Twin Cities Restaurant Blog

Apple Valley, MN ~ Restaurants

• Majors Sports Cafe

Albertville, MN ~ Restaurants

• Majors Sports Cafe

Mad Jack's Sports Cafe ~ Vadnais Heights & Brooklyn Park, MN

Cuisine : American, Steak, Chops, Ribs, Fish & Seafood
Restaurant Features: Sports Bar, Patio, On-Site Parking, Happy Hour

Locations:  Brooklyn Park & Vadnais Heights, MN
Addresses & Maps:

Brooklyn Park- 8078 Brooklyn Blvd. Brooklyn Park, MN 55445 ( 763) 424.9919

Vadnais Heights- 953 County Road E Vadnais Heights, MN 55127 (651) 287.3900

Link: Mad Jack's Website

Atmosphere:  The Vadnais Heights location is just off 35E and Co. Rd E in a large building outside a long strip mall, Festival Foods and Target complex.  The restaurant is divided into two main area, the dining room and the bar area.  There is a nice double-sided fireplace and lounge area between the two dining areas.  The kitchen is also open so you can watch the cooks work their magic.

 

Here is a peak at the mini lounge area between the main dining room and the bar area.  The bar area is very large and has several tall tables in addition to ample seating at the bar.

 

One thing that is easy to notice about Mad Jack's is that there are a LOT of TVs throughout the restaurant.  Each high-backed booth in the dining room also has its own personal TV.

Menu: Appetizers include Sirloin Tips, Coconut Shrimp, Crab Cakes, Jacked Up Nachos, Hash Browns, Filet Tips, ** Spinach Artichoke Dip, **Bruschetta, **Calamari, **Jackadilla, **Szechuan Green Beans, **Wings, **Cornbread, **Chicken Tenders, **Garlic Cheese Bread, **Potato Skins, **Onion Rings, **Cheese Curds, **Chili Cheese Fries, **Sweet Potato Fries, **Homemade Potato Chips, and **Chips and Salsa, and **Flatbread (choice of Margherita, Caprese, Rotisserie Chicken, Sun Dried Pesto, and BBQ Chicken). Appetizers with ** are 1/2 price daily from 3:30-6:30pm and Sun-Thurs 10pm-12am.

Soups include Chicken Wild Rice and Chili.  Salads offered are Jack's House Salad, Chopped, Buffalo Chicken, Taco, Caesar, Strawberry Feta, Greek, and Thai Chicken Peanut.

Sandwiches offered at Mad Jacks include Philly Beef, Old Fashioned Club, Meatball Sub, BBQ Chicken, Pork Loin, Cuban, Artichoke Chicken, Fish, Veggie, Hawaiian Chicken, Reuben/Rachel, Turkey Melt, and Grilled Ham and Cheese.  Wraps include Asian, Chicken Caesar, Club, or Southwestern.  There are also several specialty burgers.

Handmade Pizzas can be made-to-order, or choose from Garbage Pizza, BBQ Chicken, White Delight, or Mad Meat. 

Pastas include Spaghetti & Meatballs, Baked Ziti, Fettuccine Alfredo, Sausage Tortellini, and Tilapia Farfalli.

Entrees offered are Lumberjack Salmon, Chicken Marsala, Shrimp Scampi, Walleye Fillet, Grilled Pork Loin, Fish & Chips, Filet Mignon, New York Strip, Jack Kebabs, Open Faced Chicken, Rack of Lamb, Rotisserie Chicken, Rack of Ribs, and Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry.

Desserts include Creme Brulee, Cheesecake, Apple Crsip A'La Mode, Vanilla Ice Cream, Milkyway Mousse Cake, and Bread Pudding.

There are also a couple of weekly specials: 1/2 price Spaghetti & Meatballs with garlic bread on Wednesdays! ($4.50 for a huge helping!)

Price guide: Appetizers $7-12 Salads $4-10 Burgers & Sandwiches $8-11 Pasta $9-15  Pizza $9+ Entrees $12-22  Desserts $3-8
What we ordered:  Since it was Happy Hour, we started with a couple of half-prized appetizers, Calamari and Hot Wings.  The Calamari was a combination of rings and tiny squids, both cooked perfectly so that the breading was crispy with calamari cooked perfectly tender.  Served on the side was a chunky sweet marinara sauce and also spicy mayo, both very good.

The Hot Wings were huge and seemed to be just a little more spicy than other buffalo wings (I like that!), with a fair amount of sauce.  Bleu cheese and celery on the side for dipping.

 

I had the meatball sub for my entree, which came with homemade potato chips.  The meatball had tender but firm texture, seasoned with pepper, fennel, rosemary, onion.  Very good! The meatballs had a light amount of marinara and then provolone baked over the top, served on a somewhat soft French roll.  It was too huge and messy to eat with my hands, so I cut it into smaller bites and dipped it in a side of marinara.  The potato chips were crispy but I wasn't very interested in them.

One of my companions ordered the Flatbread Caprese Pizza, which consisted of a very thin, flat crust with melted gorgonzola cheese, fresh basil, roma tomato slices, and balsalmic vinegar.  The crust was nice and crispy and the flavor of the ingredients blended together rather well.

 

Another companion ordered a Mushroom Swiss Burger with French Fries.  The burger patty was quite big, and the bun it came on was thick and substantial.  Fresh mushrooms were sauteed and then swiss melted on top.  The giant portion of homemade fries were fresh-cut of varying sizes and fried to a crispy golden brown.

 

I chose to go back to Mad Jack's later the same week as my first visit and ordered The Reuben Sandwich.  The first two bites were awful! The corned beef was very tough and I couldn't even bite through it.  The server offered another sandwich, but the rest of it was actually pretty good.  I think those first couple of bites of corned beef should have been removed by the cook before it was served, but the rest of it was  tender and flavorful.  The sauerkraut was mixed with the 1000 Island dressing and on the mild side.

Service:  The service at Mad Jacks was exceptional.  The servers were very attentive and when our food was ready, it was the cook himself who served it to the table, wanting to know if there was anything else he could do.  The responsibility of serving staff seemed to be somewhat shared, as we seemed well taken care of.
Overall Impression: Thought it was great! The Happy Hour specials are a great deal, the food was quite good, and the service was exceptional.  I'll be back soon

Casper's Cherokee Sirloin Room ~ West St Paul & Eagan, MN

Cuisine: American, Steaks, Fish & Seafood, Sunday Brunch (Eagan only)
Restaurant Features: Banquet Room, Bar

Location: Eagan & West St Paul, MN
Addresses & Maps:

Eagan- 4625 Nichols Road, Eagan, MN 55122  (651)454-6744

West St Paul- 886 Smith Ave. S  West St Paul, MN 55118 (651)457-2729  8
Link: Cherokee Sirloin Room Website

Atmosphere:  The West St Paul location is a pretty large restaurant, with a couple of dining areas and a separate banquet room.  There are several tables to accommodate large parties and also booths set up along the perimeter of the dining room, all of which are covered with white table cloths.  Nothing about the decor stood out at the Cherokee Sirloin Room, just a collection of random paintings and wall sconces throughout the restaurant.

Menu: Appetizers include Onion Rings, Shrimp Cocktail, Blackened Tips, Ribs & Rings, Crab Rangoon, and Artichoke Dip.

Salads include Grilled Chicken Caesar, Cobb, Seafood Louie (shrimp, crab and scallops), Seven-Spice Prime Rib, and Garden Salad.

Sandwiches include Steak, Philly French Dip, Walleye, Charbroiled Chicken, and three 1/2 lb burgers.

Meat Entrees include Steak of the Millenium (sirloin), Porterhouse, New York Strip, Tenderloin Meddalions, Bacon Tenderloin, Filet Mignon, Chopped Sirloin, Prime Rib, Ribeye, Chicken Breast, Chocken Cordon Bleu, Roasted Chicken, and Barbeque Pork Loin Ribs.

Seafood and Vegetarian Entrees include Mushroom Ravioli, Walleye, Crab-Stuffed Salmon, Buffalo Shrimp, Walleye Almondine, Broiled Salmon, Jumbo Shrimp, Seafood Linguine, Bacon-Wrapped Scallops, Seafood Platter, and Lobster.

There are also a  number of Combo plates that include 8 oz. sirloin and either shrimp, walleye, lobster, crab or ribs.

Desserts offered at Cherokee Sirloin Room are seasonal but current offerings include the Birthday Cake, Chocolate Molten Lava Cake, Turtle Cheesecake, Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Chocolate Pecan Torte.

Price guide: Appetizers $9-11 Sandwiches $9-15 Meat Entrees $15-35 Seafood Entrees $ 20-35 Combos $20-42 Desserts $5-6
What I ordered: To start, we were given these warm loaves of crusty French Bread.

 

I ordered the Steak of the Millenium, (which happens to be the complimentary birthday sirloin), a 16 oz strip of sirloin.  It was thick-cut, but still juicy (cooked medium) and lean.  Steak seemed to be cooked with the barest of seasonings so I had to salt it to my own liking, but many people might prefer it that way. There was a hefty portion of fries that were pretty good, but also lightly salted.  The dinner salad that came with my meal was on the small side but the veggies were crisp and fresh and the homemade croutons were crunchy and flavorful.  I loved the ranch dressing.

 

One of my companions ordered the Bacon Beef Tenderloin with baked potato.  The tenderloin was thick and extremely tender, the bacon cooked but only slightly crispy.  Sauteed whole mushrooms were served alongside.

There was a large amount of people in my group and I chose not to take pictures of all of the entrees, but the Porterhouse looked and tasted amazing, and was a big hit for at least two of my companions. 

We got a complimentary slice of birthday cake for the birthday that was in our party.  Very tasty, like any standard white birthday cake.

 

We also ordered the Chocolate Lava Cake to share.  The dark chocolate was quite rich and had a warm, gooey center which was complimented perfectly with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream a la mode.

Service:  The day of our visit was Thursday Night Birthday Night and it was packed to the gills with people celebrating!  We had a dinner reservation but arrived slightly late and had to wait about 5-10 minutes for our table.  Our server was very nice and accommodating and although it was a very busy night, food was prepared in less than 45 minutes.  Drinks took some time from bar also.
Overall Impression: A FREE sirloin steak dinner on the Thursday night of your birthday week? You can hardly go wrong.  Price of entrees was reasonable for the amount of food you get, and the food was pretty good.  Not much in the way of ambiance but service is pretty good.

Old Log Cabin ~ Forest Lake, MN

Cuisine: American, Fish & Seafood, Steaks, Chops,
Restaurant Features: Bar, On-Site Parking

Location: Forest Lake, MN
Address:  9726 Scandia Trail N. Forest Lake, MN 55025 (On Hwy 97 four miles east of Hwy 61) (651)433-5646

Hours: Mon 4-9pm Tues-Sat 11am-10pm Sun 11am-9pm
Links: Old Log Cabin Website  Google Map

Atmosphere: There are two dining areas in the Old Log Cabin, the main dining room with a variety of booths and tables (not pictured) and then the bar area which has a handful of high tables with additional seating at the bar.  Like it's name suggests, the Old Log Cabin has a rustic feel and the building itself is made from several large logs.  Nearly every square inch of the bar area is covered with business cards of every variety!

Menu: Appetizers include Fungus Humongous, Mozzarella Sticks, Buffalo Wings, Onion Rings, Artichoke Dip, Chicken Strips, Potato Skins, Cheese Curds, and Nachos Grande.

Salads include Chicken Chef, Taco, Crispy Chicken, and Chicken Caesar.

There is a large selection of 1/2 lb burgers with names such as Musher, Alaskan, Prospector, Kodiak and Yukon.  Sandwiches include the Trapper (prime rib), Ptarmigan, Cottage Chicken, Log Jammer (Prime rib with onions and peppers), Fish, Hot Prime, Grilled Chicken, Grizzly Chicken (BBq & Bacon), Steak and the French Dip.

Dinner entrees include Ribeye Steak, Cabin Steak (10oz sirloin), Black Angus Sirloin, Chopped Sirloin, Sirloin Tips, Ork Chops, Broasted Chicken, Marinated Chicken Breast, Broiled Walleye or Shrimp, Fried Cod, Seafood Platter, Fish & Chips, and Fried Shrimp.  

Desserts offered are Carrot Cake, Strawberry Shortcake, Bread Pudding, and Root Beer Float.

Daily dinner specials begin at 4pm and include:

• MON& Tues- Mexican Food 
• Wed- All you can eat Fish Fry 
• Thurs- Steak Night 
• Fri- BBQ Ribs $11.99
• Sat& Sun- Prime Rib $15.99

Price guide:  Appetizers $ 5-8 Salads $7-9 Burgers & Sandwiches $7-9 Dinner Entrees $10-18  Desserts $3-4
What we ordered:  We started with the Fungus Humongous and like the name suggests, these fried mushrooms were HUGE!  The extra-large fresh mushrooms were halved, lightly battered and then fried to a crispy brown and served with a honey-mustard dipping sauce.  Delish!

 

For my meal I ordered the Ptarmigan Chicken Sandwich (the server affirmed that this was a great choice!).  This was a grilled chicken breast topped with creamy spinach artichoke dip and melted cheese on a toasted bun.  The chicken was tender and juicy and the artichoke dip was flavorful and had a decent amount of artichoke.  The french fries were mediocre, with a slightly crispy textured outside and very little seasonings (reminded me of Burger King fries).

 

One of my companions ordered the Hot Prime Sandwich which consisted of thick slices of prime rib served between slices of fresh white bread, a large scoop of mashed potatoes and then smothered with gravy.  This is obviously the type of sandwich that is meant to be eaten with silverware! I tried a few bites and thought the prime rib was good, but the gravy wasn't my favorite.  My companion enjoyed this meal.

 

Another companion ordered the steak sandwich, which was literally a steak thrown between a couple of slices of toast and then served with a side of au jus.

 

Another companion ordered the Sirloin Tips, which came with a cup of soup, dinner roll, and baked potato.  The sirloin tips were tender and juicy, smothered with sauteed onions and mushrooms.

Service:  Our visit was on a Saturday afternoon between lunch and dinner, so there were only a few other customers dining at the time.  Our server doubled as bartender, but was prompt and friendly for the most part.  My only complaint is that the fried mushroom appetizer was served with the meal instead of coming out first but it wasn't that big of a deal.
Overall Impression:  The Old Log Cabin was more laid back than I had expected and the food was priced very reasonably for the amount that came with each order.  The service was good too!