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Betty’s Pies
Holy Cow! Don’t walk to this place, run, drive fast, really, really fast. Pies, burgers. It’s incredible!! After a day of hiking at Split Rock Lighthouse (review coming soon). We made a stop at Betty’s Pies just down the road to grab some food to take back to the cabin and watch some NCAA basketball. We went simple getting a 1/2 pound Bison burger (with bacon) and french fries to split and stacked on a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie. First, we must talk about the service. Some of the nicest people ever. We obviously had no idea what to order or how to order and it was most likely evident that we looked out of place. But a man handed us a menu, let us sit at the counter and give us plenty of time to look over the very large menu with many options. And, to top it off, they threw in an extra slice of pie- which was a good thing because it was sooo good, neither of us wanted to share. And, as it turns out, those of you too far to visit Northern Minnesota, Betty’s Pies has opened in White Bear Lake (address below) so you can get it whenever you want at greater convenience. Seriously, it’s a must!! Enjoy, we sure did!
NEW Location: Betty’s Pies
700 Wildwood Road
St Paul, MN 55115-1852
(651) 777-6728
Name: Grand Superior Lodge on Lake Superior
Location: 20 minutes north of Two Harbors, MN (Google Map)
URL: http://www.grandsuperior.com/index.htm
Originally uploaded by frozenreindeer
Review: An easy 4 out of 5 starts! Amazing location right on Lake Superior. Amazing accommodations. Free parking. Not too far from the Twin Cities, just three hours north. Restaurant right on site (Splashing Rock Restaurant) though this is part of why I give only four stars- review pending. For a great place to just unwind and hang out, I love this place. Rates in the “winter months” are quite affordable and there are benefits to staying 2+ nights or staying midweek. We stayed for four days and three nights and were given a $75 gift card for the restaurant. Pretty cool deal. I think one of the coolest thing is all the different room options. Many places are flat rates for all the same room types. Here, you get what you pay for and can choose what you want.
We stayed in a one of the new cabins in what is referred to as the guest room. A perfect arrangement for two people. Full bath, queen size bed, wet bar including mini fridge, microwave, sink, toaster, coffee pot, utensils and silver ware for two. In room flat screen TV with DVD player and Dish Satellite TV. Within our cabin you could also stay in a similar room with a full deck and view of Lake Superior as well as an in room Jacuzzi tub. Or, if you have a larger group, the downstairs unit has a living room, full kitchen and bedroom. And that’s just one side of one building. There are MANY cabins throughout the resort. Read and see more about the room types on the website and view the different rates for each season. Enjoy the additional photos below.
Oh…and I think this qualifies as a brand new city to stay the night. Granted I’ve been to Duluth but this is an hour north, never been there, stayed three nights! I’m counting it. One more city to go to reach my 2010 Goal of visiting two new cities!
Originally uploaded by frozenreindeer
Originally uploaded by frozenreindeer
Last weekend, my boyfriend treated me to my first experience at a Minneapolis treasure called Al’s Breakfast. As an American, breakfast is more than a meal, it’s an experience. It’s a bonding time between family and friends, it’s an experience to be enjoyed and relished, it’s oh so very good on so many levels. Pancakes, waffles, omelets, bacon, sausage, hash browns…how about coffee (something that resonates with all you Finn readers out there I’m sure 
) Traveling to Minneapolis in the future? A current resident? You MUST get to Al’s.
Essentially Al’s is a diner type cafe that seats 14 people at a time along a single straight counter. While you wait to eat, you stand approximately one and a half feet behind the current diners and…wait. Sound awkward, well, to stand and wait, it can feel that way, especially your first time. But once you sit down at the counter, you get it. The whole place is really about 7 feet wide, leaving about 3 feet for the customer side. This is part of the experience (check the video for a better understanding of this) You come in, sit down, eat and leave, enjoying the fast service and AMAZING food. Couple of words of advice- keep your party to 3 or less OR, be prepared to eat amongst strangers or after or before the rest of your group unless you are the very first people in line before it opens and can grab the number of seats needed.
In terms of ordering, I had the Winter Special which includes scrambled eggs with fresh spinach, feta, tomatoes, scallions and toast. I also had one of their pumpkin pancakes to celebrate fall- holy cow, talk about YUM!!! You can view the entire Al’s Breakfast menu here on Urban Spoon.
Also, for a full experience, below are photos and a video of the inside of Al’s. If you’re local, go immediately. If you’re outside Minnesota- Al’s is reason enough to make a visit!
Video from Inside Al’s
Photos on the Flickr Feed: http://www.flickr.com/photos/frozenreindeer/
Al’s Breakfast in Dinkytown
413 14th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN
(612) 331-9991
Koskikatu 25
96200 ROVANIEMI
Tel. +358 50 447 3543
During the summer of 2007 I experienced for the first time a very unique restaurant with a very unique theme. For those who are not aware, Rovanemi, Finland is home to the the 2006 Eurovision winner, a band called Lordi singing “Hard Rock Hallelujah.” In response to this apparently surprise win, the band “leader” decided to create a restaurant or Rocktaurant as it is known in downtown Rovaniemi, Finland showcasing memorbilia from the band as well as creating an ambiance of everything kind of “freaky” but in tune with the bands image. I reviewed this restaurant last summer to an overwhelming hit count from people all over the world who are HUGE Lordi fans. The response was crazy and it is currently, by far the number one blog post on Frozen-Reindeer thanks to the detailed video and photos of the place (and overlooking the less than stellar review on my part in terms of the quality of the food).
Yesterday, I again found myself seated as this quite unusual establishment but this time my review is quite different and overwhelmingly positive. I’ll start with the food. Below is a photo of the menu followed by a review of almost everything on the menu- I love dining out with people who try different things- makes for well rounded blog posts. I’ll start from the left in the photo regarding items on the menu with a photo of each item we had.
Lordi’s Special Burger- I didn’t have a bite of this but heard it was quite good- nothing left on the plate. Served with french fries (the fries are AMAZING by the way)
Kebab- the last time I ate here, they had something similar to the kebab- kind of a “traditional” and common Finnish food you can find many places (and when it’s good it is great). This was really good. It comes burrying a plate of fries underneath and you can choose a different sauce from medium or hot. My boyfriend got the hot and it wasn’t even close- those who come from countries where hot means HOT, don’t be fooled. Hot here is rather tame. Adds a good spice. Did I mention this was REALLY, REALLY good (and I’m hard to please when it comes to beef- that’s what happens when you grow up in the bar-b-q and steak capital of the U.S….i.e. Kansas City, MO!)
One thing they added to the menu that I could not be more happy about (refer to my previous posts on being quite the health nut). They are taking a cue from the rest of the world by offering healthy options next to their more “filling” foods They have the Eat Well Chicken, Eat Well Wok and Eat Well Salad, promising less than 5% fat. It was lunch time and I’m typically not a heavy lunch eater so I went for the salad. Finland has never been a big salad place- it is really kind of pathetic what they call salad actually at the dinner table (few pieces of lettuce and tomatoes and cucumber). BUT, this salad was GREAT- the chicken made all the difference and the sauce was perfect.
Eat Well Salad with Chicken, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese (you can see the center section of toppings, this is what you have to choose from on the salad and other choices that reference “toppings.” Quite a large selection. I would order this every single time with zero reservation. It was GREAT and perfect for something a little light. The chicken pieces are rather generous too. My compliments to the chef!
Eat Well Wok- well everything can’t be perfect so I left this review for the end. I should begin with saying I didn’t try it BUT, it was the only item on the table that was not finished or talked about with big rave reviews. But, the person who ordered it, I have witnessed other things she has eaten and she does not appear to be a strict or picky eater by any means so her opinion I would probably agree with myself. The Eat Well Wok is similar to the salad- you pick toppings and it is then tossed together. What the diner stated that was unexpected was that it was tossed with pasta with no mention of pasta on the menu- knowing this might have affected her decision to order it- sometimes people just aren’t in the mood for pasta. But I would have to agree with this. Whenever you are going to use pasta, you must mention it and this might even be a benefit for them to call it a pasta dish with your selected toppings. Other than that, the spice smelled quite strong- maybe peppers. I’ll say again, I didn’t try it, I’m just a reviewing bystander so feel free to try it yourself.
So, that’s the food. Up next, a little about the remodel. Lordi Rocktaurant is under new ownership which has contributed to the amazingly good change in the menu and it is now opening up into the new Kauppakeskus Revontuli mall which is a perfect location especially with all of the foot traffic in this mall. The outisde of the restaurant from inside the mall opens up to a terrace for drinking coffee and perfect for a little break in between all the Christmas shopping going on right now. I hate to say it but it has such an American feel to it its scary. From my experience in Finland, the Finns have always been quite traditional people, not eating out much and eating at home and not big on eating and running, things seem to be slightly changing moving out and about, eating, shopping and moving. Still not as fast as the U.S. but things are changing. Below are some photos and video of the new design of Lordi Rocktaurant, enjoy.
Photo from outside looking into the Kauppakeskus Revontuli mall with tables for eating and drinking coffee.
Video from the inside and one looking out into Kauppakeskus Revontuli (sorry for the darkness but that’s Lordi- it’s just all REALLY dark)
So, overall, the place is great, it is a great, unique restaurant and I would recommend everyone to go who visits Rovaniemi, Finland. Not just because of the ambiance but the food really is quite good and there is something for absolutely everyone! For more information check out their website: http://www.rocktaurant.com/index2_en.html
Every time I come to Finland I work out at a local gym. I just can’t go more than two weeks without some type of exercise. The first couple of times I visited Finland I went to a gym that has in the past two years moved further away from downtown (can’t remember the exact name off the top of my head). But in May, 2007 and currently, we have a found a gym that is GREAT for short term stays (a few weeks) in Rovaniemi, Finland.
The gym is called Kuntokaruselli and it is located just a few blocks from the downtown center (Sampokeskus is straight and a quick left from the photo above) and you can view the line of the river from outside of the front door (directly on the other side of the street from the photo below. Here is a link to the exact map location (http://www.kuntokaruselli.com/yhteystiedot.htm)
What is great about this gym is for short term membership you can get a set of ten one time passes for 90€ for adults/ 70€for students (converted to dollars it is about $130/$100 as of Jan. 2, ’08). Last May, my boyfriend and I each bought a 10/day pass for 70€ each (we were here for about a month and worked out a couple times a week). And this time, because of Christmas, we only had about ten days for working out so we purchased one pack of 10 for 70€ and split it (5 passes each for $50 a piece- student prices).
This is such a great thing because every time before that I came it was always such a hassle to try and find a place to work out without paying the daily fee (about $12-$15 each time when converted to euros) and with this there is nothing to sign, you just pay, get your passes and give one each time you go. It is also a really good gym. You can view the website to see more (Finnish only: http://www.kuntokaruselli.com). For English readers: two treadmills, three bikes, couple of elliptical machines, free weights and machine weights and a stretching/floor exercise room along with locker rooms)
If you’re looking to exercise on a short term basis this place is GREAT!
http://finnishbistro.com/
2264 Como Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108 | 651.645.9181
In the St. Anthony Park area of Minneapolis there is a bakery style restaurant called the Finnish Bistro. When I came across this place about a month ago I knew it was some place my boyfriend (Finnish) would need to try as he is always looking for places to get the Finnish food he misses from home. So, a couple weeks ago we went over there for lunch to see what all they had to offer and let him get a taste of Finland.
Yeah, it isn’t Finnish, the name upsets me because inside, you have Marimekko table cloths and the potential “feel” of Finland but it isn’t Finnish. As you can see from the website they don’t even call themselves a Finnish place (hello, false advertise much!)
“The Finnish Bistro uses the highest quality ingredients to prepare authentic European cuisine.
Don’t be surprised, though, when the special weekly menu features a culinary trip out of the boundaries of Europe. You never know where your taste buds might travel!”
That is crap if you ask me, you call yourselves the Finnish Bistro and serve European food!? And on top of that, it wasn’t all that good. I’m not trying to give a negative review but on top of the let down of it not being Finnish (no Finnish pastries or breads, hell no Finnish coffee even!) the food was something out of a Bread Basket Cafe or Panera type of place..
Disappointing, go if you must but don’t got for Finnish food no matter what the name says!
So, Rovaniemi, Finland. There are a lot of things you need to try or see. You need to try cider, you need to get a big bag of candy, you need to experience the middle of winter when the sun doesn’t come up and the middle of summer when the sun doesn’t go down. But, over every thing else, you need to have Kotipizza. When I come to Finland this is on the top of my list. Forget Pizza Hut or Papa Johns or Dominos or any other place you get pizza! If wasn’t afraid the large billion dollar pizza market in the U.S. would crush a smaller pizza chain like Kotipizza I would be opening up franchises everywhere. It is a lighter pizza with a thinner crust (no pan or deep dish pizzas here) that wins you over with less cheese and more toppings. The crust is thinner than thin pizza but it is softer allowing the pizza to fold over. The topping combinations, however, are a little strange and you’ll be in for a treat if your palette is adventurous. my favorite combo is chicken, mushroom and pineapple (I added pepperoni before and it was also good). You can personalize any pizza the way you want but they have about 15 pizza combos that will not resemble your traditional fare. Tuna, blue cheese, reindeer, fried egg in the middle…little strange if you ask me. But, they look at our sausage and pepperoni as strange so I guess it is all relative.
I’m working on getting my hands on an Kotipizza English menu to upload but until then you can look at the pictures (or learn Finnish to understand it!) And if you ever find yourself in Finland, you must put this on your list!
Technorati Tags: Finland, Lapland, Restaurant, Rovaniemi
I have been in Rovaniemi, Finland for about three weeks working on my thesis as I lounge and enjoy the culture and I feel the need to mention a local coffee shop that has been home to some very productive work visits not to mention a great atmosphere for spending a Saturday night. The name of the place is Kauppayhtiö and it is in downtown Rovaniemi, Finland (I wrote it in the headline with and without the two dots over the o at the end so hopefully you’ll be able to find this review by searching it both ways- those of you who can’t type the o with two dots on your computer keyboard). It is located next to a Chinese Restaurant on Valtakatu street. The atmosphere is that of a retro themed cafe with old artifacts and memorabilia. You are greeted in the entry way by two old fashioned candy dispensers, you walk in and there are round tables with old, plastic, bucket chairs, you can find an ancient Playboy Pin Ball machine in the corner, an old juke box, old, organge and grey fuzzy couches, a pool table and tons of old memorabilia from Finland hanging on the walls and placed throughout the cafe. View the pictures below for a more visual experience:
Courtesy of flickr user yourbartender
Courtesy of flickr user orion
Something to note about why this place is so cool, in addition to the atmosphere and a really good menu selection, you can buy anything in the shop. the concept is set up that whatever isn’t nailed down is yours for a price. I had my eyes on an ancient looking teen magazine showcasing the talents of a former boy band member (no, I’m not gonna embarrass myself by saying it) but it was really tempting to buy. The tables, the couches, photos on the wall, magazines lying around…if you see something you like, ask the price!
I can’t talk a lot about the food because I only had coffee, red bull and yorgurt smoothies but I did see a ton of people buying the sandwiches that looked pretty good (If I didn’t have such good cooking to come home to each night I would have tried one myself!) The banana yogurt smoothies though are GREAT. And, it is one of the cheapest places to buy coffee compared to the rest of the city. One and a half euros gets you one cup that you can refill one time so it is like 75cents a cup and it was REALLY good.
The music was very indie, soft rock type of sound. I liked it a lot, had the classic, home feel of a coffee shop that is way too cool for its own good but you can’t help love it there. You have to try to really understand. For a mid to upper 20s and younger 30s it is a must but I saw a ton of older people in there at all hours so there is no limit on who can check it out. I went with some friends last night (about 10/10:30pm) and they had a DJ, lots of people coming in from graduation parties (last day of school in Finland was yesterday). Later into the night, the music got really loud but with the no smoking law going into effect last Thursday I had no reason to leave other than getting tired. Really, if you want a great, trendy, hip coffee shop, check out Kauppayhtiö. They have a HUGE ice cream selection if you aren’t sold yet!!
Technorati Tags: Finland, Restaurant
POSTED: NEW, 2008 Lordi Rocktaurant Review after the remodel and new chef
I’ve now seen everything. A couple nights ago I went to the new Rovaniemi Restaurant called Lordi’s Rocktaurant. Those who aren’t familiar with the group (which I wasn’t until my 80s hair band fanatic of a boyfriend educated me on this type of music) Lordi is a Finnish band from Rovaniemi who won the Eurovision competition in 2006 and will be on the Ozzfest tour this summer. About six months ago they opened up a restaurant in Rovaniemi, Finland that is really a sight to see- it’s like nothing I have ever seen before. Below you’ll find a review of this restaurant (or should I say Rocktaurant) as well as photos. You can view more photos of the restaurant on my flickr account.
Review:
The Atmosphere: This is the main reason for people to come. It is really like no other place. You walk in to the restaurant and are greeted by 80s music (both good and bad depending on your taste in music) and a bunch of scary mannequins of the band members. The tables were like knights and castles type of feeling. (the photos help describe this) There is no hostess or waiter to greet you, you just walk in and pick a seat. The bar downstairs was really cool but it wasn’t open yet. We just walked around. Kind of a basement type area with lots of band photos and memorabilia on the walls- all stuff out of the 80s. (Matti was quite at home) They serve cider so I’m on board. But, again, it wasn’t open.
The Service: One important thing to note, if you are American and used to the fast pace of our restaurant and service industry you’ll be caught off guard. Finland is not a big eating out culture the way we are in the U.S.- you just have to be patient and go with it. You will get your food! That being said. Waiters don’t come serve you but rather you pick up a menu and are given specific instructions on the table to walk up and place your order when you’re ready. This is just my opinion but this seems to be more of laziness of the employees than doing us a service…but that could also be my American restaurant going background. The place was not busy in the least and at a sit down restaurant I would never expect to get up and place my order…again, these are my opinions
Monster’s Disco Hell Bar (downstairs)
The Menu/Food: You can view on the website the full menu but just a review on what we all ordered. (there was English on the menu which was a plus!) You order your meal and you pick a sauce. This process of sauce picking was not explained well. I was not aware of what my sauce was for- the chicken, the salad, on top, on the side. I got the chicken and ordered tomato sauce because it was the only one that I recognized next to Garlic (and again, I didn’t know how it was going to be served). The chicken was great but it is not meant to be served with tomato sauce! I could eat it but will never do that again. The salad had peppers, onions, etc. in it. Matti and his friend ordered the kebabs which they LOVED- both licked their plates clean! Another one of our friends ordered the flat bread- the consensus around the table was that it had no taste. I didn’t try it but they all said it just didn’t taste like anything- not bad, not good, just no flavor (heavy air I called it). Pricing on the items was cheap compared to other restaurants in Finland- our total bill for the chicken and Matti’s Kebab was about 23 euros ($26 or so). We were full but I wasn’t stuffed. Matti and his friend with their kebabs were STUFFED! Oh and your salad can be served on a plate or in a skull bowl like I have below…
Location: I would say the biggest struggle this place will experience is a small location. Rovaniemi is a rather small city and the band is not quite at the level of stardom to have people coming from all over to experience the restaurant experience. though the band is from the town, after a while the atmosphere will not be able to drive customers…it will rest on food and service which…I don’t think will do it. After you get past the atmosphere (which I still haven’t) it is just a regular place with okay food.
Overall: For a tourist it is a must because it is just so crazy inside and a real visual experience. They need to improve service and food offerings for it to make it.
If you had a different (better or worse) experience feel free to post a comment. My boyfriend loved it because he loved the food, he’s local and loves that type of music (and the lead singer is an good friend of his brother’s). His review would probably be different. So, take it as you will and if you go…take a camera!!
For more information about Lordi’s Rocktaurant view my flickr photos and my video page for more visuals!
You can also:
- LEAVE A COMMENT on Frozen-Reindeer about your experiences at the restaurant
- View the Rocktaurant website
Hei Hei and Hyvaa Ruokahalua (Bon Appetit!)
Technorati Tags: Finland, Lapland, Lordi, Finnish Food, Restaurant, Rocktaurant, Rovaniemi, Travel
So, Rovaniemi, Finland is home to some GREAT food. I love reindeer stew, I LOVE Finnish pastries and I LOVE GoldenCap cider. But, for someone who might not travel often or be very adventurous with food in foreign countries you’ll be happy to know that, at least for Americans, there are some “domestic” offerings in terms of food. One of which just came to town- Subway (hot and cold sandwiches for those who haven’t had it). Apparently, Helsinki has had Subway for a little while but it has just made its way north to Rovaniemi. We’ve been twice now. Food tastes the same it might just be a while before they reach the speed of service!
In addition to Subway, you can also have the opportunity to eat at the northern most McDonald’s in the world. From previous experience the food is definitely healthier (you can’t smell the sweet aroma of greasy french fries as you walk in) But…if you’re itching for a small taste of the golden arches and are interested in a very authentic home of Santa Claus environment (check out the antlers on the wall), McDonald’s in Rovaniemi, Finland is the place- the coffee is pretty good too!
Technorati Tags: Rovaniemi Subway, Rovaniemi, Rovaniemi McDonald’s
