mplsmike's Profile
Can you make my vegan bolognese sauce any better?
-Nutmeg
-Don't use mock meats -- agree lentils might get you in a better direction
Restaurants everyone loves--except you
Barrio
Crave
Chino Latino
Zelo
Burger Jones
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Zelo
831 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Chino Latino
2916 Hennepin Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55408
Burger Jones
3200 W Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55416
What is American cuisine?
BBQ. Not stuck in one region, but has unique aspects depending on where in America you are. Cooking pork with smoke (or beef in Texas) and slathering it with a spicy tomato-based sauce. That's American.
MSP: Western 'burb sources of free-range chicken and grass-fed beef
Speaking of Clancey's, their website has been under construction for a long time now. I'm sure business would increase and sandwiches would become much less of a secret if that thing got up and running.
Edina / Minnetonka/ south Minneapolis dinner...good food and atmosphere???
Ciao Bella in Bloomington (not far down road from Galleria) or Bacio in Minnetonka (both the same restaurants, along with Zelo downtown) have always been reliable
MSP - Is Barrio Overrated?
I'm not one to slam a restaurant in one visit, but I need to know if the Minneapolis outpost of Barrio is worth a return visit. I recently made my first trip and we planned to start out with some guac and move through some tacos, but the first tastes were so disappointing we just didn't feel like ordering more.
The guacamole was great and the idea of having a standard guac with shaven pieces of jalapeno to which you can control your own heat is genius, but the chips were some of the worst I've had (over-salted and tasting of frying oil long overdue for a change).
I had some of a mahi mahi taco and all of a pork carnitas taco and found the batter on the mahi mahi to be aggressively salty, while the pork was lacking in seasoning. The salsas on the tacos were also a disappointment, with little complexity (green chile on the carnitas had no heat and lacked the brightness of a green salsa, while the citrus/cucumber pico on the fish taco had no acidity or citrus notes and no crunch I'd expect from cucumber).
I really wanted to like Barrio and I've heard plenty fo great feedback from trusted sources, but I wonder if it may be the case that people like it because they're supposed to like it (super chef, fun room, newer food concept).
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Barrio
925 Nicolett Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Puff pastry sheet: What should I make?
I have an extra puff pastry sheet sitting in the freezer (first one was used to make an open-faced chicken pot pie). Any favorite preps (preferable something savory for a dinner)?
need restaurant for holidazzle on friday night!!! [Minneapolis]
Solera would ne great a choice. They have some nice long tables for your whole party, it's only two blocks away and it's perfect for sharing plates.
MSP - Rehearsal dinner, DT Mpls, 80+ people
I held mine, for a group of about 50, at Spill the Wine on Washington. It was perfect for the event. They will create any menu you want and do it either plated or buffet.
MSP -- Nuts or cheese to gift
My dad is a nut fanatic (cashews and pistachios in particular). Also a big cheesehead. Is there anything local (MSP) that could be shipped to Milwaukee?
MSP - Hot Dogs - need to buy 10 lbs
As a transplant from Chicago, it's Vienna Beef or bust. I wonder if you could drop by Uncle Franky's and buy a case or two from their fridge.
MSP: DINNER AT PUNCH AND PIZZA NEA ON HENNEPIN
Two pizzas at two places in one night? Punch might have tasted better since you were hungry going in. I've favored Pizza Nea over Punch lately because of consistency -- Punch quality varies greatly by location (Calhoun = rushed, doughy, Eden Prairie = perfection, Highland Park = supposed gold standard of Punch, though I've never been, Nordeast = all over the map)
Best Pancakes MSP
Top 3
1. Al's Breakfast: original buttermilk
2. Al's Breakfast: blueberry walnut
3. Al's Breakfast: banana pancakes (they had them on the specials chalkboard in Spring 2006 -- haven't seen them since)
MSP- best burger ? (not jucy lucy)
The Culvers ref is purely in buttery richness and flavor. The thickness of th burger is decent and you will get a pink burger if you order a notch rarer than you want.
MSP - Top 10
112
Cafe Maude
Hells Kitchen
Al's Breakfast
Brasa
Manny's Tortas
Pizza Nea
JP
Sea Salt
Tin Fish
Brunch in MSP
The brunch buffet at Dixie's on Grand has always tasted good to me, but it's a bit spendy ($20-25/ea)
[MSP] Your favorite eggs (by the carton) in the Twin Cities?
I know I'm supposed to say I get my eggs from a small, organic farmer who raises only three hens and feeds them (by hand) an organic, nutrient-rich diet and allows them roam freely on an open pasture kissed with sunshine...but...I get my Minnesota Creamery eggs (XL, one dozen, or 18 if I'm feeling protein-deficient) at my local Byerlys.
Places we go to despite the food (MSP)
Applebee's -- they're everywhere, and someone in a group always brings it up as a last ditch suggestion
Figlio's -- c'mon, the food isn't that good
"Stuck" in south central WI - what to do/eat?
Kohler Design Center in Kohler, Brat Stop at Hwy 50
MSP- best burger ? (not jucy lucy)
Beef sure tasted never frozen, the bun was buttery and perfectly toasted, thickness was probably 1/4 lb to 1/3 pound. In a nutshell, it tastes like a larger version of a Culvers burger, which I can't think of anything bad to say about. It was a very moist burger with the perfect amount of grease to bind the burger and the bun, without the disappearing bottom bun act you might get with some.
P.S. The fires were house-cut style, but didn't have that freshness that real house-cut fries do.
MSP- best burger ? (not jucy lucy)
Last burger I had a Bulldog NE tasted like just like when you make a really good burger at home, but then microwave it the next day.
My vote goes to Fatso's.
MSP-Almost have been to every restaurant in Uptown....
Herkimer and Luce should be fine for solo
Food in Minneapolis
You're in my neck of the woods. If you are heading to either downtown, search around the boards. For you immediate area, you're a stone's throw from a decent breakfast at Good Day Cafe. But for breakfast, you can't beat Al's at the university (stack of pancakes or The Jose) or Hell's Kitchen downtown (huevos rancheros).
Best fried fish in land-locked MSP?
Isn't Sea Salt close din Feb? I like St. Clair Broiler's fish fry
MSP - Naked Sushi at Temple
Anyone feel like eating sushi off a naked person? I'm not a big sushi fan as it is...But Thom Pham is having a night of naked sushi at Temple
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/pages/ContentDetail?contentId=5762744
MINNEAPOLIS - Suggestions for business lunch near Wells Fargo Center.
Big second on Zelo for a biz lunch -- nice atmosphere and an appropriate menu. It's also a safe bet, considering you probablyl aren't going to lunch with a full group of foodies.
Best Hashbrowns in the Twin Cities?
Al's Breakfast -- always perfectly crisp with right amount of grease.
Nominate: Best Pizza in Minneapolis-StPaul (if you say Dominos, you are banned from chowhound 4 good)
Pizza Nea -- I've never had a bad pizza here. I've posted before about the inconsistency of my local Punch (Calhoun). As a native of the Chicago burbs, I miss deep dish and still haven't found anything comparable. I've never been the biggest fan of handtossed-style pizza. I've gotta say, I've never had Neopolitan-style pizza before moving here and Punch (on a good day) and Nea (anyday) are delicious. Punch in Eden Prairie will also make any of their pizzas into a calzone (awesome).
Pizza side notes: As a fan of frozen pizzas, you can never go wrong with Tombstone's original sausage and DiGiorno's garlic bread cheese pizza. (Lets not kid each ourselves, we can't eat local and jump on the slow food train 7 days a week). I also have a soft spot for Totino's party pizzas (a college staple)
