First time to Valley Tap House

I had heard some good things from friends about the Valley Tap House in Apple Valley, MN, but was late to the game.  I finally made an excuse to get me and the family out to dinner.  I took the kids early to get started on the 1/2 price apps and washed it down with BOGO happy hour drafts.  This place hangs their hat on their Pit beef and pork sandwiches.

I picked two apps, one I thought would appease my young kids and the other for me.  So I chose the Hot Salty Pretzels and the Buffalo Chicken Wings.  The hot salty pretzels were a little bland for me, not my thing, I would pass on these in the future.  They cam with a couple of interesting dipping sauces, but still didn't hit home.

 On the other hand, the wings had good texture and flavor on full sized un-trimmed wings, just the way I like them.  Plus they came with two different dipping options, one a savory sauce and the other Bleu Cheese.  I would definitely order these again.

The kids entrees were well received for by the kids, I think they both got Mini Corn Dogs.  My wife got a Cuban smoked pork, she did not love it, but I ate her other half for lunch the next day and I thought it was solid.

I instantly gravitated to the Thai Dragon, which is a Pit Pork sandwich with chili sauce, peanut sauce, Red Onions and bacon.  The sandwich had great flavor and a spice level higher then expected, but I am in to that kind of thing.  I liked the state fair style fries as well. Once I make my way through a few other items that I want to try on future visits, the Thai Dragon will be in the rotation.

Thai Dragon Pit Pork an instant winner!

Since my first visit, there was a Groupon special that I grabbed a couple of, so I look forward to future visits!

Teresa's Molcajetes

Lets just start off by saying, if you like Mexican American food, check out Teresa's in Lakeville, MN among the other handful of locations.  My family have dined here and gotten taken out too many times to count.  Good affordable that always comes out fast and piping hot.

One of my favorites are their Molcajetes!  Molcajetes are served in a traditional stone grinding bowl made from a lava stone.  The food comes out in a flaming hot bowl that adds great flavor to your food and keeps your meal hot to enjoy throughout your meal.

Teresa's Molcajete

They have several different flavors and options with different combinations of steak, seafood, chicken, pork and chorizo.  Pick one that sounds good to you, fill your warm tortillas and make your own taco/fajitas. 

Last tip, don't fill up on the free chips and salsa before your dinner comes!

Last night in Dublin

After two weeks on the road in Ireland, we were just about spent as a team.  We spent our last night in Clontarf Castle Hotel, there was a graduation at the castle and waits to eat there were way longer then what we could tolerate.  So we asked concierge for a recommendation, and helped us make some reservations at Hemmingways which was a 5 minute walk from the castle.

 We got there pretty early by Dublin standards as we were road weary and hungry, plus wanted to get a good night's rest before travels back to the USA.

 I sampled the wings, very unique flavor, but also very tasty, I could have used a little more of the sweet chili sauce that came on the side, but they hit the spot.

 A twist on your traditional caprese salad was enjoyed by the ladies. Was called Capri Salad, grilled tomato & mozzarella slices topped with seasoned olive oil and basil peso jus.

I had this spicy shrimp dish (Pil Pil Prawns) that was extremely flavorful (chili, win & garlic sauce) to the point I tried to sop up as much of the sauce with my toasted bread as I could.  Pictured below a similar shrimp dish that my wife enjoyed with a more traditional garlic/cream type sauce.

Probably one of the best meals we had in Dublin area, if you are in Clontarf area, this is a restaurant to check out!  





In near future I intend to catch up on my domestic dining, but I am also taking a trip to Puerto Rico in January, so keep an eye out for those upcoming posts!

Ultimate Guinness Experience

On our last day in Ireland, we returned to Dublin where our trip began.  As part of the last day's activities we toured the Guinness Storehouse.  All in all it is a pretty cool tour and very informational, being a packaging engineer, the info about early barrel making was the most intriguing.

The Perfect Pint!

 Don't be lured into using your free pint coupon any of the other tasting bars on the way the top, not worth it unless you are afraid of heights!

One of the many great views from Gravity bar

But the free pint and the views you can get at the top of the Gravity Bar are worth the tour.  The Gravity Bar is a 360 degree fully round bar lined with glass windows that gives amazing views of Dublin and the surrounding areas, plus you can sample the finest and freshest pint of Guinness you'll ever taste!
Cheers & Merry Christmas!