Paul's Birthday: Celebrated

Yesterday was a packed full day of birthday fun. Paul and I like to plan birthday celebrations for each other that are all surprises. He didn't know what we were doing, he just knew that he couldn't make any other plans for the day.

We started off with breakfast at a new place: Colossal Cafe. The name is funny because the entire cafe seats 15 people. We had driven past it many times and had always been curious about it. Unfortunately it was pretty pricey for a breakfast place and the food didn't impress us. I ordered their specialty: yeasted pancakes with walnuts, apples and brie. It came served with a caramelized (butter and sugar) syrup and was so sweet I felt like I might fall into a sugar coma after a few bites. I did think the yeasted pancake was interesting, sort of like a cross between injera and a normal pancake. Paul had a breakfast sandwich and hashbrowns. They were ok.

Then, we hopped on a train and headed downtown to go to the Mill City Museum.

We rode the Flour Tower, watch Minneapolis in 19 Minutes, enjoyed the exhibit and the view. We both learned more about the history of Minneapolis and felt the museum did a great job of presenting information in a variety of ways.

Atop the observation deck.

Looking down at the courtyard

where the power of the river water

used to be harnessed for the mill.

The Mississippi River, Stone Arch Bridge and Mill City Museum Ruins

After we finished at the museum, we headed next door to the Guthrie Theater to enjoy another vantage point and to have lunch at Sea Change. It was what I expected: higher prices, small servings, great quality.

After lunch, I sent Paul off to get a massage. I made sure to book him an appointment with someone really tough so he could get some deep tissue work done. He is sore today, so it must have been a good massage!

I enjoy giving presents so much that I find it really hard to wait. I knew Paul wouldn't want to be rushed through opening the gifts, so I patiently waited until we had a little down time between the massage and dinner. It was not easy! I had already had to hold myself back from giving him some of the presents BEFORE his birthday. Anyway, the first gift he opened was from my mom. He is quite happy with her selection of rye whiskey.

Paul has become quite the grilling enthusiast, so I stocked him up with some new tools for a few new techniques and a gift card to Coastal Seafoods. Much less flashy, but very useful, he also got a new battery for his laptop. It had gotten to the point where if someone bumped his power connection and he didn't fix it immediately, the computer would die. He was badly in need of a replacement battery.

Then...dinner! We went to Ngon Vietnamese Bistro. From the outside this place does not look impressive, but when you walk inside and taste the food it is very impressive! One of the reasons I chose it was due to their extensive beer list of exclusively Minnesota beers. We tried a few of them, all of which were tasty.

All of the food we ate was delicious. We shared a lettuce wrap appetizer, I had a mock duck entree and Paul had a scallop entree. Thanks to my book club for introducing me to this awesome restaurant. Paul was very pleased with how complex and perfectly executed his food was.

After dinner, the last stop of the day was Pumphouse Creamery. I didn't take any photos because I was too focused on eating my ice cream cone without dripping on my dress. Paul and I were both happy to realize that we had found a replacement for Christina's. Both places have great flavors, some of which are seasonal. Paul had brandy soaked cherry ice cream made with local sour cherries and I had ice cream flavored with local honey. Pumphouse Creamery makes their own ice cream cones, so if you ever go, be sure to get the cone!

Phew! Happy Birthday, Paul!