A short and sweet trip to Minneapolis was something I absolutely needed. As many of you already know, I have had a pretty rough few months with our house being broken into, losing my cousin, finding out that my dog's cancer has come back, dealing with all the turnover at work, and getting served by my old landlord for apparently not paying our rent even though we got a new sublet to cover the rest of our lease. It has been a whirlwind of emotions and a lot of mental breakdowns. So having the chance to basically pause reality and go for a road trip was what I needed to just get my mind off of it for the time being.
I learned, lately, that it's better to give it some time rather than act on it while I'm over-emotional, unsettled, and bitter. The trip was quick yet filled with lots of laughter. Joined with cousins that I haven't seen for over a year due to covid. The hospitality they provided us never goes unnoticed, hooking us up with free hotel rooms, providing dinner when we arrived, and always showing us a good time. I had the time to breathe in the fresh air and re-evaluate what had to be done without acting on it.
That being said, we were filled with adventure and got to try new restaurants while out there. As you know, I'm one for supporting locals, and being able to experience it with my sister and my partner is always one for the book! So here are a few restaurants that we were able to try out in Minneapolis which I recommend you try for yourself!
Kiku Bistro (2819 Hennepin Ave. S. Minneapolis 55408)
We were craving sushi after the NBA game and needed to find a place on the way to our hotel. We googled "Late Night Sushi" and this was the restaurant that looked the most promising. We were greeted immediately upon entering the restaurant and seated right away. One of the servers was wearing a ragged shirt with sweatpants and they had some weird movie of people's heads getting cut off on the TV so I didn't exactly have high hopes. Our server ended up being the manager of the restaurant and when he instantly knew we were from Canada, he provided the best service to us which was really nice.
Service 8/10
Sushi rolls 6/10
Sashimi 7/10
Reverie Cafe + Bar (1517 East 35th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55407)
Reverie Cafe had all the cutest knick-knacks and their menu is entirely plant-based! The lady working the front till was very welcoming and I swear she was made to work there. She just fit the esthetic and I just wanted to be her friend. Best of all is that she complimented my jacket which of course was made by Ronnie. Yes, I immediately bragged that he made it the minute she said she loved it, but he's honestly so talented - I just want everyone to know.
Not everyone likes to tip their servers and I personally think it degrades those that work as a server for a living. I noticed on their menu that Reverie is a no-tipping restaurant. A 20% service fee supports fair wages for all staff, every shift, year-round. It’s nice to know that the owners of the restaurant appreciate their staff to do something like that, so good on them!
The food was amazing! Even the guys liked what they ordered. I would highly recommend people to try it out even if you’re not vegan. You’d be surprised because I sure was. They also serve local beer! Can’t go wrong with that!
Service 8/10
Food 9/10
Beer 9/10
Ichiddo Ramen (2710 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408)
Ramen is our go-to hangover food. Although it was a short trip, it was full days of drinking. So by the end of it, we were tired and needed some comfort food. This was, yet again, another restaurant on the way to our destination. It was spacious, fairly clean, and seemed to have only one server during the lunch madness!
Even with this one server, he was fast and efficient and knew the menu top to bottom without needing to look at it for reference. He was also very accommodative with Jeni’s vegetarian preferences and even asked if she was okay to have an egg with her soup which was pretty impressive considering we were in an Asian restaurant and they don‘t typically care or they find it annoying for simple preferences such as that. So we were pretty happy about that. I’m not going to lie, nothing can beat the ramen I had in BC - Yet. The food was alright and enough to hold us down until we reached Fargo.
Service 8/10
Appetizers 8/10
Ramen 6/10
Overall, it was a trip well spent. Ron and I got to experience watching an NBA game for the first time even though Luka and J Kidd got ejected from the game! We also got most of our Christmas shopping done and we witnessed Vince win all of his money to lose his money which was an experience in itself! I will be back a lot sooner than later this time and I already can’t wait!
Anyway, I’ll leave you with more photos that I took over the trip!
Until next time.
Jree.
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