johnnybgargoyle's Profile
Fried Chicken - Twin Cities
I agree, the Pizza Ranch has pretty good chicken. More locations in the TC (11) than I would have thought:
http://pizzaranch.com/locations
I'm not a fan of the "Christian Country" music they pipe in though (at least at the Lakeville locale)
Fried Chicken - Twin Cities
Hasn't been called the Break-Away in over a year. The new name is "The Lodge"
http://www.thelodgerb.com/
Potato Chips
Poore Bros. makes some dynamite kettle chips as well, but I think you have to mail order them for the Twin Cities.
http://www.inventurefoods.com/our-brands/poore-brothers
Potato Chips
Bagged: Old Dutch, Dutch Crunch Jalepeno Cheddar flavor--utterly addictive.
I want to eat a whole fish
General Pancho Villa
7978 Brooklyn Blvd
Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
Is a pretty good strip mall Mexican place (only been there a few times while car was being serviced), but the menu is pretty good and has whole grilled(?) Tilapia on it.
*PATIO* season! --pleasant Coffeeshops/Cafes with such?
The Shorewood Bar and Grill (just north of 694 on Central) has a nice relaxed patio (nice menu too)
Sunset's in Wayzata isn't too bad (right on the lake).
Not sure if it's open yet, but the coffee shop out at the Arboretum (in Chan) has a nice outdoor patio setup as well.
Where to get the best beef jerky in the Twin Cities?
I like Hackenmueller's in Robbinsdale, and Steffens Brothers Meats up in Albertville has some real tasty offerings as well.
Lunch in Shakopee area
I used to go there when I worked at the Shakopee Seagate. Old DQ building where you order at a screened window in the front. They also have a drive-thru. Good selection of stuff. They have (had?) picnic tables around outside. It's across from the Malt company on the western edge of town. As you head west, look for it on the right side; blink and you'll miss it. Guys who'd worked in Shakopee for years had never heard of it.
http://www.mrpigstuff.com/restaurant.htm
Bread Pudding Trend?
Been a while, but thought I'd note this one; I was at the Denny's off of 94 and 101 (on my way to Cabela's), and they had Bread Pudding French Toast as an entree on their seasonal "holiday" menu.
HH into Dinner recs North of Mpls to Maple Grove
Pittsburgh Blue has a nice patio, HH and variety of setups (patio, bar, reg. seating). Can be pricey, but not bad.
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Pittsburgh Blue
11900 Main Street North, Maple Grove, MN 55369
Sea Change
Help! Joining a few couples for dinner at Sea Change tomorrow. I looked at the menu online, and thought "oh boy". I'm not a fan of "raw" seafood (yes I've tried it in various incarnations and it's just not my thing. I'm just not going to enjoy this am I? One beef/chicken/pork item each and all seem to be overwrought. Even the 'cooked' fish items (I like fish/scallops/shrimp just fine) seem "different for the sake of being different". Maybe my impressions are wrong, and that's why I'm asking for help/opinions as to what I might enjoy.
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Sea Change
806 Second Street S., Minneapolis, MN 55415
Red Fish, Blue fish, not the fish I ordered.
It wouldn't surprise me at all. I remembered an article I'd read in the past about restaurants switching out the walleye. I'm surprised that it was from that long ago, but here it is: http://www.kare11.com/print.aspx?storyid=72386. Then just google walleye and zander.....
Bread Pudding Trend?
Maybe I'm just noticing it like one would when you buy a new car, and suddenly see that "everyone" seems to have one, but it seems in the last month or two, I'm noticing Bread Pudding showing up more and more on dessert menus.
Bayview Grille (although they say theirs is seasonal and will be coming off the menu soon)
Mad Jack's (don't know about the "Cowboy" versions of the restaurant)
Famous Dave's (at least at Calhoun Sq).
Of those three, the Famous Dave's version was an utter delight.
A local sighting of Graeter's ice cream! (Lunds in Minnetonka)
It was on sale at the Golden Valley Byerly's yesterday. They were sampling the Coconut flavor. It was fantastic. Perfect level of flavor without being overpowering.
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Byerly's
1601 County Road C W, Saint Paul, MN 55113
Any ideas for Milwaukee?
We try to go to a different driving distance "away" park each year if it works out. This is the 1st year where the Twins @ Milwaukee series has fallen on a weekend that worked for us, so that's where we're heading. Catching the Friday night Beloit Snappers (Twin's A affiliate) game on the way in too.
When we went a few years ago to the Twins/Cubs series at Wrigley, it was the same weekend as Ribfest and the Chicago Blues Fest. Nirvana!
Any ideas for Milwaukee?
Yeah, amazingly the series is the one weekend when there are no big cultural festivals or fests going on.
Any ideas for Milwaukee?
We're wide open. We'll be at Miller Park through the game, and after that ???? I just noted that our hotel is in Glendale to give a reference as to where we'll be ending up at the end of the night. As I said, we're hitting some brewerys and brewpubs during the day along with Holler House (can you actually bowl on the old lanes?). And it's true that we are looking for a bit of nightlife, just didn't want to get off the food track too far. Polish/Russian/Czech would all be good (lunch on Sunday?) Irish pub? Anyway, somewhere that has reputable food, is open "late" (or has a open late dive next door) and people like to go (30s/40s)
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Holler House
2042 W Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53215
Crave downtown?
Ditto. Tried it 3 or 4 times, different items, and never again. I truly don't know how they stay open, unless they're riding some trend that I'm unaware of...
Any ideas for Milwaukee?
Good things to know. We don't mind paying 'good money' for good food, just don't like spending money on the "trend of the moment" or paying to "be seen" at "the hottest" place in town if you know what I mean.
Any ideas for Milwaukee?
I'll be in Milwaukee in June for the Twins series, and and while Saturday before the game is filled with a variety of brewery/brew pub tours, we will be looking for a good place to go and eat/drink Saturday night after the game. We're "late nighters", so a good place where a good beer selection, live music (or not), and decent chow that's not a chain. Not looking for the exotic, more the "local" flavor. Willing to cab around, but I'd imagine more in the downtown (vs the ballpark) area anywhere up to Glen Lake (where our hotel is). The brunch options given here will be great for Sunday morning.
Plymouth Dinner Suggestions...help!
As far as I know, all the Redstone's are still open. Stopped in for a drink at BLVD one afternoon to get a feel for the place and didn't care for the feel/ambience at all. The bar is set up wide open in the middle of the place, yet the TVs can only be seen by the patrons seated for dinner/meals around the perimeter of the restaurant. That, and the fact that the entire place (probably due to the 'faddish' open kitchen) reeked like the alley behind a fish market. We had one drink and just had to get out of there.
Looking for a Burger / Beer joint -NOT chain. (north)
If they're the same as the grilled one's they have at Maynard's, you're right, they are pretty tasty. Could be the ambience of sitting lakeside with a cold one though....
Looking for a Burger / Beer joint -NOT chain. (north)
Sunshine Factory isn't too bad for burgers, esp. if you go for the "after 9pm" special. 1/2 lb. with fixings and chips for I think $3.50.
Rojo Mexican Grill in the West End
Online Star Tribune pretty much panned it (don't know if it was in the print edition)
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/taste/115121339.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUvDEhiaE3miUsZ
I'd been meaning to stop in and try it (as a Tequila fan, it sounds like they've got a good selection), and I'm sure I will at some point, but this review kind of dampens my enthusiasm somewhat...
Serious Beer Drinkers - Please Read - I NEED your input!
Depending on how good of a beer list you want/need, somewhere like Povlitzki's or even the new Toby Keith's are pretty open and cavernous. I was going to suggest the Crystal Event Center, which has (had) an Irish Pub upstairs, and then 3 rentable "party rooms" of varying sizes downstairs, but apparently they've closed in the last year or two.
Serious Beer Drinkers - Please Read - I NEED your input!
OK, I can understand that, but then it would seem that you are looking for the least popular places in town that no one goes to so you can ensure it not being crowded or have it "affect the locals". People like good beer and the places with good beer lists are full of people pretty much all the time. Maybe you should put an ad on Craigslist. "Are you the proprieter of a local establishment that can hold 150 people and are looking to pack a weekday evening? Call 555-5555" or whatever. You never know, with the economy the way it is, this might be a great idea. Costs nothing to do, and the responses would be from establishments that would be willing/capable of handling a large group, and eager to have you...
Serious Beer Drinkers - Please Read - I NEED your input!
I didn't see you refer to it so I didn't know if you'd seen it, but the Lowertown Bulldog is not the same as the NE Bulldog, and they've got a great beer list: http://www.thebulldoglowertown.com/beer/
