Punch Pizza!

SoG Score: Food: A | Ambiance: A
Type: Pizza
Address: 3226 W Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55416 (multiple locations)
Price: $ ($$ if you go all out)

We love Punch pizza!! This place is really reminiscent of eating pizza in Italy, wood-fired, simple, fresh ingredients. They have a crazy oven that cooks your pizza in 90 seconds at 800 degrees Fahrenheit.. wild! They also have options where you can have your pizza D.O.C. or doppio style which is buffalo mozzarella, extra tomatoes and olive oil (although to be honest, there wasn't much difference to us between our regular and D.O.C. pizzas). Punch also belongs to the Vera Pizza Napoletana the pizza poliza which certify authentic Naples style pizza. We also had the chopped Italian salad which was excellent- the finest ingredients, bursting with flavor! Definitely up there with Mozza Pizzeria as one of the best pizza places.


the good: super yummy pizza, quick, cheap, fun atmosphere
the not so good: none
Overall: definitely recommended! we'll be back often=).
Tip: if you order starters/salads, you're pizza will probably be ready before your starters, so chow down on the pizza while it's hot!

Jun Bo

SoG Score: Food: C+ | Ambiance: C-
Type: Chinese, DimSum
Address: 7717 Nicollet Avenue
Richfield, MN 55423
Price: $$ (count on around $15 per person for dim sum)

After having a couple of people recommend Jun Bo for dim sum and browsing through the quite nice website, we were really excited to try Jun Bo. We probably shouldn't have gone on a Monday afternoon as the servers told us that they had run out of many items since they were so busy during the weekend. Luckily, we were able to try most of our favorites including the shrimp dumplings, shui mai, and Jeff's favorite, turnip cake. The quality of the ingredients and flavor were decent but the temperature of the food was at best lukewarm and by the end of the meal, we felt like we were eating leftovers that they barely had time to reheat (which unfortunately I think was the case). As for decor, it feels like you're eating in a rundown ballroom although the aquarium in the entryway is beautiful.

the good: dim sum all day everyday, easy parking
the not so good: cold food (on weekdays at least), poor decor
Overall: Not recommended, might be worth a try on a weekend

Folie à Deux Ménage à Trois 2006

Price: $10.99
SoG Score: 91
User Score: --
Region: Napa Valley, California

Folie à Deux winery blends Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet for a well-balanced ménage à trois of flavors creating a perfect table red. It goes down easy- silky and smooth, without being too bland or uninteresting. This is the perfect wine to have a case lying around to sip on with whatever you whip up for dinner, to serve at a potluck or picnic, or to grab as a hostess gift as there is nothing this wine doesn't go with. We enjoyed it while snacking on almonds, dried raspberries, cranberries, and chocolate- what a beautiful combination!


the ideal meal: a perfect accompaniment to an after dinner cheese plate.

Bisol Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Crede NV 2005

Price: $18.99
SoG Score: 92
User Score: --
Region: Valdobbiadene: Venice, Italy

Prosecco has always been my favorite sparkling wine so when Jeff and I were looking for a celebratory drink to commemorate our first wedding anniversary, choosing the Bisol Prosecco at Hatfield's was a no-brainer.

I love prosecco for its light refreshing quality especially delightful when served chilled. The Bisol embodies the best of these qualities with the added excitement of hints of apple and sprinkles of pear with every sip. Prosecco can sometimes be a little too dry for me as the prosecco grape ripens late but this one was just right. Bring it along on your next summer picnic.

the ideal meal: goes perfectly with any reason to celebrate=)

paulette| la passion du macaron

SoG Score: Food: A | Ambiance: A
Type: French macarons
Address: 9466 Charleville Boulevard at Beverly Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Price: $1.50 a pop
Finally got the chance to go back to LA to try some of paulette's macarons- still haven't found any in the twin cities yet...


Five Stars ***** perfection
Rose: my favorite- light and fragrant, perfect with some jasmine tea, makes me really want to try a Pierre Hermé rose lychee macaron.
Sweet wedding almond (pictured): the ganache filling tastes like sweet chinese almond jello.
Caribbean chocolate: decadently rich chocolate with just the perfect amount of sweetness.
Four Stars ****would definitely have again
Peach
Chocolate coconut (pictured)
Columbian coffee
New Orleans praline
Three Stars *** mediocre at best
Violet cassis: the macaron is fragrant and delectable but the ganache filling tastes like grape jelly and is too overpowering Sicilian pistachio (pictured): slightly disappointing for one of the classic macaron flavors
One Star * save yourself from this one!
Orange blossom: perhaps it deserves half a star- promising flavor but tastes like soap.

Overall: delicate texture, not overly sweet, and ahhh so reminiscent of paris (depending on which macaron you try that is)