Musky_Hunter's Profile
What's missing from MSP's culinary landscape?
+1 on that! Not only are they bad but more surprisingly, why can't you get one with REAL Italian bread that is fresh?
Best Bakery -- not refined, not French, just good donuts
Since it sounds like several posters are in the south metro I will suggest A nice little family owned place in downtown Prior Lake called Edelweiss Bakery. They have great cake donuts and even better parties.
Edelweiss Bakery SE
16186 Main Ave
Prior Lake, MN
Where can I buy skirt steak?
I have been surprised by the quality of skirt steak available at Costco in Burnsville
Chicago style pizza in MSP?
I'm a suburban Chicago native transplanted here about 5 years ago. I've had to come to terms with the fact that food is a very regional thing in spite of our being only 5+ hours from the Chicago metro.
Portillo's ranks as one of my top three I wish I could get here. Considering they have opened locations in Indy and other cities outside Chicago I often hope they would consider Minneapolis. Sadly though, I think this city just has no desire to embrace food that is different from what they know. As I write this I know I will be chastised by many locals who will be very defensive and that will serve to make my point.
There are a couple one-off's that attempt on a very small scale to reproduce the typical Chicago hot dog/beef joints. A short list includes Uncle Frankie's and the two Chris n' Rob's locations, formerly Joey D's. Some how these locations have survived for a while, while other's who have tried similar menus have not. There was a Scala's beef location here for a very short time near Maple Grove, so short I never got a chance go try it. There was also a decent dog joint in Burnsville called Papa T's and it is gone too. Back to my point... I have stood near the counter waiting for my food at Uncle Frankie's and at Chris n' Robs several times to see what the locals order. I was shocked to see what happens to Chicago food when Minnesotan's order it. The Italian beef is often called spicy beef and is more often ordered smothered and covered in nacho cheese goo, something that would likely get you a food citation in the state of Illinois. I've even witnessed two people order a beef with BBQ sauce! I have only seen a couple people order a dog with anything other than ketchup only, much less the traditional drag it through the garden Chicago style dog. While this is not a statistically accurate survey I think the fact that you won’t see a drive-thru line around the bock at any of these locations like you would at all of the Portillo’s locations, there just doesn’t seem to be a demand or desire for true Chicago style food in this town.
I agree with the other Chicago native posters in this thread, don’t waste your time trying to find a Chicago style pizza in this town. There are at least three styles of pizza Chicago is known well for and I have found only one representation I would remotely compare. If I am on the way home from the airport at the right time I will stop at Brianno’s in Eagan and grab a takeout pie that is a fairly close representation of what I would call a typical thin crust pizza, similar to Rosatti’s. They also have a decent Tiramisu that is homemade. If I happen to be flying home from Midway at the right time I have been known to hit the Giordano’s that is literally across the street from the airport and get a couple pizzas to take with me on the plane. They have them double wrapped and in the freezer ready to go. You can get in and out of there in less than 10 minutes. I have gotten some very odd looks walking trough MSP with Chicago pizza’s under my arm and that’s ok that they just don’t “get it”.
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Brianno's
2280 Cliff Rd, Saint Paul, MN 55122
MSP - Help locating dining guide
Thanks for the link. This document is good but not the one I had in mind. The one I am thinking of has been updated at least once and has very good summaries of each place with notes about what has changed from the previous year. I am fairly certain it was a word.doc
MSP - Help locating dining guide
Over a year ago someone posted a very well organized word document here that had some great restaurant finds in it. I believe it was authored by a General Mills employee. I thought I saved it on my PC but I cannot locate it. Can someone please point me to where I can find it?
Thanks.
MSP: Twin Cities South of 494 finds
My son wanted to see a show at the IMAX theater at the Zoo this weekend so we went off to Apple Valley thinking we would try something new for dinner afterward. Not knowing much about the area we attempted one of the spots mentioned in this thread, Enjoy in Apple Valley. Unfortunately I didn't find it to be all that great, especially for the price. I had the special, name I cannot recall, a Mexican fish dish that contained only (1), yes one shrimp, (2) small mussels and two very small pieces of monk fish on top of a huge pile of rice surrounded by a fairly good sauce, price $24.95. I was so hungry after finishing it I had to eat one of my son’s leftover chicken fingers. My wife had the sea bass. I was surprised at how similar this dish is to one my wife makes frequently. It was nice but when you have it at home and it tastes the same, it is hard to get excited about at $24.00. For desert we had the caramelized bananas in rum sauce. Notwithstanding that the bananas were not caramelized (were not cooked at all) this was a good desert. If they cooked the bananas it would be excellent. The facility has a nice ambiance but the food doesn’t stand up to the décor or price IMHO.
MSP: Twin Cities South of 494 finds
We've had enjoyable meals at Buffalo Tap on several ocassions. On Friday evenings they have fried chicken and AYCE fish fry. Both are very good. Their cheeseburgers are also very good and they have real onion rings, not those processed breadcrumb covered things you so often find borrowed from Burger King.
MSP: Twin Cities South of 494 finds
"on par with other south metro bastians of averageness...Stefanos, etc.)."
Wow ditto on that one. I had the misfortune of being sent there by someone who raved about it. Never again. We actually didn't finish our meals that were that enjoyable.
ps. Don't forget to add Chianti Grill to that list as well.
MSP: Twin Cities South of 494 finds
Sorry, I should have been more specific because I don't want to create the visual of a slab of bread piled high with roast beef covered in brown gravy like with a side of mashed taters. To clarify, an italian beef is illustrated well in the photo of in the link. What is not visible in that link is the gravy. Locals to cities where the sandwhich is an icon like Chicago refer to it as gravy but those unfamiliar would find it similar to au jus. The difference primarily is that italian gravy has more herbs. Many prefer to have their beef sandwhiches dipped which is essentially giving the bread a dunk in the gravy before piling high with beef. The end product will likely run down your arm as you eat it if dunked well.
MSP: Twin Cities South of 494 finds
I am not a huge fan of the Briano's "Chicago" beef. Their gravy is more of an au jus than a authentic chicago style gravy. They are the only place in town, Cassetas included, that we have been able to find Volpi brand Genoa salami. They also know how to layer it and slice very thin, a real bonus. I do wish they had a sit down area as we live to far to take home.
Another find south of 494 -
Taqueria La Hacienda at RT13 & RT5 Burnsville
Authentic mexican fast food with burritos big as your head, tortas, tostadas, etc. They use corn tortilias by default. The pastor is on a gyro spit but unfortunately they don't cook them on the spit, they just cut them off raw and cook on the grill. This is probably because they don't have enough customers to go through the spit fast enough. Too bad because cooked on the spit can be incredible.
MSP: Twin Cities South of 494 finds
[Note this thread was split out of the "Most Controversial Opinions" thread by the Chowhound team]
DQ – I don’t want you to think I sit in my boat in the garage and reminisce about the good old days before I arrived in the cities, as someone else suggested above. We set out on weekends in search of good things. I’ll admit that some of the ideas proposed here and other threads have not been attempted by us yet. Some other suggestions made here are just not our preference like Thai.
I think we have found all the Chicago dog joints in town. Including the ones mentioned here. Joey D’s now AKA Chris & Rob’s I understand has opened another location in Fridley. Another that has not been listed is in Burnsville at Cliff and 13, Papa T’s. They do about as good as job as Chris & Rob’s but I fear for their future since I’ve never seen more than a few patrons there. As stated above, all these places are missing the whole menu of a true Chicago dog joint like Gryos, char dogs, fried polish sausage, etc. Considering they probably have to bring everything in from out of town I think they do a fine job, they even have the nuclear green south side relish! Sadly I didn’t make it to Scala’s Beef who opened a restaurant in Maple Grove last year but apparently not enough customers so it is already gone.
Since you asked for what we have discovered south of the mason Dixon line as some here appear to think of anything south of 494, here’s a short list.
El Loro – RT 13 Savage
Good authentic sit down, salsa and chips included Mexican. Make sure you try the spicy pork on cheese enchiladas! They have a great carne asada too.
Pablos – Downtown Shakopee
Also great spicy pork on cheese enchiladas. The great part about this place is across the parking lot from there is a supermercado that has a great assortment of Mexican cuts of meat including skirt steak. They told me they get their skirt steak from Chicago. It is about ½ as thin as what we typically find but if you cook it fast it is very good.
Edelweiss Bakery – Downtown Prior Lake
Great pastries, special occasion cakes and homemade breads.
Perron’s Sul Lago – Downtown Prior Lake
I was surprised at this find. It doesn’t show up on most boards or reviews. It’s a small place, reservations recommended. I’ve been to most of the Italian restaurants hyped on this board including Luci (sp?) and this if much better. The downside is they a very limited menu.
Hamburgers
Try the Assembly in Hoffman Estates. Also the best low cost burger IMHO is Portillos.
MSP - frozen Gnocchi
Have you tried Cossettas? It sure isn't $3.00 (I wish) but it isn't bad.
MSP-great peanut brittle
"Local" is a relative term. Depending on where you are and how far you are willing to go, it may be considered local to go to Stillwater. Of course they also will ship items to you. Tremblay's is a family owned small shop that makes candies by hand on big marble tables right in the front window. They have cashew and peanut brittles, fudge, bark, buckeyes and the list goes on and on.
Tremblay's Sweet Shop
308 Main Street
Stillwater
651-430-0087
Best Standing Rib Roast Recipe
I noted a desire for horseradish in the OP. Here's a recipe we have used for years and really enjoy.
Mix it into a paste and slather it all over the roast the day prior to cooking.
3/4 Cups fresh horseradish
1/4 Cup garlic run through a garlic press
1/2 Cup light olive oil
1/4 Cup kosher salt
1/4 Cup black pepper
1 Tbl brown sugar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp paprika
MSP - Food stores other than WF
Not far from the Airport is a local Italian deli that may be worth the trip since it is close. Briano's in Eagan right off 77 on Cliff Road.
[MSP] Mandarin Kitchen
We went to MK for the first time about a month ago, didn't realize at the time it was probably only a few days after reopening but we were suspicious considering the bar was about 1/2 complete.
We had some not very adventurous people in our group so I was forced to order for the masses. Dishes I would expect to be somewhat consistent style from city to city like Kung Pow, Garlic Chicken, etc. were somewhat odd flavors at MK. Is MK only good at the more adventurous dishes?
Critique my Minneapolis list
Since the subject of lunch came up, I would add a trip to one of the several places that serves the Juicy Lucy, certainly something you won't find outside Minneapolis, and perhaps a trip over to Briano's in Eagan for a Italian beef sandwhich (carry out only).
Best Burger (MSP)
Buffalo Tap in Savage on RT13 has a very good burger and also darn good wings.
Looking for Duck in Twin Cities
No A L'Orange but they have real Peking duck at Mandarin Kitchen and it is quite tasty! I was surprised to find ducks prepared without a reservation when we arrived too.
B.A.N.K. at Westin Hotel, MSP
I had a business dinner at this restaurant a few weeks back. I enjoyed my meal as did the others in my party but I would say that it would be hard to return on a non-business event because it was quite pricey for their menu. I would recommend the mussels for an appetizer. It is plenty big enough to share with friends.
[MSP] Authentic Chinese
If you find yourself in the south suburbs, you may want to try Spice in Burnsville on 42. Its not Chinese but it is good Thai. http://www.spicemn.com/
MSP – Getting excited about overpriced mediocre food?
I have been away traveling for work and didn’t expect to get such a response. My post was not intended to put everyone on the defense rather enlighten out of towner’s who often seek a food suggestion form this board while traveling to MSP area.
I should not have posted anything about chains because it has been interpreted very differently than intended. I don’t care for chains. In fact, I go out of my way to avoid them. Chains are where many people want to go for a myriad of reasons many of which I will never understand. My point was not to say chains have better food, but as more open they will take some diners away from local restaurants and this I hoped would apply pressure to any restaurant in the area to improve their offerings and/or give us more choices. That is all.
As for the poster that said “Susie, according to his post a few months ago, he's a "refugee" from Chicago who seldom leaves the Twin Cities suburb of Savage” First, I apologized in a previous message about the improper word selection, refugee, so I’ll let that rest. Second, I do NOT rarely get out of Savage, in fact we travel FAR for good food because our options in Savage are very limited other than Sul Logo and El Loro, both of which I would recommend to those of you who seldom get out of the cities.
As for my making this statement basing it only on one restaurant, to the contrary, we have tried many of the places recommended on this board and they were as one other poster said about Luci…ho hum. I have yet to try al Vento and Alma and look forward to trying them soon. I hope that StPaulGirl’s theory is correct and I will discover the restaurants in the area that appeal to me in good time.
Thanks to those that continue to help me try to “crack the code” to find those restaurants that are in the mid-tier price point so we can eat out more often.
MSP – Getting excited about overpriced mediocre food?
I’m not saying we need more chain restaurants but it appears only the chains are willing to open new restaurants in this town. Regardless of what type opens, more restaurants may be what is needed to force the local shops to step up the quality of their products.
Your point appears to be that this is not a major metro so we should be satisfied with what we have because it is local and sources local food ingredients? I’m all for it if the quality is there but if not, then I’ll be forced to continue to cook more at home. BTW what I don’t understand is if this is not a major city but perhaps a tertiary, then perhaps my food product expectations are inflated for what is possible here, but what about the price? Shouldn’t we expect the price to be lower than a major metro not higher?
As for my experience at Luci, lets just say it was dismal. The Salmon special was two small pieces of fish floating in a deep pool of what I would call vegetable broth that was nearly flavorless, no vegetables, or other accompaniments, just two little pieces of fish for $32.00! In comparison, a good Italian restaurant in Chicago would charge under $25 for a salmon dish that would come with vegetables of some sort. The other dish was a very small bowl of noodles that was supposed to be Fettuccini but was more like egg noodles with some crab meat and so much lemon that it dominated as the only flavor.
MSP – Getting excited about overpriced mediocre food?
I was going to reply to another thread where there was several posters protesting that people should not dine at chain restaurants because it is vital to support local restaurants/families. I decided to post a separate thread because this post would be buried in the other.
I think competition from any restaurants including chains will be healthy for MSP in the form of improved food quality. IMHO this town suffers from too few restaurants and as a result people here are satisfied with their mediocre products. For example, this weekend we went to Ristorante Luci on recommendations from this site and other sources. When we arrived we saw many awards on the wall in spite of being served what may have been the worst Italian meal I have ever encountered. In several other large metro towns consistently serving a meal like that for nearly $90.00 with only one glass of wine and no desert would result in the restaurant being closed due to no business. But not here in MN because there just isn’t anything better or shall on say on-par with what good Italian restaurants are producing in other cities.
For those visitors who may read this as they explore where to dine in MSP area, please do yourself a favor and set your expectations very low if you are coming from a larger more food oriented city like Chicago, SFO or NYC. Also, bring a huge wallet with you because it appears the only non-bar food that is edible here costs on the order of $200 per couple.
Ps. I will gladly eat my words if someone can direct me to a restaurant that produces good quality non-bar food for a reasonable price, say $80 per couple. This would be an easy feat in most any other major metro city why not MSP?
Fogo De Chao coming to Minneapolis [Moved from Midwest]
We dined here last night and really enjoyed it. The staff was very attentive and even went out of their way to find servers with your meat choice, not something I’ve experienced at their other locations. Our waiter said they opened Tuesday with ~350 guests and expected Sat was going to finish at ~750. He said the restaurant could sustain itself if they could consistently get ~750 every Saturday.
On the subject of this being a special occasion destination – I was surprised to see what appeared to be the majority of guests were dressed in jeans, IMHO indicating they were not out for a special occasion. Or perhaps it’s a Minnesota thing that people don’t dress up for a special occasion?
On the subject of will the suburbanites come to this location? It was only $6.00 for valet parking.
Many queried price, we paid approximately $150 for two including coffee, one desert and a reasonable bottle of wine. I could do this much cheaper if at an Italian restaurant in Chicago but for steak, I would say in line with the competition.
Fogo De Chao coming to Minneapolis [Moved from Midwest]
I looked a few pages deep in this forum and didn't see any mention of the opening of Fogo De Chao in Minneapolis. I used to eat at the Chicago location prior to moving to the Twin Cities and can't wait for this place to open. It opens on the 19th.
Good Ethnic Food at a Reasonable Price in Twin Cities?
Thanks for all the great replies. One reply was dead on IMHO that I am used to having more numbers and variety of restaurants in the suburbs in Chicago compared to the TC area. Since I am not familiar with the City an often spend most of the week out of town for work I thought I would ask for assistance on this board. Thanks for all the great ideas.
I found some of the replies to be rather defensive. I didn't intend to offend anyone or take any shots at the Twin Cities. In reply to one reply, I apologize for use of the word refugee, it was indeed a poor choice of words. I also admitted that I'm not a city person but am willing to travel for good food but several took at shot at me for living in the suburbs. Why do city people take shots at the suburbs? My hobby during the summer months is fishing. As such I have to have my boat at home. This is not an option in the city so therefore we live in the suburbs.
