D. Taylor's Food & Travel

Restaurant Review: Nonesuch River Brewing Don Taylor It is rare that I think more of something isn’t better, but that was the case at lunch at Nonesuch River Brewing. Thin Onion Rings at Nonesuch River Brewing My wife and I arrived at an off time, about 3 PM, and were two of about eight customers in the restaurant. To get things started, we ordered drinks and an appetizer of thin onion rings. The onion rings came with a chipotle aioli drizzled on the top along with fresh slivered scallions.  I liked the scallions; they were flavorful. The chipotle aioli was tasty. I wish it had come on the side rather than on the onion rings because the aioli did an excellent job of off-setting the greasy onion rings – and they were greasy. It was one of the few times that we didn’t eat the entire order of onion rings. Backyard Farms Tomatos BLT at Nonesuch River Brewing Before we finished our appetizer, our sandwiches arrived. My wife got the Backyard Farms Tomato BLT with a mixed...

While I was in Minnesota, one of my good friends suggested G’s Café in Anoka for breakfast. It was a bit of a drive (about 10 miles) from Ham Lake to Anoka, but the food and service were well worth the trip. Arrival We arrived a bit later than the typical breakfast time and the Café only had a couple other patrons so seating was easy. We ordered coffee and began reviewing the menu.   G's Cafe - Interior G’s has an Irish theme to the restaurant. Because of that, I decided to try the “Irish Skillet” – Fried corned beef with hash browns, onions, green peppers, and tomato. Topped with two eggs and Hollandaise. It was served with toast, but I opted for the English muffin. My companion settled on 2 eggs over easy with bacon and a pancake. Food My skillet was one of the better skillets I’ve ever had. Clearly, the hash browns were started, then the corned beef was added. Then the onions and peppers, finally the tomato was added to warm them but not make them sog...

During my recent visit to Minnesota, I was able to try the breakfast at the Ole Piper Inn in Blaine. We arrived at the end of the breakfast rush and before the lunch service began (about 10:30) . We were seated quickly and were able to order coffee right away.  I was surprised to see that a spoon was not included in our silverware set, which consisted of a knife, fork, and a smallish paper napkin. After the coffee was brought, I used my knife to stir my cream into the coffee. The waitress didn’t ask me if I wanted a spoon for my coffee, finally, when she refilled the cups asked for one. I was hungry and ordered the Chicken Fried Steak with eggs, I added the cheese and onions to my hash browns and substituted “biscuits and gravy” for the 3 pancakes. My friend ordered a sausage omelet (actually, it was a “Ham and Cheese” omelet with sausage substituted). As a side, he too opted for the “biscuits and gravy.” Food arrived in a reasonable time for breakfast. Food ...

Restaurant Review When I lived in Minnesota, I probably drove past Keys Café & Bakery every week and I never stopped there for a meal.  There are nine Keys Café restaurants in Minnesota/Wisconsin area and although I had heard of them before, I had never eaten at one. Was that ever a mistake – I wish I had eaten there many times before. My friend, Doug, said Keys was very good, so we went to the Spring Lake Park location for breakfast one morning while I was visiting Minnesota recently. We arrived at the peak of the breakfast rush, about 10 am on a Sunday morning. The place was packed and had a waiting list. We were told it would be about a 10 to 15-minute wait. I was pleased when we were seated in about 10 minutes. The person apologized for seating us in a smaller two-person table and assured that we were okay with the smaller size. We were. Service at Keys was top notch. After being seated, our waitress, Lauren G., asked what we would like to drink an...

Hy-Vee Market Grill I often say, “I love good food that is reasonably priced and great service which makes a meal truly enjoyable. With that in mind, I may have a new favorite restaurant – Hy-Vee Market Grille. During a visit to Minnesota, a friend suggested eating at the restaurant associated with a Hy-Vee grocery store. I had never been to a Hy-Vee, as they came into Minnesota after I moved out of state.  I was skeptical, but I trusted my friend and said, “Sure. Let’s try it.” Arrival I was immediately impressed when we arrived and saw they had a very nice bar area. The restaurant was clean and bright. We were immediately greeted and taken to a booth. Although we didn’t have drinks, my friend said they make great drinks, and I believe him. Pre-ordering We ordered two coffees plus one water with lemon and one plain water and reviewed the menu.   Ordering When the drinks we ordered arrived we placed our food order. My friend decided on two eggs...

Restaurant Review It has been quite a while since I’ve been to the Muddy Rudder in Yarmouth, and even longer, nearly four years since I’ve reviewed the restaurant. My wife and I were recently returning from Bangor and stopped at the Muddy Rudder for lunch. Arrival We arrived, quite intentionally, right after opening and were the first customers of the day.  We were immediately greeted and taken to a table by the windows with a picturesque view of the marsh and the Cousins River (tidal river).   Ordering We decided to order an appetizer, the Rudder Chips, “House-fried potato chips topped with Parmesan cream, crumbled bacon, scallions, and your choice of shrimp or chicken.” We decided upon the chicken. I decided on the Rudder Burger, “An 8oz Angus beef, blue cheese, onion rings, and house demi-glace.” I asked for medium and opted for a side of Onion Rings instead of French fries. My wife chose the Steak Tips, “House bourbon marinade, mashed p...

Restaurant Review We went up to Bangor to see the Pentatonix Concert in Bangor and stayed at the Hollywood Casino Hotel, which is just up the street a few blocks from Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion where the concert was held.  We thought, it is close and casinos typically have great buffets, so why not? Arrival Upon check-in, we learned that the Epic Buffet only operates Friday and Saturday nights plus a Sunday morning Brunch.  We were spending Thursday night there, so we had to go to their “Hops House 99,” which has “Pub Food” cuisine.      Seating Seating was open and seat yourself when we arrived in the late afternoon. There were plenty of tables to choose from. Pre-ordering The waiter quickly brought us waters with lemon while we reviewed the menu. Ordering I asked the waiter between the Fried Fish Tacos and the California Burger, which would he recommend. He made sure I like spicy and then recommended the Fried F...