Twin Cities Restaurant Blog

Mai Village Vietnamese Restaurant ~ St Paul, MN

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Restaurant Features: Bar, On-Site Parking

Location: St Paul, MN

Address: 394 University Ave. St. Paul 651.290.2585

Hours: Mon-Thur 11am-9pm, Fri & Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 12pm-8pm

Links: Google Map

Atmosphere: The atmosphere at Mai Village is reason enough alone to visit.  Set inside a brand-new $4 Million building in the heart of Frogtown, the entrance into the dining area of Mai Village is most impressive; a carved wooden bridge set over a beautiful koi pond.   

 

Mai Village is also home to a large, wooden pagoda set in the middle of the restaurant ( Panels were carved in Vietnam and shipped over). All tables and chairs are also carved from wood.  There are several large round tables (seats 9) that have a revolving glass lazy-Susan in the middle.  Perfect for a bigger group!

Menu: Appetizers include spring rolls, egg rolls, chicken wings, wontons, shrimp, etc.  There are also several soups, including a variety of Pho. 

Entrees include Vietnamese-style chow-mein, lo-mein, fried rice, and a variety of shrimp, beef, pork and chicken dishes.  Vietnamese specialties include meat and noodle salads.

Price guide: Appetizers $4-7, Soups $4-7 (depending on size), Entrees $8-12, Meat & Noodle Salads $7

What I ordered: To start off, I ordered the spring rolls.  I thought the spring rolls were a little small for the price I paid, but they were filled with both pork and shrimp and were delicious.  Their hoisan peanut sauce is the best I've had anywhere and they gave us two full cups of it.

My main dish was the sauteed chicken noodle salad.  it was a layered salad, lettuce and mint leaves on the bottom, then rice noodle, then the chicken. The chicken was spicy and delicious, reminded me of the lemon-grass chicken I had at Orchid Restaurant.  The salad came with a light, thin dressing, but the salad was so flavorful I did not use it.

My companion ordered the beef and fried potatoes.  The potatoes were thin and fried to a nice, crispy brown.  There was more beef than I was expecting, sliced thin and very tender.  The sauce was almost like a thin gravy.  Very tasty!

Service: The service was very good.  There were plenty of wait staff available during the dinner hours.  Probably no need to make reservations, they have a vast amount of seating.

Overall Impression: The restaurant is beautiful and the food was pretty good, but a little pricey.  Nice place to come if you have a larger group because you can be easily accommodated.

Snuffy's Malt Shop ~ Edina, Highland Park, Minnetonka, & Roseville, MN

Cuisine: Burgers, American, Ice Cream

Restaurant Features: On-Site Parking

Locations: Edina, Highland Park, Minnetonka, Roseville

Addresses & Maps:

Edina- 4502 Valley View Rd Edina, MN 55424 (952) 920-0949

Highland Park- 244 Cleveland Ave S, St Paul, MN‎ - (651) 690-1846‎

Minnetonka-17519 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka, MN‎ - (952) 475-1850‎

Roseville- 1125 Larpenteur Ave W  St Paul, Minnesota 55113 (651) 488-0241

Links: Snuffy's Website 

Atmosphere: Located within a large strip mall, Snuffy's Malt Shop is reminiscent of an old-fashioned burger joint: The red and white striped wallpaper, the red vinyl booths, and the ice-cream counter.  There are three small sections within the restaurant, all of which contain 4-person booths. There were a few small table sin one section, but accommodating a large group would be quite a challenge.

Menu: Snuffy's is most famous for their hamburgers and malts!  Burger choices include the basic hamburger, cheeseburger, California bugrer, or the Snuffy's Burger (lettuce, bacon, tomato, cheese).   If you're not in the mood for a burger, try one of Snuffy's grilled sandwiches (ham, chicken, cheese, etc).

Choose from over 20 Malt flavors or try an old fashioned soda, phosphate, or float.

Price Guide:

Burgers: $3.75-5.25 extra patty $1.50  (add $2 for fries or $2.50 for onion rings)

Grilled Sandwiches: $3.35-5.35 (add $2 for fries or $2.50 for onion rings)

Kids Menu $3.25

Malts: $3-4

What I ordered: Bacon & swiss burger with a side of onion rings.  The burger was made of fresh hamburger, and was tender and juicy (a bit on the greasy side).  Although the menu didn't specify the size of the patty, I would say it was about a 1/3 lb.  It came served on a grilled bun, but I wish the buns had been more thick and sturdy.  I could almost detect a hint of sweetness to the bun as well.  The onion rings were a big hit; nice and crispy.  Of course I also ordered a malt... I went with the Snuffy Colada (strawberry, banana, and pineapple). Thick and delicious; heavy on the malt, just the way I like it.  Could predominately taste strawberries (I wish it would've had more pineapple), but it was very flavorful.

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Service: Very friendly.  Despite how busy it was, Snuffy's did a great job of finding us a table as soon as possible.  Our server was prompt and courteous throughout the meal.  At one point a malt glass at our table was accidently broken and management inquired immediately to make sure noone was hurt.  Manager was very kind and patient while cleaning a very big mess from our table.  Our experience also required a take-out order; everything was neatly packed and bagged.

Overall Impression: Fun, inexpensive place to come with a small group.  Good burgers, even better malts! 

Granite City Food & Brewery ~ Eagan, Maple Grove, Roseville, St Louis Park MN

Cuisine: American, Burgers, Steak, Chops, Fish

Restaurant Features: Bar

Locations: Roseville, Maple Grove, Eagan, St Louis Park

Addresses & Maps: 

Eagan-3330 Pilot Knob Road  Eagan, MN 55121 (651)452.4600

Maple Grove- 11909 Main Street Maple Grove, MN 55369 (763)416.0010

Roseville- 851 Rosedale Center  Roseville, MN 55113 (651) 209-3500

*Located next to the AMC Movie Theater.  No Mall entrance- Must enter from outside only.

St Louis Park- 5500 Excelsior Blvd. St. Louis Park, MN 55416 (952)746.9900

Links: Granite City Website  

Atmosphere:

Granite City Food & Brewery is a brand-new trendy restaurant located just outside Rosedale mall.  I think it would be safe to say that the emphasis is not only on the food, but also on their on-site brewery.  Observation windows between the bar area and the brewery allow guests to see the inner workings of the brewery.  This large bar area with several flat-paneled TVs is a a great place to have a drink with friends.  Both the menu and atmosphere seem to cater to the an older, more-established crowd.  Not the type of place to bring the kids.

Menu:

Start your meal off with one of Granite City's Craft Beers- Northern Light Lager, Brother Bnenedict's Bock, Duke of Wellington-Indian Pale Ale, Broad Axe Stout and Two-Pull.

Appetizers include daily soups, Crab & Cheddar Cakes, Crab Wonton, Crab Chalupa, Chicken Caesar Chalupa, Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Nachos and Quesadillas.

A few of the sandwiches featured on the menu include the Reuben, Buffalo Chicken, Smothered Beef, London Broil and Chicken Salad BLT.  In addition to standard burger options, Granite City offers a Buffalo Burger as well.

Signature Entrees include Meatloaf, Rosemary Filet Mignon, Boneless Pork Chops, Chicken Parmesan, Lasagna, Ravioli, Walleye, Salmon and London Broil.

View Granite City Menu

**Please note that Granite City prides itself on updating the menu twice a year, so all selections above are subject to change

Price Guide:

Appetizers: $8-10

Sandwiches and Burgers: $7-10 (additional $2 for french fries)

Signature Entrees: $11-21 (additional $2 for soup or side salad)

What I ordered:

There were many items on the menu that are up my alley, but I wanted to try one of their specialties and the Grilled Salmon Oscar came highly recommended by the server- "Filet of north Atlantic salmon charbroiled and topped with steamed asparagus spears, crabmeat, and béarnaise sauce. Served on a bed of wild rice pilaf with sautéed vegetable medley."  I though the meal was very good- the wild rice was a perfect compliment to the salmon, as were the mild and creamy béarnaise sauce, and steamed vegetables.  The salmon was sliced thick, but was slightly uncooked toward the center.  Overall it was very good. On this particular visit my companion ordered the London Broil sandwich, but was disappointed that the meat was tough.  No pictures were taken :( I would instead like to share with you a picture of the Bedda Chedda Burger that was ordered by another companion on a previous visit.  As you can see, Granite City is very generous with the amount of cheddar they put on this burger!

Service: Our service was excellent- the waitress was extremely patient while my companion and I took our time looking over the menu.  She offered suggestions for ordering both appetizers and entrees, and also stopped back at the end of the meal to tell us about their Sunday Brunch.

Overall Impression: Although I thought Granite City was a nice place with good food, it didn't stand out as a one-of-a-kind restaurant.  It reminded me of several other trendy bar & grills that you see around the city.  I think the fact that the entrance to the restaurant is outside of the mall makes it harder to access and less of a draw to shoppers.

A La Salsa Mexican Grill ~ Minneapolis, MN

Cuisine:  Authentic Mexican

Restaurant Features: Bar

Location: Minneapolis

Address: Midtown Global Market

Lake Street & Chicago Ave.  Stall # 155  612-872-4140

Hours: 11am to 10pm Mon - Sat;  11am to 9pm Sun

Links: Google Map  A La salsa Website

Other location: 1420 Nicollet Ave Minneapolis, MN 55403 612-813-1970

Atmosphere: Located within the culturally-diverse Midtown Global Market (to the right of the mall entrance) , A La Salsa is one of the only vendors that offers sit-down dining.  I would say the restaurant can accommodate about 40-50 people in the dining room, which has several wooden tables.  Large windows make the restaurant much brighter during the day than most Mexican restaurants, but the brightly colored glass pendants hanging over every table provide a more intimate feel after dark.  The brightly colored bar area can seat another eight people.  I did not notice any Mexican music playing during my visit, but there were touches of Mexican art painted on the walls.

Menu:  Full bar, including a variety of Margarita choices.

Complimentary tortilla chips and fresh pico de gallo are served along with salsa verde.  Other appetizers include quesadillas, nachos, spicy shrimp and spicy chicken wings.

Entrees include a variety of tacos and tortas (spicy shredded chicken, carne asada, carnitas, and fish), enchiladas, flautas, tamales and chile rellenos.  There are also several dishes that are mostly meat-based ( shrimp, salmon and carne asada prepared a variety of ways).  A great choice for those of you carb-watchers!

Full A La Salsa Menu

Price Guide: 

Appetizers: $6-8; Entrees: $8-13 Desserts: $4-6  A la carte menu items: $2-5

What I ordered:

House Margarita, 2-for-1 happy hour before 6pm.  Tasty, but light on the tequila and strong on the lime juice; still a good deal.  Loved the complimentary chips and fresh pico de gallo (which had just the right combo of onion, tomato and cilantro)

Combination platter with carne asada taco, chicken flauta, cheese enchilada and side of beans and rice.  For $11.50, I was kind of disappointed with the size of each item.  This is a regular sized plate; the beans and rice amount to more food than these three.  For good measure, I also orded a carnitas taco a la carte.  The carne asada taco was excellent, served with finely chopped steak and topped with cilantro and onions.  Served on a tiny corn tortilla.  Fondly reminded me of the tacos I have had in Mexico.  The cheese enchilada was also very good- I am not sure what type of cheese was used, but it was mild and melted to a nice consistency- topped with mole sauce and white Mexican cheese.  I didn't care for the chicken flauta (but then again, I don't care for them at many restaurants so it is probably just me). The chicken was dry and boring and the tortilla had been fried too long.  The carnitas taco I ordered was pretty good; the pork was tender and moist.  Nothing special about the beans or rice.   If I order tacos next time, I will get them a la carte, which seems like a much better value.

My companion ordered chicken fajitas.  They looked and smelled delicious! There was quite a bit of meat for the three tortillas that was served with it.  We asked for a couple of additional tortillas, but were informed they would charge us for them.

Service: Although it was before 5pm when we arrived, there was only one person working and he doubled as host/server/bartender.  As the restaurant started getting busier, an additional server was added.  Although they forgot to bring us more chips and salsa when we asked, I would say that service was generally good.

Texas Roadhouse ~ Coon Rapids, MN

Cuisine:  Steak, Chops & Ribs

Restaurant Features: Bar, On-Site Parking

Location: Coon Rapids, MN

Address:  2780 Main Street NW Coon Rapids, MN 55448 (763)862-3389

Links: Texas Roadhouse Website

 

Atmosphere: Downhome FUN! As you walk in the front door, the first thing to greet you is a stand of cute, bubbly hostesses (make sure you Call Ahead to put your name on the list and get a confirmation number;the Texas Roadhouse is always PACKED).  Adjacent to the hostess stand is a juke box stocked with classic & popular hee-haw music; play a few of your favorites (complimentary) and listen to them play throughout the large U-shaped restaurant (bar is in the middle of the restaurant). Although the restaurant is quite large, the Roadhouse literally packs 'em in, table-to-table with just a small path to the "Outhouse"  at the back of the restaurant.  The bathroom is not really an outhouse, but it does have only 3 stalls and a line almost out the door.

Apparently, the Texas Roadhouse is a popular spot for birthday celebrations; we knew this because no less than 6 times did the entire wait staff come together to serenade the birthday guest.  It was actually kind of funny to see, while being sung to, the birthday guest had to sit on a wooden "horse" complete with saddle, with the chandelier doubling as a "spotlight" on said guest. (In this case the guy with in the black sweater (back to camera) on the left side.

Menu: The Texas Roadhouse is known for their steaks. Check 'em out before you order! 

Beside the steaks pictures above, other popular menu items include Fall-off-the-bone ribs, chicken- fried-chicken, BBQ or smothered chicken, grilled porkchops, catfish and walleye.  If you're hungry while looking over the menu, enjoy the peanuts and hot buns with sweet butter...they're sure to tide you over. Texas Roadhouse Menu

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Price Guide:

Appetizers $5-9

Steaks: $9-$19

Ribs: $13-$17

Entrees: $8-$13

What I ordered:

The menu proclaimed its famous "made-from-scratch-recipe" Texas Chilli, so I chose that as one of the two sides that came with my steak.  I mistakenly assumed that "made from scratch recipe" meant homemade, but unless my taste buds deceive me, this chili tasted like it came straight out of a can.  Besides the chunky tomatoes and mildly-spicy kick, I was highly disappointed with the chili.  Next time I would defintely get the side house or ceasar salad as one of my sides instead.

Since the Texas Roadhouse is known for their steaks, I decided to go with the 12oz ribeye (medium)  smothered with muchrooms, onions and jack cheese, with texas steak fries as my second side.  The flavor of the mushrooms and the seasoning on the steak had a hint of garlic, pepper and salt.  The ribeye was cooked exactly to medium, but I thought it should have been more tender than it was, as it was a little on the tough side.  The fries were slightly crispy and nice and hot on the inside, lightly salted.

My companion ordered the 16oz prime rib (medium rare).  The cut was thick and tender as can be, with a slightly aged flavor.  The au jois was also very flavorful.  Probably the best large prime rib you will find for $17.99!

Service: Other than having to call ahead 2-3 hours before you'd like to dine-in, the service was very good.  As I mentioned earlier, the staff was very fun and friendly.  Our server did an excellent job keeping up with refilling the drinks for our party of six and kept bringing additional baskets of the warm buns.  Our food took approximately 30 minutes to arrive, but the peanuts and buns (not to mention good company) made the time pass extremely fast.

I will definitely go back to the Texas Roadhouse in the near future.

Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter ~ Stillwater, MN

Cuisine: German/Bavarian

Restaurant Features: Bar, Live Music, On-Site Parking

Location: Stillwater, MN

Address: 8390 Lofton Avenue Stillwater, MN 55082 651-439-7128

Links: Google Map Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter

Atmosphere: The Gasthaus is a family-owned restaurant tucked away in the woods and rolling hills on private property in rural Stillwater. There is no mistaking this restaurant as anything other than traditional German/Bavarian. All staff wear traditional German attire and if you visit on a Sunday afternoon, you can listen to live accordian music. Inside you will find evidence of the Bavarian Hunter theme, complete with mounted antlered animals adorning the entry and antler-shaped chandeliers throughout the dining room and bar areas.

Menu: Appetizers: Bavarian Hors D'oeuvres Tray, Schnitzel Sampler, Sausage Sampler, Chicken Tenders, Veggie Plate, Smoked Liver Paté, Herring prepared a variety of ways, Bavarian Assorted Cheese Plate, Warmed Bri Cheese, and Fried Bread Dumplings.

Schnitzels: Wiener Schnitzel ("Vienna Style" golden brown breaded pork cutlets), Jagerschnitzel, Rahm Schnitzel, Schnitzel "A La Holstein", Puten Schnitzel, Rahm Puten Schnitzel (breaded chicken)

Pork: Schweinsbraten, Schweinshaxe, Bayerische Ripperl, and Bavarian Smoked Ribs

Fish: Walleye fillets

Beef: Rouladen, Sauerbraten, and Rostbraten.

Wurst/Sausages: Bratwurst, Knackwurst, Metwurst, and Weisswurst

Vegetarian: Veggie casserole

View full menu here.

Price Guide: Appetizers: $6-9 Entrees: $13-20

What I ordered: To start off, I tried the Manhattan Clam Chowder (soup of the day). Delicious mix of cooked veggies and tender pieces of clam in a pleasantly spicy red broth.

The Bavarian platter is the perfect dish if you would like to try a few of Gasthaus's specialties. Included are the Jager Schnitzel (breaded pork cutlet covered with mushroom sauce) Rahm Puten Schnitzel (breaded chicken breast covered with sour cream-based sauce), Knackworst (beef sausage with garlic seasoning) and potato dumplings. I thought the Jager schnitzel was very good- The dark mushroom sauce seemed somewhat upappealing to the eye, but had a very mild flavor that perfectly complimented the pork. I enjoyed the flavor of the knackworst and although it was boiled in the German way, I prefer my sausages cooked cripsy on the grill. The flavor of the potato dumpling was good, but I did not enjoy the texture. Next time I would order mashed potatoes or the spaetzel instead. The Rahm Puten schnitzel was my favorite. The sauce that covered the chicken was very mild and creamy, yet the chicken stayed somewhat crispy.

Other dishes enjoyed by my companions: Jagerschnitzel with spaetzel (mini potato dumplings). This was a HUGE hit!

Walleye dinner. Incredible! Even if you do not enjoy German cuisine, come just for the walleye!

Dessert: The dark chocolate cake was very rich and delicious, although the piece was incredibly slim for $4.50. The apple streusel cheesecake was incredible. Light and creamy cheesecake blended with apple pieces and drizzled with a butterscotch topping. German chocolate cake was good, but there was too much frosting and not enough cake. Two bites of ooey, gooey caramely-coconutty, and pecany frosting was enough for me!

Service: The weekends are very busy and reservations are recommended.  Staff were friendly and did a nice job of answering any questions my companions and I had.