Cecils Delicatessen, Bakery & Restaurant, St. Paul, MN

This is my worst restaurant post ever, but I have what I feel is a valid excuse. The food, smells, people, and sights were so memorizing that I didn't have enough concentration to take more photos. Do us both a favor and visit for yourself.

I'd recommend that you go early to beat the weekend dinner crowd, as we did...and order off the hot sandwiches side of the menu, also like we did...get a phosphate or egg cream (if you don't know what that is, we may have to stop being friends), yep, we did this too...and finally, spend time in the deli/bakery and take some fresh goods home.

Note: I did not get the chance to find out why they leave the apostrophe off their menus/name, but it's hard to care with a mouth full of lean corned beef & brown mustard on fresh baked rye.

Chicago's Christkindlmarket (Daley Plaza), Chicago, IL

This was a chilly, outdoor treat on a sunny Tuesday. We avoided the after work rush and shopped in the afternoon. Though I hadn't been back in at least a decade, I was pleasantly surprised by the offerings and amount of handmade items, many from Germany (as the name of the market would imply).

If you have a chance or desire, go check it out. You'd certainly place some gifts under the tree that someone will cherish.

Van Buren Street Pedestrian Bridge, Milwaukee, WI

2000 words

Kyatchi, Minneapolis, MN (Kingfield)

After a quick stop at the chiropractor  (aka, back-cracker), I needed to delay heading out in rush hour traffic and decided this 9-month old newcomer would fill the bill.

I don't have the whole story, but one of the brother-sister co-owners, Sarah, gave me a good amount. She was very conversational, like I've never experienced in the Twin Cities before. In the long run, Kyatchi is hoping the neighborhood's face lift helps lift the commerce all around.

I don't know about that, but I can say for sure that I loved everything I tried and NEED to go back.

The menu sticks to the Japanese theme of their name and offers a wide variety of dishes, including: sushi/sashimi, yakitori, donburi, and even their take on hotdogs (recently awarded best dog in town).

I loved the menu and had a hard time picking just a couple items. I settled on two yakitori (traditional Japanese grilling) items and a donburi (rice bowl). I had Japanese peppers and beef on the grilled skewers, then light a fluffy chicken meatballs in the rice bowl. It was all delicious.

As a small thank you,  I also was given two saki tokens for my next visit - who wants to go?

How do you spice up Thanksgiving?

Beer!

CôV, Wayzata, MN

Very delicious mushroom-swiss burger with fries, busy night, great energy. Post-dinner walk in the crisp night air was a nice ending.

The World's Best...lipbalm

It's hard to explain why... wait, I can explain why:

- Smaller height to fit better in pocket/purse, but wider at the same time to cover lips fast

- Pleasant, non-gender specific, non-cloying scent, almost unscented but not quite

- Twist mechanism is pretty hard to twist... which is perfect so it doesn't spin up in your pocket while walking

- Smooth formula that goes on easy and lasts

- It has a cool Euro-vibe

See, it's true. It also helps to have friends in Scandinavia, which is where it's sold. Tack så mycket.