How to Spend Two Great Days in Minneapolis
Juicy Travels
If you’re a regular follower of the Tipsy Housewife Facebook page you might have seen that I recently took a business trip to Minneapolis. If you’re not a regular follower of the Tipsy Housewife page then you should fix that and join a great community!
Anyway, it may have been a business trip but I managed to pack in a lot of pleasure as well… does that sound weird? I just meant like, you know when people ask “business or pleasure…”
Never mind, you get it LOL.
Anyway, I had a lot of followers ask me about how I traveled, where I stayed and, OF COURSE, what I ate.
Since you all seemed to enjoy my travel tales from Mexico and Disney World, I figured I’d keep it up with my magical journey through Minneapolis.
Little Plane, Big Dreams
The flight from Chicago to Minneapolis was a short one on a little plane. I had never been to the area of O’Hare that it departed from.
It had its own Admiral’s Club that I had the chance to check out instead of the Flagship Admirals Club that I normally hang at when flying American Airlines. This one had a nice Greek mac and cheese and delicious coffee and desserts.
I had the pleasure of a single row first class seat. I flew first class once and now my royal bottom simply can NOT touch a coach seat!
Look, I have the points anyway and it’s not like I can spend them on milk or dog food. I’m just being responsible!
Touchdown, Minneapolis
The trip from the airport to the hotel couldn’t have been easier. There is a specific area for “app-based ride services” at Terminal 1.
You can follow signs to that area if you’re looking to be picked up by an Uber of Lyft.
I stayed at the Marquette Hotel, part of the Hilton Curio Collection. I booked a King Deluxe room and it was massive!
The furniture was a bit nicked up and dingy but the bed was incredibly comfy and the rest of the room was nice. Truly the Marquette Hotel Minneapolis is a place of contrasts.
Get to the Food!
OK, I know what you’re all here for. I was planning to get dinner with my cousin so I decided to have a little pre-supper snack at the hotel lounge.
I enjoyed some refreshing chilled wine and truffle fries while I waited for her to arrive. Once she did we made our way to Manny’s Steakhouse, a Minneapolis icon.
A lot of steakhouses will brag about how they select their cattle or age their beef. Manny’s is one of the few that can say they have their own unique bull.
Manny’s worked with a breeder to select a bull named “American Made” which provided the raw materials for the cattle they use for their stakes. I’m not a rancher, but they definitely did something right!
The service was amazing! They managed to keep up with us even though we may have ordered just a little too much food for a football team.
Still, we rose to the challenge!
We started off with beef carpaccio, caprese salad, and two, yes TWO, kinds of bread service. The starters were delicious but couldn’t quite live up to the wonder of what was yet to come that night.
For drinks we each went with lemon drop martinis. The martinis were crisp, lemony, and ultra chilled with just the right “bite” of alcohol.
Now take a guess what we got for sides. If you said TWO types of potatoes, you’d be right!
You can’t go to a steakhouse without getting mashed potatoes, so we got their loaded mashed potatoes and they also have world famous hash browns so we HAD to get those too! You can choose to get them with or without onions.
We also had a side of corn elotes.
And then, of course, the steak. We had filet mignon and spinalis steak, which is the cap of the ribeye and, rumor has it, one of the most tender and marbleized cuts available.
The rumors seem to be true. It was my favorite bite that night.
How did I get my steak cooked? I’m offended you’d even ask!
We finished off with Banana Cream Pie with butterscotch and it was the best I’ve ever had.
Fortunately my cousin, Mia, lives in Minneapolis because there were A LOT of leftovers for her to take home. They had to bring out a cart to clear off the table!
Manny’s was right across from my hotel which was a blessing because I had a big day coming up and I needed to digest.
To Do(nut) List
The next day was packed full of learning sessions with my media group. They made sure we didn’t go hungry, however.
The hotel provided breakfast and lunch. The lunch featured sandwiches and an incredible french onion dip with chips.
Once the business was done, it was time for pleasure. I walked to a mall attached to the hotel to try Cardigan Donuts.
This is one of those donut places that skips the gimmicks and just focuses on making the classics right.
It’s fine to have your preference but I’m tired of the places that try to get headlines by topping their donuts with gummy worms or cereal or five dollar bills.
I had a glazed yeast donut and blueberry donut and they were both delicious. My favorite offering, however, was the nitro cold brew, which I got with cream and maple and vanilla syrups.
Riverside Elegance
For dinner, we went to a place called Aster Cafe which, according to their website, is located on the “prettiest street in Minneapolis.” Obviously I haven’t seen all of them, but this holds up by my personal research.
The roads were made of bricks and the cafe overlooked the Mississippi River. It was like the kind of place you’d see in Amsterdam or another, similarly pretty European city.
We started off with tapas style appetizers, including a delicious cucumber and jicama skewer which I enjoyed with a glass of rose. For my main, I had macaroni and cheese with brisket and crispy onions which was as amazing as it sounds.
After a day full of food and productivity I returned to my room for an early night.
The Crown Juicy Jewel of Minneapolis
I got a late checkout for the next morning so I could sleep in, enjoy my coffee, and take a nice hot shower. My cousin picked me up to take me to Matt’s Bar, home to one of Minneapolis’s most famous offerings.
I knew when I was going to Minneapolis that I’d have to try a Juicy Lucy. For those who aren’t familiar, the Juicy Lucy, or “Jucy Lucy” as it’s called at Matt’s Bar, is a burger with cheese stuffed in the middle of the patty.
Apparently both Matt’s and another restaurant, the 5-8 Club, claim to have invented the dish. 5-8 Club spells it with an “i” in the first word though so maybe they’ve actually be serving slightly different dishes this whole time.
As you might expect from a nationally known local spot, we had to wait in line for twenty minutes before we were able to get it in.
Matt’s might be famous, but the interior exudes an amazing dive bar atmosphere. There’s no ice in the drinks, so just keep that in mind if it’s a dealbreaker.
You could try bringing your own ice in your pocket but it would probably melt while you’re waiting in line.
They make all of the burgers on a small grill right behind the bar and the fries are served in the classic red baskets.
Because they’re making everything to order, it did take around a half hour for our food to arrive so it isn’t exactly a good option if you’re in a hurry. And that’s not even counting the extra time you need to wait for your Lucy to cool.
We were warned that the inside of the burger would be “burn your mouth molten hot” when it was first served to us. You’re going to want to wait so you can enjoy your meal without a trip to the mouth hospital.
The burgers were, unsurprisingly, very juicy and delicious. They came topped with pickles and grilled onions. The fries were perfectly salty and crisp.
I want to try to create a Juicy (or Jucy) Lucy recipe of my own, but in the meantime I’ve got a mean cheeseburger recipe I bet you’ll love.
I washed it all down with a refreshing bottle of root beer.
If you’re looking for recommendations from an expert, Heather Cox of Wanderlust in Real Life was born raised in Minnesota and lived there most of her life. She wrote a post with her top Ju(i)cy Lucys that you should check out!
…And Back Again
With my Lucy obligation fulfilled, I took a fifteen minute Uber ride to the airport…
…only to learn my flight was delayed. Unfortunately there is no Admiral Club so as my plan B I found a lounge anyone could use, assuming they paid the $45.
For your entry fee to the Escape Lounge you get access to a buffet, snacks, beverages, and a pretty good bar. There were also some great views, comfy chairs, and the single most important feature for an airport lounge: places to charge your phone.
I would definitely pay to use the lounge again.
By the way, I’ve had people ask about the luggage I use, so here’s a picture of this three piece luggage set I love for its durability, effective handle, and smooth rolling wheels. It doesn’t have any bells and whistles, but I’m pretty sure those would set off the security scanners anyway.
You can also see my pink backpack which makes a perfect carryon.
You can get the luggage and the backpack through my Amazon storefront by clicking each of those links.
*Be aware that those are affiliate links which means Amazon pays me a small commission for each purchase. This does not cost you anything extra.*
Once my flight departed we were back in Chicago in less than an hour.
Overall I liked Minneapolis a lot. Everyone was super friendly and you can tell there are a lot of great places coming up.
The Jucy Lucy lived up to the legend and Manny’s might be one of the best meals I’ve had in my entire life. It’s definitely a city worth visiting.