You can't go to St. Paul without trying Mickey's Diner of Food Network fame. It's like eating at Liliha Bakery, without the bakery. Many people will be eating burgers, but most will be ordering the "all day breakfast." The cook told me that the pancakes are awesome, as well. Everything is good, cheap, and comforting.

 

Across the bridge on Cesar Chavez St., Boca Chica is a good choice. I don't know why they don't tell you this, but their mole sauce is glorious. I unknowingly ordered a combination plate, then made the mistake of eating the chicken mole first--after that, all the other food sucked! I pushed the beef & pork around the plate but ate all the chicken. Nuff said.

Morgen & I walked around the neighborhood near Macalester College to take in the fall colors, so we were starving by the time we reached Uptowner Cafe on Grand Avenue. They've been open two years and have some...unusual hours, so make sure you check before you go. We started with biscuits & gravy--CHUNKS of sausage in a fabulous milk gravy that we decided was the best we'd ever had (Morgen said they were better than the ones in the cafeteria!). I had the Uptown Eggs Benedict with Andouille Sausage while Morgen at a Cajun Breakfast (both $7.95), which she described as a "cajun loco moco." All hash browns are lovingly hand-shredded and fried up crunchy. Portions here are huge, delicious, and full of flavors you won't find at any other diner. (You still come out smelling like a diner, though.)

We drove out to see the famous Walker Museum and the adjacent sculpture garden. Click here to see our little adventure, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Our day ended at Namaste Cafe on Hennepin. We found it on a fluke; Morgen randomly chose it as we whizzed by on this busy thoroughfare. Do try the Mamacha ($7) but don't expect them to be like Xiao Long Bao. These are heavier, "gwai lo" constructed dumplings but good nonetheless. The curries are spicy (go mild!) and close to authentic. Bison is supposed to be good for you and goes well with the mushy squash in the Nepal curry ($14), and we enjoyed the almond curry with chicken ($13), despite not finding any almonds. At the end of the meal, Morgen sighed, "This was a good food day."