Tasting the Great MN Get-Together

by: Amelia Cameron

I hope you are all like me and are eagerly awaiting the next Taste Buds meeting.  It feels like so long since the ice cream excursion.  Oh it was fun!!!  It's really too bad we cannot do these more often...I mean come on, what is better than eating yummy food with wonderful girl friends?!?!?  Not too many things let me tell you.

You may have guessed by our poll what our next tasting is centered around...oh yeah and I guess the title of this posting gave it away too.  The Taste Buds are heading to the MN State Fair.  In the olden days the fair was about buying and selling farm gear, entering your best jam to hopefully win the blue ribbon, and a chance to catch up with distant friends.  Nowadays, lets be honest...it's about eating, Eating, EATING(.... and maybe a good Boyz 2 Men reunion).  What a better place to showcase the Taste Buds' refined culinary taste buds than at the fair!!!

One thing that we realized when planning our State Fair Addition of the Taste Buds is that we were going to be hard pressed to find one "dish" that is replicated by multiple vendors.  That is what we Minnesotans love about State Fair, its eating variety!  What is usually a heaven sent, caused a bit of a problem for us girls.  After much deliberation we decided that we were to gear the State Fair Addition to general tasting.  We are going to do less of a "contest" and more of a "review."  The Taste Buds will taste a wide variety of items on Tuesday, August 31st and report back to you on our findings.

I am very excited to engross myself in the Great Minnesota Get-Together (heck, it's only here for two weeks out of the year), eat until my hearts content and my tummy is bursting (amazingly that happens about the same time) and mostly, I cannot wait to spend time with my dear fellow Taste Buds!!!

Until then....Happy Tasting!!!

The Straight Split Scoop: Taste Buds do Ice Cream!

Betsy here. Let me begin by stating the facts: Ice cream is delicious. It's great!  It comes in tons of flavors, it's cold and creamy and refreshing, it's sweet, satisfying, and totally addicting.  It's ICE CREAM. It's automatically the best.  

So if you are a professional ice cream maker--if you make a living inventing delicious ice cream flavors and selling them to us, the grateful public--you are also automatically the best.  So before I get all critical here, let me just say - THANK YOU!!  You are making the world a tastier place.  To quote one of my favorite songs*, "Ice cream is going to save the day!"  And on many days, for me personally, it has!  Ice cream and ice cream makers are the best.  This is established.

But our job as the Taste Buds is to find out who the best-best is, and we begrudgingly sacrificed ourselves to find this out for all of you--residents of the Twin Cities.  So - in advance, you're welcome.

This time, we took the tasting to the streets! 

FIRST - CONTEXT

Our group was down a blonde member this time around - we missed you, Shalee!  Vanessa (our host) very kindly drove.  Our plan was to hit the five most famous, most respected house-made ice cream spots in the Twin Cities: Izzy's Ice Cream, the Grand Ole Creamery, Pumphouse Creamery, Crema Cafe (Sonny's) and Sebastian Joe's. There were definitely more places we wanted to visit (Edina Creamery, DQ :)) - but our time and appetites were limited, so we narrowed it down to the very best.

WHAT exactly we should taste to evaluate an ice cream makers' skill was a complex question--mostly because we all love ice cream so much and we really wanted our evaluation to be of the quality of the ice cream itself, knowing that there was no way we could evaluate all the flavors.  Here's what we decided:

1 - Pre-tasting evaluation--before we tasted, we evaluated the following:

**Price (for a single split scoop, or however we could try two flavors)

**Appearance/Presentation

**Location of Shop

**Ambiance of Shop

**Variety of Choices

**Quality of ingredients

After tasting, we evaluated:
**Initial taste
**Creaminess
**Uniqueness of taste
**Will we be back?
**Sweetness
**Firmness
**Cookie distribution (I'm getting to that...)

Ultimately, we decided to taste vanilla at each shop. I know!  Outcry! Uproar! But here's what we were thinking: vanilla is like the first step as an ice cream maker. It's square one.  It's the basis for so many other flavors!  If you can't make a good vanilla, I imagine it's pretty hard to make other flavors well. And, by tasting vanilla, we could evaluate the quality of the ice cream itself.

But we wanted to see how each ice cream maker handled their delicious flavors too - after all, how they distribute toppings in their flavors is definitely a big part of the ice cream experience.  So we picked a flavor most places would have - cookies and cream - and got a half-scoop of that, too, so we could get a sense of their approach to flavors in general. It totally worked out.

First stop: IZZY's in Saint Paul!

(Guys, this is serious)

Izzy's Ice Cream is located on Marshall and Cleveland in Saint Paul.  They got big points for presentation (beautiful scoop! great branding!), and we all agreed that the Izzy scoop is a brilliant, brilliant idea. For those of you who are unfamiliar, every time you get a scoop or two at Izzy's, you also get to choose a flavor for an izzy scoop - a little baby scoop on top!  It's awesome - it kind of feels like a little bonus, and you get to try a new flavor if you want.

The shop is totally focused on the ice cream. They have gazillions of flavors (both weird ones--like dark chocolate zinfandel and hot brown sugar--and old favorites). There's a drinking fountain and napkins everywhere and seating inside and out. We weren't crazy about the lineup layout (you have to awkwardly squeeze through and walk around the line to get in line to order) and the shop is a little off the beaten path, but the place was welcoming, smelled deliciously of waffle cones, and the staff was friendly. And they source all the ingredients they can locally, which we love!

Izzy's vanilla was solid. Creamy and not too sweet. There was some discussion in the group of it tasting a bit generic - like something you could get at the grocery store - and Vanessa got an ice chunk (oh no!), but overall, we were pleased. The Oreo izzy scoop had big chunks of cookie and plenty of them.  Amanda wasn't a superfan of the ice cream at this place, but she didn't hate it either - the ice cream just wasn't quite sweet enough or unique enough for her taste, but 3 of 4 of us said we would definitely be back with friends. 

Next, we were off to the Saint Paul-est of ice cream shops, the Grand Ole Creamery!

Grand Ole Creamery has got this ice cream thing DOWN. The line was huge-looking when we got there - but they worked it like a pro and we were sitting down with our treat in no time.  The place is totally 100% old-school ice cream shop favorite--wood floors, peppy staff, hand-written flavor signs.  Here's how walking in made us feel (Ameigh is especially loving it!):

The shop is located right on Grand Ave in Saint Paul (everyone knows where it is!) and is a frequent day and late-night treat spot. They've got lots of flavors--all the old favorites--but none that we noticed were too weird/creative. Here's Ameigh about to see how huge our scoop was (yay!):

OK, evaluation time:

Like I said, the split-scoop serving was gargantuan!  Wowza!  And it was only $4.50, which is not bad at all.  First taste was a knockout - and the consistency was right on.  The vanilla here was pretty darn sweet, which for some of us was awesome, and some of us didn't especially like as much.  But we all agreed that we would definitely be back.

There were a few drawbacks, though. We learned while we were there that although Grand Ole does make all their ice cream, their ingredients come largely from a large national food distributor (not to be named here, but it rhymes with "risko") and they don't really source locally at all, which disappointed some of us.  And - overall, we weren't crazy about the cookies and cream.  The cookies tasted a little "fake." But overall, a very solid performance. You stay classy, Grand Ole Creamery.


Our third stop was the Pumphouse Creamery in South Minneapolis.

The Pumphouse Creamery was the only shop none of the four of us had been to before. And it's adorable!  Seriously, you guys. Check this place out. It's nestled into a super cute south Minneapolis neighborhood (48th and Chicago - near Pepito's and the Parkway Theater), squeezed in next to a wood-fire pizza place. And there was a parking lot! Big bonus.  First (and only!) parking lot of the day.

We were pretty impressed with Pumphouse because of their hyper-local, super-green, socially conscious focus. They had photos of the farms that raise the dairy cows who make the milk from which the ice cream was made ON THE WALL!  They even get their fruit from local farms. Their fair trade chocolate was sourced from a local chocolatier... and they served us our scoops in Greenware!  Biodegradable!  Seriously, you guys. Shut up. You're frickin adorable.

The inside of the shop was really clean and simple (which some of us loved, some not so much), and they didn't have tons of flavors, but a good mix of favorites and creative/weird options (Sunflower Butter! Local Buckwheat Honey! Rogue Chocolate using Hispaniola!). There wasn't really any seating, though - and the shop was kind of tucked away. But overall, we liked it.

The scoops, however, were a little (I stress - a LITTLE) disappointing.  First, they were small. The consistency was less creamy than others, and the ice cream wasn't super sweet (which again - some loved, some hated - choose your own adventure). The cookie ice cream (with Newman O's) didn't get high marks either.  Pumphouse didn't win the day (they came in 4th place - but remember 4th the best!!), but they did certainly win Vanessa's heart, as they were her #1 at the end of the day.  And we were all really impressed with their philosophy and creativity. So shine on, you crazy diamond!

4th stop was Crema Cafe - which serves Sonny's Ice Cream - in Uptown:

This place wowed us with its classiness. I mean - check Ameigh out - she's a total supermodel in there by that lit-up ice cream case!  They are located in uptown, south of Lake Street on Lyndale, have lovely signage and lots of beautiful garden seating that makes you feel like you're enjoying a lovely afternoon in a bistro in rural Italy or something.  Ambiance got high marks all around... except one of us thought it looked more like a coffee shop or wine bar than an ice cream shop (can't remember who - Vanessa, I think?). But hey - we got a sweet table to enjoy our scoop.

Three more things about the shop: 1 - Their ice cream is organic and largely local. Awesome! 2 - Their flavors were tantalizing. Rhubarb! Black Pepper Cardamom! We all wanted to try a bunch of them. 3 - You pay for the classy atmosphere. Crema wins for most expensive treat of the day.

On to the scoops!  The vanilla bean we all agreed was about the right amount of sweetness.... but other than that, none of us were super impressed. Creaminess, consistency, uniqueness, cookie distribution, initial impression - all got pretty average marks. Sorry guys! I know - there are tons of Sonny's club members out there - and it was good, but it wasn't great! What else can I say... Crema got 3rd place.  Beautiful shop! I'll be back for the rhubarb next time..

Sebastian Joe's was our last stop of the day:

Sebastian Joe's is on Hennepin and Franklin, right there in the fray of Uptown. The line at Seb Joe's was looooooooooonnnnnnnnnnggggggg and full of hip folks!! But it went pretty fast.  As you all probably know, they've got bunches of flavors - both unique and classic - and the staff there didn't really know much about the ingredients, but they were super helpful and gave us the manager's number, which we appreciated.

They layout of the shop wasn't super satisfactory - as again, you had to walk in and through the line to find the end, but they have tons of seating, both inside and out. 

About the tasting - first, we all loved the Oreo. Best Oreo of the day for sure! Other than that, sorry SJoes - we just weren't super impressed. The vanilla wasn't particularly remarkable or memorable, really.  It just didn't knock our socks off. And though most of us agreed that we'd definitely be back (and maybe Seb Joes would dominate on the flavors ... that's another tasting question entirely), in our tasting, they came in last place. But last place of ice cream makers!!! Remember?


So - who was the winner!??? Izzy's - the new Saint Paul kid? Or Grand Ole Creamery - the classic that never goes out of style!!!!?????

Drumroll.

Izzy's took the day!   Congratulations, Jeff and the Izzy's crew!  You are the best ice cream shop in the Twin Cities!  You've got a swell shop and tasty ice cream there. The TC Taste Buds salute you!

Next, we're off to the state fair - to find the best FRIES.  Any stops you suggest? Leave a comment or suggestion... we'd love to hear it!

Until then - go eat tons of ice cream.  For us!
xoxo

Betsy


*Check out the song "Ice Cream" by Muscles. Right now! Do it!

We'll Be Tasting and Posting Soon!

post by: Amelia Cameron

Hello all!

Do not think we have forgotten about tasting!  The ladies and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our ice cream adventure June 27th.  It actually had to be pushed back due to scheduling conflicts, but it will be upon us sooner than we think.  This tasting will be our first road trip tasting.  Ice cream is hard to transport, so we thought better to transport US TO the ice cream.  What yummy fun we will have!  We will have a posting up soon after the ice cream tasting, chalked full of opinions and photos.

Happy Eating!

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie…

That’s AMORE!

Seriously. What is better than pizza? Maybe ice cream (we’ll see YOU, ice cream, in a month or so), but really, I doubt it. Pizza pretty much has everything I’m looking for in a life partner…I mean, uh, a delicious food option. It’s cheesy. It is warm. It has tons of flavor. It’s cheesy. It’s crunchy. It’s cheesy. And it’s cheesy.

We were all delighted to find Betsy very well prepared for the event with red and white checkered plates and accessories. Each pizza joint had a piece of paper with all that would be necessary for us each to get to ordering. Amusingly, each joint had a slogan. Ya know, something cute like, “best around,” or “cute delivery boys” (that one didn’t exist, but should have) or the best slogan - Dominos… “Now hiring.”

I didn’t really know what to expect going into this challenge and was pleased with the local pizzeria options. The places tested included (alphabetical order):

                     Carbone's Pizza
                     Domino's
                     Parkway Pizza
                     Pizza Luce
                     Sarpino's
                     Uptown Pizza

Sarpino’s was a last minute entry as Derekino’s (or some equally as lame-named place) wasn’t open. I would like to relate Sarpino’s Pizza to Tim Urban on American Idol this season. He didn’t make the initial top 12 cut, but someone dropped out and…wah-lah! Tim Urban/Sarpino's is IN! However, he really wasn’t that good. He (and Sarpino’s) just did not step up to the 2nd chance opportunity. Not the worst, but defiantly not the best. Heck, not really even in the middle. You really missed your chance here, Sarpino's....

Not a real shocker, but Domino’s was the looser. However, the pizza guy did let us take his picture and I really like that about him. To me he looks like a character in a Disney movie. Like a spell had been cast upon the Domino’s and they all turned into animals. The spell has now been undone somehow (perhaps with the welcoming of the new crust) and his mouse-self just spun in a veil of red and blue smoke and he returned to his human form. Even with their new crust – it just couldn’t compare to the others. The thing is, visually speaking; it was the most put together and enticing pie. The flavor just didn’t match up to its good looks. Domino’s is the really hot, stupid chick. Lots of people buy Domino’s, but when they really get to eat it, they find out it’s just kind of dumb. You’ll probably order Domino’s again because it’s easy and looks good when you’re drunk, but it’s not a lasting relationship.

The belt of our pizza competition was Uptown Pizz and Pizza luce. Eh.

Now, to the top spots! There was something like a .5 difference in scores between the one and two spots. Parkway Pizza and Carbone’s were both a joy. I feel that Carbone’s had a little help going into the race because of some pre existing love of the place. It stepped up to the expectations and with its stretchy cheese and crisp crust just about made it! It just couldn’t pull through though as it was the most sloppily put together pizza and for some people in the group that was a bit of a turn off.

The winner was Parkway Pizza.  Being that it’s in the Betsy/Justin neighborhood, they are frequent patrons of this establishment; but I do not feel there was any nepotism happening. I think it truly was the best tasting pizza.

I regret that I do not have the notes handy to tell you all about all aspects of the pizza test. I would like to point out to those wondering of our scoring system, that because this was a delivery test, delivery time/heat of pie/etc. were all factored into our scores. Please note: Pizza Luce; although low on the list, was the only pizza that was early and received a bonus point for said arrival time. I believe most of the other joints were towards the end of their given time windows or late. Those that were late did receive a one point deduction.

Final results:

            1st - Parkway Pizza

            2nd - Carbone's Pizza

            3rd - Uptown Pizza

           4th - Pizza Luce

           5th - Sarpino's

            6th - Domino's

And finally, I would just like to thank the universe for providing us with pizza. I had it for breakfast this morning.

See you soon ice cream. We’ve got our eyes on you…

shalee.

weeeee're baaaaack....

by amelia cameron:

april 17th is the next meeting for the taste buds. we will be eating pizza at betsy's house. although the blog voting poll does not close for another 5 days, pizza was a clear winner. any input on scoring subjects? crust, cheese, cooked-ness, sauce, size, price, visual appeal...what am i missing?

taste ya later!

the birth of the taste buds

by amelia cameron:

i was reading the book "The Gastronomy of Marriage" and in it the main character tastes a bunch of cupcakes to help her future sister-in-law write a "Best of New York" column. i thought A. "i LOVE cupcakes!" B. "i would love to be able to eat lots of different cupcakes at the same time." C. "i would love to share this experience with my closest girl friends!" so, i immediately sent out an email to manda, shalee, betsy and vanna declaring that i was going on a search for the best cupcake in the twin cities and i wanted them to join me.
we set the date for today, february 28, 2010 at 3:30pm. the morning of, i drove all over the twin cities and it's southern suburbs collecting cupcakes. i stopped at 10 bakeries (2 did not carry cupcakes) and purchased 16 cupcakes (one chocolate and one vanilla [except cafe latte, they were out of their vanilla]) i also created a scoring sheet, as well as collected fun cupcake facts and cupcake-esque parting gifts for my guests.
shalee arrived at 3pm, (very punctual!) and helped me set the scene. i set out eight plates each with a bakery name and the price of each cupcake after tax. shalee excitedly placed the cupcakes on their plates as i cut fruit to be served with the cupcakes "to cleanse the palate". i brewed some coffee and set out milk and wine (my adorable husband got "Cupcake" brand wine for the event).
a little after 3:30pm vanna and betsy arrived and soon after that manda arrived. we were ready! we got all of our beverages together and got acquainted with the competing cupcakes. cafe latte, french meadow bakery, a baker's wife, starbucks, sweets, cupcake, the salty tart, and YUM! were all in the running for "The Best Cupcake in the Twin Cities." they were to be judged upon size, visual appeal, price, cake taste, cake moistness, frosting taste, and frosting consistency, then followed by an overall rating, ranging from 1-5.
over the next hour and a half the cupcakes were cut into pieces, scored and heavily discussed. as we were in the midst of the tasting, we decided that we should do this again and again, but with other foods...we should become a group of local food critics...we should award the unsuspecting shops with awards when they win...we should start a blog...we should be called "The Taste Buds." and here we are.
this blog will be run by all 5 of us. when we post we will start it with our names, so you know which perspective you are getting. we will continue our tasting around the twin cities and it's suburbs and tell you all about it. some ideas for the future: pizza, french fries, cookies, egg rolls, ice cream, nachos, mozzarella sticks, and cesar salads. sometimes we will host the tastings at our homes, sometimes in food courts, sometimes it will be a traveling taste fest! the taste buds are not putting ourselves into any well manicured, super structured box. we are just going to eat and tell you about it!


by the way, cafe latte was the winner of the taste buds' cupcake award. we are going to send them a thank you note for making the best cupcakes in the twin cities and give them a very descriptive and important sounding award certificate that they can display, if they see fit.