Bill Roehl » Bars and Pubs

Junior’s Sports Cafe: Burnsville, MN

Bill — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:30:30 +0000

In the space which once held several different restaurants, Junior’s Cafe & Grill of Eagan will be opening a bar/restaurant in the location which once held the failed Applewood Rustic Grille. While many people know that I highly recommend Junior’s to anyone looking for a meal in Eagan, I honestly have to wonder how that location will translate to a much larger location with an alcohol component.

According to this interview with Thisweek, the owner of Junior’s isn’t at all concerned with the larger venue but knows that his usual crowd at the Eagan location are those coming for breakfast and now has to court a later group. Based on my prior experience with bars, as long as you serve great food all day long and even into the evening hours as well as offer late night happy hours you’re going to get the people into the door. The problem isn’t the alcohol, it’s always the food.

Now there is one thing which has been mentioned before and is false. From the article:

In March’s Minnesota Monthly magazine, WCCO-TV reporter Jason DeRusha ranked Junior’s Cafe and Grill seventh on his top-10 list of Twin Cities breakfast spots.

I have some background to provide on this statement. First, according to Jason DeRusha himself, this list was not ranked and while the Minnesota Monthly article makes it seem like they are the 10 best breakfast spots in the Metro, it’s not necessarily so. Second, I am the reason why he went to Junior’s but I also recommended other restaurants including Jensen’s Cafe in Burnsville (which I personally feel is just as good but in a different way which doesn’t translate well to comparative review). Third, as of today I feel that Galaxie Diner in Apple Valley serves the best breakfast in the South Metro for any number of reasons.

I can’t find the other article which I originally read back on July 20th that mentions Junior’s belief that they were 7th on DeRusha’s unranked list but it’s out there somewhere (if you have the URL please post it below and you get a cookie). I just want this nonsense to end. They’re not 7th and they’re possibly not even in the top three for the South Metro. Let’s hope Thisweek does a little better journalism next time.

So what do you think about Junior’s plan to open a bar/restaurant where Applewood Rustric Grille was before? Do you believe that the location is cursed (prior to Papa T’s there were also at least two different pizza places there) or was it just poor management/food which led to the others’ demise? Do you think that Junior’s will be able to adequately handle the much larger space and do so late into the evening? Are you going to be one of the first ones through the door to try the new concept? Will there ever be a point when there are just too many sports bars in the South Metro? Whatever you have to say about Junior’s Sports Cafe in Burnsville go ahead and comment on!

Fireside Pizza: Rosemount, MN

Bill — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:30:58 +0000

Yesterday, after completion of our 3300+ mile road trip to South Carolina and back, we arrived much later than expected (original ETA was 9:30 AM and we didn’t get home until 3:30 PM due to roadside sleeping) to a house completely devoid of food. After running to Northfield to pickup the dog, my wife informed me that I was to “get something yummy for dinner” on the way home. With Satay2Go closed on Sundays I had to find something else and fast. I remembered that Fireside Pizza had recently opened another store in Rosemount and that they had a variation of my wife’s favorite pizza, chicken ranch, so I called and ordered their’s.

Fireside Pizza is located next to a privately owned skating rink in a strip mall in Rosemount. While I was only picking the pizza up and didn’t have a lot of time to spend inside, it was clear to me that they were looking to achieve the “South Metro Carbone’s Knockoff Award” as I seriously could have been standing in any of the local Carbone’s instead. There’s a bar, with glass windows overlooking the dark and empty skating rink, a good number of tables, and some fireplaces and stone facade. Plenty of people were inside eating and drinking so I guess it’s already a popular new Rosemount establishment.

When I placed my order, without the help of their menu and only my vague memory, I was trying to get the creation as close to the original chicken ranch pizza as possible so I went without bacon but it is described as, “prepared on our homemade thin crust and lightly covered with our specially seasoned ranch sauce. Then portions of buffalo chicken and back (sic) are added and topped with fresh mozzarella cheese.” I decided on a large and got set back $17.49 (+tax) but they have a smaller portion priced at $14.99 as well.

The pizza was unremarkable to see. The crust reminded me of a store bought thin crust and was so cracker thin at the edges that it was crumbling as I picked it up. The burnt edges turned me off but I continued on. The pizza itself was fine. While I wasn’t terribly impressed overall, I have to admit that the buffalo sauce did carry a significant kick and I wasn’t inclined to add more Frank’s as I normally do (although I wouldn’t have been able to as we don’t have any in the fridge yet). While I was more or less, “meh,” about the whole pizza, my wife thought it was very good although I’m not sure $17.49 for two people left hungry is Budget Nazi approved.

Overall the Buffalo Chicken Ranch pizza at Fireside Pizza in Rosemount was good enough although priced about $5.00 more than I would have liked to pay for the size we received. Next time I plan to ask for a different crust, if possible and avoid the party-cut. With my wife enjoying it as she did we’ll probably be back to try it again and maybe some other of their menu items as well. That said, based solely on this pizza and the rest of their menu I don’t recommend anyone go running to this location but if you’re looking for more of the same-old same-old, have at it.

Have you been to either of Fireside Pizza’s locations? What did you think of their food? Do you agree that they should have won Minnesota Monthly’s best pizza in 2009? How about the interior? Did you think it was intended to be a Carbone’s competitor or is this just how all pizza restaurants in the suburbs are going to look from now on?

Address:
Fireside Pizza
3410 150th Street
Rosemount, MN 55068

Phone:
651-423-1822
651-423-1823

Hours:
Monday – Friday: 11 AM – Close
Saturday – Sunday: 7 AM – Close

See all the pictures from Fireside Pizza in Rosemount on Flickr .

Porter Creek Hardwood Grill: Burnsville, MN

Bill — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:41:19 +0000

Last night The Wife and I headed out to Burnsville’s long awaited and much anticipated new restaurant from the owners of the Doolittle’s chain, Porter Creek Hardwood Grill. Located off of CR-42 and in the spot which previously held a Baker’s Square, Porter Creek is a completely new building built from scratch and looks more like something you would find at a Disney theme park than Burnsville Center.

Back in October an article appeared in Thisweek which mentioned the new restaurant would, “be contemporary American with ‘California-Mediterranean influences,’” something which I honestly gagged while reading. As mentioned below this is nothing more than, “a completely meaningless piece of marketing-speak mumbo jumbo.” While Porter Creek Hardwood Grill’s website is still useless, they posted their menu sans prices on their Facebook page. I have to admit before entering the restaurant I thought their “California-Mediterranean” theme was still a load of crap.

I called at 12:30 PM on the day we were intending to go to see if I could get reservations for that evening. I was informed, ever so politely and as if the hostess was reading from a script, that they are a “first come, first serve” restaurant and I will not be needing reservations. If there is a wait the kind woman on the other end of the line suggested that I enjoy either their bar or lounges and have a cocktail before dinner. Thanks but no thanks. How about you take reservations, like most restaurants of your caliber, so that those of us who have a babysitter can know we’ll be home at a reasonable hour? That sounds like a much better idea don’t you think? Unfortunately the push for alcoholic drinks didn’t stop on the phone. It was mentioned as soon as we were seated, twice more while the waitress took our orders, and once again after dinner while we were contemplating desserts. When I said no all the other times it meant no. Yes, I realize you make your money there but this is not telemarketing 101, consider this consent. No means no. Ok?

We arrived just after 6:30 PM on a Thursday. A pretty busy time for any restaurant, especially one that just opened and especially one with such a high profile and high traffic location in the South Metro. While there were cars parked on the street, ignoring the Burnsville Police Department signs suggesting they not park there, there were plenty of spaces available in the actual lot. We walked inside and waited our turn at the hostess stand and observed plenty of open seats around the restaurant. We were quickly seated in what I considered the worst area of the restaurant–right near the front door, in the corner, and one that really reminded me of a Perkins. The rest of the restaurant was gorgeous. Lots of wood, stone, and dark but warm colors. It was a lot like Doolittle’s in Eagan but roomier–much more so. The area I liked best was right next to us and looked like a stone covered porch. Those lucky diners could almost envision themselves sitting at their cabin enjoying the view of the lake while eating dinner.

Now that we have that out of the way here is what I thought:

Restaurant:

Beautiful, aside from the Perkins area, and designed well–right down to the bathrooms. I loved being able to see the kitchen, had we been permitted to sit over there, the outdoor area, and the covered porch sections. I did not, however, care for the five or six flies buzzing around my table and landing on my food as I ate.

Service:

Friendly, knowledgeable enough for day four, and prompt. When I asked where the fish was sourced from the answer, “The Fish Guy,” got a chuckle out of my wife until I informed her that “The Fish Guys” were a real local distributer and while not Coastal, they could have done worse in that department. Our waitress was completely and totally understanding when we informed her that our child was hysterical with the babysitter and we needed to leave quickly. The sitter thanks you.

Prices:

The prices were appropriate for the portion sizes and quality of food. Porter Creek clearly understands Chianti Grill is their main competition and their menu is priced to beat them–not that I would ever suggest anything is on par with Chianti Grill except perhaps Chipotle and you all know what I think of that rat hole.

Food (the most important part):

1. We ordered the Sesame Ahi Tuna which is listed as including Japanese slaw, crispy wontons, and wasabi cream for $8.95.

The Japanese slaw was forgettable as were the crispy wontons and wasabi cream (more wasabi please) and at first I wasn’t really pleased with the ahi as the sesame overpowered it. But as I ate more the fish flavor began to win out over the sesame and by the end I enjoyed the dish. Next time I could do without the rest–just more tuna please.

2. My wife ordered the French Bone-in Pork Chop with Apricot Chutney. It was described as a 12 oz smoked prime rib of pork, apricot-ginger glaze, asparagus, and mashed potatoes. It was priced at $17.50.

The pork was delicious. It was cooked perfectly, it was juicy, it had just the right amount of char and just the right smoke taste. It went very well with the apricot-ginger glaze which was entirely too sweet to eat on its own. The asparagus was crunchy and tasty and a delight to eat. The only problem, and this extended to my dish as well, were the mashed potatoes. Surprising as it was they were over-seasoned with black pepper and while I love pepper this completely ruined the side.

I highly recommend the pork. While I was at first apprehensive about what the 12 ounce pork would look like, as you can see from the photo they are not skimping out here. This was definitely worth the $17.50 and on a future visit it will likely be what I’d choose.

3. I ordered the Salmon with Roasted Corn Sauce. Figuring that I should at least give a comparison to what I had at the inferior Chianti Grill this would be the best way to do so. Described on the menu as being served with bacon-scallion whipped potatoes, balsamic red onion marmalade, and crisp shoestring potatoes it was listed at $15.95.

The fish was cooked perfectly. Unlike my cold-in-the-middle slab at Chianti Grill, this was cooked all the way through with a slightly crisp exterior. The fish could have carried more flavor but it went nicely with the red onion marmalade. The shoestring potatoes were almost as useless as the peppery bacon-scallion potatoes which were identical to my wife’s mashed potatoes aside from a couple of fresh scallions and maybe five or six bacon bits which I couldn’t taste anyway. The roasted corn sauce tasted more like a curry to me and did little to help the dish. While it wasn’t drizzled over the fish I still don’t think it added much to the overall experience and I would have been just as happy without it.

Overall I probably wouldn’t order it again just because there are plenty of other options I could try but mainly because that pork chop was so very tasty.

Dessert:

The dessert menu is inexpensive and includes several items including flights of Scotches for $8.50. The desserts themselves went for $4.50 for all but one which was priced at $5.50. My wife ordered the Orange Marmalade Cake ($4.50) and had to have it boxed to take home. It was described as having a whiskey creme anglaise and pecans. I tasted one of the pecans and found the creme anglaise to be more like a simple syrup than what I am accustomed to and certainly much sweeter. Did they forget the egg yolks perhaps? My wife said it was ok but not something she’d order in the future.

Overall:

An excellent meal and one we’d like to have again in the future. The final bill came out to be about $59 (this included one beer, one coffee, and one dessert) and was certainly worth it.

—

Have you eaten at Porter Creek Hardwood Grill in Burnsville? If so what did you think? What was your favorite dish? Where did you get to sit? Do you agree that it is better than Chianti Grill? Whatever you have to say about Porter Creek in Burnsville go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Address:
Porter Creek Hardwood Grill
14201 Burngarten Dr
Burnsville, MN 55306

Phone:
952-698-1888

See all the photos from Porter Creek Hardwood Grill in Burnsville on Flickr here.

Is Patio Dining Worth Extra Dough?

Bill — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:30:07 +0000

Outdoor restaurant seating has exploded in Minnesota recently, for a variety of reasons, but with this explosion apparently comes a steep price to enjoy the benefits of it–at least at one Minneapolis restaurant.

According to this article over at the Star Tribune, Stella’s Fish Cafe in Uptown (sister restaurant to Molly Cool’s in Lakeville) is apparently requiring that diners wishing to get a seat on their rooftop patio must spend at least $100 each in order to guarantee them a spot there during busy times. Now, I realize that times are tough for local restaurants. The economy is suffering and thus restaurants need to find new ways to drum up business but requiring a $100 minimum to eat on a roof? You have to be kidding me!

Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon clearly put a lot of work into their recent patio addition (warning 5MB PDF) which will add 76 seats to the 250 they already had available inside. Wild Bill’s doesn’t appear to be having any problems getting people through the door, especially on Saturdays (from a recent Urbanspoon comment):

When we got there the bouncer cut us off and told us there was a waiting line to get in. We stood there and waited while 63- YES I SAID 63- people came out before they finally let us in (we were the 2nd people in line). Were they really 63 people over capacity?

But even if they weren’t located in Apple Valley and along one of the busiest and most boring county roads in the Metro and instead overlooked a lake, would you ever pay $100 just to sit out on their expensive patio? I mean Stella’s is only a bit of a step up from Wild Bill’s in quality. What would make it worthwhile to you to spend that kind of money to sit on a patio? I don’t care what you serve or how busy you can get, your outdoor seating is not worth $5 extra, let alone $100.

But what I say doesn’t mean jack as I’m far more interested in what you guys think. Would you allow yourself to be extorted to the tune of $100+ just so you could eat mediocre fish served outside–even if it was in Uptown? Do you think that this particular trend will continue or do you think it will die and die quickly? Do you see any South Metro restaurants trying this sort of thing? How long do you think it will last at Stella’s now that it’s out in the open? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Burnsville Residents and Council Hate 1200 Club

Bill — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:30:19 +0000

Last night at the Burnsville City Council meeting there were two items I was interested in. The first was the applications for Burnsville’s various commissions including what I assumed would be the BPAC Advisory Board picks and the Planning Commission picks. The second was the liquor licensing renewals which I just knew would bring up discussions about Burnsville’s problem area, the 1200 Club at Burnsville Bowl.

First up, and out of order as this happened later in the meeting, is the discussion about the various committees for which people applied to be a part. Even though time has been ticking on the BPAC Advisory Committee and the mess that the entire facility has been since the get-go, the commission picks did not include the BPAC Advisory Board, probably (and I’m only half kidding here) because the City Council needs time to avoid picking all the people I said they would due to their political and social affiliations rather than the applicants’ desirable traits. So instead of actually getting moving on this process, the City Council has delayed it another two weeks until their can make up their minds on who will protect them from the political fallout the place has created.

Second was the liquor license renewals including the 1200 Club at Burnsville Bowl. Burnsville City Staff processed all of the applications, including a new requirement that police calls be included in the consideration process, and the staff recommended all businesses looking to renew their licenses be approved. Unfortunately for the 1200 Club in Burnsville, due to the problems seen there in the last few years and especially the last few months, they were specifically targeted for further inspection by residents and the City Council.

First up to speak out against the 1200 Club was the President of the Itokah Valley Townhome Association (along with two other board members). These representatives had numerous comments including:

1. High volume of late night cars going through Riverwood Dr with speed limit violations.
2. Late night foot traffic.
3. Theft of some of residents’ property.
4. If the property changes hands they want the city to be very diligent in vetting the application of the new owners.

The City Council then began their comments on Burnsville Bowl.

Sherry:

- Doesn’t like the image it creates for the city.
- Wants all of the other businesses to be approved but the 1200 Club to be put on 6 months of probation to make certain they meet the requirements set forth by the council.

City attorney:

- Because the city does not have a 6 month licensing allowance as part of the ordnance and only issues annually they could revisit it in 6 months but could not issue only a 6 month license. If they were found in violation after 6 months the City could then begin revocation proceedings at that time.

Kautz:

- Bent over backwards for the 1200 Club property.
- Want them to prove they are good citizens but create a safe environment for the residents and businesses in the area.

Kealey:

- Believes that 6 months is too long (side discussion mentioned 3 months which Kealey agreed was acceptable and later discussion decided that the seconder of the original motion believed it was 3 months)
- History of attempts at changing but there is always trouble and problems regardless.

Chief Hawkins:

- Not the number of calls but the type of calls.
- The City Attorney said that the city has not met the threshold according to the legal side of things as to suspend the license even though the police department feels it should be done which is why the recommendation was made as it was.

Kealey:

- Wants clarification on why the threshold has not been met to suspend the license even though there have been two shootings there since January.

City Attorney:

- The licensee only has so much responsibility for the behavior of their patrons.
- The licensee themselves have not operated illegally.
- Their response to their patrons’ behavior and requirements set by the city have not been met 100% but the city is working with the licensee to get them there.

—

Basically at the end of the day what the patrons and City Council were discussing was something irrelevant. The business met the standard as defined by the law, the staff and the police department (even if there was some disagreement there) but it’s clear that the City Council continued to push and push the boundaries to get their way. While I empathize with the residents in the area, I think that the problems associated are not necessarily only because of the liquor license at the 1200 Club but instead the overall problems associated with that specific section of Burnsville.

Instead of having a discussion about ending the 1200 Club’s liquor license, the City Council and the Police Department should be having talks about how to funnel more money into police protective services to keep the incredible crime seen in that portion of town down. Perhaps if the City Councilmembers who spoke tonight were less concerned with the failures at the BPAC and more concerned with appropriately funding public safety, perhaps residents wouldn’t be beaten and robbed in the foyer of their apartment buildings and people wouldn’t be shooting each other in the parking lots of nightclubs. Seriously, if you were not considering clicking that link, please be sure to read it. Being that I used to live in the Willow Pond apartments in Burnsville that particular criminal complaint really hit home. That could have been my wife!

So what do you think about the City Council’s insistence on the 1200 Club issue. Do you think it’s right to single them out for the problems created by their clientele (which the mayor continues to take issue with seemingly first and foremost) even though the City Staff, Police Department and Attorney all admit that they have met their burden so far? How about the delays related to the BPAC Advisory Committee? Whatever you have to say about last night’s meeting go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Manitou Station: White Bear Lake, MN

Bill — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:30:40 +0000

On Friday morning I packed the Rooster into the car and headed to my prior place of employment to visit old coworkers and have lunch with my good friend Andy. We get together for lunch or happy hour a couple of times a year to catch up on all the things we can’t seem to catch up on over the Internet in the mean time. We have visited a couple of great places during these visits including Ban Thai and Margaux’s Table both in White Bear Lake. This time, even though he originally had suggested we head back to Margaux’s Table (which I was completely fine with), we headed over to a relative newcomer to the White Bear restaurant scene, Manitou Station.

Manitou Station prides itself in its “top 5 patio” (as rated by the readers of the Pioneer Press) and apparently its Scotch eggs which is proudly displays on the front of page of its website. Manitou Station is some sort of faux-Irish pub in suburbia located a few blocks off of the lake in downtown White Bear. Located on the spot of what used to be a gas station, the building both inside and out is a nice sight and I have to agree with the readers of the Pioneer Press that it definitely has a nice patio however I have to disagree with the top 5 rating.

Anyway, their lunch menu is full of typical items with your typical suburban pub fare with picks such as “Beef and Guinness Stew”, “English Fish and Chips” and plenty of expensive Guinness and Guinness related drinks on the menu. When our friendly and attentive waitress stopped by the table I asked her what her favorites were. She rattled off an option from almost every section of the menu–something I despise–but did say that she really enjoyed their Shrimp Louis. Being that we were out on the patio enjoying the beautiful weather, both of us ordered salads with me choosing the Shrimp Louis and Andy going with the Steakhouse Wedge. Knowing that they so proudly displayed their Scotch eggs on their website we figured we should try those as well.

The Scotch eggs came out first and were quite good. I have little to compare them to aside from what I have tasted at Brit’s Pub, but these were enjoyable. The mustard sauce they came with was good but didn’t match up with their menu’s offering of their own take on English HP sauce. While I didn’t notice it at the time, until I read the menu again prior to this review, this was the first of several mistakes they made in delivering what the menu offered.

Next up were our salads. They were both beautifully presented with Andy’s Steakhouse Wedge covered in bacon, a very nice bleu cheese with some decent bite, a small cup of ranch dressing (not listed on the menu), several bright and colorful tomato wedges and half a head of lettuce just begging to be cut into. While we had sticker shock from the $13 price tag attached, the salad seemed almost able to match what I would expect for $13. My Shrimp Louis salad was listed on the menu as:

Poached Coldwater Prawns with Avocado, Tomato, and Hard Cooked Egg. Drizzled with Russian Dressing. 12

As you can see from the picture above they clearly had a sliced whole avocado, a hard cooked egg, and several slices of tomato. Unfortunately they decided to deliver six tasteless shrimp instead of prawns and what appeared to be some sort of white dressing which I could not discern from the taste–it certainly wasn’t Russian and it certainly wasn’t drizzled. I’m guessing it was either watered down ranch or Caesar but I really don’t know for sure.

Now, I’m guessing that over half of Minnesotans couldn’t care less about the difference between prawns and shrimp and wouldn’t have thought twice about this problem. While I did remember reading about the prawns on the menu, when I ordered the confusing “Shrimp Louis” name clearly tricked my mind into believing that six cold and certainly bagged, frozen, tasteless and limp shrimp was acceptable. Thankfully I came to my senses only after shelling out $12 for the crappy salad which offered absolutely no flavor including after dousing it in lemon juice from the provided wedges which also shared the same fate as the rest of items before me–they were tasteless.

The worst part of this? They probably do it so often that if I, someone who is anal as all hell, didn’t notice it then no one else does either. Shame on you Manitou Station for serving a mustard sauce (which I do admit was quite good) in place of your own HP sauce and passing off crappy tiny 50 count frozen, bagged shrimp as prawns. I’m not even so upset about the missing Russian dressing because, well, I just can’t see how that would go at all with prawns or shrimp–unless they are always as tasteless as these then maybe at least you can pretend they had flavor.

Overall I won’t be back and not at all because it’s in White Bear Lake. The $37 tab for two salads, an appetizer, a water, and an iced tea ($2.50 for an iced tea, seriously?!) was really a bit much. While our tab and our meal might pass muster with the overpaid and overprivileged lakeshore owners of White Bear and their Porsche SUV driving wives, it’s not going to fly with the rest of us.

Have you ever eaten at Manitou Station in White Bear Lake? If so what did you think? What did you have from their menu? Do you agree that it’s nothing more than a faux-Irish pub? Do you feel it was overpriced? How about the prawns vs. shrimp issue. Would you have known any better? Whatever you have to say about Manitou Station in White Bear Lake go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Address:
Manitou Station
2171 4th Street
White Bear Lake, MN 55110

Phone:
651-426-2300

See all the pictures from Manitou Station on Flickr .

What’s the Next Big Thing in Local Restaurants?

Bill — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:30:52 +0000

It starts innocuously enough. One restaurant goes in and we all say, “wow, it’s great that we finally have one of those!” And then another pops in and we say, “oooh, competition!” But then there’s another and another and another and we start to wonder when it will stop. Then it starts all over again with something else…

In the last three years we’ve seen the explosion of restaurants serving sushi, especially coupled with hibachi, and then the die down with the possibility of a come back in Lakeville following the appearance of Sawa Japan Steak House and Sushi’s bid for a liquor license. We’ve most recently seen the BBQ revolution with three places opening up in the South Metro alone, including a national chain. While at least two of those places, the non-chains, are decent they get mixed reviews and seem to have a hard time keeping customers happy–even their biggest champions. Then there were the two “diners” which opened up seemingly weeks apart… We know that people will always try to open yet another sport bar, sandwich shop, or pizza place serving mediocre entrees, some which may not even have any clue what their menu will include prior to their opening like Blondie’s Tavern in Farmington. But I wonder what the Next Big Thing will be?

How do those who are opening restaurants know what the people in the area are looking for? Is there some market research company which provides a list of what market research has said people want to future restaurateurs? Why else would so many similar places open up in such a short amount of time. It can’t all be coincidence, right?

So the questions for you are: what do you think the next big thing in restaurants around town will be? This could be either something you’d like to see or something you just have a hunch will suddenly catch on in a big way. Do you wonder why the openings of similar restaurants seem so close together? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d really like to hear what you think!

1200 Club in Burnsville Ruins it for Everyone Else?

Bill — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:30:52 +0000

I watched the Burnsville City Council meeting, the same one that the Star Tribune references in this article but we were apparently watching two completely different meetings. The Star Tribune describes a meeting full of councilmember disgust over complaints and police calls but I saw one full of disgust with themselves and an opportunity to show that they are not going to let the mistakes they made with the 1200 Club at Burnsville Bowl in the past affect their reelection campaigns of the future.

From the article:

Luebbert (the owner) said after the meeting that he was happy to have the City Council’s support but expressed some disappointment that the council put so much weight into the complaints of two residents.

“If they don’t want to live [adjacent to the hall],” he said, “they should move to Minnetonka.”

There were numerous police calls made to the business including some noise violations which, at least according to the owner, were from two residents. None of the supposed noise violations resulted in any police action as they were found to be without merit.

As I was watching the meeting it was clear to me that even though Olmeca’s nightclub has not had any violations which resulted in serious police action, this is nothing more than a response to their poor handling of the 1200 Club incidents. It’s clear from those commenting on the Star Tribune article that other residents were quick to make that connection–something the City Council wants to have happen so as to show that they are tough on shutting down businesses they don’t care for while bending the rules for others. I would go so far as to say that when the councilmembers stated their disapproval of the events being held it was solely because they were discriminating against one business because of the actions of another something which should open them to one of the lawsuits which the mayor so openly welcomes.

With four people speaking for the club (from the agenda packet on page 34) of which three are Burnsville residents and only two speaking against it, it’s clear that this is nothing more than the vocal minority having the council’s ear while everyone else involved has to suffer. It’s clear that the mayor and her minions need to pay closer attention to the majority and stop acting out in their own ways something which they do time and time again–which is why they are dealing with the fallout from the Burnsville Performing Arts Center now.

So what do you think of Olmeca’s nightclub woes? Was the City Council right in admonishing the operators of the club or was this in direct response to the problems they have created and let continue at the 1200 Club? Whatever you have to say about Olmeca and the Burnsville City Council’s actions against them go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Blondie’s Tavern: Farmington, MN

Bill — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:30:26 +0000

Blondie’s Tavern is opening up in Farmington this summer and they’re looking for your input on what to put on the menu (warning Facebook link).

According to an article which appeared in Thisweek a few weeks ago, this will be a locally run operation by a husband and wife team with many years of joint industry experience.

The restaurant will be located right along MN-3 in the strip mall which has remained mostly empty, including a quick in and out by some sort of bar several years ago which never materialized past the signage out front. I am a little surprised by the owners asking for menu suggestions now, considering they’ve been planning this for three years, but I am intrigued by it.

Some of the suggestions so far:

“Good selection of local beer (think Surly).”
“chicken wings, not battered, yum!”
“Fresh Salads and a fantubulous, original BLT!”

How about some of your own? What would you like to see show up in Farmington to compete with the stellar restaurants options (yes, I’m kidding) which already exist in town? What do you think will make this place successful in Farmington?

Not much more detail is available aside from the recommended approval of their liquor license at tonight’s Farmington City Council meeting (page 79). I’ll be paying attention to their Facebook page to see about updates but if you hear anything before I do feel free to let us all know.

Whatever you have to say about Blondie’s Tavern in Farmington go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Address:
Blondie’s Tavern
20700 Chippendale Ave
Farmington, MN, 55024

Mother’s Day Brunch at Enjoy! Apple Valley, MN

Bill — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:30:13 +0000

Braving the suggestion we avoid any and all restaurants on Mother’s Day, on Sunday we headed over to Enjoy! in Apple Valley for my wife’s first day in her honor.

I hadn’t eaten at Enjoy! for several years but my wife and my mother had visited last summer for brunch and it came highly recommended. We arrived a few minutes prior to our reservation time and were seated promptly. I made reservations over a month in advance and was pleased to see that we lucked out and only had to sit in the area next to the room holding the dishwasher and not at the bar or in some other uncomfortable corner of the sprawling restaurant. The menu was sprawling and included everything from prime rib and peel and eat shrimp to scones and a towering chocolate fountain. Priced at $25.95 I wasn’t surprised but hoped that it was going to be worth the money.

We were told that there were desserts at the secondary bar nearby and one of two omelet stations right outside the room we were in. The rest of the buffet was located at the front of the restaurant in the bar area. Aside from food getting cold as we trucked it from its storage location, we had to navigate the narrow walkway which connects the rear of the restaurant with the bar–sometimes a harrowing experience as people were wandering by with heaping plates proving their gluttony.

I started with a scone and a pastry picked by my wife as she went to fill her first plate and I took first baby watch. The scone was fine but the pastry was way overdone. I didn’t bother to get any more desserts after that. Eventually my wife returned and I headed straight for the warming trays. I loaded up with the second to last eggs benedict, large sausage, some bacon, some sort of chicken and spinach pasta dish, hashbrowns, and a ton of peel and eat shrimp. Forgetting the cocktail sauce required a return trip which I decided a dessert ramekin full would stop me from making that same mistake again in the future.

Everything aside from the peel and eat shrimp was cold and just, “eh”. Even the cocktail sauce was apparently more ketchup than anything else. I requested Tabasco to bring the cocktail sauce up to the desired spice level (for the love of God people, add copious amounts of horseradish to your cocktail sauce or at least leave a pile of it nearby so that people who know what good cocktail sauce is can doctor it up themselves).

My next trip was for prime rib and an omelet. The prime rib was pretty good, just a bit too fatty for me. The extra rareness certainly helped and the heat lamp made it the only item, aside from my omelet, to be warm when I brought it back to my table. The prime rib had the options of au jus and/or some sort of cream cheese and horseradish spread. Both were good enough although there was definitely not enough horseradish in the sauce. The everything omelet I ordered was fine but certainly not the best I’ve ever had at a brunch buffet. It could have used a cheese which had some more bite but otherwise it was fine.

My final trip was for a Caesar salad, more shrimp, and more prime rib–this time a double serving. This final trip, while tasty as can be, brought me over the edge. I later wrote on Twitter that while the buffet was $25.95 I ate about $50 in prime rib and $100 in shrimp. The guy carving the meat, when I asked for the double, said, “that’s the best part of the buffet–all you can eat prime rib.” Next time I’ll be sure to skip the rest and just stick to the shrimp and steak.

The lines were never out of control and according to our server they had only 610 reservations all day (10 AM to 3:30 PM) with it spaced out quite evenly throughout the day. This was quite apparent that you rarely had to wait in any lines, the food was usually abundant (aside from the eggs benedict), and while it was sometimes difficult to navigate through the restaurant that’s because it probably wasn’t designed to be moving people back and forth across like their buffet setup requires.

Overall I’d go back, especially that my wife loves it and I would recommend that others eat there on mother’s day as long as you’re into prime rib, shrimp, and dessert (my wife loved the carrot cake). It was worth the money for what I had but I would prefer that the food be warmer and they do a little more to keep everything that’s particularly popular stocked.

Did you go anywhere for mother’s day brunch, maybe even Enjoy!? If so what did you think? How was the food you received? How much did you tip (I offered the guy 20% because I know how everyone else probably shorted their servers)? Whatever you have to say go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.