steve_in_stpaul's Profile
Falafel King on West 7th
In between Ray's and Falafel King was Karo's, an inexpensive chicken-and-steak joint. We stopped in there once; wasn't bad at all. It's a shame that they couldn't make more of a go of it. But I'm looking forward to trying out this Falafel King.
Favorite Restaurant to bring out-of-town guests?
How about cuisine they're unlikely to have experienced out there? The Twin Cities has some of the biggest Hmong and Ethiopian/Somali/Oromo populations in the U.S. You might consider restaurants like Fasika (ambience as well as good food), Cheng Heng (more Cambodian than Hmong, but somewhat comparable cuisine), Asian Deli (lunches only), and the restaurant at Sun Foods (Dale & University; it's instructional to wander the aisles, too). Maybe one of the Tibetan restaurants in town.
In the realm of fancier restaurants, I don't think you'd go wrong with a visit to Heidi's 2.0 or Heartland or Travail, to name a few places.
Dining up and down University Avenue
+1 on Ha Tien. Everything I've had there has been fresh and tasty. Lots of groceries and some decent produce, too. Well worth navigating down University....
Kosher/Jewish Delicatessens
I'll go out on a limb here and say that if the hundreds of thousands of people in the Twin Cities cannot keep a kosher deli alive, the good people of Faribault/Northfield/Lakeville will not be able to, either. Kosher delis on both coasts and Chicago draw large audiences from the surrounding community.
I've been in the Twin Cities for almost 30 years now and have seen lots of delis come and go. For some reason, folks in Minneapolis/St. Paul/suburbs just aren't interested enough in delis to actually spend money at them regularly (especially at the prices that kosher cold cuts would command). More power to anyone who wants to try it in the outer southern suburbs, but I strongly doubt there's even the demand for a deli out there than there is within city limits.
Meyer Lemons?
Mississippi Market definitely had them last week (haven't been there yet this week). I don't remember if it was the Selby store or West 7th; a quick call to them would verify before you made the trip.
Where to go for a fun dinner on a Wednesdy night for @ six people? An "Old Standby?"
Brasa.
Either one.
Live Lobsters?
Dragon Star on Dale & Minnehaha in St. Paul has many tanks, including lobster.
Visit to Minneapolis
Minneapolis/St. Paul also is home to more Hmong (a southeastern-Asian mountain-dwelling people) than anyplace else in the U.S. Hmong cooking uses many of the same ingredients as Vietnamese or Laotian cooking, but still remains different. A visit to the Hmongtown Marketplace on Como Avenue is one of the unique things one can do in St. Paul and will be well worth a couple of hours of your time. There is a "food court" that serves "real" Hmong food and even just browsing the booths is an adventure. There is a similar marketplace called Hmong Village on the east side of St. Paul; Hmongtown will be easier for you to get to from South St. Paul.
Oh, and I guess we can't forget lutefisk (though some might want to). It's much harder to find in restaurants outside of the Christmas holiday season. Maybe that doesn't matter :-) . If you're really interested, say so and I'm sure fellow 'hounds will let you know where to find it year-round.
Sushi MSP
I gotta think any place which will serve sushi on a plate in a restaurant will put it in a take-out box. Therefore the usual suspects (Origami, Masu, Fuji-ya, etc.) apply. Obviously some are easier to get to than others (for example, I'd avoid Fuji-Ya St. Paul on many Xcel event nights).
Every time I eat "real" sushi, I'm reminded just how far behind supermarket sushi is. Far too cold and what should be crunchy no longer is because it sits in humidity. :-(
True Thai needs a face lift and it is not alone
Kate, you stated my thoughts far better than I did. I have no problem with restaurants that have ZERO ambience (e.g., Hickory Hut, Lion's Tap, etc.). But when I see obvious maintenance issues (dirty bathroom, scuffed paint, etc.), I have to wonder what else isn't being kept up.
True Thai needs a face lift and it is not alone
I think I have a higher tolerance than many for less-than-sterile cooking and serving conditions -- after all, people have survived -- even thrived in -- less-sanitary conditions. There are some people I know (with whom I eat rarely) who will discount an entire restaurant because they see threadbare carpet as soon as they come in the door. And yet I sometimes wonder -- if the front of the house is not in good shape, what corners are being cut in the back?
[EDIT] I'm not singling out TT here, and, IMHO, the owner/management deserves an opportunity to respond. But the customer-accessible places in a restaurant should be an area of emphasis -- best foot forward. And, in that respect, I think rockyd raises a good point.
Sauerkraut that's too mild :-(
I'm not generally a fan of canned sauerkraut; it doesn't taste as fresh (?) to me. The plastic-bagged variety is readily available at most grocery stores (usually sold in the meat department). An alternative that I really like (though it is not inexpensive) is the jarred sauerkraut from Angelica's Garden. I can buy it at my coop, Mississippi Market.
What's missing from MSP's culinary landscape?
For 24-hour non-chain restaurants, this thread might be helpful (if a bit old): http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/437971
For sure, Mickey's is still around (so is the "other" Mickey's on West 7th in St. Paul). I prefer the downtown-St. Paul Mickey's and value the ambience as much as the food.
Il Gatto closed
Stewart Woodman, on his blog, stated that Parasole tried to get their restaurants to clear a 17% margin. That's a lot of money, and in my experience as a foodie/restaurant goer, not the kind of margin you get by aiming at narrow niches, being super-adventurous, or ladling out the protein with a heavy hand. Maybe Parasole restaurants have to be what they are.
The guest writer of that same entry on Shef's blog claimed that one of Figlio's/Il Gatto's downfalls was the difficulty of parking at Calhoun Square. I don't get that at all. Then again, I'm a city dweller -- I can navigate parking ramps and even parallel park. :-/ Figlio did well from the get go, Famous Dave's has been there about forever, and Chang Mai Thai and Sushi Tango have survived for at least a decade. Parking was a killer? Really?
30th Birthday Party Ideas!
We had a "non-traditional" wedding a year-and-a-half ago, so we were looking for similar venues in St. Paul. A couple of options, all of which are set up for music and have a dance floor and have at least a provision for a screen (if they don't already have one):
- El Burrito Mercado has a room behind their serving line. Already set up for sound and has a small dance floor. IIRC there is a separate entrance (guests don't have to enter through the store). We liked the room but nixed it because bathroom use would have required negotiating some steps and we had guests who could not do that well.
- Twin Cities Magic (East Seventh & Wacouta) -- I know; stay with it :) -- has two floors available for parties. They have people who will cater for you or you can pick your own supplier. Again, a separate entrance so guests don't have to march past the werewolf masks and onion gum. Elevators to either floor. Bathrooms on either floor. The second floor has a stage; third floor has an underlit dance floor. Sound is pre-wired as are lights. Not likely there will be another event during your party, but they do schedule some plays and such, so you'll have to ask about the schedule.
- Black Dog Cafe (Lowertown) has no separate room, but they didn't want a ginormous room deposit and they credited food/beverages they sold us against that deposit. There is a dance floor (left side of the room) but I'm not sure if you need to bring in your own sound. Handicapped-accessible.
You didn't say how many guests you plan to have. That (and their mobility and their location) could make a substantial difference in your choice.
Enjoy, and happy birthday!
Dining up and down University Avenue
Tai Hoa? Was there a few times a few years ago, and by the time I showed up (5-ish, maybe closer to 6), about all that was left in the pans were "variety meats" which (I will admit) I was not brave enough to try. I was told that I would need to show up around 4 pm to get the popular stuff, which is not do-able for me. The couple of times I did find something to try, it was tasty, but I can't say the food was strikingly better than other BBQ places in town (or even near their restaurant). So I haven't been back yet.
Time has marched on, though, and TH may have juggled the mix to better meet popular demand.
Where to buy beef heart and tongue?
Welcome!
I don't know where you are located in the Twin Cities, but on the St. Paul side, there is a number of Asian supermarkets which offer a variety of -- er, variety meats. For example, Dragon Star (Dale and Minnehaha) seems to sell every part of the cow but the moo, and a lot of it is fresh-packed as far as I can tell (not frosted over several times because it's traveled more than a Delta frequent flyer). Ha Tien on University in St. Paul also seems to have a decent fresh-meat selection. El Burrito Mercado in West St. Paul sells tongue (lengua) for sure; maybe other variety meats as well.
As for good rye breads, I'm sure there are bakeries which fill the bill, but I'm not a bakery-goer. I'll let others make recommendations. For stores,I would recommend Kramarczuk's just north of downtown Minneapolis (on Hennepin; the neighborhood referred to as "Nordeast") and, on the St. Paul side of town, Kowalski's has a decent selection of imported breads (if my memory serves) and the Kiev Market sells Russian/eastern European breads largely imported from Chicago, but I've tried some and they are good, IMHO.
Let us know what you find!
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El Burrito Mercado
175 Cesar Chavez St, St Paul, MN 55107
University Ave: Bangkok Thai, Pho Ca Dao, Saigon
I must be pretty lucky -- or I eat awfully early -- because I've never had _great_ difficulty getting to On's going west on University. It's sad to see the place so empty almost every time I've been there (every couple of weeks or so)
TPTB also have decreed that the construction company has to have four lanes of University open by November 30. so maybe the businesses along the avenue have to hang on just a little longer until some temporary relief arrives.
Ramen at United Noodles UniDeli
While the selection has never been close to what UN offered (or likely offers now; haven't been in -- umm, too long), Kim's on Snelling in St. Paul has a surprising amount of Japanese food among the Korean.
any good breakfast sandwiches in MSP??
I'd buy that if they dispatched someone to buy lettuce. They don't.
Maybe the problem is that they really don't have the space to wash and prep lettuce bought at the market. But it sure wouldn't hurt them to take it off their list of sandwich ingredients since they run out of it early and so often.
It makes a good story that they're surrounded by lettuce but can't serve any. :-)
any good breakfast sandwiches in MSP??
We've ordered bagel sandwiches at Golden's a few times and, yes, I think the freshness of the ingredients plays a part.
But what I want to know is, why, in the middle of a Farmer's Market, Golden's can ever run out of lettuce. It's happened so often I wonder why they even list it as an ingredient choice. Comments (partly in jest) about taking petty cash to one of the nearby stalls and procuring some lettuce result in some pretty blank stares. Puzzling.
East Side St. Paul - Dinner Recs for a Sat. Night
Just make sure there's nothing going on at the X that night (Wild, concert, whatever). Many of the restaurants along West 7th get ridiculously busy on event nights and 20 people showing up at once will be disappointed.
Unique Mustards....
Byerly's, Lund's, Kowalski's ... Maybe also some places like Kramarczuk's, though their selection will be smaller.
Whole Foods Supposedly Coming To Edina
I'm not sure that anyone's anecdotal pricing experience is enough to show that WF, a co-op, or Byerly's/Lund's has the best price/quality ratio. I usually can find the same/a similar item at one store or another for less.
But with the possible exception of the cheese department, and maybe health & beauty (can't remember what it looks like), I would put the Wedge up against pretty much any WF I've ever been in. Very extensive deli, larger bakery selection than I see at most co-ops (I try to shop them all), big bulk section (an area where WF falls short, IMHO), and, IME, if there's some "boutique" producer who can supply only one store around here, it's likely to be the Wedge. Yeah, parking is a joke (they need a ramp) and getting around on a weekend is, at best, leisurely.
But I hate manuevering past all the displays WF stuffs in the aisles, weekend shopping (at least at the St. Paul WF) is no less busy than at the Wedge, and I really think WF could make more of an effort to source local organic foods.
More power to WF if they can make a go of it. I suspect one or two of the new stores will do well and the others will hang on desperately, especially if this economy does not improve.
Fish with ginger and scallion? Not for me, but for my bride ...
Shuang Cheng in Dinkytown offers it. I don't see it on Hong Kong Noodle's menu, but I see items which are pretty close; they might make it if you ask. Probably other places, too, but those two came to my mind right away.
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Hong Kong Noodle
901 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414
Shuang Cheng Restaurant
1320 4th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414
are you still a fan of hong kong noodle??
Typical of restaurants like HKN, I try to avoid the Chinese-American combination plates and the obviously Americanized cream-cheese wontons and the like. I'm also a big fan of ordering off what looks like a changeable menu on the wall, reasoning (at least mostly correctly, I think) that they're there because they stand out from the rest of what's offered on the menu.
With 300-odd dishes, there are going to be some clinkers. But I would think the namesake noodle bowls and soups would be consistently good. I've enjoyed the different vegetable dishes (not just stirfried peatips or broccoli). I'm sure I've tried a couple things over the years which just didn't ring the 10-pound bell. But 'most everything else has been at least tasty, if not 100% Hong Kong authentic (never been there myself, though my luggage has).
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Hong Kong Restaurant
7828 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420
are you still a fan of hong kong noodle??
It works for me. I usually do takeout there, and, in fact, did so about a month ago. The food was as good as I ever remember it. I wouldn't say it's the best Chinese restaurant in town -- though for Hong Kong style cooking it may well be. But I'll drive past a number of other Chinese/Chinese-American restaurants to get there.
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Hong Kong Restaurant
7828 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420
Our State Fair 2011: it's the Best State Fair in our State!
I remember now, I had one of those a couple of years ago (when it was new?). I really liked it. The cream cheese does a nice job of cutting both the heat and the salt of the pickle and pastrami. Maybe I'll go back for one of them.
I'm starting to have a list that's a few Fair days long....
Palumbo's Pizzeria in Highland Park.
I hope it was an off night. Palumbo's has seemed to get at least decent reviews out of a number of other sites.
Our State Fair 2011: it's the Best State Fair in our State!
I'll cop to a little laziness in calling O'Gara's & such "chains". It was sloppy of me, though not completely incorrect (Famous Dave's is, in my experience, mediocre barbeque easily bettered by a bunch of places I can think of).
As for the rest, TDQ has quite eloquently covered what I would have said. *bows in the Queen's direction*
