Food + Wine = Yummy!

Future hubs and I attended the Minnesota Monthly Food & Wine Show this afternoon with my aunt Jan, cousin-in-law Rebecca, and cousin Kathy.  Kathy drove 6+ hours from International Falls for the weekend to attend the show with us.  This year, the venue changed from the Minneapolis Convention Center to Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins.  We thought we'd be sampling wine and food out in the cold because Target Field is an outdoor baseball stadium, but the event was held in the heated indoor concourses and a couple of the stadium's premier lounges.

And now... here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Travis (my cousin and Rebecca's husband) rented a van to escort us to Target Field.  Riding in the van reminded me of Ragnar.

The venue

During the summer, Twins fans enjoy gorgeous views of downtown Minneapolis during home games

Delicious cheese spreads from Kowalski's Markets

Believe it or not, this is actually a cake!

Mark and I show off our free blinky plastic rings from vendor Wixon Jewelers

There was an entire room devoted to several of the excellent wineries from Washington State

My favorite wines from the show were from Washington State.  The sweet Chocolatier Red Decadence paired well with turkey chili, and the Poet's Leap Riesling from Long Shadows Vintners won Best Riesling this year.

Wine slushies!  They were delicious.

Kathy and Jan have quite the food and wine buzz going

Dude is the background is probably thinking "Haven't you ever seen a guy drink wine before?"

Jan, Rebecca, me, Mark

There were more food vendors this year than in previous years.  These donuts were amazing!

Banana creme pie :)

Caprese salad and chocolate mousse

Several breweries poured samples at the show.  I'm not a Sam Adams drinker myself.

I had the opportunity to sample two beers (West Side Belgian-Style IPA and Dark Abbey Belgian-Style Dubbel) from upstart Harriet Brewing in Minneapolis and they were fantastic.  I plan on purchasing a couple growlers when the weather is warmer and when I have more room in my fridge.

Mmmm... cheese!

Sartori makes several flavored Bellavitano cheeses (like Raspberry and Merlot), but I really liked their new Espresso Bellavitano

I may be a die-hard Minnesotan, but Wisconsin has the best cheese

Surly, my favorite local brewery, poured samples of their standards (Furious, Bender, and Cynic) as well as their 5th anniversary brew called Pentagram

Sushi!

The whole crew: Kathy, Rebecca, Jan, Mark and me

This was my favorite year out of the three shows I've attended.  I enjoyed the new location and thought the food, wine and beer selections were better this year than previous years.  Everyone had a great time, and we're definitely looking forward to next year.  Right now, I'm still incredibly stuffed!