We hope you'll take advantage of the long holiday weekend to see some of our beautiful home, the Twin Cities.
Where Should I Eat?
For dinner, the 112 Eatery is one of our favorites. The chef has been nominated by the James Beard foundation as a Best Chef in America for three years running, and the prices are reasonable. Reservations are recommended, and though you might not think it after looking at the menu, we suggest you try the cheeseburger. Bar La Grassa has the same chef but focuses on Italian food, and is also delicious. Reservations are also recommended; the restaurant can get pretty noisy when it's crowded. Don't leave without trying the gnocchi. Origami has our favorite sushi. Try the Never Ending Summer Roll and the Ichitini, a martini with sake and fresh cucumber (but watch out -- it packs a punch). Cafe Lurcat, on the south end of downtown along a city park, has an outdoor patio and bar menu with tasty foodie options.
For steak try Manny's, which has enormous cuts of meat, and Murray's, with an old-timey feel. McCormick & Schmick's has pricey but delicious seafood.
On the less fancy side, the Bulldog has good burgers and lots of beer on tap. For pizza, try either Punch Pizza, which has smallish, somewhat greasy pizzas with fresh toppings, or Black Sheep Pizza, which has more substantive pizzas with similar yummy fresh toppings. Pizza Luce has pizza by-the-slice, is open late on weekends to feed the after-bar-close crowd, and has surprisingly delicious brunch food.
If you want to take a trek down the light rail for dinner, Sea Salt, located in a beautiful city park, has an outdoor patio and tasty fish tacos, po' boys and the like, with good beer on tap. It often requires a wait, so make sure to get there early.
If you're looking for brunch, Moose & Sadie's is one of our favorites. It has a small menu of simple but tasty brunch food, including some killer huevos rancheros. Keys has a wider selection of brunch fare and a good Bloody Mary. If you want to venture outside of downtown, French Meadow and The Egg & I have awesome brunch food.
I Must Not Have Made Myself Clear. I'm Interested in a Liquid Dinner.
On the swankier side, Barrio Tequila has tequila up the wazoo (and small plates), while The King and I has a quieter lounge vibe and strong cocktails.
Brits is an English-style pub with outdoor lawn bowling; The Local and The Newsroom are other nearby pubs. Joe's Garage has a nice rooftop bar (and lousy food).
Nye's, across the river, was named the Best Bar in America by Esquire Magazine. It was the site of our first kiss.
Getting to Northeast Minneapolis requires a cab ride, but there are some great local watering holes. Gasthof's sells gigantic boots of German beer, has a Polka band, and is great with a group; Psycho Suzi's is a tiki dive bar; and The 331 Club usually has live music on the weekends.
Recommended dive bars are Liquor Lyle's and The Red Dragon, both Minneapolis classics and both a short cab ride from downtown.
What Else Can I Do?
Go to a Twins game. Target Field is a beautiful new ballpark in downtown Minneapolis -- you can read about the man who designed it here. The Twins play the Los Angeles Angels the weekend of our wedding, with games Friday and Saturday evening and at 1 PM Sunday afternoon (our ceremony is at 5, so you may have to leave early if the game goes into extras).
Catch some live music at First Avenue.
Check out our fantastic local farmers markets: the Lyndale market (every day, 6am-1pm) and the Mill City market (Saturdays, 8am-1pm).
Take a walk in the Walker Art Museum's Sculpture Garden.
Go for a run or a walk along the Mississippi River or one of the lakes, where you can also rent a canoe or paddleboat.
If you're a masochist, go to the Mall of America.