date: 7/14/06
location: minneapolis
grade: b

i'd expected pop! to have flavors that do so. it's somewhat mexican in the menu choice. there's bold colors all around, the menu looks like it should be bold. but it's kind of disappointing in that respect. though the food, beyond that, is actually quite good. i suspect they toned it down for the 'hood they are in (nordeast there, dontchaknowyoubetcha).

the chipotle dipping sauce for the tasty shrimp and black bean fritters tasted like ranch dressing, more or less. the asado sandwich (pulled pork, citrus bbq sauce, and southwest slaw) was more sweet than spicy. the chicken sandwich i had... look at the description from the web site- achiote marinated chicken breast, smoked jalapeno mayo, guacamole, and jack cheese. you'd expect some sort of spice or heat or something. and while the sandwich was tasty, it was also strangely bland for all of that. the bun had the most spice.

while on the subject of the sandwich, it was an instance of big bun, kind of smaller sandwich. though the bun was good enough by itself i didn't mind as much as usual, as it had the cheese melted on to it.. the fries with the sandwich, however, were quite decent.... rating about a b on the fry scale, which is pretty high for me. the penne pasta with sautéed spinach and parmesan garlic-cream sauce was good but kind of boring. the pork tenderloin was... tender. (all pork reports were secondhand, fyi.

a few other quibbles. it's july. the temperature is in the mid-90s. what's on the menu? appetizer choices include chicken posole soup, hot tamale, and smoked queso fondue. entrees include two hot pastas, pork tenderloin, and the most odd of all... swedish meatballs. it's not like everyone has to follow the 'fresh and local' menu, but something a bit more season would be nice. not many people want to down tons of hot food when it's steamy outside. i suspect people head over to the snap! pizza and ice cream place down the block more at this time of year. (crackle! on the way. not kidding.)

and since it was so hot, we sat in the table in the window (we're eye candy...), which gets really hot when the sun hit us and a few of us were blinded at some point in the meal. adjustable blinds are not that costly. and speaking of brk, when i got there, i of course sat down at the one table setting where the small plate had crud on it. it took 20 minutes to get a new one. when the
server was telling us the specials and many were ready for drink orders, they wandered off before they could be placed. two people ordered the asado (and one chicken sandwich), so of course we got two chicken sandwiches and one asado delivered. the service is spaced out, though friendly.

so food b+, service b-.... therefore, the grade above. for a neighborhood place, it's quite decent, but not someplace i'd go out of my way to get to again.