My Family of Friends

This week my little brother went up to Bemidji to register for his first year of college. As I drove the familiar roads to my of favorite places in the world, I was over-whelmed with memories of my time there. My family has vacations up near that area for many years and Bemidji State University of my top pick of schools when I graduated.

For me high school was just okay, it wasn't bad but it wasn't the best years of my life like many people claim. I was excited to go off to college. It was a time to prove to myself and other people in my life that I had grown up and could start to do things on my own. Bemidji was far enough away from the Twin Cities that I couldn't come running home each weekend, but close enough that I could come home when I wanted.

Leaving home and living on my own for the first time in my life was a scary yet exhilarating experience. As many of you know, I am very close to my mom and depend on her support and inspiration. But, I was very lucky to meet a group of girls who became my support as well as my life long friends...we dubbed ourselves "The Herd."

These eight girls became my family. They became the people I turned too with my immediate family 300 miles away. They were with me through one of my most important years of my life. They were with me through tears, frustration and doubts about my abilities to make it through my freshmen year of college. Most importantly they were with me throughout the year that shaped me to become the person I am today.

My best memories from that year involve these girls. Midnight swimming in Lake Bemidji, going out Friday and Saturday nights, tequila rollerblading through Bemidji, meeting all the cute college boys, eating at Perkins at one o'clock in the morning, hanging (partying) out in the dorms, our Spring Break trip to Canada, road trips to Grand Forks, Fargo and St. Cloud, midnight trips to WalMart, keggers out in the middle of nowhere.

There girls became my life long friends. We are now spread throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. We do not get to see each other every often, but when we do we fall right back into our friendships. I know each and everyone of them would be there if I needed them to be. And I would do the same for them. Long live "The Herd."

Restaurant File - Twisted Fork Grille

So my mom and I were driving down Grand Ave the other day and saw a new restaurant on Grand and Hamline....okay it could be a few years old but it was new to me! It is in the same building on The Green Mill and it is called Twisted Fork Grille. So I decided to try it out one night...and then again the next day!

So my first experience was dinner with my friend Erin. We met on a week-day night and were able to get a table right away without a reservation. The menu is mostly American bistro food, such as a Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, Warm Turkey Sandwich with Cranberry Chutney, Bison Meatloaf, and Walleye with Rice Cakes. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

My friend Erin and I both ended up ordering the same entree. We had the Chicken with Mushroom Risotto. It was described in the menu as a, "natural Amish roasted chicken with wild mushroom risotto and a tomato-garlic broth. Served with grilled asparagus." I like ordering risotto at restaurants because when I make it at home it usually ends up too thick or too loose. I was a little hesitant about the tomato-garlic broth, but is was very good addition to the meal. And I am not a huge chicken person (I would take a nice steak over chicken any day), but is was cooked perfectly. For dessert we both ordered the Lavender Creme Brulee which comes with almond cookies. And it was AMAZING! I really need to get my own little kitchen blow torch so I can start trying to make this at home.

So the next day I was out running errands with my mom and our friend Rosann when we decided to grab some appetizers and dessert. They wanted to try out Twisted Fork after I had told them about the creme brulee. We ended up splitting the Caramalized Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Spinach Artichoke Dip. Even it you think you don't like Brussels sprouts by caramelizing them in butter and serving them with bacon they become delicious. The Spinach Artichoke Dip is make with garlic, onion, cream cheese and spinach and served with a baguette. Both appetizers were very good and the others on the menu looked just as delicious.

I would definitely recommend you try out the Twisted Fork Grille. It is a nice addition to the Grand area restaurants. They have a daily happy hour from 3-5 and 9-close, at that time they serve half-priced apps, tap beer and wine. It is moderately priced, but the food is worth the price.

Twisted Fork Grille
Corner of Grand and Hamline Avenues
http://twistedforkgrille.com/index.php