Twin Cities Restaurant Blog

Tiffany's Sports Lounge ~ St Paul, MN

Cuisine: American, Bar & Grill 
Restaurant Features:  Sports Bar, Free Wi-Fi, Games, Happy Hour, Large/Flat Screen TVs, Live Music, Kids Menu, Patio Dining
Location: St Paul, MN (Highland Park neighborhood)
Address: 2051 Ford Parkway St. Paul, MN 55116 651.690.4747  (corner of Ford Pkwy & Cleveland Ave)

Bar Hours: Mon-Sat 11a-2a  Sun 11a-1a

Kitchen Hours: Mon-Sat 11a-11p  Sun 11a-10p

Links:  Tiffany's Sports Lounge Website   Google Map

Atmosphere: Located on the corner of Ford Parkway and Cleveland Ave, Tiffany's Sports Lounge is located in the heart of St Paul's Highland Park neighborhood and is close to many of the local Universities.  Tiffany's first opened in 1971 and has been a cornerstone in the area ever since.  "Lounge" is the perfect name for the big and open space that has a bar, pool tables and games on one side and tables and booths on the other.  It is a fun place with a friendly and energetic vibe.

One thing you will notice as soon as you walk in to Tiffany's is that there are big screen TV's mounted everywhere ~ I think I counted nearly 14 of them! Every seat in the house has a good view of one TV or another.  As you can expect, Tiff's is the happening place to be during just about any sporting event, including all local games. Tiffany's is also the St Paul headquarters for KU Jayhawks games.

Menu: Appetizers at Tiffany's Sports Lounge include Hand-Cut Fries, Quesadillas, Chicken Wings (Asian, Buffalo or Diablo), Chicken Fingers, Mozzarella Sticks, Beer-Battered Onion Rings, Sampler Platter, Chicken Nachos, and Mini Tacos.  Soups include French Onion, Chili, and a Soup du Jour.

Salads offered are Chicken Caesar, Salmon Caesar, Cobb, Buffalo Chicken, and Dinner Salad.

Sandwiches at Tiffany's include French Dip, Grand Avenue (turkey on foccacia), Club, Reuben, Italian Beef, Tiffany Dagwood (ham, turkey, bacon, swiss, cheddar), Ford Parkway (turkey with cranberry chipotle cheese), and Juicy Luigi (Italian sausage stuffed with provolone in marinara).  Specialty sandwiches include Fish & Chips, Salmon Sandwich, Steak Sandwich, BLT, Walleye, Steak Wrap, Buffalo Chicken Wrap, Grilled Cheese, Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and Southwest Chicken Sandwich.

Tiffany's burgers are all made with fresh Black Angus and include Cheeseburger, Hangover (fried egg bacon and cheddar over beef patty), Tommy Burger (Cajun spiced, jalapeños, bacon, pepperjack and chipotle mayo), Ground Turkey Burger, Black & Bleu, Tiffany Melt (sauteed onions and melted cheese on toast), Highland Park Burger (loaded with everything!), and the Infamous Summit Slam (over 1 lb of meat and toppings served with fries and a 24 oz. Summit beer- eat it all and win a T-shirt!).

Tiffany's also has "Sliders" which are mini-sized burgers and sandwiches (3 to an order).  Sliders include Cheeseburger, Italian Burgers, BBQ Pork, Blue Gill Burgers and Fire Dogs (jalapeño sausage smothered in Diablo sauce topped with onions, peppers and pepperjack cheese).

Save room for dessert! Tiff's has Turtle Cheesecake, a Hot Brownie Sundae, Cheesecake and Root Beer Float.

Kids Menu includes Grilled Cheese, Chicken Fingers, Cheeseburger and Mac & Cheese

Price guide:  Appetizers $5-10  Salads $9-11  Sandwiches/Burgers $9-10

Happy Hour:

• Mon-Fri 3-6pm
• Half-Priced Wings (Buffalo, Diablo, Asian) and Mini Tacos
• Top Shelf 2-for-1s
• $3 Tap Beer (24oz) Miller Lite & Premium Grain Belt

Weekly Specials:
Sunday- Build-Your-Own Bloody Mary Bar (10a-6p) $6  Free Kids meal with Adult Meal
Monday-  Double Cheeseburger w/Fries $6.95, MNF Miller Lite or Premo 20oz $3.75
Tuesday- Cubano Sandwich $8.95   Hot Ham & Cheese w/Soup $7.95
Wednesday- Wimpy Basket $6.95  Wimpy Platter w/Fries $18.50  Midwest Pint pf Beer $2.50
Thursday- Sloppy Joe Sliders w/Fries $8.95   Endless Mug of Miller Lite $8
Friday- Homemade Weekly Pasta $12.95
Saturday- Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich w/ Fries $8.95 Build-Your-Own Bloody Mary Bar (10a-6p) $6

What We Ordered: My companion and I shared a bowl of the Soup du Jour which happened to be Cream of Chicken Wild Rice.  It was a hot and hearty soup, perfect for warming up on a freezing cold day like we have had all too frequently lately.  The soup was very flavorful with the chicken, vegetables, wild rice and and was also seasoned nicely.  It included a hint of some kind of pepper and just a little kick to it that I wasn't expecting but thoroughly enjoyed.  The breadstick was pretty good too; warm, soft and slighty buttered with garlic salt.

 

I love sandwiches and while there were many that caught my eye at Tiffany's, I ordered my favorite sandwich of all, the Reuben.  It seems that I am always on a quest for a really good Reuben and this one at Tiffany's ranks up there with the best! The corned beef brisket is cooked for 8 hrs. in Guinness and special spices and was very flavorful and tender.  The meat was sliced thin and piled high on top of the buttery-grilled, swirled rye bread.  The Swiss cheese was melted perfectly and the sauerkraut and thousand island dressing gave it the extra zip to make it a most delicious Reuben.  The hand-cut fries were also excellent, just like what you get at the State Fair except slightly thinner.

 

My companion had the Blue Gill Burgers, which were three "sliders" AKA mini fish sandwiches.  Each of the three sandwiches had a nice-sized sunfish fillet that was slightly battered with bread crumb's and Leinenkugel's, then pan fried to a light golden brown.  The batter gave it a little bit of a crispy texture but it was very light and the fish was tender.  Each sandwich was topped with a tomato slice, romaine lettuce and garlic aioli sauce.  Very delicious! It is a treat to see sunfish on a local restaurant menu such as Tiff's.

 

The desserts also sounded wonderful so I tried the Turtle Cheesecake.  The cheesecake was layered, with a thin layer of chocolate cheesecake at the bottom that slightly marbles into the main layer of cheesecake, which was rich and smooth and creamy.  The top was covered with a thin layer of caramel cheesecake and then topped with candied pecans.  So good! Too rich for me to eat by myself or in one sitting for that matter, but I would definitely eat it again :)

Service: We were able to get a parking space on the street and a table immediately upon our arrival.  I did not notice a host/hostess the night of our visit so I assume it might be seat-yourself.  Our overall service at Tiffany's was very good!  Our server was very friendly and had several recommendations off the menu for us.  Drinks were brought and refilled quickly, as was our food. 

Overall Impression: Great Sports hangout!!  The recent renovation to the kitchen allows Tiffany's to serve really good food at extremely reasonable prices.  It is a very fun place to get a bite to eat and watch a game or play a round of pool, which makes it a popular place for local college kids as well as for families (anyone would enjoy it at Tiff's!).  There are many other sandwiches on the menu that I would like to try, as well as the burgers and wings.  I will be back to Tiffany's Sports Lounge to eat again very soon!

Freight House Restaurant & Nightclub ~ Stillwater, MN

Cuisine: American
Restaurant Features: Bar, Patio, Live Music, Night Club
Location: Stillwater, MN

Address: 305 S Water Street Stillwater, MN 55082 (651) 439-5718

Hours:

• RESTAURANT Sun-Thurs 11am-9pm    Friday & Saturday 11:00am-10:00pm
• NIGHT CLUB  Friday & Saturday 9:00pm-2:00am

Links:  Freight House Website   Google Map

Atmosphere:  The Freight House restaurant is located near the St Croix River in downtown Stillwater, in a building that was originally built in 1883 as Stillwater's freight depot.  The inside of the restaurant has been converted into a lovely two-story dining room, with a selection of booths and tables.

The decks at the Freight House are vast and spacious, running the entire length of the Restaurant and Adjacent Night Club. There are enough tables to seat several hundred people and also a couple of outdoor bars. Great view of the St Croix!

The Freight House also offers Live Music on the deck over the weekends.

There is also a popular Night Club that is open weekend nights, with a full bar and DJ.

Menu:   Appetizers at the Freight House include Artichoke Dip, Buffalo Wings, Onion Straws, Mini Burgers, Pizza Sticks, Walleye Fingers, Zucchini Fries, Rough-Cut Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Fruit Plate, and Chicken Wild Rice Soup.

Salads offered are the Steak Knife Chicken Caesar, St Croix Cobb and Bistro Salad (with candied pecans, dried cranberries and bleu cheese).

Freight House also has a large selection of 12" pizzas including Margherita, El Taco, Quattro Formagi, BBQ Chicken, Wild Mushroom Brie, Pepperoni, Sausage, and Smoked Brisket.

Sandwiches include BBQ Pulled Pork, Smoked Beef Brisket, Chicken Sandwich, Cajun Chicken, Grilled Reuben, Hawaiian Chicken, Veggie Wrap, Southwest Chicken Wrap, Walleye, Atlantic Salmon, Jumbo Hot Dog, and Fish & Chips.  Burgers include Freight House, MIni Burgers, California Turkey Burger, North Dakota Bison Burger, Black Angus, Swiss Mushroom Black Angus, and Black Bean Veggie Burger.

Price guide:  Appetizers $9-11  Salads $10-13  Pizza $11-13 Sandwiches/Burgers $9-11
Weekly Specials:  Wednesday Night Fish Fry -All You Can Eat Cod, Cornbread, Salad and Rough Cut Fries $12.99 (kids under 12 $6.99)  4pm-Close

What I ordered:  The Artichoke Dip came highly recommended, so my companions and I ordered that to start.  The dip was very good, with several chunks of artichoke throughout the cream-cheese based dip.  The dish was creamy and had cheese baked on top as well. The pita wedges were hot and slightly toasted, a great combo with the dip.

I also ordered a Spicy Bloody Mary, which came with a beer chaser.  I do not often drink Bloody Mary cocktails, but I thought this one was very good.  It was spicy, not too thick, and was garnished with olives & pickle spear.

For my meal I was debating between a couple of different sandwiches.  The server helped to make my decision easy when he explained that Freight House uses real corned beef form the brisket, so of course I went with the Reuben (please excuse this terrible photo, the photo I snapped at the restaurant was somehow damaged so this one was taken at home of my leftovers).  The Reuben was great! The corned beef was indeed the real-deal, slightly shredded and piled on top of the grilled marble rye bread, and the Thousand Island dressing and sauerkraut were plentiful.  I ordered my sandwich with the rough-cut fries and thought they were also very good; hot and slightly crispy.

One of my companions had the Walleye Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries.  The walleye fillet was large, lightly breaded and pan-fried.  The walleye had excellent flavor but wasn't very crispy on the outside.  It was served on a toasted & buttered hoagie bun.  The sweet potato fries that my companion ordered were awesome. They were thinly sliced and crispy, the best sweet potato fries any of us had tried before!

Another companion had the Smoked Brisket sandwich.  Wow!  This was a monster sandwich, with at least a half-pound of shaved beef brisket and caramelized onions piled onto the sourdough hoagie roll, then covered with melted white cheddar, served with a side of seasoned mayonnaise. Also came with a giant pile of sweet potato fries.

Another companion ordered the Freight House Burger.  This delicious, flavorful burger comes from grain-fed Black Angus and is topped with sauteed onions, wild mushrooms and white cheddar cheese then served on a toasted ciabatta roll.  Sweet potato fries were selected as the side.

For dessert we shared the Turtle Cheesecake.  The cheesecake itself was very creamy and good, but when drizzled with caramel and pieces of cinnamon-roasted walnuts..... we have a big winner!  Extremely delicious and rich, perfect for sharing.

Service: Our service at the Freight House was excellent from the time we arrived.  The hostesses and manager were very friendly and the server was also great.  Our visit took place on a very nice, busy weekend day and my companions and I were all impressed with how quickly our drinks and food were served.

Overall Impression: The Freight House is the perfect place for patio dining, especially if you like a nice view of the water.  The inside is nice as well and the Night Club is a fun place to go on the weekends.  The service was excellent and the food was very good.  I would also recommend checking out the Minus 5' Ice Lounge that is temporarily located on the deck of the Freight House for just a little while longer!

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

Wildwood Pizza ~ Mahtomedi, MN

Cuisine: American, Pizza, Ice Cream

Restaurant Features: Bar, Banquet, Catering, Games, Bowling, On-Site Parking, Live Music (on occasion in the Bowl)

Location: Willernie (Mahtomedi)

Address: 310 Stillwater Rd, Willernie, MN 55090 (651) 429-1141

Hours: Mon-Fri  1pm-10pm  Sat 12pm-10pm  Sun 12pm-8pm

Links: Google Map

Atmosphere: Wildwood Pizza is a very small restaurant located in its own enclosed space within the Wildwood Bowling Alley.  There are approximately six wooden booths that accommodate four adults each.   Every single inch of the walls are adorned with humorous memorabilia, plaques, signs, newspaper articles, sayings, etc.  A fun place to play "I Spy" with the kids.

The Game Room is located within the Bowling Alley and is a great place for the kids or adults to play a game or two before (or after) you eat.

The Bowling Alley itself has eight lanes, not sure if it has automatic scoring but there is shoe rental available.

Menu: Appetizers include Nachos with Cheese, Garlic Breadsticks, French Fries, Cheesy Breadsticks, Mozzarella Sticks, Onion Rings, Fried Mushrooms, BBQ Ribs Sampler, Buffalo Wings, Fried Cauliflower, Cheddar Nuggets, Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Tenders, Chicken Drummies, Cheddar Jalapeño Poppers, Tator Tots, Pizza Rolls, and Mini Corn Dogs.

Salads offered are the Chef and Taco Salad.

Wildwood Pizza is home to over 40 pizza toppings! Besides standard toppings (pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, olive, onion, pepper, etc), with tomato pizza sauce, Wildwood offers a variety of very different toppings/sauces including Mixed Nut, Spam, Minced Clam, Dill Pickle, Sauerkraut, Peanut Butter & Jelly, and Chicken Nugget.

Specialty pizzas include Bangkok Pizza with sweet and sour sauce, Great White Greek (with feta), McDermott's Godzilla with 9 toppings and Tex-Mex pizza with hot sauce, just to name a few. Crust is ultra-thin and crispy. You may also have the option of doubling your crust, with or without an extra layer of mozzarella in between.

Sandwiches include Fried Flour Tacos, Hot Dago, Steak, Chicken, Fried Fish, Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Grilled Cheese, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Corndog, Hot Dog, and Chili Cheese Dog.

Pastas offered at Wildwood include Cheese Tortellini, Spaghetti, Beef Ravioli.  All pastas come with a salad and bread & butter.

Dinner Entrees include Fried Chicken, BBQ Pork Ribs, Hamburger Steak, Sirloin, Butterfly Shrimp, Battered Pollock Fish, and Italian Sausage Patty.  All dinner comes with salad or coleslaw, French fries, and dinner roll.

Price guide: Appetizers $2-8  Sandwiches $3-8  Pasta $8-9  Dinners $6-14  Pizza $11-24

What We ordered: We started with the Fried Flour Tacos, which came with three in the order for $4.50 (or can be sold individually for $1.50).  The tacos were awesome! The flour tortillas were fried to a toasted golden brown and had seasoned ground beef stuffed inside.  Tomatoes, cheese and shredded lettuce is served on the side so that you can build-your-own

Next my companions and I shared a Jumbo Pepperoni, Mushroom and Shrimp Pizza. The crust was thin and crispy and the sauce on the sweeter side.  There were a ton of each of the ingredients on the pizza; the pepperoni and mushrooms were pretty standard and the shrimp were some of the smallest I have ever seen (which is a wonderful thing on pizza!).  The small shrimp were mild in flavor and had a soft texture unlike larger shrimp.  We asked for our pizza crispy but the center was packed with so many ingredients that it could've baked for another couple of minutes.  Overall the pizza was excellent.

Even though we were stuffed after dinner, my companion and I also shared a large strawberry malt, which the server split into two glasses for us (normally it would come in one glass plus the metal malt glass).  The malt was triple-thick and double-delicious with a lot of strawberries (I am assuming they were frozen & sweetened, not fresh) and also a generous amount of malt powder.  Malts were topped with plenty of whipped cream.

Service: Great! I have been to Wildwood Pizza many, many times and have always had excellent service.  They are usually really busy on the weekends so it may take longer than usual for a pizza, but it is worth the wait!
Overall Impression: Awesome pizza and a nice selection of other menu items as well.  Great place to bring the kids, extremely reasonable prices for everything on the menu

Max's Groove House ~ Forest Lake, MN

Cuisine: American,

Restaurant Features: Bar (limited to beer and wine), Counter-Service, Live Music, On-Site Parking

Location: Forest Lake

Address: 21450 Forest Blvd. North (Intersection of Hwys 61 & 97) 651.982.1802  | Fax 651.982.1803 

Hours: M-F 6am-9pm Sat 7am-9pm  Sun 7am-3pm

Links: Max's Groove House Google Map

Atmosphere: Brightly colored walls with lighted pendants hanging from the high ceilings, Max's is brightly lit during the day, and seems like it is romantic and laid-back at night.  Counter service is offered for breakfast and lunch, with digital screens displaying the current menu.  Dinner menu/table service is the standard for dinner.  I was pleased to see that Max's is smoke-free and they also offer Wi-Fi :)

Menu: Breakfast items include a variety of omelets, breakfast burritos, fruit and classic breakfast sandwiches (build-your-own with choices of a variety of meat, eggs and cheeses).  Several varieties of coffee and energy drinks are also very popular.  Lunch items include a variety of fresh salads, soups (chicken dumpling and SOTD), and specialty sandwiches including the baked Reuben, Philly cheese steak, grilled chicken, clubhouse, and a variety of deli sandwiches as well.  Hot dogs and hot carved beef (referred to as "burgers") sandwiches are also very popular.

Dinner selections include all of the specialty and hot sandwiches, plus pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs, rotisserie chicken, and coconut crusted tilapia.

There is a large dessert menu and also a huge variety of specialty drinks offered, including a selection of wine, beer, teas, coffees and old-fashioned sodas.

Price guide: Breakfast $3-6, Salads $4-7, Sandwiches $5-8  Dinners $8-11

What I ordered: Baked Reuben (Hand carved corned-beef topped with swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and 1000 island dressing on rye bread, served with seasoned kettle chips.  I thought the sandwich was very good, the corned beef was lean and had great flavor.  My personal preference is that Reubens have better flavor when grilled with butter, but this baked Reuben is a better choice for keeping it "light".

My companion ordered the Memphis Bleu Burger, slow-cooked shredded beef topped with peppered bacon and bleu cheese, served on  ciabatta bread.  This sandwich was amazing! I tried only a  few bites and have never had anything like it before.  The combination of flavors from the beef, bacon and bleu cheese was really wonderful and I loved that it was served on the ciabatta.

Service: Very friendly! No matter what time of day you visit, you are sure to be catered to.  Although you must order at the counter for breakfast or lunch, food is prepared reasonably fast and brought to your table.  The only thing I think that could be improved is having a refill station that customers can access.

Overall Impression:  Excellent food, fast service, great prices!

Loring Pasta Bar ~ Minneapolis, MN

Cuisine: Italian with Asian influence, Pasta

Restaurant Features: Bar, Live-Music

Location: Minneapolis (Dinkytown)

Address: 327 14th Av. SE. Minneapolis, MN 55414 612.378.4849

Links: Loring Pasta Bar Website  Google Map

Atmosphere: Breath-taking and romantic! Located inside a beautifully renovated building in Dinkytown (formerly known as Gray's Drug Store) , the Loring Pasta Bar is an amazing site to see.  Ceilings are 2-3 stories high, with an upper-eating area overlooking the court-yard style main dining room.  Large trees and beautiful plants line the perimeter (glass windows are often opened or removed during summer months to really give you the feeling of eating outdoors.)

Soft candles and Live Jazz music really add to the romantic feeling of the Loring Pasta Bar during dinner hours.  Restaurant/Nightclub? Late night DJ's have the place grooving throughout the week for local U of M students (and others!) to enjoy.

 

Menu: Appetizers include the infamous Artichoke Ramekin as well as Beef Skewers, Calamari, Shrimp and Spicy Tuna Sushi Roll. Pasta dishes include Fettuccine Carbonara, Goat Cheese Tortellini, Spaghetti, Portabello Ravioli, and Vegetarian Orzo.  Small selection of entrees include Grilled Salmon, Beef Tenderloin, New York Strip, Seared Raw Tuna, and Stir Fry

Loring Pasta Bar Menu

Price guide:  Appetizers- $5-9, Pasta- $10-13, Entrees- $17-23

What I ordered: We were given a giant basket of bread while we looked over the menu, but also decided to order the Artichoke Ramekin (Came highly recommended)....Creamy, cheesy with big chunks of artichokes and a spicy kick.  Delicious!

I had a very difficult time deciding what to order off the menu, but finally decided to go with the Roasted Chicken and Mozzarella Ravioli.  I was given exactly seven raviolis, each stuffed with a bite-sized amount of strong-tasting Italian cheese.  The menu claimed it was mozzarella, but tasted very strongly like goat cheese to me.  Rather than incorporating the roasted chicken inside the pasta, the roasted chicken was mixed into the tomato and garlic mixture and placed atop the ravioli.  The dish was good, but nothing I'd be dying to go back for anytime soon.

My companions had better luck than I when it came to selecting from the menu.  This seared-raw tuna atop fresh spinach leaves and drizzled with a sesame-soy-ginger sauce was excellent, reminiscent of the Japanese dish, Tuna Tataki.  Very much Japanese-influenced.

Other companions ordered the Crusted Salmon and the Portabello Ravioli (topped with corn mixture).

The desserts at Loring Pasta Bar were awesome. Pictures on the left is the flourless chocolate cake.  This dessert was like no cake I have ever tried in my life, instead it was very creamy.  Reminded me of the filling to a truffle or a really thick & creamy, rich mousse. The dessert pictured on the right is the cheesecake with chocolate and cherries ala mode.  My companions and I were not expecting the cheesecake to be chocolate flavored, or we would have ordered a completely different dessert.  It was very good, but too much like the chocolate cake.

Service: The Loring Pasta Bar is always packed on the weekend, a reservation for any size party is a very good idea.

Overall Impression: Very swank!  I think "Pasta Bar" is a little bit misleading, as the Loring Pasta Bar is not your classic Italian restaurant, but the food is good and the prices are decent.  Definitely a cool place to take out-of-town guests, as it is very unique!

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.