Downtown MPLS Lunches: Cosí

I spend most of my week in downtown Minneapolis, which means that if I forget my green smoothie in the morning and if I don’t take the time to prepare a lunch I’ll need to scrounge around downtown to find a quick breakfast or lunch. For those of you who work in downtown Minneapolis or spend a lot of time there, I thought I’d share some of my favorite lunchtime spots that are different than your usual Subway, Panera or fast food joint. If you don’t live in Minneapolis, check out the websites of the restaurants. I think a lot of them have other locations. If not, well, you’ll just have to find a reason to travel to the Twin Cities one of these days to check a few restaurants out, won’t you? 😉

 Last week for our weekly mermaid power lunch, my friend Heather and I met at Cosí. We ate there once ages ago and I had their Tandoori Chicken Sandwich (the lighter version). It was delicious and while I think about the restaurant (and walk by it) often, I haven’t been back.

Whenever I go to a restaurant I like to peak at the menu beforehand so that I have an idea of what I’ll find and what some of the lighter options are. When I logged onto the website I saw that their “Cult Classic” had returned: a Turkey Sandwich with Stuffing and Cranberries. I was both intrigued and not so sure about it. I’m not big on stuffing or cranberry sauces. But why not try out their cult classic at least once, right?

Not the cutest to look at, but it was good.

 So I did and it was delicious. The cranberry sauce added a hint of sweetness, the stuffing was a nice touch and the turkey did not disappoint. I can see this being a fall food to look forward to every year that’s different than the usual pumpkin spice and caramel flavors that you find everywhere. Not only was it good, but the calorie count wasn’t off the charts and it fit into the rest of my day well.

Heather ordered a personal pizza. It came on a wooden board with cheese and red pepper on the side–so cute! She also said that it was very good.

Cosí can be found on the first floor of the IDS Center on 7th St and Nicollet Ave, though it’s on the Marquette Ave side of the building. It serves an array of soups, salads and sandwiches and has plenty of options that you can choose from if you’re trying to keep your calories in check. There is plenty of seating in the restaurant and always a line of people waiting to take their food to go. Prices run between $10 and $15 if you plan to get a drink as well.