Can zombies find some tasty BRAINS in the Twin Cities? Of corpse they can!
Are you one of the living dead who’s planning to invade our fair cities this weekend? If you’re prepping your makeup collection for a night of gnarly nastiness, you’re probably one of the many who will be attending the Twin Cities’ annual Zombie Pub Crawl this weekend. And, dear zombies, as an experienced resident, I wanted to assure you that you can eat BRAINS in the Twin Cities—and they don’t have to be my brains.
Chef Sameh Wadi (a “Rising Star Chef of the Year” James Beard Award winner) serves lamb brain at Saffron as a mezze/tapas/snack dish. The lightly fried, mildly flavored lamb brain is served with tomatoes stewed in olive oil and it’s flavored with garlic and parsley. For $6, zombies new to the scene can be a bit adventurous with this small plate, while old world zombies can satisfy their craving.
Though perhaps you’re the kind of zombie who wants some meat with your brains. Rest assured, there’s a spot for you, too. For $18, the Sample Room serves a “Half Pigs Head Smorgasboard” with pickled egg, pickles, and Dijon mustard. They prepare a Fischer Family Farms half pig’s head with olive oil, salt, and beer, and slowly bake it for 12 hours until it’s tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. The half head comes with a tiny pig’s brain, but even a brain-eating zombie shouldn’t pass over the succulent jowls.
Note: Neither Saffron or Sample Room are official Zombie Pub Crawl participants, so don’t go storming their doors on Saturday. I’m just trying to help a zombie out with some pre- or post-event sustenance!
But August Schell Brewing Company is officially sponsoring, and they’ve created a specialty Brain Belt beer this year. (Especially appropriate for those zombies that, horror of horrors, don’t literally eat brains.) Local poster artist David Witt designed the specialty can, which is complete with hungry zombies clutching cans of beer. Zombies can get limited-edition cans of Grain Belt, a.k.a. “Brain Belt,” at bars participating in the Zombie Pub Crawl. It’ll probably sell quickly, but Brain Belt will be sold at stores and bars around the Twin Cities, too, including:
Stores:
- River Liquor
- Mcdonalds Liquor and Wine
- Sentryz
- Mourados
- B & G Wine & Liquor
- Central Avenue Liquors – Update: Sold Out
- South Lyndale Liquors
- Zipp’s
- Dinkytown Wine and Spirits
- Lake Wine & Cheese
- Hennepin Lake Liquors
- East Lake Liquor Store – Update: Sold Out
- Minnehaha Liquor
- MGM Liquor Warehouse
- Fridley Liquor Warehouse
- St. Anthony Village Wine and Spirits
Bars:
- The Nomad
- Whiskey Junction
- Maxwell’s
- Corner bar
- The Republic
- Acadia
- Red Sea Bar
- 400 Bar
- Palmers
- Triple Rock
- Tiffany Sports Lounge
- O’Gara’s Bar and Grill
