Twin Cities Restaurant Blog

Taste of the Nation Minneapolis June 12, 2009 ~ To End Childhood Hunger

Press Release from Share Our Strength-
TASTE OF THE NATION HOTlist EVENT RETURNS TO END
CHILDHOOD HUNGER IN MINNEAPOLIS AND ACROSS AMERICA
Annual Event for Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® Minneapolis
to be held at the Hotel Minneapolis on Friday, June 12, 2009.

[Minneapolis, MN] — With flavorful food and a passion for helping hungry children, Minneapolis’s hottest chefs and restaurants will gather for Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation HOTlist. Taste of the Nation HOTlist Minneapolis will raise the critical funds needed to support the national organization’s efforts to end childhood hunger in Minneapolis and across America. This year’s event will take place on June 12, 2009 at the Hotel Minneapolis, from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm.

Many of Minneapolis’ finest restaurants and mixologists will participate in the culinary event that will highlight one of the hottest trends in food: crafting unique food and drink combinations. Chefs will have the option to use alcohol as a unique ingredient in their culinary creations or create a paired drink option for guests to sample with the food.  Guests will also be provided with a premium drink selection of Brown Forman cocktails and Belgian beers, including Hoegaarten, Leffe and Stella Artois, during the event.

Along with Chef Wilhem Borgstrom of Restaurant Max at Hotel Minneapolis, participating restaurants include Chambers Kitchen, Café Ena, Gardens of Salonica, Corner Table, Rinata, and Crave Restaurant.

In addition to fabulous food and drinks, the event will also feature a live mixology competition between mixologists Andrew Engebretsen from Bradstreet Craftshouse and Johnny Michaels from La Belle Vie.  The competition will be led by the evening’s Emcee, Tim Laird, Chief Entertaining Officer and Chief Cocktail Officer of Brown-Forman. Other entertainment includes music and an exciting raffle where all ticket sales benefit hunger relief efforts.  The raffle prizes include tickets to Sample Circuit (where guests can experience more of the Twin Cities’ finest dining) and a 1-month unlimited yoga membership at Core Power Yoga.

“We’re honored to be part of this nationwide movement to end childhood hunger in America,” said Christina McCalla, Co-Chair of Taste of the Nation Minneapolis. “Taste of the Nation brings together the finest of the Twin Cities’ culinary world to help the children in our community who suffer from hunger every day.”

With 100% of ticket proceeds going back to fight hunger, this is a cause everyone can rally behind.  This year’s proceeds will go to support hunger relief efforts in the Twin Cities through grants to Second Harvest Heartland, Legal Services Advocacy Project and the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches.   Since its inception 21 years ago, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $70 million for organizations in the United States, Canada and abroad.  In Minneapolis, Taste of the Nation has granted over 1.5 million dollars to local Twin Cities grantees.

Taste of the Nation is nationally sponsored by American Express, Sysco, Food Network, Brown-Forman Corporation and Anheuser-Busch. Local Taste of the Nation Minneapolis HOTlist sponsors include Hotel Minneapolis, Tastefully Simple, Kitchen Window, Metro Magazine, and Niedorf Photography. Because of this generous support, 100 percent of ticket sales help ensure no kid in America grows up hungry.

The statistics are staggering: more than 12 million children are facing hunger in America today, an estimated 1 in 10 children in Minnesota live in poverty, and 1 in 3 children qualify for free or reduced price lunches. Taste of the Nation events such as HOTlist promote awareness and raise critical funds to support the most effective organizations that feed hungry children, as well as support advocates that are pursuing long-term solutions for hunger relief, both locally and nationally.

“An end to childhood hunger in the United States is within reach,” said Bill Shore, Founder and Executive Director of Share Our Strength. “With all the participants in Taste of the Nation Minneapolis sharing their strengths, we are creating more resources for the greater good of the Twin Cities and our great nation.”

Tickets for Taste of the Nation Minneapolis are $38 (General Admission) and $48 (VIP) and can be purchased by calling 1-877-26-TASTE or visiting www.tasteofthenation.org/minneapolis.

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About Taste of the Nation
Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® is the nation’s premier culinary benefit dedicated to making sure no kid in America grows up hungry. Each spring, the nation's hottest chefs and mixologists donate their time, talent and passion at more than 45 events across the United States and Canada, with one goal in mind: to raise the critical funds needed to end childhood hunger. Taste of the Nation is nationally sponsored by American Express, Sysco, Food Network, Brown-Forman Corporation and S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water. Since 1988, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $70 million. Funds raised in 2008 supported 156 organizations in the United States, Canada and abroad. To purchase tickets or to get involved, visit TasteOfTheNation.org.

About Share Our Strength
Share Our Strength® is the leading national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. We weave together a net of community groups, activists and food programs to catch children at risk of hunger and ensure they have nutritious food where they live, learn and play. We work with the culinary industry to create engaging, pioneering programs like Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation®, Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale®, Share Our Strength’s A Tasteful Pursuit®, Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out ®, and Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline®. Visit Strength.org.

To schedule interviews with chefs or grant recipient representatives, please call: Amy Edens at 202.997.6294.

Ban Thai ~ White Bear Lake, MN

Cuisine: Thai
Restaurant Features: Bar (Beer & Wine)
Location: White Bear lake, MN
Address: 2186 3rd Street, Suite 111  White Bear Lake, MN 55110 (651) 407-8424
Hours: M-Th 11:30a-9p      Fri 11:30-9:30         Sat 12p-9:30p      Sun 4-8pm
Links: Ban Thai Website   Google Map

Atmosphere: Located in the heart of Downtown White Bear lake, Ban Thai restaurant is just across the street from Washington Square.  The dining area of Ban Thai is one big open space, with several simple square tables placed throughout.  The lighting was dim, with lamps softly glowing here and there around the room. 

Menu: Appetizers at Ban Thai include Fried Wontons, Sri Racha Shrimp in a Blanket, Phuket Fishcakes, Chicken Wings, Chicken or Pork Satay, Thai Fried Tofu, Vegetarian Eggrolls, Rayong's Famous Eggrolls, Veggie Springrolls, and Fresh Bangkok Springrolls.

Soups and Salads include Thai Style Salad, Spicy Squid Salad, Tom Kha Gai, Tom Yum Goon, Tom Yum Gai, Gang Poh Tak, Chiang Rai Tofu Soup, and Thai Chicken Rice Soup.

Rice & Noodle Dishes include Thai Jasmine Rice,  Thai Sticky Rice, Mee Siam, Thai Curry Noodle, Seafood Noodle Soup, Pad See Ew, Sen Yai Lard Na, Pad Woon Sen, Pad Thai, Thai Curry Fried Rice, Thai Fried Rice, and Thai Pineapple Rice.

Ban Thai Entrees include Yellow Curry, Gang Masman Curry, Green Curry, Red Curry, Gang Panang,  Laab Khai, Laab Moo, Som Tom (papaya salad), Nua Pad Prik, Tod Kratiam Prik, Pad Med, Pad Khing, Pad Bai Horapa, Pad Kow Pode, Pad Prio Wan, Pad Pak, Pad Prik Khing, Pad Asparagus, Pad Broccoli, and Pra Ram Rong Song.

Specialty menu items include Pla Tord, Pla Tord Rad Prik, Khai Leaw Moo Sab, Ban Thai Khai Yad Sai, Pad Ped Pla, and Pad Ped Talay.

Price guide: Appetizers $4-7   Soups/Salad $4-14      Noodles/Entrees $11-14
What We ordered:  My companions and I started with the chicken satay appetizer, which turned out to be a disappointment.  The chicken was seasoned with curry and then grilled.  I thought the chicken tasted alright but it was slightly dry because the size of each of the four skewered pieces was quite small- together they would not have added up to a full chicken breast.  The peanut sauce that was served on the side was different than any peanut sauce my companions and I had tried before, this was curry-based.  It had a thin consistency and there was a strong flavor (maybe vinegar?) that overpowered any hint of sweetness from the peanut and coconut. I liked the cucumber salad enough but I wouldn't order this again.

 

We also shared the Fresh Spring Rolls, which came in four pieces.  The rice paper wraps were filled with thin noodles, fresh lettuce, carrots, beansprouts, mint, and shrimp.  Standard spring rolls but they were really good and came with a side of peanut sauce for dipping.

 

My companions and I each ordered something different so that we could share our dishes.  We had the Gang Khiao Wan which is the Green Curry.  There were sweet peas, potatoes, zucchini, bamboo shoots, sweet basil, and the meat we chose for this dish was chicken. All of these ingredients were simmered in a sweet delicious broth of coconut milk, green curry and red pepper flakes to make it spicy.  I really liked the flavor of the curry broth, but I think I prefer a different combination of vegetables and it could have been a bit spicier for my taste, we ordered a 2-3 on a scale of 1 to 5.

 

We also had the Pad Thai with Shrimp, which was very good.  The skinny rice noodles were stir-fried to a golden brown with homemade Pad Thai sauce, bamboo shoots, onions, egg and approx. six shrimp.  It was topped with green onions and peanuts.  I thought this dish was very good and had a lot of flavor but the portion was smaller than I expected for $14.

 

One of my companions ordered the Pra Ram Rong Song which is the usual favorite at Thai restaurants, but the version served at Ban Thai was not a big hit.  The presentation of this dish was very nice, with the curry peanut chicken sitting atop a bed of baby spinach.  However, the curry peanut sauce was the same used with the satay; it was almost too runny and not very sweet.  This was unanimously the least favorite of the three entrees.

Service: Our service was very good, but then again it was late on a Tuesday evening and we were just about the only guests eating that late.  Our server was the owner of the restaurant and she was very nice and answered questions we had about the menu.
Overall Impression: Most of the Thai food at Ban Thai was good, but not nearly as good and more expensive than as the other Thai restaurant in the area, Wild Ginger (which I LOVE!).   I had been wanting to try Ban Thai since they opened but now that I have tried it, it may be a long time before I visit again.

Flip a Coin & Call it Correctly = Free Breakfast

Press Release: May 20, 2009 – Minneapolis, MN –

In honor of “Flip a Coin” Day on June 1, 2009 local Twin Cities' restaurants Longfellow Grill, Edina Grill, Highland Grill and 3 Squares are giving guests a chance to win a free breakfast between 6:00am and 11:00am. Managers at each restaurant will challenge guests to flip for their breakfast. The guest will call the coin in the air, and if they call it correctly, the restaurant pays for breakfast! Don’t know much about Flip a Coin Day? The holiday was created to make decisions as easy as flipping a coin. This tradition dates back to Julius Caesar. Caesar would take a coin and flip it to make decisions where the right choice was unclear. The correct answer was "heads", which of course carried his image on the coin.

When: Monday, June 1, 2009 6:00am – 11:00 am
Where: Edina Grill- 5028 France Avenue South, Edina 952-927-7933
Longfellow Grill – 2990 West River Parkway, Minneapolis 612-721-2711
Highland Grill – 771 Cleveland Avenue South, St. Paul 651-690-1173
3Squares – 12690 Arbor Lakes Parkway, Maple Grove 763-425-3330

About The Blue Plate Restaurant Company: Australian-born chef David Burley teamed with Minnesota native Stephanie Shimp in 1992 to open St. Paul’s Highland Grill, an “urban diner” putting a modern twist on favorite dishes. In 1999, the company expanded with the opening of the Groveland Tap and the Edina Grill, and in 2001 the partnership grew as Stephanie’s brother, Luke Shimp, came on board. In 2005, Blue Plate took its crowd-pleasing menu into another neighborhood with the opening of the Longfellow Grill in Minneapolis. 3 Squares is the latest creation of this innovative team.

Burger Jones Now Open in Mpls

Grumpy's Bar & Grill ~ Roseville & Minneapolis, MN

Cuisine: American
Restaurant Features: Bar, Banquet Room, Pull-Tabs, On-Site Parking, Patio
Locations:  Roseville, Northeast Mpls, Downtown Mpls, MN
Addresses & Maps:
Northeast Mpls- 220 4th St NE Mpls, MN 55413 (612)789-7429

Downtown Mpls- 1111 Washington Ave Sp. Mpls, MN 55415  (612) 340-9738

Roseville- 2801 Snelling Ave No. Roseville, MN 55113 (651)379-1180

Link: Grumpy's Website

Atmosphere: The Roseville location of Grumpy's Bar & Grill is in a very large building that was first  the home of K-Fan Restaurant and then served as Majors Sports Cafe until Grumpy's took over the location early in 2008.  Within the large space there is a large bar area with several bar-height tables placed around the centrally-located bar, an upstairs seating area, and an enclosed space for playing darts.

 

The Dining Room contains both booths and wooden tables, contemporary decor.

 

There is also a large Patio Area that can be accessed through the bar area.

Menu: Appetizers at Grumpy's include Chicken Drummies, Chicken Tenders, Popcorn Chicken, Quesadilla Gordo, Potato Skins, Mozarella Sticks, Tepanyaki Beef Tidbits, Mac n Cheese, Mac N Cheese Bites, Beer Battered Onion Rings, Nachos El Grumpy, Lil' Grumpy Burgers, Mini Corndogs, Tex Mex Queso Rolls, Sausage Pizza Dip, Gazillion Cheese Dip, Walleye Fingers, and Pepper Jack Spinach Dip.

Grumpy offers the following salads: Grumpy's Chop, Ty Cobb, Aztec Chicken, Bleu Bayou, Greek, Caesar, and Chicken Spinach Flatbread.  Soup choices include Chicken Wild Rice, Chili and a Soup du Jour.

Grumpy's has the largest selection of potato choices I have seen including Grumpy Fries, Tater Tots, Wedge-Style, Shoe String, Criss-Cut Fries, Mashed, Baked and Hash Browns.

Sandwiches include Chicken Cordon Bleu, Buffalo Chicken, BBQ Chicken, Cajun Chicken, Hawaiian Chicken, Build Your Own Chicken Sandwich, BBQ Chicken Wrap, Honey Mustard Chicken Wrap, Chicken Salad, Southwestern Turkey, Walleye, Tuna Melt El Paso, Mock Duck BBQ, Grilled Cheese, Ham N Cheese, Hell on Whells, Grilled Reuben, Grumpy's Rachel, Roast Beef or Chicken Philly, Hot Beef, B.L.T., French Dip, Clubhouse, Pork Tenderloin, BBQ Pork, The Cuban, and St Paul Style Coney Dogs. All sanwiches come with choice of potato.

All Burger Choices are a 1/2 lb of lean Black Angus and come with a choice of potato.  Options include Southern Style "The Elvis" (beef patty topped with peanut butter and bacon), American Burger, Pepper Burger, Burgermeister, Chili Burger, Veggie Burger, Cream Cheese Burger, Patty Melt, The Wyoming, Juicy Lucy, and Build your Own Burger.

Pizzas are made with homemade dough and include choices such as the Straught Up Sausage, Attsa Cheeseburger, BBQ Chicken, Pepperoni, Northern Italian, Aloha This! and Build Your Own Pizza.

Entrees include Ribs, T-Bone Steak, Top Sirloin, Country Fried Chicken or Pork, Homemade Meatloaf, Pork Chops, Fish & Chips, Penne Diablo, Gnocchi, Manicotti, Chicken Penne Carbonara, Shrimp or Chicken Fettuccine, and Tater Tot Hotdish.

Desserts include S'Mores, Home Baked Apple Pie, Chocolate Cake, Carrot Cake, New York Cheesecake, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae.

Price guide: Appetizers $7-10  Sandwiches/Burgers $7-12 Entrees $10-16

What I ordered: I really couldn't decide what I was in the mood for- I just knew I didn't want to get a  burger or sandwich which is usually what I get at a bar & grill.  The server said the manicotti was good so I tried that.  I would say it was decent, but nothing to write home about. The portion was HUGE, with several large tubes of pasta filled with a ricotta cheese mixture.  It was very mild and I could only detect maybe a slight hint of garlic and oregano in the mixture, otherwise it was just plain old ricotta.  The red sauce was tasty but there just wasn't much of it, so I asked for a large side of it so I could adjust it to my liking.  There was a lot of mozzarella baked on top.  It was supposed to come with bread of some kind, but they forgot to bring it to me.

 

One of my companions had the Country Fried Chicken.  The chicken was good, covered with gravy and served with a side of mashed potatoes, variety vegetables, and toast.

 

Another companion had the Quesadilla which comes stuffed with cheese and tomatoes and onions.  My companion ordered it with black beans and peppers added (which was charged an additional $3).  It was an excellent quesadilla but very expensive at $11.

Another Companion (who happened to be the Guest of Honor) originally ordered the Fish & Chips but it had been fried so long that it was hard as a rock.  Since it was inedible it was sent back to the kitchen.

 

Instead of Fish & Chips my companion had the Tepanyaki Beef Teedbits at the suggestion of the server.  These looked and smelled delicious

 

Two of the people in our group shared the Grumpy's Nachos, which was a HUGE order of tri-colored chips piled with melted cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos, black olives, green onions and served with sour cream and salsa on the side.

Service: My party had a reservation (made 3 days in advance) for 15 people at 6pm on a Saturday night.  At 6:10 when the entire party had been assembled, we were told that they could only accommodate us in the dining room for one hour and then we would have to leave so they could set up for another big party who had a reservation at 7:30pm.  Say what?! My companion who had arranged the dinner in honor of a birthday celebration was very upset, as we all were.  Apparently they had overlooked our reservation but could accommodate us all in the bar area with taller tables pushed together.  We were fine with that, as we weren't given much choice.  Our server was nice but not overly friendly and was not very helpful with suggestions on the menu- she told us she only ever eats appetizers. It also took a considerable amount of time to bring little things when asked, although we did have a large party.
Overall Impression: I was not at all impressed with the food at Grumpy's Roseville and the service was pretty bad.  It is very unlikely I'd ever go back

El Amanecer Restaurant ~ St Paul, MN

Cuisine: Authentic Mexican, Breakfast
Restaurant Features: On-Site Parking
Location: St Paul, MN (District del Sol)
Address: 194 Cesar Chavez St. St Paul, MN 55107 (651)291-0758
Hours: M-F 8am-10pm   Sat-Sun 8am-11pm
Links:   Google Map

Atmosphere: El Amanecer is located right in the heart of St Paul's District del Sol, at the intersection of Cesar Chavez St and State St.  The restaurant is divided into two dining rooms, both with tables and booths.  The main dining room has beautiful, brightly colored murals painted all over it's walls.  There is also a large, gorgeous handmade Mexican Mosaic in the dining area when you first walk in.

Menu: Breakfast items include Lomo de Res con Huevos, Cecina con Huevos, Bistec de Puerco adobado con Huevos, Huevos con Carne de Puerco en Salsa Verde or en Chile Guajillo, Huevos Rancheros, Huevos Divorciados, Huevos a la Mexicana, Huevos con Jamon, Traditional Breakfast, Huevos con Carne de Shebrada, Chilaquiles Verde or Rojo Bistec, Rancheros con Cecina, Enchiladas Montadas. Omelettes include the Mexican, Carne Asada, Ham & Cheese, Puerco & Queso Chihuahua.  There are also Pncakes, Pancakes with Fruit, Molletes al Gusto con Chorizo, Jamon or Tocino.

Appetizers include Quesadilla de Queso, Quesadilla al Gusto (shrimp, steak, chicken or ham), Nachos al Gusto, Guacamole, and Fried Calamari.

Soups offered are Caldo de Res con Vegetale, Menudo.

Combination platters at El Amanecer are all served with beans & rice and include the Aztec Combo (taco, enchilada & tostada), Mexican Combo (quesadilla, tamale & enchilada), St Paul Combo (taco & enchilada), Enchilada Combo, Tamales Estilo Suizo, Enchiladas Rancheras de Pollo or Res (chicken or shredded beef), Enchiladas al Gusto de Queso, Res o Pollo.

Burrito, Taco and Torta Plates include Burrito al Gusto (choice of meat in flour tortilla), Chimichanga al Gusto, Torta al Gusto (sandwich with choice of meat and served with fries), Platillo de Tacos al Gusto (can mix & match 3 tacos).  All plates except the Torta come with beans and rice.

Mexican Entrees include Chiles Rellenos de Queso, Carne de Puerco en Chile Verde, Bistec a la Mexicana (strips of beef simmered in tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and ranchero sauce), Fajitas (steak, chicken, or shrimp), Carne Asada, Lolo de Res a la Tampiquena, Milanesa de Res (breaded steak with ranchero sauce), Cecina con Sopes, Arraxhera con Enchilada Rojo de Queso.

Seafood Entrees include Coctel de Camaron, Seafood Cocktail, Oysters on teh Shell, Shrimp Salad, Jumbo Breaded Shrimp, Shrimp with Michoacana Sauce, Camarones a la Diabla (Spicy Shrimp), Red Snapper in Diablo Sauce, and Tilapia in Diablo sauce.

El Amanecer has a variety of Bottled Softdrinks including Jarritos and Mexican Coke.

Price guide: Breakfast $6-8  Combo Plates $9  Entrees $9-13   Seafood $7-17
What I ordered: I had the three-taco plate and I tried three different meat with the tortillas prepared three different ways.  Pictured here in the left is the Res (shredded beef) on fried corn tortilla.  This taco was packed full of mildly flavored shredded beef.  The meat wasn't too exciting but the shell was nice and crispy.  Next taco was chicken in a fried flour tortilla.  It had a ton of tender, shredded white meat chicken that was only lightly seasoned.  The tortilla was small and very thin and was not fried long enough so it wasn't very crispy.  The last taco was asada served on the traditional double corn tortillas.  The tiny bites of steak were very tasty and tender,  my favorite of the three meats I tried.  The corn tortillas were pretty good.  I had the homemade salsa on all three tacos, which gave the tacos a little bit more flavor with the tomato and cilantro in it, but it was still only slightly spicier than most mild salsas.

 

I think I enjoyed the beans and rice more than I did the tacos!  The rice was very flavorful, slightly dry but very soft.  The refried beans were also very good and had a nice consistency- not too thick, not too thin.

Service:  Very nice and friendly, happy to make substitutions on the menu.  My take-out order took about 10-15 minutes.
Overall Impression: Glad I was finally able to try El Amanecer.  The tacos were decent, but I would like to explore more of the menu on my next visit.  Wish they had a bar with margaritas!

El Bravo Mexican Restaurant ~ St Paul, MN

Cuisine: Mexican
Location: St Paul, MN
Address: 538 Rice St. St Paul, MN 55103 (651) 291-0363
Hours: 11am
Links: Google Map

Atmosphere:  El Bravo is located in St Paul on Rice St, less than a block from University Ave  (and just a few blocks of the MN State Capitol Building).  There are two dining areas, separated by the door/counter area when you first walk in.  El Bravo has both tables and booths, but decor is very basic.  Mexican artwork and blankets grace the walls in a  few places, but overall not a very festive-feeling place.

Menu: Appetizers include Chips & Salsa, Nachos, Nachos Refritos, Nachos Bravos, Nachos Jalapenos, Bravo Quesadilla Tostada, Guacamole, Bean Dip and Quesadilla.  Menudo also offered.

Tacos are served either crispy corn or fried flour with choice of Ground Beef or Chicken. Burritos have choice of Chicken or Beef and are smothered in enchilada sauce.  Enchiladas include Beef, Chicken, Cheese, or Grandma-Style. Tostadas include Bean, Beef, Chicken, Bean & Beef.  There are several different combos that include variations of Beef or Cheese Enchiladas, Tacos, Tostadas, Rice and Beans.  

Dinner plates at El Bravo are Chile Verde (Pork in green chili), Chile Colorado (pork in red chili), Mexican Style Steak, Chile Relleno, and Chicken Mole.

There are also a few American items on the menu including Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Taco Burger, Grilled Cheese, Taco Salad and French Fries.

Price guide: Tacos  1/$2 or 3/$5-7  Enchiladas 1/$2.75 3/$6-7 Dinners $9-10
What I ordered:  I had initially wanted to dine-in for my solo lunch, but changed my mind when I saw that they do not have free chips & salsa at El Bravo so I ordered my food to-go instead.  I had one of the enchilada/taco combos, with one ground beef enchilada, one cheese enchilada, and a fried flour taco with ground beef.  I thought I had read on the menu that all combos come with beans & rice, but mine did not have either so I am not sure if was my mistake or theirs.  The fried flour taco was light and crispy and surprisingly full of ground beef which was only very lightly seasoned and didn't have much flavor.  I used as ton of the red salsa they gave me but that wasn't very spicy either.  The enchiladas were nicely sized and stuffed full of beef (in one) and cheese (in the other) and then smothered with enchilada sauce and melted cheese.  The cheese El Bravo used was a mild white Mexican cheese and the enchilada sauce was also very mild and kind of boring.  The ground beef in the other enchilada was the same boring beef I had in the taco.  Tomato and lettuce were served on the side. 

Service: My visit was during the lunch hour at the beginning of the week so it was somewhat busy but not crowded.  I ordered at the counter and my food was ready in less than 10 minutes.  The waitress wasn't overly friendly but made a few recommendations from the menu and allowed me to make a substitution with the enchiladas in my combo meal.

Overall Impression: Decent but boring Mexican food at reasonable prices.  I found nothing exciting about this restaurant- plain and simple.

La Esperanza Restaurant & Cantina ~ South St Paul, MN

Cuisine: Mexican
Restaurant Features: Bar, Patio, On-Site Parking,
Location: South St Paul, MN
Address: 600 S. Concord St. South St Paul, MN 55075 (651)455-6109
Hours: M-F 11am-7:30pm  Sat-Sun 9am-?
Links: Google Map 

Atmosphere: La Esperanza is located on So. Concord St (Hwy 156), which runs along the Mississippi River. The building itself is not very big, but they do have a very nice, open dining room with festive decorations throughout.

 

The bar faces the Mississippi river and there are picture windows overlooking the island.  Here is the breath-taking view out of the bar windows.

 

There is also a patio area in the back looking down on the Mississippi.  This picture was taken before they had put out the umbrellas. 

Menu: Breakfast is served Saturday and Sunday and includes Huevos Rancheros, Huevos con Chorizo, Huevos Divorciados, Machaca con Huevos, Huevos ala Mexicana, New Mexico Enchiladas, 5-8Camaron Rancheros, Jamon, Queso con Chile.

Soups include Beef Caldo, Chicken Caldo, or Menudo.

Fried Tacos include Beef or Chicken.  Tostadas can be ordered with beef, chicken or chorizo.  Quesadillas include bean & cheese, chicken, or shredded beef.  Flautas come with either beef or chicken.  Enchilada plates come with either cheese & onion, chicken or beef.

Entrees are served with rice and beans and include Puerco con Chile Verde, Puerco con Chile Rojo, Carne Asada, Steak Picado, and Diced Chicken.

Price guide: Breakfast $5-8  Tacos $4.50-5.50/2  Entrees $7-10
What I ordered: Since each order of enchiladas comes with 3, I had hoped I could try one of each variety however they don't allow substitutions.  I decided on the Chicken Enchiladas and they were wonderful! The enchiladas had large pieces of tender white meat chicken and just a hint of melted Mexican cheese, with a generous amount of the delicious spicy green chile enchilada sauce rolled into corn tortillas.  Very flavorful! A bowl of the green chile was also served on the side.  The enchiladas came with beans and rice, both of which had a nice texture but were very mild in taste.  I spiced mine up with the chile and it was awesome like that!

Service:  I was very surprised that on a nice Friday afternoon at lunchtime that the restaurant wasn't very busy.  I pretty much had my pick of tables and chose to sit at the bar where I could enjoy the gorgeous view of the Mississippi.  I ordered after asking for suggestions and was told everything was good.  My food was prepared reaonably fast.
Overall Impression:  Could this place with really good Mexican food and a cool view of the Mississippi still be undiscovered?  I encourage you to make a visit La Esperanza, especially if you're near St Paul. Only a 5 minute drive from District del Sol.  Going to have live mariachi bands all weekend during Cinco de Mayo!!