1st- quizno's, eden prairie
8th- lone spur, minnetonka
12th- fugaise, minneapolis
15th- the scoreboard, minnetonka
21st- naviya's thai kitchen, richfield
24th- santorini, eden prairie

1st- quizno's, eden prairie (c)

pretty darned average. got my free sub coupon, went in for takeaway. got the turkey (baconless) guacamole ("turkey, bacon, guacamole, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, red onion, ranch dressing" sans bacon, usually $4.39 for a small) on wheat. the meat was a bit too processed for my taste, and i'm not sure the guac was as avocado as it should be.

didn't suck, wasn't too good. but hell, it was free, and i couldn't quite recall if i had quizno's before. the toasted thing didn't do much for me, though the cheese did melt. which is good and all. decent service at the shop... the person (the only one there at the time) didn't seem to hate their life. not that i would run back there or anything.

8th- lone spur, minnetonka (c)

the steak fries have so gone downhill here. they were quite good last time i was here, but they changed the type of oil they were using for those a few months back, and it made a difference in a bad way. the server said i wasn't the first person to notice that, mom did also. plus they weren't seasoned well with any sort of spice, and one of them was oddly hard- like the inside wasn't cooked, though it was brown outside. they just didn't taste good at all.

i was offered a replacement, and chose the cornbread. not my favorite kind (i.e. the sweet kind), but it held up well with the butter and honey. a good choice, as the toast wasn't toasted or buttered enough. good with the bbq sauce, though.

those came with the smoked turkey drumsticks. yes, i know... again, but i had an ulterior motive for that selection- i wanted the large portion of leftover smoked turkey for making soup. i had enough leftover last time for 3-4 extra turkey uses (turkey hash, turkey sandwich, turkey kabobs, turkey creole, turkey gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried... er... wait... that's not right) so i figured that'd be enough for soup. those were still good.

they still excelled on the soup, too. this time it was a chicken chowder. a good replacement for those of us allergic to clams.

decent service again, but it was a bit on the busy side (because of kids eat free sunday maybe?). i was able to persude them to leave the pitcher of water on the table, so that helped.

mom's meal (1/3 rack of ribs, with fries and slaw and toast) was $9.45. mine was $12.95. we did have $5 off, though.

12th- fugaise, minneapolis (a)

there are so few places that i can go in the twin cities to get consistently good food and service i wanted to stop by one more time before they close (on the 14th). per usual, everything was excellent, from the rabbit pate amuse bouche to the cheese plate (an interested brie paired with granny smith apple segments, an aged camembert with boozy pickled apricot, and a bleu d'auvergne with pistachios, exactly what i had been craving, $12).

i would've loved to split a bottle of the domaine des baumard cremant brut ($45 bottle, $11 per glass), but had an allergic reaction to the guest seated next to me and had to take additional allergy meds that put me to sleep in combination with alcohol, alas. champagne-styled wines go well with just about everything, no? (they would've moved me had the place not been packed, but the drugs did work well enough for me to continue on.)

for the main course, i opted for salmon and olives (heart-healthy after the week's earlier cholesterol-fest) with mashed potatoes in a beurre blanc (well, that part's maybe not so heart healthy, but hey... tasty.) ($26). the salmon was so perfectly done, the way many places never can manage to do. and all the flavors.... sigh. i'll miss this sort of thing. the emphasis on a few, well-chosen plate elements.

my dining companion ordered the dish that they would miss the most... scallops. they always did them just right. never better. no matter what they pair them with, they were always, always cooked perfectly. can't get them like this anywhere else around these parts. it's usually two on the plate, in this case the kitchen added an extra as they looked small. they were served in a sauce choron, something that neither of us ever heard of (in this case a bernaise tinted with tomatoes. it can also be a hollandaise). that's saying something since we both lean french in the ways of food and are food geeks. never seen it on a menu before. ($14, as it was a starter.) they did start with an actual starter to... start, a salad of mixed greens, with grapefruit and a citrus vinaigrette and pistachios ($9).

and of course, the very tasty bread, and very tasty butter, of which we consumed vast quantities from start to stop. and we didn't feel guilty about it. perhaps because it has the kind of gracious service that doesn't make you feel that your requests or are stupid or beneath them or what have you, but are part of what makes the meal enjoyable for you, the patron of the establishment. since the place was full up due to the imminent closing, the staff didn't have the time it usually has for each table, but nothing really suffered so much.

with it's passing, the french restaurant scene suffers greatly. hopefully don saunders'll come back someday with another thoughtful, wonderful place (i.e. not at nick and eddie, which seems to be some sort of rest stop for deposed chefs).

15th- the scoreboard, minnetonka (c)

chicken thighs on the salad bar this time as the hot item this time. they were ok, but not at all seasoned. creamy chicken and veg soup- same thing. same salad bar, still in completely random order... like the salad dressings mostly in the middle of the set up, stuff you put on top of your salad first, etc. still odd. breadsticks still need a bit of help. still like the soft serve ice cream you get with it. ($8.75)

mrs. brk didn't think much of her spaghetti and meatballs (say it with me... not seasoned, in this case, with remotely anything italian). alas, since you should so not order spaghetti and meatballs in a sports bar, she pretty much has herself to blame on that. it came with a caesar salad. both items needed more time with the sauce/dressing, the flavors hadn't had enought time together. ($10.95)

service was decent (when asked for the pitcher o'water, i not only got that but the extra-large glass), but then the server got busy and time extended a bit too long between things. it was crowded for the dinner- most of the times we've been here in the past, there's more so the bar crowd, and the dining bit's vaguely to mostly empty.

21st- naviya's thai kitchen, richfield (b+)

the food is still fresh and delicious, but the atmosphere has suffered a bit. the menus tables and booths are a bit... sticky in places with that sticky stuff you see in a lot of restaurants that do a lot of wok and similar cookery. even the air in there seems a bit sticky. better ventilation would enhance things. this kind of atmosphere seems out of place with their organic, fresh veg-laden cooking (and the higher end price points that go with it). it's not dirty at all. just... sticky.

we got two appitizers. the first was the ever tasty fresh vegetarian spring rolls ("lettuce chiffonade, carrot, cilantro, basil, rice noodle wrapped in a fresh pulverized rice skin... served with a sweet spicy fresh nam bplah dipping sauce," $6). this would make a lovely summer lunch, all fresh veg and crunch, with the basil giving it an interesting note. it's so much better than... all the other spring rolls.

and because i am more or less ruled by fried things with cheese, the second was the cream cheese wontons ("thai herb seasoned cream cheese wrapped in pastry triangles fried golden brown.... served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce," $5). the herbs made the dish interesting, but they needed to be a shade more crisp. but there was the right amount of the delicious cheese to the wontons, which most places don't get right.

for the main, we split a dish i have had before, the ra ma thai, the one billed as "incredible" on the menu (though i can no longer try it with shrimp, as the menu says i must). it's a "slow cooked spicy peanut, sweet coconut milk and red curry paste tossed with choice of meat served on bed of vegetables," ($16). i still love the sauce, all subtle and spicy and peanutty.

the chicken was tasty (though could've used another pass with the knife., but i wasn't thinking ahead, as the seasonal veg on this version was cabbage, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and onions, which didn't seem... right. i don't recall those from the last version, alas (and of course i didn't mention that detail on the site... logic!). it was still tasty and all, but it was a bit too... cruciferous. stupid (very) early spring, with the lack of fresh veg. sigh. maybe the pad thai would've been a better pick at this time of year? maybe?

service was... well, everyone who was not the main server was great. the server was... just kind of... off... somehow. neither of us could put our finger on it. like they were maybe playing the role of server instead of.... being one. it was weird. not bad service, per se... just... oddish.

24th- santorini, eden prairie (b+)

i have not been here in a long time. well, at this restaurant. i've never been in this restaurant in this location, as they moved here from st. louis park not so very long ago. in fact, this was one of the first places i reviewed back in 03... and on my birthday, yet. though the new digs aren't so greek in decor, but they try to make up for that by having a bit too loud greek music.

so enough with the nostalgia.... or maybe not. you still get the free shot of ouzo at the door (now in plastic cups- they used to have shot glasses. and yes, i had one.). you still start with the same fresh, warm bread, olive oil, and cheese combo (bread and cheese, hey... how could i not like that?)

mom ordered "yia yia’s meatloaf" ("lamb and beef meatloaf stuffed with a hard cooked egg, served with garlic mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables and a rich tomato sauce," $15.95). instead of the garlic mashed, she asked if she could get the potato salad instead. she thought it was from charlie's cafe exceptionale (and was off on her nostalgia trip), but per the menu it said it was "nicklow’s award winning potato salad."

either way it was hands down the best potato salad i've eaten (and i usually dislike potato salad)... after a taste, i asked how much of it i could have, and offered to trade any given part of my dinner. i could've eaten that alone for dinner. seriously, i am considering stopping by for some to go now and then. love it. it's creamy, and tastes of egg yolk and good mayo, seasoned spot on, and the potatoes were just right- not too cold, not too firm or too crumbly. yum.

she also enjoyed the loaf of meat, by the way. and we discussed the whole 'hard boiled egg in meat loaf' phenomenon.

my option (as i remembered what i had written before) was the grilled salmon sandwich ("wood fire grilled fresh salmon and vegetables on toasted pumpernickel with creamy horseradish sauce," $15.95). perfectly grilled (which is hard to do without charring the hell out of things), though the toast could've used a bit more time toasting. it would've been better (and easier to eat) on a roll. and for some reason i expected the veg not to be two tomato slices (not horrible for this time of year) and lettuce. plus the sauce could've used more... horseradish. no bite to it.

you get to pick a side dish with it, and since i didn't know aobut the 'tato salad in advance (plus as it's a greek place it's not a logical fit, really), and was in the mood for pasta (versus french fries, if you can believe it), i opted for the taverna pasta ("angel hair pasta with browned butter and garlic, topped with freshly grated mizithra cheese"). it was a nice change. since the sandwich was so large (and i had eaten lots of bread, of course, and potato salad) i ended up bringing most of that and some of the sandwich back with me.

service started out quite well on all fronts (including the water) but then there was a very long wait to get the food boxed up and to get the check. parking can be interesting due to the horrid chain restaurant next door wanting to hog a lot of the parking, but they do have complimentary valet.

all in all it was pretty good to great in places, which is to say a hell of a lot better than most of the restaurants in that area.

 

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