date: 1/27/04
location: st. paul
grade: b+
(guest review)

andy's garage is a cutesy little joint on university and fairview in st. paul. it used to be a service station and is now a throwback diner with retro decor. the menu is typical diner fare, with daily specials such as meatloaf, mac-n-cheese, and other childhood faves.

meal: cheeseburger basket with fries and coleslaw and chocolate malt, of course. can one eat anything else at a diner? food was on the table in less than ten minutes. burger was served with pickles, nice big piece of melted cheese. the burger itself was slightly dry - not as good as groveland tap or casper & runyon's nook in st. paul (these places have the best burgers in town, in my humble opinion). the bun was nicely toasted. fries were freshly cut with skin on, but a bit soggy for my taste. certainly not of vincent caliber. coleslaw was quite good. chocolate malt was hands down the highlight of the meal. i could have had another. and another.

restaurant was empty when we arrived right at 5 pm, but started to fill up as we left. the parking lot looked full when i was there, which makes me think parking could be an issue later in the evening. decor was kitschy, as expected, but not over the top. place was a bit cold (perhaps due to the fact that the walls are garage doors?) but got a bit better towards the end of the meal. probably the body heat from other diners. server was friendly, but didn't go out of her way and took her time with refills. i had less gut rot than i normally do with a burger basket, which was a bonus. we were in and out in 30 minutes and the bill was less than $15 apiece, including everything, bringing the grade to a b+.