If you plan to go out to eat at all this Thursday, April 26, 2012, please make sure you go to one of the hundreds of Twin Cities Restaurants who are donating part of their evenings proceeds as part of Dining Out for Life, an annual dining fundraising event raising money for AIDS service organizations.

Here is the complete listing of restaurants who are participating this year

Cuisine: Barbeque, Ice Cream
Restaurant Features: On-Site Parking, Patio, Waterfront, Boat Delivery
Location: White Bear Lake, MN
Address: 4441 Lake Avenue South, White Bear Lake, MN 55110   651-493-6763
Hours: Closed Monday and Tuesday  * Wed-Sat  11am-9pm * Sundays 11am-5pm
Links: CG Hooks Barbeque Website * CG Hooks on Facebook * Google Map

Atmosphere: CG Hook is located across the street from Tally’s Dockside on White Bear Lake, in a stand-alone building.  There are a couple of entrances, the front leads you from the parking lot to the ice cream counter, where there are colorful T-Shirts and a giant wooden sculpture of a pig.

The main dining area has a handful of wooden tables and chairs, as well as a sit-up bar fashioned from an old surfboard that looks out the windows.  There is a beach-like feel to the place and overall I thought it was really cute.

Menu: Appetizers include BBQ Slider, Frito Burrito Pie, Barbeque Rib Smackers, and Southern Style Barbeque Pizza.

Salads include House Salad and Hook’s Salad.  Soups offered include Smoked Chicken and Wild Rice and Soup of the Day.

CG Hooks offers a variety of sandwiches including Smoked Ham, Smoked Turkey, Smoked Club, Reuben Panini, Rachel Panini, Brisket Reuben, Raspberry Ham and Brie Panini, BLT Panini, Hot Dog, Chicago Style Dog, Miss Piggy’s Nightmare (hot dog topped with pulled pork and bacon), Grilled Cheese, and Peanut Butter and Jelly.

Barbeques Meats are where its at! Pulled Pork, Pulled Pork topped with Bacon and Swiss, Beef Brisket, Pork Ribs, and Pit Smoked Chicken.

CG Hooks also offers 16 flavors of Chocolate Shoppe Old Fashioned Ice Cream.
Price guide: Appetizers $3-14  Sandwiches $3-8 Barbeque $8-23  Ice Cream $3-5
What we ordered: CG Hooks has a handful of beers of tap, just the right beverage to cool down the spicy barbeque

For my entree I had the Beef Brisket, a moist, tender and slightly marbled beef that had fantastic flavor.  There are two types of homemade barbeque, I tried the spicier of the two.  It had great kick to it and the flavor of peppers but when I asked which peppers they were, I was told it was a secret.  Bummer that this barbeque sauce is not yet available to buy.  It was served with three sides: Moist cornbread in the shape of a fish, baked beans and Memphis style coleslaw.  The beans were homemade with a couplf of types of beans and a sweet, savory sauce with the distinct flavors of garlic and brown sugar.  Yum! The coleslaw was Memphis style, which is more vinegary and less creamy than traditional coleslaw.

One of my companions had the Full Rack of Ribs, a huge pile of very meaty, moist ribs that were smoked until the meat was practically falling off the bones.  Served with corn bread, beans and coleslaw.

Another companion had the Pulled Pork Sandwich, a big pile of tender moist pork on a fresh bun. Looked great!

Another companion had the Smoked Turkey Sandwich.  The smoked turkey had good flavor but was slightly dry.  It was served on white bread with lettuce and tomato.  This wasn’t bad, just the least exciting of all the things we ordered.

Less than a week after my first visit I went back to CG Hooks and tried the Chicago Dog.  It was everything a perfect Chicago Dog should be: all-beef hot dog with a nice skin on it, topped with tomato, pickle spear, onions, relish and mustard served on a poppy seed bun.

I also tried a small dish of old fashioned ice cream. CG Hooks uses Chocolate Shoppe ice cream and has a selection of 16 flavors at all times.  I couldn’t resist the Fat Elvis, which was banana ice cream with chunks of peanut butter and dark chocolate.  Delish!

Service: The staff at CG Hooks are very friendly.  On both of our visits we were able to get a table and order as soon as we were ready.  The food is prepared reasonably fast and staff is very friendly.  On one of our visits we met the owner who came over to chat with us and see how we liked everything.  That is always a nice gesture in my book :)
Overall Impression: CG Hooks is a hidden gem on White Bear Lake, open year round.  It is the perfect place to order your favorite barbequed meats and old fashioned ice creams.  They also offer boat delivery to Tally’s Dockside.

On Thursday night I had the pleasure of attending the premier fundraising event of Second Harvest Heartland, the Upper Midwest’s largest hunger relief organization.  Second Harvest Heartland is a member of Feeding America, a national network of more than 200 food banks serving every state in the United States. Membership means access to millions of pounds of surplus food and grocery donations from manufacturers and producers throughout the country.

At the event, Dish: Cuisine for Change, there were silent and live auctions, small plates created by some of the most well-known restaurants in Minneapolis and St Paul, and a presentation about Second Harvest Heartland. The evening concluded with comic relief provided by Sebastian Maniscalco, renowned comedian and regular on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

I had about an hour to sample as many small plates as possible; I only had time for a bite of each, but I tried nearly everything.  There were a couple of other restaurants represented that I didn’t have time to get to.  I took a lot of photos of the Chefs and the small plates they put together. It was a delicious evening!

Check out my photos in the slideshow below or view the entire set on Flickr

Want to watch on your phone? Use your QR Scanner and scan this code:

Dish- Cuisine for Change

The evening was a big success and I look forward to attending again next year!

Cuisine: American, Pizza, Pasta
Restaurant Features: Bar, Flat Panel TVs, On-Site Parking, Patio Dining
Locations: Apple Valley, Blaine, Eagan, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Roseville, Uptown, St Cloud, Duluth
Addresses and Maps:
Apple Valley ~ 14998 Glazier Ave Apple Valley, MN 55124 (952) 891-4600
Blaine~ 198 Northtown Dr Blaine, MN 55434 (763) 783-3414
Duluth ~ 327 Lake Avenue South  Duluth, MN 55802 (218) 720-2966
Eagan ~ 1312 Town Centre Dr Eagan, MN 55123 (651) 688-0882
Eden Prairie ~ 12300 Singletree Lane Suite 100 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (952) 946-1400
Minnetonka ~ 17790 Highway 7 Minnetonka, MN 55345 (952) 401-0030
Plymouth ~ 3505 Vicksburg Lane  Plymouth, MN 55447 (763) 744-1221
Roseville ~ 2100 N Snelling Ave Roseville, MN 55113 (651) 639-0303
St Cloud ~ 4040 2nd Street South St Cloud, MN 56301 (320) 259-1103
Uptown ~ 2841 Hennepin Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55408 (612) 870-1918

Hours: Daily 11am-2am (food until 1am)
Links: Old Chicago Website * Old Chicago on Facebook

Atmosphere: The Roseville location of Old Chicago is located at Har Mar Mall,  facing Snelling Avenue.  The restaurant space has both tables and booths that are arranged to break up the space into smaller areas.  There are flat screen TVs tuned on to sports, as well as neon beer signs all over the restaurant and bar area.  There aren’t a whole lot of windows.

The Bar Area is adjacent to the dining area, just to the left of the main entrance.  Old Chicago is known for all the beers they carry; at least 30 on tap!  The Roseville location also has a large patio area facing Snelling Avenue.

Menu: Appetizers include Spicy Spinach Dip, Sampler Platter, Italian Nachos, Artichoke Dip, Nachos Grande, Chicken Tenders, Garlic Cheese Bread, Sicilian Pepperoni Rolls, Wings, and Mozzarella Sticks.

Small Plates include Mini Italian Meatballs, Mediterranean salad, Fried Spicy Pickles, Fried Mac N’ Cheese, and Tomato & Mozzarella Caprese.

Old Chicago also has Salads such as the Roasted Chicken Salad, Asian Chicken Salad, Harvest Salad with Balsamic Chicken, Classic Chicken Caesar, Mediterranean Salad, Crispy Chicken Salad, and House Salad.  Soups include Beef Chili and Potato Chowder.

Sandwiches and Burgers come with fries or coleslaw.  Options include Chicago Stromboli, Italian Sausage Stromboli, Classic Italian Melt, Spicy Chicago Beef, Prosciutto with Lettuce and Tomato, California Chicken Sandwich, Classic Club, and Chicken Wrap.  Burgers include Old Chicago Cheeseburgers, Guacamole Burger, and Bacon Cheeseburger.

Pasta options at Old C are Lasagna, Meatballs and Spaghetti, Chicken Alfredo, Chicken Mac N Cheese, and Classic Spaghetti.

You can also order Entrees such as Shrimp Basket, Fish & Chips, Crispy Chicken Tenders, Fisherman’s Catch, 8 oz Sirloin, and Grilled Sirloin with Shrimp.

Old Chicago is famous for their Pizzas which come with either Classic New York Style Crust, Deep Dish Chicago-Style, and Artisan Style.  Artisan options are Three Cheese with Tomato and Pepperoni, Proscuitto and Mushroom, and Roasted Chicken Pesto.  Specialty pizzas include “Chicago Seven”, Double Deckeroni, Meat Me, The Classic, Hawaiian, Thai Pie, Vegetarian Seven, and Malibu Veggie.

Old Chicago serves a variety of Calzones in addition to their famous Pizzas, including Italian Grinder, Monterey Chicken, Famous “Chicago Seven”, Meat Me, Spinach Artichoke, and Build Your Own.

Desserts offered include Famous Big Cookie, Little Big Cookie, Homemade Cheesecake, and Turtle Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream.
Price guide: Appetizers $3-10  Sandwiches $9-10  Entrees $8-16
Late Night Happy Hour: 9pm-Midnight

• $1 off all pints, mini one-topping pizzas
• $2 Miller Lite Pints and Grainbelt Nordeast pints
• $3 Surly pints, wells, and house wines
• $4 Sicilian Pepperoni Rolls
• $5 Artichoke Dip, Italian Nachos and Nachos Grande
• $.50 Wings (only on Wednesdays, min 4 per order)
  (all late night food specials require a minimum beverage purchase per person)

What we ordered: A couple of us ordered The Classic to share. I have had the pizza at Old Chicago many years earlier and I didn’t remember it standing out, so I had the preconceived notion that I wasn’t going to like it.  I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was, as was my companion.  We got the deep-dish crust that was about an inch thick with a crispy, dense crust.  Unlike most Chicago-style pizzas, the sauce on this pizza was under the cheese, rather than on top, yet it was still crispy.  It was topped with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms and garlic.  Very good, I would definitely order this again.

One of my companions ordered the Spicy Chicago Beef sandwich which was an excellent choice.  This sandwich was served hot with a pile of tender, sliced roast beef, melted provolone cheese, spicy homemade pepper giardiniera and sweet red pepper mayo.  Served with french fries. It was so good that when I tried a bite, I ended up eating the entire half ;)

Another companion ordered the Fish and Chips.  The order came with four strips of fried cod, salt and vinegar fries, coleslaw and  a tangy tartar sauce.  The fish was very crispy but the fish within was hot and tasty.

Service: We arrived for a late dinner and the restaurant was still fairly busy.  Our server was attentive and our food was prepared in the appropriate amount of time for what we ordered (deep dish pizzas take a little longer).
Overall Impression: Old Chicago is a laid-back place to get a good pizza, sandwich or burger and a large selection of beers.  Yes, it is a big chain restaurant but the food is consistently good.

This is a Guest Post written by Rebecca Wilcox

Best Fish and Chips in The Twin Cities Area

If you’re a lifelong fish n’ chips fan like I am and you live in the Twin Cities area you probably already know the best places to score this tremendous dish. However, if you’re from out of town and you’re a fish n’ chips fanatic, get out your tartar and worchester sauce and get ready to eat. With the assistance of YellowPages.com, I’ve put together a list of the top 5 fish n’ chips spots in the Minneapolis/St. Paul/Twin Cities area:

Anchor Fish and Chips—Take a little trip to Ireland (not literally) and get some tall pints of Guinness with your Fried Cod. The Anchor even has their own food trucks which are packed with Fish n’ Chips and ready to serve.

Merlin’s Rest—Now take a little trip to the British Isles and enjoy some of the best Bangers and Mash as an appetizer before your fried cod entree. Merlin’s Rest has been voted Best Fish N’ Chips in Minneapolis several times. Additionally, they have one of the most expansive lists of Irish and Scotch Whiskey in the city.

Seafood Market—This mom and pop dive restaurant doesn’t even have their hours posted and is often passed up for more glamorous locations, but they have their core customers who swear by the cod. As an extra incentive it’s by far the cheapest option on this list.

Stella’s Fish Cafe—Located in Minneapolis’s uptown neighborhood, Stella’s has all kinds of seafood, including crab legs, oysters, and sushi. But for a true treat you should order their standard beer-battered and deep fried cod.

Mac’s Fish and Chips—This is flat out one of the best places to eat in St. Paul. Another Irish-themed location, in addition to great Fish N’ Chips Mac’s also has their own in-house Salt Water Taffy!

All of these spots have their restaurant menus posted online so that if there’s someone in your crew who can’t eat fish (poor sap) you can find some other great options for them to order. Fish n’ Chips is one of the most legendary meals to come out of England and it has become a popular staple in the Twin Cities area too.

This Food List Challenge has been going around Facebook lately.  Have you seen it? I don’t know exactly who put it togteher, but it has an interesting assortment of foods from all reaches.

I’ve tried 70 items on this list but would like to try the rest if I ever come across them.  I might not like a few of them and  I don’t know if I could even stomach black pudding one bit, but I wouldn’t know unless I tried it. Has anyone had black pudding??

Some of the foods that I have tried were not my cup of tea (such as sea urchin aka uni) and others I LOVE (raw oysters!).  I would totally eat fried crickets or grasshoppers….  I better call Andrew Zimmern and ask him to take me somewhere locally to try them. lol!  I have eaten some pretty weird things that are NOT even on this list like jellyfish and bear but can you believe I have never had Chicken and Waffles? Well I have eaten both, of course, just never together. That one will be easy, as will the bellini.

Here is the list and my results.  How do you stack up???

ETA: I might just create my own list because even though I like this list below, I think many things were overlooked. What else do you think should be included on this list???

	1. Abalone
	2. Absinthe
	3. Alligator
	4. Baba Ghanoush
	5. Bagel and Lox
	6. Baklava
	7. Barbecue Ribs
	8. Bellini
	9. Bird’s Nest Soup
	10. Biscuits and Gravy
	11. Black Pudding
	12. Black Truffle
	13. Borscht
	14. Calamari
	15. Carp
	16. Caviar
	17. Cheese Fondue
	18. Chicken and Waffles
	19. Chicken Tikka Masala
	20. Chile Relleno
	21. Chitlins
	22. Churros
	23. Clam Chowder
	24. Cognac
	25. Crab Cakes
	26. Crickets
	27. Currywurst
	28. Dandelion Wine
	29. Dulce De Leche
	30. Durian
	31. Eel
	32. Eggs Benedict
	33. Fish Tacos
	34. Foie Gras
	35. Fresh Spring Rolls
	36. Fried Catfish
	37. Fried Green Tomatoes
	38. Fried Plantain
	39. Frito Pie
	40. Frogs’ Legs
	41. Fugu
	42. Funnel Cake
	43. Gazpacho
	44. Goat
	45. Goat’s Milk
	46. Goulash
	47. Gumbo
	48. Haggis
	49. Head Cheese
	50. Heirloom Tomatoes
	51. Honeycomb
	52. Hostess Fruit Pie
	53. Huevos Rancheros
	54. Jerk Chicken
	55. Kangaroo
	56. Key Lime Pie
	57. Kobe Beef
	58. Lassi
	59. Lobster
	60. Mimosa
	61. MoonPie
	62. Morel Mushrooms
	63. Nettle Tea
	64. Octopus
	65. Oxtail Soup
	66. Paella
	67. Paneer
	68. Pastrami on Rye
	69. Pavlova
	70. Phaal
	71. Philly Cheese Steak
	72. Pho
	73. Pineapple and Cottage Cheese
	74. Pistachio Ice Cream
	75. Po’ Boy
	76. Pocky
	77. Polenta
	78. Prickly Pear
	79. Rabbit Stew
	80. Raw Oysters
	81. Root Beer Float
	82. S’mores
	83. Sauerkraut
	84. Sea Urchin
	85. Shark
	86. Snail
	87. Snake
	88. Soft Shell Crab
	89. Som Tam
	90. Spaetzle
	91. Spam
	92. Squirrel
	93. Steak Tartare
	94. Sweet Potato Fries
	95. Sweetbreads
	96. Tom Yum
	97. Umeboshi
	98. Venison
	99. Wasabi Peas
	100. Zucchini Flowers

This is a guest post written by Matt Rawlings

BBQ on a Budget

Feeding the whole family can be a costly process, especially if you have a large
extended family all coming over for a meal in the sunshine. One of the easiest
ways of cooking for a lot of people is to go for a barbecue – and why wouldn’t
you? A barbecue is epic! But a lot of the ingredients are expensive at times,
particularly in peak summer when the products are in high demand because
stores don’t have to put them on offer.

For that reason it is important than you don’t go spending too much money –
times are hard after all. Sometimes the host already has significant amounts of
food perfect for the occasion, but they still go off and buy more. Looking out
for offers and taking advantage of fresh vegetables and items already in the
cupboard or freezer are great ways of bringing costs down.

If you have a gas BBQ then your first port of call is to ensure that you have
enough gas. You don’t want to invite everyone round for dinner and buy all the
food and drink only to discover you have no way of cooking it! Most DIY stores
and even some petrol stations supply gas suitable for barbecuing and even offer
re-fills with your existing bottle.

In most freezers and cupboards you are likely to find something you bought a
while ago that is still in date and perfectly adequate for a barbecue. Whether it’s
a vegetable or meat product, as long as it’s in date then you can save money by
using it. After all, you’ve already paid for it, so don’t pay any more than you need
to.

Heading down to the shop for your food presents a number of real issues. How
much do you buy, is there a vegetarian guest, do you have enough sauce, how
many buns do you get, there are so many questions to ask yourself. Attempting
to keep it to budget sounds easy on paper, but it’s quite difficult in practice.

The first tip is to look for any offers in store. If you can take advantage of buy
one, get one free deals or three for the price of two offers then you’re on your
way. Many burgers and sausages in particular are regularly on offer around
summer time, and are relatively cheap too, especially in comparison to the more
fancy alternatives. A good old traditional burger or banger will be just as tasty
as the new kids on the block if cooked right. The same can be said for buns and
rolls, keep your eyes peeled for any offers on multipacks rather than individuals.

Another great way of hosting a barbecue on a budget is to get your guests to
bring a dish each. With your friends or family bringing a side dish or dessert, you
only pay out on the main course, leaving them to prepare the salads, relishes and
so on.

This guest post was written by Matt Rawlings, a food blogger working on
behalf of The Gas BBQ Company. Matt has written across a variety of food
topics from great barbecue tips to growing your own vegetables.

What: Dish: Cuisine for Change is Second Harvest Heartland’s annual fundraiser to raise awareness of hunger’s prevalence in our community and funds to provide nutritious food to our hungry neighbors. This year’s evening gala will offer attendees an opportunity to help end hunger in the heartland while sampling signature dishes from some of the Twin Cities top dining destinations, including al Vento, Amore Victoria Ristorante, French Meadow Bakery & Café, Good Earth, Hell’s Kitchen, Kincaid’s, Kitchen Window, The Lexington Restaurant, McCoy’s Public House, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, Porter & Frye, Red Stag Supperclub, Scusi, Sea Change, Solera, The Strip Club, Treasure Island Resort & Casino, W.A. Frost & Company, Zelo, and more. The evening, which will also include wine tastings, a martini bar, and a silent and live auction, will conclude with comic relief provided by renowned comedian and Tonight Show with Jay Leno regular Sebastian Maniscalco. More than 1,000 attendees are expected at this year’s event. Last year’s event raised $500,000 for hunger relief in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Who:                  Participating local chefs include Jason Blair, Dan Calloway, Joshua Carroll, Chester Dyrud, Wyatt Evans, J.D. Fratzke, Jorge Guzman, Peter Hoff, Jon Hunt, Greg Johnson, George Lohr, Sarah Master, James Powers, Tim McKee, Alex Victoria, Joe Wuestenhagen, and more.

Why:                  Hunger’s reach is growing in our community as one in 10 Minnesotans is at risk of missing a meal today—that’s 583,000 of our neighbors at risk of missing a total of 100 million meals this year.

When &  Where:         Thursday, April 19   6:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Saint Paul RiverCentre  175 West Kellogg Blvd.  St. Paul, Minnesota 55102

Tickets:                  Individual tickets are available for $150; tables for 10 are available for $1,750. To purchase tickets, visit dishcuisineforchange.org <http://www.2harvest.org> or call Second Harvest Heartland at 651.209.7994.

###