I had the great opportunity to meet T2 today for lunch in Stillwater, MN. I also met his lovely wife, daughter, son in law and grand daughter (she is a total doll!)
Stillwater is a great little town on the edge of the St Croix River along the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. One of the oldest (if not THE oldest) towns in Minnesota, Stillwater has a plethora of antique shops, and other specialty stores as well as a great variety of great restaurants. In the spring through fall, street fairs, art shows and other events draw thousands of tourists.
We met at a great kitchen store that boasts cooking classes in a kitchen that makes mine blush. The store offers almost every cooking tool / appliance / spice / oil / etc. that you could imagine. From there we went to lunch at Smalley's Caribbean Barbeque. Here's the menu -
http://smalleyscaribbeanbbq.com/menu/We tried the BBQ Shrimp, Curried Goat, Salt & Lime Jalapeno Peppers, Ginger Jicama Slaw, Pulled Pork Sandwich, Jerk Pork Tacos, Ribs, Brisket (was like pulled beef), pulled pork, Creamy Cole Slaw with Celery Seed and Horseradish (excellent!), Fire Roasted Pork and Caribbean Pintos (another hit.) Actually, everything was very good. Frankly, surprisingly good. They offered sauces on the side. If there was any disappointment (in my mind) it was the sauce. They had three "BBQ" sauces built around the same base from mild to "hot". None were hot and none were very sweet. They also had a scotch bonnet based sauce that was supposed to be "killer." While it wasn't killer, in fact not even really hot, it was very fruity and delicious. It was my favorite.
The curried goat could be an entre - it was superb. The BBQ was cooked over pimento wood and had a nice smoke flavor without being too strong. All the meat was moist and the sausage was very interesting. It is from a local source - I will be looking to pick some up again. This place is definitely on my list to visit again and to bring my wife to. The funny part is - I found it doing a search for the best hamburger in Stillwater!
I had a wonderful time talking with Tim, his wife and their family. We shared stories (some probably even true...
) I'd love to share some pictures, but I was using the camera that Dee sent me...
Hopefully, Tim will post some pics (he was clicking pretty well... )
I had a great time today - Thank you, Tim. And thank you to all of the rest of your family! I felt like I'd known all of you for a long time - it was a wonderful afternoon.
