While I have known of Mainstreet After Hours in downtown Lakeville for quite some time, I was reminded by a reader of the fact that I should get out there and review them and being that Kim was up for it tonight, we headed out to strike yet another one off the list… There was no one inside at 5:45 when we arrived although this location seems more like a place to come for a late night glass of wine and a snack than a place to come for dinner. The sister coffee bar was open and was also empty this evening.
The decor is dark woods deep reds but is quite warm. They have three LCD panels around the place and all three were tuned to different stations and the radio was tuned to 105.1. I was in the middle of whining that I missed Drive 105 (which has been unfortunately replaced with Love 105 much to nearly everyone’s dismay) when the bartender/server asked if I would like it changed to something else. Kim then told me that is why I shouldn’t be so loud. There was plenty of light coming in from the multitude of windows. We took a look over the menu which is dominated by a decent wine selection and various beers. The “small plates” range in price from $2.99 to $9.99 and encompass a variety of options that had a little of everything from olives and cheese plates to pizza and salads. We ordered four: the BLT Pizza, Antipasto Kabobs, Brunkow Horseradish Spread, and the Grilled Veggie & Cheese Antipasti Sandwich.
The helpful and friendly bartender who was also doubling as the waitress took our order and double checked it as she entered it into the computer. After letting us know that our choices would be up soon she proceeded to dust and then clean just about everything in the place including the blinds and wine racks behind the bar.
Eventually our food came out and all except the kabobs were presented in a pretty straight-forward manner which surprised me for this place. While the kabobs were also nothing special to look at, for some reason they took a better photo than everything else. After taking some pictures of the food, none of which turned out all that great, we dug in.
The Grilled Veggie and Cheese Antipasti Sandwich is described as roasted red peppers, artichokes, pickled jalapenos, and provolone grilled on a panini press to create an extra savory sandwich. The sandwich was spicy due to the jalapenos but I really think it could have used something else to make it a bit more exciting and flavorful. Overall the sandwich was almost tasteless aside from the jarred jalapenos and I couldn’t say that it was anything even remotely close to savory. At $6.99 it was priced fine but I would skip it if you happen to visit.
The BLT “Pizza” was more of an open faced sandwich which included a special sauce which we determined to be simply mayonnaise. The bacon was real but was crumbled into tiny and overcooked pieces resembling large Bacos. Kim was completely unimpressed and I can’t say I thought it was priced appropriately at all. The bread wasn’t even warm so I put this inline with a leftover BLT made at home and left to sit on the counter instead of the fridge. $7.99 for $2.00 worth of BLT, give me a fucking break. When I posted the photos to Flickr, a childhood friend saw this particular one and said, “What the hell did you eat tonight? It looks like ass. Did a four year old get loose in the kitchen?” I didn’t see who was working in the kitchen but perhaps that does answer some of my own questions!
The Brunkow Horseradish Spread is listed as soft raw cow’s milk spread with natural flavorings from Wisconsin which is served with crackers and bread. It came in a deep bowl surrounded by a few types of crackers but now that I look at the menu I realize it did not come with any bread as promised. The horseradish flavor was quite subdued and needed to be kicked up about 10 notches for my liking but I’m crazy with my desire for it to clear my nostrils. Even though it was more or less so-so, I agreed with Kim when she said that the portion provided went a long way. It wasn’t bad but I’m not quite sure it’s worth the $8.99 price tag, especially when it’s not served with any bread.
The Antipasto Kabobs were described on the menu as meats, cheeses, and olives seasonally stacked on a skewer and plated atop a light drizzle of olive oil. While I didn’t remember as they were delivered, we were offered a single chunk of cheese, two slices of pepperoni (one peppered and one that appeared to have the peppercorn coating removed) and two olives drizzled with olive oil. The cheese was so-so but the pepperoni was good, especially on the slices that were sporting healthy doses of peppercorn. The olives weren’t anything special and I’m not sure what benefit the olive oil added other than something to make the dish greasier than it had to be. Kim said it was completely overpriced and didn’t seem at all impressed. Now that I realize that it was one type of cheese and more or less one type of meat and it was supposed to be “meats and cheeses” I am even more annoyed and agree that it’s definitely not worth the price of $8.99. Yeah, I suppose they were two different types of pepperoni but they didn’t taste any different aside from the pepper, boo.
We tried a good cross section of the menu items tonight and while this is mainly a wine bar, the food offerings could be beefed up a bit (literally) and perhaps paired with wine suggestions on the menu itself. When it was all said and done we paid $35.12 before tip and only had water to drink. Overall I just wasn’t impressed with the food or the prices and I probably won’t be back because it’s just not my kind of place but I could see it being ok if you were in downtown Lakeville and wanted a quick drink and a snack. Otherwise, if you’re not into wine or overpriced appetizer plates, head somewhere else — there’s a few bar options nearby that will probably be better and more reasonably priced.
If you’ve eaten at Mainstreet After Hours, please post what you think below especially if you have experience with their wine and/or beer selections!
Address:
Mainstreet After Hours
20788 Holyoke Avenue
Lakeville, MN 55044
Phone:
952-985-7650
See all the pictures from tonight on Flickr here.
Loading ...
