Local Guide

After 6 weeks of fumbling around new parts of Minneapolis, I finally found a guide book that catered to my thirst for local-gourmet-stylish cafes/bars/boutiques. The eat.shop guidebooks have beautiful photos, right-to-the-point lists, and short recommendations. The thing I appreciate the most is that the series covers smaller cities (Minneappolis/St. Paul, Kansas City), as well as big, sexy cities (New York, London, Paris).

Manage Your Food Portfolio

Manage your food budget like an investments portfolio. Go to a fancy restaurant every once in a while, and go to whole in the wall ethnic restaurant at other times. The food MUST be good at both the $100 and $5 meal. Seek out good food wherever it may be. Ask ethnic coworkers. Ask friends. Ask www.yelp.com or www.chowhound.com. Ask strangers who look different from you. Ignore anyone who only recommends 4-star restaurants.