Pip's Plate

Don’t walk. RUN to Bewiched Deli! It’s located in the North Loop area just outside of downtown Minneapolis, MN. I’ve been meaning to get there since they opened. And I fiiiiinally got there the other weekend and have been back once since then. Hee.

Gourmet sandwiches. YUM.

I’ve only tried the Italian Hero so far and it is DE-LIC-IOUS. They put this tangy olive tapenade on it and a huge chunk of fresh mozz. Oh yes, fresh mozz. My favorite cheese.

Aside from that, they layer on the ham, salami, etc. Lettuce, tomato. It doesn’t get much better than that. And they serve it with this incredible olive-pepper relish. I must try to get that recipe. The roasted vegetable couscous served with it was just okay.

And to top it off, they serve some great sodas made with cane sugar. No high fructose corn syrup there! (Including the ever-so-loved Bubble Up)

I should also acknowledge that the staff there is really great too. Very accommodating as a first time visitor and extremely fast take out (how does 5 minutes sound?).

Get there now! And let me know what your favorite sandwiches are from there! (Photo coming soon…)

Bewiched Deli

800 Washington Ave. North

Minneapolis, MN 55401

Telephone: 612.767.4330

Fax: 612.338.2108

HOURS

M-F 8-8

SAT 10-6

SUN CLOSED

Just got back from a quick lunch at Yum! just a few blocks from Lake Calhoun in St. Louis Park, MN. The review I had previously read said that the food was pricey and the atmosphere was excellent. They also said to get there fast because it fills up quickly.

Hmmm…I disagree on both counts. The prices were spot on for a great lunch place- sandwiches range from $7-$10, salads range from $7-$10, and their entrees are a little more (up to $20 I believe).

The food was outstanding. I had the shaved turkey mole sandwich with fresh avocado and manchego cheese served on a Spanish roll. It was nice and light, simple and fresh with a tad smoky flavor.

I also tried the roasted vegetable sandwich. This is exactly what a roasted vegetable sandwich should be: earthy, meaty, and full of flavor. The veggie sandwich had portabella mushroom, zucchini, yellow squash, basil pesto and fresh mozzarella. It was delicious.

About the atmosphere. I hold my first impressions very highly. And Yum! just didn’t do it for me. I felt like they are trying too hard to be “cool” and “modern” and “hip.” It felt fake- almost like I was on a movie set.

Also- wtf is up with the music they were playing? Seriously! When we strolled in around 11:30, they were bumping Black Eyed Peas. Then we sat down outside while we waited for our food, and they were playing instrumental Queen followed by CHRISTMAS music. Come on.

Anyway, the food was really good and I’d recommend trying it out for lunch. Not for dinner.

I went to Good Day Cafe with some friends yesterday for lunch. It’s quite good. We had quite a variety of menu items and we were all pleased with what we ordered.

The interior design is very nice – rustic wood structure with a soft color palette. It’s very modern with a quiet and soft feeling, very inviting.

The staff was quite attentive. Our server in particular was excellent. Although they just opened on Wednesday, he was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and gave us excellent recommendations.

The four of us started with a round of fresh fruit smoothies. They were excellent! Talk about good food that tastes great and is good for you. We sampled the Tropical, Carrot, Pomegranite, and Berry smoothies. I’d have to say the Carrot and Pom smoothies were my favorite of the four. The Carrot smoothie was silky in texture and had apples, banana and yogurt in it. The Pom was nicely tart with a great addition of acai fruit. The Tropical and Berry smoothies were favored by 2 of my friends. The Tropical was a little too coconutty for me, but it was the best tropical smoothie I’ve tasted. And finally the Berry – it was to be expected of a strawberry, raspberry, blueberry smoothie.

For lunch, the menu offers a variety of breakfast, soup, salads, and sandwiches. Between the four of us, we had the Fried Egg Sandwich (definitely my favorite- I’d go back just for that), the Vegetable Sandwich, the Rachel, and we also tried one of the daily specials- Walleye.

The Fried Egg Sandwich was so perfect. It was the perfect level of saltiness and not too rich. The egg was perfectly cooked- just a little runny. Also on the sandwich was very delicious ham, tomato, and cheese.

The Vegetable sandwich was also delicious. It was light but full of flavor- sprouts, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, and some sauce that reminded me of a cross between hummus and tzatziki in flavor. The fries were excellent as well- served with spicy ketchup (yummy!).

The walleye was good. It was breaded but it wasn’t very bready, it was pretty light. The lemon garlic aioli served with my fries went really well with it. I was also told that the GDC potatoes were great and the cole slaw was fresh, crunchy and tasty. I didn’t try the Rachel, but I was told it was good. The bread might have been a bit much, but overall it was good.

In the end, I can’t wait to go back to Good Day Cafe! Oh, and did I mention it’s really affordable? My vegetable sandwich was only $6.75- a steal.

Other things I should mention- the bathrooms are very nice and clean. They also have a changing station in the women’s bathroom and it sounds like there is one in the men’s bathroom as well.

I made this version of a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner last night and it was so yummy. The feta made it really creamy and the pesto gave it a rich fresh flavor. I also think this is the first non-vegetarian recipe I’ve posted. I’ve been a very bad vegetarian lately. But I’m ok with that.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

4 slices whole grain bread

1/2 c basil pesto

4 oz fresh feta cheese (I used Israeli feta and it was delicious! Made from sheep’s milk, Israeli feta is creamier and less crumbly than regular feta. If you can’t find Israeli feta, choose another sheep’s milk or goat’s milk feta. Avoid cow’s milk feta as it is usually chalky and flavorless.)

4 slices turkey bacon, cooked (Wellshire Farms is the best there is – if you can find it, buy it)

olive oil or butter

I used spray olive oil and it worked really well and was far less messy than butter or liquid olive oil. Coat 1 side of each slice of bread with olive oil or butter; turn over onto a work surface.

Divide and spread the pesto on 2 slices of bread. Divide and spread the feta on the other 2 slices of bread. Top the feta sides with 2 slices of bacon each. Place each pesto half onto each feta/bacon half.

Warm a skillet over low heat. Place sandwiches in skillet and cook over low heat. Don’t be anxious and cook over any higher heat than low. Using the low, even heat allows the cheese to melt and blend with the other flavors. Cook each side for about 5-7 minutes, or until browned.

Cut in half and serve.

Makes 2 sandwiches.

You can vary this sandwich to whatever you have in your kitchen. Try some kalamata olives instead of bacon if you want a vegetarian option but still a little salty. Or try grilled apples, white cheddar and walnut pesto. The options are endless.