When I was interning in New York, my stop on the subway was Fulton Street. Therefore, I've taken a liking to Fulton Brewery, despite the fact that I've never (to my knowledge) had any of their brews.
There are many things I like about this particular brewery. First, they're local, started by four guys in Minneapolis. Yay, Minneapolis! They have a program called Ful10, where essentially they take 10% of their profits, and provide small loans to local entepreneurs who would be otherwise unable to secure the funding to start their business. Also, their beers have fun names like "Sweet Child of Vine" and "Worthy Adversary". I like creativity.
So, this being said about Fulton Brewery, I am very excited to welcome them to my neighborhood! They're going into the old Home Beautiful location at 414 N 6th Avenue. So close, I will drive right past them every day on my one-mile commute home from work. I am hoping that all of my great neighborhood restaurants and wine shops will be friendly neighbors and sell their beer!
Showing posts with label drinking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drinking. Show all posts
Monday, September 13, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
This Chick is Toast!
Yes, I just quoted Ghostbusters.
Last night, my man and I had dinner reservations at a fancy-schmancy (OK maybe not fancy, but expensive) place, that was running quite a deal in honor of Minneapolis Restaurant Week. Since our reservation wasn't till 8pm, we decided to go for a glass of wine first.
Our neighborhood is full of cute little bars and restaurants, and we've been meaning to check this place out for quite some time. It's called Toast Wine Bar & Cafe. Some of our neighbors have recommended it, and we've walked past it several times on walks with the pup. It's somewhat out of the way, though, and didn't come to mind often--but now that we've been there, we will for sure be back frequently!
It's located halfway down the block of a non-driveable street, so you wouldn't pass it in your car. It's also partially underground in an apartment building (you have to walk down a ramp to the front door). But there is ample outdoor seating (and water bowls for dogs who stop by too!) and it's surprisingly big inside as well. It looks like an industrial space: unfinished ceiling, walls and columns painted black. The menu mainly features wine, crostini, cheeses, and most importantly dessert. Something I liked is that the individual items were just little bites and very reasonably priced--$2 per crostini is very inexpensive, and I like the idea of getting a glass of wine and a little snack for under $10!
We only had wine, so I can't vouch for the food, but the place was almost full, and I got the impression that many of the patrons were regulars. We immediately said we need to bring my parents there, they would love it. It seems like the type of place I'd go to with a few girlfriends and just sit and talk for hours, over several glasses of wine, of course. As a bonus, they strive to serve mainly wines from environmentally-conscious vineyards--so you may get to try wines that you wouldn't at other places!
Do you have any favorite neighborhood places that I should check out when I'm in your hood?
Last night, my man and I had dinner reservations at a fancy-schmancy (OK maybe not fancy, but expensive) place, that was running quite a deal in honor of Minneapolis Restaurant Week. Since our reservation wasn't till 8pm, we decided to go for a glass of wine first.
Our neighborhood is full of cute little bars and restaurants, and we've been meaning to check this place out for quite some time. It's called Toast Wine Bar & Cafe. Some of our neighbors have recommended it, and we've walked past it several times on walks with the pup. It's somewhat out of the way, though, and didn't come to mind often--but now that we've been there, we will for sure be back frequently!
It's located halfway down the block of a non-driveable street, so you wouldn't pass it in your car. It's also partially underground in an apartment building (you have to walk down a ramp to the front door). But there is ample outdoor seating (and water bowls for dogs who stop by too!) and it's surprisingly big inside as well. It looks like an industrial space: unfinished ceiling, walls and columns painted black. The menu mainly features wine, crostini, cheeses, and most importantly dessert. Something I liked is that the individual items were just little bites and very reasonably priced--$2 per crostini is very inexpensive, and I like the idea of getting a glass of wine and a little snack for under $10!
We only had wine, so I can't vouch for the food, but the place was almost full, and I got the impression that many of the patrons were regulars. We immediately said we need to bring my parents there, they would love it. It seems like the type of place I'd go to with a few girlfriends and just sit and talk for hours, over several glasses of wine, of course. As a bonus, they strive to serve mainly wines from environmentally-conscious vineyards--so you may get to try wines that you wouldn't at other places!
Do you have any favorite neighborhood places that I should check out when I'm in your hood?
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Mmmm, Beer.
I love beer. My favorite beers are boring, pedestrian beers like Minnesota favorite Michelob Golden Draft Light (fun fact! Michelob Golden Draft Light is only available for sale in nine states, and was introduced to the market in 1991), the hipster nectar PBR, and when I get fancy, something like Dark Horse Brewery's Raspberry Ale (love their motto: "Beer first, fruit second.")
My boyfriend also loves beer. He loves beer that I don't like (maybe that is not a coincidence?) because it's all bitter and hoppy and not at all refreshing.
My brother and most of my guy friends are "beer snobs".
Minnesota has a few really great breweries--Surly, Summit, and of course I would be remiss in not acknowledging Grain Belt Brewery, which brought us one of my favorite Minneapolis landmarks:
The Grain Belt Beer sign facing the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, between Downtown Minneapolis and Northeast!
However, curiously, Minneapolis has a long-standing ban on allowing small brewing companies to sell their beer.
Fortunately, the Minneapolis City Council is likely to update the wording of this ordinance on Friday! Brewers will be allowed to sell growlers. This is important because it cuts out the distributors, and allows the small companies to make more money early on, enabling them to grow and hopefully expand their business. Ultimately, of course, the goal would be to gain wide distribution which would necessitate working with a distributor, but having a small "cult" following is a great way to grow business as well, expanding by free word-of-mouth advertising instead of paying for exposure.
My boyfriend also loves beer. He loves beer that I don't like (maybe that is not a coincidence?) because it's all bitter and hoppy and not at all refreshing.
My brother and most of my guy friends are "beer snobs".
Minnesota has a few really great breweries--Surly, Summit, and of course I would be remiss in not acknowledging Grain Belt Brewery, which brought us one of my favorite Minneapolis landmarks:
The Grain Belt Beer sign facing the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, between Downtown Minneapolis and Northeast!
However, curiously, Minneapolis has a long-standing ban on allowing small brewing companies to sell their beer.
Fortunately, the Minneapolis City Council is likely to update the wording of this ordinance on Friday! Brewers will be allowed to sell growlers. This is important because it cuts out the distributors, and allows the small companies to make more money early on, enabling them to grow and hopefully expand their business. Ultimately, of course, the goal would be to gain wide distribution which would necessitate working with a distributor, but having a small "cult" following is a great way to grow business as well, expanding by free word-of-mouth advertising instead of paying for exposure.
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