Chatterbox Pub--SE corner of Cleveland and Ford Parkway.

Sorry, but seriously, I don't buy this story for one second. My experience at Meritage to date, based on several visits, is that the hosts are practically fawning. I am a native--and quite frankly, I would rather enjoy the view of my wing tips over having to converse to the person at the stand about my dinner plans. I would warn my fellow diners that they should be aware of over-friendlniness, rather than rudeness.

I'm pretty sure the Buttery has been gone for years.

I love West 7th. I can't think of a Minneapolis equivalent of a district where there are so many places that have that earnest working-man's retreat vibe--at least not ones that are going for some kind of irony.

Day by day--I like breakfast there. Buckwheat pancakes are great.

DeGidios--best hot dago in town

Glockenspiel--great home-made tasting German food. If you don't like German food, it might not be your favorite.

Mancini's--food is OK, but I think a good value for the price. Mostly I go, because it's the type of place my family would go for celebration dinners in 1972

Bennett's--smaller than Mancini's, but pretty much the same--except I like the food a lot better.

The Teen Burger was a bacon cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato with Teen Sauce.

A lot of good out of town meals leads to immunization against that dan.

Not only are there topographical differences, but NY and SF diners are probably less likely to be thinking "hey, we have to get Jimmy to ice time at 5 am tomorrow".

A couple of thoughts regarding variety and competition—

I’ve noticed that many of the posters who inhabit this board are people who have moved here from larger cities. Welcome to all of you. But you probably know you are in the minority—most people you work with, or live next to, are either natives or people who moved here from a smaller city. I used to live in a town with one restaurant. Well, it was a bar that served a lunch special at noon, and had a nice chicken dinner buffet Sunday nights. The next town over had an A&W. We didn’t have pizza delivery, so the idea of calling out for Thai would be foreign—especially since I didn’t know Thai was different from Chinese. So, not only is MSP smaller as a metro area, but I’d submit, that for most of the people who live here, these are the largest cities they’ve ever lived in. A big town full of small town people.

You don’t miss what you don’t have. So when I see questions like “Why isn’t there X in the Twin Cities?” I suppose sometimes the answer is simply “because there isn’t one yet”. Opening a restaurant is pretty risky, let alone opening one with a cuisine unfamiliar to most people. I can see why we might be behind in the development of the food scene.

thanks for that explanation. I was wondering if chickens had become ruminants.

White Castle is still the gold standard for me in the mini-burger category. As for full size burgers, even if they are covered in brie or stuffed with shortribs and duck liver--they are all below the Lodge Burger at the Nook.

Likely Washington state. Our little apple has grown up and is now being grown in other places. Lunds had Washington Honeycrisps in January. They may still have them, but I haven't checked since then.

Well, put Steven.

Honestly, I don't care how poorly a restaurant is set up to take cash. It doesn't really seem like it's my problem as a patron.

So, I like to pay in cash. I don't see how restaurants have any special reasons not to be like any other business and return the difference between what cash I have and what the bill is.

I realize tht "do you need change?" may very well be an non-thinking, automatic question--which is the very reason it should be stopped. Because when I pay for a $12 meal with a $20, I'll probably tip $4. but I'm not going to tip $8. And when I hear "do you need change", I can't help but hear "Is this all for me?" or "are you really going to make me bring you back that other $2?"

Sorry folks, but it is just not acceptable to me. And if I was a server reading this page, I'd determine that it's not a phrase I'd regularly use. It seems to be either neutral to very bad.

I'm going to weigh in on the Cheese Curds. Because I really like them.

I had some at the Mouth Trap last night. And yes, I could taste the tang of the rennet.
They are definitely cheddar! Not necessarily orange, but that is probably because they didn't add the orange color. Mozzarella has a different setting process--it's more mechanical than chemical, so wouldn't have that taste, and fresh mozz wouldn't form squeaky, clumpy, curds--they'd be more like balls.

As for the controversy on which stand is better, I like the Mouth Trap. They have more tang. They are in the Food building, where there is seating outside. And they have great ketchup dispensers, and I think ketchup belongs on curds.

Thanks for having a thread about the deep fried!

The flavor is as good as ever. If I'm given a choice between Bud, Miller, Coors or Grain Belt, I'd go with the Grain Belt every time. It has always tasted kind of sweet to me.

My biggest complaint is in distribution--for example, it isn't sold at all at the Metrodome. They have Gluek's, but no Grain Belt.

I'm not the world's biggest fan of sushi, so I'm not sure I'd get much value out of all you can eat sushi, DQ.

Thanks Sven. I'll look those ideas up.

It's Lent again, and for some of us, that means the return of meatless Fridays. I'd like suggestions for you favorite restaurants for fish. Any kind of fish suggestions welcome, but Bonus points for:

1. Fried Fish
2. All you can eat fish
3. Price point below $10
4. St. Paul or Minneapolis location
5. Beer also available.

Thanks!

Ps. It's okay if the restaurant does not normally serve fish. Actually, that makes it more fun.

Other notes on Skinners:
1. I love the fried chicken. It's very salty but:
2. They have Schell's Dark on tap. It's pretty good.
3. The place looks like it was transported from some small town. It's got all the requisite small town bar items--bar, restaurant,pull tabs, old dusty things on the wall, uneven floor, cramped restroom. While these sound negative, if you grew up in oustate Minnesota or Wisconsin, you've been to a place like this, and probably miss it.

I don't think I'd cross the river to go there, but glad it's near where I live. Everybody should have something like this in their neighborhood.

As someone who isn't an adventerous eater (but usually a good sport), I'd like to chime in. If you are suggesting a restaurant that is going to sound "odd" to him (for me, the warning signs would be "honey, we are going to have Tibetan food", or "it's a place that serves only raw food")--don't do this on a Tuesday night. Do it Saturday or Sunday for lunch, or at 5 pm on a Friday or Saturday.

My big fear in trying something new is that I'm not going to find anything I like. Usually, I'm pleasantly surprised, and then this new cuisine can be in the rotation. But nothing confirms my food-shyness like an evening where I go hungry, and my ability to find something else to eat is limited. If a lunch or early dinner goes badly, I can still find someplace to grab a bite. Weeknights are too busy for second chances, and during prime time on weekends, second chances aren't very good.

I'll be a lot more adventurous if I'm sure there is a fallback option. That's really why chains are popular--people know what they are going to get, and don't have to worry about it.

It's greasy, cheesy, salty, and goes great with beer. Bar food at it's finest.

My favorites were the fish flautas, the deep-fried tilapia, and the Jamaican patties. But I like deep fried things, and I like fish, so no surprises there.

I'm going to go back and have a whole tilapia sometime. It really was very good.

Very nice group--good sports.

I think it is a St. Paul Classic, myself. One of those things I don't want to change--reminds me of being a kid in 1976 when I go in there.

One further add--Head Cheese. It can be found at most good Meat Lockers in Central Minnesota--the best is from St. Joseph.

Not really cheese, it's all the good bits of meat from a hog head, with gelatin, blocked in a pan, and cut into squares kind of resembling a brownie. Served with a side dish of vinegr, you dunk it in the vinegar. Delicious with a side of crackers.

Don't know about funeral potatoes, exactly.

Every public gathering used to involve hot german potato salad.
Hot as in temp, not as in spicy.

peel, cube and boil potatoes
fry bacon
sautee onions in bacon grease
add vinegar, mustard, bacon, and potatoes into crock pot
serve.

Something like that. I've never had it in a restaurant, but it was a very common item at picnics and such.

Along the lines of odd family recipes, this is how my Mom made coffee:
Norwegian Egg Coffee

INGREDIENTS
10 cups water
1/2 cup grounds
1 egg
1/4 cup water

Directions
Bring 10 cups of water in a kettle to a boil on the stovetop. Combine coffee grounds, egg and 1/4 cup water in a bowl. Add egg/coffee mixture to the boiled water. Boil 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of cold water. (This will settle the coffee grounds to the bottom of the kettle) Serve hot.

In central Minnesota, this was called "Funeral Hot Dish", as it was the dish served at all funeral luncheons.