Secrets of the City

looks like you are leaning towards St. Paul…true?
The SP Grill is one of the more expensive restaurants in the entire TC Metro…what is your budget limit?

Alos, before this thread turns into dis & piss between the cities, you might want to post here instead…

Pazzaluna in downtown St. Paul is very nice. Muffaletta also is really cute with a great menu. (just named the best St. Paul neighborhood restaurant by City Pages too).

If you are going to be in St. Paul, you should check out Heartland.

The graduation is in St. Paul, hence my initial orientation, but I have a completely equal opportunity stance toward both of the FANTASTIC cities we have here. I would EVEN consider a suburb if the restaurant was good enough (but *that* might be a contradiction in terms…)

Has anyone been to Monte Carlo in the mpls. warehouse district? It sounds kind of old school and fun.

Try Chowhound. Or Margaux.

It is old school fun. If you really want fun, I can’t say enough about Town Talk Diner in Minneapolis. It’s awesome.

Monte Carlo is old school…as in “only your grandma would love the menu”. Not for the adventureous. It’s like a dumbed down version of The Lexington.

112 Eatery in the Warehouse district (warm, great food, but also a crowd pleaser), Spoonriver (right next to the Guthrie, kind of vegetarian friendly), Restaurant Alma. La Belle Vie is great, but pricey. Cue (in the guthrie).

if you like old school, and yer in st paul, it doesn’t get much better than mancini’s.

True indeed, Cubbie. The only place I’ve been to in the Twin Cities that knows how to properly cook a steak medium rare.

Speaking of steak, have you thought about Fogo de Chao?
It’s amazing.

The 112 Eatery is great, but nearly impossible to get a ressie…

How big is your party? That is key.

Saint Paul Rundown:

Frost is always ok… but quality is spotty, and they charge a lot. (too many items on the menu.)

The Lexington and Mancini’s are fun old school steak houses, if that is what your crowd desires.

Saint Paul has a Fuji Ya and Sakura for sushi.

If your party is 6 or less, you could always to teppenyaki at Saja Ya

All of this said, the highest quality restaurants in Saint Paul are probably Zander and Au Rebour. And Heartland… though I have anecdotal evidence that says otherwise for Heartland.

For total knock your socks off Roman Italian food, you can always go to I Nonni in Lilydale. Parents are paying, right?

Minneapolis:

The best restaurant that is not La Belle Vie in the enture state probably is Fugaise. Period. The consistancy and quality is simple astonishing, breathtaking even. Not sure how they would handle a huge party, but a six or eight top is good. Frenchish menu.

I recently had some really nice chow at Grand Cafe in south Minneapolis recently as well.

-enjoy

I would recommend Palomino or the Capital Grill in Minneapolis. A bit on the higher end of the price range but great food and good location.

Also if you can get a reservation to sit on the patio at Jax Cafe in NE Minneapolis it is absolutely beautiful! There are pictures on their website. Definitely check them out.

Good Luck. Let us know where you end up and how it went. I organize a local dining group and I am always interested in impromptu restaurant reviews!

Town Talk Diner. There’s really no place like it.

town talk would be cool to take them the next day or something, but it’s not a graduation-dinner kinda place.

Town Talk is great. Problem with them (and the 112, and the Modern, and some other good small places) is that they do not take reservations and/or have lines out the door.

We have a party of 10, and I’m starting to think I’m screwed in trying to make a reservation at this late date… Every place I’ve tried the online reservation thingie does not have ANY openings for 10 people (although they do for 6 or 8).

112 sounds great but probably impossible. Town Talk sounds fun, menu looks great, but don’t they only have 10 seats total? La Belle Vie and other high-end fine dining/french places are likely a bit too chi-chi for the group. The steak places would work, were it not for the best friend who is a vegetarian, and whom I’d like to not completely alienate!

Yes, the parents will likely pay, but I’d still like a place that has at least some variety in pricing….just in case….

No one has mentioned Craftsman, or jP American Bistro…any thoughts?

Please consider restaurants that are locally owned and run (ie, not fogo, palamino, capital grill, and other chains they can get in Chicago, no offense folks).

There is no way you are getting more than 4 people into town talk on a weekend night, even with four you’ll have to wait outside for a table.

The key question already asked is, how many? For all we know you are looking for a place for 10+ folks, in which case your options are limited to private rooms likely. Vincent, Lurcat, Solera, etc etc.

Bx made the best point, this questions comes up often on Chowhound.com. Best of luck and congratulations!

great call, Zeppelin. Fogo is awesome, and would be great fun for a group. A bit expensive, though. It’s a flat $38.50 (I think) per person for cold “salad” bar + more meat than you can handle.

Town Talk has more than 10 seats… you’re just thinking of the bar. There’s a whole dining room adjacent to the bar.

I’ve had great meals at JP.

And if they have 8 online, try calling. They may well have ten… could be a software issue.

on the parents’ dime you could try Forepaugh

a memorable place for outta towners, and i’ve had excellent meals/service there.

jp is great. Never ever been anything but completely impressed there. Can’t say the same for some of the others mentioned above. Dakota is also consistently phenomenal. Jack Reibel, who used to be at La Belle Vie when it was in Stillwater, is the chef.

Please, whatever you do, go to a locally owned joint. The reason we have such great food here is that we have such great owners and chefs that make an effort to do something extraordinary instead of cooking to formula–however nice the formula may be.

For places that can handle 10 in MPLS my ideas:

-Alma (upstairs. hard to get a rez likely)
-JP Bistro (ask for Andrew)
-Solera (a fun experience, pretty good even without Tim)
-Lurcat (upstairs or patio in the bar for a less expensive option)
-Vincent (get the private room)
-Mission (if Doug has his menu in place by then)
-Lounge @ LBV (not sure how they would seat 10 in there, but it’s worth a shot. might be a bit too oddly romantic for family)
-I’m not sure how well Fugaise’s kitchen would be able to handle a 10-top, but gosh darn if I don’t agree it is terrific
Nami? Azia? Origami (upstairs)? Penninsula?

So many options…I need to get to St Paul more often.

My out of town friends are always impressed by Barbette and Loring Pasta Bar.

Here’s a good restaurant review site that has a lot of posts for the Twin Cities.

Ditto on JP — great restaurant. For a large group, I also think Solera or 20.21 would be a lot of fun.

I like Alma and Chamber’s quite a little bit, but they might be too “chi-chi” (to use your word).

Also, gotta say — as a vegetarian, I would have no problem “taking one for the team” and eating at a steak joint to facilitate a friend’s graduation celebration. Your friend may well be used to these sorts of events, and could be perfectly happy with sides and wine….

Call ahead and Town Talk and they’re happy to seat larger parties. For 10, I’d give them at least 2 hours’ notice.

Azia, Anemoni, Temple, Lurcat, jP, Fugaise, all happy to accommodate 10.

Barbette might be a little cramped for 10, especially if it’s a weekend.

vegetarians ruin everything.

Dakota, The Local… Masa is far from veg-friendly.

Chambers, Cosmos. (Where’s grote, anyway?)

Off-topic aside:

Alexis – you going to the vitamn art-a-whirl kickoff thing on friday?

I’ll be there with bells on. Well, probably something quieter than bells. Like beads.

We’ll be rolling deep after heliotrope and the MCP party that night, so try and distract people from the free beer till I get there.

three more qualifying questions for Bee before I weigh in on this:
1) what does “not too horribly expensive” mean?
2) is this a multi-generational dinner thing.
3) are these city-folks, suburbanites or cornhuskers?

What in the hell does someone’s personal proclivities toward infidelity (if real) have to do with cooking food?

I bet my mechanic kicks his dog, he still rotates a mean tire.

I sure hope you never find out your dentist fingers dobermans.

I would recommenf Palomino. I love the food there and it’s in a great location. It’s also a very upbeat atmosphere. You won’t regret it!

I would LOVE to come to the Art-a-Whirl thingy Friday night, but we’ve committed to a doulbe-date with a couple who are, to put it kindly, not adventurous. Let’s just say that they are pushing for dinner @ Ike’s followed by the Dueling Piano Bar. Sure, my street cred isn’t what it used to be, but these weekends where I take one for the home team are starting to take a psychic toll.

I’ll do Art-A-Whirl Lite with my son on Saturday. Less booze, more hands on, and (believe it or not) more fun.

Editor’s note: Diner’s anonymous comments about a couple of real people have been removed.

Might want ot wax my response and this post since they make no sense without context. Or leave it, I like reading the line about the dobermans.

David’s doberman comment referenced the deleted comments, in case you are wondering.

wondering folks – Trust me, it was a gas in context.

grote – how did someone trick you into eating at a restaurant that makes it onto every “grotes most hated” list i’ve ever read?

Ike’s isn’t on my “most hated”…it is, however, near the top of the “most disappointing” because I swear it was good the first couple of times I tried it….not so anymore.

OK, so, the whole 10 top thing, and hopefully I don’t get shouted down too much on this, but Buca is a good solution since they’re used to getting scads of people at the last minute. I like the one in DT Minne cuz it’s kinda cool to walk down into a basement for dinner, kinda like a speakeasy. As for the food, meh, but it’s better than Olive Garden.

Otherwise, I’d go for Barbette, you may even get a reservation, but don’t go in a hurry, service is usually a little slower due to the fact that most diners are regulars, and lots of them like to talk and linger over their coffee and desserts…

And you really can’t beat the garlic cheese bread at Buca.

once again, at the risk of losing any last ounce of street-cred, I second the recommendation of Buca. There are some menu items that they do very well (I enjoy the chicken marsala and tiramisu), they are tailored for larger groups in terms of seating & serving style, it is a fun atmosphere, and its appeal cuts across lines of generation & background.

While it’s gone national chain and was pretty contrived from the beginning (hey, let’s take every Italian stereotype and Italian Restaurant cliche and cram it into one space), that basement location was, I believe, the very first one.

Or those green beens…christ…

jp is one of my favorite restaurants. I’ve loved every meal I’ve ever had there. (Try the steak.)

I also really love going to Bar/Cafe Lurcat near Loring Park. great atmosphere and great, simple food.

Cafe Brenda and Spoonriver are always a nice bet for you veggieheads, too.

It’s a good place for the lone vegie in your group, too…

Anyone up for Brit’s around 5 today?

funny, i was gonna recommend buca’s DT as well, but thought for sure i’d get crucified for it. the garlic mashed potatoes alone are worth it for me.

Craftsman is GREAT. Am I the only person who thinks Town Talk is wildly overrated? Food’s good, but the acoustics in there are bad. You will never be able to converse with your group above the terrible din. 128 Cafe on Cleveland (in St. Paul) is also very good.

garlic mashed potatoes

Amen to that! With that giant dollop of butter in the middle. Mmmmm. :9

I also like Buca for groups… but your Chicago family may have already been there.

It is a locally-based chain. And remember: Lots of local people work at chains. It’s not an evil thing to support good businesses, chains or otherwise.

Mmmmm… Penne Arrabbiata!

g rote:
1) “Not too horribly expensive” means not all entrees over 25, or only prix fixe’s.
2) Yes, multi-generational.
3) They are pretty much north-side suburbanites (lake forest), but not without some city sensibility. Except for the veggie, who like me, has been all over.

To all the buca lovers, I wouldn’t mind it so much, but actually there is a buca in chicago and my family HATES it. Go figure. It does have a certain theme park-like quality (similar to the “lettuce entertain you” chain) that could possibly feel a bit soulless. The garlic mashed potatoes might make up for that somewhat.

In any case, thank you all SO MUCH for your great suggestions. I have successfully made a reservation for 10 at the Craftsman!

Locally owned, locally sourced (when possible) ingredients, a variety of prices, and, perhaps most importantly, a FULL BAR.

Please do avoid chains. And yes, Buca is completely uninteresting and I cringe any time anyone suggests going there. Maybe it’s just us Chicago folks? Also, as much as I love Mancini’s, it’s not some place I’d take people that already have access to great steakhouses. Town Talk I also love but agree the noise level is deafening.

If the weather is nice, the idea of outdoor dining is lovely. Forepaugh’s does have a nice outdoor dining area, and also Irvine Park is charming. Babary Fig has an interesting menu, and also nice outdoor seating. Maybe Muffaletta? Just a few StP ideas. My vote, as far as originality and not something I’d see in spades (like chain restaurants with mediocre Italian food or excellent steakhouses) in Chicago would be Barbary Fig. Just some thoughts off the top of my head…

Great choice.

Congratulations!

In St. Paul, try the Barbary Fig on Grand Ave. Either upstairs in the restaurant or outside on their deck, you’ll dine on some very tasty Moroccan cuisine. Be sure to say hello to “Haj” the chef and owner.
In Minneapolis, check out the 421 Cafe in Dinkytown. Don’t miss their steamed mussels appetizer. And if you enjoy red wine, try their Skouras.

You’re graduating from law school, so you probably are already drowning in debt, splurge imho and go where you want.

I do find it interesting that just scanning through the comments I do not see a single D’amico establishment. How the times have changed.

No wonder you people all have to rent crappy apartments. You spend all your money eating out.

Goody. It’s nice to know we can all go out for a meal without having maza crabby pants around. And congrats, bee, on your graduation!

did i mention the craftsman?

did i mention the craftsman?

i was just thinking that…

Who rents?

Craftsman is an excellent choice. Off topic, did anyone see that Willie’s Wine Bar closed? Another bummer for that area.