Stillwater Girl's Profile
Minnesota State fair - any coan't misses?
The giant turkey leg is good, but you almost need a shower after eating it, super messy. The gator (sorry) tastes like salty chicken. Nothing impressive, don't waste your money. I've never had the ostrich. My biggest fair suggestion, go with at least three other people and split everything. If you try to eat it all yourself you'll be done way sooner than you want to be. Have fun!
Faces Mears Park
I've been there twice, once for dinner and once just for drinks. Nice atmosphere for sure, the sandwich I had the first time (I don't remember the name, but it was basically a spicy tuna melt) was really good. The service, however, is an entirely different story. The first time I went was a few days after opening and I walked in and was sat at a table on the patio. I was the only person out there and still waited almost 10 minutes for someone to greet me and when she finally came out to get my drink order I waited another 10 minutes for that. While I was sitting there two more tables were sat and one of them ordered the olive plate. The server was explaining the different olives and called the kalamata olives "chlamydia olives". I almost choked on my wine. I was by myself, had two glasses of wine and a sandwich, and was there for two hours.
The second time I was there was last week just for cocktails and even though there's a fully stocked second bar off to the side they're apparently not allowed to use it, just stand around behind it. Every time my group ordered another round the server needed us to repeat ourselves at least twice then go to the other bar to get our drinks (mostly wine). Fifteen minutes to get a drink is a little excessive in my opinion. This place has got a lot of potential in this area and I hope they can make it work, but service is going to have to improve if they're going to last long-term.
Most unhealthy thing you have seen or eaten
Oh, they're still there! Served with strawberry sauce and powdered suger. Tastes kinda like a funnel cake. Delicious.
Most unhealthy thing you have seen or eaten
Ever been to the Minnesota State Fair? Just for a start: Scotch Eggs (hard boiled egg wrapped in sausage and deep fried, served with ranch dressing), deep fried mac n cheese, deep fried candy bars, deep fried oreos, deep fried cheesecake, chocolate covered bacon, deep fried reuben, cream puffs, deep fried pizza, buckets of roughly 5 dozen cookies, the greasiest cheese curds I have ever seen, and top that off with a beer stand every 40 feet. That, my friends, is the most unhealthy thing I have ever seen. And I look forward to it every year!
Where's your callus?
I know I'm not the only one! Some choose to use bottle openers but there's never one around when I need it. It's just faster. Faster drinks (sometimes) equal better tips!
Where's your callus?
I have the index finger callus that everyone else on here has, but also, because I bartend part time, I have a callus that runs the length of the inside of my right middle finger from opening beer bottles all night.
Rites of Spring MSP
For me it's the first beer on the patio at the Happy Gnome. Or really any bar. I'm not that picky.
In my view, there is nothing wrong with chains. [Split from Best BBQ Thread on Midwest Board]
I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I have a weak spot for Olive Garden and McDonald's breakfast. Originality be damned, nothing beats a greasy little breakfast burrito after a night out.
Best 4AM after a night of drinking meal?
Since I live in MN and have been snowed in all day I've had more than a few cocktails as I cleaned the house and got ready for the impending holiday. If Taco Bell delivered I'd be in heaven. But a cheeseburger would be lovely as well. Or the chili cheese tator tots from the bar next door. Or some really good Thai. Or an omlette. Ooooo....or Chipotle. Why can't sushi places deliver? A big fat bleu cheese encrusted filet with asparagus and mashed potatoes maybe? I live next to a great Italian place, maybe some gniocci with gorganzola and spicy sausage? Mmmm...sausage...
If Santa asks you what your want for your kitchen...
An espresso machine, a really good knife set, more counter space, and an overall bigger kitchen with room to entertain. A built-in wine rack I can actually reach (you'd have to be 6 ft tall to reach the one in my apartment), and a fully stocked bar. And since we're discussing fantasy, not things that could actually happen, my very own personal chef. I enjoy food but don't seem to have the patience, time, or talent to cook it myself. Happy holidays!
Hudson, WI: San Pedro Cafe
I've been there several times, the food has always been great, they have an interesting menu, good variety. The atmosphere is fun, but it's worht noting that it's a small space so at dinnertime on weekends it can get very crowded. As in, you may have to ask strangers to move their chairs so you can get to your table. Depending on this size of your group this may or may not work. I like it but it drove my mother nuts to be sitting that close to other people. If you go try the chocolate chili cake! Spicy chocolate, does it get better than that?
Can I do anything about this?
I'm with everyone else on this. There is no proof of any wrongdoing by the restaurant and nothing to be gained by raising a stink about it. As mentioned previously, just call the businesses who issued the gift cards and they can most likely delete the record and reissue you new cards. I've worked several places where this has come up with loss/theft of cards and we were almost always able to replace them for the customer.
So what did you eat for lunch today? Home cooked, leftovers or nuttin'?
Cafeteria sushi. Not even close to as good as the real stuff but probably better (not to mention healthier) than a lot of the other options there. I brought a Lean Cuisine pizza but I'm having a rough day so I figured I deserved better than microwave pizza.
Sushi Etiquette
Having been to almost every sushi restaurant in Mpls/St. Paul, I have never gotten attitude or been refused for extra ginger or wasabi. I was kind of surprised to hear that. I see both sides of this, it's your meal, you're paying, eat it how you like it. On the other side, if you're at all concerned about what others will think (and obviously you are or you wouldn't be asking), try to follow the rules to an extent. I will always dip the rice side in the soy, but will never douse the entire thing, just enought to flavor it. Just please stop mixing your soy with your wasabi!
Takeout/delivery snafus
Okay, so a few of us have mentioned the inability of Taco Bell to get an order straight. I have another, Jimmy Johns! I swear I have never gotten a delivery order come correctly. I'll order a country club and get a sorry charlie. You say no mayo, you get extra mayo. I think they do it on purpose just to see if anyone will call. I never have, I'm not really that picky and if I'm hungry (or lazy) enough to pay someone to bring food to me I'll basically eat whatever I'm given. Although I have noticed all their delivery drivers have seriously bloodshot eyes...
Am I the only one who lives in a magic house? A lighthearted look at ourselves & food safety
I will make sandwiches and such on the bare counter, no paper towel or plate. It's kinda gross when you consider I have two cats who love sitting on the counter and will completely invade my space when I make anything. Furry little face right in the mayo or butter? You bet. I also let them drink out of my cereal bowl. I let pizza sit out overnight and will still eat it the next day. Sour cream has probably been ingested past it's prime, I recently moved and found a jar of pickles that expired in 2005. I won't eat things off the floor though, 5 second rule or not. Cat spit hasn't killed me but I prefer my food without fur on it.
Takeout/delivery snafus
That's hilarious cuz that just happened to me last night! I ordered a cheesy double beef burrito, a burrito supreme, and the new ultimate nachos (don't waste your money) and ended up with a chili cheese burrito (fine, I like those), and a grilled stuft burrito (ick). I've learned after many trips to Taco Bell over the years, to always order one additional item because it goes without question that you will always end up with at least one incorrect item and one item that turns out to not taste as good as you thought it would.
I've also gotten the entirely wrong pizza delivered to me before. I ordered a supreme, I got a hawaiian with BBQ sauce. I HATE BBQ sauce. That was the ultimate disappointment because by the time the pizza was delivered and I got it upstairs and opened the box, the pizza place was closed.
Oops, won't do that again
Cooking anything while intoxicated. A few years ago back in college I threw in a pizza and proceeded to pass out. I was woken up by two seriously angry roommates and some firemen. Oh yeah, I cleared out my apartment building at 3am and the fire department showed up. All for one drunk 22 year old and a charred tombstone pizza.
Double tipping on a bar bill?
Settle up at the bar. I serve and bartend at my restaurant and I can tell you from experience the bartender doesn't get the "deserved" tip from the servers most of the time. I had a guy last Sat. night run up an $80 bar bill ($80 x 15%=$12) and asked me to transfer it to his table. No problem, except at the end of the night all I got from the server was $15 for the whole shift. This has been the case in every restaurant I work in, because the standard for tipping out the bar is 10% of tips/sales. That doesn't consider what happened before the patron got to the table. Server is happy (larger bill=larger tip), bartender gets screwed. On the other side, if you tip the bartender, transfer the tab, and then reduce the amount to the server, the server is still being taxed on the full amount of the bill, regardless of what happened at the bar. Bartender is happy, server gets screwed. If you're concerned about making sure everyone is taken care of then just close out your bar tab at the bar.
The best thing your school cafeteria served
Slabs of sausage pizza. Only the sausage though, not cheese or pepperoni, it wasn't as good. It was a thin, slightly undercooked rectangle covered in this weird tasting cheese with ground sausage all over it (not pieces of sausage, but a layer of sausage). I distinctly remember dabbing at the pools of grease with a napkin, as if that made a difference. I crave that awful stuff to this day.
Looking for low calorie food/snack ideas (aside from Konjac/Konnyaku)
Good topic as I too am trying to cut calories. I don't have any dietary restrictions but this is a topic I hope gets lot of replies!
I found a bean dip recipe that's basically just a can of garbanzo beans, onion, garlic, and rosemary blended together for a grand total of roughly 500 calories if you ate the whole thing in one sitting (which you probably wouldn't). It's awesome with strips of green pepper. It's good with crackers or pitas too, but green pepper is far less damaging. I ate a whole pepper with about 1/4 of the dip in one night!
[MSP] - El Patio Closed, Vesco Vino to move
I just heard about this from a coworker over lunch today! I think it's a great idea. I visited the Selby location a few times over the summer and really liked it. Not the best layout for a restaurant (one bathroom?) but nice. I'm excited about it moving to 7th because that side of town needs something that's less of a bar. The have the Woodfire Grill but nothing else "fine dining' really.
Family foods I thought was normal
My parents had fairly boring, standard ideas of what food was but there were quite a few things that we were denied. I was in college before I had ramen, mac & cheese, delivery pizza, steak, pork chops, and fish NOT well done, any form of Doritos, Perkins, or Chinese food. My college roommates wondered what planet I grew up on. When I told my mom I had sushi for the first time several years ago I thought she was gonna pass out.
Office potlucks - please explain to an ignorant Brit
I despise office potlucks! I work in an office of only about 10-12 people and they love to throw potlucks for just about any reason. Which would be fine if any of them could cook. We have two girls who are from India and vegetarian and their food is the only food I'll eat (wonderful!). The rest of them seem to have an aversion to anything with taste. Nothing spicy, no garlic, no onions. What's left? I stopped working at that office on Fridays just to avoid the potlucks.
MSP - Ichibans
I was there a few years ago and the wait was like, 2 hours. By the time we got a seat at the table we'd had a considerable amount to drink, which made the use of chopsticks quite the challenge. I remember (sort of) the teppanyki being good but the sushi being mediocre. Not bad, just nothing I'd wait two hours for again.
Time to 'fess up: The Chow Booty Call
Three words - Chili Cheese Burrito. I curse the friend who turned me on to those damn things. It's really hard to avoid a run for the border at 2am. I have actually paid a taxi to run me through the drive through because I couldn't drive anymore.
World's best products?
Agreed! I will follow that up with Cholula, my other favorite hot sauce.
Bulldog St. Paul
I live less than a block from there and drove by yesterday and was super excited to see it open but as blue_skies said, it looked like a zoo in there. Would have loved to stop in and check it out but I might wait a week or so until it settles down.
Casual venue for 60-70 in MSP?
I am trying to organize an early dinner (appetizers mostly) with an area for a presentation for approximately 60-70 people. It's a corporate event and the nature of the presentation would require it not be terribly visible to the public, preferrably a private room. I'm looking in the New Hope, Maple Grove, Crystal area. We did the Sunshine Factory last year but would like to try something different this year. I'm not at all familiar with that area so I am turning to my fellow Chowhounders to help me find a casual venue that will impress my coworkers! All suggestions are appreciated!
MSP Hounds - Jfood needs more recommendations
Marx Wine Bar is my absolute favorite restaurant of all time. It's a small, dimly lit, but colorful space with a creative menu and a great wine list. It's a little outside of the MSP area in downtown Stillwater, only about a half hour from St. Paul.
