Coffee shops I've never been to and bands I've never heard

Most people get excited when they discover something good or interesting that no one else knows about, like a restaurant or coffee shop or a band with good music. It's human nature to want to be first to know something, or to have the satisfaction to say "I knew about that before it was popular." Somehow, it grants satisfaction to know that you were first.

For college students and 20-somethings, expect extra excitement when they first discover something unique. Don’t be surprised if they want to take in every concert or taste every new coffee flavor. And because this group desperately needs to conserve money for school, bargains are essential.

With this dilemma in mind, and with the weekend approaching soon, Hole in the Wall presents FREE concerts at local coffee houses or restaurants around the Twin Cities; these are bands that no one has ever heard of (and by 'no one' I mean 'me'.) This list is drawn from the CityPages concert calendar.

**Thursday, February 28th:

Rob Meany & Terramara at Harry's Cafe
Joe Dalton, MTheory and The Gary Munson Band at Wild Tymes
Fleetwood Mac Attack at Famous Dave's in Uptown
Blueprint at Minnesota Music Cafe
Vinyl Tap, Greg Grease, Prissy Clerks and The Erikson's at Amsterdam Bar & Hall

**Friday, March 1st:

Hot Pants at Amsterdam Bar & Hall
James Buckley and Bryan Nichols at Icehouse 

Cornbread Harris at Loring Pasta Bar

Ray Evangelista at Hunan Garden

Eric Bloom and Steve Garrington at Red Stag Supper Club

**Saturday, March 2nd:

James Buckley Trio at Icehouse

Adam Granger and Pop Wagner at Aster Cafe

The Union Suits, Pleasure Horse and The Ear Strippers at Acadia Cafe

James Wallace at The Red Stag Supper Club 

Saints of Circumstance at Memory Lanes

Now hopefully you all have found something you want to check out this weekend. Personally, I'm eyeing Adam Granger and Pop Wagner, and because Aster Cafe looks pretty cool. And maybe also Rob Meany & Terramara at Harry's Cafe. 

If you have heard these bands and want something new, check out CityPages list of college bands you need to hear. They are local bands of college kids are about to make it big. Check them out!

Also, look for another post this weekend about a new place for me: The Blue Door Pub.

Stay tuned! 

Friday night: hipster college student style

It's a Friday night, and I decided to finally do a real 'hole-in-the-wall' experience and go somewhere I had never even heard of before. I just typed in 'coffee shop' into my GPS, and I ended up here. 

Coffee Grounds is a local coffee shop with an eclectic style and cool vibe. They are a St. Paul original, located on Hamilne Avenue in the Como area close to Hamline University. Follow them on Facebook, 1,100 likes and counting! 

 They have local bands come and play, and I was lucky enough to be there for the monthly Last Friday Jazz Series. The band playing was called Cat'Tet, a local jazz group that performs often at the shop and are a local favorite.

Some of the more adorable details that made this spot somewhere to remember.

Also, I was loving the remainder of the Christmas decorations left up to spur memories for those of us who still feel nostalgic about the holiday season.

I tried the Peach Paradise tea and the Thai coffee. The Peach tea was good, but ordinary, nothing special. The Thai coffee, however.... I could go on and on. 

I have tasted this kind of coffee before, and let me say, no one does it like Coffee Grounds. It was the perfect balance of sweet and bitter, good for the coffee lover but not too strong for those still unsure of their taste buds for coffee. It was like October in a cup; I was brought back to the fall days of Pumpkin Spice lattes and cinnamon mochas. But at the same time, it was something I could enjoy in February without missing fall too much. Simply delicious. 

The atmosphere was very friendly and small-town style. Everyone seemed to know each other, I almost felt like the odd one out. But the service was friendly and laid-back, and the music made for a calming mood in which to do homework. 

The people there listening to the band were all very friendly as well. I went with my roommate, and I think they could tell we had never been before. One man came up to us to talk, and right away he said "I promise I'm not creepy, and I won't stay long." Too funny.

There was also space available for small businesses to sell jewelry or things for consignment. Local artists also had space to put up their artwork for sale. Very local and neighborhood friendly.

Here's the truth: I would come back. For the atmosphere, for the company, for the music, for the coffee. The college student atmosphere was at a 10, definitely. 

The price breakdown: 

Thai coffee, medium size: $4.11

Peach Paradise tea in a pot: $2.50 (with unlimited hot water refills) 

As far as price, I'd say this is a pretty average joint. Not too pricey, but not too cheap either. Classy, but not high class. Worth it. 

Now you can say you know what happens in the life of a cheap college student on a Friday night. As a bonus, my art history reading isn't half bad. I will now let the sweet sound of jazz fill my ears as I focus on my delicious coffee. 

Cupcake-tastic

Hello hungry Twin Cities residents! I'd say it's about time for a treat.

In my last post I talked about a mildly expensive, though large-portioned option for dinner: Old Spaghetti Factory. Today, it's time for dessert to have a say in the matter. In this case, it's not just a "say," it's a loud yell and a sucker punch to the stomach (in the best way possible).

Cupcake is a gourmet cupcake bakery located on University Avenue in Minneapolis, close to the University of Minnesota campus. It's owner, Kevin Vanderaa, has been crowned the Food Network's 'Cupcake Wars' champion, and has kindly brought his delicious and now famous endeavors to our humble Twin Cities.

Cupcake was listed as 2nd in CityPages' Top 10 cupcake shops in the Twin Cities, and is ranked high in many other news sources' countdowns as well. Overall, I'd say it's worth the hype.

 In addition to being DE-licious, they were pretty too! And the location is a very artsy/run-down place, perfect for hipster couples' dates.

 Talented at making yummy cupcakes, and has a sense of humor. Mister Kevin Vanderaa has it all.

The Chocolate Strawberry Cupcake and the Raspberry Romance Cupcake. Seriously, to die for.

This place is in a great location, it's unique to the Twin Cities, and its delightful atmosphere and yummy cupcakes make for a college-student approved experience. Here's the catch:

Each cupcake was roughly $3.89. This is the limit of my food budget for the week. So, frugal college students, save this for an extra special occasion. Or get your significant other to take you there and pay. 

Experience = college-student approved.

Price = TOO HIGH. 

I guess you're allowed to ask for $4 for a cupcake if you were on TV for your expertise in the subject. Seems legit, right? 

A little Valentine's treat

The very first place I will post about is the fabulous Old Spaghetti Factory in downtown Minneapolis, a lovely location on Park Ave, close by the Guthrie Theatre and the river. Not a very hole-in-the-wall place, granted, but a treat nonetheless. 

The inside of the restaurant is beautifully decorated, and the building used to be an actual factory, so there is piping in the ceiling that makes for an elegant and old-style feeling.

All the main courses come with a side salad and unlimited bread for the whole table (Olive Garden style, oh yeah!) The salad was small, but decent, and the bread was delicious, but crumbly, as you can see.

I ordered the Manager's favorite, which was a spaghetti and your choice of two sauces: I picked marinara and mushroom. It was average at best, but I'd eat it again. Which is why I took half of it home to have for another meal later. 

Each meal, in addition to coming with salad (or soup) and unlimited bread, also comes with your choice of chocolate or Spumoni ice cream after the meal. The ice cream was TO DIE FOR. Seriously, so delicious. 

Overall, a lovely experience. Although it had somewhat of a "fancy-restaurant" vibe, the atmosphere is very calm and chill. The service was good; our waiter even offered to take a picture of the group (it was blurry though... they will have to update their "how to take pictures for guests" section of their wait staff handbook).

I'd go again. Maybe I would order something different, and maybe we should plan better so as to miss the Valentine's day rush, but it was good food, service, and price.

The price breakdown: I paid $10.56 for salad, bread, two servings of spaghetti and one scoop of ice cream. That fed me for two night's worth of dinner, plus I would have normally had to pay extra for an ice cream, sometimes at least $4. So, even though it was a little pricey, you do get your money's worth. Bonus: spaghetti is even good as leftovers. College-student approved!

Hole in the Wall

This is the blog of a college student and aspiring travel journalist who isn't getting paid for her efforts quite yet. Because of my lack of money for my quality work, my travel is restricted to the cities that I live in. So, without further ado... 

Welcome to "Hole in the Wall," a blog about all the amazing, random and obscure places to travel. That is, if you are a college student with no money living around the Twin Cities (and therefore can't afford to travel any farther than that).

So, because I have no money, the only places I travel are the two lovely cities we call Minneapolis and St. Paul. I will show you how to navigate the cities, where to find the best/cheapest/most interesting food, where to find obscure artists playing in random spots, and occasionally some free entertainment. 

If you like concerts, check out ConcertBoom. It lists all the big names playing in the cities, as well as some smaller ones. As far as super-small one-time hole-in-the-wall concerts, I can get you hooked up with those.

If you like food, check out this Yelp search. It has a list of "dive-bars and alternative restaurants in the Twin Cities." Of course, it doesn't provide unabashed, honest opinions of the food there and a quality review of the service and atmosphere. That you can only find here.

If you have a sweet spot for coffee shops, like I do, check out CityPages Top 10 coffeehouses in the Twin Cities. This is a great list of places where you normally wouldn't think to stop. However, I will also be providing you with the bottom 10 coffee houses in the Twin Cities here, as well as every other obscure place in between. 

I will also be posting on Instagram, follow me (@emcanichols) if you have one. When I post about my "travels," I will use the hashtag #emmasholeinthewall. 

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy my blog!

-Emma