Jordan's Profile
Se Salt
Thanks, Jim.
FYI, it's Sea Salt, not Se Salt. (Also, no relation to Per Se!)
Blue Door vs. NE Bulldog
I'm assuming you mean Bulldog NE, because "BD" could be either of the restaurants in this thread.
Edina Whole Foods Opening
It's open now? That's good to know.
I head heard that Byerly's was going to tear down their existing store and build a larger one on the same lot, but I don't know if that's confirmed or on a schedule.
Where's the beef?
I'll third the votes for both Bulldog NE and the Nook. At Bulldog, I like the Rooster burger -- Sriracha glaze, sweet pickles, spicy mayo. But you can't go wrong with any of their varieties or just the plain burger.
Sea Salt opening Friday March 30th at 11:00 a.m.
I was in Minnehaha Park for a picnic last week -- I bet they were kicking themselves for not opening earlier!
Butcher and the Boar
We liked it. This was very thin and delicate -- more like a terrine or pate than something you'd throw on the grill.
Butcher and the Boar
The charcuterie plate at Ngon Bistro had a marlin sausage on it as of a few months ago.
Ngon Bistro Virgin
I think your group will do well to just order off the appetizer menu. Besides the rabbit dumplings, outstanding choices include the lettuce wraps with Fischer Farms pork, the egg rolls, the charcuterie plate (with duck bacon and marlin sausage!), the sweet potato croquettes ... really, just order all the apps, and you'll be happy!
Minneaplis suggestions for family of 5
The take-away message, for the OP and anyone else reading along, is that the Twin Cities is so blessed with fantastic, creative gourmet ice cream shops that we can afford to argue about which one is best!
Go to any place described above and you'll have great ice cream. Enjoy!
Breakfast in Arcadia
I wouldn't strongly recommend Merengue for the food (though the plantains are good, as you say), but they do a great job with custom decorated cakes. Check out the photo albums to see some of their creative work.
Breakfast in Arcadia
A little further east in Monrovia is the Peach Cafe. Very nice ambience, slightly upscale menu, great coffee. Closer but slightly to the south is the Nano Cafe on Duarte. More of a traditional breakfast menu, but they use really fresh fruits and veggies, and the baked goods are nice, too.
I can't say I cared for Rod's Grill.
Mill Valley Kitchen
I agree with you. I thought the food was pleasant enough but not particularly exciting. (I'm paying attention to nutritional information, so I appreciated the facts on the menu, but it may have steered me toward less fun food choices.) It seemed quite pricy for what they serve - a small salad is $7, plus $5 to add chicken. $17 for a chicken breast entree. Vegetables are a la carte and steep -- $5 for kale, $6 for green beans. If the food was fantastic, I might be able to justify the price, but it really wasn't that exceptional.
I noticed that the nutritional data was conspicuously absent from the dessert menu. Heh heh. I guess their social conscience only goes so far.
Aida Mediterranean in Richfield
Good to know. I checked out their website. It's interesting -- sort of a Middle Eastern version of Chipotle. This is not far from our home, so we'll definitely give it a try soon.
Great steak for a decent price
How about Erte in NE Minneapolis? Steaks are under $30 and even come with soup or salad. (Good salads, too.) Other sides are a la carte. The menu is reasonably vegetarian-friendly for a steak-focused place.
http://www.ertedining.com/
Informal Catering
I had a good experience doing something similar with Broder's Cucina. They delivered salad, two kinds of lasagna, a cheese tray, and dessert bars.
THIS Saturday Night - Group Res - Foodie Restaurant
Have you tried opentable? It looks like some places might have space available, if you're flexible with your dining time. I see times open at Haute Dish, Masa, and others.
What Not To Miss - A Weekend in MSP
Thanks for reporting back! I haven't been to Gather, but I like the Walker and will make a point of eating there next time I visit.
Grocery Delivery, Minneapolis or St. Paul?
I used Coborns (the former Simon Delivers) for quite a while. It's great as a time-saver, and it's economical if you do serious menu planning and buy large enough orders. We used to call them the "grocery fairies" because you'd almost never see them come and go. All of a sudden, there'd be a stack of green coolers outside your door...
What Not To Miss - A Weekend in MSP
Yes, it's an easy four block walk to the bridge. Go down 2nd instead of Washington and turn right on Portland.
Right by your hotel is the Mill City Museum - worth a visit!
What Not To Miss - A Weekend in MSP
I agree with your comments, DQ. I'm also reluctant to recommend places that are farther afield, because Minneapolis cabs are notoriously expensive.
Spoonriver isn't bad for breakfast or lunch -- although I usually find it a bit bland. But it definitely offers healthy and meat-free options. There's also the restaurant at the Walker -- Gather. I haven't eaten there, but the feedback I've seen has been pretty positive. They have both lunch and dinner menus.
What Not To Miss - A Weekend in MSP
I'm not being snarky, and I apologize if that's how I am coming off -- I really feel that your recommendations are a disservice to the OP and bypass some excellent local restaurants in favor of run-of-the-mill stuff. I did ask if you would at least explain your recommendations -- it's still not really clear if you are recommending these places because you think they are "NOT TO MISS" (in the words of the OP) or if they're just the only places in the general area you're familiar with.
What Not To Miss - A Weekend in MSP
The OP also asked for standout food, not just a rundown of a few places that might be open. The Aloft hotel is also not comfortably close to downtown for walking in inclement weather.
What Not To Miss - A Weekend in MSP
I don't really understand your list, Danion. Are those what you think are the "not miss" places in Minneapolis that are walkable (or a short drive) from Aloft? I'm curious to hear your reasoning. Keys Cafe is very small local chain that does indeed serve diner-style food (pancakes, burgers, etc.). At best, it's competent and inexpensive but hardly exciting or even of very good quality.
I don't know what "Mesa" is -- do you mean Masa?
"Mission America" -- are you referring to Mission American Kitchen? That place isn't too bad, as I recall from my last visit four years ago, but other than the brief interludes when it has featured a renowned chef, it's been pretty much under the radar for middle-of-the-road, unexciting presentations of contemporary American food.
Hell's Kitchen is a recommendation I'd agree with -- it's an exceptional venue for breakfast or brunch (reservations strongly recommended on weekends), with one-of-a-kind attitude and decor. However, I'd also caution the OP that it's a long walk from Aloft (though a short cab ride).
I would recommend instead some places that might better fit the OP's criteria -- Saffron or 112 Eatery (a short cab ride) -- for creative, chef-driven menus with a variety of small plate options. Saffron presents a refined dining spin on Middle Eastern food, and 112 Eatery is run by James Beard award-winning chef Isaac Becker. At 112 Eatery, the butterscotch budino dessert, if it's on the menu, is a don't miss.
Sea Change is an excellent choice and quite convenient to your hotel. For sushi, a few very good choices that are both a short cab ride away are Masu Sushi & Robata (across the river in the "nordeast" area) and Origami. If you go to Masu, you might want to check out a few gourmet grocery standouts that are nearby -- Lund's Market and Surdyk's Wine & Cheese. You can get some nice prepared meals from either one -- I'd give the edge to Surdyk's, though Lund's is a more comprehensive grocer.
speaking of closings
The newest casualty is Hot Diggity Dog, a small hot dog place on Washington Avenue in Minneapolis (a block east of the U). I think it was only about a year old. They ran a shoestring operation -- Vienna Beef hot dogs and Italian beef, offered Chicago-style or with other condiments, with bags of potato chips and bottles of pop. You could tell that they didn't have much capital to spend on kitchen equipment -- no oven or deep-fryer, for example, to expand their menu. They kept prices low to appeal to students. The place was run by a nice couple of kids -- I wish them well.
Need a venue for a birthday dinner ... 30-40 guests, adults and kids, private room preferred
Updating to say that I decided to go with Axel's Bonfire on Grand (in St. Paul). It's a combination of central location, affordable price, and a flexible menu that works well for both adults and kids. I wish that they had more (or any, really) vegetarian options on their large party menu, but the buffet-style brisket, chicken, salad, etc. should work for this group.
I'll report back on how it was.
French Meadows- Sadly diminished
I haven't been in there for dinner for many years, although we did like it quite a bit in the early 2000s. I'm sorry to hear that you feel it's in decline.
We have been there for breakfast four or five times in the past few months, and I can happily report that they still do an excellent breakfast menu.
2012 Minnesota Burger TDL
I thought the City Pages list was pretty decent, though I have not had burgers at all of the places mentioned. I agree with MSPD that there are many (or at least several) different styles of burgers, and personal taste is a big determinant. If you like thin, griddled fast food style burgers, than the CP list will turn you off, just as listing the best thin, griddled patties will turn MSPD off.
(OK, I have now spent far too much time fighting Safari's autocorrect, which wants me to write about girdled burgers!)
My preference tends to be toward more of the thicker burger made with higher quality beef, that can hold up to being cooked medium rare and not drowned in condiments, but I can appreciate other styles from time to time. My personal list would include the Bulldog NE (many good varieties -- I particularly like the one that is glazed in sriracha and topped with sweet pickles and pepper jack cheese -- really good balance of sweet and hot, but it doesn't bury the meat), the Nook, and the late lamented Town Talk Diner. On the thin-and-crispy side, I do like Culver's from time to time, as well as Matt's Bar, and of course, the gold standard for this style, In-n-Out Burger.
I wasn't very impressed with the execution of the Vincent burger or Smashburger (how often do those two get mentioned in the same breath?). I've never been to the Blue Door Pub, so I can't join in that debate. As for the other exclusion that's been mentioned in the comments often -- I sadly agree with excluding the 5-8 Club. Although I like the joint, they just don't deliver the level of quality needed to stand out.
What's with the salt & pepper shakers and Sriracha at every table in MSP?
I don't believe the OP's premise. At some upscale and/or trendy restaurants, they may not have salt and pepper on the table, but it's hardly a universal law in San Francisco or elsewhere. I just moved back to MSP from Los Angeles. You can still find condiments on LA restaurant tables.
As for sriracha, I dunno if that is more of a trend here than elsewhere. It may be. I just had brunch at the Uptown Cafeteria & Support Group. The table was equipped with salt, pepper, Sriracha, and ketchup. Draw your own conclusion and then conflate it to a national trend or tie it in to the state of the economy and global warming, as you see fit.
By the way, a hit of Sriracha really livens up eggs benedict.
Need a venue for a birthday dinner ... 30-40 guests, adults and kids, private room preferred
Thanks for the tips! I'll call around.
