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 (they have since changed this policy). 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:
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.
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 distributor 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.
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.
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!
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October 20th, 2009 at 9:17 am
I used to go to Doolittle’s regularly and enjoyed it (nothing extraordinary, but it was fine for what it was), but I only went once after they changed the format to the woodfire grill style and haven’t felt like going back. Like you said, it’s overpriced.
I didn’t even know that Baker’s Square location had closed, much less was sold. I’m rarely over there, though.
October 20th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Pretty much what Tim said. I loved Doolittle’s old menu, their new one blows.
October 20th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Speaking of the Eagan Doolittle’s and their makeover from “airplane hanger” to “fire pit” motif. You have admit that there are a lot more cars in the parking lot than the “spit fire” days. Personally I think they copied the Bonfire grill located further east on Cliff. That parking lot is packed to the gills too. Anyone remember when Doolittle’s was known as the Flour Bin? That place had the best breakfasts. They made their own hash browns that were out of this world.
October 20th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
It must have been a long time ago that it was the Flour Bin — I think the first time I went there was in 2000 or 2001, and it was Doolittle’s by then.
I’ve never been to Bonfire, so I can’t compare them myself. Of course, I don’t get what’s so special about these restaurants; the woodfire grilling aspect seems to be more of a gimmick than anything.
October 20th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
People apparently like it as, like Will said, Bonfires, Doolittle’s, and the Roasted Pear are always fucking packed. I think they’re burning some sort of addictive substance in those fireplaces.
October 20th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Doolittles and Roasted Pear occupy the same space in my mind. They are fine. Never had a horrible experience at either one. Nothing very memorable. It should be no surprise that these places do a great business. I actually think Bonfire has been a little better the times I have been, although my wife does not like it, so we dont visit often.
October 20th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I like Bonfire a lot. I’ve never had disappointing food there. We even had our groom’s dinner there when we got married. I’ll not apologize. :)
I didn’t like Roasted Pear the one time I went, like 4 years ago.
October 20th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
“I think they’re burning some sort of addictive substance in those fireplaces.”
Funny you should say that. I’ve been reading up about MSG recently, and it’s very additive, can be listed on labels under as many as 26 different names or carrier ingredients, and is present in virtually ALL fast food and most chain restaurants (and certainly grocery store processed food). It also triples the normal amount of insulin that your pancreas would normally secrete, causing obesity.
Oh, and oops, it’s in the H1N1 vaccine:
Each 0.2 mL dose also contains 0.188 mg/dose monosodium glutamate, 2.00 mg/dose hydrolyzed porcine gelatin, 2.42 mg/dose arginine, 13.68 mg/dose sucrose, 2.26 mg/dose dibasic potassium phosphate, 0.96 mg/dose monobasic potassium phosphate, and <0.015 mcg/mL gentamicin sulfate. The vaccine contains no preservatives.
October 20th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
I remember the Flour Bin prior to Doolittle’s. I grew up in that neighborhood and bartended at Durning’s (known for the free steak dinner on your birthday) across the street while in high school /college which is now the Cherokee Sirloin Room. We would frequent Doolittle’s at least once a month. Have not been in Doolittle’s in 15 years. The bartender Bruce at Doolittle’s was great. Bruce would always deliver lemon drops (Shot of Absolute – Lemon, with a lemon slice on top with sugar and bacardi 151 on top of the lemon slice, then lit ablaze) to the regulars at the bar and we nearly set the bar and awning above the bar on fire on several occasions.
October 21st, 2009 at 1:13 pm
We used to go to Doolittle’s a lot when it was the “Air Cafe”. After they reinvented the place I remember not being impressed and did not go back fro years. We recently tried it again with some friends and I was actually fairly impressed. The food was very good, the service was good. We’ve now been there a few times in the past several months.
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:58 am
I agree with Dave. I like both the old Doolittle’s (Air Cafe) and the current offering. My husband and I go there on date night, as opposed to bringing along the kids. We both enjoy the food and feel that yes, the prices are somewhat high, we know that going in. Our tastes are very different and we both find things on the menu that we like.
October 22nd, 2009 at 2:50 pm
From: http://www.thisweeklive.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12820&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=1
October 22nd, 2009 at 5:09 pm
On the subject of “Mediterranean influences” my wife and I had a nice meal at the Mediterranean Cruise Cafe a few weeks ago. We went for lunch and were very nearly the only ones there. The space is huge, and kinda interesting. I hope they are doing well.
January 9th, 2010 at 9:03 am
I for one am very excited by this development. The Eagan/Burnsville/Apple Valley area needs more good restaurants. I’ve never had a bad meal at Doolittle’s. Can’t say the same for their next door neighbor, Cherokee Sirloin Grill (which absolutely sucks). As for claims of being too pricey…you get what you pay for. Doolittle’s, IMHO, offers pretty good fare for the buck.
February 20th, 2010 at 10:34 am
I live nearby, south of 42 and I’m glad SOMETHING is going in there…having that overgrown lot and building was an eyesore. I just learned today that it will be an establishment like Doolittle’s and I have to say I’m thrilled. We really like Doolittle’s and don’t find their prices that bad at all. Having a medium-upscale restaurant to balance out the chains is great in my opinion!
March 24th, 2010 at 11:34 am
Their website reports that they plan to open in June of 2010. They have put out, and then removed, several job postings on the Internet (and still have it up on their own website) in the last two months.
Anyone have any updated information on this new restaurant?
April 19th, 2010 at 8:06 am
They’re hiring now: http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd307/jmbrudos/?action=view¤t=PCEmploymentAd.jpg but it notes that it’s out of the on-site trailer. I’m wondering if they’ll make the June date.
April 19th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
I hope its fantastic!
May 7th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
the website is ‘still’ under construction:(
bb
June 2nd, 2010 at 8:31 am
Anyone have a definitive opening date yet? I can’t find jack.
June 2nd, 2010 at 3:26 pm
No hard date, but I talked to a new employee on Monday night and training is next week.
http://www.burnsvillemn.com/eat/steakhouse/porter-creek-hardwood-grill
Porter Creek Hardwood Grill
Opening in mid-June 2010!
Porter Creek is rooted in American tradition while drawing inspiration from the Napa Valley. The menu will feature wood roasted signature dishes such as rotisserie chicken and duck, oven roasted halibut, salmon and handcrafted flatbreads. A balance of earthy and rustic contemporary nuances, blend the classic and modern. As a complement to our menu, we will offer 70+ bottles of wine and over 110 premium brands of spirits.
June 3rd, 2010 at 3:03 pm
TL,
Did you just post the description for Doolittles or is this for another, new restaurant rooted in American tradition? Earthy AND rustic?! FANCY!
June 6th, 2010 at 8:59 am
I’ve never been to the Napa Valley, so I guess I wouldn’t know, but I wonder how many of these places actually incorporate anything about it. Seems like it is a buzz phrase they just like to toss in there.
June 6th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Tim, I’ve been to the Napa Valley and there is every type of restaurant under the sun there. You’re right — it’s a completely meaningless piece of marketing-speak mumbo jumbo. They may as well have said, “we’ll draw inspiration from Minneapolis.” It’s just a way for them to fill up their empty web-site space with words.
Now, if they had said they would take inspiration from Thomas Keller/the French Laundry, or would highlight the Napa Valley on their wine list, or some other specific notable ASPECT of Napa Valley, then it would make a bit of sense.
But they should have just stuck with “we’ll serve whatever cooks good in a wood-oven or on a rotisserie just like at Doolittle’s.”
June 19th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
The soft opening date for Porter Creek is on June 21st. Meaning the employees get to invite people to come in and eat off the menu before the public does. That is what I last heard. However, they have had quite a few delays on the outside of the building, because of all the rain. I love Doolittle’s and I can’t wait to check out this place. It sounds like it will be a little more upscale than Doolittle’s. That’s fine by me. I think Doolittle’s offers a good price point. You get what you pay for.
June 25th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Called today. Expected opening may be around the first week of July. They aren’t even sure about that date though.
July 3rd, 2010 at 4:08 pm
I just called them, they open tomorrow – July 4th.
July 4th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
Drove by tonight and they were open. It looks like they have a nice patio area (even though it faces cty rd 42. However, the landscaping is really nice and seems to block much of the 42 view – a good thing. I will be interested to hear how people like the food.
July 5th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
You can view their menu on Facebook:
Lunch: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=137933&id=124463330927189
Dinner: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=137933&id=124463330927189
July 8th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
ate there @ the soft opening. (disclaimer, food was free, not drinks) the steaks were excellent, everyone loved the salads (very napa-esque). the highly touted flatbread sucked, the chicken pasta dish was ok. really amazing prime rib sandwich. patio is very cool even though it’s next to a busy rd. prices reasonable if a bit high on some stuff. servers young, still in training mode, sincere but very suburban. even though i’ll have to pay next time, i’ll go back
July 8th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
napa-esque?
July 8th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
JaLurker,
See here: http://www.lazylightning.org/porter-creek-hardwood-grill-burnsville-mn#comment-54067 and here: http://www.lazylightning.org/porter-creek-hardwood-grill-burnsville-mn#comment-36668
You can draw your own conclusions on whether or not deano was playing along or was turfing a bit.
July 8th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
hah! napa-like? having some offerings similar to that of an idealized sonoma area resaurant…been to napa a lot. good car parts
July 8th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
was invited by friend of a friend. read into it what you will. i have no stake in the place. i gave my honest opinion. methinks lurker works for red lobstah next door! :-)
July 8th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Thanks for the clarification deano.
July 9th, 2010 at 6:57 am
I have moved all the comments from the old post under this one for historical purposes.
July 9th, 2010 at 8:32 am
“I have moved all the comments from the old post under this one for historical purposes.”
Ohhhhhh, you freaked me out there, damnit! Much better now, thank you =:-D
July 9th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Thanks for the detailed review! I’ve had 2 disappointing visits to Chianti, though thankfully I wasn’t on the hook for the bill for either visit. Porter Creek is only about a mile from me so I’m definitely going to have to check it out!
July 9th, 2010 at 9:56 am
Wife and I are eating there this evening. Drove by earlier in the week and spoke to the hostess, who was quite friendly and allowed us to see the menu and walk around the restaurant. Landscaping is first-rate! I was amazed that many of the outdoor tables have no umbrellas. There is a fascinating table in the far corner that actually has water flowing underneath the glass tabletop and spilling out waterfall-like on one end. I liked the large outdoor bar (under the awning) and openness of the entire space. Al fresco dining is definitely the theme of the restaurant — we’ll see how warm it is in January!
July 9th, 2010 at 11:29 am
If it’s anything like Doolittle’s, I don’t need to try it. Our budget for eating out has gone from nothing to negitive nothing, so I will only have to take everyone’s word for how it is.
The building looks and sounds pretty cool.
July 9th, 2010 at 11:38 am
I liked it better than I do Doolittle’s. YMMV.
July 9th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I agree that the south metro needs some more, better restaurants–and I don’t necessarily mean upscale, “napa-esque,” nouveau or anything like that.
I have been to the “new” Doolittle’s once but that was just for drinks so I haven’t had a chance to compare the menus. I always thought the old version was, meh, good enough but nothing memorable.
Someone mentioned the Med Grill. That’s my latest hang out. The gyro is fine but not spectacular. Sigh. One of my favorite dishes is the gyro platter at Costas, in Chicago (I used to eat at the Oak Park location). It was so good I would save some of the meat for breakfast the next day. It was good even without heating it up.
July 9th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
hah, perkins area. we got stuck there too! much more bland than the rest of the place. didn’t know about no rezzies tho. bad idea on fri or sat night. policy is clearly meant to sell drinks.
July 12th, 2010 at 4:46 am
[...] folks behind Minnesota Cooks, MPR is looking for your recipes featuring seasonal ingredients, Bill digs the Porter Creek Hardwood Grill (but not the hard sell on drinks), beer festival tips from an insider at Summit, and some [...]
July 14th, 2010 at 8:48 am
I’ve been to the Porter Creek outside bar twice. I loved the atmosphere, the bartenders were more than gracious and helpful. I had two appetizers, the beets and goat chese, and a chicken flatbread. I liked them both, but high raves on the beets and goat cheese. They should bring the fabulous bread over from Doolittles…their current bread is boring.
July 15th, 2010 at 10:45 am
We went to Porter Creek for lunch earlier this week.
First, as noted, the patio is pretty great. Really nice job of covering the noise from 42 and making you feel like you are someplace else. Service was very good, given the fact they had only been open a week. Room for improvement, but certainly nothing to complain about.
Prices were pretty reasonable given the decor/food/service levels. Lunch was about $50 with two meals, lemonade, a glass of wine, and an appetizer, tip included. Not McDonalds, but also not unreasonable. Take out the wine and the appetizer and its around $35. Not cheap, but reasonable.
On to the food. My wife had the Prime rib sandwich and chowder soup. Sandwich was good, and the soup was very good. We had the artichoke dip for an appetizer. A little on the small side, but tasted very good. Honestly, this was the best thing we ate. I had the sirloin. I thought it was pretty disappointing. If the meat is good (and it appeared to be) there is no need for a ton of sauce and some sort of pepper relish. It was sort of like a good sirloin got caught by a chef and turned into something he thought would look cool on the plate.
I think that was my only complaint. I prefer simple food that is well cooked, and with me meal they really got carried away. Outside of that though, we enjoyed the visit and will be back to try some other dishes.
July 16th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
my wife went to lunch yesterday, sat outside, she said it was very nice and the service was good. she said the bar area was nice. She had a chicken/bacon sandwich, i had the leftovers, it was good. Others in her party had flatbread and salads and she said they looked fine. No specific numerical rating but she definitely said she would go again. Very high marks for the outside area design and landscaping which made it seem you were not on Cty Road 42.
July 26th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
My girlfriend and I went out for lunch on 07/24/10 Porter Creek a cool name and a nice place too, we were seated in the area where you can see the kitchen. Our server came and took our order, but she forgot to mention that we had to wait about 45 minutes to get our food and the place wasn’t even busy. Well it happens sometimes, I ordered a medium rare burger and my girlfriend ordered a seafood clay I think it was called (seafood crappy soup) $18.00. I told the server that I wanted my burger to be medium rare because that’s how I like it and she said she will make sure it is MR. While I waited for my burger I was looking at the kitchen and I saw this guy place a burger on the hot food window, I thought that’s my burger but it sat there for about 15 minutes, and I said to my girlfriend if that’s my burger is not gonna be medium rare, well it was mine ant it was medium well plus I ate half of the burger and the mashed potatoes were bad (no taste) the server offered to have the cooks, cook another one I said no thanks. Seriously if anybody orders a MR burger and gets a MW plus I don’t think they’ll wanna try it again. Anyway a manager came and said I heard your burger was a little overcooked and I said way over cooked, she said I will let them know. I didn’t ask who because I didn’t care, I thought they will offer a free desert or something but nothing, I still left a tip, but I don’t see a good reason to go back to that place I ratter go to chipottle.
July 26th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
My wife and I ate at Porter Creek the first week it opened. There were wa-a-a-ay too many wait staff working. They kept running into one another as they ran around trying to serve food or pick up dirty dishes. We sat outside in their nice patio area.
My wife enjoys a weak whiskey sour, so she will order a tall one when we dine out. When the waitress brought our drinks, my wife was given a short one. She explained that she wanted a tall one, and so the waitress took it back to the outdoor bar. I watched the bartender, who seemed inexperienced and was quite overwrought with the crowd. Instead of pouring the drink into a larger glass and adding sour mix, he simply dumped the drink into a tall glass and added more ice! The waitress brought the drink, and I explained that we watched what the waiter had done, and we were not pleased. She took back the drink and the waiter made a weaker tall whiskey sour. The waitress seemed confused by the whole order, too. We have not had that problem at other places.
General impression: nice ambiance, but very over-priced. We will let the crowds die down and let them put out a few coupons before we head back.
July 26th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
Well…the worst happened tonight, Monday 7/26/10 at 6:30. Two of our seven meals were “delayed” by 30+ MINUTES! The other five in our party tried to eat slow so we might catch up. They ended up finishing, getting up, and moving around the table to talk amongst themselves. Then we got our pork chops and ate alone. This is not why I go out and pay for dinner.
Our waiter gave up on the entire table as well. Blaming the ordeal on the kitchen still “learning” the menu! WTF!
No manager, no comp meal or dessert. No real effort to make it right. Not a good way to start out this group.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:32 am
[...] favor of commercial development and councilmember Kealey. As if the opening fluff piece promoting Porter Creek Hardwood Grill‘s patio wasn’t enough the entire article reeked of reelection campaigning. While I [...]
July 27th, 2010 at 8:03 am
Please note I have edited John Schweitzer’s comment (#50) to remove his telephone number.
July 27th, 2010 at 10:50 am
We went back after a movie last weekend for a late night meal (early movie, so I guess around 10:00?). The late night happy hour is discounted drinks and half price appetizers, which is not a bad deal.
We had the chicken wings. They were ok at best. Decent flavor, but a little bit slimy, and you only get 4, for a normal price of around $9. I was happy they were half off.
My wife ordered some sort of pasta, that was a little bit dry, but had very good flavor. Something with chicken and bacon, sorry I dont remember the name.
I ordered the burger that comes with guac and pepperjack cheese, and thought it was great. Actually, it was the best thing I have had in two visits.
Service was ok. Our waiter was clearly pretty new/nervous, but he was nice enough. One tip, if someone tells you they have already been there, and you ask them what they had on the last visit, dont then explain what is in the dish they just told you they had already eaten.
The patio/bar area was pretty busy, and seemed like a pretty decent place after dark. Nice crowd. Not sure how they see the menu though.
July 27th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
the server said the french dip was the best in town, she said it was cooked rare to medium rare, it was well done and in
pieces, we did not complain there because the service was so good and so was the ambiance.
I work at Ikes at the airport and their french dips are incredible!
July 31st, 2010 at 8:41 am
My husband and eldest daughter went there last night for dinner. We had about a 15 minute wait at 6pm on a Friday night, which I thought was reasonable. We were seated in the porch area which was very nice. I agree that they did a great job with the patio landscaping and overall atmosphere. Seating in the colder and winter months will be very limited after the patio and porch area close. Our bill was $58 which I thought was reasonable. We had five beers, an appetizer, salad and dessert. We split the chicken wings. They were just OK. As mentioned previously, there were only four, but they were not disjointed which would actually give you eight in most places. The rub was nice on them and the jicama slaw was pretty bland. We then split a flatbread and salad three ways. The italian sausage and apricot chutney flatbread was very good. The saltiness of the sausage played off the sweetness of the chutney very well. The southwest chopped salad was a generous size. It was mostly chicken and vegetables with just a touch of arugula. It was a heavy salad, but quite good. The dressing was chipotle-lime vinaigrette. We were all very satisfied by this time. The dessert menu came and the daughter looked tempted. She ordered the banana ice cream cake. My husband and daughter polished it off in no time. They liked the combination of the bananas and rum sauce with the ice cream. All in all it was a nice meal for all of us. We will return. It does seem to attract a much older crowd. The outside bar was mostly full of gray hairs enjoying classic cocktails.
July 31st, 2010 at 9:32 pm
It was as reviewed – Ok for what it is. The waiter said he wanted to point out a few things on the Menu – before he asked if we wanted anything from the bar. He launched into a very long explaination of the menu – wine blah blah blah, appetizer blah blah and on and on. I would coach that dude to ask a few questions before the long and boring speech about all the items on the Menu we wouldn’t be ordering. Service kept swinging from overly attentive to “where the hell is he – I need a plate and a napkin” I guess timing was off. The food we ordered was good and when we made a visit to the patio found it to be the place we should have sit!
August 1st, 2010 at 6:20 pm
This is fucking absolutely hilarious in every single way: http://joes-viewpoint.blogspot.com/2010/08/joe-review-porter-creek-hardwood-grill.html
August 1st, 2010 at 9:18 pm
I posted the following comment to his site:
He deleted it. LOL.
August 2nd, 2010 at 10:09 am
I’m particularly intrigued by the basin chiffonade. I’ve not heard of that before.
August 2nd, 2010 at 10:54 am
Bill, it seems you have a stalker. Seriously, I read through his blog post, and you either struck a nerve with something you reviewed or this guy is loony.
His level of interest in your thoughts and opinions is borderline scary.
August 2nd, 2010 at 11:21 am
I liked his comment about how the building is exactly how one would envision a hardwood grill to look like.
I have no idea what a hardwood grill is, and I certainly have no idea what a hardwood grill is supposed to look like. This building, to me, looks like a building, nothing more. It doesn’t scream “hardwood grill” to me, or anything else, for that matter.
I read the review last night, and thought it was pretty dang funny! He REALLY doesn’t like Bill!
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:14 pm
What I don’t get is that Bill pretty much liked this place and pointed out far more good points than the couple of negative issues he mentioned in his write up. The knock off site pretty much agreed with most of what Bill wrote. Wouldn’t it make more sense to find a review where they are polar opposites and use that as the ‘jumping off point’ for the knock off site?
August 2nd, 2010 at 1:56 pm
“Best artichoke dip ever”
OMG!! I’d better rush right over! I don’t want to miss the “best artichoke dip ever”!!!
Fail.
August 2nd, 2010 at 5:06 pm
On the bright side, as Mrs Marcos noted, you both liked the place, so maybe a double date is in your future?
August 2nd, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Chad,
As long as he’s paying I’m there. I can happily drown him out with a ton of beer.
August 7th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
The Chianti Grill is one of the BEST restaurants south of the River. They have an incredible Sunday brunch. Atmosphere is superb, wait staff consistently professional, prompt and informed. And the food – always superb, with hot things hot and cold things cold. Have been there dozens of times and NEVER had a bad experience. Sorry – bashing this restaurant over and over is tasteless (pun intended) and one bad experience shouldn’t warrant going on and on, let alone comparing it to Chipotle.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:07 am
My wife and I have tried to eat at Porter Creek a couple of times, but been turned off by the crowds. Friday, we couldn’t even get in the parking lot! So we tried again Sunday evening, apparently no one in Minnesota eats out on Sunday, so we were able to get a seat outside with no waiting. (They said 30 minutes wait for an inside seat, however; guess no one could stand the heat.)
Anyway, I thought the decor was nice. As others have commented, nice landscaping (and aquascaping), does a good job of hiding CR42 when you’re outside.
However, the service was very, very slow. It took them five minutes to seat us “immediately,” as five young women at the podium discussed among themselves the best way to do it — while the one with the menus waited patiently. It took forever to get our drinks (iced tea) and bread. Seems like we waited at least 25-30 minutes for our main course, once ordered. Even the waitress seemed annoyed at the wait times for the food.
As to the food, I have one word to describe it: Underwhelming. The appetizer of sesame ahi tuna with wasabi cream and wonton crisps was exactly that and nothing more. Good, but not distinctive. For the main course, I had the farfalle pasta with smoked salmon, and it was okay, nothing more. I was put off by the overly lemony taste, I wouldn’t order it again. My wife had the pappardelle pasta with crimini mushrooms, she thought it was okay but not very spicy or distinctive. I guess that’s the key — good food, but not distinctive in any way.
Next time, if there is a next time, we’ll try a non-pasta dish and see how that turns out. But it’s not worth fighting the crowds for, and definitely not worth the long service times. The place needs to work out the kinks, but even then it’s just another woodfire grill joint. Why are these places so appealing to Minnesotans? They’re boring, at best — and this place is not the best, at least not yet.
BTW, when we couldn’t get into Porter Creek on Friday evening, we headed across the street to Champps. Normally this joint is jumping, but it was half-empty at peak dinnertime. Obviously the new place is pulling some business away.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:10 am
Talk about another underwhelming and boring restaurant that I have only been to twice.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:16 am
Bill, I can’t disagree with you about Champps (their menu used to be a little better), but at least we could get in at 6:30 on a Friday night with no waiting, and the food was no worse (maybe a little better) than Porter Creek.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:17 am
Regarding Champps, I much prefer it to Porter Creek in terms of service and food. In recent months, they have had their Happy Hour extend to 7pm. Wife and I enjoy the patio, too, because it sits back from CR42, and is shaded in the evenings. Yes, they serve sports bar food, but we think they do it well! It is our “fall-back” restaurant, and has been for 18 years! Always a good time at Champps!
August 9th, 2010 at 11:21 am
Michael M,
Being that Porter Creek is billed as a ‘woodfired grill’ can you please explain what made you choose pasta dishes instead of what they pride themselves on?
August 9th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Since nobody else has bitten, I will.
@Mary Sparrow: I have been to the Chianti Grill twice and I remain very unimpressed. Yes, its atmosphere is pretty good, but the food leaves much to be desired and the staff could do better. Given the quality of the food and service, the prices should be about 20-40% lower.
I find it highly suspect that a person could visit any place dozens of times and never, ever have a bad experience, so to say that about Chianti Grill is very intriguing to say the least.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:43 am
@ Joey
– Agreed! Chianti Grill is way too high priced for the quality of food you get. the few times I have gone, the service was inattentive and slow. I have not returned for months because of my bad experiences.
Also, since no one has bitten on this one either…
BD Mongolian BBQ — Bleahhh!!! Once was more than enough for wife and I. Loud, horrible atmosphere!!! Server was little or no help with the process of what to order and how to get the food cooked. Cook was new and took my wife’s meal off of the cooking surface way too early! She was too busy talking and flirting with the other cooks (guys), to really pay attention to the food. I felt as if I were in a Chuckie Cheese with bad Chinese Food! What a waste of another South Metro restaurant venture! Wished the place was still Macaroni Grill!
August 9th, 2010 at 11:46 am
sjm,
Thankfully you put “Wished the place was still Macaroni Grill!” at the end of your post or I would have stopped reading right there.
August 9th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Bill:
We chose pasta because we wanted something a little lighter. It was close to 90 outside where we were sitting. And, frankly, nothing much else on the menu really struck us. I think I prefer the Doolittles menu to what Porter Creek offers. (And, for what it’s worth, both our dishes had “woodfired” meat — salmon in mine, chicken in my wife’s — along with the pasta. You could taste the rotisserie effect in the dishes.)
August 9th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Michael M, thanks. Just curious.
August 9th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
Ok, brunch maybe 5-6 times over the last many months and lunch with girlfriends for special events maybe about as many, as well as happy hour with friends. So not sure about the dinner scene, but honestly can say that the wait staff is fab and the food has always been rated top shelf not only by me but by my friends as well. Only complaint was one evening with my grown kids and grandson where the back room was really loud and service was slow – so probably a true-up so you don’t think me a pollyana – but the rest was spot on and can’t change what the experience has been. Still don’t think the over bashing and comparison to Chipotle in order . . .
August 9th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
What do you have against Chipolte? One of my favorite places.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:09 am
You’re right, it’s not fair to compare Chianti to Chipotle. Their menus are very different and Chipotle is a better value for your dollar.
August 15th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
For comments to be approved on this website you must use a valid email address which you check often.
August 15th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
I don’t have anything against Chipotle – the derogatory comments about Chianti Grill were comparing Chianti Grill to Chipotle as both being unfavorable . . . I think for its’ market Chipotle is ok too and a better choice than burgers and fries for sure – esp if you have the ingredients in a salad vs. wrap
August 29th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
We just returned from our first trip to Porter Creek. We were very impressed and will definitely be returning. I had a turkey sandwich and my wife had a rotisserie chicken, which was recommended by our server. Both were really good and we were impressed with how quickly they were delivered to us. The sandwich was around $9.50 and the chicken $15.50, but our total (including tax) was just over $22. Our server asked if we’d been there before so my only guess is they gave us a discount for being first-timers as I didn’t look at the itemized receipt when I gave her my credit card and the itemized receipt wasn’t included with the merchant copy that I had to sign. Either that or they just made a mistake.
Either way, I couldn’t have been more impressed with the friendliness of the staff and the quality of the food was great. I liked the atmosphere too. It’s very appropriately priced. As Bill noted, it drew an immediate comparison to Chianti Grill and it FAR surpasses Chianti in price, service, speed, food quality, etc. It’s easily in my top 5 places that I’ve been to in Burnsville (not that that’s saying much for Burnsville restaurants) and is probably number one in its class as far as I’m concerned.
August 30th, 2010 at 10:29 am
This has me curious: Rotisserie chicken at $15.50? How much better is it than the really good ones I get at Target for $5 or Byerly’s for $7 for the whole chickens?
Now, I generally order things at restaurants that are too much of a pain/impossible for me to cook at home. I’m just wondering how that doesn’t qualify as a complete ripoff.
August 30th, 2010 at 10:31 am
MSPD,
I don’t know what Joey and his wife had the other day but when I saw it delivered to the table of a guy next to ours it was certainly worth more than what you’d get at the grocery store.
First it looked better and wasn’t sitting under a heat lamp for the last 6 hours getting rubbery.
Second it came with a bed of sides that the dude couldn’t finish.
On our visit it was enough food for two adults. Dunno if that has changed over time. Joey?
August 30th, 2010 at 11:13 am
Yeah, the chicken and sides were more than my wife could eat on her own. The chicken was phenomenal. She had mashed potatoes on the side, definitely not Sysco crap, and vegetables. I’ve seen rotisserie chickens that were a lot worse priced higher than that. I’m not saying you’re getting a steal with it by any means. You’re going to pay more than you would at Applebee’s, but the quality and quantity of the food seemed on par with the prices IMHO.
August 30th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Cool…good to know. It just sounded crazy pricewise.
August 30th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Congrats to Joey on comment #300!
August 30th, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Had dinner @ Porter Creek last night. Seated immediately in a booth with view of the kitchen. Wait staff came within a couple of minutes. Friendly and very well informed about menu. Son & daughter with me for his 29th birthday. Our wait person, Josh really was exceptional. While offering cocktails, never pushed or kept on offering after the 1st offer. We shared several items. The Shrimp & Applewood smoked bacon flatbread was done to perfection; crust crisp, ingredients ample. Our waiter was gracious and there was no problem ordering it half & half – half chicken for my daughter who doesn’t like seafood, and half shrimp – done cheerfully and was offered as a solution when discussion the menu choice. Kudos! The bread in the bread basket was warm, fresh with tender bread and crisp outer crust – and 2 ramekins of butter – not stingy at all. We the shared the Wine Country salad with roasted grapes, rotisserie chicken, greens, candied pecans, gorgonzola & a light citrus dressing. It was ample for the 3 of us to share. We all agreed the candied pecans were the hit, but we all really enjoyed the salad. Perhaps the dressing could have had a bit more flavor/zing, but overall it was really enjoyed and we all said we would order it again. Oh, and there was no problem, again, in having extra gorgonzola added no charge. For entrees, we selected the amazing french bone in 12 oz pork chop with apricot chutney and it was done to perfection – charred on the outside, hot yet a little pink on the inside. We all agreed it was the BEST of the night. The chutney was a great fruity/spicy side, and the mashed potatoes were hot, buttery, seasoned well and not peppery as others may have noted. The asparagus was also crisp yet tender – all in all really delightful. The other entree was a pasta Carbonarra with pancetta – while we enjoyed it, we all felt it was just ok and probably something we would not order again. The meal was topped off with a free dessert for the birthday boy which was yummy vanilla bean ice cream surrounded by fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries and blueberries) in a ginger sauce – truly, it was heavenly. Light, refreshing – superb flavor – definitely 5 stars. The only item that didn’t get our thumbs up was the chicken vegetable chowder which we felt was flavorful but thin and didn’t have enough ingredients for a chowder – more like a broth. All in all, it was a delightful evening and our waiter, Josh, was exceptional. We would order most of the items again and would highly recommend Porters to anyone. We also thought the price point right on – $55 for everything, plus tip. Granted we didn’t have wine or drinks, but what beats ice water with fresh lemon anyway?? Service – 5 stars, food 4 stars, atmosphere 4 stars – worth the trip! Mary
August 30th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us Mary. We had the same experience with the Carbonarra. Perhaps pasta is just not one of the strong points?
August 31st, 2010 at 9:41 am
Tried the carbonara @ PC twice. Not good both times. How hard can it be? Pasta, cream, butter, parmesan, bacon. Sheesh…
August 31st, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Yes, agree with both. Pretty bland and we would not recommend this nor order it again. Nor the chowder which was more like a seasoned cream broth with only a few veggies and sparse amount of chicken – while it tasted ok, not at all what chowder is known for – thick soup or stew so a disappointment. On balance, tho’ – would recommend Porters.
September 9th, 2010 at 9:58 am
There’s a write up in today’s Taste section of the StarTrib. Rick Nelson gives a glowing review. I laughed when I read the line, “Urban freaks might typify the selection as predictable, but out in 55337, dishes such as lamb shanks and roast duck are borderline revolutionary.”
14201 BURNGARTEN DR
BURNSVILLE MN 55306-4929
Fail. Next time, figure out what side of CR 42 you’re on before making cutesy zip code remarks…
September 9th, 2010 at 10:24 am
As a representative of 55337, I’ll forgive him for making a lame-ass generalization. He was probably distracted while typing his article…what with all of the gunfire, taggers, gangbangers, car thieves, prostitutes, and drug dealers lurking outside his office window in the big downtown.
September 9th, 2010 at 10:29 am
MSPD, his office is in Burnsville too?!
September 9th, 2010 at 11:07 am
Don’t be silly, Bill. Our prostitutes don’t walk around outside…they use the hotels at 35W and B’ville Parkway.
September 23rd, 2010 at 7:32 am
[...] Does it sound like it will be able to compete with Chianti Grill, Roasted Pear, Champps and Porter Creek Hardwood Grill who are all trying to attract a similar business set? How about the teaser menu items? Do they [...]
October 25th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
We went here for a late dinner last week and I think it is a very nice addition to the Southern Metro dining options.. The service was a bit pokey but not terrible, I can see if it was busy how there might be problems..
The food was good, We had the Chicken & Artichoke flatbread appetizer which I thought was very flavorful.
For dinner I had the pork chop which was excellent and my roomate had the papadelle pasta which looked nice and he enjoyed it..
We had the chocolate cherry “cake” which was barely the size of 1/2 a Hostess Cupcake for $4.99.. nothing special, not really worth the money..
I would go back again sometime, probably on a weeknight when its not overloaded..
November 16th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
For reasons only know to my wife, she decided she wanted to head over to Porter Creek before our bowling night last Friday. Of course I found this out about 1 hour before we needed to leave, so all I had was a vague memory of the place. Asking my wife she said it was a steak house. Not ringing true with me I just went with it, and then bells went off as soon as I saw the building. Um, honey, this isn’t a steak place. And me in my jeans and t-shirt were probably not exactly appropriate dress.
The interior was nice. We were there about 4:55pm, and while the lot was busy, it wasn’t full. We were seated right away and far from the door in a booth. There was no hard sale on the wine, though there was a prepared script told to us, as we were there for the first time, basically explaining how their wine list was setup. We then ordered a diet and a not diet.(can’t remember if coke or pepsi) I went with a pasta dish and my wife went with a sirloin steak and we did not take advantage of the happy hour appetizer discount.
I found the pasta was not bad. The Italian sausage and red sauce was tasty, the pasta cooked enough, if just a touch too much (perhaps due to the melting cheese over it all). Plenty of food for me leaving with no need for desert. My wife’s steak was cooked perfectly (Well done, no pink) and was served already cut, which for me was odd. She enjoyed the steak and the vegetables, and the garlic mashed potatoes she ordered. She ate nearly all of it.
Why we won’t be back? Limited steak selection. Basically my wife likes Ribeye, and with no Ribeye, she doesn’t see a reason to go back. And worse than that, no Ranch Dressing. For some reason, my wife (and she trained our kids this way) seems to think that you can’t eat steak without ranch dressing. The Porter House doesn’t believe in Ranch Dressing, thus it’s a no go for my wife. For me, the place was just too fancy. I don’t need various sauces spread over or around my food. Perhaps this is a sign of the challenges nice places face in the south metro? My wife summed up our experience with the sentence: “Nice place, but it sure isn’t Timberlodge.”
By the time we left, about 6:00, the place was completely packed, with numerous people sitting/standing to wait for their little buzzer to buzz. There were at least two cars circling the parking lot hunting for someone to leave so they could park.
November 27th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Well, we finally made our way to Porter Creek, joining some neighbors who had a gift card burning a hole in their pockets. We chose the Friday night after Thanksgiving only because we have such jammed schedules and were long overdue to get out, so beggars can’t be choosers.
We arrived Friday night at 5:15 PM, and even with the mall crowds, the restuarant was buzzing, but not packed. The bar area was fairly full, but we were seated right away, and even managed to nab one of the really nice booths adjacent to the open kitchen. BINGO!
Before you mention anything about the food here, one has to note how aesthetically pleasing and beautiful the space is. This is a really good looking restaurant – inside, outside, patio, everything. The colors and feel are really nice, the big open kitchen is well designed, and the bar is much more open and airy than Chianti Grill’s or Porterhouse’s – the two very similar buildings I also find to be comfortable and pleasing to the eye. Bottom line – you feel good when you arrive at Porter Creek.
Our server was friendly, if not a little overly eager, and the service was generally good. We did have some issues getting water refills, and we were left without bread for a little while (though later told they had run out temporarily), but overall the experience was good.
The food, however, was not. And that was extremely disappointing, given the nice evening we were enjoying and the ambiance and feel of the place. In general, most of the dishes we tried were flavorless, and noticably so to everyone in the party, even those who are far from self-proclaimed “foodies”. We started with two appetizers – the sesame ahi tuna and the artichoke fondue kettle. The tuna was wholly disappointing — a very flavorless piece of tuna, bordered by a faint drizzle of ginger soy glaze twirled with a wasabi sauce. There was not nearly enough of the sauce to add flavor, and it broke down when dipped through, and ultimately the whole dish fizzled. The asian slaw offered on the side was very flavorless, and the oversized pile of pickled cabbage on the other side seemed out of place aside the smaller pieces of tuna (which was, by the way, cooked properly). The artichoke fondue was better, though again not nearly packing the taste punch you’d expect visually looking at a crock filled with gooey cheese. I did like the bread served with it – soft, tasty, and a good fit. But the dish is very small, and at $8.50, was a bit pricey for the size. I wonder if maybe the kitchen had just run out of salt last night?
We ordered a good cross section of entrees off of the extremely limited menu. In all, there are 16 entree selections, and no off menu specials. While this works for some places, for some reason, all of us found that it was not the type of menu that reaches out to you right away. In the end, my wife ordered the Salmon with Roasted Corn Sauce and I ordered the Fusili with Applewood Smoked Bacon and Chicken, staying away from meat and potatoes one day after Thanksgiving. In general, both dishes were very disappoiinting. Again, bold flavors were the issue, though my pasta dish was also disappointing in the lack of quality pasta, and a “sauce” that literally settled down at the bottom of the bowl, without any hope of clinging to the pasta. This fusili was your typical storebought “twist” pasta, missing the trademark length and texture of a true fusili. The sauce was watery and tasteless, and had no hope of adding to the dish, even with the addition of salt and/or shredded parmesean. In the end, I truly believe PC needs to remove this menu item, as it is really bad, and I wrote them when I got home to that effect. The salmon was similarly flavorless, and a bit dry/overdone, and sat upon a dense and uninspired pile of mashed potatoes. Again, the roasted corn sauce was the villain, adding nothing to the dish, and notably absent when mixed with the fish and/or potatoes. Disappointing for sure given the attractive color and look to the dish when it arrived.
Our friends ordered the Baked Rigatoni with Italian Sausage and the Seafood Clay Pot (the latter on the strong suggestion of the waiter and on seeing so many of them moving out of the kitchen while we enjoyed our drinks). Of the four dishes on our table, the Rigatoni was the star – flavorful, hearty, and a nice blend of a robust tomato sauce and gooey complimentary cheese throughout. Overall a nice, albeit simple, dish. The Clay Pot, on the other hand, was another disappointment. If you want to sum up this dish in one word, try this one — GINGER. The (well prepared) seafood was somthered in a light ginger cream sauce, with shreds of Thai peppers and cilantro on top. While the presentation was nice and the seafood was well prepared, the overwhelming bitterness and power of the ginger and peppers completely ruined the dish. It was also odd to have a broth based dish served without any sort of bread or accompaniment (rice) that could soak up the sauce – though that was not a concern of ours given the unpleasant flavor. In all, I cannot imagine that too many of those ordering the Clay Pot the first time are likely going to race to repeat the experience again.
Our server, without prompting, reported to the manager that we did not seem to enjoy our dishes, and she stopped by to talk with us and ultimately offered dessert on the house. This was way above and beyond the call, as we really had no problems with service, food quality, or the like – we simply just didn’t like it much. But to their credit, PC handled the experience with class and a desire to make us happy. That was nice, and distinctly different from the other similar experiences we had at other new restaurant offerings over the past several years. The desserts we ordered – a banana chocolate ice cream cake, and an apple cranberry bread pudding – were decent, not spectacular, but were made even that much more enjoyable by the nice touch of class by which they ended up on our table.
Overall, I wanted badly to enjoy this place. The building and layout in and out is spectacular. The feel is professional – I LOVE the open kitchen and New England style windows facing the wrap around patio on the east end of the building. The service was decent, the atmosphere was easy to have fun in….
But the food didn’t deliver. By a mile. And ultimately, PC is not inexpensive, and with no reservations is not a cinch to get in right away. As a result, I need to know before committing to the experience and the potential wait that I have a good meal waiting on the other end. In my humble opinion, I’m nowhere near that point after last night, so I fear this may have been our last stop at Porter Creek, until or unless I start to hear from others that the food is coming around, and the meal end of the experience is hitting the mark. From what I saw, it’s not likely anytime soon.
November 27th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
:(
November 27th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
I know, I know…eventually, I will find a decent SOTR restaurant that isn’t one of 42 locations nationwide, right?
The new chinese restaurant in Farmington is decent, and the shrimp balls appetizer (heh heh) is really nice. Does that count?
November 27th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
I’m just disappointed they couldn’t keep up what they had going in the beginning.
December 30th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
We finally went to Porter Creek tonight. Usually, if we decide to spend money on dinner out, we’ll cross the river to do so – it took a while to decide to go there.
Five of us shared several appetizers and hubby and I had the duck two ways and the hangar steak. Without going into great detail, the experience was very pleasant. The food, while not a masterpiece of freshness and innovation, was nicely tasty and satisfying.
Nothing groundbreaking, but quite nice.
December 31st, 2010 at 9:20 am
Don’t please don’t….try the Chan’s chinese retaurtant in Eagan….I think where that Russian Market used to be? It was HORRIBLE. Like beyond horrible. I literally had one one bite and threw away the whole pint of what I ordered. I need to stick to places like Ronin or Satay….but just so far to drive!
December 31st, 2010 at 9:35 am
If you are looking for great Aisian food, go to Thai Curry House on 13 and Cliff. It is right next to a weird Russian outpost that I can only imagine is a front for money laundering kind of like that place over by the original Tea House in the St. Louis Park area.
December 31st, 2010 at 11:07 am
[...] 10 Posts Visited By Minnesotans: Porter Creek Hardwood Grill: Burnsville, MN Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon: Apple Valley, MN Rack Shack BBQ: Burnsville, MN Valley Diner: [...]
December 31st, 2010 at 1:32 pm
I always forget about the Thai Curry house. Thanks Lefty.
Do you think that place is really money laundering?
February 1st, 2011 at 9:10 am
Re Comment #3, Tim: The Flour Bin was located at 35W and the Burnsville Parkway. I don’t believe it was ever located where Doolittle’s is on Cliff. The Flour Bin was a great breakfast place but couldn’t make it past breakfast — not enough traffic at lunch and I don’t even remember if they were open for dinner. :-(
February 1st, 2011 at 11:14 am
Anytime I see a place in which it seems to have no customers, I usually assume that they are selling drugs or something more than selling what the signs say. I am probably not right, but they have to keep paying the rent somehow.
I also worry about the Pizza N Pasta on Lexington and Diffley in Eagan. That place used to be a hot bed of white smoker teen gangs.
February 1st, 2011 at 12:47 pm
have you ever paid a visit to either businesses to confirm your suspicions? or are you just blindly slandering again?
February 1st, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Slander is different than wondering aloud.
About 10 years ago, I ate a pizza from that place. I have had the drug concern ever since, and my comment about white smoker teen gangs is first hand experience.
February 1st, 2011 at 1:02 pm
I edited lefty’s comment to fix an open blockquote tag.
February 1st, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Slander doesn’t occur on Internet forums.
February 1st, 2011 at 1:06 pm
I suck at the BQ. I am screwing up the second half, I think. Should it be:
?
February 1st, 2011 at 1:08 pm
What drug concern? I’m close friends with the manager. They are not running drugs or laundering money or any of the other foolish things you mentioned.
Where do you get this shit?
February 1st, 2011 at 1:10 pm
You’re close friends with everyone it seems.
February 1st, 2011 at 1:34 pm
i worked in various kitchens during most of highschool, college and briefly after. i have alot of friends in in the industry. weird huh?
if you dont believe me, we’ll be bowling at cedarvale lanes in eagan around 9pm tonight. please dont bring lefty.
February 1st, 2011 at 1:34 pm
I will believe you when you get Surly to start selling beer at Pizza N Pasta. You can work out the details at your next friends meeting. Until then, I call foul on the business plan.
fyi, facebook friends doesn’t count.
February 1st, 2011 at 1:37 pm
The Rooster’s 1 year birthday is today and I go to the gym at 9 so no bowling for me but believe me when I say this, I wouldn’t be caught dead at Cedarvale with or without lefty ;-)
February 1st, 2011 at 1:40 pm
well bully for you.
February 1st, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Happy Birthday to The Rooster!
February 1st, 2011 at 1:48 pm
and i still am convinced lefty has aspergers.
February 1st, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Yeah, Cedarvale is pretty Janke. I wouldn’t be surprised if they sell drugs there too.
February 1st, 2011 at 1:52 pm
case in point
February 1st, 2011 at 1:57 pm
I would like to hear the clinical reasons related to my posts that would indicate that I have a form of autism. Maybe you are right. Hell, Einstien was autistic, and he was pretty smart like me.
February 1st, 2011 at 2:20 pm
i guess i dont have any clinical reasons. you’re just generally annoying in an ‘might be semi-mentally challenged, but is really just annoying’ kind of way. like that kid on the playground that nobody liked becuase all he could talk about was pokemon and smelled like maple syrup. might be smart but has no social skills. you’re constantly making assumptions with no basis. also your comebacks suck.
thats pretty much it. if i think of more, i’ll let you know.
February 1st, 2011 at 3:42 pm
Says the guy that smells like industrial strength Palmolive.
Your disrespect of individuals that have that disease is disgusting.
February 1st, 2011 at 5:12 pm
again, another extremely un-witty comeback.
i think calling apsergers a disease is disrespectful to people who actually have diseases.
February 1st, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Enough morons.
February 1st, 2011 at 5:28 pm
easy now. that sounds like a personal attack. i was swiftly warned that those are not tolerated.
February 1st, 2011 at 7:27 pm
Keep it up.
February 1st, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Man, put in a full days work an dlook at all the good stuff I missed.
Bill are you sure you dont want a “dislike” button?
February 1st, 2011 at 7:40 pm
I have a ban button. It works better.
February 1st, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Dont be like the NFL and take the pain out of the game……………
February 1st, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Wow, that whole exchange has me feeling a bit blue to be associated with the human race right now. I need a shower…
Back to inbox cleanup, and the deletion of what seemed like hundreds of pointless notifications courtesy of the nobel laureates and their tantrums…
February 5th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Have they not figured out if they want to take my business from Chianti Grille, THEY NEED TO TAKE RESERVATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!
March 25th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
Tonight was our first visit. The wait wasn’t bad due to an attentive bar staff. The service was exquisite and the food was absolutely phenomenal. Check out the flank steak and the walleye. You will not regret it. Great food , great service, awesome ambience, and best of all, the prices were very very reasonable. We will be back frequently. Please check this out.
June 15th, 2011 at 8:58 am
[...] Porter Creek Hardwood Grill [...]
June 16th, 2011 at 7:08 am
[...] recommend it and if you’re looking for something along the lines of Chianti Grill or Porter Creek Hardwood Grill, then Morgan’s will definitely suit you just [...]
June 27th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
We ate at Porter Creek the other evening. We had an appointment to get to one evening and forgot to plan dinner, so we just ran out to Porter Creek (no time to travel NOTR for good food).
Well…My “rotisserie” sirloin was not edible. My manners-teaching mother would have been horrified, but I accumulated a spat-out pile of completely unchewable gristle on the edge of my plate after laboriously consuming just two slices of my entree. The “smoked tomato relish” was virtually unnoticeable.
The “rustic” vegetables were actually tough and dry. Two bites erased by interest in them.
The flavored-up mashed potatoes were decent for the first few bites; then they turned into semi-dried cement.
Hubby got cod. It was on top of a pile of not-good cooked greens and a barely discernable amount of sweet potato puree. He says the cod was “average, at best.”
Our waitress was sympathetic and arranged a discount. She then recommended the “cold smoked” hangar steak for future visits. When I inquired about the “cold smoked” aspect (I don’t think cold-smoked steak sounds appealing), she said that they actually just cook it at a lower temperature with a lid to hold in the smoke. So, it is not actually cold-smoked, like, say, lox. I would also be interested in what makes the sirloin “rotisserie”. Nothing about the preparation/appearance of my entree suggested that it had been near a rotisserie device.
Other accompaniments: I got the caesar salad with polenta “croutons”, forgetting that it wasn’t very good the last time I had it. The idea of a polenta crouton is much better than the reality. They would be better served to use their leftover bread and make real croutons. Pretty ordinary salad otherwise; probably comperable to MSPD’s salad at Morgan’s.
Hubby had a cup of soup. When ordering in a hurry, he heard the word “chowder” and mistakenly thought it would be seafood or clam chowder. He was pretty confused after the first bite of his chicken chowder. He was evidently not impressed, because he ate about 25% of it.
The bread was generic chain-restaurant-style white “eye-talian”. It was decent for what it was. The butter cup was the size of a large thimble.
C’mon, Burnsville, this restaurant is actually among the best of what’s available for our dining pleasure. We deserve more than gristly sirloin and old, chewy vegetables!
Suggestion to Porter Creek: Take some of the budget away from your large cheesy-style decorating budget and hire a real, on-site chef.
June 27th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
Clearly things have changed in the last year.
June 28th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
We had lunch there on Sunday. The prime rib dip was fantastic and smokehouse burger adequate. As far as options SOTR go, it remains the nicest patio I have found, so I was happy with the day. Truthfully, each time I’ve been there, I have been very pleased.
June 29th, 2011 at 8:10 am
On Saturday my prime rib dip was dry meat (last night’s leftover?) and a very small cup of dipping jus. Meh! Companions’ salads (chopped something or other and wine country whatever) were deemed excellent. Apple cranberry bread pudding was on the house because I’m cute.
I’d go back.
June 29th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
it’s not bad, and the outside seating and bar are very good…. i think we (SOTR consumers) deserve better from this place … just sayin
June 29th, 2011 at 5:25 pm
Exactly. Porter Creek has the tools to do better. I predict that after the majority of the large SOTR population gives them 2-3 tries and then stops going, Porter Creek will slowly decline and wonder why.
June 29th, 2011 at 9:17 pm
Speaking of slow decline, Enjoy is still open. I haven’t been there in years, but it seems to survive.
June 29th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
If my wife can love going to Perkins, a place I can barely stand, I can easily see how people are blind to what much more expensive places deliver. At least when I get questionable quality on my plate at Perkins, I’m not stuck paying top dollar for it.
June 29th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
One has wonder. But I heard that Bill Morrissey’s management company took it over – has it changed since?????
July 4th, 2011 at 7:02 am
[...] South of the River, hailing from a long history with the rest of the Doolittle’s restaurants, Porter Creek Hardwood Grill provides an almost breathtaking patio and overall interior coupled with some excellent [...]
January 13th, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Ate here with my mom last night. The decor is very nice and it’s hard to imagine a Baker’s Square used to occupy this plot of land. The rotisserie chickens roasting directly to your right as you walk in is a nice touch.
We both had the Mixed Greens with Candied Pecans for a salad. Standard, nothing special. I gave the pecans to my mom cause my braces got tightened in the morning and my teeth were killing me.
My mom ordered the Rotisserie Sirloin with Smoked Tomato Relish. They don’t list how many ounces the steak is on the menu probably because they don’t give you very much. If I had to estimate, it was about 6-8 oz. My mom let me try some of her food. The garlic mashed potatoes were slightly above average. The sirloin was very lean and cooked medium rare but closer to rare. The steak sauce did nothing for me. I prefer my steak without any sauce. But for meat this lean, you definitely needed some kind of sauce. Just not a fan of sweet sauces when it comes to beef. I didn’t try the tomato relish, didn’t look appetizing at all.
I ordered the Walleye with Smoked Pepper Tartar. The red potatoes had a very nice crunch to them and were seasoned just right. I initially thought they were fried but when I went back and looked at the menu, they are roasted. The white wine butter sauce is just poured on the plate and then the fish is laid on top of a bed of potatoes. I would’ve preferred they poured it over the fish because the crust makes it impossible for the fish to absorb any of the sauce. Speaking of the fish, it was meh. Crust was way too thick and hard and masked the flavor of the fish. I avoid fish with any type of breading or crust on them but I wanted to try the walleye. The fish flavor is so masked by the crust and the deep frying, it could’ve been tilapia or cod and I wouldn’t have known the difference.
Service was good, no complaints there. At this price point, I expected to be more impressed but walked away feeling like this was just a classier Applebee’s.
January 13th, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Dan, thanks for the review. Sadly, it seems that a classier Applebees is all that a place needs to aim for in the south metro suburbs to be considered upscale.
January 13th, 2012 at 10:27 pm
The reason people eat tilapia, cod and especially walleye are because they don’t carry more than a “mild” flavor. If you were tasting the fish then it wasn’t fresh enough IMO and honestly, it was fried. I don’t care where you’re eating you’re not going to taste much fish if you’re eating it fried.
I’m not going to defend Porter Creek here as I haven’t been there is more than a year but to say that you expected more flavor out of fried walleye may show a lack of experience IMO.
January 13th, 2012 at 10:43 pm
“to say that you expected more flavor out of fried walleye”
Where did I say that?
January 13th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
“Crust was way too thick and hard and masked the flavor of the fish.”
January 13th, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Again, where did I say I expected more flavor out of the fried walleye?
January 14th, 2012 at 9:37 am
Dan, it isn’t that confusing. “…masked the flavor of the fish” is like saying it masked the flavor of styrofoam or air. It makes no sense to say that. It implies there was some sort of flavor that shouldn’t have been “masked”.
Aside from that, I appreciate the information. I’m still not overly compelled to go there (no, I haven’t been in there).
January 14th, 2012 at 11:03 am
Dan N,
Stick to hockey puck hamburgers from Rainbow with onions and A1. It will cost you like a dollar per serving and will make you happy as can be.
lefty
October 14th, 2012 at 9:36 am
We have been to Porter Creek on 3 occasions. Our first experience was terrible, our 2nd visit was slightly less than terrible and our 3rd was a bit better. Why did we keep going back if it was not a good experience? We received a large gift card for the first 2 visits and the 3rd was a company event…
First visit: We started with the Calamari and panko crusted tomatoes. The calamari was very good, but the panko tomatoes were very bland. It was like they were there just to take up space, so they could cut the portion of the calamari. The calamari portion was very small – and pricey overall. Our main course entrees were not much better. The fish was overcooked and bland. The side dishes were literally forgettable as we do not recall what they even were. The hanger steak was a hot mess. It was ordered medium. It came charred black on the outside and sinewy and raw on the inside. The side of roasted potatoes were horrid. They were shriveled and dry – they seemed left over and reheated. At the time, it came with pearl onions and portabello mushrooms. The entire plate was covered in pearl onions and 2 pieces of mushroom in a salty sauce. I would avoid this dish at all costs, it was terrible.
2nd Visit: We started with Cesar salads which were heavily overdressed in a thick, salty, gloppy dressing, served with the blandest polenta croutons. Polenta croutons – great idea, poorly executed. There is NO law stating you cannot season you polenta. Even matched with the salty dressing, they were off mark. We moved on to the Rotisserie Chicken with ribbons – which was decent, except greasy. The pasta was beautiful, the chicken was tender, but the ‘tarragon wine broth’ it was in was greasy… what a bummer! We also had the Duck Two Ways. It was reheated it had to be, it looked sick and was very dry. (I wish I would have taken a picture of it.) The should have been gorgeous skin was not crisp, but hard and leathery. Unfortunate, because it could have been delicious dish. Who does not like crispy duck skin and duck confit? One of the greats in the culinary world. The sides of veggies and rice were forgettable.
Third visit: Bleu Cheese Crusted Tenderloin and the Walleye. The tenderloin was perfectly cooked and the bleu cheese added flavor to what can be a blander cut of meat. The rustic veggies were very good – they leave the zucchini larger, so it stays firm and does not get mushy and wet – YUM! The roasted potatoes were again, bland and not so good. The Walleye with the red pepper tartar was cooked perfectly. The red pepper tartar could have and according to the room of people that had the fish, should have been served on the side. It would have been nice to serve this with a different side, rather than the roasted red potatoes. Since we are in MN, a nice Wild Rice Pilaf or something would have been classic and better received.
Overall, we are not in a hurry to go back. It has a nice atmosphere (discounting the faucets for handwashing in the restrooms – it takes forever to wash your hands as the water trickles out and that is annoying!!!), the service is OK, but the food is not spot on, and for such a small menu, the staff should be able to execute the items spot on, every time.