We took the Tasting Tour of St. Paul Brewing and 11 Wells Spirits and really enjoyed it! (Note:…read moreThis tour is not featured on the website. Click "get tickets for all tours" to see when it's available.) There is a lot packed into this tour so you won't have time to get bored! You start with a sample of one the the beers while you hear some history of Hamm's brewing. Then, into the brewing area to learn hownits done and sample another beer. Finally, (at least in summer) head outside for a scavenger hunt and another beer sample. And then, it's a short walk across the parking lot to 11 Wells for more history, samples of their spirits and explanation of rhe distilling process. And a game of trivia! The guides are so friendly and animated! It really was a fun evening. Highly recommend.

We've been wanting to do this tour for a long time, and it was well worth the wait!…read more Cynthia and Bick have such an amazing passion and knowledge of the history of Saint Paul, it was a really special time with very unique hosts. Not "kitschy" at all - on the contrary just packed with stories, information, and humor. Small group, easy to ask questions - really well done! This is a 'must do' for anyone who lives in, or is just visiting St. Paul!

Oh my. This was truly the best night of 2016 so far. And…read moreit's going to be tough to top. How does one convey in words such high levels of epicness? I will press on. If you have a deep appreciation for heritage pork, then you should be at this venue. If you don't, then you clearly do not belong in such a place with this kind of zeal and squeal. Nothing less than 5-stars, my friends; nothing less. First, I have history with pigs (aren't reviews really just a way to tell the stories of our lives?). I grew up loving pigs. Miss Piggy was my favorite. In 6th grade, I begged my parents to get a pot-bellied pig (one day I'll give them the kudos for sticking to their guns on not letting that happen). Also in 6th grade, I ate too much candy and started to resemble a pig, so I decided to stay quiet about my love of pigs until I got my waistline under control about a decade later (phew). While loving pigs, pork did nothing for me...until I learned of heritage breeds back in 2008. The color! The flavor! The texture! There was no going back. And just to show off ('cause that's fun to do from time-to-time), I discovered & tried, at a fundraiser dinner back in 2011 for the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, Mangalitsa pork belly for my first time, and knew right then there could be no other. And this is where the Cochon555 story begins... My sweet Mangalitsa was here in many culinary creations (and other breeds, too). And many of its dear relatives were here. It was a big family reunion and I was on cloud nine. Out of sheer randomness (& a reminder from God that He loves me), I won 2 VIP tickets from Yelp to this event! I wasn't even aware of what Cochon555 until I saw the contest (HOW did I MISS THIS?). When I read up on it, I realized that this evening was scripted for me and soon enough I found that I won! The joy! The rapture! The tears! Thank you, Yelp! The machine bots that chose my name were Divinely guided! I will write reviews for you until I perish from this earth. I invited a foodie friend that gets as excited about sustainably raised heritage piggies, from our beloved local farmers, as I do. Our tickets were thoroughly redeemed with every delicious, lovingly prepared, & creatively presented piece of pork. People talk about how drugs have altered their mind and enhanced their experience. I can't speak to that. But I can speak to what THIS pork did to me. There were top notch, sustainably & creatively-based restaurants, competing & representing at this event, including: Travail Kitchen & Amusements Spoon & Stable Chef Shack Ranch Surly Brewing (who won the MN Pork King title) Zen Box My favorite food delivery mode was a man, from Travail Kitchen, scuffing around the room on his knees in a sombrero. The sombrero contained a delicious & subtly sweet pate in the center of the hat and the rim of the hat contained chicharrones broken up from a large hide they fried late the night before. The server was on his knees so that people could just grab from his hat at standing height...it was brilliant. There was prociutto-like bacon (I know, it's either one or the other...but in this case, it wasn't!) "skewered" in waves on a thin crispy bread stick (no, it wasn't a pretzel ;-). There were also sweet lard-filled chocolates (I could have eaten those all night!). I was blown away by Spoon & Stable's creation of marshmallows made out of pork blood (same whipping properties as egg whites; who knew?!) and so much more. There was also the whole hog butchery going on right after the votes were taken. This is something IMPORTANT! We're a society that is detached from where our food comes from. Majority of us aren't going to be able to tell others what portion of an animal that a particular cut comes from, so this was valuable, precious, AND educational. All parts of the animal were put out for sale! Loved that feature, too! For as much gushing as I'm doing, I will say there were a few items that I thought were boring and uncreative for it being at an event like this: wonton-type items (wrapping pork in pasta is most likely what all of us would have thought of doing...just wasn't a "wow" (not that it has to be). Another item is that this is NOT a gluten-free friendly event. Considering the focus on sustainability and that wheat is an overcropped item (which is overshadowed by those who have gluten allergies & sensitivities). While I CAN consume wheat, I choose not to, because of past wheat sensitivities. I was truly surprised that at this day and age how many chefs went with the bland wheat berry. There was even a separate pie outfit that came in as a pop-up towards the end that didn't offer gluten-free options. Wha? Yes, one can consume the filling if they must, but one can also create a stellar gluten-free pie crust. Regardless, I would go to this event again & again. Oh, and ladies, 3 out of 4 attendees (or more) are men. If you're looking for a piggy-partner-in-crime, you may find your match here ;-)

I had never been to an event like this so I knew very little about what to expect. It ended up…read morebeing awesome! There is a wide selection of local wine and other beverages to try. It was a great opportunity to learn more about some of Minnesota's local food and wine producers! There were many different variations of pork as well as other dishes to try. The seafood bar was phenomenal! Overall, great experience. I highly recommend d for those who love pork or are just looking for a unique food experience!

This is a classic example of a private gallery posing as a public nonprofit. If you're not a friend…read moreof the gallery owner or artist they are showing, or in the market for a $10,000 painting, be ready to be asked your name and not to talk to the artist. That's what happened to me my last visit. They even took away the crackers. Their website has no names of who is running it or curating it or email addresses, but it has apparently changed hands during the last year or two. A tall blond was the one who asked my name. I expect she wouldn't have appreciated my asking hers, although at that point I didn't really care. She appears to be the new curator for the last few 'shows'. Not a friendly gallery now.

Have purchased many pieces from Circa over the years; we love their stuff. They have had different…read moreowners over time but they still rep great artists. Friendly helpful staff, always a delight. The art here costs high hundreds to more typically thousands of dollars.

Very cool venue for special events. We had an event here one evening - and the old school nature of…read morethe building is very interesting! Old exposed brick, stone, mortarwork! The upstairs rooms that overlook the main room are kind of cool and interesting! We did not use that area, but it's kind of hilarious! Hope to visit Aria again!

Aria is an amazing venue!…read more Gorgeous, first of all! We got married here this past August. All of our guests commented on the space and still do! After we booked they added more and more chandeliers, which became the centerpiece for our wedding ceremony! The people at Aria were all about trying new things and creating interesting spaces. I never met any opposition to my ideas. Just support! We ended up doing our ceremony in the round in the lobby under the gorgeous chandeliers and it was perfect! Jessica was our primary contact throughout and we loved working with her! She was very accommodating, relaxed and friendly. We live out of state and she even stayed late to let us show our family the venue during the holiday season. In fact, she was always open to let us come by and look around when we were in town. She was very flexible and helpful in making our vision happen. Plus she genuinely was excited about our ideas! I loved her laidback attitude. Even though she must be incredibly busy, she came across as relaxed which let us know she had everything under control! It was incredibly easy to talk to her! The other staff we met were fantastic too! Michelle, who we booked with was very nice, Eyob the facility manager who was so kind and friendly and Kelly, the bar manager, was very helpful meeting with us to figure out the drinks. The day of the wedding was fantastic! We loved it. Our families loved it. And our guests loved it. We couldn't have picked a better space for us! Thank you Aria, we are so happy to have our memories here! Great space, great people, great day!!!

I have to be honest. Making art usually makes me uncomfortable. I am married to an artist, but…read morecreating art is not an area of strength for me. However, I came to Oya Arts with my Education Evolving team and I truly enjoyed making art thanks to Karen and the way she supported us and encouraged our creativity. It was probably my favorite team building event ever in along history of team building events. We created our art surrounded by her beautiful and inspiring works and in the presence of her incredible kindness. You will not find a better way to build team connection.

It was a blast for mystery Sip and Paint, instruction was amazing, and class had fun atmosphere.read more

Stellar service and beautifully crafted jewelry...so much to choose from. I even ran into the…read moreartist of the earrings I chose for a gift!

On Sunday, we had to drive several hours (~3) round trip to babysit our son so we could attend the…read moreblacksmithing class. We arrived about 10 minutes early, but there was nobody at the shop. We knocked on the door, tried calling, and walked around the building to see if there was someone there. After 25 minutes, we finally decided to leave. We later received an automated email explaining that their "auto-reminders did not go out to you and to our instructor as they were supposed to." At the bottom of the email, it gave me the option to unsubscribe from their emails. For a class that costs nearly $90 per person, I would expect a higher degree of professionalism. All of the class attendees were responsible enough to show up, without auto-reminders. There is no excuse for the instructor forgetting! The refund they issued did not cover the cost or inconvenience of babysitting services. Their automated email that I could unsubscribe was unprofessional and felt like they were making excuses. The customer service was awful and I would never recommend that anyone goes there.

The Joyful H'Arts Studio led by Gail Kiltie as Owner/Instructor is Awesome! She does a Fabulous job…read moreof demonstrating & guiding each person to help everyone create their own Masterpiece of Art! . She also makes it very fun as includes personal stories & is very respectful & knowledgeable! Very pleased & impressed with My Art pieces & the Venues chosen. Highly Recommend doing this Fun Paint & Sip Adventure

I was visiting my hometown of Minneapolis for a couple weeks and I knew I had to check out The…read moreAbstracted while I was there. I had been hearing good things from friends and I was happy I was able to make it to the closing show for Minnesota's Best Kept Secrets. I love how it's located right on Central Avenue, in the same building as Diamonds coffee shop, with parking and everything. I brought my very hyperactive new puppy with me and he was welcomed into the gallery! It was a very nice vibe. The art was impressive, a nice variety with some names I recognized and some I did not. My girl friends and I had a blast, I would definitely attend more shows there! Next time I am in town, hopefully.