When we go out of town we try and find local food, local beer, and local coffee. Because when in Rome… Ahem, Minneapolis…

Last week we were in Minneapolis on vacation and we found all those things and a bakery too. Our down day had us checking off the entire list… and totally not on purpose (Only thing scheduled for the day was laundry).

This is our first vacation we’ve had that was long enough to make an itinerary… a kindof loose one at that but full enough that we scheduled a down day. A day to sleep in, do laundry and chat with our hosts. Which was brilliant and Scott totally gets credit for it. It was also a switchable day with the previous day… which we needed. A rain forecast made us switch days so as to not mess with our outdoor plans. Plus a rainy day calls for relaxation and laundry, right? Right.

Anyway both Scott and I woke with the same idea… finding a local coffee spot. After using our handy dandy vacation brochure (Google on our phones) while laying in bed we found a few shops within walking distance and no raindrops to be seen.

We walked the one and a halfish miles to Sovereign Grounds. It was a wonderful walk through old neighborhoods to the shop that sits in a small shopping district at 48th and Chicago. The scent of roasted beans inticed me even before we walked in the door.

I love walking into a local shop. Each one is unique but familiar at the same time. I was amazed by how the owner knew the orders of his frequent patrons and had started drinks before they even reached the counter.

I ordered a vanilla latte and a gluten free quiche, Scott ordered a house cup of coffee, the Turkish Roast, and a cran-lemon bread (I think… I can’t remember the bread). The bread was a little dry but my quiche was phenomenal and seriously the slice was enormous (I swear it was a quarter of the whole thing). The coffee’s were tasty and I was tempted to buy a bag of the Turkish Roast to bring back home.

We chose to sit outside… the smell of the impending storms circling the air… the rich smell of moisture and earth mixed with the smell of beans roasting. We sat and talked at the simple bistro table on the sidewalk as we drank our coffee’s. We talked of the architecture, the streetlight fixtures and what it would be like to vacation/work remotely for a month at a time in different cities. We could get an Air B&B house in Minneapolis for the same cost as our mortgage… hmmm… this could be a possibility… sounds fun right?

We walked back to the house and again I was taken with the beauty of my home state. The lush of green, of the tall flowers and the beautiful houses. It started to sprinkle on our walk home… a slight drizzle turned steady. We commented on how the abundance of trees truly shelter you from the rain. I love walking in the rain.

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That night we tried out another local spot… Buster’s on 28th with our fabulous hosts… our family friends Debbie and Tom. Ashlynn and Scott both tried cheese curds for the first time and the onion rings were HUGE. Ashlynn and I both had scrumptious burgers and Scott had the Walleye Rachel sandwich. A hole in the wall joint but definitely worth the stop plus their selection of local craft beers was awesome.

We then tried the bakery next door (A Baker’s Wife) for dessert to bring back to the house. Unfortunately we weren’t as fond of well, anything… and we bought a lot of different things…because it all looked so good. We brewed coffee in the Keurig to accompany our desserts and ended up just drinking the coffee and trashing the desserts… the taste still makes me cringe. Oh well, you can’t always have great experiences right?

Our down day was exactly what we needed in a jam packed week of fun. A day of rest, laundry, errands and of course Coffee.

What are some of your favorite local spots near you?

As always enjoy your first cups☕