Nothing says "
fall just got here but is already leaving" like a bike ride in Saint Paul (and environs) to eat vernacular coney dogs.
That's why, for the fifth (5th) year in a row, I am organizing a bike ride to eat "Saint Paul style" coney dogs.
How many coney dogs, you ask?
Three, sir. No more, no less.
Three shall be the number thou shalt eat, and the number of the coneys shall be three.
Four shalt thou not devour, nor either eat thou two, excepting that thou then proceedeth on to three.
(Five coneys is right out!)
Once the number three, being the third number, be reached...
OK OK, after that we will then bike back toward downtown Saint Paul while digesting the coneys.
(For those wondering what a coney dog is, please consult the brief coney explainer contained in the blogpost for
Coney Quest IV: The East Side Excursion.)
Monty Python references aside, the challenge is this: there are some wonderful coney dogs along the river to the south. It's true. I have seen them with my own eyes, devoured them with my mouth, and digested them handily. They are excellent coneys, both surprising and traditional, and served in properly crusty settings.
With fates aligned, this year we venture forth into wild lands beyond the southern border to fetch a brace of coneys. Tally ho!
Know too that there are other benefits to the attending Coney Quest V: The Downstream Journey. They are 1) the bike ride is mostly an off-street trail skirting the Mississippi River, and 2) the fall foliage is sublime right now, and 3) these historical Concord Street bars are fine establishments of their kind.
With that in mind, show up at the (probably not long for this world, alas!)
Kelly's Depot Bar around 5:30 to consume the first coney.
We will depart promptly at 6pm for a ten-mile (10-mile) bike ride southward along the river, to Celt's Bar in Inver Grove Heights.
From there, we will turn around, head north to Al's Corral Bar, arriving around 8pm, and finally returning home, bellies and hearts full and contented.
Hope to see you there!
What: bike ride to eat coney dogs
When: 10/10 10/24 at 5:30pm
Where: Kelly's Depot Bar in Lowertown
Why: because they're there, for now
Who: anyone with a bike and an appetite for coneys
[Tantalizing spoiler images follow.]
