Eatables – We Are Duluth

Lake Walk Galley Opens

Crabby Bill’s got a little bit of an overhaul and is now “billed” as the Lakewalk Galley. Today was the christening for the ol’vessel that resides at the beginning of the Lakewalk. The Lakewalk Galley opened in true shipping style with the Mayor breaking a bottle of champagne over the bow.

Justin Steinbach, who is no stranger to great food on a boat (the Vista), together with Derek Snyder of the Lake Avenue Café, have created a great mini restaurant. A lot of the fare will be the same as Crabby Bill’s (mini doughnuts!!!). That said, there are going to be some great additions to the menu; if it’s anything like Lake Ave, I’m sure it won’t disappoint (fish sandwich!!!). You won’t want to feed the birds with this – and besides, that’s illegal, please don’t feed the birds! This will be a great escape for a Friday lunch! The perfect distance from downtown to enjoy a good walk and a great lunch. See you there!

We’re 50-50 on Tavern!

Whoever dreamed up the 50-50 burger over at Tavern On The Hill should be given their own holiday! I can still remember the first time that I had one: my wife and I were sitting at the bar enjoying some Fulton and Bent Paddle, and the bartender, after handing us some menus, made a comment about the burger. I, being a huge burger fan, needed to know more about this “50-50” burger. What exactly is it? Well, it’s made with 50% beef, and 50% Bacon. Yes, ground bacon and ground beef all mashed into the most mouth watering bacon patty ever created. It is truly bacon goodness squeezed into every juicy bite.

Ever since I had that first bite, I have not stopped talking about this burger. I’m fairly certain the first words out of my mouth after “Wow” was “I think this is one of the best burgers I’ve had since… well, I’m not sure how long.” The icing on the cake is that the burger comes with fries which are served tossed with just the perfect amount of herbs.

On the other hand, if you are not a burger or bacon person (but who doesn’t love bacon!?) they have this amazing Pulled Pork BBQ sandwich. Or if you are not a fan of pork, oh man, their pizzas, ‘fo-get-about-it!’ Can’t forget about their tacos either! I try to branch out and go for variety when I eat out and everything that I have tried here, I would order again (yes, even the undoubtedly strange Velvet Elvis!).

Massive added bonus? For those with Celiac or gluten intolerance, they have a GF bun that is very soft and delicious. This, for many GF items out there, is incredibly hard to come by.

So run up the hill for a 50-50 burger or one of their many, many other delicious options! Or, take a look at their menu and order take out. Shoot! I haven’t even talked about their beer taps yet! Looks like I will have to save that for another day! Darn, back to the Tavern!

How Sweet (and Savory!) It Is!

How Sweet It Is has moved into their new location in the Holiday Center/Skywalk. Making it much easier for quite a few of us who wader the skywalk for lunch, which can be much more convenient compared to their old location in the Medical Arts Building.

If you haven’t had one of their sandwiches yet, you have not had the pleasure of experiencing these amazing hand crafted mast pieces. Course, if you are one that does not like options, or are very indecisive, you will need to allow yourself a little extra time to decide. Do plan your lunch break accordingly. Why? On a typical day they have six different kinds of breads from the plain grain to the wild, Cranberry wild rice to the deliciously hot “inferno” bread. Then you have to pick your meat, cheese, and veggies. It’s a lot like Subway but way way better. Actually, I take that back. The only way it’s like Subway is they both have options for your sandwich! How Sweet only sources their ingredients from local places (when possible) which means fresh ingredients, and supporting local farmers.
Today, I had a turkey-bacon (oh yea!) on freshly sliced Cranberry wild rice bread with pepper jack cheese and cucumbers, spinach and their amazing garlic spread. Great, great sandwich. The heat of the cheese and garlic balance well with the sweetness of the cranberry’s, that simply reminds you that desert is waiting. This was just my combo today. The best part is with all the varieties, you could make a different sandwich and not have the same one for 5,824 days. (That's 15 years!)

The best part, (besides the cupcake, cakes, cookies, macaroons….) is it’s very reasonably priced. With my regular sandwich, chips, pickle, beverage, and Pumpkin Spice Rumchata cupcake (oh yea, It’s a thing!), all of which only came to $13.15. Not bad since Chipotle or Subway can put you back closer to $14.00 and you can't get a Pumpkin Spice Rumchata at Chipotle!

So eat Great. Eat Local. And save a little in the process. Everybody wins!