Historic Bloody @ Rudolph's

This Sunday afternoon I had the treat of having lunch with my grandmother at Rudolph's on Franklin and Lyndale. I got to hear all of her great stories of Life as a working woman in 1940's Minneapolis, from working the flour mills, riding the streetcars from end to end, dance halls, working at the ammunition plant, and even V-day after WWII on the streets of Minneapolis!! Rudolph's is by far the best place for ribs in all of Minneapolis, maybe even Minnesota! The't ribs aren't to saucy but just right with a lil of a dry rub and Rudolph's signature BBQ sauce. I got the 'Bruce Wayne,' a half rack of ribs and a half of a chicken with a side of asparagus and a Ceaser salad. It was a whole lotta grub but I couldn't help but lick my plate clean and then move onto devouring my grandmother's side of cornbread!! Just can't get enough of this place! SOOO good!

and of course nothing goes better with a gluttonous portion of ribs and chicken then a spicy bloody mary!!

Rudolph's Bloody

This bodacious bloody is another bloody with a smoky twist, which is something I really like!! The smoky flavor adds a whole new level of complexity to your standard bloody. In addition to the smoke there is also a just right amount of tongue tickling spice!! There were visible spices in the bloody but it went down very smooth. Garnished with two olives a lime slice, and a FULL stalk of celery (beer chaser included)!! I

gave grandma a taste of the Rudolph's bloody,

but she doesn't handle spice to well! Luckily we had the full piece of celery so she could cool down!

I definitely recommend this bloody and the ribs, Check it out!!!

Spicy Bloody @ Palmer's Bar West Bank

If you haven't been to Palmer's Bar on the West Bank then you haven't lived!!! From the outside Palmer's doesn't seem to promising but don't let that fool you it is a Minneapolis hidden gem that needs to be discovered by all! It is a great neighborhood bar with tons of regulars and a very friendly staff! I had the pleasure of meeting the bar owner while I was in last Saturday for a late night bloody with a couple friends from home, she was great to chat with and really made me feel welcome @ Palmer's. Also one of my favorite bartenders, Seneca, works at Palmer's usually the late evening shift, also great to talk to and another reason Palmer's is one of the friendliest neighborhood bars around! ( and boy can she make a great spicy bloody!!) In addition to a great staff and great vibe (don't be afraid to bust a move anywhere in this bar, in fact i think it's encouraged as the night progresses) Palmer's has a large patio with ample seating and best of all a bonfire pit, theres nothing I like more than waking up smelling like bonfire smoke the next morning after a night out! MMMMM makes me feel like i'm in the northwoods.

Spicy Bloody @ Palmer's

Palmer's has a bloody good deal on bloody's!!! This amazingly spicy and smooth bloody rang in at $5.50 beer chaser included, quite a steal for the superb flavor and great atmosphere at Palmer's!! If you have the pleasure of having your bloody crafted by Seneca you will be asked how spicy you want your bloody, I said "gimme a 6 outta 10 on the spicyness scale" the spice in this bloody is a result of horseradish and a generous helping of Tabasco - and you can have it as spicy or tame as you would like, my amount of spicy was nearly perfect but next time i'm going for fully uninhibited spicy next time!! This bloody was garnished simply with a pickle spear and salted rim, olives are available, but like myself , my favorite West Bank bartender is quite squeamish when it comes to olives and usually leaves them out!! Some of you may say "How can the bloody blogger not like olives!?!?" and to that I really can't say much, they have given me the heeby geeby's since day one! but don't be afraid to ask for some olives here because the friendly staff will be more than happy to grab you a couple.

The Big Pickle Bloody @ Pracna on Main

Last Wednesday I had a patio bloody with some friends at Pracna on old Main Street, I was hoping for a great bloody since Pracna is "the oldest restaurant on the oldest street in Minneapolis." The big pickle is one kitschy bloody with no real soul, ringing in at a total of $6.50 ( usually not a bad price, but for what i got..) The only garnish on this bloody was the monster pick with collectible button stabbed into it ( only good part of this bloody!! ) The mix was very lackluster and almost sweet, it would be safe to say it was just plain tomato juice and vodka, C'mon give me some spice, some Tabasco, some horseradish, anything!! I wouldn't recommend this bloody to all you bloody enthusiasts out there!!

Despite having a undesirable bloody Pracna does have one of the best patios and locations in Minneapolis, Situated alongside the Mississippi in the Historic St. Anthony Main District; with a great view of the river, downtown, and not to mention the running and biking trail!!!!

Detox Cheat Day Bloody @ Green Mill Uptown

Hello bloody enthusiasts,

I know it's been a while since we've last connected, but I've been on a health and academically motivated 10 day cigarette and alcohol detox program!!! It's been tough despite a few relapses and a cheat day or two, the detox has had a positive effect on my academic career, my sleep schedule , and my overall health! It was an interesting experience but I'm ready to get back to bloody adventures! In celebration of being out of detox I mixed up some deliciously spicy and perfectly over garnished hand-crafted-homemade bloody mary's and roasted up an 18lb turkey to share with friends!! (oh can't forget two chilly kegs of Busch Light) Another project I am going to be working on is a Bacon infused vodka, thinking of adding some fried red onions to the mix as well to add a lil complexity?? We'll see after a couple weeks of marinating!!

Now time for my latest bloody

Green Mill Bloody

I was meeting a friend in uptown for a bloody and some apps last Thursday, we met at Green Mill on Hennipen avenue which was her recommendation for a great spicy bloody, and oh was she right!! I was a lil hesitant to do a chain restaurant bloody, thinking that it couldn't be very good but, I was pleasantly surprised! this bloody was moderately spicy and would please someone who is just beginning to develop their taste and tolerance for spicy bloody's yet still spicy enough to please any spicy bloody lover!! Beer back included, now lets talk about garnishes, CHEESE !! This particular bloody was garnished with two 1 inch squared cubes of both cheddar and swiss cheeses, wrapped in salami and pepperoni slices, held together by a pickle on one end and an olive on the other! topped off with a half stalk of celery leaves and all, which made for a rather eye pleasing presentation!! (talk about some bloody eye candy) This is the first bloody i've tried in uptown and can't wait to try more, but I would definitely recommend the green mill bloody especially on a weekday afternoon, it was very quiet and a great place to grab a seat at the bar and have lunch and a bloody with a friend or two!!

Of course I have to mention the food, we ordered The nachos, spicy boneless wings, and CHEESE CURDS!! everything was really tasty, but the cheese curds were worth raving about! Lightly battered and fried served with marinara and spicy ranch sauce, served as quite a hefty portion and perfect for a tapas style lil lunch!!!

Stay tuned for some pics of the Bacon infused vodka!!

St. Patty's Day Bloody @ Burger Moe's

Burger Moe's Bloody

This is the first St. Paul bloody yet! There was no other place better to be

enjoying the beautiful weather on St. Patrick's day than in St. Paul. It took me a while to get this post up because I've spent the last day and a half in recovery! Our quest Thursday morning for a bloody and a burger brought us to Burger Moe's on West 7th Street. The first thing you notice about this particular establishment is the absolutely amazing patio, bright colors and multiple fire pits including one

gas fire pit with flames lapping at blue glass pieces as the centerpiece (be careful to not try and light a cigarette using this fire feature, I had to learn that the hard way).They also have another bar off the patio in a little shack - I'm definitely excited about coming back here this summer. To top off the best patio in St. Paul, there were Jello shots and corned beef sandwiches for sale on the patio to celebrate St. Patrick's! We opted to try one of the famous burgers and pair with a round of bloody's for a proper bloody toast or as they say in Gaelic "slàinte" ! One of the best

places to grab a burger and a bloody I would say! I ordered the "Denny Burger", which is a bacon cheeseburger topped with a fried egg, so it counts as breakfast too. Now for the bloody - garnished with 2 olives, a lime wedge, and by far the best bloody pickle I've had so far when it comes to garnishes (the best is to wait till the end of the bloody to eat the pickle so it is all soaked with flavor and vodka!!!). Although there was no salted rim (possibly because of the plastic cups for St. Patty's day) the mix was amazing, not too spicy but just enough for the spice lovers. The mix was also a lil chunky with visible flakes of pepper and other spices, and can't forget beer chaser included.

For 5.75$ this bloody classifies as a value bloody, packing both punch and phenomenal flavor!!

Hope everybody else enjoyed the holiday, until next time.

1st patio bloody of the season @ Burrito Loco

Smokey Bloody

March sixteenth and the snow is mostly melted...at least on the patios of Minneapolis bars! We were so excited to find a patio open today, and then to our delight our server went on to inform us that we were the very first group to utilize the patio this entire season!! first patio bloody and first patio goers all year!!!!I was in Dinkytown area for a friend's birthday, so we headed to B-loc's for a celebratory bloody and a shot of, what else, but Windsor Canadian Whiskey! I was completely floored to find this bloody to be delivered void of any garnishes or salted rim. Question Mark?? I also had to ask for the beer chaser...? Lowpoints aside, this b-loc bloody has flabbergasted my tastebuds beyond belief. If there was a sun-dried tomato-based tomato juice, then that must be what they have at b-loc's (even though I can only imagine extracting juice from a sun-DRIED tomato would be prohibitivley difficult). This bloody had a smooth, mildly spicy flavor with a hint of smokeyness, and the perfect undertone of vine-ripened tomaotes. Also something I happen to really appreciate: the visual evidence of celery seeds rather than celery salt.

On flavor alone this bloody was simply TDF (to die for), and despite the lack of salted rim and granishes, I can definitely stand behind this bloody. Although I did not order food during this sitting, I can say from experince that a fat burrito from b-loc's would have gone stunningly alongside of this robust bloody mary.

Please excuse me for not paying close attention to the tab today--I was a little over the top and didn't make sure to total the price of this particular bloody, but instead the entire tab: 1 bloody and 1 shot of Canadian Winsdor ran me 11.30$

Tame Bloody @ Joe's Garage

After an exhausting day at Mall of America and a quick stop at my favorite Minneapolis men's boutique - MartinPatrick3 , I was in need of something to quench my insatiable thirst for bloody mary's. Seeing as I had in my possession a LivingSocial coupon for Joe's Garage, thats where I ended this rainy Tuesday afternoon. To tell the truth I think I expected too much and this bloody was not able to deliver. Despite really coming through on two major aspects, included beer chaser (although it tasted a little bottom of the barrel) and an appetizing garnish skewer, it really lacked in the spice department; in fact it had no spice at all! If you're someone whose tastebuds are a lil more tame than most bloody enthusiasts I know, than this could very well be your bloody. One thing that really excited me about this bloody though, was the inclusion of a pearly white cocktail onion, as I am particularly partial to onions of all shapes and sizes. It got me to thinking that I would really like to see red onions in a bloody.. recipe idea! stay posted for that!

This bloody came in at the very affordable price of 5$, so if no spice and pricepoint are important to you this could be your bloody, but not for me.

Although the bloody was an average joe, the food far surpassed it. I ordered the mashed potatoes a la carte with creamy chipotle sauce, asparagus, and grilled bratwurst. The dish was perfect with just enough garlic, just enough spice, and perfectly cooked asparagus, still a lil crunchy just how I like them! I also split the asian inspired chicken salad with my shopping partner and mother, we both really enjoyed the salad and a perfect portion to split!