A Bite of the Northland

Clyde Iron Works - Duluth, MN


Want to know what we feel is the most underrated restaurant in Duluth?? The Clyde Iron Works. When we recommend their delicious food to people, we sometimes get – Where is that? What do they serve? Never heard of it…Where? It is mind blowing to us as it opened in 2010.

The history and transformation to what it is now is just fascinating. Owner - Alex Giuliani had a vision: to preserve a cornerstone of Duluth’s golden industrial age and he did just that. Located in Lincoln Park, an amazing renovation was done to one of the buildings at an over a 100-year-old former industrial manufacturing site named Clyde Iron Works, transforming it into an AMAZING restaurant, bar and event center. When it opened, the restaurant and bar were located on the second-floor mezzanine overlooking giant historic factory pictures on the wall, a 15-ton overhead crane that was used in history past, the large open space below containing large pieces of machinery that was once used in the manufacturing process at the site, the woodfired ovens and grills, a bocce ball court (eventually turned to bean bags) and a giant chess board. The back of the building was and still is a beautiful event center that hosts anything from weddings to concerts to small scale sports and beyond. Over the years, the Clyde has made some adjustments and transformations. A few noticeable things are: the restaurant and bar is now on the main floor, the mezzanine is now used for semi-private events, an enclosed walkway to the Heritage Center was constructed connecting the restaurant to the two hockey rinks and the newest addition on the main floor of the restaurant – a brewery.

Giuliani had once said “We are celebrating the American worker; things will be made the way they use to be made”. And that still holds true as the Clyde’s menu has stayed consistent over the years: handmade woodfired pizza, stromboli’s and wings, fresh handmade pasta – YES, I said FRESH HANDMADE PASTA – made from scratch each and every day, in-house seasoned, cured and roasted meats and added in January with the addition of the brewery – their own beer made on site.

Let’s go back to 2010…I swear that within the first month of them being open, we dined about a dozen times and cruised through everything on the menu. We never found a thing we did not like, however, we did find some select favorites that are our go-to’s.

Every couple of months we make sure we stop in and dine. Our most recent visit was a toss-up as to what we were going to eat but we knew lunch was involving something with their slow-cooked pastrami. Since we agreed beforehand that we were splitting a meal so we didn’t end up in food coma the rest of the day, it came down to the Clyde Reuben or the Reuben Burger…

The Clyde Reuben won this time. Let me tell you about it– the meat, the pastrami is cured in house with Clyde seasonings, then slow cooked with applewood. Once sliced, it is ready for business. Layers of sliced pastrami combined with spicy thousand island dressing, melted Swiss cheese and kimchi sauerkraut sandwiched in between grilled marble rye bread completes this mouthwatering, flavorful sandwich. I can’t help myself not to pull out a chunk of pastrami from the sandwich – it is perfection (with just the right amount smoke flavor from being slow cooked over applewood), so tender and melts right in your mouth. This reuben stands out and way above from the “typical” reuben. If you like spicy, this one’s for you - it has a nice heat that may make you sweat but not too much heat that you are on fire. I felt like I didn’t “sweat” as much this time as I had a delicious house-made IPA (brewed by our favorite brewer) to help wash it down.

You do get your choice of crispy fries or fresh chips to go along with the sandwich or an upgrade of onion rings. They are all so good, so we settled on fries and then added a full order of onion rings to the mix. Fries were hot and fresh, the outer crispness ensured they would not succumb to sogginess and provided a nice crunch in your mouth. The onion rings- UFFFFTTT: large, sweet onions, dipped in locally crafted beer batter (I am betting it’s their own beer now), dredged in crushed corn flakes and fried to a crispy golden brown. When the basket arrived, it looked just as it was described on the menu. Hubby’s comment after the first one: “these onion rings are giving # # # # # (popular 100-year-old restaurant in town that people travel all over from for their onion rings) a run for their money!!” I, too, agreed with him, flavor was great, onions held their crispness but what really stood out for me was the coating had a backbone and stayed on the onion even after a bite was taken. That is a first for me with handmade rings.

Our server Leah was fantastic – I have no idea how she kept up. Between all the small tables and the big table of 30 – she was running her @$$ off. Actually, I am not sure how the whole staff at the Clyde kept up as the place was packed from the hockey tournaments going on next door, but they did with smiles on their faces and food and drinks were created and served in a timely fashion. It was great to see the Clyde busy, KUDOS to the staff!

If waiting for a table isn’t your thing, I would highly recommend making reservations on the weekends as it does get a little busy from the attached hockey arenas during tournaments. Or if crowds put you on the uneasy side, they are open 7 days a week – skip making dinner on a weeknight and head to the Clyde – let them cook you up something spectacular. And another fabulous option that is coming soon that may spark your interest–take home items such as frozen pizzas, homemade pastas and sauces and crowlers of Clyde beer to enjoy.

I cannot say enough about how much we like this place!! If you like history, delicious food and tasty craft beer– make plans to go here!

The Kitchen
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063651815674

Want a homecooked meal that won’t break the bank?? I suggest heading to The Kitchen in the north end of Superior, WI. This place has been around for over 70 years with the grand opening of “Kitch’s” in December of 1950. It is a small, quaint place – where it is filled with mostly regulars having breakfast and drinking coffee.

My daughter and I decided to stop on a Friday morning after dropping hubby off at work and before attending a funeral. We wanted something quick, not fancy but still good. The Kitchen fit the bill.

When we arrived, the counter seating was empty, so we sat there on the stools instead of opting for a table. Service was quick, we were quickly greeted by a waitress, set up with waters and handed menus. For being a small place and limited hours, the menu had quite the variety, but it didn’t take us long to decide what we wanted. I opted for the corned beef special (posted on daily specials board) with two eggs scrambled, muffin toast and coffee and the daughter went with the #5: 3 pieces of French toast with bacon.

As we were waiting for our breakfast, another rush came through and all the counter stools filled up. The place was hustling and bustling. Then owner came behind the counter and announced she was doing the drawing. Earlier in the week, she had set up a donation bucket and anyone who donated would be entered into the drawing for a prize. This donation bucket was helping the 8th graders at the middle school with their community fundraiser with money going to the Humane Society of Douglas County. That donation bucket raised $824 for the community project, and she presented those 8th graders a check for that amount later that morning! The owners (Ed and Teresa Flood) fully support the community and are always supporting good causes by hosting or contributing to fundraisers and the community comes together to help with them too.

It did not take long for our breakfast to arrive, not did it take long to eat it. My meal was exactly what I had ordered and expected. It was delivered hot and straight into my belly hot. There wasn’t much you could mess up on. Eggs were scrambled-no runniness, sitting on top of a generous portion of canned-style corned beef hash (that wasn’t too salty) was cooked until it started getting crispy and sided with buttered muffin toast. The daughters French toast was a plenty, I knew she was for sure taking part of it home plus it came with three thick strips of nicely cooked bacon. She liked her French toast; it wasn’t too “eggy” and was soft that she just used a fork to cut it. Simple, homecooked meals, that’s what we were looking for and that is what we received. I did catch a glimpse of the omelet the guy sitting next to me ordered – WOW! Pretty sure a whole family could have split that. We didn’t stick around long enough to see if he was able to finish it though!

When we were finished, our waitress brought the daughter a to-go container, cleared our plates and set the bill on the counter. $15.50 for the both of us. Not many places you can go anymore and eat at for that price!! If you are looking for that simple, homecooked breakfast (or lunch)– this is the place to go! They are open early and close early with the times from 5:30am -1:30pm Monday-Friday, Saturdays 6am-noon, and closed Sundays. Also, make sure you have cash in your wallet as they do not accept credit cards!

Apostle Supper Club - Duluth

We finally made it to the Apostle! (Well...I have been here before with our youngest on her treat last fall – hubby was not with). What is the Apostle?! It is a restaurant at the top of the Radisson Hotel in downtown Duluth that opened in May of 2022. It still has the signature revolving floor that over looks Lake Superior and downtown Duluth rotating 360 degrees just as it had in restaurants past.

The décor is colorful and bold and is designed to be like a 1960’s supper club. The booths looked AMAZING, lots of large plants and artwork were a great added touch. This is one of the two Apostle’s, the other is in St. Paul. It is part of the Purpose Restaurant Family which to our surprise includes a couple of our favorites we visit the Twin Cities area (The Gnome Craft Pub and Hope Breakfast Bar).

Reservations typically do not fit our style as we are on the go, last minute planners, or if we do have plans – most of the time they never stick as we veer off in another direction with a (maybe) better idea. So, when I decided late morning that we were going to the Apostle for dinner, and I made a reservation online. Wow – two reservations this year (other-the wine/dine dinner) committing us to sticking to another dining plan-EEEKKKK!

Our reservation was for 6:30 and I am glad we arrived 20 minutes early because when we walked into the lobby of the Radisson, it was buzzing with hockey parents and kids checking in. There are only two elevators that service the hotel and the amount of people waiting to use them to get to their hotel rooms was astonishing. An employee had walked by the large crowd and said that the service elevator was available for use, no one ventured to it, so we did. Well – if you are going to the restaurant – DO NOT USE THE SERVICE ELEVATOR. Unbeknownst to us, it pops you out in the kitchen area. When the doors opened, we quickly hit “door close” and then the button to the next level down. From there, we tried the stairs walking up to the restaurant level, but the doors were locked at the top. So, back down we walked and waited for one of the two busy elevators to get us up one floor.

When the elevator doors open at restaurant level, it put us right at the bar and the host stand just in time for our 6:30 reservation. We were greeted immediately and lead to a 2-person high-top table (dang it, I knew I should have said something – was really hoping for a booth but it was only the two of us and maybe they were reserved for larger groups). Our server appeared within minutes and greeted us, introduced himself as Tony, took our drink orders, explained the menu and recommended his favorites. Hubby ordered a glass of wine, me – a bourbon old fashioned.

Tony was back in a flash with the wine. And from there he took our dinner order. We ordered the roasted cauliflower for an appetizer; I ordered a bowl of the soup of the day – Tomato Basil Bisque and hubby ordered the Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb (medium rare) and a House Salad. My old fashioned was delivered shortly after.

The rolls and salad were first to arrive. The salad was made with a fresh variety of greens, and topped with a lemon vinaigrette, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and LOTS parmesan. The dressing was light and complimented the greens well and did not overtake the salad. The basket of rolls consisted of 4 warm rolls and scoop of butter. The outside of the roll was firm and crusted, while the inside was soft and moist. They worked perfect to mop up the remaining parmesan from the salad when the hubby offered me the remnants (of course I will make sure there isn’t a speck of parmesan going to waste!) and to dip in my soup dinner.

It took a while for the roasted cauliflower to show, we thought that maybe they forgot about it and our dinner would be there first. But nope, it showed up in the nick of time thankfully because the one roll and a few sips of the old fashioned weren’t satisfying my hunger grumbles and I was holding off hard on eating my other roll. The cauliflower as described in the menu was a half of cauliflower head roasted in lemon-garlic butter and topped with scallion and chili aioli. This was just the right size for the both of us to share. It was roasted perfectly and was easy to cut apart. The chili aioli was fantastic, wasn’t too spicy, and it seeped into the cauliflower distributing the flavor evenly. I will need to investigate this “dip” further to see if I can recreate for veggies at home…but as the hubby would say “let’s be honest…” – I really need it for chips!

Tony checked in at the table, hubby wanted another glass of wine and asked for a suggestion. Tony suggested one, hubby took him up on it. We chit-chatted with him before he left to get the wine and learned he has been in the restaurant industry at the top of the Radisson for 33 years. It was obvious he enjoyed his profession being in it that long.

Our meals came out just as we were finishing up the cauliflower. My eyes bypassed the hot bowl tomato of soup in front of me and went off staring at the lamb and cabbage...it looked AMAZING. Four lamb chops cooked to perfect medium rare with braised red cabbage sitting on a mint yogurt sauce. Right away hubby said he was sharing and passed a chop over. Not only did it look amazing, BUT IT ALSO TASTED AMAZING. It was so tender, but what I was trying to figure out was – what else was on it. Was it seeds, was it fish eggs – what was it?!? It tasted good……I pulled out my phone took look as I took a picture of the menu and was relieved to find out it was pickled mustard seeds!! The pickling changes the flavor (in a good way) as I would have never guessed mustard seeds otherwise. We both used our hands to pick up and eat the chops, (sorry, apologize to anyone who was there for a fancy dinner). We weren’t going to daintily cut it up into tiny morsels, we wanted to make sure the bones were clean. I mean, we tastefully ate it off the bone – not like cavemen chowing down. LOL. We also shared the braised cabbage. It wasn’t the easiest to eat as the middle was a little hard and the knife was a necessity to use. I didn’t notice the mint yogurt sauce that was on the plate. Maybe the cabbage absorbed it? I am not a fan of yogurt so whatever happened to it – it worked for me!

Now on to my Tomato Basil Soup – it was as exactly what it should be. Flavor was spot on, creamy in texture and presented signs that it was homemade – this was not a “can of Campbell’s soup”. We both shared this as well and dipped our remaining rolls into it.

When we were through with dinner, Tony offered us dessert to which we passed. We were expecting him to leave us a bill at the table but instead he pulled out the mobile point of sale computer he took our order on and processed everything right at the table. This is the new day and age of technology but honestly, I like an itemized slip of paper showing us what the total due is. And then I don’t feel the pressure of hurry up and pay (and of course, thus giving me time to the analyze the bill, calculate tip and take a picture for the write-up).

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience. Didn’t get motion sickness from rotating views, the view of the city lit up at night was great (would be awesome overlooking Bentleyville during the holiday season), it was relaxing and quiet for the most part (parents – this is not a place to bring young children, it is not a playground. Three five-year old kids made one lap running around hopping on and off the rotating floor was quickly nixed by staff). Menu wasn’t huge but had a nice variety to include those who are vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free. We thought our food was delicious. We ran into friends that were there the same time as we were and learned more of our friends dined after we did. They all gave good reviews. I guess next time I need to have the Jell-O cake – it was highly recommended by more than one person! So, dessert first and then dinner?? I mean, the waiter Tony did say that was an option and wouldn’t be frowned upon…

I apologize for the not great pics of the menu, was trying to take them inconspicuously and fighting the glare. I do know the menu has changes from the time I was there before so for the current menu, please check out the Apostle's website at www.apostlesupperclub.com. You can make reservations on there and you can also learn about the owners, their mission and their non-profit organization in which the supper club donates 3% of all sales to neighbors in need.

Oh, AND if you are looking for a job – they are hiring! Tony mentioned if we knew anyone, send them his way. Pay is good and it is a union job!

Dolce Vita Restaurant - Superior, WI

I (didn’t) think it’s going to be a long, long time….

Time has gotten way too far away from me, ready for a review?

I had eyed up Dolce Vita's first Wine and Dine Dinner since it was announced in the middle of November. Knowing that the opportunity to go to a Monday dinner at 5:30pm was slim due to my husbands job that is M-F, with hours rarely getting done before 7pm, sadly I had to put the dinner to the back of my mind.

Every now and then, I would be reminded of the dinner when Dolce Vita would advertise it on Facebook, and I would think to myself while letting out a big sigh….” Why do fun things always happen during the week??? Maybe someday we will get the opportunity to enjoy something like that.” What I didn’t know until a few days before the dinner was – we WERE going to get that opportunity! He ended up with Monday off AND they had two spots left! Deposit, what deposit?? Skipped that - paid in full shortly after finding out there was room for us so we for sure we had to go!

Cash bar opened at 4:30pm, dinner started at 5:30pm. We opted to get there just a bit after 5pm knowing that it was a 5-course meal with each course paired with a wine, and having drinks beforehand probably wasn’t necessary.

When we arrived, we were surprised to see a big line of tables all butted up to each other on one side of the restaurant decked out with candles, gold confetti and name tags meaning all the attendees were sitting together not in the booths as I had imagined. As we sat down, we recognized a few faces taking the ease off not knowing anyone. The hubby ordered a wine, myself an old fashioned. There was a slight delay in getting started as not everyone had arrived by the requested time of 5:20pm. But once it did start, the owner came out and introduced himself (Zudi) and staff (Penny & Audry) and explained how the dinner was going to work. Each wine would be introduced by Penny and Audry and we would be given a little bit of time to enjoy before Zudi introduced each course that would be served.

NOTE: While this is a Wine and Dine Dinner – for me, this is totally about the Dine. I will openly admit, I know very, very little about wine. Red is not my thing, white is tolerable, but I would prefer a beer, whiskey or an old fashioned. My hubby has been starting to drink wine more frequently, not I – I do not like how I feel after drinking it.

Appetizer:
Toasted ciabatta bread topped with fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh picked basil, and garlic. Drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Paired Wine: Pinot Grigio

The mozzarella cheese on this appetizer was outstanding. I believe it was burrata (I can’t remember the name he said, but the description of burrata matches) which is creamy and spreadable, unlike the typical mozzarella most know. Altogether, it was mouthwatering. I could have probably eaten two more plates of these or better yet – how about a plate of just the cheese?!? I love cheese, I eat a chunk of cheese every morning with coffee.

Salad:
Fresh sliced strawberries and bananas mixed with spinach. Topped with brown-sugar-roasted pecans, sprinkled with feta cheese and served with a side of house-made strawberry poppyseed dressing. Paired Wine: Rosé

WOW! I am NOT a salad eater but if I had to eat salad – this would be the one I would eat. The combination of the spinach, fruit, candied pecans, feta cheese and the dressing – it blew me away, I think it blew all the attendees away. It was one of the most tasteful salads, it even had the addition of blueberries. It was commented at the table that he needs to sell his homemade dressing. My hubby and I kept what dressing we had left after we finished our salad incase we needed to “dip” anything else in it...or maybe I would just finish it off like a “shooter”.

Fish:
Pan seared swordfish served on bed of house-made lemon and lime butter cream sauce. Topped with sliced scallions. Paired Wine: Chardonnay

Fish isn’t a go-to for me anymore because I have had more bad than good in recent years but trying swordfish intrigued me as I have never had it. It was a small but thick piece covered in a delightful lemon/line cream sauce and covered in green onions (scallions) just as described on the menu. It was a white fish that was mild in flavor – definitely meaty and dense. The cream sauce – whelp, you could have served me a bowl of just that with a spoon, and I would have been happy, and I am sure it’s fat free too! Its rich flavor complimented the fish well.

Steak:
8oz Prime Grade sirloin, marinated and cooked to a medium-medium rare. Served with sweet potato mashed, cooked with butter and maple syrup, steamed baby carrots and celery and a side of house-made demi sauce. Paired Wine: 1865 Cabernet Sauvignon

As I cut open the sirloin, I was blown away – it was an absolute perfect medium rare! We rarely (ok – never) order a steak when out to eat because they tend to be over cooked so this one made my eyes pop and mouth water. The sauteed mushrooms and garlic were a bonus to the top of the steak, but personally did not think it needed them or the demi sauce it was served with. Steak is great without anything on it! Instead, I used the demi sauce for the carrots and celery. The mashed sweet potato…PARENTS TAKE NOTE...if you have kids at home that will not eat potatoes (like I was when I was a kid), you need to make these!!! Rename it, call it candy, whatever – I guarantee your kids will eat it. The flavor resembled nothing of a potato – the maple syrup morphed it into a dessert. You could even put some whip cream and sprinkles on it to make it even more appealing!

Dessert:
High temperature-baked basque cheesecake. Drizzled with caramel, topped with fresh strawberries and raspberries. Paired Wine: Ice Riesling

We surely did not need cheesecake after the mashed sweet potato but yup, bring it on. We shared one and put the other in a to-go container. This wasn’t your ordinary cheesecake, there wasn’t a crust due to being cooked at a high temperature giving it a caramelized exterior and caramel flavor. It was topped with caramel, fresh berries and whipped cream. This topped the night off, seriously…Now to see if the to-go cheesecake will survive the morning breakfast rounds in the fridge…

We had a really good time, met very nice people, had great conversation, lots of laughs (including a water mishap not once but three times on the same gentleman at the end of the table, thankfully he was able to take it in stride and laugh about it too) and enjoyed excellent food (and wine). I thought it was great of the staff to recognize the non-drinkers at the table and offer other beverages. Loved how the owner asked us if that was our first time there (it wasn’t), let us know there would be more dinners coming up, hopefully once a month (some even with beer) and thanked us for attending. The hubby was surprised to learn from him that he was not Italian but that his family was from Macedonia (which is located just north of Greece) and has been in the restaurant business for years in mid-state WI.

We will be sure to make this a more frequent stop when dining out. Cannot wait to explore their menu further from the first time we dined for dinner (when they first opened in spring of 2021). This menu has something for everyone from the wide variety of apps, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, steak, shrimp and even lamb. And they even have breakfast on the weekends. It’s EXCELLENT, you will not leave hungry…in fact if you stop for breakfast before going downhill skiing – chances are you will not be going skiing! LOL! And this is one of the few places in the area where the biscuits and gravy is above my expectations.

If you haven’t been there – get there! And if your mouth was watering after reading this – good news...Dolce Vita’s next Wine and Dine Dinner is on a Valentine's Day (with the menu being released yesterday). It is totally different than what we enjoyed AND I AM REALLY JEALOUS that I will not be attending this event due to V-Day being on a Tuesday and hubby works. The main course is beef wellington and lobster – say what?!?!?!! ANYONE WANT TO BE MY DATE?!?!?!?! This event will surely sell out fast, (if it hasn’t already). Check out Dolce Vita’s page for more information.