Db Cooper's Recent Activity
Chowhound Post
MSP: downtown Minneapolis steakhouse
It all depends on your budget and how far you are willing to travel.
Manny's is by far the best of the lot.
Murray's is a good bet and you can get the silver butter knife for two for about $100.
Ruth Cris and Capital Grille are national chains and likely near the Manny's pricepoint.
If you are willing to head over to North East, you have Jax, Erte, and Red Stag. Erte is by far the most economical of the three with steaks around $20 per person. I'd expect to spend more at Jax, but the food is notch higher and the atmosphere is classic Mn.
Here's how I'd rank them myself:
1. Manny's
2. Murray's
3. Jax
4. Erte
5 Ruth Cris
6 Capital Grille
7 Red Stag
You are going to get a good meal at any of them. And I'm sure a lot of responses since the only thing that gets residents of this state more fired up is a discussion about hamburgers or the Vikes/Packers.
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Alinea - Tips for a virgin visit
I'd highly recommend getting the cookbook that Tammarak mentioned. It is almost like having a professionally done memento of your evening and experience at the restaurant. Plus, you can give it your own shot at making some of the food at home.
We're planning on possibly returning in the spring.
I'm still not sure I'm able to pick out my favorite dish from that night. I also enjoyed the crab dish. I also was a huge fan of the Kobe Beef that served as our centerpiece for awhile. Black Truffle explosion was out of this world. The cauliflower and apple soup dish was something I want to do at home some day. I loved them all which is why it is so hard to pick just one.
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Gourmet Shop (MSP)
You could try The Golden Fig on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. It's no where near as large as Dean & DeLuca and may not have as much variety, but it might be of some help:
http://www.goldenfig.com/
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MSP: Disapointed w/ Heartland
I'm actually shocked to hear of your experience. I've sent friends, relatives, and business associates and everyone has come back with favorable reviews. I almost always direct vegetarians that way because I know Chef Russo can handle that as well as anyone in town.
I'm really, really inclined to believe your evening was an outlier and not a standand representation of the restaurant as a whole. I'd urge you to give it another shot sometime, possibly sitting in the wine bar and trying some of the bar menu dishes as a way to gently wade back in.
I'd recommend sending an e-mail to the restaurant explaining why you were dissatisfied. I'm sure they would like to know so that they can make sure it doesn't happen in the future. Chef Russo takes his customer's experiences and feedback seriously as he wants everyone to have a positive experience at his restaurant.
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Alinea - Tips for a virgin visit
Tammarak,
If it's your first time, I'd highly advise doing going with the wine pairings.
The best way to explain the evening is that it is a show that involves food and wine. The stories that go with each of the dishes and the wines are part of the show. If you decide against the pairings, you miss out on some of it and the interesting backstories that they tell you on how they decided to select them. And while I no way claim to be a James Bond like expert on wines, I was able to discern the taste and flavors of the wine and why they went with the food on the table.
Enjoy your trip and safe travels. If you like, please post your experiences here as I think it is always fun to hear other's thoughts on it.
Chowhound Post
Alinea - Tips for a virgin visit
I'm sorry it took so long to get back to posting my experience. I'll try to keep it brief:
-Alinea is like nothing I've ever experienced. It ended up being 15-courses. All of you who have eaten there know about Black Truffle Explosion. That may be the greatest thing I have ever eaten. Simply brilliant. The best way I can explain it is what I said to my server:
"If there was a way I could make my life a DVD, I would like to start over three hours ago and eat this dinner again. And then again. "
We ended up splitting the wines. It worked for us. It was just the right amount. They were extremly gracious about. Hungry Monkey is right, that they do some courses with the same wine as the flavor profiles are correct.
It is a dining experience that really has no rival. If you have the opporunity, and the money ($600 total for 2), it is something that everyone who enjoys food should do at least once. Gourmet Magazine was right, it is the best restaurant I've been to in the Unitied States. And the cookbook arrived today too. I may be trying some of these things at home.
-Giordano's and Lou Malnati's are great. We tried both. I could never choose because they make a different type of pizza. But I was happy with both of them. The Twin Cities is a thin crust town and it was nice to finally eat a real pizza again.
-Mr. Beef and Al's are what I want to open up in the Twin Cities. I could eat one of those every day. And judging by the waistlines of some of the people eating there, it appears there are some Chicago residents who have made it a lifetime pursuit as well.
-Lunch at La Sardine was also very good. I'm an admitted sucker for French cooking and this place does it pretty well. I wouldn't say I'd go out of my way for it, but it is definitely worth the stop if you are near the area. Unfortunately, Oprah's studio is across the street. Seeing as I still believe Oprah secretly conspired with Bin Laden to cause 9/11 to drive her ratings and spring the curse of Dr. Phil upon us all, this was an unwelcomed development. But I digress. Get the French Onion Soup if you go.
-We backed out of Graham Eliot. After looking at the menu, we came to a realization. There was nothing on it that we wanted to eat. That isn't to say that it wouldn't be good, but in every dish there was one extra ingredient that gave us pause. Most of them were more texture things that we knew we didn't like. So we cancelled. Sorry. I hope it works out for him as he seems like a good guy.
We ended up at Gene and Georgetti's instead becaue we know you can't go wrong with a bone-in ribeye and plate of hash browns. Plus, the staff there is a joy to watch. Half of them are so old they need glasss the size of a plate to see and their English is worse than their eyesight. Of course, I loved it. Just seemed like a place that had been around forever.
-The Cheezborgers at the Billy Goat Tavern are a little overrated. But the beers are good and the atmosphere is top notch. That will be a stop everytime I'm in town for business.
So to conclude, I really feel like we ate well in Chicago for four days. We had a blast and have agreed to come back sometime and do it again. Who knows, we may substitute some other restaurants, but those of you who live there are the objects of our food-related jealousy.
Chowhound Post
Alinea - Tips for a virgin visit
Hi Happy Camper,
When I called and made my reservation, they asked me if we had any dietary restrictions like allergies or menu preferences. I think, as Chicgail mentions above, that they will work around it for you.
I don't know about BYOB. We are going to spilt a pairing as I think part of the fun will be to taste the wines they select to go with the food. Every thread I've ever seen says that if you are going to do wine, go with the pairings.
Chowhound Post
Alinea - Tips for a virgin visit
Hi Lestererik,
I promise to post a review by Friday, the 25th of October. I have to travel to North Carolina on business on Tuesday and Wednesday and then to California early Friday, the 25th for the Breeders Cup. I am planning to write up my review on the plane to North Carolina and I'll post it here before leaving for California.
However, please know that we basically planned our whole trip after securing this reservation. We live in the Twin Cities and we're coming to Chicago for the weekend mainly because of the opportunity to dine at Alinea. So I may be biased somewhat in my review. I just wanted you to know.
Here's an article from Gourmet Magazine. I think it says a lot about if it is worth it and was really the inspiration for this trip in the first place:
http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s...
Chowhound Post
Alinea - Tips for a virgin visit
I would like to thank everyone for their responses. They are all very helpful.
-We are thinking we're going to split a wine pairing. That way, we'll get the tastes without the effects of too much alcohol.
-In regards to the pizza, it came down to Giordano's and Lou Malnati's. The goal was to get a true Chicago deep-dish pizza experience. I went thru about ten pages of posts here and other places and those two came out on top. We picked Giordanos after looking at the web sites. From what I gathered, you couldn't go wrong picking either of them and there was a Giordano's closer to the hotel. We're going to Second City that night for the show so we wanted something close to the hotel too.
-We are going to do Graham Eliot. The plan for that night came down to three places: Gene and Georgetti, Graham Eliot, and Sepia. We chose Graham Eliot. I think their new menu is up on their website and there were a number of interesting dishes we wanted to try. I am not afraid to try a new menu, especially when there is a chef I trust executing the menu. Everything I've read about Chef Bowles gives me the confidence that it will be an interesting and tasty menu.
-We are for sure doing Al's on Taylor Street and not one of the other locations. I've heard that area is a fun place to hang out and visit too so it should be fun.
Again, thank you to everyone for your advice. I'll post a re-cap here the week after we get back from the trip.
Chowhound Post
Alinea - Tips for a virgin visit
Thank you for your advice jliebze.
Based off this advice, we are going to do the pairings. We're not sure if we're going to split one or each get it. We'll talk it over with the wine stewards. Our reservation is later (9:45pm), but we aren't the types who usually go to bed early anyway on vacation :-)
Here is the rest of the dining plan for the trip:
Friday:
Lunch at La Sardine
Dinner at Giordano's
Saturday:
Lunch at Mr. Beef or Al's
Dinner at Graham Eliot
Sunday:
Lunch at Mr. Beef or Al's, whichever one we didn't go to on Saturday.
It should be a fun trip packed with some good eating. These places seemed to mentioned again and again here and in other food jounals about Chicago. The goal was to try fine-dining at Alinea, Charile Trotters, or Tru. I was lucky enough to get the reservation at Alinea which was our first choice. We also wanted to have pizza once, an Italian beef sandwich, and possibly a nice rare juicy steak. It appears that La Sardine has a three-course lunch menu with steak frites so that should work.
Now we're just hoping we have good weather in the Windy City that weekend!
Chowhound Post
Alinea - Tips for a virgin visit
Thank you for your response Cookiefiend. We are both very excited.
I've found a few other threads here that suggested possibly just splitting a wine course. We may do that. I want to experience the wines they suggest, but don't want to get too buzzed up that I lose the ability to taste the food.
Db doesn't do ties so it's good to hear that suits aren't required. I will probably adopt my wardrobe to something similar that Mr. CF wore.
We're staying at the Swissotel so we aren't that far away. I will take your advice about the cab.
Thank you again for your thoughts and advice.
Chowhound Post
Looking for great BBQ between Wichita and Kansas City on I-35
I'd also not e that you can take the Brooklyn exit just North of Kansas City. If you go east, you will find Arthur Bryant's. If you go west, you will find Gates. Both are less then half a mile of 35W
For my dollar, you can't beat Arthur Bryant's. It is one of my favorite restaurants in America. There's a reason that every US President eats there.
Chowhound Post
Alinea - Tips for a virgin visit
I'm going to be dining at Alinea for the first time on October 16th. I'm coming into Chicago for the weekend and was able to score a reservation for that evening.
Here's what is known for sure:
1. We're each having the 12-course tasting menu.
2. We're dining later in the evening.
Here is where I could use some help/advice/thoughts
1. Would you recommend doing the wine pairings with the food? I'm a little concerned that the wine will start to over-power our taste buds and clog the minds as we get later into the proceedings. It should be stated that while we enjoy wine, we are by no means experts in the field. What I'm trying to get at is it worth it for someone who may not apprecaite it as much as an experienced wine drinker.
2. Is it possilby smarter to maybe just order a bottle of red and/or white and vary back and forth between the two depending on what is being served? I know they won't match up as perfectly as the pairings themselves, but would that be a better plan for non-experts?
3. Does anyone know what the pricepoint would be if we ordered the wine pairings? It really isn't a huge issue, but I'm figuring we're around $350 to $375 before we start getting to beverages. I'm just trying to get an idea of the different choices.
4. What is the dress like in there? Do men wear suits? How about the ladies? How formal does it get or is it casual as well? Just trying to get a feel as to what to pack.
Any advice that anyone has regarding this will be extremely helpful in terms of planning the night.
Chowhound Post
Minneapolis: private room for 20
You could give the wine room at JP's American Bistro a shot. It is private so you can get a little louder and the various bottles of wine/caskets are a nice backdrop....
Chowhound Post
[MSP] - Cheeky Monkey?
And I'm the guy who posted the Parasole possibility. I read it originally on the Pioneer Press blog, and confirmed it via e-mail with Nancy Ngo again before posting here, that Phil Roberts had indeed looked at the space with a deli in mind. That's why I posted it. The other rumor that was out there for awhile was the the owner of La Grolla wanted to open a Martini Bar in there.
I have heard that it is going to be similar to a D'Amico and Sons. I wish it a lot of luck since A, there is a D'Amico and Sons less than a mile away, and B, there are about 10 other restaurants within a mile where you can get a sandwich including a Jimmy Johns, and C, I question the ability of a deli to compete during the dinner hour in this market. I could be wrong, but this place has its work cut out in a big way. I wish them the best.
The rumor is that it will open sometime during October.
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MSP: Best place for Onion Rings?
I've always been partial to Porkys.... St. Paul or NE Mpls.
Chowhound Post
NYer visiting MSP for the first time
In terms of fine dining, here are my suggestions:
If you really want a taste of the Twin Cities, I'd highly recommend Heartland in St. Paul. Everything on the menu is sourced from the Midwest with an emphasis on locally produced items. Chef Lenny Russo crafts a nightly changing menu and the wine list is extremely well-thought out. There is also a wine bar adjacent to the dining room where you can start and/or end your evening. It's the definition of Mn Nice.
In Minneapolis, the standard-bearer is La Belle Vie. It always is usually named best Mn restaurant by most critics in this town. They have a sister restaurant named Solera that features a wide selection of tapas which may be ideal for the type of day you discuss.
The only other thing I'd mention is be sure to hit the Town Talk diner for adult malts. It's a throwback to the old day with modern touches on food and drinks.
Chowhound Post
Good Beef Stroganoff in MSP?
You're correct jrnorton23. The pasta is house made.
One little caveat to that suggestion. Red Stag includes a lot of little diced pickles in their stroganoff. Personally, I felt they overwhelmed the entire dish. I asked my server why they were on there as they weren't listed on the menu. She said it was a way for the chefs to put their own signature on the dish. You can ask for them without them if you'd like. I did the next time and it was much, much better.
I'd also second the nomination of Moscow on the Hill. That is really a traditional version and one of my favorites in town, outside of my Mom's. My grandparent were from the Ukraine and have a killer. My Mom refuses to give it to me until she passes away, but if I ever get my hands on it, I'll share.
Chowhound Post
One dinner in Kansas City?
You'll get no argument from me on LC's.
The truth is that BBQ generally comes down to your tastes. Some of us like it sour and tangy and Arthur's fits that bill. Others like it smokey and sweet and that's more LC's. It's really all your preference.
Chowhound Post
(MSP) New places since the summer?
If I were to ran these for you based on my experiences, I'd go with:
Meritage
Heidi's
Porter and Frye
Nick and Eddie
Saffron.
I'm interested to try Aronas. It just opened in the old Vino 610 space on Lake/Lyndale. I am planning to catch a movie at the Lagoon on Thursday so I'll post a mini-review on Friday. I always loved that room as it reminds me of some of the smaller cafes/wine bars/restaurants that I've seen while traveling on the East Coast and in Europe. Hopefully, the food will be better in this incarnation.
Chowhound Post
One dinner in Kansas City?
Isn't it a sin to visit Kansas City and not eat at Arthur Bryants?
I know it could be considered touristy, but I've eaten BBQ all over this land and nothing compares. Where else do you find a blue-collar construction worker sitting next to a mulit-million dollar Wall Street manager enjoying a slab of ribs?
What about The American Restaurant? I know that the chef there won a Beard award last year did she not?
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MSP - SLP/Edina/Uptown business dinner for 15?
Jp's American Bistro is an excellent choice. I have hosted parties in their wine room downstairs and it's a perfect location for the type of experience you're discussing here. The staff is very professional and the food is accessible to everyone. One of the challenges I've had in booking these types of things is that places that are too food-forward don't appeal to all types of tastes. Jp's does not have that problem and I think you'll find their wine room to be an ideal locatino for such a party. Do not forget to include the bistro fries on your order!!!!
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MSP-Places by the Riverview Theater?
I'm not sure if you're into casual Japanesse dining, but Midori's Floating World Cafe is also right around the corner from the Town Talk Diner/Manny's Tortas. Farily affordable sushi and other Japanese.
Most of the best choices are already listed here. Craftsman, Town Talk, Manny's Tortas, Longfellow, or Midori's would be your best bets with the final decision being what you're in the mood for and price points, in my opinion.
Chowhound Post
[MSP] Quiet dining suggestions?
Here are a few restaurants that I've found to have an easier atmosphere.
-First Course at 58th and Chicago
-Heartland Wine Bar near Highland Park
-Confluence in Prescott
-The Modern Cafe can be quiet if you go later in the evening or earlier before dinner.
rush.
-Ngon on University in St. Paul.
Manny's Tortas is usually quiet around 8pm and later. Best sandwiches in town and they have beer too.
Best of luck in your search.
