Following a heads up e-mail from the world famous foodie MSPD, Josh and I headed over to the Ronin Sushi Cafe in Lakeville, MN which is located in the storefront that was previously occupied by Papagayos which closed in April of 2007 and hasn’t been in use since.
I stopped by there at around 12:45 today and found a small sign on the door that said that they will be open this entire weekend including today (the 4th of July) and they will be serving their Thai dinner starting at 5 PM. I called Josh and asked him to bring along his camera and let him know to look over their menu for when we headed back later tonight. While they have their Thai dinner menu available they said that their full sushi bar menu will not be available until August. As of today they don’t yet have beer or wine but they soon will (they said that the beer man doesn’t deliver on the 4th of July).
Their About Us page shows their sushi options which include Omakase (Open Sushi) and they say you that start with $30 and work your way up until you’re full. They have three levels (“rookie” through “hardcore”) which offers you the option of eating sushi and rolls without many raw items up through spending a ton of money (they say, “Beware!”) and eating some hot foods. On that note, their page also lists that their spiciness scale goes from 1. mild to 5. “5 – Insane – Don’t even go there, there’s no going back!”
We headed over there around 4 and walked in to a nearly empty restaurant. According to the owner (who is a first time restaurant owner/chef who has experience working in other family restaurants) they were supposed to open yesterday but due to a family emergency it had to wait until today. There was one other person eating when we arrived and when asked what he thought he said, without pause, “Delicious!” Knowing this was their opening day I thought to myself, “whatever.” The interior hasn’t changed much at all since Papagayos but it looked nicer somehow — I might just not be remembering correctly.
The waitress came over and handed us our menus which Josh remarked, “That’s a way to do it, just print out your website.” While I already checked the menu before we left I decided to do my usual and ask the waitress what her favorite dish was and try that. She immediately recommended their Drunken Noodles which are listed on the menu as “Fresh fun noodles, basil, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper,” and normally whenever I see that I smile and think, “yeah right,” and that’s exactly what I did today. When ordering the waitress asked if I wanted meat or tofu added and I chose chicken and also how hot I wanted it. I asked how hot their hottest was and if it was recentered for Minnesota tastes and she said she’d add fresh Thai peppers to it for me. I asked for extra napkins (nose blowing) and as much water as they had in preparation. Josh couldn’t decide what we wanted at first but after much decision making he decided on their Yellow Curry which has potatoes, onions, and carrots and he also asked that they add chicken to his.
When they brought the dishes out I immediately noticed the large portion size and the gorgeous fresh vegetables that added a ton of color to the dish. We were notified that if it wasn’t hot enough they would gladly cut up some more fresh Thai peppers for us. Josh had received his first and had already taken a few bites and determined that it was not hot enough. After a few bites of mine I also came to the same conclusion. I asked the waitress and after quite some time they arrived at our table with two more small bowls filled with freshly cut Thai peppers and also a bright orange habanero. Both Josh and I dumped a good bit of the peppers on our plates and the waitress and owner said, “Oh! You like it as spicy as we do!” Yup, sure do. The habaneros did the fucking trick and minutes later our mouths were on fire and the napkins were being used to clear our noses (I dumped them in the bathroom trash so the poor waitress wouldn’t have to clean up our snot).
The vegetables were quite fresh and the chicken was plentiful. My dish was fantastic and even though I enjoyed what I had eaten at Spice Thai in Savage, this absolutely wrecked that. I may have found my newest favorite South Metro restaurant! Josh’s also improved with the additional peppers and the cocunutty sweetness of the curry dropped the spice down to tolerable thresholds. Another impressive dish although one I wouldn’t order myself because I’m already watering at the mouth for another plate of those noodles. YUM FUCKING O! Seriously.
After dinner they brought us two dessert sticks with our bill (which came to $23.38 before tip) and soon after that they dropped an excellent sticky rice treat that had some sort of bean paste inside and were made with some fruit that I have never heard of before. The taste was similar to green apple candy and one that I would definitely order in the future. Please forgive the photos, we dug in before I remembered to snap some.
I absolutely, positively, and unconditionally recommend Ronin Sushi Cafe in Lakeville and am already excited to go back and try their sushi. If their Thai dishes are this good I can only imagine how tasty that will be. According to their website they are planning sushi training sessions and also visits from other local sushi chefs. Sounds pretty good to me…
If you head over to Ronin let us know what you think below!
Address:
Ronin Cafe and Sushi Bar
7704 160th St
Lakeville, MN 55044
Phone:
Restaurant: 952-997-6646
Delivery/Catering: 612-849-7525
See all the pictures from Ronin Sushi Cafe in Lakeville, MN on Flickr here (camera).
No related posts.
Dakota Complaints Map
Dakota Inmate Dashboard
Loading ...
July 8th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Went back tonight and while they have not yet opened officially, they already have some sushi available which I sampled tonight. Nice and spicy tuna with some some cilantro and an excellent homemade habanero sauce.
Kim ordered their drunken noodles but doesn’t personally like the idea of basil and noodles. I ordered their silver noodle dish and it was damn good and something that while I wouldn’t rush to order again like I would with the drunken noodles, it was definitely something I’d return to in the future.
Please note that they do not yet have a credit card machine and are only accepting cash and check until at least Thursday when the machine arrives.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
We *almost* went there tonight, but my legs were tired so we ended up at Panino Bros instead (we were biking). I’m really looking forward to trying the red curry though.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:24 am
What, dawnmarie?!? It’s like 1.5 flat miles from Panino Bros to Ronin! I’m not sure you even need to pedal! Lazy, lazy, lazy.
OK…kidding…what a great night to bike.
Bill, I’m really glad this place shows promise. I was at Satay2Go within minutes of them opening and honestly had doubts about their viability. Same with Spice Thai. Here we are a couple years later and things seem to be going OK. Hopefully we can continue to keep these places on the radar.
Now I have to carve out some time to get to Ronin. And La Luz.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:29 am
MSPD the last 1000 feet would be killer though ;-)
While I love Satay2Go and they are similar to what is offered by Ronin, I can’t compare them. Satay2Go is more simple and a bit cheaper and caters to the takeout crowd even though Kim and I eat in just so we can chat with Corrine. Ronin is closer to Spice Thai and what I have had so far has killed what I ate at Spice although the menu at Ronin is much shorter in length at this time.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:07 am
MSPD, let’s just say that in addition to my tired legs (first time on a bike since I was probably 17?) I need a new seat before I go more than a mile round trip :)I’m excited to try it though.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Not to sidetrack the topic but go over to Erik’s Bike Shop and get sized for a seat (for real). The best fitting seats are designed to concentrate the contact on your “sit bones” (vs. the softer part of your hind-end). Buying the right seat, no matter where you do it, according to the distance between your sit bones makes a world of difference in your cycling comfort. Erik’s has a very accurate means to fit you for a seat. (It sounds funny but they have you sit on a pad that sort of takes an impression). I ride a lot and, for comfort, the saddle is arguably the most important piece of equipment on the bike.
MSPD ~ Still Sweating from His Lunch Hour Bike Ride
July 9th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I’m still sweating from having to choke down my lunch at The Original SoupMan which had its first Minnesota location open today. I will have a full review after I get home from work but suffice to say, “yuck.”
July 9th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
My cousin works at Erik’s, he’s on it. I just don’t want to drop a ton of money on it until after I know if I’m going to keep it up.
I’m done sidetracking now, I promise!
July 11th, 2008 at 10:15 am
First, a big thank you to La Luz Cafe, I have no power at home, its hot out, and I am sitting here soaking up thier soda, internet, and AC.
Second Ronin is AWESOME. WOW. I can insert some profanity if it helps get the point across, but wow.
My wife, baby, and I went there last night for Our Birthday dinner (wife and I have BDay 2 days apart)
The place was clean, neat, peaceful, etc. All the things I get nervous about when going to a new or unknown restraunt. The people working there and/or the owners where outstanding. Like really awesome. We had 4 different people come out and talk to us, play with our baby boy, and chat about the food.
Then the food started coming. I had never had sushi, and had no intention to start last night. I ordered the Egg Roll for an appetizer. Yummy stuff. Then I had Druken Noodles with medium spice, and my wife had the steak and cucumber salad. Both were outstanding. Flavorful, yummy, big portions, fresh, etc, etc, etc. I cant say how impressed we were.
Then Nona (chef/owner?) came out and talked to us about Sushi. She recommended the Dragon roll and the Crunch Roll, based on me not having had any Sushi in the past. We ordered one of each, and I have no idea about Sushi, but I would order both of these again right now if they would bring them La Luz for me to eat with my breakfast. Great food. It all seemed so fresh and while the meal was pretty spendy, we ate for a good 90 minutes nearly nonstop, and every single thing we had was great.
The place has some really cool plans, with Iron Chef nights, and cooking lessons and stuff like that. I REALLY hope people support them. I cant think of anyplace in the south metro where I have had a meal I enjoyed more, esp when taking into account both the food and service levels. I really felt like we had made new friends who happened to be great cooks who had us over to eat a sample of their foods. My wife and I were both laughing and smiling when we left, and I cant wait to tell the Grandparents that thier 14 month old grand baby loves Fish Eggs, Eel, and sticky rice. He may have liked it better than we did.
Two thumbs way up. One caveat, I would never have gone into a place called a Sushi Cafe if I had not read the review on here. I hope that does not scare away other closed minded people like myself. Also, I understand that they were not really busy while we were there, and the service will not always be at that level, but I am still impressed that they made the effort when they did have the time.
Thanks for a great birthday meal and a wonderful dining experience.
July 21st, 2008 at 9:16 am
We went to Ronin on Saturday. I’ll just echo what everyone is saying here. The food and service were really good. We shared several different dishes and none disappointed. We had the Drunken Noodles with beef, Thai Fried Rice, Spring Rolls and the Dragon Roll. I’ll definitely go back.
July 21st, 2008 at 2:39 pm
We went to Ronin Cafe on Staturday, this past weekend, to try their Thai food (did not order any Japanese food this time). They serve the best Thai food–as good as the Thai foods that we have had in Thailand; we had their Drunken Noodles with beef, Pannag curry with chicken (THE BEST CURRY!), Green Beans and Fired Tofu. We also had their brown stick rice dessert, served with mago and coconut milk; it was so….good (not on the menu–we just asked what they have for dessert and they made those for us that day. We were so impress with their foods !!! And, we are so glad that we have such place to go here. I totally recommend and will definitely go back many times.
August 6th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
We have been to this restaurant three times in the past week and tried several dishes and everything has been amazing. Reasonably priced too.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:14 am
I drove by and had to stop in… And I didn’t regret it the white elephant was the bomb. I totally recommend it. It is officaly my favorite sushi roll.!! If stop in you got to try it. The crunchy was delicious as well. We already made reservation for the 29th. so excited mmm sushi
August 20th, 2008 at 10:41 am
[...] Ronin Sushi Cafe in Lakeville, MN [...]
August 27th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I went in tonight and had some of their sushi (the spicy tuna roll) and while the portion was huge, so was the price. I originally wanted something different that was less than $6 but the waiter recommended something else and apparently owned me on the up-sell. I should have asked how much it would be first but I didn’t. I’m an idiot.
The owner told me that their grand opening, including the recently completed sushi bar, will be this Friday at 6PM. They will also soon be unveiling their “Americanized” breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus to go alongside their Thai offerings so that if your spouse isn’t so much interested in Thai, they too will be able to eat something and you won’t be left to go there and enjoy it on a Wednesday night by yourself ;)
Always fantastic food — if you haven’t yet checked out Ronin, I suggest getting there for their grand opening on Friday :)
August 27th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I know I am not the most frequent visitor, but I have the drunken noodles with Chicken about once a week. Love the food, and the people are always really friendly.
I dont know if we will make the grand opening, but I am sure we will stop by sometime this weekend.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
As I said above, Kim and I went to Ronin tonight for the grand opening and took a seat at the sushi bar and let Kevin do his thing. It was busy tonight with people there enjoying sushi (one complimentary per couple!), half price bottles of wine, and some very good food.
If you haven’t gone to Ronin yet, go tonight and take advantage of the specials they have tonight — you will not be disappointed.
Check out some photos of the sushi we enjoyed tonight on Flickr here.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
We went last night as well, although we must have been there a bit later than you Bill. We took advantage of the free appetizers, the half price bottles of wine and sampled quite a selection of food.
As always, the drunken noodles with chicken were great. The White Elephant sushi roll was incredible, and the Red Curry was a great surprise.
I really hope people are getting out and trying this place. The food is spectacular and the owner(s) are among the friendliest people I have ever met. I really cant say enough good things. We have never been here when Nona (sp) or one of the other chef/owners have not stopped by multiple times to ask how things were and make recommendations. Great great food, and really nice people.
If the half price wine and free apps runs through tomorrow, I think we are going back with some friends for another round.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Chad, agreed all around. While I won’t be there tomorrow (hopefully Kings in Miesville instead), I really do love the place and I am usually in there at least 2 or 3x a month. Even Kim enjoyed the sushi we tried last night and Kevin (at the sushi bar) and Nona (yeah, sp?) as well as three waiters (two of which I have seen several times before) stopped by to not only say hello but ask how everything was.
Kim was all about the gummy worms and after having a few after dinner, we got the rest to take home. I’m not much of a candy (or dessert) fan in general but man, those are tasty.
September 8th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
[...] had a container of pepper oil on the table, much like what’s offered at Ronin Sushi Cafe but the container was sticky and kinda gross. I asked how fresh it was and our server thought for a [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
So I’m at Ronin tonight prior to heading to Carbones for the Twins game. I asked them to surprise me for my entree tonight and I got one of their upcoming breakfast plates.
She came out with their basil chicken which included white rice, a sunny side up egg, chicken, thai peppers and basil. Beautifully presented and bright colors as always, this is an impressive dish. I must admit I’ve never had anything like it for breakfast but would be willing to try it some morning. It was a nice sized portion for $10.95.
They have updated their hours to include the mornings and while I’ll update the main post to include them when I get home from the game, I’ll put them here too:
Monday – closed
Tuesday – Thursday 11-2 and 5-9
Friday – Sat 11-2 and 5-10
Sunday 11-7:30
They are planning on doing mimosas with fresh squeezed OJ, Thai sausage, eggs, buttermilk pancakes, etc. I guarantee you that I will be back!
If you try their breakfast let us know how it is!
September 24th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Any idea what Thai sausage is?
September 24th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
From http://www.khiewchanta.com/archives/thai-sausages/
September 24th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I have been to Ronin about 6-10 times since they’ve opened (3 weeks ago). I come at lunch time and get a takeout sushi order, which I eat over the next 24 hours. WONDERFUL!!! They have a kids sushi plate for about $7.95, which by the kids are done, I;ve had time to eat. I’ve only had their sushi, but I HAVE to have them cut the nigiri in half because theirs is SO big! I’ve been to Kami, Osaka and Ichiban… Overall Ronin is by far the best price and a wonderful place to “hang out”. The last time I was there, Miko got a HUGE piece of tuna out of the back and gave me the best treat ever. You don’t have to give up having your adult treat while your kids enjoy theirs!!!
October 9th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
As always, Miko takes care of my girls!! I have 4… Yikes! under the age of 6 and he knows everytime how to make them something special! I talked my Dad into taking us to Ronin on Sunday and he was impressed! As a big wig of ConAgra he told Miko what he liked and he delivered. Poko Tuna (SP) and my Dad ate ALL of it. Nona, the owner, is a wonderful and friendly person. Most of the staff have a connected history! Just ask Miko to make you something for you and I promise, he WILL deliver!! Al is great too!
Michelle
October 13th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
My husband and I ate here and loved it. We’d like to bring our 3-year old daughter…what would you all with kids recommend for her? What has Miko made for you?
October 13th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
We made it to Ronin for the first time on Saturday. FANTASTIC!
I highly recommend the Ancient Chicken, the Drunken Noodles, and the Spicy Tuna Rolls.
It wasn’t very busy for a Saturday night, so everyone needs to tell a friend to go try it out. This place needs to stick around.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Got a bunch of coupons (magnet style) in the mail yesterday and one was for a free entree ($12 max) at Ronin. No other strings attached it would appear.
I hope that this means that they can afford that type of business and it isn’t the sign of something worse. I’m going to stop in tomorrow and see what I can find out — while eating my free entree ;)
November 7th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Booo…….I did not get any coupons. :(
November 7th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
If you get print copies of Thisweek, you may have a coupon for Ronin (B1G1 free this time) on page 3.
November 11th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Thank you so much everyone for the awesome reviews & your continuous support. Even for a few not so good ones. We’re always trying to improve. I finally have time to read all the reviews. Your speculations are right, the economy has hurt us as well as many other businesses, but we are committed to getting people in the door and hopefully returning for the food while trying to operate more efficiently. Don’t worry, we’ll put up a fight to stay as long as possible! Thanks again & pass the word!
Nona
Chef-Owner
November 11th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Shit. Nona, I’m scratching plans this weekend to go elsewhere to come in and show my support.
November 14th, 2008 at 9:39 am
A side discussion is happening over here about Ronin Sushi Cafe.
I was in last night and they have a great happy hour menu that goes until 6:30 including $1.95 bottled beer, soups, appetizers, etc. Good stuff.
November 14th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
The happy hour specials are on the web site, and it looks like some of them are a great deal.
November 14th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Chad, a South Metro restaurant with an updated website? WTF?! ;-)
November 14th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Yep, whats the world coming too?
Google search, second return from Ronin Sushi Cafe (right behind LazyLightning review).
http://ronincafe.com/default.aspx
Not sure if its ok to provide links on here, but you can fix it if not. For Sushi people and beer drinkers, that should be reason enough to get in there once in awhile.
November 14th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Chad, I was only kidding about them having a webpage, I knew they did — they link to here!
Yes, you can provide links and the site makes them clickable automatically!
November 14th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I wonder if the “Sushi Cafe’ in the name might scare some people off that would otherwise really enjoy their non-sushi dishes. I’ll be ordering some take out from Ronin tomorrow. I have a craving for Ancient Chicken.
November 14th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Dave, I think you are 100% correct. If not for the review I read on here, I would never have gone in. I am glad I did, and hope others will try it as well.
January 1st, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Went to Ronin last night for dinner. Fantastic as always.
It was NOT busy enough. Tell your friends about Ronin!
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:58 am
We picked up dinner from Ronin as take out for New Years Eve. Great food, as always. The Ancient Chicken/Pad Thia Noodles, and Drunken Noodles are incredible.
January 10th, 2009 at 8:31 am
My son (age 7) and I were at Ronin last night. This would be our 5th time there. My son got the kid’s sushi and the california roll. He is small for his size but ate the whole thing. It truly is his favorite meal on the planet.
I ordered the Toro Nigiri (usually only served Friday and Saturday) and the Tataki roll. If you have not tried either, you are truly missing out. I lived in Florida for two years and never thought Sushi in Lakeville could rival what I had gotten there. I read all the reviews on the other food at Ronin and really would like to try some other things but every time I go I cannot get myself past the Tataki roll. It is that good…
One other note: If you like sake, try the Snow Maiden. It is unfiltered, so it is a cloudy white color but the flavor is much more complex to me than other sakes I have had. They serve it in a small box and over-pour the glass so that the sake pours into the box as well.
I asked why they over-pour it and they said it is a sign of good luck. You drink the glass first, then drink from the corner of the small box.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Great reviews! Moved here from Hawaii…wife’s Japanese and we’ve been only content with Kami and Osaka. We’ll be trying this tonight, and hope to bring my mother-in-law there soon. She worked in Kyoya in waikiki for 20 years (before it closed), and I’ve never been able to live down how “wrong” we do sushi in Minnesota.
I’ll be happy to write a review after!
January 26th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Jay, I hope you love the place. We enjoy it every time we visit.
January 26th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
My buddy Josh and I went there on Saturday for lunch and were treated with Cherry Bombs which are habaneros stuffed with cream cheese and topped with a chili aioli.
Nona warned me that it would hurt the next day but she didn’t note that it would hurt all damn day too ;-) It tasted great but the burn did not subside even after an entire roll of Rolaids and a few glasses of milk :(
January 29th, 2009 at 8:18 am
Holy hotness! I like spicy food too but stuffed habaneros? You’re braver than I am.
February 5th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
OK…much delinquent here, but I did want to touch back with our first impressions. We went on the 26th, and were not disappointed. First, happy hour beer prices…best in the area. $2.50 for a Heinie is pretty economical, unless you eat too much hot Thai food…which we did!
Wife had the drunken noodles…awesome. I had my favorite, red curry….again, to die for! Took the leftover sauce home, put chicken in it, and would’ve drank the remainder if my kids weren’t looking at me funny.
Service was great….sushi was pretty decent…but the Thai was amazing. Big bill, but there were 8 of us. We’ll go back!!! Thanks for the referral!
February 5th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Jay, glad to hear you liked the place. I am not even close to a sushi expert. It always seems fresh and yummy to me, so thats good, but I love the Thai food. Really great stuff.
February 8th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Finally made it to Ronin on Friday. Food was awesome. Tried the drunken noodles and pad thai – both were great. Also tried a little sushi and it was very good. The Spider Roll seemed on par with a place like Fuji Ya. The place is small, but was very full for most of the time we were there. The staff worked hard trying to keep up – they seemed a little overwhelmed so I got the impression that it was unusually busy.
It would be nice if things got a little more polished there, for example there were items scratched off the beverage list, they were out of a couple other beverages, etc. – but I can overlook minor issues for great food.
We will definitely be back – I could see this being a regular stop.
February 20th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I’m not a big sushi fan. but I love there other dishes like papaya salad, Pad Thai, and there drunken noodles. its definately on my top five favorite places too eat.
February 20th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Rodrick, what are the other four?
March 20th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Bill, I’m calling you out! I don’t think they made the A-Bombs for you correctly. We were bored one day and we kindda started on habanero poppers to eat.
I stuff them with cream cheese flavored with lemon/orange zest and juice, green onion. Then wrap it all up with bacon and dunk in tempura batter and fryed. Last is a drizzle of honey on the top. This should be a sweet, creamy,salty kick in the pants bomb going off in your mouth.
If you give me 2 days notice I’ll have it ready for you next time. Just let me know when the torture will begin.
Ken
kitchen chef at Ronin
March 20th, 2009 at 6:33 am
So Ken, how much do I need to pay you for the Ancient chicken recipe? ;-)
April 8th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
I’ve eaten here a few times. It has always been sushi and I have always been very impressed. I have not, however, been able to convert my family over… until now.
See, when we get take-out, my wife likes to go with EggRoll King. It’s cheap, predictable and cheap. (Yeah, I said cheap twice.) She’s a fan if their orange chicken and doesn’t want to mess with “what works.” Getting food from a new place could disrupt the space-time continuum and I’ve been overruled every time I’ve tried to swing us over to Ronin.
So, last Sunday, I finally had my way. I talked my spouse in to trying the Ancient Chicken. My 5-year old son would get the Gyoza, and I was too tempted by the thought of Pad Thai. (In fact, it was my son’s insistence that he have potstickers that initiated this whole thing.)
I set Zach’s plate down at his spot with all 5 dumplings/ By the time I got to the table with my plate of food, his was gone and he was asking for more! Apparently, they were great.
While my Pad Thai was fine, my wife thought this was the best Orange/Sesame chicken dish she had ever had in her life. The more of it she ate, the more she raved. She even reports that re-heated two days later, the dish was fantastic. There’s this perfect hint of a crunch without the m,eat being over cooked. Our only mild complaint is that the Ancient Chicken should come with a bit more of the sauce, if that’s even possible. (How could you not want your rice soaking in that heavenly taste?) :)
Now, while we may have paid double for what a family meal was at EggRoll King and the gyoza were a little low on the volume, we think Ronin is top notch! WE also agreed that it was obvious that Ronin was using high quality cuts of meat and not some of the random “parts” other places hide under the breading.
I think I’m diving in to some curry next time. I wish we could afford to eat here more often.
April 17th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Interesting notice regarding a coupon at Ronin’s web site:
http://ronincafe.com/
April 20th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Dang, Dave! I wonder if Nona could go after the publishers for their error? That is a crazy, expensive error on their part!
April 20th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Wow, I hope people understand it was an error and dont hold it against Ronin.
August 5th, 2009 at 11:37 am
According to an e-mail I received from the Ronin Staff, lunch hours have been reduced to Wednesday -> Sunday between 11 and 2.
August 5th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
I have to say that Ronin is the best Thai restaurant around! My wife and I tell everyone from the area about it because we truly want it to stay around. We hope that the corner that they’re on is not cursed because there have been 3 other failed restaurants there.
Like I said the Thai food is great. Personally they should advertise the fact that they serve Thai as I think there are still a lot of people who won’t even touch sushi, but will go to a Thai restaurant.
Ancient Chicken is a great dish, however, as a counterpoint to Jorn, I would have to say less sauce is better. The best time I had it it was just tossed in the sauce and it was fantastic. Other great dishes is the Spicy Basil Eggplant, that is when they have eggplant. I’ve been there at least 10 times either to sit down or for take out and twice they didn’t have eggplant!!! Come on!
I say everyone should try Ronin Sushi (Thai) Cafe!
August 24th, 2009 at 11:29 am
From Ronin’s website:
August 25th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Subsequent orders of the oft-lauded Ancient Chicken have, sadly, been a letdown. Last time, the taste was almost unpalatable. It seemed overwhelmed with what I can only describe as the flavor of way too much corn starch. I would have hesitated in writing this, but a good friend reports she’s had an identical experience. This is sad, because this has now put Ronin in the “meh, I’d rather not. It sucked last time.” category with my family.That one is nearly impossible for me to override. :(
I wonder what happened.
August 25th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
It always tasted fishy to me so I rarely eat it. I stick to the other items. But even those, when I request to be as hot as possible, have been a bit of a let down lately. Even Satay2Go has been rocking them in the heat department as of late.
August 25th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I wonder if there has been a change in the kitchen staff??? Inconsistency can be very disappointing in a restaurant. One thing you can say about Satay2Go is it is very consistent.
October 4th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
JF: Actually, there kind of had been. Nona had been in a car accident and was unable to cook full-time. Try as somebody may, nobody can do her secret recipes right, even if she reveals the secret.
The good news is that she’s back in the saddle and the food is back to “I can happy right now.” awesome.
December 3rd, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I remain disappointed at what is clearly a major downturn at this one time favorite. Something’s up here (or down as is more the case).
The Panang curry was once rich, flavorful and ample. It’s now ample at best, but bland, and downright bad. The Ancient Chicken is overspiced, overcooked and has an odd odor to it that’s not pleasing. The shrimp even more so.
Please Ronin, PLEASE, fix the kitchen problems. I only have so many tries left. Maybe I just got back there on the wrong night (November 14th), but it still doesn’t seem fixed despite the comment above.
December 4th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Jason, you sound like one of those overly critical nutjobs who pays a ton of money to hire someone to hang their Christmas lights off of their McMansions over in Lakeville. Not every place can be the 112 Eatery. Or even Moby Dick’s Kebabs for that matter.
If your wife, kids and your witty, brilliant and sophisticated brother can put up with your odd odors and questionable cooking, certainly you can be a little more tolerant.
December 4th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Jeez, I thought Jason sounded like Bill on sedatives.
December 4th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Mrs. R, I have a feeling that there is some inside joke we’re missing.
December 4th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
It should be pretty obvious.
December 5th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
MSPD, eye think you have waaaaay tooooooo musch fhree thime hat whork!! yhou hneed hto shpend hless thyme hat wk, ahand mhoore fhree thyme poste’ng hon lazyltg’s site whif ur awesssome diction!
bb(hic)
December 8th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
If I could only choose one restaurant to eat at for the rest of my life, this place is it.
June 3rd, 2010 at 7:05 am
Just saw that Ronin Cafe is today’s Twin Cities Groupon, 15.00 for 35.00 worth of food and drinks.
June 3rd, 2010 at 8:21 am
I bought two!
June 3rd, 2010 at 10:43 am
GroupOn and LivingSocial have been labeled by some as negative influences on the local restaurant industry. They target businesses which really don’t have that much money as it is because everyone is struggling and then they bring in their group of loyal legions who go only to the places they advertise. These detractors say that instead of building loyalty for the place advertised, it builds loyalty only for the couponing site.
While I think it’s important for a restaurant to take the opportunity provided to them from these sites, I can see this point, especially at how ravingly popular they are. And when a restaurant offers something at a 50% discount you have to wonder how desperate they are for business.
Being that Ronin is back on the liquor delinquency list, they’re obviously having cashflow problems. Do you really want to add to that by taking 50% of their money away?
Thoughts?
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:37 am
I don’t get the Groupon thing, but that’s because I don’t really eat out much. That being said, it seems to me that seeing these deals maybe would encourage me to go out to said restaurant(s) and spend money, whereas I wouldn’t otherwise. It’s a Catch-22, they’re giving up something, but they’re also getting me in the door. I suppose I would also be more likely to spend more than normal, since I had a coupon.
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Nobody forced Ronin to offer this deal on Groupon. Nobody forced Ronin to hand out BOGO entree coupons at the Taste of Lakeville. Ronin is doing this because it makes business sense to them. A customer shouldn’t feel bad about using a deal like this. If you want to support Ronin by always paying full price, that’s a great personal decision. If you want to write Nona a check to show appreciation and support for her restaurant, that’s great too. Others, however, are going to clip coupons to potentially save money on a night dining out.
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:14 pm
Some insight into groupon should you choose is available via a podcast that I listen to, and is available on the web. This Week in Startups had Andrew Mason, CEO of Groupon and discussed some of the challenges they face, and why a place might want to participate in Groupon.
http://thisweekin.com/thisweekin-startups/twist-52-with-andrew-mason/
1/2 price coupons are more common than many people think, though Groupon is bringing it to a whole new level. I recall shows on TV, and on various radio stations where they do super sales and you can call in and get various deals they advertise.
In essence, these companies are working to increase their “Cash Velocity”… sorry another link: http://geewhiz2roi.blogspot.com/2008/12/increasing-your-cash-velocity.html
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Bill, I’ve posted a few Groupon deals in the past when I noticed they were for restaurants you’ve reviewed. Would you prefer I (or we) not post those deals?
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:16 pm
lenny, I was just interested in what people thought of them. I have no problems with people posting links to the sites are long as it doesn’t benefit the commenter.
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Got it.
I can’t recall when using a BOGO coupon or any other sort of half-off discount has ever caused me to start going to a restaurant on a regular basis. We use these deals a lot, but it’s either for a restaurant that we already go to, or it’s for a place that sounds good, but we’ve not gone back later at full price. There are so many 50% deals out there that it’s hard not to use one if you can.
June 3rd, 2010 at 4:34 pm
There are 2 people that I work with that bought the Groupon today. Neither one has been to Ronin before. Hopefully this is at least a break-even situation for Ronin and they’ll gain some new fans.
June 20th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Hey guys!
Just a Ronin update,….we are already off the liqour list and have benefited a lot from the Groupon/Living social deals. We have already seen repeat customers that have used all thier coupons, which was our main goal. We wanted these deals to get people in the door, while the food and hospitality takes care of the rest. Hopefully that by the end of the summer our fan base has grown and that people will still keep coming back….which reminds me, Bill we have a “Bill Hot” button in our POS and have yet to use it =)
June 21st, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Natalie,
I’m glad to hear things are going well. I’ve been a fan and have recommended the restaurant many, many times. I hope the restaurant stays popular for a long time.
Along with the popularity though comes a need to staff and equip the kitchen to handle things when the restaurant is full. My wife, kids and I were in a couple weeks ago on a packed Tuesday night and the wait between dishes arriving at the table was unacceptable. This has happened to us before and it doesn’t appear things are getting better — tables around us were waiting a long time for food as well. Our last sushi plate — one specialty roll — took almost a half hour to arrive.
Unfortunately, I won’t be in again when I am dining with my kids. It’s just too long to try and keep them occupied between courses. I’ll come in by myself, but it’s sad because you’ll be losing out on a significant tab. (Our tab was $50 that night WITH the Groupon).
July 22nd, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Natalie,
Any plans to open up the small patio on the side of the restaurant to dining in the future? It seems like this would be a nice option in the summer and would provide a little more space on those busy nights. I understand there would be “hurdles” to making this happen, if it is even possible. Anyways, I love the food and you guys are always the nicest.
July 22nd, 2010 at 4:48 pm
We stopped in Ronin last weekend for lunch. Everything was great. Basil chicken with egg is something I have not found elsewhere, and I enjoy it.
I am certainly not this blogs authority on Sushi, but the Philly Roll was the best Sushi I have had. Thats most likely just my taste buds finding something that matched, but still, great food.
September 1st, 2010 at 11:41 pm
Just wanted to give a review. I’ve been before (based on reviews here), but it was awhile ago. I recently purchased the Groupon, but wasn’t able to make it over there sans kids, and the Groupon is expiring in a few days. So, I took the kids (there were a lot of kids there, seems like a family friendly place, but mine have severe food allergies, so I generally don’t take them to Thai places b/c there are a lot of peanuts around). I planned on eating some sushi and giving them some sandwiches I’d made ahead of time.
We got there at 5pm and apparently a lot of other people had the idea that they should use their Groupon too–filled up fast. The waitress we had was so great. So friendly. When I told her the kids would be eating food from home b/c of food allergies (Felt the need to explain b/c I feel weird about bringing food from home to a restaurant), she explained their food allergy procedures in detail. If there’s a severe food allergy (my son’s is potentially life threatening), they use fresh pans, knives, and cutting boards, change frying oil, etc. WOW! If only all other restaurants were as conscientious about FA’s. So, I felt ok having them eat some sauteed tofu. They loved it and even ate with chopsticks. No reactions. She even happily sent me home with some take out noodles to make up for the rest of my $35 on the Groupon. I got the Dragon roll (delicious), drunken noodles, and soy sauce noodles. Haven’t broken into the latter, but the first 2 were delicious. Ronin and Satay 2 go are the only Asian places I’ll frequent in the south metro. On our way home the kids were commenting on how much fun they had and my son even spontaneously commented on how nice the waitress was.
September 1st, 2010 at 11:53 pm
I do have to say after reading the other reviews, that the other time I was at Ronin (prime time on a weekend for take out), service was very slow. I was waiting for my take out and it took 10-15 min to even get acknowledged. This is prob why I hadn’t been back again before the groupon. I realize it’s b/c the place is so busy–good for them–but I do agree that it was inconvenient and was something that had kept me from going back. Now 5pm on a weeknight was fine, but that’s not generally when I dine out sans kids. So, one cavaet to my review is that on busy weekend nights, be prepared to wait a bit.
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:43 am
Lucky, great timing on the review. We have a groupon we have not used and were talking about trying to get over there tonight or this weekend.
We dont visit enough, but its still one of our favorites.
September 4th, 2010 at 10:08 am
ok, we went on Friday at 7:30pm… place was overflowing and there was a 45 minute wait, we were pretty hungry so went elsewhere, but it doesnt seem like that long ago that there was talk of Ronin being in danger of closing due to lack of business? planning a lunch visit here soon.
September 4th, 2010 at 10:23 am
I too stopped by with my daughter last night, about 5:30. Parking lot overflowing, and big line outside Ronin. Sounds like things are going well. Expansion!?!
September 5th, 2010 at 10:04 am
It has to do with Groupon and Livingsocial coupons expiring. Once those are gone it’ll go back to normal.
And a while back when they were in danger of closing it was due to not paying taxes properly, it had little to do w/business being slow or not.
January 19th, 2011 at 11:07 am
Speaking of Groupons, today’s offer is for Ronin! $12 for $25 in food and drink. Wow, that’s two LL related Groupons in a row…lol
January 19th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Saw the groupons and purchased one for me and one for a brother in law.
January 19th, 2011 at 11:24 pm
I ordered 2 as well! Can’t wait to use them!
January 28th, 2011 at 9:18 am
Caving into the prodding from Bill and Chad, I had dinner at Ronin last night. As I have mentioned in other threads, I am a recognized “regular” at the Thai Curry House in Burnsville, and needed to persuade the Ms. that trying a new Thai place was in our best interests. She was resistant up until both of you indicated that the Drunken Noodles at Ronin were the bomb, so we gave it a shot.
First of all, the space is more inviting than TCH. Darker and warmer for sure. That said, it could be a bit more refined. The random big screen playing ESPN just seems out of place, overall it just seems a bit cluttered as if they have not decided if they want to be a take out place or a sit down place, but I am obviously nitpicking.
I am going to complain right now about the service. It was very slow all night. There was one server for the whole place and she also doubled as the take out cashier and it is apparent they are doing ok for business, certainly busy enough to justify paying another server/cashier but it could have been as simple as somebody calling in sick. It was a one hour and 45 minute meal with one appy and entrees. No dessert. It should not take that long I don’t think. On to the food.
We started with a spicy tuna roll from the sushi bar (also only staffed by one guy who was clearly overworked as it took 45 minutes to get the roll). It was spot on perfect. It was a 5 piece roll that was so good that you know how normally one person says to the other, “go ahead and eat that last one” out of courtesy? No fucking way. We split it. The whole roll was gone in about 42 nanoseconds. We could have ordered 4 of them.
On to the entrees. We both like spicy food, really spicy food. Bill had encouraged me to order my food “Bill hot”. Ms. lefty ordered the Drunken Noodles of course, and I went with the Basil Chicken with egg per the comments from Chad here. The spice scale goes from 1-5, and we both ordered 5, which is the hottest on the menu. Bill mentioned to ask for it “Bill hot” but that is hard to do when you don’t quite know what their 5 is yet. I wish there was a more uniform spice indicator regarding Asian food in America, but it is what it is.
Food came. My entree was a beautiful layout of chicken and veggies sided with some white rice and a nicely fried egg on the top. I split the egg to let the yolk run into the meal and dug in. I took one bite and quite literally lost my breath from the spice. I think it was a combination of bad timing along with the hugeness of the heat, but I could tell I was in for some fun. The meal was freaking amazing. Every bite tasted better than the one before right up until my mouth went numb from the heat. The flavors blended perfectly and though I would like to tell you what the veggies were, I can’t because the sweat dripping into my eyes hindered my eyesight too much too tell, but I don’t care, it was that good.
As for the Drunken Noodles, I think they were easily as good as TCH, but Ronin gets my nod for two reasons. First, Ronin knows how to make food spicy. Their 5 is a 5. I can eat the “crazy spicy” at TCH and barely blink an eye at the spice. The other reason the Drunken Noodles tickled my fancy was the simple addition of perfectly roasted/grilled cherry tomatoes. I am not sure how they applied heat to these gems, but there is hardly a culinary experience better than biting into a perfectly roasted tomato and letting the flavor explode all over your taste buds and coming perfectly short of burning your tongue while totally filling your mouth with the heat of the morsel. This is seriously a simple pleasure, but holy hell did that make it worth the trip.
If I were to rate this place on food alone, it would be near the top of my list, but they need to buck up a few things.
-If you are always this slow, I will eat there half as much as I otherwise would. It should not take almost 2 hours to eat Thai food on a Thursday night at 6. I was really looking forward to seeing Ricky Gervais on The Office as David Brent and if I did not have DVR, that would have sucked (but in retrospect, the David Brent appearance was a cameo and a complete letdown).
-Because the service was so slow, the Ms. actually ordered a 3rd glass of wine. She asked for a “half glass”, but you don’t sell those so we paid for a full glass that she drank half of. When your customers have been in your place for at that point almost ninety minutes, you pour a half glass of wine and don’t charge for it. To make is worse, she brought a Pinot, not a Cab. She called out the error almost immediately, and offered to replace it. We said no, to be nice, but it would have been right to bring the Cab either way. Pinot Noir does not stand up to that level of spice…it tased like water. We agreed to keep it, and you charged us for it. I am not saying it should have been free but that would have been a decent gesture given that she clearly only wanted a half glass to begin with.
-I have driven by Ronin many times and every time dismissed it as “just another sushi place”. If not for this blog, I would not have known about the awesome Thai food that they make. As a matter of fact, even though I have seen Ronin about a hundred times, I did not correlate it as the place I was going until my GPS brought me there last night. If Ronin would actually put “Thai” on their signage, I guarantee I would have stopped by before now.
Will I be back? Absolutely. The food is Soup Nazi good for those that understand the reference. Will it be on a Saturday at 4 or a Monday at 5:15, most likely. I won’t go when they are busy unless I hear things have improved. (again, it may have been a just a bad night, but how do I know for sure).
To Bill and Chad, thanks for the tips…but I won’t be getting anything “Bill hot” in the near future. :)
January 28th, 2011 at 9:32 am
Glad you really enjoyed it.
Yes, the service has always been a problem but when they do one of those coupon deals it’s even worse.
Here I thought I was talking to a chili head when, in fact, you’re a spice pussy. Lame.
January 28th, 2011 at 9:49 am
lefty, thanks for the great writeup. I have to agree re: the service…to the point that I just can’t go there anymore. I’ve been there enough times with my family (including kids who LOVE the food) and had to sit and wait, and wait, and wait literally 30, 40 minutes between courses that I won’t bring kids, and even other people there because it’s embarrassing and uncomfortable. I love conversation, but there are limits and Ronin exceeds my tolerance every time I’m there.
Maybe if they offered free wi-fi, I would go back, throw open the laptop and put in an 8-hour day while they prepped each course, but I when I find myself with 2 hours of kid-free “me time”, I don’t want more than half of it spent sitting and waiting for a piece of sashimi.
January 28th, 2011 at 9:51 am
They have free wifi.
January 28th, 2011 at 10:11 am
Lefty, I am glad you got in and tried the place. I have to agree. The Basil Chicken with egg is really good. Like unreasonably good. All the food is great.
As to the service, its always been slow, but usually very attentive and friendly. As you noted, possibly they had a no show, as normally there are a couple servers. Its probably also likely that as Bill noted, the Groupons have caused them to be busier than normal.
Again, glad you tried it, and glad the food came through. Thanks for the write up.
January 28th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Should have added, for a special treat, you should ask if they will make you one of the “Cherry Bomb” desserts. Not sure if they still do it, but I know they have done it for Bill before, and they made them for me and some of my family on a visit. Habaneros stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon/proscuitto, dipped in some sort of whiskey glaze, and deep fried.
January 28th, 2011 at 10:21 am
Here’s a pic of the original incarnation: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bill_roehl/3223150617/ (Habaneros stuffed a cream cheese and topped with chili aioli)
Later on they moved to the cream cheese stuffed habs wrapped in bacon and deep fried with an orange/rum glaze. They serve it with their mango ice cream that you can pick up in your hands and has a soft shell on the outside.
They’re mind-blowingly good.
January 28th, 2011 at 10:23 am
Bill, in your eyes, I think everyone is a spice pussy. I don’t know anyone who eats food spicier than I do with the possible exception of Ms. lefty, or at least until I started frequenting this blog.
I don’t think a meal is spicy unless I can pat the crown of my head and my palm comes back soaked. I guess I am working my way in your direction, but it took me over 40 years to build up the tolerance I now have. I don’t think I have enough time left to catch up!
And yes it sucks that my wife can handle spicier food than I. I may just start wearing a skirt and get it over with.
January 28th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
I am just going to say this once. Ronin is way better on the way in….
January 28th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
I call that “Revenge of Ronin”.
January 28th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
If you think Ronin’s Revenge is bad, you need to try Girvan Grille’s ghost wings. Oh and I fixed your open blockquote tag in #102.
January 29th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
We have had problems with the service at Ronin as well. Last time we were there my food (sushi) arrived 20 minutes before anyone else’s meal, and the kid’s meals arrived last (the kids were cranky and hungry). After we were nearly done with the meal, our Edamame (the appetizer) came out.
I talked a few co-workers into trying Ronin last year and each of them complained about the service as well.
However, every time we have ordered take-out, our food is on time and ready to go, and that is usually 15-20 minutes from the time we order. Why can’t they serve their in-house guests in that same time-frame?
I LOVE the food, but the slow inconsistent service has kept us from coming back as often as we may have if it were more reliable.
C’mon Ronin, get your $#!% together.
June 29th, 2011 at 8:19 pm
As of July 1st Nona will no longer be at the helm and some of the Thai dishes will no longer be available.
I had the pleasure and honor of being able to attend Nona’s last hurrah where she cooked a 10 course authentic Thai dinner for her guests. It was absolutely and utterly mind blowing in taste, texture and beauty. Definitely one of the top 5 food experiences of my life.
Check out the photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bill_roehl/sets/72157626955862663/
June 29th, 2011 at 9:41 pm
This is very sad. I wish Nona luck in whatever she is going to do next. Can you share any more details with us on what her plans are and what is going to become of Ronin?
June 29th, 2011 at 10:05 pm
Chad, she’s effectively retiring for health reasons. It’s being taken over by Fuji Ya’s executive chef/owner Chef Wei Wang. I assume with his background the sushi will take precedence over the Thai dishes.
June 30th, 2011 at 8:07 am
That is too bad. I don’t think I was going to go back either way with all the service problems I have experienced, but the outstanding Thai dishes were the reason I was able to overlook the problems.
June 30th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
I love their Thai food! That’s too bad. I am not a sushi fan. They are closed 7/1 – 7/5. Maybe I will get one last fix tonight?
July 1st, 2011 at 7:45 am
From: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150246132233758&id=62503433757
July 7th, 2011 at 6:23 am
http://lakeville.patch.com/articles/despite-shutdown-lakevilles-ronin-sushi-caf-likely-to-change-hands
July 7th, 2011 at 8:27 am
I need to belabor my point.
I am still eating at Thai Curry House about 3-4 times per month.
I am convinced that it is the best Thai food I can get anywhere. I have tried a lot of places, including Grand Pad Thai, Ruam Mit and some places that were so awful that I can’t remember the name including the place on 35E and Lone Oak.
Even though they always seem to have only one guy (usually one of two) serving, we are always greeted promptly at our table and food is always delivered in a timely manner. I have to say that service is consistently better than it was even 6 months ago, and the food, while it has always been great, seems to be even better than it was when they first opened. I challenge anyone to present me with a better Red Curry product than they have.
Our daughter recommended it to one of her friend’s parents who we are well acquainted with (and are not really foodie types). They gave it a try last night and indicated that it was the best meal they have had in years (not kidding).
So, since it sounds like Ronin is no longer in the good Thai food game, you should go here instead. Seriously.
July 7th, 2011 at 10:34 am
Lefty, where is the Thai Curry House?
July 7th, 2011 at 10:52 am
It is over in the same strip mall as the new Juniors Grill and Shooter’s Billiards on the southeast corner of Hwy 13 and Cliff road in Burnsville.
It is most definitely a hole in the wall type of place from the outside.
July 7th, 2011 at 11:05 am
I know where that is. Thanks!
July 7th, 2011 at 11:52 am
lefty, because of your impassioned defense of TCH, I will give it another try, but just so you know, I was not really impressed after our first visit. I may be applying for the lefty money back guarantee soon.
July 7th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Chad, I agree with you. I had it once and it wasn’t impressive in the least. Very generic and standard Americanized Thai at best. However, I got takeout and it was towards the end of the night so while I haven’t given them a review yet, I guess I need to go back in there and also utilize the LMBG.
July 7th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
Have I offered the lefty guarantee on TCH? If so, it will remain valid if either of you can find the post. I consider Ms. lefty to be more of a food critic than I am and she actually “needs” to eat there as often as we do. So much so that when we arrived home from a short vacation over the weekend that we drove right there from the airport.
Bill. Make sure to order at least level 15 of spice. They say they are willing to go to 20 even though the menu says 1-5. I ordered at level 10 the other night and it was probably equal to what Ronin called a 5. I understand 14 is the current “record”.
July 7th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
20 it is.
July 7th, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Does Thai Curry House have a lunch buffet? Pretty sure I’ve eaten there during lunch but forget what the name of it was.
July 7th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
I think they do, though the closest I will ever get to a buffet for the rest of my life is the salad bar at Fogo. That is not a way anyone should eat food.
July 7th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
I disagree entirely lefty. It’s a great way for some to safely experience a new genre of foods before diving head first into a menu which they really don’t understand. If a buffet allows people to experience and then later go back for something more targeted, I’m all for it.
July 7th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
I think buffets are mostly filled with non aggressive dumbed down versions of a restaurant’s menu for people who appreciate Applebee’s flavor profile, so I am not surprised by your differing opinion.
July 7th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
Lefty said:
“I think they do, though the closest I will ever get to a buffet for the rest of my life is the salad bar at Fogo. That is not a way anyone should eat food.”
I so miss the amazing buffets of the 80s. Everyone was trying to outdo everyone else. I don’t know how places like the Hyatt were able to keep their food cost in the black, but I sure didn’t care. There would be house-made breads and pastries, fresh seafood like crab legs and shrimp, lovely ripe fruits, etc. Sigh.
July 7th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Cause if there’s one thing Bill love’s more than Chili’s, it’s Applebee’s.
July 7th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Fuck all of you guys :)
July 8th, 2011 at 6:57 am
I credit buffets with introducing me to Indian food. They are the first places I ever tried it, which then led me to learn more about what I liked and try it elsewhere in a more traditional setting.
July 29th, 2011 at 8:32 pm
Just have to let everyone know, the Caffeinated one and I stopped by what we thought was still Ronin (we hadn’t gone in quite a while, and I didn’t see these posts, which I now feel awful about) and the menu isn’t just changed, it’s a totally different restaurant. There are no Thai dishes at all, and the focus is almost exclusively sushi. There are some small plates, but now one of my favorite south metro restaurants is effectively gone. I was worried that Nona was ill, and I really hope for the best for her.
July 29th, 2011 at 10:22 pm
I was also surprised at the drastic changes when I stopped in several weeks ago. The menu was a single sided typed page, compared to the detailed bound book from before. No Thai dishes at all. We left. Nona, come back! (Please?)
July 30th, 2011 at 9:22 am
I am sorry to see Nona and Ronin gone, but hope that the new place does well. I think there is a demand for really good sushi in the south metro, and hopefully this places fills that demand.
July 30th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
I am bummed I never got to try one of those cherry bomb things.
July 30th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
I miss ancient chicken & the yellow curry.
July 30th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
Mrs. R, those are the very things the hubby and I miss too!
July 30th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Everything considered, I like Fuji-Ya very much – I hope the chef doesn’t dumb it down for the ‘burbs.
July 31st, 2011 at 9:16 am
I wonder if I can still use my Groupon?
August 15th, 2011 at 11:47 am
Ronin is now officially out of business. It has been renamed “Fin Sushi”.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:52 am
fuck
August 15th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Okay, I’m calming down a little bit (just a bit) and I suppose we could give Fin a try? I mean, I love sushi and I’m a fan of supporting local businesses.
Bill, maybe it’s time for a fresh, front-page post?
August 15th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
I guess but it’s certainly not a priority for me as sushi just doesn’t really excite me all that much and The Wife doesn’t care for it at all.
We have too much middle of the road sushi in the South Metro and not enough Thai, let alone the great Thai that was coming out of Ronin. I’m going to wait a couple of weeks as the rumors have already started to circulate that the new owner isn’t impressed with the foot traffic or sales. Apparently he’s hoping that the new name will help get people in the door.
Being that I’ve been saying for years that it should have been renamed Ronin Thai Cafe, I’m going to guess we’re going to see either more turnover there or another empty storefront in the coming months.
August 15th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
My folks from out of town came in this weekend and are big sushi eaters. I told them about Fin (we used to love doing Ronin takeout). While the wife and I went out, they stayed with the kids and ordered take out from Fin.
I can’t give you a blow by blow on what they had, as it was nearly gone when we got home. They said it was very good and enjoyed it. The few remaining bites I had were definitely good. I dare say even a bit better than Ronin’s. The dragon’s breath roll had some great heat without being over powering.
As for prices, the basic rolls, sashimi and sushi seemed very reasonably priced. The more expensive rolls were just that, expensive.
I too will miss the thai flavor of Ronin, but as for sushi, a nice addition IMO.
September 16th, 2011 at 7:37 am
Checked out Fin Sushi last night. Bill, it’s better than “middle of the road” south metro sushi. It’s easily the best sushi place south of the river, although former LL poster “Jason” was telling me about a place over by the Lakeville Super Target that he thinks is pretty good — I haven’t been there yet.
It will be interesting to see if they can sustain. While the quality is there, so are the prices. $20 for one of the “deluxe” rolls is a tough pill to swallow, although the roll is enough for a meal in itself.
When it comes to sushi and sashimi, I’ll gladly pay for the nuance that separates OK from outstanding, but the mainstream AV/Lakeville customer has proven they won’t. I can envision hearing “why pay $40 for a roll and 6 pieces of sashimi when I can stuff myself full of sushi at World Buffet or AYCE at Kami?!?”
October 5th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
The wife and I were planning on going to Fin tonight, but…
October 5th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
They’re trying to maintain a positive balance in the checking account.
October 6th, 2011 at 9:30 am
From Ronin’s Facebook page this morning:
“Fin is currently closed. I may return as executive chef there & bring back some of the old Ronin for u guys on the days I work. I don’t own the place but it’s s start :) We r updating to accommodate my handicap lol. Please be patient & we’ll see if our landlord will approve the new ‘ Ronin’ lol. Anticipation…I will keep u posted.”
October 6th, 2011 at 10:00 am
Wow, 90 days from open to close? That’s pretty sad.
October 6th, 2011 at 10:03 am
Rumor, on good authority, has it that as soon as he bought it he was already questioning his decision and was thinking about changing the name/dumping it.
Guess it took less time than I thought.
October 6th, 2011 at 10:46 am
I wonder if that’s a new record?
November 3rd, 2011 at 3:01 pm
OK….now it’s back to Ronin. But wait…there’s more!!
Chef Eric Austin of Minneapolis infamy has resurfaced, making this probably the only Thai/Sushi/Southern/Soul Food restaurant on the planet. And right here in sunny Lakeville!
If you’re not familiar with “Big E”, he is a very talented chef, but has an…uh…interesting track record. Read for yourself:
http://www.citypages.com/2011-09-07/restaurants/eric-big-e-austin-is-one-mean-chef/
I was a big fan at the original Big E’s, but the drama dampened my enthusiasm.
Anyway…this should be interesting.
November 3rd, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Wow. I hope this does not turn out like his previous ventures. I wish only the best for the people at Ronin.
November 3rd, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Hell of a guy. In the case of an accused women beater (charged or not), I will spend my dining dollars at places where the chef was not even accused of doing that. Not the place I would want to send my food back if it sucked.
November 3rd, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Lefty, there’s some of that. At a more basic level, and why I said it “dampened my enthusiasm” — I’d get excited about one of his ventures and maybe even get to eat the food for a few weeks or months, but then she shit would hit the fan, some owners or investors would think they could execute his ideas, and the food would start to suck.
And even if the allegations/situations aren’t as they seem, he doesn’t seem to argue that he has an enormous ego and is quick to admit he isn’t a saint. It’s like rooting for Chuck Knoblauch or Terrell Owens or something. You either swallow your values and cheer or it poisons your favorite ball club. Either way, it never feels like a joyful experience.
Like I said, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.
November 3rd, 2011 at 5:47 pm
This is a bit upsetting to hear, but it isn’t all that unusual for a lot of chefs. The line of work either attracts big egos and troublemakers, or creates them. It’s not a universal truth, of course, but it does seem to occur quite a bit.
That being said, I met Big E the other night when we went to Ronin. He was friendly, personable, and compltely accomodating when we mentioned that the food was missing the heat we were used to. He even had us sample some jerk flavored wings he whipped up just for us to see if we liked the spice level. Nona also seems happy with him and his cooking, and for her sake, if not for our own, we’ll be back.
Oh, and the food? Awesome! Except for the jambalaya being too mild, dinner was amazing.
November 10th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
I wish somebody would take a few minutes of marketing calories and update the FIN and Ronin web pages. If you ever hope for our business, at least tell us what the hell is going on!
On a personal note, my 7 year old son is back to having an appetite after some pretty ugly chemotherapy. He returns for round two of chemo next week and is kind of craving gyoza and maybe a Calif roll, at least. He asks me about this place, seriously. Anybody home?
“Did you seriously just play the ‘kid with cancer card’ right there, jorn??” Yes. Yes I did. What of it. ;)
November 10th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Hey Jorn, I think they are open Thursday through Sunday now. They dont have much on the website, but they do have some updates on the facebook page. I think the hours are 10 to 9, Thursday through Sunday, but not 100% sure.
I wish you and your family well in dealing with your sons illness.
November 10th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
It’s Wed-Sat, 10-9 right now for their hours, Jorn. Hope that helps!
November 10th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Jorn, anything we can do to help you and your family out?
November 10th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
whit,
they are accepting donations here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/zachary_knuttila
November 16th, 2011 at 1:31 am
From the Ronin Facebook page:
November 16th, 2011 at 8:18 am
Next thing you know, they’ll be posting that some sort of investor saved the day and they’re now expanding to fill the vacant Kowalski’s with the world’s largest Sushi, Thai, Soul Food, and Ethiopian emporium.
November 16th, 2011 at 8:42 am
This whole thing is just weird. They are closing, not closing, renaming, changing back with a talented but criminally inclined chef, closing again with some farewell menu items but looking for investors so that they don’t have to close. Who would invest in that history?
Sadly, it looks like this has run its course. Too bad it could not have died a less tumultuous death.
November 16th, 2011 at 9:09 am
I came here to post what lefty pretty much did for me.
Take for example somebody like…. me! I loved this place, but despite my SEEKING OUT info on its status, it was still hard to come by. Investment? How about a little investment of time? Time just to do basic marketing. Ronin and FIN both have websites. Have either been updated with a nit of information lately? When is the last time FIN’s Twitter account said anything?
A note on the Facebook page? That’s it?! That’s a very very narrow audience. That’s just people who have a facebook account AND happen to follow/like you. This would the the “choir” in the classic cliché.
Being open/not-open at weird, scarcely predictable hours with a menu nobody is sure of, and then sitting their wringing your hands hoping somebody shows up is isn’t even close to a business plan. If people like me who WANT to patronize your establishment and are cheering for your success can’t connect, how the hell do you attract any new customers?
You don’t. But please, do not sound surprised and sad about it, not when it looks like nobody has tried. Heck, I started asking questions about this place recently because my mother had reported “My fiends and I wanted to go eat there, based upon your recommendation, but it seems very obvious to us that the place is closed.”
[golf clap]
November 16th, 2011 at 11:06 am
Well this is different. From Ronin’s Facebook:
November 16th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Nona, we loved you, and Ronin. The food was great, and you were always incredibly kind to me and my family. Best wishes to you and yours in all that you do.
I am sorry this did not work out. It always seemed so close.
November 16th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
+100, Chad.
November 16th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Amen, Chad!
November 16th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
^^ What Chad said.
I know I’m not alone in wishing there was a way to make this all better.
————
If Zach is in the position to enjoy it and the timing is right, I’ll be hoping to get him some gyoza and CA rolls, at least. (The nutritionist said “no raw fish” for now. Boo.)
November 16th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Well,
While I think I feel like I am supposed to feel bad for hurting the owner’s feelings, I hope she understands that maybe I was just stating what more than me were thinking as I read through the comments. I also hope she checks back here and reads post 95 in which my opinions about her cooking ability which were as positive as I have written on this blog, and also unfortunately the problems I had with how the business was run, which is why I struggled to get back very often as did others here.
I have owned restaurants, and I sure have felt the pain of walking away when the situation made sense. There is no good way to go about that, I comprehend that more than anyone here might know.
It is good to know that maybe her best place is getting paid by someone else to be the wonderful cook that she is. Having never met her, I can only assume that the great things many people say about her are true. If she finds her next place cooking for people, I will be right there in line for some great food.
I hope she sees this as a new beginning, a learning experience and a place to take off from as she reflects on what could or might have been. At some point that silly old phrase that sounds something like “Don’t cry because it is over, but smile because it happened” comes into play. If nothing else, the goodwill she has created with many of the posters here is something to be proud of.
That is about as fucking sappy as you will ever see lefty be on this place, so please don’t plan on getting used to that.
Best of luck to Nona, and I am sorry if I hurt your feelings, that was not my intent.