Saturday, February 12, 2011

Yum! Kitchen and Bakery - St. Louis Park

After a shopping excursion, Mr. C and I thought it appropriate to do lunch. We were unsure about where to go (as always) and Mr. C said "Oh, I know a place that has lots of things at it, and it's right by where we are" and so off we went. When we arrived at Yum! I was pleased, as I had heard lots of good stuff about the place.





Yum! is more cafteria/bakery/cafe than a restaurant. It isn't terribly small, but it was pretty full when we arrived. Upon entering, there's a coffe counter and a bakery case filled with awesomeness.




They also have the fattest nutty bars in the land, and RED VELVET CAKE CUPCAKES. Ohh my.



There's a seperate counter for ordering food, with the menu displayed prominently on the wall above the kitchen/order area, deli style. Mr. C and I stepped up and made our choices. He: The Reuben [corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut & red pepper aioli on caraway rye - $8.95], Me: The Chicken Club [lettuce, tomato, avocado, bacon & pommeray honey aioli on toasted whole grain -$8.50.] We were issued a number, and found an open table. I proceeded to the coffee counter, feeling some caffeine desire. I ordered a medium vanilla latte.




Aside from being adorable, this latte was the best I have ever had. It had just the right amount of coffee + sweetness. The egg nesting style glass is completley clever, as you never burn your hands carrying your drink, and the foam stayed true to its frothy self until the very end. Lovely.

The food came out in about 10 minutes. First up, The Reuben:

Mr. C and I both were not terribly impressed with this. The meat was a little chewy, under-salted and the red pepper aioli didn't pop at all. The pickles here are true cucumber pickles. 70% cucumber and 30% pickle, which I find a little off-putting, but some people love.

Grilled Chicken Club:



This sandwich had several high and low points alike. The low: the bread was so crusty and if you have small choppers such as mine, it is a full on roof-of-the-mouth assault. I had to pick the big crusty parts off. But the fillings were well balanced. The chicken was ok, if not prominent. The avocado and bacon came through well, with the appropriate soft and creamy/salty and firm ratio happening. Tasted to me like there was just stone ground mustard on the thing, no hint of honey anywhere. The chips are very good. They are crumbly and not too crunchy or sharp, like kettle chips are. Thank god, since my poor mouth couldn't take it anymore. They are a little less salty than most may be used to, but they are savory and some have delightful burnt edges. Mmmm.
We had a good time sitting and chatting and looking at the fun merchandise Yum! offers. They have books, the awesome glasses that they serve coffee in, some jeweled spreaders (for spreads and dips) and cutesy things like that.
Saving the best for last, this is possibly my favorite thing about Yum!


That's right.

Overall, Yum! is charming little cafe, and I will be back to try out the Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese!





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