Rick Nelson

Thanks, @barnesandnoble Minnetonka, you have excellent taste in cookbooks. And your new store (11500 Wayzata Boulevard) is terrific. You’d never know that this comfortable, great-looking space was previously occupied by a depression-inducing @staples. #cookbook #cookbooks #baking #bakingfromscratch #theultimateminnesotacookiebook #barnesandnoble #bookstore. Less

It's BLT season, hurrah. Being a huge fan of the @lynettempls breakfast sandwich, I had a hunch that I’d be all over the kitchen’s BLT, and I was not disappointed. For starters, the focaccia is right on the money: doesn't overdo it with the olive oil and salt, and has a not-too-bread-ey texture that’s semi-spongy on the inside and usefully sturdy on the outside. The top slice is treated to an uncomplicated tomato spread, pan con tomate-style, and I’m so stealing this brilliant technique for my next at-home BLT. I mean, the BLT (for me, anyway) is all about the tomato, so why not go all out? The bottom focaccia slice gets a generous swipe of garlicky mayo, which pairs nicely with the punchy arugula and the thick, chewy and altogether stellar house-cured bacon. And such a great tomato! It’s a few slices of a super-juicy yellow heirloom (Golden Jubilee, perhaps?), which contribute a welcome pop of color. In the past, I’ve been ambivalent when it comes to inserting avocado into what I consider to be the fairly rigid-by-design BLT format, but lately I’m enthusiastically Team Avocado, a preference reinforced with this fabulous iteration. Price? Eighteen bucks, with a (decent) side salad, and so worth it. This is one of those sandwiches that looks great on a plate but proves in practice to be so unwieldy that it's nearly impossible to consume in the traditional hold-in-your-hands style, at least without coming off as a total slob. And I mean that in the best of all possible ways. #blt #baconlettucetomato #bltsandwich #mpls #minneapolis #summerinminnesota. Less

It's BLT season, hurrah. This beauty is from @hothandspie, and, wow. So much to love, starting with the tender, butter-laden, Cheddar- and chive-infused biscuit. (Like this is some big surprise? When the sign outside says, "Risk it for the biscuit," you know you're in good hands). But also because of the flavorful and oh-so-juicy heirloom tomato (thank you, Minnesota farmers), thickly sliced, and the fabulous bacon. Also of note: the barely-dressed greens, which add a just-right tangy bite, and the mayo, which is enriched with roasted green onions and liberally swooshed (Wait, is that a word?) across the bottom half of the biscuit. Great to look at, even better to eat. It's definitely a knife-and-fork experience, and nicely priced at $14.95. #blt #baconlettucetomato #bltsandwich #tomatoseason #saintpaul #summerinminnesota. Less

Still one of my favorite warm-weather breakfasts: the frittata from @northernfirespizza at the @millcityfarmersmarket. Filled with purple potatoes, garlic and onions, baked in a wood-burning oven and topped with a ton of herbs, sunflower seeds and Wisconsin-made parmesan. Fabulous. #farmersmarket #farmersmarkets #summerinminnesota #millcityfarmersmarket #frittata #frittatas. Less

The headliner at the only-on-Wednesday @thebungalowclubmpls Burger Club is a total keeper. And then some. Next time I’m making it a double. #wednesdaydinner #burgernight #burger #burgers #cheeseburger #cheeseburgers #smashburger #smashburgers #thebungalowclubmpls #mpls #minneapolis. Less

My breakfast sandwich obsession continues, this time at the still-popular-after-all-these-years @gooddaycafemn. “Iggy’s Fried Egg Sandwich” has been on the menu since the place opened eighteen (!) years ago. That has to make it one of the first in the LBSU (Local Breakfast Sandwich Universe) to have captured my attention. I looked up my 2007 review of the restaurant in the @startribune (thanks, @newspaperscom), and I’m relieved to learn that I’d noted that this excellent sandwich “will permanently erase any Egg McMuffin thoughts.” That observation still rings true. It doesn’t appear that the formula has changed during the intervening 18 years; that’s pretty much the definition of a classic, right? All the components work together, really well: shaved ham, Cheddar, caramelized onions, two fried eggs handled with extreme care (slightly crisped whites, runny-as-all-get-out yolks) and lots of avocado, all layered between two pieces of lavishly buttered brioche that’s been toasted on the stove to a golden brown. Ok, there’s one misstep: the appearance of frustratingly flavorless, juiceless tomatoes. Even their weak-ish color seems off. Why bother? Another reason for admiration is the way-generous portion size, which falls firmly in the “feeds two” range, and full points for the similarly hefty pile of oven-roasted potatoes. Great price, too: $14.95. #breakfastsandwich #goodmorning #eggsandwich #breakfast #goldenvalley. Less

Still one of my all-time favorite lunches: the @eatwsk1 Yum Yum Rice Bowl with grilled chicken, mushrooms, Chinese broccoli and a poached egg. How long has it been since you first parked the truck at 5th and Nicollet, @samehwadi ? Fifteen years? Sixteen? Seventeen? Seems like last summer. And, a lifetime. #ricebowl #ricebowls #foodtruck #foodtrucks #lynlake #samehwadi #lunch #mpls #minneapolis. Less

Yeah, @churchillstmn turns out magnificent blueberry pancakes (greasing the griddle with bacon fat is a genius move). Remind me to run more errands in this part of town. #pancake #pancakes #flapjack #flapjacks #blueberry #blueberries #blueberrypancakes #breakfast #goodmorning #shoreview. Less

My breakfast sandwich obsession continues, this time via the new @blackduckmpls brunch menu. This bliss-inducing iteration evolved during chef/owner Jason Sawicki’s days of cooking in his pre-Black Duck food truck, @faregamene. Long story short: He had hired a transplanted New Yorker to help him out, and she often talked about how much she missed the bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches that were an a.m. staple at her neighborhood bodega. In Sawicki’s version, all of the necessary components from that classic NYC framework are present and accounted for, and selected with obvious discernment. The bread, a toasted focaccia, is terrific, which comes as no surprise, as its baked by the skilled folks from @patisserie46. The dreamy and decadent bacon hails from @petersoncraftmeats. A special shout-out to the egg soufflé, notable for its impressive height, airy texture and richly eggy flavor; too many egg sandwiches that go the soufflé route register “vacuous” on the taste buds, but not this one. Kudos also to the prodigious amount of American cheese, so gooey that it almost comes off as a sauce. And yes, there’s a sauce, a souped-up mayonnaise. The whole shebang has a @neimanmarcus-goes-Northeast aura until you get to the @kohls-like price tag: $10. The only possible downside is its limited availability: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Another absolute brunch must are the pancakes, fashioned from an extraordinary heirloom blue corn flour that Sawicki sources from @farmandsparrow in North Carolina. They’re four bucks a pop, and, truly, they’re not to be missed). #breakfastsandwich #breakfastsandwiches #eggsandwich #baconeggandcheese #focaccia #bacon #northeastmpls #nempls #brunch #weekendbrunch #obsession. Less