Tonight we came into a little unexpected money and decided to go out for dinner. Kim had already told me that she wanted pizza, so what better way to get that and burn through the extra cash in our pocket but to head over to Ramy’s Pizzeria in Apple Valley to try it out?
We walked in at about quarter to 6 and were the only people inside. I grabbed a menu which we have already seen from bb stacker, and now a little better copy from dawnmarie, and gave it a once over. There were two specials on a chalkboard outside which had already caught my eye so after a quick menu scan and a question as to what the “garlic knots” were, I ordered both of the specials: a $3.99 gyro and a $4.99 Philly cheesesteak. Kim, sticking with the pizza theme, went with a mushroom and pepperoni calzone. All told, with Kim’s Coke (yes Mrs. Marcos, they have Coke, it’s safe for your visiting), our bill came to $18.56.
We took a seat near the front door and watched as four more people walked in and ordered. Kim immediately noticed the wall that they put up, and that dawnmarie mentioned, but I was surprised to find out that it wasn’t just a wall to walk around, nope, they cut the space in half and dropped the dead weight that plagued both of the previous restaurants that used to reside in this space. Aside from that, not much has changed and you can still see some of the wear and tear along the chair lines.
The two owners were busy prepping our meals and it was really nice to see them both working, not only for show but actually doing the work, almost in defiance of what so many other failed restaurant owners have been known to do even in their opening days. While our meals were cooking/baking, the owners brought desserts to those sitting in the restaurant. Kim and I received two unidentifiable desserts which I didn’t much care for. The first tasted a lot like perfume and the other, which a favorite for Kim, just didn’t do it for me but I’m not a dessert fan. Less than 15 minutes after we arrived my gyro and cheesesteak were on the table and Kim’s calzone was close behind.
The gyro was huge and when I mean huge, I mean that I could barely fit the fucker in my mouth (and I have a big mouth ;-)). It definitely could have been broken down into two smaller gyros and would have been easier to handle. While I was eating it the cucumber sauce was breaking the bread down and it was falling apart in my hands. Unfortunately for me the only napkins available were small cocktail type and they weren’t really helping me clean up after my messy self. The gyro was certainly not the best gyro I’ve ever had but it was definitely flavorful and one that was worth the $3.99 price tag.
The cheesesteak was also of a good size. I knew right from the time it came to the table that I’d be boxing up half for lunch tomorrow. While it had the usual peppers, onions, and mushrooms, the cheese was seriously lacking. This cheesesteak was worlds beyond what you can get at T.O.P.S. in Rosemount but it’s nothing like the real deal. Kim said it needed more cheese and definitely more mayo (which would be an easy fix, just ask for mayo). While this was not an authentic cheesesteak, it was certainly filling and the $4.99 I paid was worth it.
Kim’s calzone was also quite large (we brought home half of that as well) and came with a decent sized portion of marinara. It had some fresh basil chopped up on top and was packed with the ingredients Kim asked for. It was cooked to a golden brown and tasted good enough for Kim who seemed quite pleased with the dish.
While I was alternating between photos and food, the garlic knots I asked about before were delivered to our table. There were four little dough pieces tied into knots and topped with basil and garlic. They were so tasty that I said to Kim if they have late-night delivery (they do deliver already), this may be one of those things that I’d demand be on my doorstep in 20 minutes or less on one of those evenings I am craving a carbosnack. Yum.
All I can say is that the third time is probably the charm for this location. Kim said that instead of spending the entire ride home going “blech” like we were following our horrendous experience at Two Guys from Italy, we were giving our praises over how we’d love it if this place makes it.
That all said, if you’re in the South Metro and have not yet tried Ramy’s Pizzeria in Apple Valley, get out there and do so. The owners are friendly, the food is good, and the prices are fucking fantastic (if it wasn’t clear above, we basically ordered three full meals for less than $20). We’ve been asking for a place that serves good food cheap and fast with no frills and this definitely could be that place. This isn’t a place I believe that you need to drive from Minneapolis to try but it’ll definitely beat out what you’ll find at almost any other South Metro establishment.
Ramy’s Pizzeria & Mediterranean Cuisine
15265 Galaxie Ave
Apple Valley, MN 55124
See all the pictures from Ramy’s Pizza on Flickr here.
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April 20th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
This is the site’s 1000th post!
April 20th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Congrats!!
I didn’t realize Dunn Bros. was closing, though I’m not super surprised.
I love the idea of a gyro place within walking distance for me. As long as they’re yummy gyros. Is there an opening date anywhere?
April 20th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
If its like everything else that has opened in that area, they will give a date, say July 1st, and then open 3 months later.
April 20th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
I look forward to trying it once they open! Sounds like a good variety of eats. Hopefully they will succeed…but only time will tell.
April 20th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
My dad will be disappointed about that Dunn Bros. It was his second office for when he doesn’t feel like working in his basement office. I don’t know if Caribou or Starbucks will lure him without free wi-fi, but we’ll see.
Honestly, I don’t hold out a lot of hope for the new restaurant. That area just seems to be death for all of them. At least they have one thing going for them in that they have another location already, so they should (in theory) know more about what they’re getting into.
Congratulations on 1000 posts, by the way!
April 20th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Sorry to hear about Dunn Bros. There goes another WiFi Hot Spot!
April 21st, 2009 at 6:00 am
Tim, he can go less than a mile away to Panera for free wifi too.
April 21st, 2009 at 6:41 am
Well, if they have another location, does that qualify it as a chain? If it is a chain, they’ll have a much higher chance of succeeding in Apple Valley!
Seriously though, I hope it’s good, and if it’s good, I hope they make it work. We need more places like this in the South Metro.
April 21st, 2009 at 7:32 am
i’ll give it a shot!!
is house of wing still there?
bb
April 21st, 2009 at 7:37 am
Myself being a frequent consumer of the Apple Valley Culver’s, I don’t see any “suffering” at all from a Founders Circle location in itself. Many times at lunch and between 5:30-7:30pm on weekdays, the Culvers lot is completely full and there isn’t any seating inside. This has to be one of the busiest Culvers locations in the Twin Cities (it seems far, far busier than Lakeville, Eagan, etc). Culver’s is doing something right that these other places aren’t – and you can’t tell me it is solely because Culver’s is a chain or because it serves high quality food. They seem to be able to draw people to their location from all over town (granted, their school night promotions are a big part of this, perhaps to establish repeat family visits). It will be interesting to see what happens to Ramy’s.
April 21st, 2009 at 8:06 am
A CL resident,
I think the area has proven that it cannot support as many restaurants as have attempted to survive there in the past. At least 7 restaurants have come in there and turned over in short order. Many of the places that I list above didn’t even make it 6 months!
I am intrigued by your comment that Culvers “serves high quality food”. Could you please explain what you mean by that?
April 21st, 2009 at 9:13 am
Well as long as Culver’s is doing A-OK, how could anyone care about the weed-filled lots, new but already decaying strip malls and parade of business owners leaving town???
And though I hate to vent about a place that isn’t even open yet (actually, no I don’t)…what exactly is “Meditteranean Cuisine” to these guys? The fact that they offer an olive on their menu? Spaghetti and meatballs? If that menu is Mediterranean, then so is Subway’s.
And is it, or isn’t it New York style pizza? New York style pizzerias don’t offer classic, deep dish or thin crust. It is or it isn’t.
My prediction is that this place will be a complete financial success. They’ll very quickly realize that they offer almost the exact same f-ing items as Panino Bros across the parking lot and the two will partner up to buy crappy ingredients in bulk!! Hooray!
Speak up Ramy’s. Let’s hear why this isn’t the case. For now, my reaction is a big, fat, bitter YAWN.
April 21st, 2009 at 9:25 am
p.s. Tim, Caribou does have free WiFi. I work from the one in Apple Valley and the ones in Burnsville when I need a place right there.
April 21st, 2009 at 9:34 am
Hey, that is an awesome idea, MSPD! One less stop for the Sysco truck!
Seriously though, has anyone done any research on this plot of land? Could this particular strip mall be on top of some ancient, sacred Indian burial ground? Maybe some snot nose kid wandered over there after finishing his/her Culver’s frozen custard cone and walked off with a sacred Tiki necklace and infuriated the gods?!
No restaurant will ever succeed there until the Tiki is returned!
April 21st, 2009 at 9:39 am
I think that is the most angst filled post I have ever seen from MSPD.
April 21st, 2009 at 9:40 am
Bill, I’m sure he means that Culver’s is just as good as Chili’s. It’s totally obvious.
April 21st, 2009 at 10:02 am
Totally obvious you’re smoking crack, woman!
;)
April 21st, 2009 at 10:56 am
man, I thought I was hiding it so well. Nuts. Don’t tell my husband.
April 21st, 2009 at 11:11 am
I guess the biggest question should be, “what do we think is missing in the South Metro restaurant scene?”
Restaurants keep coming and going. Many new establishments are repeating the exact same failures made by very similarly themed restaurants that have preceded them. I had a post months ago entitled the South Metro Restaurant Survival Guide which offered my top four quick and easy points that so many places overlook when they come to town. Honestly, I continue to struggle with the idea that we need to open yet another sandwich and/or pizza place in town. Don’t we already have enough of those?
Subway, Jimmy Johns, Milio’s, Ole Piper, Carbone’s, Panino Brothers, Broadway Pizza, Erberts and Gerberts, Pizza Hut, Papa Murphy’s, Papa Johns, Homemade Pizza Company, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc all have that market cornered. By opening another place that is competing in a market that is saturated with a population that is not increasing nor has any additional disposable income is not a great idea IMO. Someone needs to come up with something new and exciting to fill some needed niche.
Now, I am not a restaurateur nor do I have a degree in marketing or business but I can tell you that I am really unlikely to frequent a place, aside from my single review visit, when I know that there are 15+ other places where I can get something that’s tried and true and possibly costs less money.
1. I’d really like to see more ethnic foods come in to the South Metro. Aside from Sambol in Eagan, Tandoor and Surabhi in Bloomington or a drive to Northfield, I don’t know of any other Indian restaurants even close to the South Metro. I have had to settle my cravings for Indian food by purchasing stuff at the grocery store and making it myself. That’s a wide open market that’s just waiting to be conquered.
2. I’d like to see another sit down restaurant that’s different from the typical Applebee’s knock-off. We already have a multitude of restaurants that offer mediocre burgers, over-sized and expensive salads with calorie expanding toppings, and shitty fish dishes that I would be better off making at home. Why aren’t there a ton of restaurants opening to compete with the Enjoys and Chianti Grills?
I was recently in Boston and attached to the building where my hotel was I had a multitude of restaurants all offering something different and while there were plenty of non-chains, there were also a variety of chains ranging from Cheesecake Factory to PF Changs. There was something for everyone but as you look around in the South Metro, the chains dominate and you’re left looking for the little diamonds in the rough that you only hear about through word of mouth instead of having them staring you in the face. Why is our local culture like that?
—
If this place wants to survive and as large of an uphill battle they have, Ramy’s ownership is going to have to do something that will differentiate them from the rest. Offering gyros, subs, and pizza probably isn’t going to do it–at least not as well as they will need it to in order to overcome the history that the barren Founders Circle has behind it.
What would you like to see added to make Founders Circle survive? What types of restaurants should open up in the South Metro that you instead have to drive 15+ miles to get instead?
April 21st, 2009 at 11:17 am
Perhaps Ramy’s will offer “how to navigate and survive the traffic circle of death” seminars along with their pizza/gyros/subs?! Something new, different, and useful!
April 21st, 2009 at 11:30 am
My rampant pessimism says that a lot of restaurants should just cut out the pesky opening and just hang a “OUT OF BUSINESS” sign up over their misspelled coming soon banner. Expect they should spell it “OWT OF BUSSINES”
April 21st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Great topic Bill.
I re-read the comments from the “South Metro Restaurant Survival Guide” and I am compelled to just copy and paste them over here.
I’m just thinking out loud, but I’m more and more convinced that it will be years before anything independent can thrive, much less even be sustainable in places like Founders Circle, HOC and the Eagan “Gateway to the Mall of America” that’s about to go up (unfortunately). There just aren’t enough people there.
I could easily list a bunch of places that would “fill voids” in the south metro, but because of the challenges I listed in the other threads, I see very little viability. But…in the interest of not just repeating the same crap, even though it’s still valid:
If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to open a restaurant in Founders Circle, I would probably take the Chipotle restaurant model and open a quick-serve kebab restaurant using high quality, locally-sourced meats/preparations (authentic ethnic marinades to good ol’ USofA BBQ sauces). I would offer about 10 items (chicken, pork, beef, fish, vegetarian, lamb in various combos), choice of 3 or 4 sides (rice, beans, other starch) and a handful of craft beers. I might try and acquire some adjoining greenspace and open a lawn bowling/bocce yard (like the Brit’s rooftop). The restaurant itself would have garage door style walls that could fully open in the summer. In the winter, I would bust my ass to capitalize on delivery/catering to local business/office buildings and/or offer fax-in ordering like Chipotle. Then, I would cross my fingers that Minnesotans’ stupid fascination with food-on-a-stick would keep me open for the first few years until some more crap was built to sustain it long term. Beyond “Minnesotan”, just about every culture on the planet has some form of food on a stick (Japanese yakitori, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean kebabs, African, Indian….)
I’ve thought about the possibility of buying one of the rundown gas stations at Cedar Ave and Diffley (how can there be three still?) and converting it to an honest to goodness BBQ takeout joint like Oklahoma Joe’s and LC’s in Kansas City or Speed Queen in Milwaukee. I think that corner is just far enough away from the Famous Daveses and would attract a steady stream of carryout orders like Brianno’s.
I think the Brianno’s model could work in Apple Valley. You would have to have a deli/grocery with interesting items that are accessible to mainstream suburbanites. Add in an event center and maybe a…gasp….wine bar/tapas bar (good, semi-authentic ones) with a nice view…maybe near the Pilot Knob Target with big windows overlooking the Artificial Lake and Skyline of Cobblestone Lake. Sort of like a hybrid of Sage Wine Bar and Grocery in Mendota Heights, Buon Giorno Market and Brianno’s. Again, you need a steady take-out business but Pilot Knob and Target shoppers might provide that.
I doubt they’re sustainable but huge voids exist for places like Brasa (NE Mpls and soon on Grand Ave in St. Paul), Punch Pizza or Pizza Nea or Black Sheep Pizza, a “finer” dining place that has a laser focused and/or unique menu like Red Stag Supper Club or something similar. I’m absolutely mystified that they haven’t landed something along these lines in the Grande Market Place space overlooking the park….it’s a beautiful space with a view, great outdoor patio potential and built in traffic. UGH. (Now I’m repeating my earlier post).
April 21st, 2009 at 12:13 pm
MSPD,
Excellent response! I love the idea of food on a stick, games to play outside in summer–especially to take up some of that barren land, and an outdoor theme but as someone who is a bit (ha) cynical I am concerned about your suggestion that someone use locally sourced meat.
While plenty of commenters here, who are probably foodie-esque, are clued into and desire the whole locally sourced idea, it would seem that plenty of others just don’t care that much in the South Metro. If someone is commenting that Culvers is serving great food and the rest of the people are packing Applebees, BW3, and Ole Piper, I just don’t see a majority caring where the meat came from. Would your choice to go with the more expensive sources for your meat and vegetables drive your prices above what the expected norm is for the area and thus push you out of business?
In the other direction, would your choice to use those ingredients bring people down from the metro to your restaurant to eat to offset those that wouldn’t care about it aside from the high prices in the South Metro?
April 21st, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I’m not an expert since I’m only familiar with the patron side of the equation. Alex Roberts manages to make it work at Brasa. But then again, he has decades of experience and connections. I think with the right marketing spin (which IS my area of expertise) and partnerships, if not locally sourced then naturally raised/hormone-free meats would appeal to the suburbanite MILF set who don’t want to poison their children, and young professional/aspiring young professional. Same folks who eat up Chipotle instead of McD’s. It would take some research, obviously. Unlike most south metro restauranteurs, I would make sure to answer those questions before I opened.
April 21st, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Maybe Ramy’s could copy the Culver’s School Night idea, but give out prizes to the students who find the most misspelled items on the signs/menu. It would give my kids some variety from searching for misplaced apostrophes and spelling errors at the grocery store. It could be a new niche market: Ramy’s: Eat and Educate.
April 21st, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Great posts MSPD, and I would type a bunch of stuff, but the survival guide still has most everything summed up.
I would still like to see a really good Sandwich place. Philly Cheese Steaks, Ruebens, BLT’s, Buffalo Chicken, etc. It would not need to be big, but something that offers high quality greasy spoon type sandwiches.
I also would love to see a higher end option, something like a Redstone. Brasa would be great. Something that serves high quality, unique food. The place at the HOC park would be a great place for this, as I think MSPD said above.
I hope the place opening by Culvers is good. Perhaps because they have another place already, they will have a clue, but as Bill said, its not really food that is unique to this part of the city, so I dont know that it matters.
Perhaps he meant that Culvers is better than McDonalds and/or Burger King? I would agree with that sentiment.
April 21st, 2009 at 1:19 pm
I believe my argument that Savage Depot Bistro isn’t unique stands here. You can get any of those things at a number of local establishments already and thus we certainly don’t need any more of those places IMO. It’s a grilled sandwich, it’s not any different at Carbone’s or Rascal’s or Junior’s Grill than it is at Savage Depot Bistro or Bill’s Backdoor BBQ Palace and Grill.
Really? To me, it’s almost identical to any other fast food joint aside from the fact that it takes 10x as long to get your burger from Culver’s than it would any other “fast food” joint. While I think that Culver’s has a much better menu overall, I just don’t see their burger offerings to be that much different. I still miss Bucky’s :(
April 21st, 2009 at 1:25 pm
I guess I just dont think that anyplace in the South Metro has a great Philly, Rueben, or BLT. Certainly I feel like I can make better at home. There are lots of sub shops, but I dont think there is anyplace where you can get a great short order type sandwhich. Something hot, made on the grill, etc.
April 21st, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Fair enough.
April 21st, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Oh, and I think Culvers is better than most of the other fast food places in town, although alot of that is to do with the menu, as you mentioned above.
April 21st, 2009 at 1:29 pm
A better way of putting it might be this – if there was a place like Kings closer to Burnsville, I would eat there 4 to 8 times per month. And it could be burgers, or it could be the same quality food/atmosphere, etc, but with Phillys, or Ruebens, or Buffalo Chicken, or better yet, all of the above.
April 21st, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I am with Chad, the south metro needs a really good sandwich shop / deli. Perry’s Deli is the type of place the south metro needs. While working in Chicago for over a year, I ate at Perry’s nearly every day.
http://www.perrysdeli.com/
Anyone else had the opportunity to eat at Perry’s? If you have I think you will agree and probably have frequent cravings like I do for “Perry’s Favorite”.
April 21st, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Culvers has delicious rootbeer. Reminds me of A&W drive in (used to be on Hiawatha and 43rd Street in south Minneapolis, now it is a parking lot – progress!).
April 21st, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Mrs. Marcos-
I apologize if you already knew this, but for trivia sake, about a billion years ago* Apple Valley had an A&W drive-in located in what is now Famous Dave’s. It had the speakers and car window food trays and everything. It was awesome.
*probably only 25-years ago, but whatever.
April 21st, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I can’t stand Culvers. I like me some butter, but their burgers are disgusting, IMO. I’d rather have Wendy’s than Culvers any day.
As for the sharing ingredients argument, I like Panino Bros. And the last few times we’ve been in there the service has been incredibly better.
April 21st, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Bill, I misspoke – My point was that Culver’s does NOT serve high quality food, as in…a reasonable person could not say their high quality food is the reason that they are successful.
April 21st, 2009 at 4:00 pm
ACLR,
If anything that just goes to prove that being a chain is what makes it successful. Not only do they have the name brand behind the store but they have mass marketing materials, specials, and recipes that are tried and true elsewhere. Culvers has a huge advantage over the mom and pops. They have someone to build their campaigns and build name recognition for them. While I get some stuff in the local press and spam fliers via mail for the local businesses, I only hear about the rest by sight or word of mouth through this site. If that’s how it works for me, what do you think the rest of South Metro residents see?
Culvers as a whole is fine but do you honestly believe that a mom and pop shop could start where Culvers is at now from nothing? I don’t.
April 21st, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Bill, your points are very valid, however the problem I see with Mom and Pops is not the recipes or the marketing, or materials, etc.
Most of these places open up without a plan, without enough capital to make it through the first 1 to 2 years, and without a clue of how much work its actually going to be. I would say that on average if you are going to open a mom and pop place and run it yourself (ie not hire a manager) you should plan on working 10 to 12 hours per day, 6 to 7 days a week for at least the first year to two years. Simple things like the manager coming out and talking to patrons. Asking how things are and actually caring what the answer is. I am convinced that a great number of these people had no clue what they were getting into.
I do think its worth noting that sometimes (Savage Depot is an example), posters have left comments that things you or other posters pointed out were problems have been addressed. True and honest feedback is priceless, and if these places are humble enough to make changes, that is the first step to staying open for more than a couple months.
April 21st, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Chad,
I agree wholeheartedly with your statements about the time and money involved and how many mom and pop shops don’t understand that as they jump headfirst into the shallow end.
I just took a look through the post and the comments to refamiliarize myself and didn’t see anything stating that any of our suggestions were addressed. In fact, you said yourself that the service was about the same on your second visit.
And as far as your comments about the menu and having people interact with you, I am just completely on the other side there. I don’t want you to think that your opinion is wrong, I just disagree with it. When I go into a restaurant I would be very uncomfortable (as I was when it happened at Savage Depot) if someone began unnecessarily explaining a simple sandwich menu to me. In fact I was fairly offended when it occurred during our visit. While I understand having ownership that is involved, having someone come around the counter to further crowd a small area and explain to me what onion rings and caprese sandwiches are is a bit over the top. I have absolutely no problems asking questions about a menu item or suggestions when I want one but I find it terribly overbearing to be treated as if I am 6 years old.
It has to make for a tough environment to work in when you have people with so many different backgrounds and wants/desires to come into your place and make them all happy.
April 21st, 2009 at 7:10 pm
MSPD, your observations and comments are right on, as I’m learning they usually are.
I think we’d all like to see fresh, real food. It could be simple or it could be innovative; either way it would be new to the south ‘burbs. A great sandwich on housemade bread or pea-shoot risotto, equally yummo.
dawnmarie, ditto on Culver’s.
We could use a great bakery, too.
April 21st, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Sandy, we have a Panera! What more of a bakery do you need?! Come on!
I would really love to see something like a Ring Mountain Creamery closer, but Luxury Sweets failed, so I’m guessing it wouldn’t work. Though Luxury Sweets went out in a bit of mystery…
April 21st, 2009 at 7:50 pm
If anyone buys one of the gas stations at Cedar and Diffley and turns it into a takeout joint, I would patronize it as much as possible and you would be my new hero.
Actually, you can do almost whatever you want with the lot, just buy one of those gas stations.
April 21st, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Bill,
I sometimes dont convey my thoughts clearly. Its not so much that I want someone to explain the menu to me, its more that I was confused by the three menus laying on the counter, and the two or three people behind the counter just standing there staring at me. It was very similar to my initial visit to La Luz actually. A bit of a fishbowl feeling. I guess for my first visit I would either like someone to ask if I have any questions and offer suggestions, or possibly hand me the one menu that pertained to the time of day in question. I just hate when people stand and stare at me.
My comment though was directed more at the last couple comments about the Savage Depot, where people stated that the owner has come and talked ot them and that the service was very good.
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:39 am
Chad, your comment was caught in the spam filter (I have no idea why) so I dragged it out of there this morning. Sorry about that.
Thanks for the clarification on all points. I have a much better understanding of where you were coming from :)
April 22nd, 2009 at 8:16 am
Hey cool, another pizza place, there just isn’t enough of those around here. Please, oh, please, if another pizza joint opens, let it be Punch, Pizza Nea or Pizza Luce. That’s all I ask.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:07 am
dawnmarie, my layperson’s impression was that Luxury Sweets didn’t fail. Rather, they were pushed out by the building owner in some form.
I agree, it’s nice to be closer to a place like that. I live the same distance from Ring Mountain as I do to Founder’s Circle. It was always a tough decision which to go to.
On another note, I ran into the owner a few weeks ago. For those that like their products, they are working hard to get gelato in some stores…last I heard, they were talking with Kowalski’s. They also still do custom cakes.
I’m really enjoying the comments on this thread. Good job Bill.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:23 am
This is a little OT but in light of the sandwich comments above I wanted to note something I had this past weekend. I had a sandwich called a Chivito. This sandwich is the national dish of Uruguay and can be found on the menu at Lucky’s 13 Pub in Mendota of all places. To be honest I didn’t order this myself, my friend did. When I saw it I was intrigued and asked for a bite, well I never gave him the sandwich back. It was odd in a good way, what we call “oddly compelling†at my house and very tasty. Some of you more foodie types may already be aware of this but it was new to me. If you get a chance check it out. Of course YMMV.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:28 am
TIU,
Thanks for reminding me about this place, again ;) I just took a look at the menus and found the prices to be a bit above what I consider acceptable for what they are offering (Reuben with chips for $10.95?) Since you were there, are the prices worth it or could they really get away with charging 2 or 3 dollars less?
http://www.luckys13pub.com/images/wmimages/OnlineForms/84718_Dinner.pdf
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:58 am
I personally feel that at a couple dollars less they would be at an ideal price point. That being said, I attributed the higher prices to the fact that this is not a chain (maybe buying/sourcing locally and no bulk buying?) and the quality of ingredients being used.
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I just looked at the Menu for Lucky 13, and it looks great. I would say the prices are high, but right inline for what you would pay at Bonfire/Axels, who seem to be the owners?
I have not eaten here, but I will try it. This is the type of place I would love to see in the empty space across from the park in the HOC.
On a side note, didnt bonfire/axels have another sorta fine dining restraunt in Mendota? Has this place replaced that? Or are both now open there, or am I just mistaken?
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Brad –
No, I wasn’t aware that A&W (the real kind with the drive up and ordering from your car/eating in your car – not the mass produced chain located near KFC) used to be where Famous Dave’s is now. That just makes me sad. The one on Hiawatha was called “Charlie’s A&W”…man, I miss that place.
*sniffle*
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:29 pm
MSPD, I’m incredibly lazy and so I don’t get down to Ring Mountain often, but I’m inches from going there in a few minutes because I need pistachio gelato.
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Chad, you’re not mistaken. Axel’s is their other place and it is right up the street from Lucky’s.
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Going back to the earlier point of discussion about nicer sit-down restaurants like Enjoy! or Chianti Grill — yes, I think it would be great if we had a couple more of these, but OTOH I’m not sure how many the South Metro can support, especially nowadays. It seems like each suburb can support one at best, and sometimes not even that (such as with Copper Bleu in Lakeville).
It would be a different story if 1) this were a wealthier area, like the West Metro, or 2)there were more large companies around for the expense account business. But as it stands, I think the area’s maxed out.
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Tim,
Good point. Where I grew up there were plenty of sit down restaurants around and they seemed to do just fine in an area with a far smaller population and a lower median income. This is a big reason why I believe it’s the local culture that causes the restaurant problem we seem to have.
That said, Copper Bleu had a much bigger issue to deal with which made it crumble–the fact that the building cost five million dollars and sat in a parking lot of a strip mall.
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Tim,
To your point, I think we all sometimes forget that there are a few places around that dont get mentioned often. Chateau Lamonthe and Porterhouse come to mind as places that would/should compete with Enjoy. I hesitate to put Chianti Grille in that category, although I guess the people in the South Metro do. The place is usually very busy.
I just think there are some big holes in the restraunt landscape of the South metro. Copper Blue was pretty good the few times we went there, but the building itself illustrates how clueless they were at running a business.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
It would appear that the sign now has the correct spelling.
May 9th, 2009 at 4:21 am
Just an update on Ramy’s. Met one of the owners a few weeks ago and said they’d be opening in a few weeks, so hopefully they’ll be opening within the week. I work next door and they are still banging away in there. i.e. loud noises through the wall. The Coca Cola Truck was there today so it must be getting close. I’ll let ya know how the Gyros/food is when they open. And who is that muscle man walking around AV? Always with a coffee and always with a wife beater tank on? We call him “The Dude”. Not Lebowski.
Lowdown on Dunn brothers. Supposedly the owners mother was ill and had to leave to take care of her. I still see people parking there. One guy even sits on the patio yet. Apple Valleys finest aren’t there anymore. They seem to be hanging at the Holiday gas station by the transit station. I was walking around the strip a week or 2 ago and noticed what looked like a business man/realtor/landlord talking to a couple inside Dunn brothers, looking at papers . Maybe it will reopen soon? And as what?
House of Wing still there-closed mondays
How does that Tailor store stay in business?
A.V. Culvers is a money maker- always busy. If I want bad cholesterol though, I’ll goto McDonalds(cheaper). When will a Sushi place have school night?
Enough Ranting-
Sorry bout them Pirates Bill- Brewers are hot right now
May 9th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Excellent! Off to a great start! :)
May 15th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Ramy’s is open. Wiith a nice BIG menu!! About 25 kinds of Pizza, Gyros, Calzones, salads,pastas. I had a Gyro for lunch today, it was soooooo goooood. Wife and I are going tonight so I can have my second one. and maybe some Cheescake or Teramisu. MMMMMMMMMMMMM The owners are awesomely nice. Thumbs up for this place so far.
May 16th, 2009 at 8:18 am
jeff, thx!
bb
May 16th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Glad to hear it’s open! Might give it a try on Sunday for a pizza to enjoy during the Survivor finale.
May 16th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
We stopped in here today for an early dinner/late lunch, and we were satisfied. I had a gyro, straight up, and husband had a ham/sausage/pepperoni (ick) calzone. He liked it quite a bit, I’m less impressed since I don’t like meaty pizzaish items. But, the gyro sauce was good, it was low-priced, the service was friendly, and the food was good. We’ll go back.
It still looks a lot like Two Guys From Italy in there, but I’m ok with that, because it means they didn’t waste months redecorating and paying rent on an incomeless space before they opened up. Just long enough for the space to be divided, it’s about half the size Two Guys was, brand spanking new wall up in there. But everything else is the same, which is fine with me, because maybe they’ll be able to stay open for not wasting a bunch of time.
It was, however, really dark. A couple more lights wouldn’t be amiss.
May 16th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
dm, maybe we passed like two ships in the night. i stopped in to get a menu somewhere around 1 ish.
well, i said i’d give it a shot! picked up a pizza to go around 6 ish. nothing to rave about. a little skimpy on the toppings albeit tasty. the crust wasn’t great either. they just opened yesterday so we’ll probably give ‘em another shot when things settle down.
toss out the high and low, probably about a 4!!
bb
May 16th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Definitely a big menu- had lunch there yesterday, dinner with the wife last night,leftovers for lunch today and then more gyros for dinner today. So far for me me the gyros are the ticket, with cucumber sauce.
Wife and I went in for dinner last night had the shish kabob. It was ok. Plate seemed small for the price (9$). Wife fell in love with the garlic cheese bread, thats only 2.50. Milder cheese. Meals come with garlic knots, they were very good. We split a medditeranian salad. Seemed a little spendy for lettuce with goat cheese on top. Had Teramisu for dessert. It was above average. I’d buy it again.
The staff is very curtious. There were some reused items from 2 guys. But as long as they arent reusing the pasta, Im cool.
Wish there were better reviews on the pizza, that was my next meal. Now I’ll have to try the burger and frires, maybe onion rings.
Conclusion: They have their niche foods. We just have to discover them and share that info. Friendliness, range of menu options and the Gyros give them a 6.
May 17th, 2009 at 5:54 am
bb stacker sent me some photos of the menu for you to look over until I return and am able to scan an official copy. You can check them out on Flickr here.
May 17th, 2009 at 7:52 am
I can try and scan the menu, I have one in my purse.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
These guys are pretty good.
I went there yesterday and ordered their buffalo chicken pizza. They also threw in some cannolis on the house.:)
May 20th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
I have moved the comments from the previous post under this one for historical purposes.
May 20th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
I was very pleased with our experience tonight. I think I can safely say that as long as their food quality remains consistent that this will become a regular haunt for us along with Satay2Go, Johnny’s and Ronin. Good food, a great value and friendly owners. The fact that they deliver is icing on the cake.
I would recommend trying the garlic knots because they are really freaking good. I told Bill that if restaurants served those things instead of slices of bread in their bread baskets people would gorge themselves before they ever got their food.
May 20th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
I agree the Garlic knots are awsome. Had the philly cheesesteak special yesterday- BIG sandwich, very tasty. Didnt finish it so i microwaved the rest for breakfast at work today. 2nd day. Still very good.
May 20th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
I can make those garlic knots. I’m pretty sure mine are awesome too.
I agree that this place is good, and I really hope it makes it. Though it seems that everyone but me got free stuff when they went in…
May 20th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
dm, we await your recipe.
May 20th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Ingredients
Dough
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
Glaze
2-4 cloves peeled, garlic
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon Pizza Seasoning or Italian seasoning, optional
Directions
1. For the dough – In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the dry ingredients together then add the olive oil, milk and water. Using the paddle attachment or dough hook, mix and knead to form smooth, elastic dough, adding additional water or flour as needed. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and allow it to rise for about 1 hour, until it’s doubled in bulk.
2. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, and roll each into a rope about 10 inches long; tie each rope into a knot. Place the knots on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes to about an hour, until very puffy looking.
3. To make glaze – Unpeel garlic cloves. Chop the garlic in a food processor (or you can use a garlic press), with the melted butter.
4. To bake – Bake the knots in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes. They should be set, but only very lightly browned. Remove the knots from the oven, and brush or drizzle them with the seasoned butter. (You can reheat the butter briefly in the microwave, if it’s solidified).
May 20th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
dm, nice! I may just have to make these this weekend! You’re the best.
May 20th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
I want this place to succeed, along with all of the other non-chain restaurants that are worth the visit. I miss going to local restaurants on a regular basis. My parents always go to the same local restaurants and the food is authentic, amazing, and cheap. So is everything in Youngstown, OH but I digress…
I also hope that a couple good restaurants will open up in Cobblestone Lake (there are plans for restaurants there). I don’t have much confidence in this happening anytime soon, but eventually. I am biased, but I think it’s a nice location and may prove good for business. Someday. :(
Bill, I can’t keep up with all of your restaurants. Need to keep a running tab of the ones we’ve visited. You do a great service to us South of the Valley folks.
May 20th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Word at City Council work sessions is Dunn Bros. will probably be back under new ownership.
May 20th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Sorry, I only eat at ‘Mediterranean Cuisine’ restaurants that employ belly dancers. How much for a lamb ankle? You know MSPD enjoys a good lamb ankle.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:31 am
Shhhh Mrs. Marcos!!!
I’m in negotiations to buy the old La Luz space and open up a restaurant. It’s going to be like Buffalo Wild Wings, but instead of wings, we’ll serve baskets of lamb ankles.
(I’ll also offer soup, salad and sandwiches as well as flatbread pizzas).
May 21st, 2009 at 10:35 am
MSPD, you could call it “Cankles”. It’d be like Cheers only different.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:37 am
Sounds decadent and unique, MSPD!
May 21st, 2009 at 11:10 am
I was noodling on the name. I was thinking:
“Wham Bam Thank You Lamb”
“Crazy Mary’s Little Lamb”
“House of Gnaw”
“Sinew and Brew”
“Snap. BAAA!”
I like the sound of “Cankles” though. I might steal business from Old Country Buffet.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:17 am
ROFLMFAO!
May 21st, 2009 at 11:36 am
Naturally, this restaurant will have a drive thru, right?
May 21st, 2009 at 4:34 pm
RAMY’s first customer right here <— at his original shop in the 50th and france area, he’s a good guy does good work
May 21st, 2009 at 4:45 pm
in some cases you’ve got to give him a break he’s only one man essentially doing it all himself he’s working 9-12 every single day between his two shops
May 21st, 2009 at 6:19 pm
We stopped in today for a late lunch.
Here is what we had:
Philly = Great
Gyros = Very good
Garlic Twists = Great
Buffalo Chicken Pizza = It was ok. Kinda odd. I prefer Broadway or Italian Pie Shoppe. To be fair I had already eat half a philly.
I planned on taking home half the philly and some pizza, but ended up eating the philly and bringing the pizza home. The crust on the pizza was good. The sauce and chicken were kinda odd though.
The service was great. Friendly and fast.
The prices were unbeatable, although the philly and gyros were on special.
We had a great experience and will return.
May 21st, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Had the Cheeseburger and Fries for lunch today. Both were very good. The fries were thick, with a special seasoning. It was the same result, I was f’in full and for a decent price. Might take me a while to get through that menu and I eventually will. Thank God they have Coke products.
May 21st, 2009 at 9:08 pm
I had the calzone the other night and really enjoyed it. I was completely stuffed–way bigger than the ones at Green Mill and for a lot less money!
Those garlic knots look fantastic! I’ve got to try those SOON!
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 am
Went to Ramy’s last night.
Tried the white pizza, the pepperoni stromboli, and of course the garlic knots.
The food was good and we’ll certainly be back to try more of the menu.
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:20 pm
I had a phillyish sandwich at Lucky 13 for lunch today. It was not called a philly, but it was more or less a philly/french dip type thing.
The Philly I had a Ramys was much better, for much less money.
May 24th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Stopped back last night for a Philly, House special stromboli, and a kids spaghetti.
A few observations:
1. The philly was great….again. Might not be what Bill likes, but it works for me.
2. The stromboli was awesome, but the philly is better.
3. The kids meal was cheap and big. And pretty tasty.
4. The owners are friendly and work thier asses off. Seriosly, if this place fails it wont be because of the two guys running it.
5. 22 bucks for everything, with drinks and garlic twists.
6. Someone else had pizza that looked ok, but to me the sandwiches are the way to go.
Really, this place has made my list of places I think it would be sad to lose in the south metro.
Ronin
Satay 2 Go
Guiseppes
Blue Ox
El Parian
Teresas
Ramys
Two thumbs up!
June 13th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Mrs Marcos and I went to Ramys tonight. Bill has been recommending it for a while, but what finally put the idea in my head was something I just noticed on the menu Bill posted – Penne Pasta with Italian Sausage in Pesto Sauce. I had a little chuckle with one of the owners because it was one of the things that was removed from the new menu just a few days ago, along with the Sicilian style pizza, probably the next most desired item by my Italian [-American] palate. It turns out, like any good customer-oriented establishment, they are happy to make these items. I’m guessing they were probably just trying to simplify the menu since it’s very extensive.
My pasta wasn’t quite what I expected. The pesto sauce was a little light on the sauce and heavy on the pesto. Having been to various regions of Italy, I’m guessing it’s very authentic for some areas. (There’s probably someone from Naples reading this thinking “Finally, a place in this country that uses the right amount of pesto”)
The sausage was excellent. It was cooked to almost crispy and the perfect level of spicy for me – pretty zippy but not painful. The garlic knots were very good too, although just slightly on the dry side. I’m guessing they’re better right out of the oven, which I’ll try to time just right next time we go.
Mrs Marcos enjoyed her build-your-own Stromboli with sausage and peppers, although the sausage was kind of spicy for her and she’s used to the peppers being chopped up smaller. It was huge and she could barely eat half of it. I’ll have to see if it passes the day 2 microwave test.
This is where I would put in the obligatory comment from Mrs Marcos about the coke, but…………she ordered water. I can’t explain it, but I witnessed it first hand.
The owners were very friendly and were chatting with some of the patrons. All they need is some plants and vegetables hanging and maybe some brighter color on the walls and it would remind me a lot of the warm atmosphere of the places I’ve eaten in “the mother land”.
June 16th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Took the Little Whits to Ramy’s today. Their first choice when I asked them where they wanted to eat was (shock) McDonalds, but I said we were going to try somewhere new. Left Ramy’s with a copy of the menu with items circled that they want to have “next time”. ‘Nuff said.
June 16th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
After reading all of these reviews I decided to try out Ramy’s the owner greeted me I asked what was good he offered the gyro which I ended up getting along with a order of garlic knots. Overall the gyro was good the cucumber sauce was on the side (I got the food togo) and the garlic knots were great. I will definitely be coming back to try out more items off the menu.
June 17th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Tiffany, glad to hear it!
June 17th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Ate at Ramy’s tonight – I had a Gyro, not the best ever, but certainly a good value at the price. My wife had a peperoni calzone. It was pretty good, I ate a bunch of it too. Garlic knots were pretty good. We’ll probably go back, it’s a short drive from our house in Eagan.
June 18th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Try……..the……….philly!
Or the Stromboli.
June 18th, 2009 at 9:14 am
As I said in my review, this is not a place I suggest people drive great distances to (or the entire point of it being economical becomes pointless) but man is it ever nice to have a little place with a simple menu for the right prices.
I need to get in there and try some of their pizza. I’ve been making my own at home but with their prices being as reasonable as they are it might be almost worth it to not heat my house up.
Chad, I haven’t tried the stromboli but I definitely need to do so. The tomato, garlic, and spinach calzone was pretty damn tasty when I was in there last time. I just wish that their marinara was a bit better. Maybe I should try it with ranch next time.
June 18th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Great, now I’m craving garlic knots…wonder if they will deliver to Bloomington?
June 18th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Congrats go out to Mrs. Marcos on posting the first 100th comment on any post on the site!
June 18th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Bill, that just proves why so many different types of food appeal to different people. I think the marinara is ok, I am pretty sure its also the Pizza sauce. I am not a big marinara fan, so indifferent I guess is my official opinion on it. However, I took my dad in there when he was in town and he basically ate the whole bowl that came with the Garlic knots on his own, and raved about it.
No different than our takes on the Philly I guess.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:41 am
I’m surprised this place doesn’t have a website up yet, or at least one that I could find. I looked for one a couple of weeks ago when my wife and I were trying to figure out where to get dinner (we wanted to try someplace new), but no go.
June 18th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Chad, I feel that the marinara is too watery and nearly tasteless (I like mine to have a little bit of bite to it whether that be sour or spicy). I also don’t like how chunky it is. It’s more like salsa than marinara to me. If that’s what’s on the pizza then I’m sure I won’t be a big fan.
Tim, websites are difficult to maintain properly and to build on the cheap–especially when they’re more concerned with getting off the ground quickly and inexpensively in this market.
That said, I think that a web presence is important especially when a blog, like this one, is likely to be the #1 hit on Google for your restaurant. You’re probably best off launching your website months in advance in order to get the Google ranking up before a blogger catches on and possibly torpedoes your possibility of ever recouping that status.
June 19th, 2009 at 8:35 am
I am not a big fan of red sauce in general. I have started to prefer buffalo chicken or white pizzas, and pesto or alfredo sauce on pasta, so I am not one to disagree with your sauce preferences.
Stopped in for a philly for lunch yesterday though, and it was great!.
June 19th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Chad,
Speaking of that, I made an excellent vegan ranch and garlic white sauce last night with local cheddar and mozzarella for a nice homemade pizza. Yum. I suppose I’m on your side on the recent switch away from red sauces although I still do enjoy them.
Speaking of the Philly, there was a great cheesesteak place where The Wife and I went to college and they had this awesome “fire steak” sandwich which was basically a philly cheesesteak (we got it with American all the time) which was soaked in some sort of hot sauce (I assume Frank’s but I really don’t know). I need to recreate that fucker in my kitchen next.
June 19th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I just stopped in and ordered a calzone to go. I had the spinach, garlic and tomato calzone and it was delicious, one of the best calzone’s I’ve ever tasted. I definitely will be back as while I waited for my order everything I saw coming out of the kitchen smelled and looked delicious. You can see these guys from Morocco are working damn hard to make a go of this and based on my first taste of their food I think they have what it takes.
BTW this place is exponentially better than Two Guys from Italy.
June 19th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
pat, were you on your phone a lot while you waited and did you get a can of Arizona something too?
June 19th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
WOOHOO! Is there a prize?!
June 20th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
dawnmarie – I made one call but I did not order anything to drink.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
ah, we saw a gentleman come in and wait while we were eating. :)
June 20th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Saw about 8-9 cars out front of Ramy’s when I left work. Looks like they are catching on. I’d say the 100th post should at least get a 12 pack of Coke. Max a case.
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:10 pm
My wife and I finally got around to trying this place tonight, and we were very pleased with it. I had the stuffed shells (which came with the legendary garlic knots) and my wife got the chicken kabob dinner. I didn’t have any of her food and vice versa, though she did have one of the knots, but we both really liked what we got.
The portions are really generous, as others have mentioned — I had a snack before dinner, so I only finished two of the four shells along with the garlic knots. The rest will be my lunch tomorrow.
June 26th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
As I mentioned here and on Chow here, we finally have authentic NY style pizza in Apple Valley.
This shit was good. YUMMO.
June 28th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
[...] on to this week’s poll… On Friday I went over to Ramy’s Pizza in Apple Valley for lunch and as I posted before, I had the pleasure of trying their pizza. After [...]
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Very Short. I was one of the people that REVILED the 2 Guys from Italy and reviewed it on this site.
I saw Ramy’s had opened in 2GFI’s old (yea!) space and tried it at once. Bada-BING!. This place is terrific. I like Mediterranean food and this place nails it. The Garlic Knots are to die for. I have probably been back nearly a dozen times since. The owners are friendly and and are always gracious and conversational even when busy.
My only constructive comment is that I have found some of the spicing to be a little timid on the Pizza, or in their meatballs, but most things are terrific, and just as importantly, nothing is ever bad. I think this place is going to be a huge hit, and I wonder if they won’t outgrow this space rather quickly.
’nuff said. Its great food at very reasonable prices, and generous, so the value is there too.
If you like Calzones, get them here. They are awesome.
July 5th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Uh oh.
Went to Ramy’s on Friday evening with the daughter. To begin with, no slices available at that time of day. So I ordered a small cheese, thin crust (vs. “traditional”). Added anchovies and an order of garlic knots.
This was pretty much the worst pizza I’ve had in a long time. It was nearly identical in every way to the pizza by the slice at the Kwik Trip on McAndrews and County 11. No exaggeration. The crust was hard, floury and mealy. The cheese was off-tasting and the sauce had a strange flavor like they accidentally spilled the whole jar of dried Italian spices in there.
Note to Ramy’s: If someone orders anchovies on a pizza, that’s actually one of the few times it’s not only acceptable, but EXPECTED that you simply open a jar/can and place anchovies on there AFTER the pizza has been cooked.
These looked more like sardines than anchovies (had the skin on them) and were pan fried. They didn’t have the salty bite…just a fishy flavor and odor.
I expected the garlic knots to be oily, buttery, garlicy like they look in Bill’s photo. These were dry and flavorless.
I can’t complain about the price. I think a pizza, garlic knots and two fountain drinks came to $15.
Unfortunately, the food was bad, and it takes a LOT for me to say food is bad (as Mrs. M and Bill should know from the Ansari’s lamb ankle debacle). I’m all for giving places a second chance, but I’m not sure how soon I’m going to be compelled to get back over there. Hiawatha Pizza kicked the living sh*t out of this place, in my opinion.
Sorry guys.
July 5th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
MSPD, I am really sorry to hear that. I had the Chicken/Bacon/Pepperoni pizza, and thought it was very good. That said, I still think their Philly, Calzone, and Stromboli are the way to go.
July 5th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
I had a pizza last week- it was good- but like i said last month- they will have their best foods and worst foods- so far i liked them all on a varying scale and for little cash
Gyro, Philly cheesesteak, cheeseburger and fries all good
friend at work likes the cold subs-good
buffalo wings are pretty good also
i guess i’d leave the anchovies off next time and ask for some sashimi-
preferably tuna or salmon
fro
July 10th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Comming from New York-I have found most of the restaurants in minnesota are really not that good. Now, I am not a food snob, but there is nothing really exciting here, espically south of the river.
Ramy’s in Apple Valley is an exciting new place, and the food is excellent.
I love pizza, and their pizza s almost exactly like New York pizza.
Thier calzones are great, and so far everyhing I have tried is wonderful.
OK I wasn’t crazy about the grape leaves,but you can’t always hit a home run.
Bravo Ramy’s.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Mr. Joe, since even pizza in New York varies so much, what are your favorites there? I’m wondering what you consider the “gold standard”. Also, what were some of your other non-pizza favorites that you wish the south metro had?
I’m always curious since anyone saying there’s “nothing really exciting here” in all of the Twin Cities usually hasn’t gotten out much. I’ve had people new to this area tell me that and I’ve clued them in to hundreds of great/unique places here in MSP. You’d have to be an ignoramous to not be able to find interesting food here even if you’re from the “big city”.
July 13th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
MSPD, Pizza in NY does not vary much at all. Plain cheese is the tradition, and even though there are many toppings and crust thickness, any New Yorker can tell a NY pizza from anyone or anywhere else.
As far as not gotten out much, I have visited alot the twin cities “in ” restaurants, and have not been impressed. Again I’m not a snob , but they are not to my taste. There are a few that are good, but nothing great. You must be a invaluable guide to the city, since people seem to value your opinion but I guess this ignoramus is not one of them
Joe
July 13th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Mr. Joe, I have edited your comment above to fix the formatting and to reference MSPD instead of me as I’m pretty sure that was your original intent.
July 13th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Pizza in NY does not vary much at all? Really??? Most NYers I know would kick my ass if you told them “pizza in NY does not vary that much at all.”
You’re going to say Una Pizza Napoletana and Difara and Grimaldi’s and Totonno’s and John’s and Otto are all the same? So all of the ages old arguments even among New Yorkers themselves on which of their pizzas is the best is bunk??
Don’t think I’m some lifelong Minnesotan rube whose turnip truck has never bumped as far as NY or the other coast.
You still fail to mention any specifics both here and in NY so I can only conclude you’re a shill for Ramy’s or you just haven’t experienced that much food in either place.
Anyway…enjoy your blissful ignorance of the outstanding food we have here in MN.
p.s. — yeah…I think I’m a pretty darned good “guide” to this city. I love helping even the most blockheaded flyover country skeptic find delicious food here. I also plan my friends’ dining itineraries in many other cities, including New York City.
July 13th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
MSPD sorry to hear all this from you. indeed, one of my new guys messed up your order that friday. as you know we were busy that evening and i couldnt watch out all the food that were being served that night. MSPD, i am looking forward to seeing you here again and i am pretty sure this time you will not be disappointed ….
Joe and all “lazylightning: Ramys pizzeria readers”: thank you for your support!
Ramy: owner and operator
July 13th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
MSPD:
What are your top five in the metro area?
July 13th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Ramy, thank you. There are a couple things that are important to know:
1) Yes, I will be back. One of my favorite restaurants in Minnesota was TERRIBLE on my first visit. I gave them another chance and have returned many times. On Saturday, I took my wife there for our anniversary. That’s a good lesson: I ALWAYS give places many tries. I will be back to your restaurant.
2) My parents love your restaurant. They go often and so do many other people I know. I haven’t told them about my first visit and won’t.
3) I hope you are incredibly successful and I’m glad you chose Apple Valley for your restaurant. I appreciate that you pay attention to customer feedback. I will always be honest with my opinions/experiences on here. If the next time I come in the food is super, I will post that right away as well.
Lastly, one bit of advice: Make sure you have a few cans or jars of great anchovies available and make sure your guys know that when they’re ordered, you just open the can or jar and place them on the pizza right before you serve it (or, better yet, in a little dish on the side!). Anchovies should not be cooked/pan fried.
July 13th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Sandy,
I may have posted this on here before. But….
Unlike Mr. Joe above, no matter where I am, I firmly believe even pizza in the same genre varies greatly from place to place. Sometimes even from visit to visit in some places.
My pizza preference is neapolitan and neapolitan-style. I prefer VPN (a “certification” that neapolitan pizzas get from an organization in Italy) because, by nature, it’s very consistent.
Because of that, Punch Pizza on Cleveland Ave. in St. Paul is my favorite pizza overall in the metro area.
In second would be Black Sheep Pizza on Washington Ave. in Minneapolis and Bricks in Hudson, WI. Both are phenomenal pizzas but are just slightly below Punch for crust. The D’Amico wood oven pizzas at the location in Golden Valley by my office are just behind that.
There are quite a few other very good pizzas around town but trying really hard to accommodate your “top 5″ request, I’ll stray from neapolitan to Brianno’s. Like neapolitan, I appreciate that they use very fresh ingredients.
I liked my “NY Style” (shiver) slice at Hiawatha with Bill. I also like some of the more bubbly crust pizzas like Fat Lorenzo’s and Cossetta’s sometimes (sometimes I’m not in the mood for that).
Here is a link to a thread on Chowhound where I elaborated on some good pizzas in MSP. Note that it’s 5 years old and a lot has changed since then, but at least you get an idea of how I formulate my pizza preferences.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/123567
One last note, and this might especially be interesting to Ramy, as well as proving I’m not a “food snob”: Except for the slice and a half that my daughter ate, I finished the entire small pizza at Ramy’s (minus some of the “anchovies”). I’m a sucker for pizza, even when I don’t think it’s perfect.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
MSPD, replaced the second with the original as per your request.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
I’m sorry, I was stupidly unclear – I’m curious about your favorite restaurants overall, not just pizza!
This is probably the wrong forum???
July 14th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Bill has told me he doesn’t mind thread tangents…so….
I’ll start by saying listing a “top 5″ restaurants in MSP is beyond impossible. My “top 5″ vary from day to day and, as with pizza, I think I could come up with a top 5 in a number of different categories. But…there is a common theme in my favorite restaurants: Fresh/high quality ingredients, care/skill in preparation, uniqueness and price-to-value ratio.
Because we have three kids 7 and under, right now my wife and I enjoy a relaxed atmosphere, great food and no fuss. So, for our anniversary the other day, we ate at Brasa on Grand in St. Paul (in shorts and a t-shirt). We then went to Barrio for a drink and finished the evening at The Strip Club for dessert. I would consider all three of those outstanding MSP restaurants for one reason or another.
By contrast, I think La Belle Vie is the top restaurant in MSP by far. But, right now, I’m not going there because it’s just not what I’m in the mood for in this phase of my life. Maybe next month I’ll be looking for a mind-altering 2-hour+ multi-course chef’s tasting. Who knows. Same with Cosmos, Restaurant Alma, etc. All wonderful, but outside my current plans (although we regularly go to Cosmos for dessert in the lounge. Their desserts are SPECTACULAR).
We have been gravitating towards places like 112 Eatery, The Strip Club, Town Talk Diner, Heidi’s and Brasa. Places with nationally renowned chefs but approachable and casual. Before a show at the Guthrie last week, we dined with another couple at Black Sheep Pizza. Great food, Surly on tap and the bill was less than $50 for dinner for two and drinks.
In a different vein, I adore Japanese cuisine. I have an affinity for the Japanese culture and artistry in food. Tanpopo Noodle Shop in St. Paul is a gem as is Bagu in south Minneapolis. Origami is my La Belle Vie for sushi/sashimi…but ordering omakase and dropping $100 on a solo meal isn’t in my routine right now.
Other places I love for various reasons (which I’m happy to expand upon): Birchwood Cafe (So. Mpls), Common Roots Cafe (So. Mpls), Pagoda (Dinkytown), Highland/Longfellow/Edina Grill, Little Szechuan (St. Paul), Al’s Breakfast, Colossal Cafe, Bonnie’s (Univ. Ave in St. Paul), Maria’s (Franklin Ave), El Burrito Mercado and the Mercado Central, Cupcake, the Nook, Maverick’s and Wally’s Roast Beef, Crema Cafe, Good Day Cafe, Be’wiched and The Wienery.
Not restaurants, but I’ve made many meals at places like Rustica Bakery, Turtle Bread Co. and the like. I’m a sucker for bakery and pastries.
That’s just off the top of my head. I’m intentionally leaving out my south metro stuff because people are already sick of hearing that from me.
I’m always happy to talk restaurants. I’ve been a regular on the Chowhound Midwest forum for at least 5 years. If you love talking chow, that’s a great place to jump in.
July 14th, 2009 at 11:29 am
MSPD,
I love your info, and try to regularly visit places you recommend. I personally dont tire of your South Metro info, and if you have a couple minutes free, give a top 5 south metro. I am kinda thinking I know some of what will be on it, and I think I have tried most of it, but would still like to see it.
We eat out once or twice a week, but with a two year old and a lack of baby sitting options, we often are eating at either very fast or very casual places.
A few places in the south metro that we have always felt gave us good food AND welcomed the two year old:
Kings Place
Ronin
El Parian
Teresas
Ramy’s
Guiseppes
Blue Ox
I doubt these would all be on your top 5, but they all have been fun places to take our child, and still get good/great food for a decent value. The common theme with most of them is great owners who are friendly and responsive.
July 14th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Top 5 South Metro? Hmmm….I sense I’m going to forget places. In no particular order and, again, for various reasons or specific items:
Perron’s Sul Lago
Osteria I Nonni/Buon Giorno Market
Ronin
Satay 2 Go
Brianno’s
I also like the Windmill Cafe for truck-stop style greasy breakfast, Farmington Bakery for pasties and Chateau Lamothe (more for the overall experience).
I’m not sure King’s qualifies as “south metro” but I like the joint.
July 14th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Thanks MSPD. I forgot Chateau Lamonthe. We enjoy going there very much, although try to avoid taking the little one.
I have yet to try Osteria I Nonni, although I have eaten often at the Buon Giorno Market and enjoyed it.
I still have Perrons on the list, and will have to try the Windmill Cafe sometime when my dad is in town. Sounds alot like Johns Cafe in Sioux City.
What are your thoughts on Jensens Supper club? We have always liked it for the atmosphere and the Cheesy Hashbrowns, but I dont think we have been there since our son was born. 2 years goes by fast.
July 14th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
I think Jensen’s Supper Club is overpriced for what you get. I like Jensen’s Cafe for breakfast though.
July 14th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
You’re also paying for the atmosphere at Jensen’s. But if it’s not something you care about, then yeah, I would say it is a bit too expensive for what it is.
July 14th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Nice, MSPD. I agree whole-heartedly with everything on your list. I’m getting hungry now; I had only broccoli and cantaloupe for dinner!!!
Jensen’s Supper Club strikes a nostalgic note for me. Growing up, we ate at a “fancy’ restaurant about once a month. Mom claimed it was to polish our table manners. They were all steak and lobster and chocolate sundae type restaurants. When I was five and weighed less than thirty pounds, I was ordering 16-oz steaks, medium rare. Those were the days.
July 14th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
everyone forget about Red’s Savoy 52 and 7th St.Paul awesome pizzZA
grease keeps its good for a day or 2
July 14th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
lest we not forget, the farmington bakery was reopened not too long ago after being closed for numerous health issues specifically rodent feces in the flower and more. but they still have the best apple fritters around, rat shit or not.
bb
July 14th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
I went to the farmington bakery after reading about it in the dakota county tribune.
It was really icky. I would never eat the stuff that they try to call food.
July 15th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Jef(fro), would you mind translating your info about Red’s Savoy into English? Thanks.
I don’t pay any attention to health reports, so anyone taking my restaurant recommendations should know that in advance.
sandy, broccoli and cantaloupe? WTF?
July 15th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
MSPD, all I wanted to say was Red Savoy Pizza is awesome. I usually get the house special with most everything on it. Its good and greasy and tastes dang good the next day cold. Unlike fast food Pizza’s like Papa Johns that are all dried out the next day. I’d would say Ole’ Pipers pizza is similar in that way. Lots of cheese and good toppings/sauce.
Domo Arigato Gozaimasita
Fro
July 15th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Jef(fro) wrote:
I’m sorry I missed this comment since we were on vacation, but I have to say, I like the way you think, Jef(fro)!
July 15th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Doozo Yoroshiku.
July 15th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Crap. I meant: Doitashimashite
It’s been a few years since I studied Japanese. Almost totally forgotten already.
July 15th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
daijobudesu- honto watasi no nihongo ga saite desu ano sashimi ga oishi desu ne
July 15th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Crap. Now I have to Google all that stuff to find out what they said.
July 15th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Have eaten at Ramys in Apple Valley three times in the last four days. Glad my wife and I found it!  Meatball sub was outstanding – as good as I have ever had in New York where I lived there for 22 years. The New York  pizza was exactly as New York pizza should be and the calzone great as well.  Also, tried the garlic knots amd found them to be tasty but not overpowering or greasy. Had a gyro the other day that was terrific. And all of this at prices that can not be beat. Plus genuine hospitality from the Ramys. Will be back soon.
July 16th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Whit o’ wit…translation: “Japanese people and sashimi are delicious, don’t you think?”
July 16th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Sumimasen. (Hope I got that right!)
July 16th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
From MSPD:
“sandy, broccoli and cantaloupe? WTF?”
Family gone for the evening. Fresh stuff available/seasonal. Need to lose a few pounds. ‘Nuf said.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Wow.
Some gentle advice: You’ll never “lose pounds” on that kind of diet. You do know that if you radically cut back on eating like that, your body will quickly go into “starvation mode” and it will actually work to RETAIN fluids, fat, etc. and will start to eat away at your muscle mass and, if you do it long enough, your organs for survival???
To truly “lose a few pounds” and have it be sustainable, you need to eat BETTER not less.
July 17th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I agree – that is what I know to be true also. We eat very well; no packaged, chain, or industrial foods. All scratch cooking with real food.
What exactly is wrong with broccoli and canaloupe, anyway?
July 17th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Nothing, I like both. Mmm.
July 17th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Or even cantaloupe.
July 17th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
I like Broccoli (with Spinach dip). Its supposed to be good for the Liver. Hmm, yeah, it is also a justification to drink more Beer. LOL But probably a poor one.
July 17th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
daijobudesu- honto watasi no nihongo ga saite desu ano sashimi ga oishi desu ne
Translates to the best of my ability as- No problem-really- my Japanese is the worst and sashimi tastes good- isnt it?(ne)
July 17th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
daijobudesu- honto watasi no nihongo ga saite desu ano sashimi ga oishi desu ne
Translates to the best of my ability as- No problem- really – my Japanese is the worst but sashimi tastes good- isnt it?(ne)
July 18th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
sandy, nothing wrong with broccoli and/or cantaloupe. Just makes for a lousy dinner if that’s all you have. I’d need to cleanse myself from that with a big plate of beef.
July 18th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Yum beef. Vegetarian/Meatavarian. Both good.
July 19th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Kami has good Teriyaki beef- went there Thursday night-mistake<< for the all you can wait buffet 40 minutes – yes 40 minutes between orders
we got our fill after being there for almost 4 hours- should have gone to world buffet- waitress forgot items and wanted to chat with friends
fyi- 15% gratuity is auto added- and if you waste they will tack on another 15%
ill try it again on a Monday
Ramy- keep it rollin' thumbs up!
July 19th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
For all you can eat sushi and other Japanese food, I’m partial to Akita in Woodbury.
July 19th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Ate at Ramys in Apple Valley again last night, and once again it was great.
The stromboli was wonderful, and the pizza still the most consistent and authentic New York style in the twin cities.
Besides the food being excellent, the staff is the most friendly around.
Bravo again Ramys.
July 19th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
I’ll try Akita someday. Thanks Tim
July 20th, 2009 at 8:49 am
I eat at Akita once in awhile. Its near my work. I still prefer someplace like Ronin, but for AYCE its pretty good. Its a nice place, beautiful inside really. The service is average at very best, and declines the longer you stay/more you eat, but the food has always been decent.
I would swear that the last time we went our waitress greated us and talked for a few minutes to our group in PERFECT English, but by the third round of food she spoke NO English at all. So, good plentiful food, and service that is better than Kami…..marginally I guess.
July 20th, 2009 at 8:58 am
I’ve been there twice, and have had good service both times. I think the main reason to go there is for AYCE; I agree that the quality is fine but that there’s better places out there.
July 20th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Now there’s an absolute shocker from Mr. Shill…err….I mean, Mr. Joe.
Yawn.
July 20th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I find it very amusing that you think I’m a shill for Ramys (i’m not) and I find it really amusing that you put the restaurant down, yet your family eats there and enjoys it? [edited by Bill]
July 20th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I have edited the above comment for a TOS violation.
July 20th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Mr. Joe:
First:
My mom loves Branson, Missouri. I hate it.
My dad is ga ga about birdwatching. No interest.
They eat frequently at Olive Garden and Red Lobster. I will never go to either.
They have had good experiences so far at Ramy’s. I had a bad one.
Their standards are different and I have much, much more local gastronomic experience than them. Why is what my family likes relevant to you?
Second:
Whether or not I like a place doesn’t mean I do or don’t support them. I WANT local businesses to thrive in my community, even if I don’t like them or patronize them.
I want the best for Ramy, even if I don’t ever set foot in his door again. I, therefore, pass along my parents’ compliments. To me, that is simply a nice thing to do.
Are you tracking yet?
Third:
Along those lines, I would hope that Ramy appreciates hearing negative feedback. I was constructive and specific in my opinion. I think that lends to my credibility as well as provides an opportunity for Ramy to improve. It sounds like he is receptive to that.
Fourth:
I also find it interesting that you show up on a blog all of a sudden and heap praise on an ordinary pizza joint as though Georges Escoffier, Jaques Pepin or Thomas Keller was working the pizza oven. You claim to be an expert in “NY Style” pizza but you say it’s all basically the same in NY and won’t answer the challenges to how ridiculous that statement is.
You’re entitled to your opinions and I encourage others to consider them like they would mine.
But to me, you sound like a shill. Despite your claim to the contrary, I suspect you have some relationship/friendship/interest that causes you to post overly glowing reviews about this place, which I’ll now ignore. If not, I’ll just ignore your comments on Ramy’s for another reason: Your hyperbole, as well as dismissal of the entire Minnesota culinary scene aside from Ramy’s just doesn’t sound like someone whose opinions make any sense or that I would trust.
July 20th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
First time at Ramy’s for me tonight. We ordered takeout chicken parmigiana and a stromboli, but were surprised to get home and find a chicken parm sub instead of pasta. Close enough (and still good — definitely not worth calling to complain), though I was disappointed to not get the order of the famous garlic knots that would have come with the pasta! Will have to be more specific next time — I’m sure I will be back.
July 20th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
Had to try Ramy’s after reading this loooong thread of comments. Hit it up after work tonight. Picked up a Gyro for the wife, the Philly Cheese Steak for myself and a kid’s hamburger for my son plus the garlic knots everyone on here seems to love.
First off, it was almost 5pm but there was not a soul there except the cook or maybe that was Ramy himself, I really don’t know. Nice big menu, lots of choices and great prices. Nice first impression. Got all the food in under 10 minutes. Got home and dug in. Tried a garlic knot first. It was just okay. For only $1.50 though, I can’t complain, the price is right for those but I wasn’t that impressed. My Philly Cheese Steak was enormous. Really big enough for two, I just ate half and will enjoy the rest for lunch tomorrow. Great value and it tasted great. Loved it even though I prefer sliced steak rather than the shredded type this was, but the hoagie roll was perfect. I added fries for 99 cents and got a good sized helping. I like that they were thicker fries too.
Tried the wife’s Gyro. I liked it, she said it was very good too. Definitely bigger and better than Dino’s and a much better value too.
My son’s burger. Okay, small issue here. My son likes just cheese and ketchup on his burger. He’s only four. It was a loaded burger: mayo, onion, tomato, lettuce. I’m willing to bet a majority of kids wouldn’t eat those toppings on a burger. I would, but not a 4 year old. Scraped it all off. A decent burger, nothing magnificent, but not bad.
Overall, impressed, my tab was $18 and change which would easily be $30+ a lot of other places.
Definitely will return, will recommend to others too.
July 21st, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Was there tonight and received a free chair massage (from http://touchofsoulmassage.com) and a tasty gyro stromboli (although when I get it again I’d want the cuke sauce to dip rather than marinara).
I was also informed that the marinara sauce has been modified a bit (which I definitely noticed and was pleased with) but I don’t know any more specifics on that.
What a great evening.
July 26th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Went back to Ramy’s today with Mr. Bill himself (is that a movie reference I can’t remember? seems familiar)
As a gyro fanatic but not a snob, Bill recommended the Gyro Stromboli, and i have to say it was FABULOUS. I’m still drooling, and happy that I took half of it home. I think I’ll go eat it now. (Could have used a few more peppers though. mmm. peppers. )
July 27th, 2009 at 11:48 am
I had the Chicken Parm Sub yesterday and found it to be just like what I could have picked up in any roadside diner on the East Coast. I could not get over how amazing it was, especially for the price. Incredible and definitely worth trying: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bill_roehl/3758303919/
October 10th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Did they close down? Was walking the dogs this morning in the area and saw a big for lease sign in the window.
October 10th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Andrew,
They split the original location in half (before opening) and it’s the second half that’s up for lease. Ramy’s is still open.
October 10th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Glad they are still open! I still want to make it over there to check them out!
October 24th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Went to Ramy’s for lunch today. The wife had a falafel pita and I had a gyro pita. She seemed to like hers. I had a bite but I’m not a big falafel fan. I thought my gyro meat tasted good. I like the pita better than Dino’s which is where I usually go for a gyro since it’s close to my house.
We ordered the pizza fries, which were ok. I like shoestring fries so these were the least favorite of what I had as they are the thicker crinkle cut variety. Plus we were finishing up our pitas by the time they were brought to the table. My wife really liked the marinara sauce used on them since you could really taste the oregano and garlic.
We also tried the garlic knots. Very tasty. Just a little doughy in the middle which is exactly how I like such things. Others may want it cooked a little bit more.
Also ordered the garlic cheese bread. It looked more like pizza dough to me but I’m not sure if that’s what it really is. Anyway, this was very good as well and my favorite of the appetizers we tried.
Next time I’d pass on the pizza fries, but would definitely order the gyro, cheese bread and garlic knots again. The only thing I didn’t like was there were several flies buzzing around which was annoying.
Think I’ll have to give the pizza a try on our next visit.
October 25th, 2009 at 12:08 am
Try the Philly, the gyro stromboli, or the cheeseburger stromboli in my opinion.
October 25th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
OMG, the gyro stromboli makes me want to come visit the south metro.
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:15 am
Ramy’s advertises for me in their own advertisement. Hysterical: http://twitpic.com/rruvr (no, I didn’t know about it)
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:27 am
Dude, that is outstanding!
Makes me wonder if you’ve missed Ansari’s bragging about the “107 Reviews!” their food and entertainment have gotten on here.
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Thats funny. I hope you are ok with it. I dont think they would do anything to offend you/anyone.
I was in the other night, great food as always.
December 29th, 2009 at 7:56 am
[...] Saloon: Apple Valley, MN 7. Osaka Seafood and Steakhouse: Apple Valley, MN (was #2 in 2008) 8. Ramy’s Pizza: Apple Valley, MN 9. Ansari’s: Eagan 10. Rockin’ Ribfest on Harriest Island: St Paul, MN (now [...]
December 31st, 2009 at 8:39 am
[...] Perrons Sul Lago 2. BD’s Mongolian Grill 3. Ramy’s Pizza 4. Roasted Pear 5. Taqueria La Hacienda #3 6. Taste of Thaiyai 7. Tacolmeca 8. Baldy’s BBQ 9. [...]
December 31st, 2009 at 10:44 am
[...] I will be giving away a gift certificate to Ramy’s Pizza in Apple Valley to a lucky random person who comments [...]
January 5th, 2010 at 9:38 am
Can someone let me know if Ramy’s would be comfortable for a larger group? 10-12 people. Thanks in advance.
January 5th, 2010 at 9:41 am
jf, while I’m sure they could fit you, I don’t think it would be particularly comfortable.
January 5th, 2010 at 9:42 am
However they do cater events.
January 5th, 2010 at 11:36 am
jf, I would say it would be a fun place for a group like that if you went at an off time (midafternoon or something?)
Stop in and ask them. Its a small place, but they are very friendly guys. I think they would make some great food for you given the chance. At lunch or dinner time though, it might be a bit crowded/slow for that many people.
January 5th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
jf, we will be more than happy to serve here in our restaurant. just let us know…
January 8th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
Paid a visit to Ramy’s tonight. Got there about 5:30 and it was empty. Hope business is ok?
I ordered the Philly Steak (just meat and cheese for me thanks), garlic cheese bread and the obligatory garlic knots. My wife had a Philly stromboli and an order of fries.
I thought the Philly was really good. Could use a bit more cheese but I thought it was very tasty. I’ll be getting that again next time probably. Took half home. Garlic knots were good, just a bit overcooked I thought. And I was not impressed with the garlic bread. I love garlic but it was very overpowering. I also think it’s somewhat overpriced.
Wife really liked her stromboli. I had a bite and thought it was good but I don’t like the peppers (see above, ha ha). She liked the fries as well. I like thin fries, but that didn’t stop me from helping her eat them!
So next time I think I’ll just stick with the Philly and garlic knots! I had a 20% off coupon from entertainment.com so that knocked $4 off the bill. So it was only $16 which I think is a good price for what we got (two drinks as well).
It was getting busier as we left just past 6 so that was nice to see.
One question. Are you supposed to bus your own tables there??
January 14th, 2010 at 11:54 am
Had Ramy’s for lunch today. Been thinking about a Philly and garlic knots all week!
February 15th, 2010 at 9:38 am
My hubba & I eat at Ramys at least once a week mostly on the weekend! We love the food there..Hubba loves the Philly Cheesestake We usually get that & split it with a Greek salad. We’ve also ordered the Strombolis & calzones Those are yummo! My daughter loves the pizza but we like a lil more topping on our pizza ..we found that lacking here But the overall take was yummo!
We hope they stay here for a long time! Good Luck Ramys!(fingers crossed)
February 15th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Still one of my favorite places for great food!
February 15th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
I went back again a couple weeks ago. Knew me by name when I placed my order which made me laugh. Must not be too many people who order a philly cheesestake with just meat and cheese! Anyway it was damn good.
I noticed they had done a little remodeling in there. That display case is no longer there and the counter where you order is pushed back. Maybe a couple more table are going to be added?
February 16th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Andrew, I have also ordered the Philly cheesesteak with just meat and cheese, so you’re not the only one! I loved it and would order it every time, if there weren’t so many other good options. I usually have a hard time deciding at Ramy’s.
February 16th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
Ever since the family and I moved “up north” from the casual food mecca of the Washington DC suburbs, we have been on a constant quest for a tasty, well rounded menu in a place that’s easy to just “hop off to” with the three kids (all under 8) and two indecisive adults. One of our favorite destinations in Washington for those “who knows” nights was a little Greek/Italian joint in Falls Church called Anthony’s, which serves the world’s best gyros, a to die for baked spaghetti dish, a wide array of sandwiches with those classic old style french fries (like a mix between a shoestring and a steak fry, you know?), etc. etc. Best of all, the final tab left us far from sticker shock, regardless of what’s ordered.
Now nestled nicely in the world’s epicenter for drab chain dining, Lakeville/Apple Valley/Burnsville MN, our expectations and hopes for such “no hassle” treats have been dampened greatly. However, one go-to stop that fits the bill for us is Ramy’s in Apple Valley. Since its opening, I’ve been here over a dozen times, some with the fam, and some solo sneak offs during a long work day. And while Ramy’s is far from the best fare I’ve ever had, it’s a welcome departure from the options that existed before its arrival.
I am a true gyro afficianado, and Ramy’s sandwich is nicely sized, and stuffed with some of the tastier gyro meat around. Sure, it all comes shaved off a big tree trunk of meat (and if it doesn’t, I don’t touch it), but some spots’ gyro meat tastes like cardboard or gets overdone and dry, and Ramy’s is neither. Juicy, tender, and not overly salty, the meat is a winner. While I would prefer they ditch the bulky, stalky romaine inside for a more traditional shredded iceberg, the rest of the sandwich is nicely done too. If only Ramy’s could import some of the magic pita from Anthony’s out east, this would be a sure fire win.
I’m also a fan of the pizza, with caveats. With respect to the debate above on whether there is one NY style pizza, I’m gonna defer. But to me, when I think of NY pizza, I think of a big slice of relatively flat goodness (a triangle, NOT a square), with a nice layer of cheese covering a subtle tomato sauce — where you’re more likely to get a lonely drip of grease from the cheese wnadering down your hand than a bunch of sauce. Most importantly, it has a thin crust that is still firm and crisp, allowing you to go for the classic NY “fold and eat” without toppings or crust flying everywhere. In other words, the type of pizza you’d find in a windowfront on a 50 year old aluminum pan that looks like it has been run over by (a few hundered) trucks. In general, Ramy’s delivers, with nice, big, flat, foldable slices of goodness, and the right dosage of toppings (good God, could someone send the pizzamaker from Red Savoy over here to take a lesson on how to lay off the cheese a bit??) so you get a full mix of flavors. However, the caveat is that I could use more zip and punch from a lot of the ingredients here. I love a meatball pizza, and while Ramy’s offers one, the meatballs are quite bland, and lack original flavor. Same for the sauce — while I don’t like an overpowering sauce, this one trends toward the bland side. And once in a blue moon, you get a pizza here that has been cooked a bit too long, with a little bit of char on the crust, but the boys are happy to redo in a jifyy if you ask. Overall, I’m a fan.
Perhaps most surprising for me is that the “Mediterranean Dishes”, especially the kabob offerings, are quite good and flavorfully prepared. While you’re not going to find any unusual middle eastern fare here, what they do they do fairly well, especially a yummy tasting hummus with a perfect dab of oil on top, and a fairly flavorful chicken kabob offering, that rocks when it is not overcooked. Add in your standard lettuce/onion/tomato/olive/feta salad side and some decent rice, and this is a good option for “fast food” that doesn’t have a talking clown’s mouth parked outside the building.
After reading some reviews on here, I made my last visit to Ramy’s one where I sought out the gyro stromboli, and I made it a homemade concoction by adding onion, feta, meatball, and extra garlic (which unfortunately is not fresh, but oh well). YUM! A solid, solid recommendation from the gang here, and one I will go back for absolutely. However, it was clear the wife was not interested in kissing me goodnight afterwards. I’m still weighing the worthiness of the sacrifice, but I’m guessing in the end, another one of these will be in the offing for me…
While not at the top of my wish list, I enjoyed my two forays into the baked dishes — a fairly pedestrian lasagna and a somewhat underwhelming meatball parmagiana. Again, the meatballs here could use some zip (any chance Ramy could add some fresh garlic to his next rations order?), and the marinara is nothing to write home about, but neither plate was offensive or a turn off, and I’d gladly seek these items out at Ramy’s over their counterparts at the much more expensively priced Casa Nostra.
The vibe at Ramy’s is hard for me to pin down. It’s clearly got the potential for a “everybody knows your name feel”, both because of the attentiveness and enthusiasm of the owner, and because of the seemingly sparse crowd at any given point of time. But I’ve been there on enough occasions where the staff seemed generally disinterested or distracted that I don’t think you could ever bank on making this your home away from home hideaway. It’s a shame, because I think that little added something would lock down Ramy’s most loyal customers for a few more monthly visits, which could ultimately spell the difference between long term success and becoming just another eatery in the rolodex for most. I also wouldn’t mind seeing just a few more small touches, like olive oil, garlic, and parmesean on every table, and/or some (not too loud) “Italian” music playing when you’re there — whatever that means. Maybe Ramy could borrow one of Baldy’s flat screens and pop it up on the wall after that BBQ joint folds, who knows…
All in all, this is good, solid super casual fare, in a very relaxed and easy to get the family to environment. For those of us 3+ kidders, sometimes all you’ve got is 30 minutes to an hour to spare, and more trips to Noodles and Co. is sure to incite vomiting. That’s the niche Ramy’s fills for me, and while I don’t expect to see any Michelin stars adorning the walls here anytime soon, I think Ramy’s is hitting the mark it’s aiming for fairly well, and with a bit more “sharpening of the pencil” could be an Apple Valley staple for us.
February 16th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
I’m heading there tomorrow after work to pick up dinner! Guess I’ll have to try something else for the heck of it, maybe a gyro pita. But I’m also getting a cheesesteak to have for lunch on Thur! The wife has already given me her order..lol
I have an improvement idea. Expand the Super Lunch Specials to more than just Mon and Tuesday! I’d love to stop in for lunch on Wed-Fri but I can’t do it on Mon and Tues :)
February 16th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
andrew,
your idea sounds great. starting tomorrow, i will put a sign outside and the super lunch will be running from monday through thursday. this is because we are in service for our loyal customers.
i would like to thank everybody for his/her support
ramy
February 17th, 2010 at 9:31 am
I hope Ramy’s is around for a long time. I have to say, I have not set foot inside the nearby Culvers, nor heard begging for Culver’s from the Mini-whits, since Ramy’s has opened.
I applaud ramy for being responsive. Certain other restaurants discussed on this site could learn from his example.
February 17th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Ramy’s is probably the thing my husband and I miss most from living SOTR. We plan visits to my parents around being able to stop in for dinner on our way home or back.
Ramy, open one on Eastside!
February 17th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Let’s recap…
Andrew made his suggestion to Ramy’s at 8:29 PM on 02/16/2010.
Ramy read the suggestion at 9:43 PM on 02/16/2010.
Now, I’m not in the area for the lunch period on 02/17/2010 to verify if things went as planned, but wow, if Ramy got that suggestion implemented less than 24 hours after a customer made the suggestion, they deserve all the positive accolades we can heap upon them. Seriously. Maybe after Ramy’s has been around a year they could give seminars on how to do it right because it seems like they are exceeding all our expectations both in food AND in service.
Garlic knots…mmmmm
February 17th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
That’s awesome! Excellent customer service Ramy!!
February 17th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
I just realized that this is the first thread over 200 comments on the site. Wow.
Also, way to go Ramy’s, you guys are top notch.
February 17th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
I stopped in last night for dinner, and they have hung up a flat screen TV on the wall. I am guessing they did not implement that suggestion that fast and its a happy coincidence?
Great Philly, Great Stromboli. I am not a fan of the Ravioli, but my son cant get enough of it, so thumbs up on that as well.
Thanks Ramy and Esham! (I am sure that is spelled wrong)
February 17th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
While I’m gnawing on my garlic knots and philly cheesesteak just thought I’d write that Ramy said he put the sign out for the lunch specials today and that they had a busy lunch!
Now even though I bought plenty of food so I’ll have a couple/few days of leftovers (also got a gyro and a philly cheesesteak pizza-I used a coupon so had to spend at least $30-ha ha) I’m going to go back tomorrow for lunch to show my appreciation for implementing my suggestion!
February 17th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
Haven t commented lately, but Ramys is still the champ of pizza in the twin cities. All their food is outstanding, and the owners couldn’t be nicer. They greet you like a long lost relative, and make you feel at home.I recently had them cater a party for my wife’s family, and after the party they had 25 new customers. Keep up the good work, and by the way the delivery is fast and accurate.
February 17th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
I think whomever made the 200th post should get a gift certificate to Ramys!
February 21st, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Went to Ramy’s for garlic knots and a Philly for myself,and buffalo wings for the daughter. I had a slice of cheese pizza while I waited. I liked the pizza enough that I would have a slice again while waiting for carryout, but I probably wouldn’t come here just for the pizza. Other commenter’s statements about the pizza are fairly accurate. I liked the Philly. I agree with others that more cheese would make it better, but for the price and size of the sandwich, I’m not complaining. In my opinion, they are more generous than most with the meat. As usual, as I got my bill for the entire order, I found myself wondering why the heck I don’t come here a lot more.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Hi Bell and Kim.
congratulations,
we just got the news today,you sure will be a wonderful and special parent to your lovely kid i bet he is so cute
congratulations
hesham and ramy
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Thanks guys!
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Ramy wrote:
Seriously, he is one handsome little guy! He looks like his mommy! :)
March 20th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Hi
we thank all those who likes our food and vote for us on urbanspoon website,
now we are the first and the best restaurant in apple valley,thank you
for your help and your support to family businesses.
March 20th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
I like it! I’ve been craving a cheesesteak and garlic knots but haven’t made it over there recently. Need to hit you guys up next week for sure!
May 28th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
I just stopped in today for lunch with a friend. I got the two slice and a soda lunch special (and one for my wife to go) and loved every minute of it. VERY good stuff people. Very good.
I really need to start ordering pizza from there more often. My wife agrees. Yum.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:29 am
On this site’s recommendation, I stopped by Ramy’s last night for the first time. While I didn’t necessarily expect tableside service, I didn’t realize I had to go up to the counter and look at the menu there. It was pretty obvious I was a newbie and wasn’t sure how it all worked, but no one behind the counter offered to help me, even though they were not busy and were just standing around. I eventually walked out. A little interaction with me would have been nice. Sorry, but I’m done.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:10 am
Passive Aggressive MN behavior rears it’s head. While I am often confounded by a restaurant that makes no effort to be clear if I should sit down, or wait to be seated, or who I should order from. But one thing I’ve learned that works pretty well, if you are not sure go ask someone. I am not trying to excuse how the staff worked, but if anything, trying to remind folks that you always can just ask someone.
My guess, they have lots of folks just come in and sit down as they meet up with others and are waiting for them before they order. If Ramy’s is smart though, they’ll go over to anyone that walks in and sits down and at least check them out, offering water while they wait, if that is in fact what is happening.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I’ve had Ramy’s once. I won’t write a long review but I will say it was enjoyable and worth the price I paid, although I won’t be back very much since I’m a little bit of a health nut and the food there isn’t the healthiest.
One thing I did want to mention was after we left, my younger sister told me she watched one of the cooks went out and bussed some tables including sticking his finger into one of the glasses and then proceeded to go right back to making our food without washing his hands. What happened should not have happened and was definitely unappetizing. I hope it was a one time deal because if you work in the food/service industry, you better be squeaky clean if you’re going to get my business.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Dan N wrote:
Quick, somebody link up the thread with Department of Health violations for Dan. Dan, I can appreciate your sunny outlook on restaurant life, but if you want to guarantee that you’ll never eat at World Buffet (or many other South of the River restaurants) again, read through those reports carefully. The words “squeaky” and “clean” rarely appeared in ANY of the reports.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
I don’t eat at World Buffet so no loss there. I don’t mean squeaky clean in a literal sense, just overall having good hygiene is all I ask.
Maybe that’s why I eat at home more now.
July 30th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Dan, pretty much every restaurant had bad things, so unless you never go out, it would hit you somewhere.
I actually just posted a Ramy’s review/post today! I love Ramy’s.
July 31st, 2010 at 9:44 pm
Ramy’s is awesome. Hold down the fort Hisham.
July 31st, 2010 at 9:47 pm
btw, Karate place going in next to Ramy’s( other half of 2 guys from Italy). Tentative opening September 1st.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Ramy’s is the go-to place when we want a gyro. The staff is courteous and the food is good. Here’s the thing about being greeted at the door and a nice decor: those things take money. Extra staff takes money, paint takes money, tableware takes money. I’d much prefer a new restaurant focus on the food, to pass that one-year watermark.
My family and I are noting with pleasure the growing number of good restaurants in the south suburbs. We’ve been huge fans of Satay’s-to-Go for years. As a matter of fact, we took our son who lives in Chicago for his first lunch there yesterday and said that it was “seriously good.” He’s never had a Malaysian dish before, and he had a curry soup that he slurped to the last drop.
My daughter and I wandered into a Vietnamese restaurant in Eagan on the old Beau-d’Rue next to Big Discount Liquors, tucked in the corner of the shopping strip. There were no customers, apart from the cook, and the place was not the cleanest. But I was really, really, hungry.
The cook, who waited on us, seemed surprised to see us. “How did you find this place?” he asked. I began to wonder if the place was a front for something. Until we got our food. It was so good they could have wheeled a slot machine by the table and our chopsticks wouldn’t have so much as paused in their work. : )
As we were waiting for the check, we were witness to a banking representative handing over the keys to the establishment. Turns out, this was the poor man’s first official day, and we were apparently some of his first customers. I truly hope this restaurant makes a go of it. It’s in a difficult spot and the name is (obviously) forgettable. With a bit of soap and water, the place has possibilities.
August 1st, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Michele, what was the name of the Vietnamese place?
August 1st, 2010 at 8:13 pm
Hi, Dan -
It’s Saigon Palace, I believe. Like I said, it’s caught in a corner between the big liquor store and a few nondescript things, under apartments. Their “open” sign wasn’t on yesterday afternoon (Saturday); I hope that wasn’t a harbinger.
August 2nd, 2010 at 9:39 am
Michele and Dan N — it’s called Classic Sai Gon. The owners are very, very nice and take pride in their product. I’ve been pimping that place for years. If you love banh mi (the Vietnamese sandwiches) they do almost as good a job as the popular places in the downtowns, and they’re ridiculously cheap. The salt and pepper scallops are also addicting.
It’s also very approachable for newcomers to Vietnamese food — the menu items are all photographed and posted on the walls around the restaurant.
On a side note, the Minsk Market in that same strip is a really great Russian market.
August 2nd, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Ha, my husband remembered it as Saigon Palace. I think he’s off his game: he usually remembers these things so I don’t have to. : )
I LOVE not having to drive into the cities for good food! I’m not afraid of the cities; I just don’t like the traffic and the long drive. Also, coming back over the bridge and seeing all the green, just makes me calmer.
August 2nd, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Dan has continued the discussion about Classic Sai Gon and Vietnamese restaurants here: http://www.lazylightning.org/cam-ranh-bay-burnsville-mn#comment-58960