Ruined Birthday Dinner

We went to Wildfire for my birthday dinner and I was thoroughly disappointed. We were a large party with a reservation that was seated in a very tight place with little room for movement. The space was so close we couldn’t sit back without fear of bumping the person behind at the next table. We asked to be moved and that’s  where things went wrong. We went from a friendly and enthusiastic server to a dry sever who seems irritated about the large party. We ordered drinks and that was the one highlight of the evening. The martini flight was amazing. I loved the flavors, the presentation and price point.

Dinner was less than spectacular. Approximately half of the party enjoyed their dinner. We quickly learned that seafood is definitely not a specialty. The scallops that were supposed to baked were charred. The other fish dish ordered was extremely dry and overcooked. The fries were cold and so was the double cheese baked potato. It was so bad that those of us who ordered seafood decided not to try anything else. I was given a birthday dessert on the house. However, we never got the chance to order dessert. They didn’t even bring the dessert tray over to us. I had to leave my own birthday dinner hungry and disappointed.

Adult Tea Party

Last weekend we had our yearly holiday party at Mad Hatter Restaurant & Tea House in Anoka. It was a fun experience. 

They have a wide variety of tea selections with great combinations of flavors. The tea bags come out with a timer so you know exactly how long to steep it. You can even reuse the bag to get a 2nd cup. The mimosas also had a variety of flavors ranging from elderflower to ginger. 

The brunch menu is the perfect example of simple with a twist. The chicken and waffles were accompanied by a salad with candied pecans. The crab cakes came on a tweedle puff. I had no idea of what a tweedle puff was. It’s a pastry puff with a croissant type texture. It’s good! They even had my favorite fall item... pumpkin! The pumpkin stuffed French toast was good,  but I wanted more pumpkin. 

This place was about more than just the food. The atmosphere was different. The restaurant is located in a historic house along a river. They only offer a brunch service and a tea service. I would love to go back earlier in the day and try the tea service and explore the grounds. 

Special thanks to our server. Janelle was very attentive and friendly. 

Baldamar is the New Place to Be

Roseville has a new restaurant called Baldamar. Baldamar brings fancy, but affordable to the ever changing area of Rosedale Mall. Baldamar is not attached to the mall, but you can walk across the way before or after your meal. Walking is definitely something that we needed to do after trying various menu items. 

I tried the restaurant with a girlfriend. Our server was great about suggesting drinks and giving us food recommendations. He let us chat the night away,  but always made sure we were doing fine as the night went on. 

We tried an assortment of food including the Juicy Lucy, Lobster Mac, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, and Calamari. Except for the slightly charred Brussels everything was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I’m not sure I’ve ever had cauliflower seasoned so well. The Thai sauce on the calamari was the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. It was even good reheated the next day. A good portion of the menu items we tried had a nice kick to it so if you don’t like spice you should ask before ordering. 

This new restaurant is sure to be around for awhile. In the short amount of time that they have been open they have perfected their customer service and menu. They have several menu options for lunch and dinner, but the happy hours and brunch are sure to earn them repeat customers. In fact, I can’t wait to try their Sunday brunch. 

Thank you for a great meal and stellar service, Baldamar. We shall return soon. 

ENTER TO WIN 4 TICKETS TO SEE CINDERELLA

It’s contest time! We are giving away a 4 pack of tickets to see Cinderella at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, MN.

The show runs 11/9/19-01/05/20. Anyone is eligible to enter. The contest runs from now until 7pm CST on 11/11/19. 

In order to enter the giveaway please do the following 1. Follow us on Instagram 2. Tag a friend on our Instagram giveaway post. 3 For an extra entry you can repost our Instagram giveaway post on your timeline 

FamilyFindsMn Instagram

For more information about the show click here Cinderella show details

Not your regular airport dinner

Looking for a new experience?? Have dinner at Holman's Table. This was the perfect date night. Y’all know how much we love to travel. This place brings you travel and food. The restaurant is located at the St Paul Airport. At night you can see the beautiful runway lights and communications tower. The food was all good except the French onion soup. The mushroom toast was my favorite. We got to enjoy dinner during restaurant week for $35! This was a great deal.  Are you familiar with restaurant week? You typically get an appetizer, entree and dessert for $35. Restaurant week menus are offered at various restaurants throughout the Twin Cities every quarter for one week. We always use this time to try new restaurants. It’s a great way to try out a place and see if you like it.

Golden Valley Hot Spot

Lat 14 Asian Eatery just celebrated being open for one year. Congratulations to them. I am sure they will be open for many years to come. This hot spot in Golden Valley gives you the perfect combo of food and drinks. The Asian Eatery is open for lunch and dinner service. They get busy! I would suggest making a reservation if possible. 

When I went for dinner on Friday we sat at a communal style table. Imagine a picnic bench or cafeteria table. Our table counterparts were friendly and offered food suggestions. If you are on a date this might not be the best option, but I was there with a few fiends. I’m always down to try something unique so I had a Mango Nada to drink.  The drink consisted  of Rum, Mango, Habanero, Citrus, and Spices. It definitely was spicy, but the flavors went well together. My friend had a Dangerous Paradise and enjoyed that as well. 

For dinner we ordered the crab wontons. These were good, but somewhat spendy. You get three wontons for $10. We also had the Bacon Pineapple Fried Rice and Drunken Noodles. Caution! The Drunken Noodles were extremely hot. Luckily I can handle spice. Both dishes were good. 

They did not give us a dessert menu. They said it is verbal menu. Of course I do not remember the name of what I had, but it was good. It was a lotus shaped black seed cookie. It came with coconut ice cream, bananas and pineapples. Actually, it wasn’t good. It was uniquely amazing.

This place has good vibes and I would definitely recommend it. 

Lat 14 Website

Red Rabbit Dinner for Three

On Saturday night the family went to dinner at Red Rabbit in St. Paul. They have the same owners as the infamous burger restaurant, Red Cow.  The kiddo had been wanting to try this place since the beginning of the summer.

When we arrived It was packed and there was no parking. This is typical for a Grand Ave restaurant on a Saturday night. We put our name on a list and we were told the wait time would be 30-40 minutes. We waited about 20 before they were ready to seat us. The restaurant had a nice vibe and a booming patio. There was a dog outside at one of the tables so I’m assuming the patio is dog friendly.  Hubby was happy they served Lift Bridge Root Beer. This is a local root beer made in Stillwater. For a family who doesn’t drink much pop the occasional fizzy beverage makes us happy.  

For dinner I ordered a mushroom pizza. The kid ordered Alfredo with no meat, and hubby ordered the Chicken Parmesan. I loved my pizza. It was cooked to perfection. The cheese had a great flavor and the mushrooms were fresh and juicy. Hubby enjoyed his Chicken Parmesan. He got it with the side of spaghetti. He assumed the spaghetti came with it since the server asked what side he wanted,

but surprise it was an extra $5. He wasn’t bothered because for $22 he got enough food for two meals. Unfortunately the kiddo didn’t like her meal. I decided to try the Alfredo to see what was wrong with it. It wasn’t nasty. The sauce had a great flavor. It was just boring. It reminded me of a toddler’s kids meal. It was simply sauce and noodles. There was no seasoning and no veggies for color. I decided to keep it and doctor it up at home.

We let her order a cheese pizza to go. Wrong choice! Her pizza was over cooked, had no red sauce and the cheese used wasn’t good. At this point we gave up on getting her something else. Overall the restaurant had good food and good service. I would probably go back, but my family wouldn’t join me.  

I doctored the Alfredo up the next day by adding shrimp, broccoli and some seasoning. That helped tremendously. The kiddo even shared it with me.

Red Rabbit Website

Atlanta 101

Cheers to another great girls weekend! I have been traveling to Atlanta yearly for some time. Each time I go I have a different experience. The thing that never changes is that I always have a great time in Atlanta. 

Day 1

We had lunch at Mary Mac’s Tea Room. The food was amazing. However, the server was even more amazing. He knew the menu forwards and backwards. Everything he recommended was delicious. I opted for the shrimp and grits and they didn’t disappoint. Yes, I’m still following a pescatarian diet. 

After lunch we headed over to Tags. This is a trendy boutique owned by Kandi Burruss. The items were surprisingly affordable and the staff was friendly. I bought two cute shirts that I can’t wait to wear. 

We ended the day with a dinner in pink at Negril Village. This is my second time here and it was just as good as before. This is the perfect place to go for food and music. I had the curry shrimp with a side of macaroni. I would definitely recommend this dish. Give me a good meal and music and I can hang out all night. They played a great mix ranging from reggae to rap. 

Day 2 and 3 were spent at ONE Musicfest. This is a 2 day festival that was held in Centennial Olympic Park. It was the 10th anniversary and they showed out. There were performances by Monica, Rick Ross, Teyana Taylor, Usher, Lil Scappy, Case, Gucci Mane, Wu Tang Clan, DMX, Raphael Saddiq and many more. This festival is well worth the cost of admission. They stepped it up this year by having more space,  vendors, and food options. Of course I had to eat while I was there. I tried the well known Slutty Vegan food truck and loved it. The wait was incredibly long, but I am glad I got to experience the One Night Stand burger. 

While we are on the subject of food, I can’t forget the incredible breakfast we had at Atlanta Breakfast Bar before heading to the festival. I had the biscuits with shrimp gravy and was happy my friend shared some of her delicious peach cobbler French toast. Whew! I want more. We also went to the Trap Museum On Day 2. This was such a dope experience. I loved seeing the exhibit that featured some of my favorite artists.  

Day 4

We used our final day to explore the World of Coca-Cola. This is a great experience for all ages. You get to learn about the history of Coca Cola and what it means for the city of Atlanta. There are several exhibits to explore and at the end of the self guided tour you can try various coke flavors from all across the world. We finished our final day with lunch at Sweet Auburn Seafood home of one of Atlanta’s black chefs. I wanted to live the shrimp and lobster pot pie I had. It was good, but lacking the creaminess of a pot pie. The filling had a broth consistency. The seafood nachos are definitely a great dish worth trying. 

I’m already compiling my list of where to go during my next Atlanta trip.