Joseph L. wrote: > I'm going to be in Minneapolis/St. Paul area for a week and I'm >looking for any recommendations for good restaurants. Figlio is the best Italian brasserie/bistro type place in the Twin Cities that I've been to. It's in the big shopping center on the corner of Lake and Hennepin(sp?) in Uptown (Minneapolis). On the other hand, avoid Ciatti's at all costs. It's some of the worst Italian food I've had anywhere in the world. For thin pizza, I like Leaning Tower on 24th and Lyndale, also in Minneapolis. Dan
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis/St. Paul Restaurants
Daniel K. wrote: >From: [email removed] (Daniel Katz) >Subject: Re: Minneapolis/St. Paul Restaurants >Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 18:10:57 GMT >Joseph L. wrote: >> I'm going to be in Minneapolis/St. Paul area for a week and I'm >>looking for any recommendations for good restaurants. >Figlio is the best Italian brasserie/bistro type place in the Twin Cities >that I've been to. It's in the big shopping center on the corner of Lake >and Hennepin(sp?) in Uptown (Minneapolis). >On the other hand, avoid Ciatti's at all costs. It's some of the worst >Italian food I've had anywhere in the world. Another thumbs up for Figlio's (it's at Calhoun Square) and thumbs down to Ciatti's. If you aren't grossed out by the Mall of America, aka t The MegaMall aka the SmegmaMall, there's a good italian place there called "Tutti [something-or-other]". Also, the food critic in the Tribune gave the Mall's "California Cafe" an unusually high rating in the paper this morning. DaveMac --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ronald Reagan has held the two most demeaning jobs in the country - President of the United States and radio broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs. - George Will ------------------------------+-----------------------+-------------------- mail: [email removed] | flames: alt.good.news | Opinions=mine alone ------------------------------+-----------------------+--------------------
David M. wrote: >If you aren't grossed out by the Mall of America, aka t The >MegaMall aka the SmegmaMall, there's a good italian place there called >"Tutti [something-or-other]". It's Tucci Benuc(sp?), it's owned by Lettuce Entertain You from Chicago, and while it's not bad and beats Ciatti's by a mile, it's not as good as Figlio. Dan
>>> I'm going to be in Minneapolis/St. Paul area for a week and I'm >>>looking for any recommendations for good restaurants. > >>Figlio is the best Italian brasserie/bistro type place in the Twin Cities >>that I've been to. It's in the big shopping center on the corner of Lake >>and Hennepin(sp?) in Uptown (Minneapolis). > >>On the other hand, avoid Ciatti's at all costs. It's some of the worst >>Italian food I've had anywhere in the world. Figlio has its merits, but offers a loud, crass environment. Go there if you enjoy shouting, or do not think your dining partners will have much of value to say, and like good (though a bit new fangled) food. Ristorante Luci, in St. Paul near St. Catherine's college, has the best Italian food in the greater Twin Cities area. They make their own mozzerella, e.g. A tad more formal than Figlio, but the same price range. Smaller beer list, better wine list. In Minneapolis, try an Italian bistro called Giorgio (sp?), on Hennepin and about 25th. If you must check out the hopping places, than go to Figlio already, but be forewarned that you'll find pretentious undergraduates dressed in black, smoking clove cigarettes, and speaking bad French. Also, bear in mind that the homemade pizza at Figlio is on a dough that resembles Naan. The best untraditional pizza in the Twin Cities is at Table of Contents, in the Hungry Mind bookstore, near Macalaster College (roughly 1600 block of Grand Avenue, St. Paul). Nifty wafer crust pizzas, not too pricey. For deep dish, try Edwardo's (of Chicago) in Minneapolis. Do not eat Chinese food in the Twin Cities. Gelatinous sauces are the norm, and the most common fried wanton is filled (no kidding) with cream cheese. Hunan does not exist here, at least not outside people's homes. By contrast, eat lots of Thai and Vietnamese. Oh, yes, the sushi is good in all the Japanese places in town. For yuppie food, I'd recommend the Times Bar and Grill, on about 11th and Nicollet. They do a wonderful grilled eggplant with goat cheese, and have live jazz nightly, with no cover. The Dakota Bar and Grill, in Bandana Square, St. Paul, also has live jazz. The acts they get are quite good; covers can go up to $15, usually worth it. Their food is gourmet midwestern; i.e., they design their food so as to use local ingredients. But it ain't cheap. Tejas, in downtown Minneapolis, is quite the worthwhile southwestern place, and not too pricey. The best deal in the area is Cafe Latte, on Grand Avenue, in St. Paul: cafeteria style, fancy-schmancy salads, coffees, confections. Similar to Le Bus in Philadelphia, but more upscale. --Jack Stecher [email removed]
>Joseph L. wrote: >> I'm going to be in Minneapolis/St. Paul area for a week and I'm >>looking for any recommendations for good restaurants. And... Jack S. wrote: >In Minneapolis, try an Italian bistro called Giorgio (sp?), on Hennepin >and about 25th. If you must check out the hopping places, than go >to Figlio already, but be forewarned that you'll find pretentious >undergraduates dressed in black, smoking clove cigarettes, and speaking >bad French. I disagree! I think that Giorgio's has much better food than Ristorante Luci, and with much less pretension in the kitchen. But it does, unfortunately, tend to attract some pretentious customers. (But it also attracts me, the antithesis of a clove-smoking undergraduate. And my French is rather good, if I do say so myself! :-) My advice is to aim for a slow night (like Monday), arrive at 5:00 or 5:30, and sit in the far room; Giorgio's is a charming place then! I agree whole-heartedly with your recommendation of Table of Contents, Thai food, and The Dakota Bar and Grill. The *best* Japanese restaurant (sushi-wise, at least) is Origami, in downtown Mpls, but I'm quite partial to Sakura, which is in Galtier Plaze in downtown St.Paul. >Do not eat Chinese food in the Twin Cities. Gelatinous sauces are the >norm, and the most common fried wanton is filled (no kidding) with >cream cheese. Hunan does not exist here, at least not outside people's >homes. Au contraire! Luckily, there are a few good Chinese restaurants here. (Although this *is* the home of the General-Mills-owned "Leann Chin" chain.) Try one of the following places, and see if you're not pleased. (None of them serve those beastly little cream-cheese-stuffed wontons!) My Le Hoa 2900 Rice St., Little Canada -- (612) 484-5353 Has dim sum on Saturdays and Sundays Rainbow Chinese Restaurant 2750 Nicollet Av, Mpls -- (612) 871-2630 Shuang Cheng 1320 4th Street SE, Mpls -- (612) 378-0208 Specializes in fresh seafood; usually crowded Village Wok 610 Washington Av. SE, Mpls -- (612) 331-9041 Called "most authentic Chinese in Twin Cities" Yangtse 5625 Wayzata Blvd, St.Louis Park -- (612) 541-9469 Has dim sum on Saturdays and Sundays There's even some REAL Mexican restaurants, although most people don't know about them. They're all near downtown St. Paul. None are fancy. El Amanecer, Juanita's, and La Cazuela are all in the 200 block of Concord Street, and T.Garcia's is just around the corner. And don't miss "Cora's Filipino Fast Food" when you're in the neighborhood! We also have a marvelous selection of Vietnamese restaurants, although most of them wimp out and offer only Chinese food on the menu (it's what the customers know...). My current favorite places are The Bona and Thanh Quan, both near Washington & University Ave in Mpls, and Mai Village, at 422 University Ave in St. Paul. (Try the 7-course Bo dinner!) Other good places are Pho Xe Lua (Lake St, Mpls.), Hoa Bien (University Av, St.Paul), To Chao (ditto), and Trieu Chau (ditto). Heck, just drive up University Avenue from downtown St. Paul and stop anywhere! Steak restaurants abound; my collegues rave about Lindy's, but I'm quite fond of Jax, as much for the atmosphere as for the food (which is very, very good, but a bit stodgy. Which is why I like it.) And some more restaurants to try, if you're in the mood for cheap and flavorful ethnic food, as I often am. Caspian Bistro 2418 University Av SE, Mpls. -- 623-1113 Persian; amazingly cheap prices for great food. I hestitate to advertise this one for fear it will get too crowded! Delites of India 1123 W. Lake St, Mpls -- 823-2866 Vegetarian Punjabi food in a casual, family-run restaurant. Emily's Lebanese Deli 641 University Av. NE, Mpls -- 379-4069 Also the best Lebanese food in town; very different style than The Port (very casual). Khyber Pass 1399 St. Clair Av, St.Paul -- 698-5403 Afghani food, casual, inexpensive, and yummy. Odaa Ethiopian Restaurant 408 Cedar Av, Mpls -- 338-4459 Wonderful Ethiopian/Eritrean food near the U of M West Bank campus. (There are *three*) Ethiopian restaurants within one block!) Port of Beirut 1385 S. Robert St, West St.Paul -- 457-4886 Best Lebanese food in town; try the garlic sauce! Try also for a night when Cassandra is performing "danse orientale". Signature Cafe 130 Warwick St, Mpls (1 block S of Franklin) -- 378-0237 Small Egyptian/"continental" restaurant tucked away in a cozy neighborhood, near the intersection of Franklin and Hwy 280. Good food at an amazingly low price. (Try the fresh fish.) Enjoy your week here, Joseph. I hope you don't get snowed in! Anne