Tag Archives: Take-out

A Tale of Two, North Dakotan Burritos

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I’ve never been that into burritos. This month, I’ve eaten two and unsure sure why I have this sudden urge to order them. Here is a tale of two, North Dakotan burritos.

Juano’s
There’s no Chipotle in Fargo, let alone one in the state of North Dakota. Live in Fargo-Moorhead and want Chipotle? Drive two hours East to St. Cloud. I visited Chipotle’s website to double check. When I entered 55102, it replied that there were no locations within 100 miles. It suggested searching again with another city, state, or zip code, and then it added, “Or move.”

Or move? What the heck, Chipotle? Why would you say that?

We may not have Chipotle, but we have other casual/carry-out Mexican-themed chains like Qdoba, Panchero’s and Moe’s Southwest Grill. If you want to visit a local chain, there’s the newly opened Red Pepper location and Juano’s. Since one Red Pepper visit was enough for me, I headed to my nearest Juano’s location for a take-out lunch. A couple friends with similar tastes mentioned Juano’s offers their favorite Mexican food in the community. There’s a fancier sit-down location on Broadway in downtown Fargo and a few other quick-serve locations.

I don’t know if this is a company-wide special, but North Fargo’s Juano’s offered a $5 burrito wrap between 11 a.m.-3 p.m. This was a deal considering the rest of the menu hovered around $10. I filled my burrito with rice, black beans, ground beef, romaine lettuce, cheese, fresh cilantro, and their spiciest salsa. The ground beef was nicely seasoned. While may have considered it too salty, but I’m fine if foods push this boundary just as long as they don’t leap over it. The black beans had a texture more like refried beans which took away some of the burrito’s textural contrast and the salsa was less spicy than Chipotle’s hottest, but overall, this was a flavorful burrito.

I noticed Juano’s can also drench burritos in chili sauces. Juano’s downtown location offers its menu with prices on their Facebook page, though I can’t find an official website with information on their other quick-serve locations.

Paula’s Cafe (Steakhouse & Lounge)
On my day off, I headed up I-29 towards Mayville, North Dakota. I first visited Mayville in mid-March and made a note to return to Paula’s, a bustling cafe along the main street. There was just something about this cafe that fascinated me. I started following their Facebook page and admired their daily specials featuring good ole’ home cooking as well as photos of smoked meats. Mayville’s about 45-minutes from Fargo and I braved the windy drive on a dreary spring morning.

I parked along the main street and entered what looked like a diner equipped with an old fashioned counter. I asked a server where I should sit for lunch and she directed me to the dining room. I followed a sign instructing me to seat myself. Once inside the dining room, I passed a salad bar and searched for a smaller table for one. When I couldn’t find one, I chose a table in the back. The other customers appeared to be regulars who knew exactly what they were doing and I was confused. It didn’t seem like anyone had noticed I seated myself, so I went to the salad bar and asked a server about the protocol. I wondered if I supposed to eat the salad bar or choose from a menu. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying salads and I didn’t see any menus. I tried to explain that this was my first visit and I had no idea what I was doing.

The server responded by encouraging me to help myself to the salad bar, mentioning I could go back as many times as I liked. I thought it was odd that the salad bar was the only option offered for lunch. But since I was there, I filled a plate with vegetables, a toasted roll, and small cup of potato au gratin soup. When I reached my table in the back, I found some ladies congregating around my seat. At first, I optimistically wondered if they were going to join me, but when I noticed one woman grabbing towards my purse, I got the idea they were trying to move it elsewhere. I wondered where, exactly, they planned to place my purse, phone, and book. Anywhere except there, I suppose. A server noticed what was occurring and walked over to assist the ladies. I asked if I should move, but the server relied, “no” and helped them find a different, empty table.

I sat down to eat my salad and noticed others had beverages. I found a server and asked if I could have a glass of water and she came over right away with a large pitcher and a couple glasses. At this point, I felt rather sheepish about eating by myself. After a few minutes, I noticed others eating hot foods and asked if there was a lunch menu. She brought one over quickly, explaining the daily specials. I chose the beef burrito. Along with the salad bar, it cost under $9.

While I waited for my entree, I nibbled my plate from the salad bar which included the typical offerings. The salad was fresh, though some of the offerings were decadent. Macaroni salad laden with rich dressing and piping hot potato au gratin soup. It tasted like the boxed versions of potato au gratin I used to enjoy at my grandma’s house.

The beef burrito was generously-sized and covered with melted cheese and red sauce. It came with some shredded lettuce, diced tomato, a tube of sour cream, chips, and salsa. Although the salsa seemed canned or bottled, it carried a pleasant kick, along with the red sauce. The best part of the meal was the tender beef inside the wrap. It was a little smokey and fork tender. I don’t doubt that Paula’s knows their meats. In hindsight, I should have just chosen a burger. A local reporter spoke highly of the burger and I feel silly assuming the salad bar and beef burrito would make a healthier choice.

Finally, I don’t want you to get the idea that the service wasn’t friendly. The dining room was quite busy and once I landed on the servers’ radars, they showered me with “huns” and “sweeties.” I think the awkwardness can be more attributed to the fact that no one was used to new people who didn’t know what to do.

Solo dining is always an adventure. Especially for a young woman exploring small town cafes. Sometimes, I feel perfectly at home and other times, I feel awkward. Cafe 116 in Fergus Falls, MN and Harvest Thyme Bistro in Wadena, MN come to mind as being especially comfortable for a solo, female diner. This was one of the more awkward meals where I was especially aware that one thing was not like the other (that one thing being me, the non-regular). I felt the curious stares from the regular diners of the older generations, similar to my experience eating breakfast at Charlie’s Cafe in Freeport, MN. My husband and I have also had adventures dining together on the prairie. We remember feeling especially welcome at the Crowbar in Sabin, MN and quite the opposite at the Castle Rock Supper Club in Hawley, MN.

Being open to adventures means taking in the awkward along with the cozy. For me, the most anxiety-ridden experience is often walking into the cafe of a close-knit community, alone. However, it’s impossible to learn about or connect with others unless someone takes a chance and my favorite way to do this is trying the local food. I truly believe people are good at heart. . . even if they are trying to move me to a different table.

Weekend Gorditas from La Unica

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I needed this quiet weekend at home.

Our weekend travels, increasingly fatiguing job, and simultaneous rate at which I have been pushing myself to creatively write and cook are starting to slow me down.

In the past, I have enjoyed a uncannily high success rate of nailing recipes on the first try, even while cooking without recipes.  The last two weeks have brought me more homemade food fail than wins.  One pasta dish was so horrible that I have to suppress my gag reflex every time I think about it.

I’m left pondering my losing streak.  It’s time to find more balance, use my energy and time wisely, and continue to be inspired.  Food has always been my first love and I find myself in an existential crisis between desire and practicality.  I’m left wrestling with myself.  My goals, abilities, weaknesses, and resources, reaching for a future involving more of what I love.  Food and storytelling.

Wish me all of the luck and courage you can spare.

On Saturday morning, I stopped by La Unica in Moorhead, MN for their ethereal flour tortillas.  La Unica’s bags of corn tortillas seem to be sourced from the Twin Cities, but their flour tortillas are house made and preservative-free.  They’re delicate and more akin to lefse.  Delicious, simply gridded and brushed with butter.

When I last visited La Unica in the spring, they were selling barbacoa beef cheek meat by the pint on Saturdays.  Now, they serve breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings until 1 p.m.  The tiny shop smelled fragrant with food and I noticed a steady stream of individuals picking up takeout containers.

Whenever you smell food at small markets, I suggest you always inquire.

To order hot food, customers must fill out a small ordering form located by the kitchen door.  La Unica offers a selection of tacos, gorditas, huevos rancheros, and menudo.  Platters of food are also available along with a small selection of desserts which weren’t available this weekend.

On Saturday, the woman at the register assisted me by translating the gordita fillings.  She lit up as she described the pork and green chili option, so I placed my order.

The gordita was neatly packed in wax paper and wrapped in plastic.  Before I reached home, I ate half of the gordita and stopped myself.  The split corn cake cradled tender pieces of pork slicked in a spicy green sauce.  It was so tasty that I wanted to save some for Jake to taste.

On Sunday morning, I returned for more gorditas and the shop was even busier than the day before.  This time, I bought one filled with beans and cheese, another with lengua (tongue).

A young woman neatly packed up my order, instructing me to put the pico mixture on the tongue gordita.

The bean and cheese gordita was ooey-gooey goodness.

The lengua meat was was as tender and beefy as pot roast.  I removed some of the fattier bits and gave half to Jake without telling him it was made of tongue.  He polished it off with compliments.

I added the pico to both gorditas along with a needed sprinkle of salt and spritz of lime.

The gorditas cost $3.50 or $3.75 depending on the variety.  For a small stomach like mine, one is hearty enough for a light meal.  I look forward to returning to La Unica to try more from their breakfast menu.  This girl likes her weekend grocery shopping snack breaks.  Especially when they’re as refreshing as finding gorditas in Moorhead.

La Unica
2615 12th Ave S
Moorhead, MN 56560
218-236-1075

Last Weekend’s Dining: Return to Passage To India, Return To Samurai

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This past weekend, my muscles felt like jelly.

After wondering what was wrong with me, I finally accepted that I was merely worn out.

We never really caught up or recuperated after our Easter trip to Minneapolis, which was followed by two intense weeks of work and last weekend’s fainting spell/car bump.

In the name of self care, I didn’t do a whole lot of anything except finish Mockingjay and weep Mockingjay-related tears. Last week, I had made the mistake of reading this book during my lunch break and did my best to hide my Mockingjay tears in the break room.  Jake and I are also proud to say we accomplished a significant amount of cleaning.

I tended to my surviving balcony plants, which have now begun to annoy me.  Having had no gardening supplies, let alone containers, my first balcony gardening adventure has panned out to be a money trap.  I’ve settled with two pea plants, two cherry tomato plants, herbs, and small amounts of rainbow chard and arugula.  Growing root vegetables in pots quickly became more difficult that I had expected and I decided that I just did not feel like putting the blood, sweat and tears into growing a few beets and carrots.  Especially when I estimated the cost of each said beet.  I’ll leave that to the people with yards.

Plus, I’ve got CSA boxes on the way.  Jake keeps asking why our CSA, Bluebird Gardens, keeps sending us emails and no vegetables.  I keep reminding him that it’s only April.  Needless to mention we’re both excited about our first CSA share.

On Friday evening while Jake was out, I ordered takeout from Passage To India, read Mockingjay, and sipped an adult beverage.  It was quiet, it was spicy, and it was fantastic.  I ordered my usual favorites, Bhindi Masala and Paneer Tikka Masala, extra spicy, please.  The owner was kind enough to provide small containers of raita and mint chutney at no cost.

Delicious per usual.  Although Passage’s Saturday buffet is truly spectacular, I’d rather pay more money and enjoy my food leisurely, over the span of many meals.

On Saturday, we went to Samurai for date night and ordered sushi.  My stomach was full of three, spicy, Indian curry meals in a row and so I didn’t get too adventurous.

We ordered miso soup for two and fried spring rolls.

The soup had a smooth texture, and amusing teeny, tiny cubes of tofu but tasted little bland.  Overall, it was comforting.

We ordered the vegetarian spring rolls, $4.50 on our first visit and enjoyed these fried treats again.  The spring rolls come with a sweet chili sauce and the portion size is just large enough for about two bites each, when split two ways.

I just ordered The Maki Roll Combo, the least expensive sushi dinner that included a tuna roll, California roll, and shrimp tempura roll, $15.95.  The tuna tasted fresh, the California roll was fine, and I liked the crunchy seafood in the Shrimp tempura roll.  The texture and temperature of the rice was pleasant.  My only criticisms are the seaweed seemed a little dry or chewy and I wasn’t in love with the addition of iceberg lettuce in the shrimp tempura roll.

Our server was kind enough to bring me a small dish of the spicy mayo.  Not a huge fan of the sweet sauces, but I love me some spicy mayo.

Jake ordered this giant, green monstrosity, filled with several types of fish and tempura asparagus (which I believe was the Volcano Roll, $15.95).  The exterior, green wrapper was soft to the bite.  Jake seemed to enjoy the roll and I found the one bite I took to taste fresh.

I’ve opened a new chapter in my life.  I’m searching for life after the Hunger Games Trilogy.  Game of Thrones is scheduled to arrive on Friday.  Just in time for another weekend in Fargo, before we return to the Twin Cities for an exciting family celebration/reunion of sorts.

Easter Weekend Recap: When Chipotle Became Like A God & Take-Out From Little Szechuan

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Jake and I returned home for a long, holiday weekend in the Twin Cities.

We spent time with our families and I visited some good friends.

Even as adults, we enjoyed being spoiled by our families who made Easter ham, roasted turkey, lamb, & cheesy potatoes.

We were somewhat productive in that we ascertained an electric saw and hammer and destroyed the lock on our storage unit at our Bloomington condo.  I had almost forgotten about my grandma’s engagement and wedding rings, packed somewhere in the dusty unit filled with mostly crap.  The rings swam amongst friendship bracelets and 10 for $5 jewelry from Claire’s, in a jewelry box wrapped in old newspapers and packed into a Cub foods box.  My engagement ring is part loaner-band and we are hoping to use my grandma’s.

Most importantly, I grabbed my copy of Hunger Games that was accidentally sent to our Bloomington address.  Everyone and everything have become obstacles between me and my Hunger Games.  I stayed up entirely too late on work nights, reading, and suffered Hunger Games-induced nightmares.

Hunger Games is ruining my life and I’m just beginning Catching Fire.

Announcing our engagement was a lot of fun and less anxiety-inducing than I had anticipated.  The story of our engagement is as unromantic as how we met, which is perfectly fitting and perfectly us.  Only Jake can really tell the engagement story, as it is practically a complicated web of lies.  Except for the part where he asked me to marry him and I said “yes.”

The Food Run-Down

We fit in a few meals out.

Manana
828 7th Street East
St. Paul, MN 55106

I was thrilled when I realized Jake’s family lives fairly close to Manana.  The pupusas filled with pork, cheese, and beans were as memorable as my first visit, pre-Jake.  Jake commented the pupusas were one of the best things he’d tasted for a while, the sentiment I remember feeling the first time I tasted one.

Unfortunately, my take-out order did not come with the promised cortido cabbage salad and hot sauce.  I wonder if my questions were misunderstood and I was supposed to serve myself.

On trips home, we always enjoy stopping at The Wine Thief & Ale Jail where Jake selects craft beers and I treat myself to sake.  The sake selection in Fargo is less than ethereal (not that I even know that much about sake, but still).  Afterwards, Jake wanted to stop at Chipotle for lunch.

I’ve practically grew-up on Chipotle.  Ever since Chipotle made its debut in Apple Valley, my mom became hooked on their barbecoa burritos.  Sometimes she bought them by the trio, slicing the foil-wrapped logs by the chunk for lunches.  I had already eaten my fill of Chipotle when I left for college in another Chipotle-less land.  When I returned to the Twin Cities, I found myself, again, at countless Chipotles until it no longer resembled food.

Now, I find myself in the land that Chipotle forgot.  Or blatentely ignores.  Around here, Chipotle is like a god.  Legendary and spoken of reverently, in hushed voices.  I still don’t crave Chipotle, but was somewhat happy to be reunited with my old friend and managed to choke down half a burrito.

On our last evening in the Twin Cities, Jake and I planned a date night.  We were disappointed when we found that Meritage and Broders Cucina Italiana were closed so we scrambled for a convenient back-up plan.  Which is how we found ourselves ordering take-out from Little Szechuan.

Little Szechuan
422 University Avenue West
St. Paul, MN 55103
651-222-1333

When I lived near Tea House in Plymouth, MN, I always enjoyed their fish fillets in a spicy broth filled with cabbage and tofu.  I ordered Litte Szechuan’s Fish Fillet in Spicy Tofu Broth and cream cheese wontons.  Jake ordered Kung Pao Beef, extra spicy, and sesame chicken.

Our order cost $46 plus tip and was packed into this sturdy box.

I enjoyed the Fish Fillet in Spicy Tofu Broth, although I still think the Plymouth Tea House’s version is better.  The broth was more viscous than Tea House’s, though it was plentiful with chili.

It’s fish fillets had a silky mouth-feel and tasted fresh.  This portion was huge and could easily feed a small family.

Little Szechuan’s Kung Pao Beef was one of the best versions of Kung Pao we’ve ever eaten, in addition to Tea House.

The sauce was flavorful and struck all of the spicy, sweet, and savory notes.  Lots of tender beef, and pleasantly spicy.

My least favorite dish was the sesame chicken.  It wasn’t inedible, but the batter was soggy, the chicken pieces tasted dense and dry, and the sauce was a little bland.  But it fulfilled my craving for Americanized Chinese take-out.

Lastly, I enjoyed the cream cheese puffs, per usual.

I’ve dawdled in a life-long love affair with cream cheese puffs.

All in all, a wonderful and eventful trip back home.  It looks like we’ll be home a couple times in the near future for celebrations involving family and friends.

A thank you to our families for taking care of us this weekend and to the friends who were able to spend time with us.

Meritage and Broders Cucina. . . we will be back for mussels, absinthe, and Eggplant Special pizza.