I don't know for sure but the place that comes to mind for me is Tao Natural Foods in Uptown. Get a Tempeh Sandwich while you are there. absolutely delicious.

"Green Mill broadened its horizons by opening Twisted Fork Grill in the Grand Avenue location. With food created by heavy hitting chefs Keven Kvalsten (formerly of Green Room) and Steven Trojahn (formerly of Cosmos), the menu focuses on fresh and local, while serving comfort dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. "
--says the Foodie Newsletter/e-mail by MSP Mag

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Green Room
140 W Main St, Waconia, MN 55387

they have a location in plymouth, too.

what about Bin Wine Bar in St. Paul or King's in S.Minneapolis? I haven't been to either, but have had my eye on them. Does anyone have anything to report from either place?

although i'm not a huge fan of Dara, she has a huge article in the March issue of Minnesota Monthly about the top 99 Cheap Eats (meals under $10). Thought it was fitting for this thread....
http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media...

went to Saffron last night and had a great meal, but tonight we went to Barrio in St. Paul.

so awesome! we had a delicious meal and I can't wait to go back and eat the Potato Sopas. I think I said a zillion times that "damn, those potato things were good."

we had really great service, too. very welcoming and accommodating, even though we were there for the $15 price fix menu.

i really like Wayzata Eatery in the Lund's parking lot in downtown Wayzata.

Has anyone checked this place out yet? I'm very curious. Here's what I've read:
-The chef is Doug Flicker of Auriga
-a large tasting menu, all offered a la carte. Small plates—but not tapas.
-It's set up like Victory 44. No servers or managers, just chefs.
-The website description: "Piccolo presents a modern approach to dining by creating dishes moderate in portion size which we feel enhances the dining experience by allowing you more variety in taste while eating healthier."

Will someone with more disposable income than me please check it out and report back!? Please!?

Piccolo Restaurant
4300 Bryant Ave S.
Minneapolis, MN, 55409
612-827-8111

i'd say chewy and "hand tossed", not so much thin, but not thick enough to be doughy. it's substantial enough to hold all of the toppings, without being too much bread. lemme know how you like it if you try it!

check out my post on zPizza in Roseville. It was really good and affordable. As good as Pizza Luce or Punch, but a lot less money.

I went, I ate, I loved! They have great pizza-- good crust, delicious toppings, cute, fun little location. I loved my pizza. I had the Provence: tomato sauce & garlic sauce, artichokes, fresh basil, tomatoes and capers. Delicious!

It was so full of flavor-- real flavor, like when I make pizza at home.

I hope more people try this place out!

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Z Pizza
1607 County Road C W, Saint Paul, MN 55113

Has anyone tried zPizza in Roseville? I've been meaning to try it, but haven't yet and haven't heard anything about it.

The website makes it look really delicious-- great ingredients, interesting combination, and vegan, gluten-free, and organic options. Makes all the buzz about Domino's look really silly.

So what's the deal? Should I try it?

Anybody else checked out the renovated Figlio space that is now called Il Gatto? I guess they opened during thanksgiving week.

we tried it last night and were very disappointing. food just wasn't very good.

i had the tagliatelle pasta with beets. i expected it to be delicious pasta with beets added, but i was wrong. it was a big hot pink pile of mush-- zero flavor, no texture, no seasoning. there was some goat cheese on top that was completely lost on the beets. it was terrible.

the BF had the gnocchi. he said the gnocchi itself was good, but the dish was also under seasoned.

anybody had a good experience there?

Muffuletta has a terrific cassoulet for cheap-- $10 on Wednesday nights (i think it's wednesdays....) Last time I was there was for Brunch and they had cassoulet with eggs. yum.

I drive by Good Day every day and recently noticed that they added the "bad day bar" to their sign. what the heck does that mean? has something changed for them? added dinner?

do they have a website? i can't find it.

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Good Day Cafe
5410 Wayzata Blvd, Minneapolis, MN 55416

Here's a whole review on Heavy Table about taking kids to The Modern in NE. http://heavytable.com/modern-cafe-in-...

Thanks for all the recommendations! We went to Moto-I in Uptown today for their buns--- very good and reasonably priced ($3/each). Right on par with Momofoku and Ipuddo in NYC. Their dumplings and sashimi were also good. They make all of their own sake. definitely worth checking out!

Looking for steamed asian pork buns made with pork belly. Anybody seen these in Minneapolis? Fell in love with them in NYC, but don't know of any local place that offers them.

thanks for your help!

I used to work for University Catering at Mizzou. They had great food and are very used to feeding large crowds. They can do offsite catering, too. Lemme know how it works out. :-)

http://catering.missouri.edu/

Wayzata Eatery! I can't recall what cheese they use, but they melt parmesan on the outside to make it extra cheesy and crunchy. yum. i'm salivating just thinking about it!

Hi there,

My chef boyfriend and I will be visiting Napa in September and I'm hoping all you 'hounds can help direct me toward the best of the best in Napa food, wineries, and things to do. We'll be staying in downtown Napa, but do hope to venture up to Yountville.

Thanks in advance for your recs! :-)

I'm obviously very out of the loop. Apparently I'm the last person to hear that Chambers is closing next week. What happened? Is anybody else upset about this? Having a Jean George restaurant in MN really put us on the culinary map. I only went there once -- it was incredible, pricey, avant garde, and fabulous.

I had an amazing basil panna cotta there and this chili infused Maker's Mark cocktail that knocked my socks off. Any one else still salivating over something they had at Chambers?

RIP Chambers MN. I'll miss your influence on the Minnesota culinary scene.

Pannakoken House in Plymouth closed.

i don't think so, but you could call to make sure.
www.girvangrille.com

good luck!

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/623722

Ghost Wing Challenge
Girvan Grille
Brooklyn Park, MN

i'll second the girvan grille recommendation. it's on 85th avenue at the golf club. They've got really good nightly specials like 2 for 1 burgers and some $25 dinner deal for 2 people. Check out the prime rib dinner on saturday nights! yum!

i've worked with this company before. they are really nice and accomodating.
http://www.lancercatering.com/

yeah, you get a shirt about it for free! And I think they give you a free tap beer to cool off your mouth. You do have to buy the wings. I think they will eventually have a challenege with all of the previous winners!
You gonna give it a try?

I know I've posted about this place before, but Girvan Grille in Brooklyn Park, MN just started this super spicy hot wing challenge.

For all you brave, spice-loving wing eaters out there, the Ghost Wing Challenge gives you 10 minutes to eat 10 wings. I've seen people do it-- complete with tears, sweat, and lots of pride!

I don't know much about the wings except that people seem to love them, despite how spicy they are. Someone explained to me that the Ghost Pepper is the hottest pepper in the world.

Intrigued? Stop by and give it a try!

big bowl usually has a couple flavors of mochi. yum! haven't had them in awhile.