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At his Warehouse District people magnet, chef/owner Isaac Becker does beautiful work with such high-brow fare as sea scallops with wild mushrooms and seared ahi tuna with chimichurri sauce. But don't miss his great takes on basic bar grub: the sweet-and-sour crab salad, cold cuts-pickles plate, bacon-harissa sandwich, one of the Twin Cities' best burger. Reservations a must; be sure to ask for a main-floor table. The restaurant was the Star Tribune's 2005 restaurant of the year. Becker is a 2008, 2009 and 2010 nominee for Best Chef: Midwest by the James Beard Foundation Awards.
Handicapped accessible
Outdoor seating
112 N. 3rd St.
Minneapolis, MN
612-343-7696
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Minneapolis: Warehouse District |
American, American contemporary |
$$ |
*** 1/2 |
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When co-owners Brock and Natalie Obee called it quits in June 2007 after 11 great years, server Jill Wilson stepped in and bought the place lock, stock and recipe. Cafe 128, version 2.0, is still a swell just-under-the-radar charmer. Chef Ian Pierce is a master of the restaurant's signature dish, slowly braised pork baby back ribs. Other highlights: fork-tender beef tenderloin in an exceptional red wine demi-glace; pan-roasted chicken served with creamy polenta and a robust bacon-rosemary pan sauce; tender cod cakes with energetic Thai flavors, and zesty harissa-glazed shrimp.
128 N. Cleveland Av.
St. Paul, MN
651-645-4128
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St. Paul: Summit/Grand, St. Paul: Macalester/Highland |
American, American casual, American contemporary |
$$$ |
*** |
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Minneapolis: Downtown |
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Northwest suburbs, West metro |
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Minneapolis |
American |
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Northwest suburbs, North metro |
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East suburbs |
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Minneapolis |
American, American casual |
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Walk into the lobby of the Country Inn & Suites for an eerie sense of déjà vu: Is this Indianapolis? Rockford, Ill.? Oconomowoc, Wis.? That’s what happens at these chain hotels, as they all look exactly like one another. So it's a pleasant surprise to encounter the entirely unexpected Whitney Bistro & Onyx Bar. The bar just might be the coziest place to nurse a Lemon Drop in the 952 area code, and the lovely dining room could pass for the greenhouse at the palatial residence. Chef Adam Levitt takes his cues from his convention-defying surroundings. Starters ($6 to $13) include flatbreads topped with smoked salmon and the complementary flavors of caramelized onions and roasted garlic, nicely grilled shrimp paired with guacamole, skewers of tender beef, and crispy wontons stuffed with chicken and sweet green onions. Entrees (most under $20) include a half-dozen sandwiches, a handful of salads, four pastas, beef tenderloin medallions paired with wilted spinach, juicy burgers and a pork loin with sweet potato hash. Service is perky and fast.
5120 W. American Blvd.
Bloomington, MN
952-698-4864
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Southwest suburbs, West metro |
American, American casual |
$$ |
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Downtown restaurant and bar, serving an all-American menu of sandwiches, burgers and more. During the warm-weather months, the restaurant operates a large, shaded and very popular patio.
Handicapped accessible
Outdoor seating
800 Marquette Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN
612-349-5717
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Minneapolis: Downtown |
American, American casual |
$$ |
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Southwest suburbs, West metro |
Asian, Chinese |
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St. Paul |
Middle Eastern |
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At this laid-back coffeehouse, expect to find an ambitious live-music schedule (performed in an adjacent music room), a nicely retro setting and inexpensive fare that effortlessly swings from breakfast (burritos, oatmeal, waffles) to dinner (black-bean burger, smoked trout salad, aoili/three-cheese grilled sandwich). Beyond coffee, there's an impressive beer selection (including 24 tap choices, from Bell's Oberon Ale to Frostop root beer) and more than a dozen affordable wines by the glass.
329 Cedar Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN
612-874-8702
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Minneapolis: University |
American, American casual, Coffee, Deli |
$ |
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St. Paul |
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Daron Close and chef Chris Whalen, formerly of Campiello and other D'Amico properties, have struck out on their own to open a small suburban restaurant. Acqua features a non-trendy menu of specials and entrees that unlocks the flavors lurking deep inside ingredients, whether it's a succulent, slow-braised pork shank or oven-roasted cauliflower. While I quibbled with a perfunctory thin-crust pizza and a few over-salted dishes, this place does a great job balancing the unexpected with the standard.
4453 Lake Av. S.
White Bear Lake, MN
651-407-7317
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East suburbs |
American, American casual, American contemporary |
$$$ |
*** |
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Southwest suburbs, West metro |
Ice cream |
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Minneapolis: Northeast |
Mexican |
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East suburbs |
American, American casual |
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An honest-to-god neighborhood bar and grill offering a long menu of burgers, from basics (cheeseburgers, California burgers) to exotic (black bean with lettuce and salsa, cheese with sauerkraut, turkey with tomatoes and mayo), grilled chicken, fish and chips and a dozen deep-fried bar snacks.
Outdoor seating
4812 Chicago Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN
612-824-4011
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Minneapolis |
American, American casual |
$ |
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A rare bastion of tableside preparation, with a charming
country house warmth and ambience that suggests chicken pot pie rather than steak Diane. But its ambitious menu offers not only flaming steak Diane but authentic Caesar salad and those virtually extinct flaming desserts, bananas Foster and cherries jubilee, with all the appropriate hoopla and pyrotechnics. The performances are first-rate, but the result is often not. So it goes. Times change and culinary fashions change. It's easy to get sentimental about those dishes, but the reality is that they often weren't really that good, even in their heyday. What was different? We were.
Handicapped accessible
Outdoor seating
3291 S. St. Croix Trail
Afton, MN
651-436-8883
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East suburbs |
American, American casual |
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Minneapolis: Downtown |
Asian, Chinese |
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Minneapolis: Downtown |
Asian, Chinese |
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St. Paul |
Asian, Vietnamese |
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Southwest suburbs, West metro |
Asian, Japanese |
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