Danny's Profile
Stouts in Falcon heights
Been there a few times because it is near the office. If you want to go to a bar to hang out with your coworkers, it's great. If you're looking for more than that, keep looking.
New Dim Sum Place
When we went, there was jellyfish salad on the plate with the seaweed, and we asked if we could get just the seaweed, without the jellyfish. they prepared that for us gladly.
New Dim Sum Place
Tried the dim sum there a few weeks ago, and found the quality to be mixed. (For example, the soup dumplings had obviously been sitting for a while and had dried exteriors, and no soup inside)
There are carts, but they also put printed menus on the table. We found we needed them as availabilty of a lot of items was spotty. When we asked for things, they were made to order (or someone went to get them for us)
I certainly wouldn't put it in the top tier of dim sum experiences I've had, but it will work in a pinch!
Inexpensive buffet options for business meetings
What about Holy Land? That might be a nice change of pace, and they have a pretty good sized catering business.
New York-style pizza in the south metro?
Broders' Cucina Italiana. Most people know Broders for their fantastic selection of imported foods (or the pasta bar across the street) but their pizza is one of (if not the) best New York style pizzas in the Twin Cities.
And at 50th and Penn, not far from your neighborhood.
Grand Szechuan Plymouth
That is the address! Didn't have it handy when I posted. Their website ishttp://grandszechuanmn.com/
Grand Szechuan Plymouth
Went last week, and was really happy. This is a Plymouth outpost of the well regarded place in Bloomington: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/646396
We were one of only two tables in the place, hopefully business picks up! The food was great, the service was friendly.
Rye Delicatessen - Minneapolis
After reading Zimmern's "critique" - I had to go and see for myself. Sadly, he was right on. They were out of knish(!). The person who took my order seemed surprised when her register indicated they were sold out - so she went into the kitchen to ask if they'd made more. They had not.
The potato pancake was the over-crispy wonder described above. It was almost like thick cut potato sticks on the outside, with a flavorless mushy center.
The real reason I went was to have a bialy - something that has been sorely missing in the area. The dough had a decent texture, but was (as the theme seems to be) really lacking flavor.
Fresh Quail Eggs?
Saw them at Shuang Hur on University yesterday, lots of them. Next to the moon cakes.
Any old fashioned ice cream parlors out there??
I believe so. You can also get Izzy cones! (And a Dizzy Izzy, which is 5 Izzy scoops) And The whole menu is online: http://izzysicecream.com/menus/stpaul.html
Has anyone ever tried an Izzabella? http://izzysicecream.com/menus/izzabella.html
Or the Hot Dish? http://www.izzysicecream.com/newsletter/bkmark_may10.pdf
Any old fashioned ice cream parlors out there??
They also do a Mini-B, which is a miniature banana split! It's a tiny banana with 3 Izzy Scoops of ice cream!
Lasagna, pasta, salad & breadsticks
If you're willing to venture north of 694 in search of lasagna and an above average bread basket, check out Giuseppe's. I've only been once, and found a family run place with pretty good italian food, and a homemade breadbasket. I wouldn't advocate it as a place a foodie would love, but if you like a bread basket with pepperoni bread, olive bread, garlic bread, and/or whatever else they made that day - along with a salad and a decent pasta dish, give them a shot.
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Giuseppe Italian Ristorante
1435 Silver Lake Rd NW, Saint Paul, MN 55112
Surdyk's Liquor infuriates Surly Nation!!!
It is a matter of time before the Surly bubble bursts.
There's a great piece over on the Shefzilla blog about this "uproar:" http://shefzilla.com/?p=14635
It's the second piece criticizing Surly from a source that I trust, that I've really agreed with. (The other was Kopplin's coffee, comparing their attitude about location to Surly's "We'll go to whatever town pays us the most" point of view: http://www.kopplinscoffee.com/blog/good-taste/rootlessness/ )
any good breakfast sandwiches in MSP??
The P&E at Bewiched is beyond amazing. Their pastrami is fantastic, pairing it with an egg and harissa on foccacia brings it to a whole other level.
The eggwich at Victory 44's Coffee Bar is also quite good, although probably not worth a trip across town for.
I also agree with the Sun Street comments. I've not been impressed with sandwiches there - with the exception of the breakfast biscuits, those have been amazing.
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Bewiched Deli
800 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Victory 44
2203 44th Ave N, Minneapolis, MN
Last great meal in Minneapolis/St. Paul?
First off, SweeTango > HoneyCrisp. Run to Byerly's, Kowalski's, or an Apple Orchard and see if they have any SweeTangos left (last time I was at a Byerly's they had some, but they were not in very good condition, almost all had some bruising). Plus, you can find HoneyCrisps nationally. SweeTango still isn't available in large enough quantities to have wide availability.
After that, go for one of the restaurants that sources local ingredients. I'd probably pick Heartland. You'll be able to get great food on the east coast, you won't be able to get stuff from our farms there.
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Byerly's
1601 County Road C W, Saint Paul, MN 55113
State Fair All The Milk You Can Drink Booth
From what I understand, the milk in the all you can drink milk booth is supplied by Kemps. (It is the version that uses 1% milk)
Saigon Closed. Reopening "soon" - with new owners
If you didn't see it, Saigon posted this to Facebook yesterday afternoon:
"Many of you have been confused or might be upset with us over this recent closing. First of all we would like to announce that there will be new owner taking over soon. The foods will stay the same and you will still see some familiar faces here. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you for your patronage and that we have truly been blessed with the best of customers/friends!! With attorney and legal stuff going on with this transition we can only say so much!!"
You can read it here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SAIGON-RESTAURANT-SAINT-PAUL/129743374913
Cross your fingers that they reopen, and that the food stays the same - call me cynical, but I'm not optimistic, although one of their servers claims that the cooks and servers will be the same.
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Saigon Restaurant & Bakery
704 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55104
state fair prices: shocking
Keep in mind that the fair keeps 15% of sales from all of the food vendors. This also pushes prices up, and is part of the reason the Girl Scout Cookies being sold this past weekend were $4.00 per box, rather than the usual $3.50.
Cupcakes at Target Field
I sat in the Club level recently, and they had a dessert cart that had a variety of stuff made by the house pastry chef. The cupcakes were among them.
So, at the very least, the cupcakes are still available in the club level.
Our State Fair 2011: it's the Best State Fair in our State!
All this talk of fair food makes me wonder if it isn't time for a State Fair Chowdown of sorts. Anyone up for such a thing?
Where to take a non-Westerner for the most "American" food experiences? Must be baby-friendly.
Yes. Schussler's offices are across the street. He'd apparently been eyeing the Wagner's Drive Inn for years, and finally made the move to buy it and "remodel" it. He's not behind the Blue Moon concept, he just hired them to run it. (He is behind a TON of themed restaurants though)
Where to take a non-Westerner for the most "American" food experiences? Must be baby-friendly.
Everything I know came from this: http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/dining/124723988.html
Our State Fair 2011: it's the Best State Fair in our State!
Big Fat Bacon used Neuske's the first year, and switched to smaller, cheaper bacon last year, which made me sad. Not sure about the pig lickers.
As for cheesecurds, I think Original Cheese Curds > Mouth Trap. But, you really can't go wrong with either.
As for O'Garas, my issue with them last year was that they had a bagpiper walking around inside. Holy headache, Batman!
Where to take a non-Westerner for the most "American" food experiences? Must be baby-friendly.
Totally late to the party, but a really good spot might be Galaxy Drive-In. It has pretty much all the elements you're looking for. Over the top theming: check. Drive-in: check. Kid friendly: check American classic foods: check
And, the food has apparently gotten much better, now that the operations are being run by the family that runs the Blue Moon Drive In at the State Fair (and the sausages are now supplied by Kramarczuk's)
I haven't been there this year, but the s'mores kit and their firepit are a guilty pleasure.
Where to take a non-Westerner for the most "American" food experiences? Must be baby-friendly.
Victory 44 is finally serving breakfast again! Had it over the weekend. If you decide to head over there, drop me a line - we can walk there from our house!
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Victory 44
2203 44th Ave N, Minneapolis, MN
Victory 44 Recent Hits/Misses?
Yes, the coffee is from Dogwood.
Also, it looks like next weekend will be the debut of breakfast - but the menu is up on the chalkboard.
Victory 44 Recent Hits/Misses?
DO NOT MISS THE COFFEE SHOP! It is one of the few places that serves coffee at the proper temperature! (Usually, it is way too hot.)
I'm not a fan of flavored coffee drinks, but since they're making all their own syrups, I figured I'd give it a shot. And since I'm crazy, I went for the "Barista's Choice" - I had a good chat with the barista, about what I like, what I don't, and he went over to the restaurant side, got some of the syrup for their honey-ginger soda, and added that, some cocoa, and cayenne pepper to a cappuchino, going for a Mole type of flavoring. It was amazing!!
Their Ice Creamed Cold Press is also a hit on a hot summer day.
Also, they will serve the entire restaurant menu in the coffee shop - but you cannot bring alcohol into the coffee shop side.
Starting later this week, they'll be serving breakfast in the coffee shopIn the morning, through mid-day they will be serving breakfast. Before the remodel, I had the eggwich a few times. Their housemade biscuits are awesome (although overwhelmed by the honey if you order a biscuit and honey) with an egg, cheese, and their housemade sausage, you have one of the best breakfast sandwiches in town.
Waffles?
They make a pretty good waffle at Victory 44 Coffee and Provisions (the coffee shop next door to Victory 44)
Their hot food menu is still really limited - rarely more than the waffle and the eggwich. But both are well worth having. (Of course, I can walk there from my house, but if you're looking for waffles, they're pretty darn good!)
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Victory 44
2203 44th Ave N, Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis airport eats?
Heavy Table totally missed the boat on Wok N Roll. While everything they have in steam trays is terrible, order something off the menu (which is sort of hidden) and you'll get surprisingly decent Chinese Food, CHEAP.
My go to are the Singapore Rice Noodles. Not the greatest you'll ever eat, but certainly respectable. And, for $7.00, you'll get enough for two people to share. You'll see lots of Asia based Delta flight attendants ordering this.
The Lo Mein isn't bad either, if you get a version that isn't in the steam tray (I go with Roast Pork.)
Also, be sure to pick up one of the MSP Airport coupon books. They're available all over the airport, and will get you further discounts at nearly every restaurant in the airport.
Certainly not great eats, but it is pretty edible, and really cheap.
