July 14th-19th is the Minneapolis-Saint Paul 2019 Restaurant week-a chance for you to try out a new eatery in the Twin Cities and fuel up on your favorite flex fuel along the way.
There are 61 restaurants featured throughout the week, each of which offer lunch or dinner options for a great price, so you can check out somewhere new or head back to one of your favorite spots.
A common theme many well-loved restaurants share these days are their connections to local farmers. Minnesotans have great pride in choosing food that is produced locally by hard-working community members. This local food movement has been adopted by more and more restaurants, and is a great way to support our local farmers and economy.
Another way we can help support our local farmers is to choose an ethanol blend like 88 octane or E85 when at the fuel pump. These ethanol blends are made from locally grown corn, making them a renewable, cleaner-burning fuel compared to regular gasoline. With more than 400 stations offering ethanol blends across the state, there is sure to be a location near your next restaurant stop.
One restaurant that will be featured next week is Urban Eatery, which overlooks Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. They are known for their American food that uses fresh ingredients from local producers including Dragsmith Farms, Red Barn Farms, and Wild Acres Farms. On your way to Urban Eatery, you can fill up your flex fuel vehicle with E85 at the local Speedway. If you don’t have a flex fuel vehicle, you can go to the Stop N Shop nearby to fill up on 88 octane.
Another restaurant that offers delicious farm to fork options is Tillie’s Farmhouse in Saint Paul. While this restaurant isn’t featured next week, it is well worth checking out this summer. They use local and sustainable ingredients from nearby farmers and have a menu that is fresh, wholesome, and from scratch. After you fill up your stomach, top off your tank at the Marshall Cretin Minnoco just down the street. They have a wide range of ethanol blends including 88 octane, E20, E30, E50, and E85.
If your stomach still isn’t growling at this point, one last suggestion for you to check out is Dinner on the Farm. Even though this isn’t a restaurant in the traditional sense, it is a new approach to experiencing local food and community right on the farm. There are a handful of events throughout the year, each of which allows families to bring their picnic baskets, mingle, tour the farm, enjoy local beverages and appreciate a fresh, locally made dinner at a communal table. Stay tuned for upcoming events and be sure to fill up on your choice of ethanol blend before making your way to the countryside.
So, hopefully now you have a few more foodie destinations to check off your list this summer. What a tasteful way to support our local farmers, both at the table and the pump.