Visiting Minnesota; Twin Cities and Tofte/Grand Marais

[mascarpone]

My wife and I are going to be visiting the Twin Cities as well as Tofte, MN for the July 4th weekend.

We are interested in good solid ethnic food and are not particularly interested in fancy/romantic decor, or wine lists.

We both love ethnic restaurants (Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, Eastern European, African, Carribean, etc.)and markets, and we are very interested restaurants or other food stores/markets/shops that feature local foods.

Our budget is between $40-70 a meal.

[Alex]

Alas, I've never been to the Twin Cities, but Ms. Alex, on her last visit, very much liked Babani's Kurdish Restaurant in St. Paul.

[mascarpone]

Thanks, Alex. That looks very interesting.

[BrentKulman]

Minneapolis has a large Somali population. I haven't been to any Somali restaurants but I would do some research on that topic, if that is the type of thing that appeals to you.

Not in an ethnic category, but my favorite place for breakfast in the country is located downtown: Hell's Kitchen. Love their wild rice porridge, among other things.

[baroness]

Here is another endorsement for Hell's Kitchen.

Try their house peanut butter!

For ethnic, try Emily's Lebanese -- way under your budget, little atmosphere, but good food.

Edited July 3, 2010 by baroness (log)

[mascarpone]

Today we went to Jazmine Deli (2532 Nicollet Avenue, Mpls) for a solid meal of Vietnamese Banh Minh (roast chicken and pork), Iced coffee, spring rolls. The quality of the roast meat and freshness of cilantro, pickles were good; however, I missed the the spicyness and the quantity of pickles and cilatro, as well as the freshness of the bread of Saigon Bakery.

This area, dubbed 'Eat Street,' has several ethnic prospects that we may enjoy in the next week.

We just arrived in Tofte this evening, and may try Naniboujou Lodge or Chez Jude in Grand Marais in the next few days.

Thanks again for the excellent recommendations(I did have the opportunity to go to Emily's several years ago, and it was great).

[mascarpone]

We went to Chez Jude My link and the Angry Trout My link for dinner two nights. On both evenings we chose the trout. Both were excellent.

In particular, the trout was incredibly fresh and flavorful, and the accompaniments, as well as summer Salad at Chez Jude were outstanding. The desserts (Tiramisu Cake and Rhubarb tart)were great. Very nice service as well.

I highly recommend Chez Jude for a white table cloth dinning experience on the Superior shore.

We also enjoyed Java Moose Coffee [218 W Highway 61

Grand Marais, MN 55604] and Wold's Best doughnuts My link

[jmsaul]

I'm late to the party, but I'm a regular traveler to the Twin Cities. Some of my favorites are:

Peninsula (Malaysian)

http://www.peninsulamalaysiancuisine.com/

Qoraxlow (Somali) Doesn't have a website, but I'm talking about the one on Lake St.:

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=qoraxlow+minneapolis&fb=1&gl=us&hq=qoraxlow&hnear=Minneapolis,+MN&cid=17439904221102145333

Pho Tau Bay (Vietnamese)

http://www.photaubay.us/

[P. Channon]

I was just there this past weekend, try Travil in Robbinsdale. Very good and unique. No website, no reservations, and all the chefs serve the food. But the main chefs are very experienced (one worked at Bouchon in Napa).

[MelissaH]

Is the public transportation in the Twin Cities good enough to get to most of these Twin Cities locations, from the area around the University of Minnesota campus?

MelissaH

[baroness]

Is the public transportation in the Twin Cities good enough to get to most of these Twin Cities locations, from the area around the University of Minnesota campus?

MelissaH

There is a fairly extensive bus system; also some light rail. Here's their transit website: Click Me!

[P. Channon]

Is the public transportation in the Twin Cities good enough to get to most of these Twin Cities locations, from the area around the University of Minnesota campus?

MelissaH

IMO...no, I would rent a car.