Palumbo's Pizzeria: A Neighborhood Pizza Shop

Today I chose to venture down to a fairly new little pizzeria by my work called Palumbo's Pizzeria.

Palumbo's Pizzeria

454 Snelling Avenue South

Saint Paul, MN 55105

651-698-0020

The restaurant is a cute little place, and today most of the customer's seemed to be enjoying the patio instead of dining inside. I sat inside admiring the cute interior and listened to the peaceful Italian music playing lightly in the background. It was a little confusing at first as to whether or not the restaurant was seat yourself / wait to be seated, and it wasn't until I ventured by the service counter that I saw the sign asking you to wait to be seated. Funny enough, I was then told to seat myself. 

My waitress was super friendly and helpful, and offered a handful of recommendations on the menu items. Let me just say that I loved the way their menu looked - really simple and elegant. I ordered a cup of the minestrone to start, followed by the Margherita con Pepperoni pizza. 

I was a little surprised when my soup came out as it had no resemblance to any other minestrone I've ever had (the broth was more like a bean soup - tan in color). The serving size was larger than I thought it would be, and the soup was piping hot! The soup was a little lacking in salt, but otherwise it was really tasty. I would definitely order it again.

The Margherita con Pepperoni pizza was visually appealing when the server brought it out to my table. Lots of pepperoni, mozzarella, and fresh basil. The first bite was great - the crust seemed to be freshly made (not frozen), and the taste was really nice. I had a hard time telling whether or not the pizza sauce was homemade or canned, and unfortunately it was really watery. The crust on each slice I ate following that first piece got more and more soggy. Regardless, the taste was good - it was just a little disappointing that the pizza got soggy so quick, which caused each slice to lose its toppings! 

My waitress easily talked me into trying some gelato (which I took to-go). I am super happy I did! I indulged in a flight of 3 different gelato flavors - chocolate, coconut, and salted caramel. The salted caramel was the most pleasing flavor by far! Creamy, sweet, but with a hint of salt - YUM! 

Would I recommend Palumbo's? Sure. Would I go back to Palumbo's? Sure. However, in any future visits of mine I might be a tad more inclined to try a calzone, panini, or salad for my lunch. Or, if they can remedy the soggy pizza problem - I'd be glad to indulge in the pizza again! 

Good Earth: Fresh & Tasty!

Let me start this post off by apologizing for not taking pictures of my meal; words cannot do justice to the delicious food I ate last night! 


After walking a 5K with my cousin, we went to Good Earth for dinner:

Good Earth

1901 W. Hwy 36

Roseville, MN 55113

651-636-0956

www.goodearthmn.com

The front waiting area was completely empty when we arrived around 6:45 pm last night. To my surprise, we were not greeted right away - in fact, we waiting around in the lobby for a few minutes before anyone even approached us! Fortunately, we were finally sat at a table and were left to make our dinner choices! 

Normally I don't get tasty beverages, but the Strawberry Lemonade was calling to me. It was super fresh and delicious - yum! I started off my dinner with their monthly soup special which was a three potato soup with yukon gold, red, and sweet potatoes. 

This soup was awesome... totally awesome. 

Perhaps it was because I was still recovering from being out in the wind for the past hour, but this soup was so warming and palatable. The chicken broth really took on the sweet flavor from the sweet potato, and overall it was just a wonderfully comforting soup. Even thinking about it now has my mouth watering! 

For my main dinner I went with the Shrimp and Scallops with Creamy Corn Polenta. If I had to pick one word to describe this meal, I would have to say "fresh". This dinner was gorgeously presented (again, sorry for no pictures), and was extremely vibrant in fresh vegetable color. The scallops were cooked perfectly, as was the zucchini, tomato, and squash. My only complaint (and I'm not sure you could even call it that), was that the polenta really lacked flavor. Regardless, I left completely satisfied.

If you're looking for fresh, healthy, and sustainable food, my top recommendations go out to Good Earth! I will most definitely be back soon!

Tavern on the Avenue: Juicy Lucy

One of my favorite foodie adventures is going to any place that that has a juicy lucy on their menu. What's a juicy lucy, you ask? A juicy lucy is a decadent hamburger that holds the cheese inside the patty instead of on top of the burger. Any good juicy lucy should come with a side of anticipation because when you take that first bite of the burger, molten-hot, lava-like cheese should immediately come flowing out of the burger threatening to burn your mouth should you linger too long on that first bite. 


I recently ventured to Tavern on the Avenue:

825 Jefferson Avenue

St. Paul, MN 55102

651-227-6315

www.tavontheave.com

One awesome thing about Tavern on the Avenue (better known as Tav on the Ave) is that they have some awesome daily specials. Being that it was a Thursday evening and all hamburgers were only $5.00 (with a side of fries too!) - I decided to give their juicy lucy a go. The menu claimed that this burger was stuffed with bacon, onion, and havarti cheese. I was super excited for this burger! I was a little concerned when the waitress asked how I wanted my burger cooked - any foodie knows that a good juicy lucy really can't go much past medium in order to keep the cheese perfect and the burger moist. Regardless, I still went ahead and ordered it (medium, of course). 

The order came and the burger, at first glance, looked great! The anticipation built as I prepared for that oozing cheese to come rushing out of my first bite.... but then... nothing! 

(Where on earth is the so-called cheese)

I'm not quite certain that Tav on the Ave is familiar with what a juicy lucy is supposed to be! There was way too much meat in the center of this burger for there to be the necessary amount of cheese required for a juicy lucy (read: a lot of cheese). Overall, this was a good burger, but a terrible juicy lucy. I ended up pulling the burger apart to inspect further and found that there were indeed the bacon and onion as stated, but the cheese was rather non-existent. 

Now, don't get me wrong... I'm not saying that the Tav on the Ave is a bad place. The atmosphere is really welcoming and friendly, and their patio is really nice in the spring and summer.  Their beer list could use a little help, but they make a damn good dirty martini! And no one can argue with the fact that on Wednesday nights they offer a 16 oz ribeye and pint of beer for only $9.95, and they always have cooked my steak to perfection. But when it comes to their juicy lucy, I won't be back for that. 

Hoa Bein: Delicious Vietnamese Pho

For the longest time I have been searching for the most delicious bowl of pho in Saint Paul. Today I found it. 

Hoa Bien Restaurant

1105 University Avenue West

Saint Paul, MN 55104

651-647-1011

(No website yet, but you can check out their menu here)

Like every time I go to a new Vietnamese restaurant, I start off with an order of egg rolls. The egg rolls here were perfect - crispy and delicious without being too greasy or salty. Yum. 

I ordered the Pho Tai Nam (beef noodle soup with brisket) for lunch. Immediately I noticed that there were a lot of red onions on top of the broth, and also the bottom parts of a couple of green onions. I'm an onion lover so this was a plus for me, but if you're not an onion fanatic like myself you could easily order without onion. 

The broth was very tasty. It was steaming hot and full of the nice beefy flavor with hints of coriander and anise. Heck, I could eat this soup without adding any hoisin or sriracha sauce - the broth is that delicious! 

The chunks of brisket were large, plentiful, and very tender! The ratio of rice noodles to broth was nice as well - not too much, not too little. 

The restaurant itself was very clean and modern in design. The wait staff was courteous and prompt. In fact, I placed my order and received everything within 5 minutes - a great place to head for lunch.

I'm serious when I state that this has been the best pho I have found in Saint Paul so far! I give this place 5 out of 5 stars, and would definitely return!