Restaurant review - Biaggis, Maple Grove

This week Cassi and I took a night to do some shopping and try a new restaurant.  The restaurant is Biaggis, an Italian restaurant.  We looked up the menu on our phone before going, just to make sure it was what we wanted that night.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was very nice and quiet tables, meaning the other table talk did not filter to our table.

For appitizer we had dates wrapped in bacon.  I took a chance at trying this, dates are not common in our repertiore.  The appitizer was really good.  The bacon was cooked perfect and the sauce was very flavorful.  There was also bread brought to the table.  Some of the bread had sea salt on the top.  Lately, for some reason, I have really enjoyed items with sea salt on it.  Really good with the olive oil and parmesan cheese.

For the main meal I had Fettuccini with lobster:  Black fettuccini tossed with lobster, wild mushrooms and a homemade lobster-cream sauce.  The look of the dish was different.  Black fettuccini is a look to get used to.  The lobster and lobster sauce was perfect with the dish.  I would order it again!

Cassi had the Tortellacci Alla Como:  Extra-large cheese-filled tortellini tossed with Black Forrest ham in a delicate Parmesan and Romano cheese cream sauce. Topped with a drizzle of Urbani white truffle oil imported from Italy. It was the least creative out of the group. The tortellini was good but just not as great as the other two.

~ Steve.

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House of Pizza Review

Last weekend we were coming home from a short weekend getaway.  In passing through the town of St. Cloud, MN, we decided it was lunch time.  Pizza became the choice.  Cassi started searching for local pizza places and found one called House of Pizza
Reviews were good and it was easy to drive to.  We parked, went in, climbed the steps (it is on the second floor of a building) and found a table.  We were not greeted by anyone when entering the restaurant which worried me, will service be bad?  The restaurant is very clean which, for some reason, I took note of.  After a few minutes a waitress came out to take our order.  We started with cheesy garlic bread which was perfect.

We ordered a large Classic Pizza.  This pizza has sausage, mushrooms and onions on it.  Pizza arrived and we all grabbed pieces but noticed it looked a little different.  The mushrooms were yellowish in color.  I started eating and stated that the mushrooms seemed like cheap canned mushrooms.  Reviews stated the sauce is great, in our mind it was below average.  Not much flavor or spice, no craving for the really saucy piece.  The sausage was good and the onion was a little heavy.  Cassi couldn't eat many pieces and Mouse only had one or two, she filled up on the Cheesy Bread.
We were excited to try House of Pizza, still trying to find a better place then Mr. Pizza in Rochester MN.  House of Pizza does not make it in the top 5 of recommended pizza restaurants.  Pricey and not much flavor.

~Steve

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Restaurant Review: BLVD Kitchen

A few weeks ago Mouse had vision therapy in part of the Twin Cities we never get to.  Because of this we got on our smart phones and looked for a nice new restaurant to try.  After searching many restaurants and trying to decide what we really were hungry for we found a place called BLVD Kitchen. 

BLVD Kitchen was located around a lot of shopping and was busy for lunch.  We were able to get seated right away.  The wait staff was friendly and even answered questions that Mouse had.  Decor was eclectic with a mixture of subway tiles and wood on the walls and a cool fireplace.

What we ate:
Cassi:  Royale Burger
Good burger, messy burger.  Not on par with other burgers (the Brick burger is what all burgers are compared to)

Steve:  Pulled Pork Sandwich on pretzel bun.  Coleslaw
This was really good, Enjoyed the mixture of coleslaw with the pork and pretzel bun.  A little messy but, well worth the extra napkins.

Mouse:  Chicken Goldrush (with fried egg) and Thai Chicken soup
She ate everything on her plate.  A rarity, plus eating the egg was a surprise to me, she really is not an egg eater, must be because Cassi did not do well with eggs while pregnant with Mouse.

We would recommend the restaurant to anyone.  Good food and enough choices to go back and try again.
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The Green Room - Stillwater, MN

A few Saturdays ago, Steve and I went to Stillwater with a girlfriend of mine and her husband. First let me mention this friend and I have known each other since we were four years old. It amazes me that we've been able to weather out all these years together and still have fun being together. When Steve and I want to be foodies, they are the first couple we think to have join us.

So we decide to do a food tour of Stillwater. Stillwater is this great town in Minnesota that has a ton of little shops and antiques but it is also becoming a trendy food place too. We decided to meet at Savouries for appetizers. This place was nothing to write home about and it was closing the next week. That is the one problem with Stillwater that it is so trendy that the restaurants & shops don't last long.
My review of our dinner: For dinner we went to The Green Room. This place has become my new favorite food place. To start the place is small and dark, a little to dark for me. The two level dining room and exposed brick is a nice feature. Though the brick made it difficult to sit in the benches. 

Not this brick the other side is uneven white brick.

The drink menu  was long enough to offer options in style and price point but not so long you get lost in it. The menu it self is well written and you want to try everything. They also have a small Indian portion to their menu which is nice for this curry loving group. Though only Maggie went for the curry and ordered the Mahi Mahi in Spicy Red Curry. Her husband ordered the Risotto Crusted Salmon. I ordered the Grilled Beef Tenderloin served with Balsamic Cabernet Demi, Balsamic Braised Figs, Grilled Vegetables and  Risotto Cake.
Let me start by saying the portions are huge for a place like this. Chris's salmon was the biggest piece I have ever seen a restaurant serve. My tenderloin was at least 3 inches thick. The demi-glaze was thick and dark and not to sweet. The risotto cake made me want to lick my plate clean. I can't recommend this restaurant enough for their food. The waitstaff was also very good. I like any place that has adult servers. Ours had tried the menu and knew what to recommend.

Steve's Review:  Walking into the Green Room I thought, oh oh, small and busy.  I'll be cramped but it was remarkably roomy for this long, ally style restaurant.  I ordered the bone in pork chop over wild rice.  For a drink I could not decide and ordered a Brandy Coke.  It was basically a big shot of Brandy, but I won't complain about that.  When the food arrived I was surprised by the size of my chop.  Over an inch thick.  Charred but only enough to add some flavor.  The wild rice was a little undercooked and after tasting Cassi's risotto I was disappointed in my wild rice.  Over all the atmosphere and food makes the Green Room a top 5 restaurant for me.  I am looking forward to going back.

We ended the night with coffee and gelato at Luna Rossa. Their coffee was perfect for the cooling evening which for Minnesota was still warm. We sat on their large outdoor eating area, which was fun to people watch. The espresso and biscotti flavored gelato that Maggie and I ordered was so yummy. It was a perfect way to end the evening.

~Cassi & Steve

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Restaurant Review - Spill the Wine

Cassi and I took in a new restaurant on Tuesday night.  Spill the Wine is located in Minneapolis.  We have had a gift card for almost a year.  It was time to use it for date night!

Steve's Review:
I checked out the Spill the Wine website before we went.  It has a small food menu but enough to meet most standards.  I decided on the burger with fancy fries.  The decor the restaurant was low key, brown brick with art work on the walls.  The bar was very interesting.  The legs of the bar were old wine barrels.  That was the most interesting part of the decor.
We ordered cheese curds for appetizer and wine flight.  I ordered wine from Luna, Cassi ordered wine from Middle Sister.  The wines tasted good and it was fun to state which one we liked best to worst.  I am not a big red wine fan but may have found one to enjoy.
The food arrived and we dug in.  My burger was thick, at least an inch but not done the way I asked.  There was no real flavor to the burger which made it disappointing.  I was excited for the fancy fries, as they are called, but again became disappointed with the fries that were limp and not crispy.  The seasoning on the fries was good, something I would like to try at home.
Overall the experience was not one where I would recommend, or want to go back to Spill the Wine.  I am glad we tried it and enjoyed the different wines but the food just did not match up.

Cassi's
So one thing I have to give the place is high marks in customer service. A year ago I had made reservations and a week before we were to go they called and asked if I could reschedule for another night. I explained that we were going to be in town for a play so I was unable to reschedule. Then they explained that someone had booked out the restaurant for the night. So as an apology they sent me a gift card. It was something that was over the top in customer service to me with a two week notice I had plenty of time find a new place to eat and yet they still sent the card.
Now for date night. The place is very unassuming in decor. The menu is limited but eclectic enough to fit most tastes. We started with the wine flights. As far as wine flights go it was a good selection and decent price. The cheese curds with truffle oil and capers was my favorite part of the meal. The capers were baked into cheese curds. I ordered the grilled the skirt steak and sweet potato. The steak was a little tough for my likes. The sweet potato had really good flavor but something seemed off. That could easily be because I don't have much experience with sweet potatoes. In general I would not recommend the place to someone for the food but a place to sip a wine and chat definitely.

~ Steve & Cassi
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Restaurant Review - His side/her side

For my birthday dinner Cassi and I decided to try a local restaurant called The Happy Gnome.  We chose the restaurant based on menu and the massive drink menu.

Steve's review:  Walking in and seeing the many beer taps was pretty amazing to me.  The artistic work that goes into some of these taps is great to look at.  The restaurant was busy but we were by no means crowded which made me more comfortable.  It took a few minutes to get our table cleaned but that gave us time to review the menu.  Seating is open tables, no booths in this restaurant.  With a name like Happy Gnome there is bound to be garden gnomes around and it was fun trying to find them.  There was not an abundance of gnomes and there was other local art on the walls.  We ordered drinks, I ordered a Kwat beer from Belgium.  It was very good and tasted like no other beer I have had before.  We ordered chicken wings that were very good, not fatty and the sauces were great with the wings.  I ordered Cornish game hen that was butterflied, deboned and set on wild rice, corn, spinach and a cherry sauce.  The whole meal was very good and filled me up.  For desert we were treated to a chocolate mouse that was infused with red wine.  That was a good way to end our meal.  Over all I would recommend the restaurant to others and look forward to trying it again, next time it will be for a burger!

Cassi's review:  In preparing for Steve's birthday I wanted to find a restaurant that would be for him. My first thought was Spill the Wine (because he is trying to like wine) but it is more of a place for me. So when I saw the name of The Happy Gnome, I thought it was the place to go. See, Steve has this obsession like of gnomes. We have one hidden in our ledge display. But back to the restaurant, when I saw it specialized in craft beers I knew it was perfect. We got to the restaurant it was very unassuming place. The decor was a on the simple side, I agree with Steve no booths was a miss for us. Finding all the gnomes hidden around the place was fun. Made me want to buy more gnomes and hide them around our house. I ordered a beer which is very rare for me but it was decent just a plain Amber. The wings were very good, I have to find out how they make their buffalo sauce so thick. I ordered the Cumin Avocado Sandwich with a side of gazpacho. I have to say it was just OK. Steve's chicken tasted much better. It might have been better if I hadn't just ate the same flavor in the wings. The gazpacho had a little to intense of a green pepper taste for my likes. The dessert though was worth it! The red wine infuse chocolate mousse with sour cherry sauce was soo good. To clarify we don't order dessert to often so I don't have much to compare to locally. But it was soo yummy!


Sorry for no pictures, I some how lost them when I went to download them on to our computer. I am completely bummed about the loss. I had a great one of Steve under the Happy Gnome sign.

~ Steve & Cassi
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Chindian Cafe Review

We have gone to Chindian Cafe twice now. The first time we went it looked close. We got there right at opening (11am) and the place looked empty. In fact it was so dark inside we called the restaurant to check if they truly were open. I for one was so glad they were open. Chindian has a Indian and Chinese infusion menu. Their appetizers consist of the basics such as; wontons, wings and my favorite dumplings.  The dumplings can be served either steamed or fried. We have had them both ways there and we preferred them fried.

 The first time we went Steve ordered the fried rice and I ordered something else. Not sure I think it was the house special. It was pretty good but Steve's fried rice was delicious. It was so good that on our second trip we split the dumplings and the house special fried rice. It has this sweet bbq pork in it that mixes so well with the curry infused rice.

The portions are quite large it is easy to share. The place is very small. But the service is good. Even on the second trip when it was just one waitress and one cook we were never left waiting. We will definitely be back to this one.

Amici - Friends

This last week we went to Amici Pizza and Bistro. This is another Northeast location. Like most Northeast eateries this one is small and intimate in atmosphere. But be prepared the menu is very limited, though we only saw their lunch menu. One nice thing about this place is that they use a lot of local and organic products. That is one thing we really like about non-chain restaurants in our area a lot of them try to do this.

Cassi's View: I thought the feel of the restaurant was nice. The staff could have been a little more helpful. We informed her that we had never been there before and all we got was "that's great". There was no offer to explain the menu or a telling of why they are great. Again the menu is limited, I chose the Bocatini, which is pretty much spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were un-flavorful, but the sauce was decent and the portion size was perfect. The meal also came with bread.

Steve's View: Atmosphere of the restaurant was pleasing to the eye. Booths on one side, kitchen in the back. Menu was a little too upscale for me so I played it safe and had the meatball sandwich. Same issue Cassi had with the meatballs. Nice and big, but no flavor. This was also not a sandwich to pick up and eat. I had to cut it into pieces then eat the top piece of bread after I finished the meat and sauce. Salad was fresh and flavorful.

Overall, we would try the place again. They had some unique pizza's on the menu that we would like to try out.

A mouse.. and not our Mouse.

For the last few months we have been trying to have lunch together on a regular basis. You would have thought this idea would have occurred to us back in July when I (Cassi) changed jobs and moved 8 minutes from Steve's work but hey, we are now so that is what matters.
We are kind of closet foodies. The Food Network (though Cassi is still mad at them, see here) is still one of our go to channels. But mostly we like trying the local restaurants. There is numerous reasons for this mostly it helps out people who are trying to make a living and normally the food tastes better!

So we thought we would occasionally give some reviews of the places we have been. To start we thought we would give one of the not so good reviews.

Urban Harvest

Urban Harvest is part coffee shop, part bakery and part cafe. It is located in Northeast Minneapolis.

Cassi's View: I want to love this place, I really do! It is located between a flower shop and Patina which is perfect. I also like the very healthy menu items. But the staff is not overly friendly or helpful.  But not to the point were it really effects service. The portions are good but the price is a tad high. In the three times I have been there the food has been decent. I have ordered two different sandwiches, which are good sized and fresh tasting. This last time I had half a Caesar salad and a cup of split pea soup. Both of these were very good. I will try and remember to start taking pictures.

Steve's View:  For me this is a step out of my ordinary dining places.  If by myself I usually stick with the basic fast food places.  We have tried Urban Harvest twice now.  First time I got a sandwich, roast beef with Au jus.  Good and filling for lunch and quick service which is what we needed.  Second visit was on a cold spring day.  I decided to try the soup.  Clam chowder.  It was decent, potatoes a little under cooked for my taste. Menu has a lot to choose from, sandwich wise, and at least four soups available.  Coffee too.

After all that is said, we won't be going back. Not because of the service like I (Cassi) mentioned. We won;t be going back because on Tuesday Steve and I met there for lunch and mid-way through a MOUSE ran across the room! Now if any of you watch Restaurant Impossible, you know one mouse is just what you see there are hundreds (ok maybe not that many) hiding away some where. But once the mouse was seen the staff did nothing to easy us wary customers. We immediately left, though I think Steve would have stayed to finish his meal. I just couldn't!

~Cassi & Steve