Pizza and pasta at Pig Ate My Pizza
It’s back. Mike Brown, one of the co-owners of the Travail Collective, looked relaxed and a little relieved at the renaming of Pig Ate My Pizza, the Robbinsdale pizzeria that has existed in some form or another on that downtown block for close to 13 years.
There were the early times, in a pub-like space where the owners’ ambitious Travail first launched before moving out and growing up. Then, the raucous place for pizza and beer in a boot followed Travail down the street to where it is now. Then, it became Nouvelle Brewing, with a more upscale menu meant to pair with beer brewed on site. That rebranded to Nouvelle Kitchen, as it went back to its more casual roots — and brought back some of PAMP’s recipes. But now? The nostalgia is strong, and the pizzas are really, truly back as Travail consolidates its brands ahead of a PAMP opening in Bloomington later this year.
The changes to the Robbinsdale original are subtle but meaningful: There are still QR codes on every table, but there are also servers who will come to your table. The pizza menu is larger, and old favorites have returned, like the Big Cheeser ($17), which goes all in on dairy goods with the house cheese blend, cheese curds, grated pecorino and a bowl of cheese foam on the side for dipping. For starters, the Nashville Hot Nuggies ($15) of chicken in a slightly spicy rub are back, too.
And here’s what’s new: pasta! After acquiring ie Italian Eatery last year, Travail is now the owner of a mega-sized pasta machine, and ie’s influence is being felt throughout their group, even at Travail proper. There are three preparations on the PAMP menu, and the Lumache alla Vodka ($19) takes a seashell-like shape and douses in vodka sauce with spicy sausage that gets cooled down by honey ricotta for a deeply yummy spin on the Italian-American classic. Brown says the Bloomington post may have even more pasta to keep its new south metro regulars sated.
Welcome back, PAMP.
4124 W. Broadway, Robbinsdale, pigatemypizza.com
Mont blanc at Little Joy Coffee
Northfield’s main street has all the charm of a Hallmark movie setting. Independent shops, a bookstore stacked with fresh spines waiting to be cracked open, an art gallery filled with vibrant bursts of colors and shapes, florals in full bloom and delight hiding around every corner.
Little Joy Coffee served as the setting and caffeine fuel for our One Perfect Day adventure. The signature Mont Blanc was love at first sip. Strong cold brew is topped with frothy cream spiked with vanilla and a generous zing of orange zest ($6.50). The mix of bright, darkly caffeinated beans in a cup was beguiling. Where have you been all my life, Mont Blanc? Can a coffee drink change your life? Have I been reading too many chick lit tomes lately? There was much to contemplate on that back patio overlooking the water rushing over the dam while settling into the beginning of a new kind of happily ever after. (Joy Summers)
