A Tale of 2 Cities: The Twin Cities

Today, the Twin Cities, Duluth, and Rochester have 164 restaurants to chose from to dine and wine at, with a portion of the day and night’s proceeds going towards The Aliveness Project. The “project” is actually a community center located in South Minneapolis and provides services and programs to the HIV/AIDS community. Last year, Dining Out for Life raised $161K in donations from restaurants, sponsors, and you, the individual diner. This year, the goal is $170K. And with restaurants donating up to 50%, this seems like goal that can be met!

Try Toast Wine Bar & Café for a great wine-and-cheese date night. The Minneapolis restaurant has a food menu that includes options like decadent thin crust pizzas, cheeses, olives, crostini, and more. The wine menu includes sake, reds and whites from Italy, Germany, France, Chile, Spain, Oregon, and Cali. And the dessert menu includes cookies, pies, and of course, dessert wines and after-dinner ports.

Or, try Cupcake. Located on University Avenue in Minneapolis, it’s the building with the giant blue coffee mug on the corner. The café menu includes breakfast all day with choices like quiche, granola, fruit, pastries, and eggs, plus lunch and dinner options. Cupcake also offers a carb of the day and fresh side of the day, and happy hours with discounts like $2 off a Panini or $1 off Espresso drinks. They also have a wide variety of affordable specialty cupcakes (like a June Cleaver cupcake), which would satisfy any sweet tooth.