them another go for brunch.

Muffuletta
Milton Square 2260
Como Avenue
St. Paul, MN
651.644.9116

Sunsets – Woodbury
I also recently had lunch with a friend at Sunsets in Woodbury. Now, I don’t make it over to Woodbury very often and when I do, it usually is not in search of fine cuisine. But I was surprised by the menu variety for both food and drink (I was told they have 26 beers on tap) and I thought I would share in case anyone is out that way.

As with their Wayzata location, Sunsets patio is great. Although it doesn’t provide the same great sunset view as their other location, it was a great oasis for a weekday lunch on a hot, sunny day. We sat back with glasses of ice cold iced tea and relaxed. For lunch, I had a flatbread pizza with pesto, chicken, veggies and chevre. It had a crispy cracker-like crust and a lot of flavor – I really enjoyed it. My friend ordered their salmon special, which was very good except for the suspicious looking pastry it was served on. We both tried it and couldn’t figure out what it was, so we asked the waitress. She explained that it was mashed potatoes wrapped in a pastry. Hmmm…I’m still not convinced on that one. Nevertheless, we did enjoy ourselves with a good meal on a fine day.

Sunsets
700 Commons Drive
Woodbury, MN
651.735.1997

I’ve realized lately that a lot of my posts have to do with breakfast. What can I say? I love breakfast. As I know I have said this many times before…just give me eggs and coffee to make me happy.

This past Sunday I found myself at Longfellow Grill for breakfast. Scanning the menu, I saw items such as the breakfast burrito and the classic eggs, bacon and toast combo. Both of these selections I have enjoyed several times before at Longfellow and would be considered a usual order for me. For some reason, however, I was in a sweet mood…a very sweet mood. Almost without thinking, I ordered the Killer Banana Waffle. Thankfully Ed had his camera so I could share the above picture with you.

Crisp waffles, stacked high on the plate, topped with a huge ice cream-sized scoop of homemade whipped cream and drizzled with some sugary, rich caramel sauce was set before me. I never order sweet things for breakfast, but I had definitely hit the jackpot on this one. The waffle was so light, but crisp and the bananas were so sweet; it was unbelievably good. I believe all my breakfast companions would also agree that this waffle is the best in town.

Wrapping up this sweet story, I do have to mention my breakfast, Part 2. One of my breakfast companions was my dad, who knows me so well. He heard me order a waffle and then just happened to order two breakfasts, one was for us to share – two eggs and toast. It was a perfect morning…a sugary sweet waffle with a classic egg and toast combo chaser. Life was good.

I woke up this past Sunday to a wonderfully sunny, albeit windy, spring day. There were blue skies and fluffy clouds and I had the whole day stretched before me. As I sat, enjoying my coffee, I noticed my cat, Bert, stretched out in a patch of sun just at the foot of my chair. Relaxation was written all over his face and I couldn’t help but feel the same.

That morning I was meeting some girlfriends at French Meadow Bakery in Uptown. I had heard so many times that their breakfast burrito is the best in town, yet I had never eaten there. I am usually the one who speaks in extremes, so that fact that I’ve had not only one person, but several people, tell me to try their burrito, I felt I had no choice. I did not even go inside the restaurant to browse the menu, rather one of my girlfriends put in my burrito order, while I basked in the sun and saved our table. The day could not have been better.

My burrito arrived, topped with a mild salsa and diced scallions. To my delight, there were also sides of a spicier salsa, a cool sour cream sauce and a mix of black beans and corn. The combination of these accompaniments with the fluffy egg, soft tortilla and barely-there hashbrowns nearly melted my heart. The coffee was also quite tasty and free refills were available, making it easy to enjoy a couple cups while catching up with friends.

Our next stop on this lazy Sunday, was to head to Art-a-Whirl. We browsed the studios in Northeast Minneapolis, of course making just a couple purchases and mentally noting a few other things to keep our eye on. I will have to remember to return on First Thursdays, when the studios are also open – so many great, unique things to look at and to buy.

The last adventure of the day was a quick bike ride down the River Road to Longfellow Grill to enjoy a Summit and a little time with Kyle. The drawback was that there were no chairs open in the sun. So we shivered a bit, drank up, and hopped back on our bikes, headed home after a long, lazy day.

I am a sucker for marketing. I love the signs that convince you that you’re getting a bargain “2 for $4″. I love the samples at the grocery store; you can bet I’ll want to buy the whole thing after a taste. I especially love the way a restaurant sells you on their food. A well-written menu will have me salivating as I deliberate over my order.

With this in mind, I was sold, with a capital S-O-L-D, upon entering Yum! Kitchen and Bakery in St. Louis Park for breakfast this past Saturday. Bright and spacious with high ceilings and well-designed seating and sales tables, this restaurant looked beautiful and smelled, well, yum! Everywhere I looked, there were cookies, fresh loaves of breads, cupcakes, muffins, lollipops…you name it, all marked in their signature red and blue logo, designating them as ‘Yum!’. So imagine my surprise when, despite all this beautiful marketing and expectation setting, I was disappointed in the food. I feel guilty even saying it…the marketing is that good. It honestly had me wondering if I was the only crazy one in the room. Do I not know ‘yum’ when I eat it?

The ordering process was interesting. Along the back wall was the full menu with breakfast, lunch and dinner items displayed on large boards near the ceiling. I scanned the menu, truly salivating at all the possibilities and decided to order the “Yum!” (you might be detecting a theme here). The menu description read “slow-cooked scrambled eggs with sausage patties, potato hash and challah toast. Kyle ordered the banana waffle to curb his breakfast sweet-tooth. But that was just the food order. Once we placed our order, we then had to take our ticket to the muffin, coffee and cupcake counter to order coffee. The good news was that they rang it all up together to pay only one bill. The bad news was the price – $28 for two breakfast entrees, a side of bacon and two coffees…before tip. Ouch!

Our food arrived and I have to say that I was highly disappointed. My eggs were bland – even salt and pepper didn’t help. Have you ever tasted buffet-served eggs? Not the runny kind, but rather the dry ones that scream “someone forgot I was cooking until it was too late!” kind – that was how my eggs tasted. The sausage did have spice, but overall it was a little greasy and appeared a bit undercooked. The potatoes were mediocre; the peppers added a bit to them, but not enough. The toast was good. So was the butter. As for Kyle’s waffle, it was just a plain ‘ol waffle with a bunch of whipped cream and bananas. I would have at least expected a crisp, browned waffle that would have contrasted the creaminess of the whipped topping and the texture of the bananas. But, no, it was just okay, but nothing really special. And the bacon? Kyle’s comment was that it “tasted okay, but was super thin.”

I wanted to like Yum! Kitchen and Bakery, I really did. But, no matter how many little red and blue stickers screamed “yum!” at me, it just wasn’t happening. Over-priced, highly-hyped, but no delivery on their marketing promises. In Kyle’s words…”what should have been yummy turned out to be crummy.”