2nd- cafe maude, minneapolis
9th- curry up, maple grove
13th- turtle's bar and grill, shakopee
15th- whitney bistro, bloomington
16th- el toro, apple valley
18th- chanticlear pizza, eden prairie
23rd- chatterbox pub, minneapolis (linden hills)
30th- the bulldog, minneapolis

2nd- cafe maude, minneapolis (f)

haven't been here since restaurant club, wasn't thinking of really heading back- it was ok, but didn't impress me enough to wander over again necessarily. but alan sparhawk (of the band low) was doing a set and i thought it'd be an intersting thing to view.

it started out decent enough. kind of. we got a bottle of cava to split, we ordered a regular one (avinyo, for $28) but ended up with a gran reserva, which is apparently aged more... it was a good accompaniment to the selections, as most cavas are. a tiny bit dry, not surprisingly. for some reason it took a good quarter hour for that to hit the table. we were kind of hungry, being as our reservation was rather late (we got there with reservervations- in more ways that one- at 8 pm, sparhawk went on at 9 pm). no bread or anything was brought out then. or ever, really. why we had bread plates was a freakin' mystery. they did have baguette on the menu, but paying $2? i think not. that's bad and wrong.

so we finally got to order some time after *that* even. probably the only plus the server had is that they did ask after food issues (allergies, etc), though that was prompted by a question i had. despite my just ok go-round with the "house cut fries with truffle fontina fondue" ($6), we opted to go that way. halfway through, we were out of the fondue, we asked for some mayo or something to be brought to the table... they said they'd bring more fondue... and we waited for that... and waited... and waited. about 20 minutes later, we were mostly done with fries (and scraping the tiny container) and it was very pretty pointless to bring to the table at that juncture, so of course that's when it appears.

so for the mains, my dining companion had "seared tuna rare ahi tuna, tomato, avocado mash, citrus vinaigrette and grilled baguette" ($ 12.50), which was pretty good. it's an interesting decision to sear the tuna, then let it get cold. i opted for the "duck & frisee (flat bread), duck confit, frisee, blue cheese and aged balsamic" ($ 12) which was a hideous mess of a dish...

aged balsamic made it on to one of the six unevenly cut and distributed (toppings) pieces. blue cheese on three. there was a lot of frisee. too much, as it tasted like a salad. this was emphasized by what seemed like ranch dressing on the flatbread. and not good ranch at that. the flatbread itself was cold and floppy, so it was hard to eat. there was very little duck confit on it... and one of the pieces had a big (2, 2.5" or so) sharp bone in it shaped nicely to pierce the soft palate. perhaps my brk radar went off, as i only bit into it a bit. so bloody awful. it was only improved to 'not quite as awful' (post-bone removal and check of the rest of the confit) with some of the extra truffle fontina fondue we had sitting around.

my dining companion thought the server should've gone in and poked the chef with the bone... i didn't think that a good idea. so yes, it lands it in 'food stuff.'

the kitchen so very (not quite) graciously took... the fries off the bill. all $6 for a potentially palate-piercing, lawsuit bringing sort of thing. that was the wrong answer, however. the duck would've been the correct thing to remove. but hell, at least they took something off. some places never do. i should've sent the pile o'crap dish back. then it would've come off the bill. and speaking of... odd thing... we had to flag down the server, as they went awol on us and never checked in at all during the meal. they brought those out before we finished the fries. the only thing that made it to the table in a timely manner. perhaps as we had asked not to put in the order for those until we were done with the fries. see how that works?

and yes, we got the cheese plate at the end ($15 for the four selections or $5 per). the st. andre ("french cow’s milk triple cream with grilled mushrooms" that had the cana de cabra's quince honey on it, but it was lovely, buttery, and creamy, a la brie. the cana de cabra (supposedly a "spanish goat’s milk with quince honey") had the nasty cold grilled mushrooms of the st. andre on it but still was a mild, solidly creamy and light selection"). the grilled halloumi ("greek goat and sheep’s milk blend with tomato jam") was good without the bbq-sauce tasting tomato jam, but didn't fit in with the rest of the plate. the roquefort ("french sheeps milk blue with fig molasses") seemed to have more of a balsamic on it, but there were only a few drops so who could tell. it was of course served with not enough bread, but multiple requests for it brought naught to the table.

after the dessert order, we never saw our server again at our table, really. we were abandoned. we had to flag down a host to get the check, and had to flag down the server to pay (after the thing sat there for ages).

so... bones, servers ignoring us, bad food... even the person we went to see, alan sparhawk, was kind of ruined. the music he does (with or without his band, low) is very quiet, most of the time. even with all the people coming to see him being quiet, there was still a very loud din which the music couldn't cut through, so that didn't make for a very enjoyable listening experience.

i'm so very much never going back.

9th- curry up, maple grove (a)

we started the buffet experience with a freshly made dosa (they make it when you order, you go get it at the counter), with potatoes and onions stuffed in it. it was on the mild side, and a good way to being things. and since it's still cold and all, sambhar was next. it's a spicy soup, and ours had okra, potatoes, celery, and chilies in it. i liked the broth in it, but took a few too many chilies in it to get it all down.

the buffet had aloo masala (potatoes), palak chana (spinach and chickpeas), chicken korma in a coconut curry, chicken sobji, tandoor chicken, two kinds of rice (jasmine and a dish with chickpeas), naan, papad (aka papadums, spicy chips made of lentils), and some vegetable pakora with mint, coconut, and mango chutney and raita, plus the ubiquitous mango pudding. not the largest amount of options ever on a buffet, but all of them were pretty quality. and the price is very reasonable, too, $6.99.

what was good? shorter answer- what wasn't? the coconut chutney didn't particularly thrill me. everything else was spot on- with fresh herbs in the foods, the replenishment rate, the spice level (not bland), and even the mango pudding... though it was more like a lassi in consistency, it was really really good. which, having hated pretty much every other mango pudding i've tried (why i continue to try it... um... i can't remember that i hate it until i go back and check this stuff out here... sad, but true....). they also had a salad, which i avoided.

i'd say that except for the three chicken dishes, i think the rest of the food was vegan. and the chicken, by the way, was tender. none of that unrecognizable stringy icky stuff. and flavorful, especially the tandoor. all of the food tasted... fresh. not premade, not from a can or a box. i would've liked to see something with paneer, but apparently i just didn't get there on a paneer day (the dishes change daily, i overheard a frequent diner saying... they've never seen the same mix of stuff ever). and a tamarind chutney.

best indian buffet in the twin cities? maybe.

13th- turtle's bar and grill, shakopee (b-)

back to turtles, as i had a coupon this time. since it's one of those hinder-numbingly cold days, i wanted soup. the decision was made for me when the server said it was 'beer cheese and...' then i stopped listening. a bowl was $5.25, and it was pretty good... salty, not floury, not tasting too much of beer, popcorn on top. a pretty good balance, and a decent price.

since i forgot to check what i had last time, i asked for a side of fries. why they were $4.95 i don't know. i got a basket of them, and it wasn't that large of a portion. some of their pricing odd, still. they were still just ok. maybe i'll remember not to get them next time. probably not, unless i remember to look. which i am guessing i may not either.

another person at the table opted for a cup of the beer cheese and a dinner salad for $6.95. the salad was standard... iceberg, cuke slices, red onion, sad winter tomatoes, croutons. served with a breadstick. a cheaper option, but the salad wasn't impressive.

the other person got the nachos avec beef for $10.95. oddly, a side of sour cream was $.95 on top of that. a side of guacamole, $2.45. weird. they had the usual pile of lettuce, tomatoes, black olives and such. not a lot of cheese or beef, and i saw no salsa either. spendy for nachos and i think disappointing for what you pay.

since i had the coupon, i guess, my fries and soup were taken off the bill. which was nice. it did say buy one entree, get one free, they could've said... nope, sorry, doesn't work. service was decent.

random asides- we were the only chicks in the place eating. it's very barlike there. we did discuss masculine v. feminine places to eat... this falls in the first, obviously. and example of the second- noodles and co they had two soundtracks going on, and one was heavy on the christmas music. odd.

15th- whitney bistro, bloomington (c-)

the last time i think i had the salmon ("atlantic salmon, roasted fingerling potatoes, sauteed spinach, roma tomatoes, & olives, with white wine, and balsamic" $18.95) here, it was quite good. so i thought, hey, why not get it again?

alas, it was the opposite this time. not good. nothing was good in the dish. too much sauce flooded out any flavors of everything but the salmon, there weren't enough potatoes, and the salmon was overdone, but not quite enough to send it back. it would've made a good sandwich, but as an entree, nope. it was a very large piece.... odd, given the few potatoes.

mom liked her“suite” burger (see, it's in a hotel, thus 'suite...'... anyway, it's "all natural angus beef, leaf lettuce, tomato & onion with fries" $10.95). i wasn't thrilled with the fries.

as we had to get $35 worth of stuff to use the $25 off, we also got the somewhat spendy chips and salsa ("tri-colored tortilla chips, roasted tomato salsa & sour cream" $5.95), which were surprisingly good- they said they make the chips and salsa in-house.

good service, still those weird pots of salt and pepper on the table, still a nice room to sit in near the fireplace in winter.

16th- el toro, apple valley (c)

el toro, el loro, it's about all the same. nice warm chips with good salsa (better with some hot sauce...) and ranchero sauce (tastes like sour cream mixed with ranch dressing), and then mostly brown food with some green and maybe a bit of red.

i went with chilaquiles mex, which i recall wanting to try before. tortilla chips with chicken and cheese and ranchero sauce, with beans (or rice) and 'guacamole salad' ($5.00). the plate was basically gloppy brown stuff with some green and yellow highlights in it- the chips reduced to mush, as the chicken's sauce obliterated everything distinct on the plate. as a whole, it was ok when the chips from the basket were on it, but no great shakes.

service was friendly and efficient. this currently newest of the el loro/toro chains has the most modern look about it, except for a ceiling full of pinatas about 20 feet up, which is creepily charming, perhaps.

18th- chanticlear pizza, eden prairie (f)

you'd think they'd put the wee little boneless filets of anchovies on the pizza. not frickin' whole ones, avec bones. idiots. they offered $5 off the next order, except hell, there so is not going to be one so what's the point? it wasn't that good even after we took the boney crap off when we got home and added more cheese. (originally $19.44, we had a half off a 3 topping extra-large pizza coupon.) food stuff it is. (insult to injury- shredding cheese in the minifood processor at mom's place, some plastic broke off and got into the cheese i tossed on the pizza... so a plastic boney pizza it was... sigh.)

update- we were supposed to bring the bonefish in for them to view to get the $5 off. i didn't want to, mom outvoted me. turns out the owner dude didn't bother to inform the rest of the staff what was the what, and the clueless staff had no bloody clue what to do with the fish bits i walked it with (or the coupon situation)... so hey, i won't go back ever, you shouldn't go there at all. really.

23rd- chatterbox pub, minneapolis (linden hills) (c)

the so called 'light and fast' lunch special sounded good. you get 2 items off the list for $6.95, and you can choose from half sandwiches (or so), salads, bowls of chili or soup (including an 'of the day' one), pasta salad of the day or quiche of the day. you'd think that after 1 pm the server would know what the of the day items were. nope. and i didn't see them posted.

so after waiting for the server for 10 minutes, they had to wander off to get the answers. that took another 5 minutes (and they waited on others during that time after they had gone into the kitchen). i was very close to leaving.

i am not sure if i am glad i stayed. maybe, but the service didn't get better. except for the soup spoon that came on the plate (brought out by another server), i got no silverware. paper napkins showed up about halfway through the meal via a walk by toss. i would've loved to ask for a fork, but had no chance to do so, really.

the curry chicken salad sandwich i ordered (it didn't say half sandwich on the 'light and fast' menu, but it was) had some integrity issues (the bread got too wet and it didn't hold well, thus the need for the fork). it was also a bit more curry than any other flavor- you couldn't taste the dried cranberries that were supposed to be in there. it needed walnuts and less curry powder in it. and the chicken could've used a closer cleaning, i had a bit of gristle in mine.

the vegetarian corn chowder was pretty good, though. not overly creamy or thick, but a nice amount of corn and potatoes and such. odd they didn't serve crackers or anything with it. nice, not great. they do get points for the low price point ($3.50). you don't get a huge bowl, but it is enough for lunch.

and while i'm throwing out points, they do allow for chicken breast or veggie burger swapping (for free) on their burgers. i'd like to see that in more places.

the lunch was relatively fast (perhaps as someone else brought out the plate, natch). light, well, not so much, but that's my bad. odd for me- note the lack of fries or cheese in the meal. weird, no?

this was my most disappointing go-round with the chatterbox mini-empire. maybe because it's the newest one... it just doesn't quite have the same feel as the others i've been in. it's not as basementy, perhaps. and the service was lacking (about a d there, it could've been worse... this at least had others filling the water... that counts for... something?), the sandwich uninspiring (about a c) and a decent soup (b). despite the middling time this one, i'd go back to the chatterbox. maybe not this one for lunch, though.

30th- the bulldog, minneapolis (c-)

no matter what else went down here, this is a place i can never go back for a reason that may seem odd.... i'm allergic to their bathroom (and you never know when you may need to use one). they have some sort of incredibly overpowering fake chemical scent that make it unable for me to functionally breathe in there. even those who don't have the myriad allergies i do can get knocked out from it when they first go it. it's so very horrid.

someone offered to take me to lunch, i chose here as my original choice wasn't open for lunch (black sheep coal fired pizza), and i hadn't ever been here and thought it was about time i did. i didn't look at the menu beforehand, and i may've changed my mind had i seen it. this place is very beef and pig heavy. there's a few obligatory vegetarian items, a turkey sandwich sans ham, but there's no chicken sandwiches, warm or cold, to be found on the menu. which seems very strange.

especially as i was in a sandwich mood and of course was thinking chicken. but with my narrowed choices, i opted for a black bean burger ("house made veggie burger with tomato, avocado, sprouts, pickled onion and adobo sauce" $8.00). i asked for blue cheese (not sure of the charge of that) on it, because cheese should be on everything, right? it was spicy without being overpowering, though maybe a tad blackened. they used whole beans in part of it, which gave it an interesting texture. though please, no tomatoes in winter. pretty please. i should remember to ask to have them removed next time. it was a decent fake burger.

i opted for fries with that, and i can't remember the last time i had fries that had enough salt for me... with extra salt, too (though not too much). loved that salt. the fries were just ok. the parmesan tots (we split the food) were not quite as brown, crisp, and cooked through as i liked. they didn't have enough cheese for me, though.

the other portobella sandwich ("whole roasted portobella, roasted red pepper, red onion, tomato, lettuce, goat cheese chive spread, lemon squeeze" $9.00 plus a charge for the tots and a charge for the parmesan on the tots, as sandwiches are served with chips instead of fries or what have you for some reason) had integrity issues, so it's a good thing that we got silverware. like the tots, more cheese would've been good. i thought the texture of the portobello next to the roasted red pepper was a bit... oily smooth (thus the integrity problems). i thought they needed some division to play well with each other.

they clearly needed another server on when we went. during lunch it took 40-45 minutes after we walked into the door to get our lunches, split almost equally between a long delay before ordering and the long delay before food got there. water refills were ok, strangely. but still, on a workday it takes them that long to get a lunch on the table? that doesn't work with the time you get for lunch on most jobs.

parking was oddly difficult. the half-dozen or so spaces they have in their lot down the block were gone, and it was only after a few circumnavigations i was able to snag a spot that i could park in that was near the place. i wish not to deal with that sort of thing when i go eat. or ever, really.

 

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