jsyx's Profile
[MPLS] Spanish Olive Oil
Surdyks Cheese Shop has quite a few oils/vinegars to choose from... give them a call.
need help locating kitchen supplies MSP
Ive used these guys a lot for photo shoots.. really friendly and simple...
have fun!!
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Shamrock Group
2900 5th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN
Best bars in MSP? Liquor stores?
pillzsix-
nice name, but i couldn't disagree more...
I walked into Henn-Lake two days ago looking for a Viognier to pair with some crab legs, and within a minute (or less) i was greeted by a competent and friendly employee, who promptly showed me to the Viognier, the Pinot Blanc and something else that I didn't even know about... Despite their despotic laws against credit card use, I'd say they are one of the better places to buy wine on the south side... hipsters or not.
As far as South Lyndale goes, I think it certainly has it's merits. It is family owned and carries a great selection of spirits and warm beers. But I don't think you could possibly compare South Lyndale's wine selection to Henn-Lake's?
Even with that said, I would rather go to France 44 if i'm already that far south... They definitely trump the selection and service of both aforementioned establishments...
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France 44 Wines & Spirits
4351 France Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55410
(MSP) Quiet bar for a book club
hee hee...
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Track's Bar & Grill
1964 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55104
MSP - New Locations...
I almost forgot... the owner of Bombay 2 said she is taking orders for samosas before they close.. she claims that they are just as good out of the freezer and into the oven...
I would definitely buy a dozen to keep the blustery November winds at bay!
MSP - New Locations...
Popped by Bombay 2 Deli for curries and samosa to feed my hungry bandmates grinding away in the recording studio all weekend. Everything was insanely delicious (and cheap) as usual, but i was a bit saddened to have the owner inform me that they were closing that location in early October.
Sad news indeed...
But fear not, fellow hounds and lovers of all things curried!!!
They will be reopening in a new skyway location downtown this winter... Not the best news but certainly not the worst!!
On a not so related note, I was informed by a friend who recently took a new restaurant management position, that the owners of Al Vento's new project will be opening at the end of the month in the old Giorgio space... I believe he said September 22nd was the goal.
Awesome!! It will be a welcome turn of events to have another non-Parasole restaurant Uptown, and if it's anything like Al Vento i will be very pleased to say the least!
Now if we could just get an awesome NY style-meets-gourmet/local-pizza-by-the-slice-joint to fill the void of Uptown Rotisserie, i would feel better about my constantly inflating rent... I'm thinking somewhere between what the Rotisserie was mixed with Galactic Pizza, open late and by the slice...
chow on.
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Bombay 2 Deli [Closed - May Reopen in Different Place]
1840 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418
Al Vento
5001 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55417
MSP - Need fun rec's for friend facing the big 4-0!
I like food best when it is served alongside 'nice looking people...'
ps- can't say I've ever tried the food, but the atmos/vibe at Mancini's is great!
[MSP] Short "break" from dieting--where in the Twin Cities would you eat?
If you've never had the pleasure... do yourself (but not your waistline) a favor...
Triple Rock Social Club.
Meatloaf Dinner and Beer.
I swear, you will not be disappointed...
MSP - Need fun rec's for friend facing the big 4-0!
totally off topic, but...
OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is still a Chuck E. Cheese in town?!? There was one next to my apartment building growing up!
Childhood memories are about to be rekindled!!!
Please tell me it is still equipped with a Rock-a-fire Explosion band?!?!
[MSP] Where to get squid ink?
thanks!
Bill's is right down the street from me...
and I actually WAS wondering how perishable it was, so thanks for that too!
[MSP] Where to get squid ink?
I have looked at Lunds, Broders and Surdyks... no luck.
Any suggestions?
Is this possibly a Coastal Seafoods thing?
MSP - Need fun rec's for friend facing the big 4-0!
I think their commitment/respect to the customer is less than adequate... upselling, overpricing, inconsistent food, poor service, etc... all IMHO, mind you...
I actually do like the Minneapolis location more, especially the staff, but you are correct, you leave smelling like a well seasoned exhaust hood!!
MSP - Need fun rec's for friend facing the big 4-0!
Totally back TDQ (as usual) about the Bryant-Lake-Bowl... bowling, booze and bread... how can one go wrong? Also, I frequent their bar and I would say the crowd is pretty well mixed as far as age goes.
Can't say i would recommend the Chatterbox at either location though.. I have a 'very close friend' who works at one of them and from what I hear, they should pretty much be boycotted by chowhounds across the board... esp. st. paul...
Might I recommend teppanyaki at Ichiban? I've been to a few birthday parties here and while the food isn't the best ever, it's pretty fun to watch the chefs do their thing for you to order...
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Ichiban Japanese Steak House
1333 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Eats in Duluth
I always make it a point to have brunch at Pizza Luce when im in Duluth. Those hippies can make some killer biscuits and gravy, and good bloodys!!
ps - will the MSP hounds ever stop praising Hell's Kitchen??? I mean, it's okay,
but come on...
( e n t e r v i c i o u s r e b u t t a l s h e r e . . . )
Best Burger (MSP)
Totally back Salut's burgers... very good, but not without a price!!
Also, hit up the Nook last nite.. showed up just in the nick of time as there was a 45 minute wait right after we got our table..
I had the Moli and my GF had the classic... soooooo good. I think the classic is better. The american cheese is definitely the secret weapon!
I daresay better than Matt's.. which says a lot being a native son of the "right side of the river.." Plus, the service was FANTASTIC; which i can rarely, honestly say. The place was packed, and full of amateurs, but our server was really composed and nice, and managed to buy us a round!!
Best bars in MSP? Liquor stores?
Watch out for Hennepin Lake though..
They are CASH ONLY.. no credit cards!!
Best bars in MSP? Liquor stores?
Let me start by saying this thread could become a formidable can of worms
I agree with most on the bar thing... Bars are good (and bad) for so many different reasons.
Major Variables could include: neighborhood, cost, size of party, weather/season, type of event(i.e. - friends, date, work), taste, atmosphere... ad nauseam.
My personal top picks:
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Grumpy's Bar & Grill
1111 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55415
Surdyks Liquor and Bistro 2go
303 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55414
Eli's Bar & Grill
1225 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403
France 44 Wines & Spirits
4351 France Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55410
Zipp's Liquor Store
2618 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN
Bryant Lake Bowl
810 W Lake St, Minneapolis, MN
Grumpy's Bar
2200 4th St NE, Minneapolis, MN
331 Club
331 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
Cuzzy's Grill & Bar
507 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Hennepin Lake Liquor Store
1200 W Lake St, Minneapolis, MN
MSP: La Belle Vie (whoo hoo!)
Barbette can do it right... I have an annual birthday tradition of slurping a few back there before i hit the town...
Im by no means an expert on shellfish, but I have had good experience with Salut's litlle oyster bar.. not ridiculously overpriced and tasted fresh to me!
[MSP] Woohoo! Saigon (St.P) & Hell's Kitchen (Mpls) relocating
Hopefully HK will consider a different approach to their decor as well!
yuck!
Brunch in/around Twin Cities
I gave the Cafe Maude brunch a try today, and unfortunately i think they came up a little short.
First, drinks, which might i say were definitely my favorite part of the meal. GF had a blood-orange mimosa; awesome. A little sweeter than grapefruit juice, makes me wonder if they sweeten it up with a litlle something as blood oranges are generally quite bitter... I tried their house Bloody... It was good, better than most, but with a $9 price tag i should have gotten a decent beer back.. the server asked, i tried to order summit, but i got grain belt... no thanks...
Props to the bloody mix though, it was complex and tasty, just enough spice. Maybe some harissa added to the mix?
On to the main event, we ordered promptly and received our food even more promptly... a little too promptly imho...
My gf had the grilled flatbread w/eggs, bacon, harrisa, cucumber, sri racha and cilantro. I thought the flatbread was okay, kinda stale actually, but the eggs and bacon were great. A little sri racha for spice, but the cilantro was practically non-existent. Not a surprise for such a controversial herb.
I took the dive and ordered their Benedict with "imported Italian 'herbed' ham," "grilled" asparagus, tomato confit(wtf?) and hollandaise. I realize that Cafe Maude has a reputation for good dining experiences but I must say, this is not why.
First of all, our food was produced, in my opinion, unbelievably fast. There was VERY little carmelization on the asparagus. It was peeled and tasted blanched, not grilled. Same for the english muffin, not toasted enough for a saucy benedict, and WAY too big for the presentation. As a matter of fact, The actual plate was definitely too small for what they were serving, like I couldn't really cut it up without it falling off the plate. There sauce was light but there wasn't enough of it and it was underseasoned, and the 'tomato confit' was like a dried roma tomato skin... really tough and nearly inedible (i took a little bite and left the rest, which wasn't much of anything). It was served with a salad which was actually quite nice, a tangy vin and an awesome brunoise of fresh ginger and red pepper. The meat was very thinly sliced, with out any kind of herbs (as descibed in the menu) and was carelessly plopped onto about 1/3 of the muffin halves.
I made a point to check the dinner menu before we left, and it looked pretty good. I would definitely like to try their duck and frisee flatbread and the cauliflower soup. Not so sure i'd go back for brunch though when i could just stumble out of bed hungover, walk to Barbette, and get myself back on track with better food for less money...
Looking 4 dry-aged, 100% grass-fed, miniature Highland or Galloway beef - MSP
Clancy's = backed. If you want something special, just let them know in advance...
Brunch in/around Twin Cities
I am fully behind Bon Vie's benedict...
It is rare to find someone who can make a good hollandaise, let alone one that doesn't come out of a pouch/bag...
Bartbette also does a really good brunch.. Daily quiches & scrambles, amazing crepes, and... a REALLY good benedict/florentine... They also have really good coffee and scones (if you get there before they're gone!)...
IMO, skip Hell's Kitchen... never been too satisfied with dining there... the decor is gross and the location is a huge pain. Plus, super busy on the weekends with the church crowd... no thanks.
Has anyone tried the revival of weekend brunch at Pizza Luce DT? I live and die by the brunch at their Duluth location, really tasty... I know they tried this at the DT one awhile ago and it didn't do so well...
[MSP] Al Vento
agreed.
I love this place. Really keen atmosphere (sit in back) and awesome service. The staff is more than happy to talk/recommend the food and wine.. the wine recommendations are quite helpful as they are mostly italian, of which many people(myself) know very little about.
I highly recommend the stuffed mushroom appetizer, any of their pizzas(amazing), or pretty much anything else.. Had an absolutely brilliant Wild Boar Risotto there last winter.. a little firmer than what i would make but really, really good.
Excited to hear they might be opening uptown! New late night competition for Barbette?
R.I.P. Auriga...
Crab legs in Mpls
If your looking to make them at home, i think Coastal Seafoods is the best bet... they offer 20% off on wednesdays... and yes, the microwave has been the easiest/best way for me too. I couldn't believe it when my friend showed me that, (after we had eaten them of course!)
If you're looking for a night out, i actually recommend the Cherokee Sirloin Room in west St. Paul.. It's kind of a 'family/neighborhood' supper club/bar. They do an 'all-you-can-eat' snow crab night on wednesdays for $25.. I comes with these amazing little potato gratin things... awesome. I recommend sitting in the bar area for better people watching... Try to get a table with the funny old baseball photos...
