Monday, January 17, 2011

Black Sheep Coffee Cafe

705 Southview Blvd. South St Paul, MN 55075


So I strolled in here today to sample a cup of Black Sheep's coffee, and I had no expectations, either high or low, about how it might taste.  


I ordered a 12 oz. cup of one of the brewed coffees, and waited a few minutes while the barista ran to and fro making other drinks with great purpose.  No movement seemed to be wasted except that which contributed to making a memorable cup of coffee.  When my cup arrived, just by the aroma, I could tell immediately it would be a memorable one-call it my taste bud's instinct's.  As soon as I took the first tester sip, I knew it was among the finest I had ever had.  I just cannot believe that the cup I tasted wasn't freshly made on the spot, because it is probably the finest cup of coffee I have ever had.  


Usually I add a tiny bit of cream and honey into my coffee, but the aroma from this particular cup drew my attention before I could make it to the cream/assorted sugar stand, and before I knew it I was sitting down in one of the many plush, accommodating, leather chairs that surrounded the fireplace, with a rare black coffee that's taste stood alone.  Sitting by the fireplace was an apt location to sit, as though the fireplace was turned off, my giddy taste buds were afire.  Bruce Lee once remarked, "love is friendship afire."  At that moment, the quote made perfect sense, because I had fallen in love with this cup like no other.  


While I am on the subject of comfortable sitting places, might I add the ambiance in this coffee shop truly is unique and makes you feel as if your entering a different world or time period, though I cannot quite place the era.  The paint color combination is well done, and gives the feeling of a North Shore or seaside eatery, circa a better time.


I have said in other reviews that two other places have the best coffee I have ever tasted, (and at the time they were) but the cup I had today was the best of my life, and that is not a title I bestow upon a cup of coffee lightly. 


 If you're in the area, you must try it.


Black Sheep Coffee Cafe on Urbanspoon

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Hagberg's Meat Market -Best Secret Around!

11325 Stillwater Blvd. N. Lake Elmo, MN 55042


Not many outside of Lake Elmo are familiar with Hagberg's.  Many fill up their gas unawares that in the back of Hagberg's lies one of the most respectable meat markets in the Twin Cities.


A family owned operation for many generations, Hagberg's has all the qualities you look for in a meat market-and then some.  To go on about all the food they make, and what they do would take forever, so I will give a rundown of some of the good stuff, and then you can figure the rest out for yourself.


Firstly, they make sandwiches to order, BIG, BIG sandwiches.  You choose your meats, cheeses, and condiments and I usually get the porketta with pepper jack cheese on a wheat bun with BBQ sauce.  The creation is my younger brothers, and it is delicious and filling.  The mix of pepper jack cheese, BBQ sauce, and their well seasoned pork on a warm, airy bun makes for a delightful combo, and a happy stomach.  There are daily specials for different sandwiches, and should you see the porketta on the day you come in, try that combo.


Besides ordering a sandwich custom made, the meat market has a plethora of options from which to choose from, including the recently added burgers they started making, which are a personal highlight for myself and friends on NFL Sundays early in the season before the snow falls.  My favorite is the Blue Cheese infused burger, but they are all good, and I will also give a shout out to the bacon/jalapeno cheese burger, and the mushroom swiss patties.


Besides the meat options, they have local foods and sauces, and the multi talented Billy Hagberg makes a magnificent homemade birdseed that is very popular with those lucky enough to have achieved flight..for those feathered friends choose his seed over all others.


You can also get pig ears for your dog to chew on, (every canine's universally favorite treat) and when you purchase something there, you can take comfort that you are supporting your local community.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Black Dog Cafe - Overrated!

308 Prince St. Paul, MN
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I usually go here for a cup of coffee before a Sunday of NFL football or before a STRIKEFORCE Event to get a little more jacked up.
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The coffee consistency is mediocre, usually ranging from above average to excellent and the service is friendly, if not a tad pretentious, but they do their best to hide it, so kudos for that.
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After seeing their Cubano sandwich rated #1 on the cover of the Pioneer Press eat section a few months ago I decided to try it myself and decide if it was still worthy of that ranking..it is not.
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Not a bad sandwich, the flavors are competitive and complement each other o.k, but it is definitely overrated if you ask me. If your sick of the same old sandwich though and don't have too picky of tastes you will likely enjoy it. Of course there is the possibility that the sandwich wasn't at its best the day I walked in, so I shall try it again and change my review if it improves.

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*Update The coffee here is just not that good.  Since I last reviewed this place I have gotten a few cups and they have all tasted like the bin they were brewed in.  Hey hippies, you can use vinegar to clean them out every once in a while.  Two of my buddies agree with me, and diss the place's coffee rather strongly.  My brother, who smokes a pack a day and has no taste buds left, thinks it is the greatest in the world, but he gets a depth charge (two shots in addition to caffeinated coffee) so his opinion on food and coffee isn't respected.  Sorry smokers, tough shit, but the fact is smoking kills everything, including your sense of taste.

Black Dog Cafe on Urbanspoon

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