4 Bells

New to me, but old to you. 

I know. I’m late. My budget and belly will only allow for so much eating out. I finally made it to 4 Bells last night for a little girl time. 

My friend and I immediately noticed how beautiful the restaurant was. We were happy to know that we arrived during happy hour! We opted out of drinks and chose to start with the calamari and mussels. Both were on the happy hour menu for about $9.

The calamari was very good, but slightly over seasoned. Mussels are just not my thing. I tried, but then decided to let my friend eat those. How does someone get full off mussels?? 

I couldn’t decide on what to eat so I went with the lobster salad. Hmmm perhaps I should have tried another dish. It was just ok.  My friend chose the scallop dish. She enjoyed the dish, but at the end of the meal we both decided we were still hungry. It’s rare that we are still hungry after appetizers and a meal. 

The server brought us dessert menus and we decided to go for it. We asked the server for his recommendations and decided to go with the pineapple upside down and strawberry shortcake. Both were good! Dessert was definitely the most memorable.

Overall 4 out of 5 star

Runnin' through the 6 with my woes

The kiddo officially got her first passport stamp! She wanted this summer’s trip to be out of the country and we made it happen. We chose to go to Toronto for our trip. We warned her that she may not get an actual stamp due to technology, but she got it. Aruba, is it too late to get my stamp? 

We were originally going to drive to Canada, but hubby didn’t trust us to help with the 15 hour commute so we settled on flying. We were happy we did because that 1.5 hour flight time was amazing!

So what did we think of it? Overall we really enjoyed ourselves. There was plenty of sightseeing and shopping. This was the first country I’ve been to that did not want my measly US dollar. The currency exchange was one of our first stops. We were all amazed at the amount of diversity. It was a beautiful thing and a reminder that we need to continue exploring the world. 

The city of Toronto reminded me of being on the East Coast. The houses we saw on our journey downtown were very mostly brick and they were very close to each other. Once we got downtime we discovered Yonge-Dundas Square. This could easily be compared to Times Square with the hustle and bustle of people, music, and smells. 

The Toronto Zoo was something we all enjoyed. It wasn’t the biggest and didn’t have all of the animals we wanted to see, but the animals we saw were wide awake and gave us a show. There is nothing worse than going to a zoo where the animals look like they are drugged up and lonely. Mama finally got to see her kangaroos in action. I’ve tried to find kangaroos at the last three zoos I went to with no luck. 

The best part of the trip was taking the drive to Niagara Falls. It is a requirement for everyone to see the falls on the Canada side at least once in their lives. The view was absolutely amazing. 

The biggest disappointment was food. Everyone said how great the food is. We didn’t experience it. We had great breakfast meals. The dinners were mediocre at best. 

Where to next? 

Support Small. Support Local. Support Black

It is vital to support small businesses. It’s even more important for our family to support Black owned business. August is Black business month so make sure you choose to shop with a Black business this month and each month after. Your support will continue to allow these businesses to thrive. Our Instagram often spotlights some of the trusted businesses we shop with. Be sure to follow us at FamilyFindsMn

This beautiful dress was purchased from one of favorite local shops. You can shop with them at 24PearlsCouture

A second chance for great people and grilled cheese - All Square

Let me tell you how excited I was to finally get to try the jerk chicken grilled cheese from All Square Minneapolis. The sandwich was great and flavorful.  The food may be good, but the concept of the restaurant is even better! From their website - Different from most recidivism efforts, All Square is shaped by a team of people who have personal prison experience and criminal procedure expertise. We believe the contours of re-entry programs must be shaped by those who understand its pragmatic and historic roots. How dope is this? The icing on the cake is that they offer FREE yoga on Monday nights from 5:30-6:30. What are you waiting on?? Check them out. 

More info on All Square

Trying this pescatarian thing - Seafood boil at Grand Catch

Seafood lovers unite! We went to Grand Catch for a birthday dinner. They are a small restaurant in St Paul. They do not take reservations, but they do have a call ahead list. I tried a seafood boil with crab legs. I enjoyed my boil, but I would caution anyone who does not like spicy food to stay away from that menu item. The medium spice level was extremely hot. The crab leg boil is not nearly as filling as the shrimp boil is. It’s not your traditional boil that comes with sausage and craw fish. Instead all orders include a piece of corn and a potato and you choose your seafood. It was worth the experience, but not what I expected.

Did Cardi Rock the Target Center?

Press, press, press, press, press 
Cardi don't need more press.                           
Let’s talk Cardi! We got to check out the popular artist from one of the newly remodeled Target Center suites. The performance was entertaining full of raw lyrics and twerking. However, the show was WAY TOO SHORT. I’ve never been to a concert with an artist that only performs snippets of songs. Isn’t that reserved for artist with multiple cds out? I don’t know if the short set was a Target Center thing or a Cardi thing, but it was not the concert I was hoping for.

Let’s Network

The Pancakes, Belinnis, and PJs event hosted by Next Connect was an amazing event. I’m so happy I was able to attend. The event was hosted by an amazing trio of women entrepreneurs including Naz, Ina, and Keisha. They represent the brands Girl Boss Hustle, Ina Styled, and Motley Hues. These ladies provided us with amazing food, vendors, and most importantly, they dropped jewels of knowledge. They created a great atmosphere for like minded women to network and showcase their businesses. Be sure to follow them for upcoming events.
Next Connect