What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

Twin Cities guys, need a restaurant recomendations (1 Viewer)

Bull Dozier

Footballguy
Every year we take turns taking another couple out to dinner for each others' birthdays. My wife and my birthdays are both in may, so they take us out in May. Their birthdays are in December and February, so we take them out in January or February. We're going out tonight, and we need an idea. We were going to Hell's Kitchen, but we didn't get the day figured out until last night, and now I can't get a reservation. I'm looking for a personal recomendation for a good place. It doesn't have to be uber fancy, and can't be uber expensive, but I want to find some good food (obviously). Who has some ideas?

Here are the requirement:

-Nice but not super expensive, $15-25 entres works.

-No asian cuisine (indian, chinese, tai, etc. He's a picky eater). American, italian, mediteranean, steaks, burgers, etc or eclectic would work. Places we've taken them to have been Ingredients in White Bear, Pop in North Minneapolis, the Hideaway (?) in Stillwater.

-Something not too popular or small that I couldn't get into tonight.

Here are the preferences

-Eastern half of the Twin Cities. Both couples live in Saint Paul. He works downtown Minneapolis and has probably had every restaurant down there. We like to try new places, so nothing downtown Minneapolis (he had been to Hell's Kitchen but loved it and wanted to go back). We don't want to spend half the night in the car driving to western suburbs since we'll be getting started kind of late.

Any ideas? :popcorn:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
112 Eatery is an excellent place.

-edit- Just saw the no downtown thing. Maybe Red Stag?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
La Grolla? You've probably been there if you live in St Paul, if not it comes highly recommended.

www.lagrollastpaul.com/

 
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be looking through these.

And FBG, you'd be surprised at what I haven't been to in the Twin Cities despite having lived here my entire life. The only suggestion list so far that I've been to is the Gasthaus (though, I've never actually eaten there).

Edit, strike that. I haven't been to the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter. Was thinking of a different Gasthaus. :goodposting:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be looking through these.

And FBG, you'd be surprised at what I haven't been to in the Twin Cities despite having lived here my entire life. The only suggestion list so far that I've been to is the Gasthaus (though, I've never actually eaten there).

Edit, strike that. I haven't been to the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter. Was thinking of a different Gasthaus. :shock:
The Gasthof Zur Gemutlichkeit :confused: If you do get to the Southwest suburbs sometime, you should try Santorini's. Especially the pasta bar.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be looking through these.

And FBG, you'd be surprised at what I haven't been to in the Twin Cities despite having lived here my entire life. The only suggestion list so far that I've been to is the Gasthaus (though, I've never actually eaten there).

Edit, strike that. I haven't been to the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter. Was thinking of a different Gasthaus. ;)
The Gasthof Zur Gemutlichkeit :thumbdown: If you do get to the Southwest suburbs sometime, you should try Santorini's. Especially the pasta bar.
That place looks great too.Wow, lots to choose from here already.

Thanks guys, keep 'em coming. If nothing else, I'll keep track of this thread as my personal "to do" list for dining out in the area. :)

 
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be looking through these.

And FBG, you'd be surprised at what I haven't been to in the Twin Cities despite having lived here my entire life. The only suggestion list so far that I've been to is the Gasthaus (though, I've never actually eaten there).

Edit, strike that. I haven't been to the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter. Was thinking of a different Gasthaus. :thumbup:
Embarrassed to say it, but I too have not heard of most places mentioned here even though I've lived in the area for 6 years or so.W.A. Frost - Was treated here for my birthday once and loved it.

pazzaluna - Seems about as hip/trendy as you're gonna get in St. Paul

Happy Gnome - Fantastic and fun beer selection. I've never taken someone there who hasn't been impressed.

 
Best pizza I've had in town - Ronnally's in Woodbury.

In St. Paul, I've eaten at W.A. Frost and Forepaugh's. Both are excellent.
I actually got married at Forepaughs. I won't be back (not because of the wedding, french food isn'y my thing apparently).
W.A. Frost - Was treated here for my birthday once and loved it.

pazzaluna - Seems about as hip/trendy as you're gonna get in St. Paul

Happy Gnome - Fantastic and fun beer selection. I've never taken someone there who hasn't been impressed.
Thanks for the ideas. Heard of all three, haven't been to any of them. :goodposting:
 
Al Vento in South Minneapolis is a place I frequently visit. Terrific and friendly service staff with reasonably priced Italian fare.

http://www.alventorestaurant.com/

If you hadn't put the kibosh on Minneapolis I'd send you to Bar La Grassa for a really great dinner. The soft eggs with lobster meat is superb and the gnocci with cauliflower and orange can't be beat. Highly recommended.

http://www.barlagrassa.com/

 
Huge fan of W.A. Frost and Nye's Polanaise (where Pickles stood me up actually).

La Grolla is quite good. For Italian there's that place right in downtown St. Paul that is amazing but the name totally slips my mind right now.

 
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be looking through these.

And FBG, you'd be surprised at what I haven't been to in the Twin Cities despite having lived here my entire life. The only suggestion list so far that I've been to is the Gasthaus (though, I've never actually eaten there).

Edit, strike that. I haven't been to the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter. Was thinking of a different Gasthaus. :bag:
Embarrassed to say it, but I too have not heard of most places mentioned here even though I've lived in the area for 6 years or so.W.A. Frost - Was treated here for my birthday once and loved it.

pazzaluna - Seems about as hip/trendy as you're gonna get in St. Paul

Happy Gnome - Fantastic and fun beer selection. I've never taken someone there who hasn't been impressed.
:) :thumbup: :goodposting: Should have read through the thread. Pazzaluna is the Italian place I just mentioned but forgot the name. Gnome is incredibly for beer selection. Can't go wrong with any of these - if you have beer drinkers in the group go to Gnome for sure. Definitely my favorite place to grab dinner with my dad and uncles and stuff. W.A. Frost and Luna are a little bit on the romantic side (but still great for any occasion).

I'm missing the TCs right now!

 
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be looking through these.And FBG, you'd be surprised at what I haven't been to in the Twin Cities despite having lived here my entire life. The only suggestion list so far that I've been to is the Gasthaus (though, I've never actually eaten there).Edit, strike that. I haven't been to the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter. Was thinking of a different Gasthaus. :bag:
Ah the boot... such memories... Ran my first "Game tricks" I learned in the FFA there.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Haven't lived in the Twin Cities fora 6 years now, but when I was there (in college) we liked Chino Latino. Kinda kitchy but IIRC they have this weird 2-way mirror setup in the bathrooms where you can see the women's sinks when you wash your hands and visa verse.

 
Haven't lived in the Twin Cities fora 6 years now, but when I was there (in college) we liked Chino Latino. Kinda kitchy but IIRC they have this weird 2-way mirror setup in the bathrooms where you can see the women's sinks when you wash your hands and visa verse.
Cool place but that's uptown - I don't think he wants to go that far.
 
Looks like Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter is the winner right now if we can get in. I like the uniqueness of it. Thanks for the idea, Andy. :thumbup:

Thanks for all the ideas everyone. Keep 'em coming. I'm making a to-do list. I gotta get out of the chain restaurant fallback habit.

 
Matthias said:
Haven't lived in the Twin Cities fora 6 years now, but when I was there (in college) we liked Chino Latino. Kinda kitchy but IIRC they have this weird 2-way mirror setup in the bathrooms where you can see the women's sinks when you wash your hands and visa verse.
No offense but I always found Chino Latino overpriced and overrated.
Yea, I would tend to agree. I loved the food there but it is a bit of a theme-type place. It does have a lot of lookers there though.
 
Matthias said:
Looks like Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter is the winner right now if we can get in. I like the uniqueness of it. Thanks for the idea, Andy. :lmao:
I've never been to Germany, but I have a friend that has and he says it feels just like it in there.
I don't know if I'd go that far but it is a fun place.And remember: when polishing off a boot, the toe should be going sideways, not up. YWIA.
Well, as much as you can being in Minnesota anyway.
 
Reason 74,268 why FBGs is better than Facebook:

My wife posted essentially the same message last night. One of her suggestions she received was: "if you liked Ciatti's, try Chianti Grill, it's run by the same people." :rolleyes:

 
Reason 74,268 why FBGs is better than Facebook:My wife posted essentially the same message last night. One of her suggestions she received was: "if you liked Ciatti's, try Chianti Grill, it's run by the same people." :)
:rolleyes: Girls love those places for some reason. Although I do actually like Biaggi's.
 
Here are the requirement:

-Nice but not super expensive, $15-25 entres works.

-No asian cuisine (indian, chinese, tai, etc. He's a picky eater). American, italian, mediteranean, steaks, burgers, etc or eclectic would work. Places we've taken them to have been Ingredients in White Bear, Pop in North Minneapolis, the Hideaway (?) in Stillwater.

-Something not too popular or small that I couldn't get into tonight.

Here are the preferences

-Eastern half of the Twin Cities. Both couples live in Saint Paul. He works downtown Minneapolis and has probably had every restaurant down there. We like to try new places, so nothing downtown Minneapolis (he had been to Hell's Kitchen but loved it and wanted to go back). We don't want to spend half the night in the car driving to western suburbs since we'll be getting started kind of late.

Any ideas? :confused:
The Strip Club in east St. Paul. It's on the high end of your entree price list; great hanger steakPunch in Highland Park. Neapolitan pizza, appetizers, salads, beer/wine.

Christos in Union Depot St. Paul. Greek. Good sampler plates if you like to try a lot of different things.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I would recommend Red Stone, but that may be too far away for you guys.

I hear a lot of people like Keys Cafe...
Keys is pretty lame. Its an OK breakfast place, but nothing much else to offer.I mentioned it earlier up in the thread, but Red Stag Supper Club, across the river in NE Minneapolis is a neat place.
:popcorn: Keys is purely a breakfast place. But if you go, say hi to my former roommate who serves there.
I went there once and didn't understand what the big deal was. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who didn't care for it...
 
Here are the requirement:

-Nice but not super expensive, $15-25 entres works.

-No asian cuisine (indian, chinese, tai, etc. He's a picky eater). American, italian, mediteranean, steaks, burgers, etc or eclectic would work. Places we've taken them to have been Ingredients in White Bear, Pop in North Minneapolis, the Hideaway (?) in Stillwater.

-Something not too popular or small that I couldn't get into tonight.

Here are the preferences

-Eastern half of the Twin Cities. Both couples live in Saint Paul. He works downtown Minneapolis and has probably had every restaurant down there. We like to try new places, so nothing downtown Minneapolis (he had been to Hell's Kitchen but loved it and wanted to go back). We don't want to spend half the night in the car driving to western suburbs since we'll be getting started kind of late.

Any ideas? :thumbup:
The Strip Club in east St. Paul. It's on the high end of your entree price list; great hanger steakPunch in Highland Park. Neapolitan pizza, appetizers, salads, beer/wine.

Christos in Union Depot St. Paul. Greek. Good sampler plates if you like to try a lot of different things.
Punch is good.
 
I would recommend Red Stone, but that may be too far away for you guys.

I hear a lot of people like Keys Cafe...
Keys is pretty lame. Its an OK breakfast place, but nothing much else to offer.I mentioned it earlier up in the thread, but Red Stag Supper Club, across the river in NE Minneapolis is a neat place.
:bag: Keys is purely a breakfast place. But if you go, say hi to my former roommate who serves there.
I went there once and didn't understand what the big deal was. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who didn't care for it...
I'm not sure which Keys you're talking about, because I think there are a few around. I've been to the one in the Roseville area, and didn't think it was much better than a Perkins. :shrug:
 
I would recommend Red Stone, but that may be too far away for you guys.

I hear a lot of people like Keys Cafe...
Keys is pretty lame. Its an OK breakfast place, but nothing much else to offer.I mentioned it earlier up in the thread, but Red Stag Supper Club, across the river in NE Minneapolis is a neat place.
:( Keys is purely a breakfast place. But if you go, say hi to my former roommate who serves there.
I went there once and didn't understand what the big deal was. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who didn't care for it...
I'm not sure which Keys you're talking about, because I think there are a few around. I've been to the one in the Roseville area, and didn't think it was much better than a Perkins. :lmao:
I can't remember where, it was around 5 years ago. At the time we were meeting some friends of my wife there. They were all going on and on about how great the place was. Then we get there and I had to carry our baby a ways out in the cold because the parking was pretty bad. Then I ended up holding him most of the time while he was crying in the crowded restaurant because the ladies were all catching up. And then it was like a cafeateria line :angry: We were scrunched into our seats and none of the others seemed to care that our son was pretty uncomfortable.I had to climb up the stairs to get a table, then back down and up them to get a tray of mediocre food. When I sit down one of my wife's friends said, "You didn't get dessert? That's the best part of this place!" And I was thinking, "How the <blank> was I supposed to know that?"

But others seemed to like it so I thought I'd suggest it, in case it was just me...

 
Donatelli's.

Not fancy, and might be tough to get in, but the food is absolutely fantastic.
Donatelli's is a good call in White Bear - my wife loves that place. For Italian in St. Paul I prefer Yarusso's. It's as old school as it gets but the food is fantastic. They play the Godfather movies on a continuous loop behind the bar.
Yarusso's is awesome. Whoever mentioned Chino Latino should be publicly flogged.
 
Here's my annual bump of my thread begging for ideas. Here's my original post, updated:

Every year we take turns taking another couple out to dinner for each others' birthdays. My wife and my birthdays are both in May, so they take us out in May. Their birthdays are in December and February, so we take them out in January or February (March this year). We're going out this Saturday, and we need an idea. I'm looking for a personal recommendation for a good place. It doesn't have to be uber fancy, and can't be uber expensive, but I want to find some good food (obviously). Who has some ideas?Here are the requirements:-Nice but not super expensive, $15-25 entres works.-No asian cuisine (indian, chinese, tai, etc. He's a picky eater). American, italian, mediteranean, steaks, burgers, etc or eclectic would work. Places we've taken them to have been Ingredients in White Bear, Pop in North Minneapolis, the Hideaway (?) in Stillwater, Strip Club in St. Paul, Black Sheep Pizza in St. Paul.-Something not too popular or small that I couldn't get into St. Patrick’s Day.Here are the preferences-Eastern half of the Twin Cities. Both couples live in Saint Paul. He works downtown Minneapolis and has probably had every restaurant down there. We like to try new places, so nothing downtown Minneapolis (he had been to Hell's Kitchen but loved it and wanted to go back). We don't want to spend half the night in the car driving to western suburbs since we'll be getting started kind of late.
Here are the ideas from the thread that are currently up for consideration:Hell's Kitchen (intended to go last year, but couldn't get in on short notice, doubtful option for St. Patty's DayLa GrollaRed StagNicollet Island InnJax CafeSantoriniRonnallysWA FrostHappy GnomeNyes PolonaiseRed Stone GrillPunch PizzaYarusso'sAny other ideas, or yes/no votes on the above?Thanks!
 
I was at the Saint Paul Grill a couple months back and really liked it. The hash browns were :moneybag:

Forepaugh's was also an nice place to eat, more for the ambiance than the food (but the latter was still good).

 
I was at the Saint Paul Grill a couple months back and really liked it. The hash browns were :moneybag:Forepaugh's was also an nice place to eat, more for the ambiance than the food (but the latter was still good).
Where is the Saint Paul Grill? That name is familiar to me, but I can't place it. Did they used to have one in the Mall of America?I got married at Forepaugh's. Didn't care for french food. Won't be going back.Keep 'em coming. :thumbup:
 
I was at the Saint Paul Grill a couple months back and really liked it. The hash browns were :moneybag:

Forepaugh's was also an nice place to eat, more for the ambiance than the food (but the latter was still good).
Where is the Saint Paul Grill? That name is familiar to me, but I can't place it. Did they used to have one in the Mall of America?I got married at Forepaugh's. Didn't care for french food. Won't be going back.

Keep 'em coming. :thumbup:
Saint Paul Grill is right in the Saint Paul Hotel. Kincaids is good.

The best pizza in all of MSP is Ronnally's in Woodbury.

 
I was at the Saint Paul Grill a couple months back and really liked it. The hash browns were :moneybag:

Forepaugh's was also an nice place to eat, more for the ambiance than the food (but the latter was still good).
Where is the Saint Paul Grill? That name is familiar to me, but I can't place it. Did they used to have one in the Mall of America?I got married at Forepaugh's. Didn't care for french food. Won't be going back.

Keep 'em coming. :thumbup:
Saint Paul Grill is right in the Saint Paul Hotel. Kincaids is good.

The best pizza in all of MSP is Ronnally's in Woodbury.
Saint Paul Grill - duh, should have known that. Been there, as well as Kincaids. Kincaids is probably my favorite Twin Cities restaraunt.Have you been to Black Sheep Pizza? We went there last year, and it was great. Ronally's is better?

 
Have you been to Black Sheep Pizza? We went there last year, and it was great. Ronally's is better?
Haven't been to Black Sheep. Will have to check that out.Ronnaly's is the best I've had. I think MSP is surprisingly terrible for pizza places. There's a place for the Hometown's and Mansetti's of the world, but they're not really "pizza places."
 
Where did you end up going last year?

My only addition this year would be Sunset's in Woodbury...classy/casual with a nice beer selection and a pretty nice menu in your price range. Have gotten fantastic service every time I've been in there and have yet to be disappointed with a meal.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I was at the Saint Paul Grill a couple months back and really liked it. The hash browns were :moneybag:Forepaugh's was also an nice place to eat, more for the ambiance than the food (but the latter was still good).
A fantastic place to eat for sure...but unless they both want salads it's well above the price point. A steak is $35-$55...and doesn't come with sides. Best steak I've ever had that didn't come off my own grill though.
 
'jason12vb said:
Where did you end up going last year?

My only addition this year would be Sunset's in Woodbury...classy/casual with a nice beer selection and a pretty nice menu in your price range. Have gotten fantastic service every time I've been in there and have yet to be disappointed with a meal.
We ended up going to Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter last year based on AD's recomendation. Food was good, but the atmosphere was a little weird. There ended up being a decent snowfall the night we went out, and if I remember correctly, there were three other tables occupied in the entire restaraunt. Also, it turns out the other couple had been there multiple times, so the uniqueness I was going for was missed on.Right now we're leaning towards the Happy Gnome (I know the guy would dig it, he's a big beer drinking, but that also means I suspect he's been there) and the Red Stone Grill (a little more than I would prefer to spend, but it's not bad). We're actually going to see if they've been to either place this time instead of assuming we found something unique.

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top