If I knew I could park at Brasa every time I wanted to, I would ...

Is a summer staple of mine. Makes for quick and easy meals without heating up the house or grill.

I'm a Seward-coop shopper and I typically buy it there. It's organic and $10. But it has a weird seasoning and they often don't have them left when I shop. Circumstances brought me to Kowalski's last week and theirs was so much better that now I'm curious what else I'm missing. Who has the best in town?

I've been to Louis once. Split a burrata salad and ordered the chicken under a brick. Both were quite good. They were unexpectedly slammed (night of marriage bill signing), so service was a little uneven, but they were clearly trying. I've never been a huge fan of Cossetta's (their pizza and salads are fine, but I stay away from the red-sauce/pasta dishes), so I was pleasantly surprised.

The new paticceria is gorgeous, and the baked goods have been outstanding.

Checked a photo I snapped of the menu today, and it listed the bostock as "on toasted laminated bread." I didn't sample it, can't say more than that.

I don't know which sandwich you had, but the Roast Turkey and Manchego sandwich at Surdyk's Flights is one of my favorite sandwiches in town. Turkey, quince paste, aoili, arugula, manchego on super crispy bread . . . mmmmm. Sometimes I stop there even after I land to satisfy a craving.

Unlike the store, it is always fresh-made, including freshly-slided meat.

Good stuff. Went today. She sets up between 9th and 10th on Nicollet. I preferred her kouign amann to the Rustica one, but that could be because I've only had the Rustica one at Kopplin's where it might not be quite as fresh.

I would look at M Street Cafe in the basement of the St. Paul hotel -- they have private meeting rooms and you can either order off the menu or from their daily hot and cold sideboards. You could also just rent a meeting room from the St. Paul Hotel and then eat at the St. Paul Grill.

I know you asked to avoid downtown, but you can park free for 3 hours in the Lawson Ramp if you eat at either place.

http://www.mstcafe.com/

Thanks for coming back to report in!

I'm surprised Red Stag told you "no", as you can reserve a table for 10 through them on open table (at least for 2 Saturdays from now).

ETA: Also showing up on Open Table that might be a good option is is Sapor.

Any particular recommendations in Chinatown then?

If my expectations are off base, I'm not set in stone. I honestly don't know how prices compare. Our nicest restaurants have lunch options in the $12-$16 range, so I was making a guess.

Thanks. We are a group of public employees, each will be paying our own way. My boss said to keep it "affordable" so under $20? Not sure how prices compare to here.

Greetings from Minnesota! I've been tasked with finding a location for a luncheon in June with the following guidelines:

- Within walking distance of the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
- Can accommodate a group from ~8 to 20 without a room charge
- Erring on the side of affordable vs. fancy or foodie.
- Quiet enough for conversation is essential (ideally private room).

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

There is something magical about that avocado sauce, although at least half the time it doesn't come with it, which I don't understand.

Anyone else been to Tacos Nachos & Beer in St. Paul? It's close to my office, so I've been a bunch already. A little uneven (they ran out of masa, and switched to flour tortillas one day); and a little expensive $2.50-$2.75 ea, with less meat than Los Ocampo, but fresh grilled meats and a decent salsa bar. I thought the breakfast tacos were a better value (and delicious).

Bad weather brewing Windvane

Would love this!

Excited to read others' replies. Potbelly sells their "hot peppers' and it does have a little bit of cauliflower in it.

It is also surprisingly easy to make.

And El Burrito Mercato was out of stock. Would have helped to have put that in my first post.

Has anyone seen this recently? I'm hoping to find some by Sunday morning.

It does seem like you had your mind made up before the place even opened. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849012

Will people be coming straight from the convention center? Or from their hotel? You may want to find out which (and what hotel) as that would open up your options.

If you order the Platillo combo at Los Ocampo, you get these thick, delicious, obviously homemade corn tortillas. If you order the tacos, I don't know if they are homemade or not -- they are much thinner and look commercial , but I am no expert.

Surdyk's gets it an imported version and it sells very quickly. It's best to call and reserve a tub. I've also seen it at Whole Foods from time to time.

Seward Coop carried (at least in the summer) the Wisconsin-made BelGioioso burrata, for a really good price -- $7/tub if I recall. I haven't checked to see if they've had it the last few months, as I think of it as as summer food.

You can also ask them to par-bake for take-out, to be finished at home.

Previously described here as "fatally flawed": http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849012

I'm not going to spend time worrying about something until its open. I'm hopeful based on the location and crew.

When I used to go to Punch more often, I'd ask for it well done. Then I risked some serious char, but that was often a better option.

Lunch-only M. St. Cafe (basement of the St. Paul hotel).

I haven't had their nachos or been to Gastrotruck at one of the breweries, but everything I've had from the truck in the summer season has been excellent. The meatloaf sandwich, the chicken wild rice burger, the black bean burger, and lots of other options have never disappointed.

Would you share your vodka infusion technique? Would be a lovely thing to make to get through this long winter!

The local Eater site does a new heatmap of "where to eat now" every couple weeks.

http://minneapolis.eater.com/archives/2013/01/03/the-eater-mpls-heatmap-where-to-eat-right-now-1.php

And here's one of 18 essential Minneapolis restaurants:

http://minneapolis.eater.com/archives...

Since Minn Stat. § 340A.504 Subd. 4(4) requires them to be closed on Christmas day, it looks like you should stock up on Monday (before 8pm -- that's Subd. 4(5)) or be prepared to drive across the border again.