Twin Cities Restaurant Blog

Davanni's Pizza ~ Arden Hills, Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Burnsville, Coon Rapids, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Edina, Golden Valley, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Rogers, Roseville, Savage, St Paul, Woodbury

Cuisine: Pizza, Delicatessen (hoagies)

Restaurant Features: Catering, Counter-Service, Delivery, Kids Menu, On-Site Parking (at many locations)

Locations: Arden Hills, Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Burnsville, Coon Rapids, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Edina, Golden Valley, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Rogers, Roseville, Savage, St Paul, Woodbury
Addresses: (Click here for Maps of Davanni's Locations)

Arden Hills: 3673 Lexington Ave N Arden Hills, MN 55126 651-481-7100

Bloomington: 8605 Lyndale Ave S  Bloomington, MN 55420  952-888-6232

Brooklyn Center:  5937 Summit Dr  Brooklyn Center, MN 55430 763-566-8220

Burnsville: 14639 CR 11  Burnsville, MN 55337  952-431-1500

Coon Rapids: 3430 129th Ave NW Coon Rapids, MN 55448 763-712-1000

Eagan:  1960 Cliff Lake Rd Eagan, MN 55123  651-688-6111

Eden Prairie: 8061 Flying Cloud Dr Eden Prairie, MN 55344   952-941-4444

Edina: 5124 Gus Young Ln Edina, MN 55436 952-920-9090

Golden Valley:  663 Winnetka Ave N  Golden Valley, Mn 55427 763-398-0303

Minneapolis: 1242 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN 55403  612-338-0000

Minnetonka: 15200 Highway 7 Minnetonka, MN 55345 952-938-4243

Plymouth:  3015 Harbor Ln N  Plymouth, MN 55447 763-550-0003

Richfield: 2312 W 66th St Richfield, MN 55423    612-866-3324

Rogers:  14165 James Road Rogers, Mn 55374 763-428-2990

Roseville, 1905 W Perimeter Dr Roseville, MN 55113 651-636-3411

Savage: 14125 Highway 13 Savage, MN 55378 952-440-1200

St Paul:  310 White Bear AveSt. Paul, MN 55106 651-738-6992

St Paul:  41 Cleveland Ave S St. Paul, MN 55105 651-690-4848

Uptown Mpls: 1414 W Lake St Minneapolis, MN 55408 612-822-3111

Woodbury: 1905 Donegal Dr Woodbury, MN 55125 651-739-1010

Links: Davanni's Website 

Atmosphere: The East St Paul Davanni's location is just off I-94 and White Bear Ave.  Like all other Davanni's location, customers order at a counter and then wait for their name to be called when order is ready.

There are several different seating areas, each with booths that can accommodate up to four people.  There are also a  couple of tables in the very back section of the dining room.  There are many windows throughout the restaurant, leaving it very well lit during the day.

Menu:  Appetizers include Potato Chips, Breadsticks and Garlic Cheese Bread.

Salads at Davanni's are the Garden Salad, Side Garden, Chicken Cobb, Italian Chef, Oriental Chicken, Southwestern Chicken, Spinach Chicken, Chicken Caesar, and Side Caesar.

Hoagie sandwiches are served on either white, whole grain, or ciabatta roll with lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo.   Options include Southwestern Chicken, Chicken Bacon Honey Mustard, Chicken Breast, Turkey/Bacon/Cheddar, Turkey, BLT w/ Cheddar, Club, Roast Beef, Pastrami, Ham, Salami, Tuna Melt, Veggie, and Three Cheese. Hot subs made with meat, marinara and cheese only include Chicken Parmigiano, Meatball, Sausage, and Pizza.

Davanni's Pizza can be ordered with a choice of three different crusts (thin, traditional and deep dish) and two sauces (red and white).  Sizes pizzas come in are Solo, Medium and Laqrge.  Toppings choices are Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Sliced Chicken Breast, Canadian Bacon, Hamburger, Red Onion, Green Pepper, Garlic, Mushrooms, Hot Peppers, Green Olive, Black Olive, Pineapple, Bacon, Gorgonzola Cheese, Anchovies, Roma Tomatoes, Cheddar Cheese, and Jalapeños.

Davanni's also has Penne Pasta (with chicken, meatballs or sausage), Lasagna and Stuffed Calzones.

Kids menu items include Hlaf Pasta, Solo Cheese Pizza, or Half Ham Hoagy.

Desserts include Brownies, Rice Crispy Treats, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

Price guide: Hoagies $3.25-7  Salads $4-7   Pizzas $5-20  Calzones $5.50+

What We ordered: My companions and I ordered a variety of pizzas, including this large Chicago-style deep dish pizza with pepperoni and sausage.  Davanni's deep dish is a treat for those who like real Chicago-style pizza and has been my one of family's favorites for many years.  The buttery brown crust is at least 1" deep yet it is light.  The lightness of the crust is deceiving because the pizza is actually very filling.   The cheese and meats were baked directly on top of the crust with pizza sauce spread out on the very top to prevent the crust from getting soggy.  The large pizza had 10-12 wedges.

 

Our party also ordered a Large Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza.  The crust on the thin crust pizza was also pretty good, crispy but slightly chewy.  It was loaded with melted mozzarella and a fair amount of pepperoni (although I personally like more).

c and olive oil)

This is a solo deep dish pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms and "pink" sauce.  Pink sauce simply means that it has both white sauce (garlic and olive oil) and red sauce.  If you like garlic, you would love either the white or the pink sauce.  This pizza was also very good, the mushrooms were fresh and there was a lot of pepperoni.  The light and buttery deep dish crust practically melts in your mouth.

 

One of my companions ordered a half pizza hoagy on whole grain with a special request for the sauce to be served on side.  This is a good sandwich but it doesn't have much substance, just a thin layer of pepperoni and a thin layer of melted cheese on one half of the bread.  You better order the whole sandwich if you're hungry!

 

Another companion ordered a pepperoni and veggie calzone to-go.  Safe to say that this thing was loaded with melted cheese, meat and veggies.

Service: You can call ahead for pick up or delicery, otherwise Davanni's offers standard counter-service.  There are typically 2-3 cashiers taking orders during the lunch and dinner rush but you can still expect to wait a few minutes before placing your order. It was fairly busy during my visit and it took about 30-40 minutes for our pizzas, which seems a reasonable amount of time for the deep dish pizzas to bake.
Overall Impression: Davanni's has excellent deep dish pizza and is conveniently located in several places around the Twin Cities.  Service is reasonably fast and menu prices aren't going to break the bank.

Crave ~ Mall of America, Edina, and St Louis Park, MN

Cuisine: American, Sushi, Seafood, Steaks, Pasta
Restaurant Features: Bar, Happy Hour
Locations: Mall of America, Edina (Galleria), St Louis Park (Shops at West End)

Addresses & Maps:

Mall of America- 368 South Avenue Bloomington, MN 55425 952.854.5000 (3rd Floor Across from Macy's)

Edina- 520 W. 70th Street Edina, MN 55435  952.697.6000

St Louis Park-1603 West End Blvd. St. Louis Park, MN 55416 952.933.6500

Hours: MOA- Lunch 11a-4p  Dinner M-Sa 4p-10p Sun 4p-8p

Edina- Lunch 11a-4p  Dinner M-Th 4-10p Fri-Sat 4-11p Sun 4-9p

St Louis Park- Lunch 11a-4p  Dinner M-Th 4-10p Fri-Sat 4-11p Sun 4-9p

Links: Crave Website  OpenTable Reservation

Atmosphere: The Mall of America location of Crave is on the 3rd floor of South Ave, across from Macy's.  The restaurant is large and spacious, with a large bar off to the left side near the entrance and a sushi bar centrally placed along the wall in the middle of the main dining room.  Although the majority of seating is at tables throughout the dining room, there are also several high-backed booths that allow for more privacy.  The lighting is dim and romantic, with mood lighting created by the illuminated art behind the sushi bar and the softly glowing candles at each table.

The kitchen is open along the back of the restaurant, with subtle views of the place where the chefs work their magic.  The lighting from the kitchen also gives the nearby tables a soft glow.

Menu: The menu changes seasonally and features natural, organic and locally grown ingredients.  All beef is certified beef.

Appetizers on the new Fall Menu at Crave include Calamari, Chicken Satay, Lemon Garlic Wings, Pita & Spreads, Seared Scallops, Baked Crab & Artichoke Dip, Pesto Shrimp, Mini Burgers, Gingered Beef Eggrolls, Artisan Bread Basket, and Edamame.

Salads offered include Asian Noodle Salad, Atlantic Salmon, Steak Niçoise, Starter Crave Salad, Starter Caesar, Starter Roasted Beet & Walnut.  Soups include Hearty Tomato Pesto, Roasted Chicken & Wild Rice, and Leek & Potato.

Pizzas and Flatbreads at Crave are also quite popular.  Flatbread choices are the Roasted Chicken (with pesto, sun dried tomato and portobella mushrooms), Grape & Apple (with Amablu cheese and honey), Thai Chicken (a peanut sauce with cilantro, Asian cabbage and marinated cucumber), and the Napoleon (with garlic prosciutto). Pizzas include Pepperoni or Sausage, Margarita, Shaved Ribeye and the Chipotle BBQ Chicken.

Sandwiches on the dinner menu include Steak Sandwich, Ahi Tuna Steak and Crave Burger.

Pasta selections at Crave include Seas Scallop & Shrimp Fettuccine, Fettuccine & Roasted Mushrooms, Shrimp Scampi Al Fresco, Roasted Chicken and Penne, Baked Truffle Macaroni, Baked Cheese Penne, Spaghetti Pomodoro, and Ravioli Bolognese. Crave offers the option of a half-order of any of their pastas.

Crave has a nice selection of dinner entrees as well, such as the Grilled Petite Tender, Grilled Ribeye, Crab Crusted Filet Mignon, Tuscan New York Strip, Brined Pork Tenderloin, Chicken Stir-Fry, Crispy Half Chicken, Mango & Prawns, Grilled Ahi Tuna, Pistachio Crusted Salmon, Minnesota Walleye, Miso Glazed Sea Bass

The sushi selection at Crave is also pretty extensive.  Nigiri and Sashimi offerings include Crispy Rice Bars with Spicy Tuna, Scallops Poppers, Amaebi (sweet raw shrimp), Hamachi (yellowtail), Hirame (flounder), Hokki-Gai (surf clam), Maguro (red tuna), Mutsu (escolar), Sake (salmon), Suzuki (striped sea bass), Ebi (cooked shrimp), Unagi (cooked eel), Masago (smelt roe), Tako (octopus), Tobiko (flying fish roe), Wasabi Tobiko, and Seaweed Salad.

Maki Sushi offerings are the Tekka (tuna), Sake (salmon), Negihama (yellowtail and scallions), Unagi (cooked eel), Kappa (cucumber), Spicy Shrimp Cones, Chipotle Ocean Roll, Keilani;s Roll (shrimp tempuraavocado, wrapped with eel), Mexican Roll (yellowfin and escolar with avocado, cilantro,  jalapeños and spicy mayo), Number Nine (crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll), Dragon Wraps, Rainbow, Caterpillar, Spider, Veggie Roll, Tempura Roll, Spicy Tuna, California, Minnesota(cooked smoked walleye), Dynamite, Spicy Salmon, Crunchy Roll and Fire Roll.  There are alsoa  couple of sushi combos like the Sushi Sampler, Sushi Lunch Combo and Sashimi Lunch Combo.

Crave also has a delicious selection of desserts that changes seasonally.  The Fall desserts at Crave include Golden Raisin Bread Pudding, Key Lime Pie, Molten Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Cheesecake, German Chocolate Cake, and Coconut White Cake.  The dessert menu also includes a variety of after-dinner drinks such as the Girl Scout Cookie and Buttery Bailey's, Ports and Dessert Wines, and hot cafe drinks.

Price guide: Appetizers $8-13 Salads $8-15 Pizza/Flatbreads $12-13 Pastas $14-24 Entrees $24-37 Nigiri/Sashimi $6-10/order  Sushi Rolls $7-19/order
Happy Hour Specials:

What we ordered: My companion and I started with a couple of the Crave specialty cocktails, the Cranberry Smash and the Blueberry Lemonade.  The Cranberry Smash was made with vodka, ginger ale, mint leaves and cranberry juice.  The Opulent vodka revved up the drink but it wasn't overly strong. The ginger ale gave it a pleasant sweetness that I wasn't expecting, but the cranberries were tart enough to counter the sweetness.  I loved that the cranberries were frozen into ice cubes and floated at the top.  The Blueberry Lemonade was also very good and slightly sweeter than the Cranberry drink.  Excellent blend of flavors.

 

The Pesto Shrimp appetizer came highly recommended by our server so we started with that.  What a great start to a great night of food! The sauteed tiger shrimps were served on little slices of crostini toast that had been topped with oven-dried tomato, and then the shrimp toast was covered with pistachio pesto.  The shrimp was perfectly cooked so it was tender and complimented the crunch of the toast.  The pesto sauce was creamy and rich, a perfect sauce to go with the shrimp.

 

The Panko-Crusted Scallops also sounded really good so we tried an order of those as well.  These scallops may have been some of the best I have ever eaten! The scallops were large and coated with a layer of panko bread crumbs before being seared to a golden brown in the pan. They were cooked so that the meat was tender enough to melt in your mouth, yet the panko and seared edges gave it a nice crunch.  The scallops were served with a dressy arrangement of picatta buerre blanc and fresh field greens.  The butter and capers added the perfect touch of saltiness to compliment the sweetness of the scallop meat.

 

Sushi Chef Tony Lam brought us a special sampler platter that included a Mexican roll, ceviche, flying fish roe with quail egg wrapped in salmon,  amaebi (sweet raw shrimp), crispy rice bars, prawn heads, and three different fish mixtures atop cucumber slices.

The Mexican roll (pictured top right in photo above) is Crave's most popular roll and became my new favorite after just one bite.  This roll is the perfect marriage of Mexican and Sushi, two of my most favorite foods.  It had both yellow fin tuna and escolar with avocado, cilantro, a slice of fresh jalapeño and spicy mayo wrapped in rice and seaweed.  It is then topped with a soy citrus sauce (ponzu), and chili oil with fresh lime juice squeezed on top. It was so good! I loved the spiciness of the jalapeño, and the lime and cilantro gave it a fresh citrus twist.  The tuna and the escolar inside the Mexican roll were very tender and not at all fishy. Bravo!

The Crispy Rice Bars were also wonderful.  The rice cake was like a thick chewy rice cracker and had a lot more flavor than ordinary sticky rice.  It was topped with a heaping pile of spicy tuna mix, flying fish roe, and sliced jalapeno pepper. The combination of textures went together really well and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

 

The ceviche was one of my favorite items that Sushi Chef Tony Lam made for us to try.  A very thin slice of potato was fried with tempura batter and then topped with sliced raw fish that was marinated with a citrus soy sauce, scallions and fresh chili peppers.  It was packed with flavor and the tenderness of the fish paired with the texture of the tempura potato went perfectly together.

The sushi was so good we ordered even more of Sushi Master Tony's creations.  Clockwise From Lower Left: The Mexican Roll, Fire Roll, Number Nine, Dragon Wrap (top right), Hokki and Hamachi Sashimi, and Scallop Poppers (pictured in photo after the one below)

The Number Nine was filled with pieces of shrimp tempura, spicy mayo, kaiware and yama gobo wrapped with salmon and avocado and topped with a sweet soy based sauce. The Fire Roll was filled with pieces of shrimp tempura, cucumber, kaiware and yama gobo wrapped with a spicy salmon mix and topped with chili oil.  This one was nice and spicy, just the way I like it.  The Dragon Wraps were also good.  Instead of rice, this roll is made with an egg omelet wrapped around  spicy tuna, fresh water eel, avocado, fried green onions, crunchy flakes and miso dressing.  Served in two big rolls.  The Scallop Poppers were also excellent. The scallops were baked in spicy dynamite sauce then wrapped in salmon and topped with crunchy panko flakes. Loved the combination of flavors and textures. 

For my entree I ordered the Crab Crusted Filet MIgnon. This was outstanding! The filet was thick and cooked medium, as I requested.  It had a creamy crab and cheese mixture with just the slightest hint of buttery breadcrumbs baked on top and served on a bed of lobster cream sauce.  This absolutely melted in my mouth. The crab and cheese together created a rich flavor that went slendidly with the tender and juicy beef.  Herb roasted new potatoes and buttery seasoned baby carrots were also served, both were very good.

My companion had the Miso Seabass.  The perfectly-cooked Korean miso sea bass was served atop a bed of steamed white rice and adorned with baby bok choy and a crimson ponzu sauce.  Asian pickled cucumbers sat layered atop the fish.  This dish was delicious as well! The flavorful yet mild sea bass went really well with the sweet, fruity panzu sauce.

 

Despite being extremely full after enjoying all of this delicious food, we also tried a sushi dessert.  What an extraordinary creation this was! The middle of the the roll had homemade vanilla-bean cheesecake and a slice of fresh mango then wrapped with a thin layer of rice and topped with a thin slice of strawberry. The roll was arranged atop a drizzling of chocolate and vanilla sauce.  The cheesecake and rice were such a unique combo of flavors and textures and together it was like a thick, fruity, creamy and sweet rice pudding.  So different and so, so good!

Service: We had exceptional service at our first visit to Crave.  The hostesses were very friendly and our server, Dawn, was very knowledgeable about the menu and had some wonderful suggestions about appetizers, entrees and cocktails too.  We ordered a lot of food and took our time but never felt rushed since food was paced perfectly.  The restaurant wasn't too busy (nor was the Mall in general) on this pre-holiday-shopping-season Tuesday evening and we were able to get great customer service and attention from everyone all the way up to the manager.

Overall Impression: The culinary and sushi creations were outstanding. I tried quite a variety of foods and loved every single thing.  The Mexican Roll should win an award! There is quite a variety on the menu and the Happy Hour specials are a really good deal.  Great place to have a casual yet elegant dinner and worth every penny for the fine ingredients.  The service was exceptional.  I can't wait to go back again soon!

Atlantic Buffet ~ Woodbury, MN

Cuisine: Chinese, Mongolian
Restaurant Features: Catering, Lunch Buffet, Dinner Buffet, On-Site Parking. Take-Out
Locations: Woodbury, MN
Address: 8340 City Centre Dr (Woodbury City Centre) Woodbury, MN 55125 (651)730-8668

Hours: Lunch Mon-Sat 11am-3pm     Dinner Mon-Thur 4p-9:30p                 Fri-Sun 4p-10p    Sunday & Holiday Brunch 11:30a-3p
Links: Google Map  Atlantic Buffet Website

Atmosphere:  The Atlantic Buffet is located within a large strip mall called Woodbury City Centre.  When you first walk inside the reception/lobby area, the Atlantic Buffet in Woodbury has a cute little mini-pond set up with Koi swimming around inside, and live plants arranged around it.  The main dining room is arranged into at least two dining areas on half of the large space, the other half of the restaurant has all the Buffet Islands set up.  The dining areas  contain both tables and booths and have a contemporary feel.

Here is a glimpse of the Buffets Islands (I think there were 6-8 of them).

 

In the way back of the Buffet Islands there is an additional area set up for the Mongolian Stir-Fry.  You can choose your own ingredients and then you have the chef ccok it for you on the Mongolian BBQ.

Menu: The items on the buffet change frequently, but there are over 100 items, including a decent selection of Chinese foods, Sushi, American foods, Seafood, and build-your-own Mongolian Stir-Fry.  There is also a dessert and fruits table, and salad bar.

There is also a full Chinese Take-Out menu available.
Price guide: 

• Lunch Buffet  Kids 3-6 $4.25 Kids 7-11 $5.50 Adults $8.25
• Dinner Buffet  Kids 3-6 $5.75  Kids 7-11 $7.25  Adults $12.50

What I ordered: There were many food items at Atlantic Buffet and I was determined to try a little of this and a little of that.  Here is my Chinese/Sushi plate.  The cheesy mushrooms were very good, as were the steamed dumplings and cream cheese wontons.  The few bites I tried of the chicken & Broccoli stir-fry were okay, but I did not care for the other meat entree I tried (not sure what it was but the meat was stringy and chewy).  The sushi was decent although there wasn't a large variety to choose from, mostly California Rolls or Salmon/Avocado Rolls.

 

I made my own Mongolian stir-fry which was my most favorite dish at the Atlantic Buffet.  I chose the ingredients I wanted at the Mongolian BBQ station (Beef, Broccoli, Pineapple, Onions and Noodles) and figured out my own combination of sauces (there was no guide to help!) which included cooking wine, teriyaki, garlic, chile peppers, and sesame seeds.  I have found that the more sauce you put on, the better it tastes because the noodles and vegetables soak it right up.

 

I tried just a few items on my Seafood Plate, including tiny mussels (pretty good, not too chewy or rubbery) that were cooked in a fish sauce.  The salmon was okay and I also tried a bite of Halibut.

 

For the sake of this review I also made a Dessert Plate.  Nothing too exciting here but the rice krispie bar and almond cookies were good.  They also have soft-serve ice cream.

Service: We were greeted upon entering and were shown to a table right away.  Drinks were fast and continuous throughout our visit, as was the clearing of plates.
Overall Impression: Wide variety and selection of foods for the price.  The Mongolian BBQ and Seafood Buffet offered the best choices, but I thought the quality of the the Chinese food was just mediocre.

Oak City ~ Brooklyn Center & Bloomington, MN

Cuisine: American, Bar & Grill, Fish & Seafood, Pasta, Steaks
Restaurant Features: Bar, Flat Screen TVs, Happy Hour, Kids Menu, Live Music, On Site Parking, Sunday Brunch
Locations: Brooklyn Center & Bloomington, MN
Addresses and Maps:
Bloomington- 5001 American Blvd Bloomington, MN 55437 (952) 746-8887
Brooklyn Center- 2590 Freeway Blvd Brooklyn Center, MN 55430 (763) 503-3561
Links:  Oak City Website

Atmosphere: The Brooklyn Center location of Oak City is located next to Country Inn & Suites Hotel, on the frontage road that runs along the north side of 694.  The building is a decent size (formerly TGIFriday's), with the dining room arranged into several distinct eating areas to allow for more privacy.  The section my companion and I sat in had several two-person booths, other sections had bigger booths and also some tables. The decor of Oak City is sophisticated contemporary, with gold accents and fun quotes throughout the restaurant (hanging on walls and also embedded into the backs of the booths).

 

Above the booths in the middle of the restaurant are these cool metal sculptures made to resemble Trees.

 

There is also a large bar area when you first walk into the Brooklyn Center location, with seating at the bar and also several high-topped tables.

Menu: Appetizers at Oak City include Walleye Fingers, Captain Crunch Chicken Strips, Mini Black Angus Burgers, Salmon Dip with Pita, Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Mile High Nachos, Pot Stickers, Chicken Wings & Boneless Wings (6 sauces).

Oak City also serves Flatbread Pizzas including Margherita, Signature Sausage, Spinach & Artichoke Heart, BBQ Chicken and Traditional (sausage or pepperoni).

Appetizer Salads include House, Caesar, Candied Walnut and Spinach and Applewood Bacon.  Entree Salads include Chicken Caesar, Portabella, Peppercorn Tenderloin, Candied Walnut, Spinach & Applewood Bacon, and Cashew Chicken.

Specialty Sandwiches at Oak City include Chicken Ciabatta, Oak City Philly, Walleye, French Dip, Chicken Chipotle, Oak City Club, BBQ Chicken, and Smoked Turkey. 

Burgers include Portabella and Gorgonzola, Oak City Classic (roasted onion and tomato with provolone),Bourbon Teriyaki Bacon Cheeseburger, Hickory Burger (smoked gouda and chipotle bbq sauce), Cheeseburger and Basic Burger.

Entrees include Fajitas, Fish 'n Chips, Chicken Tenderloins, Baby Back Ribs, Herb Roasted Chicken, Choice Top Sirloin, Burgundy Peppercorn Steak, Tenderloin Medallions, Sirloin & Walleye Combo, Ribs & Chicken Combo, Shrimp Scampi, Tempura Shrimp, Canadian Walleye, and Sesame Crusted Salmon.

Pastas include Cajun Chicken Alfredo, Chicken and Pesto, Pasta Fresco, and Tortellini Baronessa.

Oak City's Desserts include Chocolate Lava Cake, Caramel Apple Pie Sundae, Turtle Cheesecake, Upside Down Sundae, White Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cake, and Cheesecake.

There is also a lunch menu served M-F 11am-3pm

Kids Menu includes Walleye Fingers, Fettuccine Alfredo, Grilled Cheese, Chicken Fingers, Macaroni & Cheese, and Mini Burgers.

Sunday Brunch:

• $10.95/ Adults   $5.95 Kids 5-12   Free/ Kids 4 and Under
• 10am-2pm
• Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, French Toast, Bacon, Sausage, Cheesy Hashbrowns, Mashed Potatoes, Pecan-Crusted Walleye, Tilapia, Shrimp Alfredo, BBQ ribs, Swedish Meatballs, Steamed Broccoli, Pork Tenderloin, Clam Chowder, Pasta Salad, Lettuce Salad, Cakes, Pies, Cheesecake, Chocolate Mousse

Price guide: Appetizers $ 7-11   Salads $ 4-13    Sandwiches/Burgers $8-11  Entrees $10-25  Desserts $5-7

Happy Hour:

• Daily 3-6:30p & 10p-12a
• $2 Appetizers (Buffalo Wings, Rock Shrimp, Walleye Fingers, Mini Burgers w/ Fries, Fresh Tortilla Chips & Salsa
• $4 Flatbread Pizzas )margherita, BBQ Chicken, Oak City Signature, Spinacc & Artichoke, Traditional)
• $2 Rail drinks & 16 oz Domestic Taps  $3 Vodka Redbull  $4 Long Islands
• $1 off all other drinks

Weekly Specials served 4-9pm:
Monday- Any Burger on Menu $5.95 
Tuesday- Any Pasta on Menu $9.95 and 1/2 price bottles of wine  
Wednesday- All You Can Eat Snow Crab $19.95 (includes bread, soup or salad, veggie and choice of potato 
Thursday- All You Can Eat baby Back Ribs $12.95  
Friday- All you can eat Walleye Fingers $11.95 
Saturday- 12 oz NY Strip $10.95  
Sunday- Roasted Chicken $8.95 and Kids 12 and under eat free off Kid's Menu (one per paid adult)
What I ordered: I was really in the mood for a sandwich and the Chipotle Chicken looked perfect for me (and it was!).  The chicken breast had been marinated in chipotle spices so the juicy tender meat was very flavorful and also had somewhat of a smoky flavor to it.  The breast was grilled and topped with melted Manchengo cheese, which was creamy and also slightly smoky.  Large slices of fresh avocado and a spicy chipotle sauce complete this sandwich which is served on a fresh toasted bun.  The combination of flavors and textures in this sandwich were a big hit, my only complaint is that the bun seemd too small and the ingredients wanted to slide right out.  The shoe string fries were cooked a little too long (from frozen) and were on the hard side, with many small pieces of too-crispy-to-eat potatoes.

 

My companion asked for a suggestion on the Burger Menu and was told to try the Portabella Gorgonzolla Burger.  Fabulous creation of flavors and textures! The large freshly-made burger patty was made with 1/1 lb of fresh ground Angus beef and then grilled to order, with a giant sauteed protabella mushroom cap and a hearty portion of gorgonzola layered on top of the beef .  This burger was so big that it deserves a bigger bun.  Awesome choice!

Service: We were greeted by the hostess within a few minutes of arriving and were shown to our table.  The restaurant wasn't too busy after the dinner rush on a Tuesday, but it was at least five minutes before we were greeted by our server.  Our server was friendly and gave us great suggestions about the menu but wasn't always there when needed (refills, box, bill, etc).  Our food was served reasonably fast and overall the service was decent.
Overall Impression: Great sandwiches and burgers at Oak City! Prices seemed slightly high but comparable to other restaurants of the same caliber.  Would love to try Oak City's Sunday Brunch and the weekly specials look great too

Ciao Bella ~ Bloomington, MN

Cuisine: Italian
Restaurant Features: Bar, Patio Dining, On-Site Parking

Location: Bloomington, MN
Address: 3501 Minnesota Drive Bloomington, Minnesota 55435 (952)841-1000
Links: Ciao Bella Website  Google Map

Atmosphere: Ciao Bella is a large restaurant, with a couple of separate dining areas throughout the space.  The main dining room is an open area with a mix of tables and booths, white table cloths and dim lighting. I thought the ceiling was pretty cool- it was formed into bands of arches (Better view in the bar photo below).Adjacent to the large dining room there is a smaller seating area near the outdoor patio with several windows that give it great natural lighting.

Here is a view of the bar area, which has tables in addition to the stools at the bar.

Patio area

Menu: Appetizers (aka "small plates") include Calamari Fritti, Parmesan Crusted Shrimp, Seared Ahi Tuna, Tuna Spring Rolls, Mini-Burgers, Grilled Beef Tenderloin, rilled Shrimp, Ginger Scallops, Crab Cakes, Baked Chicken Spring Roll, Steamed Edamame, Zucchini, and Grilled Asparagus.  There are also three types of Bruschetta.  Pizzas and Specialty Flatbreads such as the Grilled Chicken and Artichoke, Tomato and Avocado, Wild Mushroom and Margherita are also popular choices.

There are several salads offered (half or full-size) including Caesar, DolceVita, Brasiliana, Organic Baby Greens, Caprese, Heirloom Grain Chopped Salad, Bacon and Blue Cheese, Ciao Baby, Sesame Chicken, and the Wild Muchroom Salad.

Pastas include Ravioli with Ricotta, Shrimp Linguini, Fettucine with Chicken, Fussili Lunghi, Risotto, Lasagna, Spaghetti, Fettucine with Asparagus, Tagliolini with Shrimp and Tortiglioni Rossa.

Sandwiches served at lunch only include Grilled Chicken Panini, Grilled Filet Mignon Sandwich, and Rotisserie Chicken Panini.
Entrees featured on Dinner Menu are the Wood Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Chicken Parmigiana, Veal Scallopine al Limone, Grilled Turkey Burger, Ahi Tuna Burger, Filet Mignon Steak, New York Strip, and Seasonal Fish.

Price guide: Small Plates $5-14  Salads $8-12 Pastas $14-18  Flatbreads $10 Pizza $8-12 Entrees $12-42
What We ordered: Shortly after we sat down we were served this warm, dense Italian bread.

I started with the Tomato Basil Soup, which was delicious.  It had big, chunky stewed tomatoes that gave it great texture, and the flavor was slightly sweet and tangy.  It was topped with a couple of big chunks of the bread and grated parmesan.

 

I was more in the mood for a sandwich than for a pasta dish, and after hearing the server talk-up the Turkey Avocado Panini, I went with her suggestion.  The ingredients were fresh, but the turkey and avocado just didn't have enough flavor to get my attention (I love flavor and spice!) and I found it a little on the boring side, even with a tad of Dijon Mustard.  I had also assumed that all paninis were made on ciabatta bread (which I love because they are soft and crispy), but this sandwich was made with a denser bread and was hard on the outside.  The sandwich was good, it just wasn't what I was after.

 

One of my companions ordered a half Bacon and Blue Cheese Salad with a half order of the Chicken Fettuccine. The salad had romaine, tomatoes, onions and chunks of crispy bacon and came with the dressing pre-tossed.  The Chicken Fettucine dish was made with spinach noodle and then topped with steamed spinach, toasted almonds, chicken and tossed in the house white wine cream sauce.  This was a half portion, but seemed considerably smaller than the half portion of Fettucine with Asparagus.

 

My other companion ordered a half salad with a half Fettuccine Asparagus. 

The fettucine was topped with large pieces of asparagus, pine nuts, pancetta, parmesan and served in a light cream sauce.  My companion enjoyed the dish and he bite that I tried had more flavor than most Alfredo sauces, so I was pleased.

Service: Our server was really nice, and very accommodating to the baby I had in my party.  When asked for suggestions she offered her favorites off the menu.  It was a busy lunch hour and I think the food was served in a reasonable amount of time.
Overall Impression: Very nice restaurant, a popular place for the business crowd.  Good food and a decent-sized menu.  Prices seem a little high, but comparable to other restaurants in the area. 

Bennigan's Grill & Tavern-Multiple Twin Cities locations

Cuisine: American, Bar & Grill
Locations: Bloomington(**Site of this review), Coon Rapids, St Louis Park
Addresses & Maps:
Bloomington-  1800 W 80th St  Bloomington, MN 55431 952-881-0013

Coon Rapids- 3590 River Rapids Dr. Coon Rapids, MN 55448 763-427-1888

St Louis Park- 6475 Wayzata Blvd St. Louis Park, MN 55426  952-593-5024

Links: Bennigan's Website

Atmosphere: Just beyond the host stand  in the center of the Bloomington Bennigan's is a large bar area, with smaller dining areas scattered around the outer areas of the restaurant.  The small pockets of tables and booths gives this Bennigan's location a nice, intimate feel

Menu: Appetizers include Golden Chicken Tenders, Fajita Chicken Quesadillas, Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, Ultimate Nachos, Buffalo Wings, Boneless Buffalo Wings, Southwest Egg Rolls, and Broccoli Bites. 

Sandwiches include the Monte Cristo, Turkey O' Toole, Buffalo Chicken, Grilled Chicken Club, French Dip, Reuben, Angus Melt, Chipotle Burger, Black & Bleu Burger, and Guiness Glazed Bacon Burger. 

Entrees include Guiness Glazed Chicken & Shrimp or Sirloin, Stacked Chicken, Chicken Fried Chicken, Grilled Chicken Platter, Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Pasta, Ribeye, Sirloin, Baby Back Ribs, Tempura Shrimp, Grilled Salmon, and Grilled Seafood Platter.

Bennigan's also offers a variety of salads and soups.

Price guide: Appetizers $6-8  Sandwiches $8-10  Entrees $10-18
What I ordered: The buffalo chicken salad (layered bleu cheese crumbles, carrots, celery and pico de gallo on a bed of greens tossed in a creamy Ranch dressing, topped with buffalo fried chicken, and placed inside a crispy tortilla shell).  This salad was LOADED! The Buffalo sauce had a nice kick to it, the veggies were fresh and crisp, and the tortilla shell was light and crispy.

One of my companions ordered a cheeseburger.  The beef was juicy and fresh, the bacon smoky and crisp.

Another companion ordered the Turkey O' Toole (Juicy turkey breast sliced thin, melted Swiss cheese and  Smoky Honey Dijon dressing. Served hot on a Bennigan’s pretzel roll.)  Bennigan's was happy to replace French fries with a bowl of their delicious Baked Potato Soup.

Service: Good and fast.  Our visit was on a Saturday at noon and it didn't seem to be too busy.
Overall Impression: Good food at a reasonable price, fast service. Tucked back in an area that doesn't have other restaurants, kind of hard to find.

Majors Sports Cafe ~Albertville, Apple Valley, Blaine, Bloomington, Golden Valley & Inver Grove Heights, MN

Cuisine: American,

Restaurant Features: Bar, Sports Bar, On-Site Parking

Locations:  Albertville, Apple Valley, Bloomington, Blaine, Golden Valley,  Inver Grover Heights,

Addresses: 

Albertville  5651 Le Centre Avenue NE Albertville, MN  55301 P: 763.497.7629
Apple Valley 14889 Florence Trail Apple Valley, MN  55124 P:  952.432.4787
Blaine 10950 Club West Parkway Suite   101 Blaine,   MN  55449 P: 763.746.2774
Bloomington 8301 Normandale Boulevard  Bloomington,   MN  55438 P: 952.835.8308
Golden Valley 6440 Wayzata Boulevard  Golden Valley,   MN  55426P: 763.746.2280
Inver Grove Heights 5639 Bishop Avenue Inver Grove Heights, MN  55076P: 651.451.3838
 ******This review was originally written for the Vadnais Heights location, which was closed 1/08 and will be re-opening as Mad Jack's Cafe Spring 2008.  The Roseville location has also changed ownership and is now Grumpy's Restaurant.*****

Links: Majors Sports Cafe    Google Map

Atmosphere: Two decent sized dining rooms, with a large bar in the center.  Also a large double-sided fireplace in the entry way.  Very bright during daylight hours!

Menu: Appetizers include pepper jack spinach dip, walleye fingers, barbeque sliders, Wimpy sliders, boneless wings, nachos, quesadillas, cheese curds, Thai beef tidbits, and baked sausage pizza dip. 

Besides a variety of salads and soups, Majors also has a large selection of sandwiches including BBQ chicken wrap, roast beef wrap, honey mustard chicken wrap, walleye, The Cuban, The Hell Raiser,  hot beef,  tuna melt, tuna salad, grilled salmon BLT, prime dip, Philly cheese steak, clubhouse, Reuben, Buffalo Chicken and a variety of grilled chicken breast sandwiches.  Majors also has a selection of specialty pizzas and burgers, or custom order your favorite toppings! 

Entrees include meatloaf, stuffed salmon, top sirloin, pork enchiladas, chicken enchiladas, St Louis style ribs, chicken parmesan, stuffed walleye and prime rib.

Majors also offers pasta and rice dishes including jambalaya, manicotti, chicken penne carbonara, chicken pesto fettuccine, and southwest chicken penne.

Price guide: Appetizers $5-10  Sandwiches $6-9  Entrees $10-20

What I ordered: Although this was my first-ever visit to a Majors restaurant, I ordered the Reuben.  This is my standard sandwich at most bar & grill restaurants, but you would be surprised at how much this sandwich can vary! The Reuben at Majors was quite disappointing :(  The corned beef was so tough I could hardly bite into the sandwich, and the grilled bread had become very soggy on the bottom before it ever arrived at my table.  I definitely recommend trying a different sandwich next time.

My companions ordered the Cajun Chicken Alfredo.  This was a big hit! A nice sized portion of pasta covered with tender and flavorful chicken breast.

Walleye sandwich.  Nothing special about this walleye.  The breading was not very crispy and the roll it was served on dominated the experience.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. One look at this thing and you can tell it is going to be very MESSY to eat. Break out the silverware for this sandwich or ask for an over-sized bib!  Waffle fries and seasoned sour cream are an upgrade for $2 more.

Thai Beef tidbits (Marinated tenderloin cubes are pan seared and served with cream cheese dipping sauce.) This was actually very good! The beef was tender and had a sweet flavor to it.  The portion size was not very big, but it is offered as an appetizer rather than a meal.  Also served with fried wonton chips.

Service: The service was decent.  There were not many customers dining at lunch on the Saturday we visited, but restaurant seemed appropriately staffed. Host staff and servers were all very friendly.

Overall Impression: The atmosphere was very nice, but the food seemed just average.  I would be willing to try it again but will try food options other than the ones we tried on this particular visit. One favorable thing I have heard about Majors is their late-night Happy Hour specials are really good. Several of the Majors locations also offer trivia competitions and they give out free gift cards to be redeemed at any Majors location.

Olive Garden ~ Bloomington, Burnsville, Coon Rapids, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Oakdale, Roseville, and Saint Louis Park, MN

Cuisine: Italian

Restaurant Features: Bar, On-Site Parking

Locations: Bloomington, Burnsville, Coon Rapids, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Oakdale

Addresses & Maps:

Bloomington- 4701 American Blvd W. Bloomington, MN 55437 (952)841-4044

Burnsville- 1451 County Rd 42  Burnsville, MN 55306 (952)898-4200

Coon Rapids- 150 Coon Rapids Blvd Coon Rapids, MN 55443 (763) 786-1089

Maple Grove- 12520 Elm Creek Blvd N Maple Grove, MN 55369 (763) 420-9699

Maplewood- 1749 Beam Avenue Maplewood, MN 55109 (651) 773-0200

Oakdale- 8367 3rd Street N.  Oakdale, MN 55128 (651)264-1447

Roseville- 1525 County Rd C Roseville, MN 55113 (651) 638-9557
Saint Louis Park- 5235 Wayzata Blvd Saint Louis Park, MN 55416 (952) 544-4423

Links: Olive Garden website  

Atmosphere: One look at the house wines lining the walls, and there should be no doubt this is an Italian restaurant!  Cozy, warm and dimly-lit are the words I would use to describe the atmosphere.  Several small sections of the dining area offer privacy and romance.

How cute is this little indoor courtyard that greets you upon entry? The perfect place to have a glass of wine while waiting for your table!

 

Menu: Warm breadsticks and Italian house salad are brought out almost as soon as you place your meal order. 

Appetizers include brushetta, stuffed mushrooms, smoked mozzerella, calamari and shrimp scampi.

Entrees include classic Italian recipes such as lasagna, fettuccini alfredo, ravioli, manicotti, spaghetti and linguini, and chicken or eggplant Parmigiana.

Not in the mood for pasta? No worries...there are a variety of Italian pork, beef and chicken dishes as well.

Price guide: Appetizers: $6-10  Classic recipes $9-12 Meat entrees: $15-20

What I ordered: Baked Manicotti with a delicious blend of cheeses...so much cheese in fact, that I needed to order a meatball to balance it out a little.  Very rich.

My companions ordered the Tuscan Garlic Chicken (Pan-seared chicken breasts with roasted garlic, red peppers and spinach in a white wine and garlic cream sauce, tossed with curly fettuccine).  Absolutely delicious, I will order this dish next time.  The huge cloves of garlic laced throughout the dish are a garlic-lovers dream, a vampire's nightmare. 

and the Stuffed Chicken Marsala (Oven-roasted chicken breast stuffed with Italian cheeses and sun-dried tomatoes, topped with mushrooms and a creamy marsala sauce. Served with garlic parmesan mashed potatoes.)  Another delicious dish!

Service: Our waitress was very nice and friendly, patient throughout the ordering process.  She offered suggestions and offered us samples of the house wines.  She was very friendly and prompt in checking on us.

Overall Impression: The food and atmosphere at Olive garden is pretty much the same at every location you would visit. 

Fuddruckers Hamburgers ~ Bloomington, Coon Rapids, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, St Louis Park

Cuisine: American, Burgers, Bakery, Ice Cream

Restaurant Features: Bar (beer only), Counter-Service, Games, On-Site Parking

Locations: Roseville (site of this review), Bloomington, Coon Rapids, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove and Saint Louis Park.

Addresses & Maps:

Roseville 2740 North Snelling Avenue, Roseville, MN  55113 651-636-3833    

Bloomington 3801 Minnesota Drive, Bloomington, MN  55435  952-835-3833

Coon Rapids 8955 Spring Brook Road, Coon Rapids, MN  55433  242-780-2909    

Eden Prairie 11825 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie, MN  55344    952-943-1010                

Maple Grove 14500 Weaver Lake Road, Maple Grove, MN  55311   763-420-6388    

Saint Louis Park 6445 Wayzata Blvd., Saint Louis Park, MN  55426   952-593-3833    

Links:  Fuddrucker's website

Atmosphere: Fuddruckers is decorated with an "Oldies Rock" theme. Vinyl albums, posters and pictures of some of the classic oldies bands line the walls. There are even a couple of large round booths in the corners decorated as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The King. Large back room is a great place to invite a big group or throw a birthday party. Video games and arcade will keep the kids entertained for quite some time :)

Menu: Where else can you go besides Fuddrucker's and order the perfect size burger for your appetite? Choices are 1/3 lb, 1/2 lb, 2/3 lb and the 1 lb burger! Choose your own fixings and decorate your burger from a serve-yourself line adjacent to the pick-up counter. Besides the World's Greatest Hamburgers, they also offer chicken, fish, 1/4 lb beef hotdogs, and a variety of salads. Check out other menu items on the Fuddrucker's website.

All sides come ala carte: Onion rings, wedge-cut fries and chilli-cheese fries, nachos. Fuddrucker's also has a bakery and ice cream shoppe to entice your sweet-tooth. Mouth watering cookies and brownies are available at a very reasonable price! You can also create your own ice cream flavor from a variety of homemade flavors and toppings. Malts are also fabulous, try one! Oh, did I mention that all of their buns are baked fresh on-site daily and grilled to perfection?

Price Guide: Burgers range from $5.50 for the 1/3 to $8.50 for the pounder. This price does not include a side. Sides range from $1.69-$4.00

What I ordered: 2/3 lb southwest burger. Comes with monterrey jack, crispy bacon and guacamole. If you like to spice it up a bit, I highly recommend adding some fresh pico de gallo and/or banana peppers. I like a lot of guacamole, so I also ordered an additional side.

Hungry? You have to be to eat this amazing 1 lb burger with all the fixings!

Service: Order-at-counter-dining. You get a light-up coaster when your food is ready, and then pick-up at the food counter. Usually Fudd's cranks out the food pretty fast, even on a busy night. On this particular Monday night they were not busy at all, but we waited almost 25 minutes for our food. It was worth the wait!

Overall Impression:  Fabulous burgers, fun atmosphere & great bakery!  Exceptional place to bring the kids