Dining destinations: Minneapolis-St. Paul

Sometime late last year or earlier this year, my awesome sister told me during one of our lengthy phone calls that my niece had asked when her cousin Emma was going to come to her house to play. After the "awww, how sweet!" I actually started to think about going to visit my sister, her boyfriend and their adorable 4-year-old in the Twin Cities. Aaron and I hadn't been to the area since 2002, and with the Twins playing their final season in the Metrodome, and with my cute little niece wanting us to come for a visit, well, it seemed like our summer vacation was destined to be in Minnesota.

After checking the Twins schedule (our first step -- really!) and looking at the vacation calendar at work, we decided that the Fourth of July holiday would be ideal. And it worked out for my sister and her family, too. So we booked our tickets and looked forward to a week in the Twin Cities.

It was a great vacation. Emma and her cousin, for the most part, got along well. And my mom, one of my cousins, my half-sister and her boyfriend all were able to join us for part of the trip, which made it even more fun! As usual, I didn't want to make this trip just about fun for the kids. I wanted to find cool places for all of us to eat. Mission accomplished.

One evening early in our trip, my sister suggested we take a trip to Izzy's Ice Cream in St. Paul. The line was out the door, but five of us, including two not-so-patient 4-year-olds, waited 20 or so minutes. I quickly figured out why the line was so long. Not only was the ice cream delicious, but it was nearly impossible to choose which yummy flavor to have. I went for a single scoop of hot brown sugar, with a tiny "Izzy scoop" of Italian strawberry. They were excellent. The hot brown sugar was a caramel ice cream spiked with lots(!!!) of cinnamon and nutmeg and a little cayenne, I think, and some spiced pecans. It was the spiciest ice cream I've ever had. For me, though, the Izzy scoop was even better. It was made of strawberries stewed in balsamic vinegar, then mixed into an ice cream base. Amazing! A few days later, Aaron and I stopped by to get a birthday cake for my half-sister. We each decided to get another little scoop for ourselves. That day I went for the cake batter. Again, it was fantastic. This shop is at the top of our list for places to check out again the next time we return to the area.

On the evening of the Fourth, my sister and her boyfriend suggested we go get pizza before heading down to the banks of the Mississippi to see some fireworks. We went back to St. Paul again for dinner at Pizza Luce. Before we even ordered, Aaron and I liked the place. It had a fun, funky college vibe, and lots of cool selections on the menu. Ultimately, we each opted for the salad with grilled pears. It was delicious -- spinach, dried cranberries, pecans, goat cheese and those delicious grilled pears tossed in a fantastic raspberry vinaigrette. We also ordered the Ruby Rae pizza, which the restaurant calls an "upside-down pie." The sauce was on the top, with spinach, tomatoes, Italian sausage and cheese below. It was even better than the salad! On our way out, Aaron and I agreed that we would love a hip dining spot like this in our neighborhood.

The next evening, we took our ice cream cake from Izzy's and had a big group dinner to celebrate my half-sister's birthday. Our restaurant of choice: Joe's Garage in Minneapolis. We were looking forward to this. My sister and her boyfriend had spoken so highly of it, and how that if we took our two 4-year-olds on the rooftop patio, no one would complain about the noise. It was a good, if just short of great, dinner for me. I had an SWG salad -- mixed greens tossed with strawberries, walnuts and gorgonzola cheese in a balsamic vinaigrette. It was, hands down, the best thing I had to eat on our trip. However, I went for an appetizer for my entree: the lamb meatballs in a tomato sauce with feta cheese. This is where I was disappointed. The sauce was great, but despite a great flavor the meatballs were tough. My half-sister, a chef, told me the problem was that they probably sat under a heat lamp while everyone else's meals were prepared. Oh well. Next time I'll know to send them back.

We certainly had lots of other great things to eat along the way (at the Hard Rock Cafe, Tony Roma's and especially the Moroccan chicken salad at California Pizza Kitchen), plus some good ballpark eats at the Metrodome.

The three games we took in (one just Aaron and me!) at the Metrodome were incredibly important to me. I've been a Twins fan since I was 8 years old, and I went to my first Major League Baseball game there when I was 10. So saying farewell to a facility that I've actually liked was truly important to me, and I'm glad I had a chance to go one last time.

Before leaving, I had to stock up on two of my favorite delicacies from Minnesota. I stopped at a grocery store to bring home two jars of Gedney pickles. I've never found any that can match "the Minnesota pickle." I've even converted my California-born husband and daughter to my way of thinking on that, too! I also brought home two Nut Goodie candy bars -- one for me, and one for a colleague who grew up in Minnesota. It's a fun tradition that started a few years ago in our newsroom amongst the few of us in the Upper Midwest. Now that it's just the two of us (that I know of), it's fun to keep it alive.

We arrived back in California last night. It's always good to be home. But it's even harder saying goodbye after a great trip. So thanks again Jaci, Kyle, Charlee, Grandma Joyce, Taylor, Dana and Kyle. We had a really excellent trip. Let's do it again soon -- next time for hockey!

I wanted to include a recipe featuring a favorite Minnesota ingredient: wild rice. This recipe isn't great for summer, but it's certainly delicious on those cold winter nights, wherever you live. It's from a great book I got from my mom a few years ago, "A Cook's Tour of Minnesota," by Ann L. Burckhardt.

Byerly's Wild Rice Soup

6 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. minced onion
1/2 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked wild rice
1/3 cup minced ham
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
3 tbsp. chopped slivered almonds
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup half-and-half
2 tbsp. dry sherry (optional)

Melt butter in saucepan; stir-fry onion until tender. Blend in flour; gradually add broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil; boil 1 minute. Stir in rice, ham, carrots, almonds and salt; simmer about 5 minutes. Blend in half-and-half. Add sherry, if using. Heat to serving temperature. Garnish with chives or parsley, if desired.

Cook's notes: Cooked chicken is a delicious alternative to the ham. If you want to add more vegetables, some celery and/or sauteed mushrooms would be delicious.