Hi everyone! I hope everyone is having an amazing week so far. I took Monday off work to do work for the blog, but having days off, especially when it’s a Monday, throws me off all week. It’s nice because the week goes by quickly but I am just so thrown off the entire week thinking it’s earlier in the week, which is a good problem to have.
I am so very excited for tonight because it’s game 3 of the Timberwolves and Nuggets playoff series MN is up 2-0. The vibes in Minnesota have been so high the past couple of weeks because of the Timberwolves, I feel like I have never witnessed something like this in Minnesota sports. Probably because I’ve been a Packers fan all my life so I have not had to endure the heartbreak of other Minnesota sports teams falling short every year.
Anyway, part of my day off on Monday included going out to lunch with my sister and it was so dang good! We went to Lat14 in Golden Valley which is actually where my sister works so I have been dying to get food there and it did not disappoint. She was also super helpful with what to order and what is super popular so keep that in mind with the recommendations.
Lat14 also just started opening for lunch and offering lunch platters from 11am to 2pm, Monday-Friday. Their lunches are smaller portions of their dinner menu items and are served with a scallion wonton, Asian slaw, and fruit. Even more recently, they now have a brunch menu that is offered on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 2pm. I report back after I have a chance to go in for brunch, but on Monday my sister and I went in for lunch and shared a couple of different dishes, and below I am going to go into everything we ordered. Not one of them was bad and I would recommend every single thing we had!
DRINKS
Air Force 1s
First of all, this drink is so pretty and has edible glitter in it! How fun! It is a riff on a classic aviation. If you don’t know what that is, the aviation is a cocktail typically made with gin, maraschino liqueur, crème de violette, and lemon juice and is a pretty purple color. Lat14 makes their version of the cocktail special, with the flavor of lychee. Lychee is a tropical tree that is native to Asia and the fruit tastes like a cross between a strawberry and a pear with floral notes and the texture of a firm grape. Fun fact: lychee has a high concentration of vitamin C!
Sneaky Tiger
The Sneaky Tiger is a delicious drink made with tequila, cucumber, mango, and chilies, with a tajin rim. Now this is my kind of drink! One of my favorite drinks is a spicy margarita so this was hands down my favorite of the day. It is just the perfect drink for a summer day with the sweetness of the mango, the heat of the chilies, and the coolness of the cucumber. Everything balances out very nicely with this one.
Dead Prezidents
This one is for the boozy lovers! Dead Prezidents is a jasmine-infused whisky cocktail and is even garnished with crushed jasmine. This drink is another beautiful creation and it also surprised me how much I liked it. I am not usually the type to order a drink in which I can taste the alcohol but this one is a nice combination of whisky forward without being too overpowering.
FOOD
Basil Wings
Okay you guys, these wings are seriously the best wings I have ever had. They are so dang good! The wings are tempura fried with a signature dry rub and come with fried Thai basil leaves and fried jalapenos. They have that crispy outside while being super juicy on the inside and provide just the right amount of heat. Seriously, if you go to Lat14, the wings are a must!
House Pickle Assortment
This is technically a side dish but we ordered it as an appetizer, and is the perfect small plate to share. The pickles include traditional pickles, pickled jalapenos, daikon, watermelon radish, garlic, and Thai chili. These are made special by Lat14 with the addition of fish sauce to the pickling liquid to give it a slight umami flavor to go along with the typical sour taste of pickled vegetables.
Tom Yum Ramen
The word on the street is this ramen is a crowd favorite and I’m going to side with the crowd on this one. This dish is made with ramen noodles in a tamarind coconut broth with shrimp, pickled mushrooms, and Thai herbs. If you order this as the dinner portion, it also comes with sea scallops as well. This was such a savory, delicious dish that I would eat over and over again. The broth was so flavorful that I truly wish I could bathe myself in it. I also feel like this is a great dish for those who need something mild in the spice department, as many of the other dishes they serve can be spicy and we all know how a lot of Minnesotans handle spicy foods.
Pad Saap
This is the dish I had my eye on before we even went to the restaurant. The pad saap is your choice of protein, I chose shrimp, with bell peppers, onions, and honshimeji mushrooms in a garlic lemongrass sauce with Thai basil and chilies, and is served with a side of jasmine rice. Again, the sauce in this dish is really what makes it so special. This one kicks up the heat some more without it being a total inferno. I really liked this dish because it reminds me of a classic stir fry that I have always known and loved but with that punch of huge flavors in the sauce.
After all of this, there was absolutely no room for anything else but their dessert menu is quite appealing as well. I may have to also go back for dessert. Brunch AND dessert – doesn’t sound like a bad combo!
I hope you all enjoyed my first restaurant recommendation for you and would love to hear if you go check it out. If you do, let me know what you get!
Stay hungry my friends!
