"Bizarre Foods" Star Andrew Zimmern Breaks Down the Perfect Night Out in Minneapolis
Ah, Thursday night — the only truly social night of the week. It’s the night when babysitters are booked, friends convene, and drinks are imbibed. There are no family obligations to fulfill, no amateurish weekend crowds to elbow through — and the possibilities are endless. The night starts after work and ends whenever you want. In any city. All over the world.
This week, we present the perfect Thursday night in Minneapolis.
Andrew Zimmern knows Minneapolis nightlife. (Bizarre Foods/Facebook)
Andrew Zimmern has traveled near and far for his show “Bizarre Foods” on Travel Channel. The series has led him to taste everything from bugs to brains, and beyond, but when Zimmern isn’t scarfing down freaky fare in foreign lands, here’s how he spends his Thursday night in his home base of Minneapolis.
6 p.m.
Get your pour on at Rustica. (Photo: Rustica Bakery/Facebook)
To start things on a high note, caffeine is in order. That means coffee at Rustica, a decade-old European-style bakery, which serves chocolate bouchons, chocolate croissants, lemon Danishes, and cinnamon buns. Zimmern’s fave is a pot of the Brazilian pour-over for an energy boost.
7 p.m.
Chow down at La Belle Vie. (Photo: La Belle Vie/Facebook)
Poussin and foie gras (La Belle Vie/Facebook)
After a mini-jolt, it’s time for a pre-dinner bite at La Belle Vie. A plate of fried poussin is Zimmern’s go-to, along with a glass or two of the imported bitters, which he mixes with fresh-squeezed orange juice. “This is a superb bar with a big comfortable room to relax in, and I am here once a week usually,” he says. If he’s not sitting at the bar enjoying his plate, he tries to stick his head in the kitchen to say hi to the chef. Not something we’d recommend, as he is often rejected (or so he says). “Security tosses me out because my house charge is five months overdue,” jokes Zimmern.
8 p.m.
Time to hit Piccolo! (Photo: Piccolo/Facebook)
(Photo: Piccolo/Facebook)
After paying the tab at La Belle Vie (and not getting kicked out by security), the next stop – for dinner – is Piccolo, a small-plate restaurant with seasonal and locally purchased produce. The tiny restaurant has a few staffers, and Zimmern says chef Doug Flicker (who became head chef at 26!) is a genius. The must-order? A few portions of the scrambled brown eggs with pickled pig’s feet, truffle butter, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Zimmern admits to inhaling a few other courses, too, and recommends doing so.
9:45 p.m.
Get ready for more food at Tilia. (Photo: Tilia Mpls/Facebook)
Smoked kalbi pork belly, Gochujang peaches, haricot verts, and mint (Tilia Mpls/Facebook)
Walking off pre-dinner and dinner, it is a three-mile hike to Tilia, a 40-seat eatery that does not take reservations. The trek is all worth it, though, for the butterscotch pudding and perhaps another entree (if you’re still hungry). “I cajole the young line cooks in the open kitchen to let me have a hot dog that’s on the lunch menu,” Zimmern brags of the Haute Dogs For Landon (chili con carne, deli mustard, slaw, and smoked potato chips). “I impress them with a few made-up stories from the road,” says Zimmern, “then I slip a few dollars to the most buzzed guy at the bar, asking him to pretend to be a fan and insist on getting a picture taken. He goes back to his party, and I tell my server that he offered to buy me dinner. I race out the back door.” What a troublemaker!
11 p.m.
It’s cocktail hour. (Photo: Jenny Salita/Flickr)
After eating your way through Minneapolis, Lee’s Liquor Lounge is the last stop of the night. The venue regulary hosts country and tribute bands and offers dance lessons. Zimmern loves seeing his favorite Johnny Cash cover band, Church of Cash, perform there. “I rush the stage to sing ‘Folsom Blues’ with them and wind up sitting in for a whole set,” says Zimmern. “I am weeping with joy.” If you are Andrew Zimmern, sometimes the night ends on a dramatic note: “Some kid with a PBR tall boy gives me a lift back to La Belle Vie because he thinks I am Anthony Bourdain,” he jests. “I drive home. My wife is pissed. I hit the couch. Early morning meetings are a bitch.”
Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods airs on the Travel Channel on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
Check out more Thursday Nights around the world!
Watch: How Andrew Zimmern Picks the Locations for Bizarre Foods
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