For some reason, road trips always seem to consist of Burger King drive-thrus and pre-packaged gas station garb. I let it happen… fast food is just way too easy when on the road. This past weekend Charlie and I took a whirlwind trip to the Midwest, first flying into Sioux Falls, South Dakota where one of my brothers lives.

For the most part a chain restaurant city, we settled on Old Chicago for pizza and Minnesota microbrews. A stop at Marlin’s in the morning for cornbread sausage benedict (tasty, but laden with calories I’m sure) and we were in the car for a five-hour trip north for my youngest brother’s high school graduation. [Insert stop at Burger King here.]

My mom made fall-apart barbecue pork sandwiches, bok choy salad, and crab dip for the party. We ate while on our toes, chased the kids around, and chatted for hours with relatives and neighbors. One more night’s rest and we were back on the road driving five hours south to Minneapolis to witness my cousin Ben tie the knot. [Insert stop at Burger King here.] A ceremony and a celebration later, we were crawling back into bed. I was relieved we didn’t have to jump back in the car the next day, relishing the chance to relax, soak up the city, and sit down for a meal or two.

I lived in Minneapolis for several years and had walked by The News Room (on the corner of Nicollet and 10th) several dozen times, but never sampled fare from the bistro. Only two blocks from our hotel, it was the perfect choice for an outdoor lunch with my parents, brother, and his girlfriend. I was overjoyed, yet overwhelmed by the menu.

Should I get the meatloaf sandwich, the walleye and bulgar, perhaps the calamari salad?

I eventually settled on the Herb Seabass Salad and I was far from disappointed. Layered with mixed greens, candied pine nuts, bacon, and parmesan crisps tossed with truffle vinaigrette, the entrée, along with a glass of crisp Pinot Grigio, was just the contrast my palate needed.

Catching a Minnesota Twins game at the Metrodome that evening, we digressed. No Burger King drive-thrus, but we did settle on a Famous Dave’s barbecue sandwich, stadium-priced beer, popcorn, and cotton candy for dinner. Eh, we can’t be (or otherwise eat) good all the time.

Our last morning in Minneapolis, we ate a highly recommended breakfast at Hell’s Kitchen. I will go back to this place for the peanut butter alone… and for the sausage bread, the cornmeal pancakes, and the maple-glazed bison sausage. Yum! At the airport we skipped Burger King and stuck to a few pretzels and an apple as we waited to board our westbound plane.