Twin Cities Area Restaurants

[betsygee]

Hi:

Thought I'd start a topic to check back with regarding notes on various TC area restaurants. It's hard to weed through the Chicago posts all the time as I miss those options significantly!

So ... to start ...

anyone familiar with Nochee for their food? I've heard the atmosphere is fun, but worth it for dinner, too?

Thanks!

[pansophia]

I haven't been to Nochee for dinner but I quite liked their lunch menu last spring. The create-your-own noodle dish was fun.

Also in that neighborhood is the new Spoonriver from Brenda Langton of Cafe Brenda. It's small and trendy and the food is good but I've had bad luck with service. I like the food, but nothing on the menu makes me dream about going back.

Cue is at the new Guthrie, pricy but yummy. The key to Cue is booking a time just as or after the plays start, the place empties out. The dessert I had there may be the first time I challenged chocolate, and the chocolate won. It was so rich and delicious that I simply could not finish it.

Wasabi on Washington is a great new sushi place. We went there for a work event and had the full tapanaki (sp?) spread and a ton of sushi. I would give more detail but the boss kept buying sake so I don't remember much, just that I can't wait to go back.

I work in that area and like to convince myself that eating at all the new joints is required to make myself a better sales person!

[MikeM]

We took my mother-in-law out to Oceanaire for her birthday on Saturday night. The food was great. We were all very pleased with our selections. I have never had a problem with the quality of Oceanaire's food. However, I am concerned about Oceanaire's service. First, we were not seated at our reservation time and waited over 30 minutes for a table. I guess this is better than my last visit in which we waited for our table 1 hour subsequent to our reservation time. Second, the restaurant seems to be a mad house. There was absolutely no where for us to wait for our table in the restaurant despite its large size. I estimate there were 50 people waiting outside the restaurant, 20 people waiting at in the entrance of the restaurant and the bar - well the bar was so packed I couldn't actually see a bar or the bartender or a drink for that matter. Third, we ordered a crabcake appetizer and a bowl of clam chowder. It seems that they forgot the apps because after waiting what seemed like 20 minutes or so, they served our apps and then 2 minutes later served our meals.(the server was extremely professional and comp'd our apps). In my opinion, this overall service is inexcusable at a restaurant like Oceanaire.

I presume they overbook their reservations, but has anyone else experienced this? If so, does it bother you? (or am I just an impatient ass? )

[BRM]

In my opinion, this overall service is inexcusable at a restaurant like Oceanaire. 

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I have to say that I just do not get Oceanaire. Every time I have been there the service has been poor, even when there are less people that it sounds like when you were there. The portions are so large, I don't know how any single person could eat one. There are a lot of other places that have very fresh seafood and the preparations are far more interesting. Ok, end of rant.

It gets a lot of business from the convention crowd. There may have been one in town the night you went, hence the crush.

[betsygee]

Hi Everyone: I started this post and have fallen off the wagon in checking back! Sorry to hear about Oceanaire, but yeah, to me it's always felt like a 'better for a one-time, big-bang, big-buck' visitor. I never did get to Nochee that night ... but ended up at Babalu instead, where I've now gone twice. I like that place! even though the service is 'iffy'. You have to like LOUD but the food in general is always right on. Five of us met for my niece's 31st birthday and had a blast between the mojitos and the wine list and the amazing appetizers. We ordered 3 main courses and about 6 of the appetizers and honestly, could have fed about 12 people. Crazy! The black beans rock (as they should) and the speciality dishes were all good ... shredded pork assemblies, the fish options, the 'stew' options ... whoa. Great for the price and the music/atmosphere. And it's nice to have something that different in Minnie (in my opinion).

I've also been adoring the burgers at Joe's Garage lately! Honestly, they're the best I've had (except for the Fugaisse burger) for over a year ... the 'rueben burger' is my fave with that great lil' 'kraut sauce on top. YUM.

In NE, I'm still diggin the fish-n-chips at Whitey's; and lunch at Fugaisse (for whatever reason, I always have a better experience at lunch there). Fugaisse, actually, is EPIC. Really ... absolutely ever morsel I've had there is perfect and tasteful and artful and different (but oolala, the art on the wall hurts me). The Sample Room has a better wine list finally ... so I get there about once/month now again and although I can't deal with eating at Nye's anymore ... their drinks still rock my world.

That's it for now ... I have GOT to get to Alma!

[Davydd]

Besygee, Since you brought up burgers I guess I can interject my level into the discussion here. I pursue pork tenderloin sandwiches throughout the country but being Twin Cities based I've sampled them in over 19 Twin Cities restaurants. Pictures and comments are in my websites. I am always looking for new suggestions.

[youngchef]

What? Burgers and no talk of the cobb burger at the Dakota if you haven't tried it you all need to get there and have one for lunch

YC