First to tempt you, the way they tempted me...
Can you guess which one I chose?
Both were quite tempting, I must confess. As intrigued as I was by Mac & Cheese Benedict, it seemed a little too rich and decadent for lunch-breakfast, so I went with the pumpkin pancakes. Mmmm, pumpkin pancakes!! Good and good for you! I think so, anyhow... lots of fiber, anyhow. Um, yeah, and what's that about vanilla cream and cinnamon butter. Seriously, these were perfectly perfect!
The eggs were kind of superfluous - they were fine, but nothing exciting especially next to those pancakes, and it made it a bit too much. Next time, I'll just get the pumpkin cakes and links. What better way to continue to try to get more into an autumn spirit than to enjoy some harvest delights?
In the background of the photo you can see R's lunch-lunch. He had a Cajun burger, which he enjoyed far more than most burgers, and sweet potato tater tots. Sweet potato tater tots!!! YUM!
Speaking of harvest, I was going to submit the above photo of the pumpkin pancakes as my week 41 photo, the theme being harvest. It might have been a more appropriate harvest photo than the one I did submit because this one is pumpkin and sweet potato related, but R and I both loved the one I submitted, so I went with it.
But I'll get to that... first you need to know where to score these amazingly delicious savory harvest delights.
We'd been meaning to go there for awhile, and this past Sunday R actually had a day off. It was a rather rainy Sunday, which just made the quaint Dale and Selby area look and feel even quainter. The rain prevented us from tromping about the bluffs, as we'd hoped to. However, we did still get to watch the Packer game together. Mmm - a weekend day with R is such an extra special thing!!
Ooh, I should mention that over pancakes, R suggested something... something very exciting. And tropical. And warm. And sandy. And new - very, very new for me. Something that is now booked. I'll save that for another day though. Perhaps it'll rank around number 19 or 20.
So this new to us restaurant was my number twelve - and hopefully one of your next stops for breakfast or lunch, if you're in the Twin Cities area.
As for number thirteen, this just happened spontaneously, but I'd been wanting to get there for quite some time. It is, after all, a Saint Paul institution.
On Monday, just the day after pumpkin pancakes, I'd had a particularly tough day at work (these are happening more and more frequently) and so R thought a nice walk along the river would be good. I wouldn't have thought to do that because sometimes I'd rather stew and fume and holler, or simply veg and sulk. His idea was better.
So we walked hand and hand along the Mighty Mississippi, except when I had to take a photo, and explored a bit. The crisp dusky air felt and smelled nice, but the early darkness has been hard to take. (Last night I was at work till after 8 - and left in utter darkness. Shudder.) Oh well. The dusky walk with my hon was very therapeutic. Plus, I captured this little treasure.
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| Week 41 of Photo 52: Harvest |
Anyhow, I'm rather pleased with the sunflower photo, I must say. I could have saved it for Photographer's Choice, but I just wanted to post it now, so Harvest it is! Sunflowers are part of the harvest, aren't they? I'm really asking... Isn't that where sunflower seeds come from?
Well, from there we were going to go home and have the yummy spaghetti I'd made the previous night for dinner, when suddenly, we ended up at.....
Who doesn't love an good old dive diner? Especially one in an old railroad dining car.
Apparently it's been open nonstop since 1937, as St. Paul grew up all around it. It was one of the first restaurants listed on the National Register of Historic Places and continues to be family owned and operated.
What's not to love?
Well, maybe I'd have loved it more if SOMEone hadn't been trying to steal my yolk! His crimes against humanity caught here for all to see.
Harrumph!! What kind of person so brazenly pokes their fry right into someone else's yolk? (Eh, apparently the best kind of person!!)
Anyhow, I didn't actually mind at all. After all, we both knew I would be soon stealing his dill pickle. Sadly, there's no photographic proof of that, so obviously, it didn't really happen.
As for the food, it is top notch greasy spoon food - my eggs, over medium, were perfectly done and the sausage had a nice extra little kick to them and were perfectly crispy outside - soooo good! - but, the real highlight was the hash-browns! Holy cow! Simply, the best hash-browns I've ever had!!! Better even than the Waffle House! Even if the menu hadn't told me so, the fact that these are made from scratch was rather delightfully evident. Real - fresh - potatoes were harmed in the making of these hash browns! Apparently, my foolishness about branches and mice does not extend to potatoes. Mmm, po-taaa-toes.
And go to my number twelve, as well. Totally different, but both quite nice!
Now to figure out a number fourteen. It hopefully won't be food related, but I have no idea what it will be. I need help! Probably in more ways than one.
Ahh, but I have that future new to look forward to... and I bet some other news will come along with it.
60 days!!!!
In the mean time, bon appétit!!
OK, I am starving now! My plans for the day were cancelled and I cannot tell you how tempted I am to hop in the car and head over to Mickey's Diner. With a stop at the Louisiana Cafe'! Your pictures are just mouth watering!! So glad for your "something to look forward to"!
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