124556 Wed Oct 12 04:33:37 -0700 2005 10 8 Midwest 0 676465 Since most of my chow experiences in the Twin Cities thus far have been in St. Paul, I'm stumped on where to go for dinner after the Gopher's Game on Saturday. Will have guests with, so, I guess we're looking for a location that is elegant enough to appease Ma, but meat and potatoes (or, at least, not too fancy) enough to appease Pa. Ideally, I guess, we're looking for American, Italian or Mediterranean food. Also, some place that is not hard to get to from the Metrodome as we'll have a couple of cars and don't want to get too lost or separated. Any ideas? Thank you in advance for your ideas. ~TDQ Wed Oct 12 04:33:37 -0700 2005 0 The Dairy Queen 1 676470 After a Twins game I tried Nochee. We sat on the patio, so had both the dinner menu and the bar menu to choose from. The food varied from good to really good. I enjoyed the seasoned fries were good, but only their home made dipping sauce was memorable. (The other two were ketchup and bbq sauce.) However, this was only a week after eating the Pommes Frites at jP - a tough act to follow. The "Small Plate" of Grilled polenta was enough of a light dinner for my girlfriend, and she was very happy with it. I had the Lobster Ravioli and it was good. Not great, but good. My server asked me what I thought, and I explained it that way. She said that she'd only worked there a week, but when her mother tried it, she described it the same way. Good enough, but certainly not a dish that would make the restaurant a destination. That said, I can see it becoming a great post-game place to go for a meal. Especially the patio, which has some small fireplaces to keep things warm. Walking distance, not a dumpy bar, and a good variety of choices - especially at the bar or patio, and in the evening there's some live jazz music. Link: http://www.nochee.com Wed Oct 12 11:40:56 -0700 2005 676465 0 Danny 2 2784572 Just an update for posterity--Nochee (Fifth & Washington Avenues in downtown Mpls) is closed and has been replaced by Harry's Food & Cocktails. http://www.harrysfood.com/ ~TDQ Thu Jul 26 03:19:33 -0700 2007 676470 12005 The Dairy Queen 1 676488 For meat and potatoes in a fun (and usually loud) restaurant, I think the Monte Carlo Bar is pretty good. It's a bar/restaurant, but they're elegant enough to use cloth tableclothes and it's a pretty big menu with some salads and pastas to compliment the steaks. I think the place has a really nice atmosphere (and since it's no smoking there now it's literally a nice atmosphere!) and is a fun place to eat. They're at 219 3rd Ave. N. which is just about a mile and a half up Washington Ave. from the Dome. Christo's is a Greek restaurant that's also not too far from the Dome (2 miles?) up on 26th and Nicollet. If that's your choice I would suggest making a reservation. http://www.christos.com/ GO GOPHERS!!!! Wed Oct 12 20:33:11 -0700 2005 676465 0 Michael 2 676491 Good call! I love the Monte Carlo. It's a fine Minneapolis institution. "Dad" must order Charlie's Kitchen Sandwich (based on a long gone city fixture, Charlie's Kitchen Exceptionale). Simply put, it consists of tender, thinly sliced prime rib on good bread served with a side of au jus. Be sure to get a side of the horseradish sauce! As a plus, if it turns out to be one of our stunning late Autumn days, get a white tablecloth set-up on the sidewalk or enjoy their clubby and cool bar. Wed Oct 12 23:24:32 -0700 2005 676488 0 Suzie 1 676495 Thank you Danny, Suzie and Michael! You've given us a few restaurants to choose from for after this Saturday's game (and this is terrific because we can now give our guests a couple of choices) and a couple of others to try as football season marches on! We'll let you know what we end up doing. Any other ideas are, of course, welcome. ~TDQ Thu Oct 13 06:54:55 -0700 2005 676465 0 The Dairy Queen 2 676497 Don't forget that the Light Rail opens up the possibilities. Thu Oct 13 08:43:37 -0700 2005 676495 0 Paz 1 676501 TDQ, For a post-Dome football game chowdown, Kramarczuks would be my first choice, especially if any of my guests had any eastern European heritage. Go west on Washington Ave about 2 miles to Hennepin, north about 1/2 mile. Very close. Be aware this is cafeteria style (not to mention not exactly what you asked for), but they have something for everyone. If you have a hot dog or brat at the Dome, then go to Kramarczuks and see their extraordinary sausage selection, you'll be ashamed of yourself for weeks for wasting $6 at the Dome. More along the lines of your request, you could always hit up Luci/Luci Ancora, Cafe 128 or Punch Pizza off of Cleveland Ave about 2 miles south of 94 on your way back to St. Paul. I've had successful outings with the parents at those. Along with the Mall of America, the area adjacent to the Dome is one of the two worst places in MSP for good chow. Well...those and Eagan. Good luck. Thu Oct 13 10:14:35 -0700 2005 676465 0 MSPD 2 676589 Thank you, everyone, for your recommendations. Hopefully, we'll try them all eventually. Just a quick report back. We chose Kramarczuk's and found that browsing the adjoining deli, with its homemade sausages and salamis was almost more fun than dining at the cafeteria-style restaurant. At the restaurant, with four people, we got a variety of dishes to try, all of which were good or very good: Italian sausage (huge!), brat (with a side of hot German potato salad), and goulash. The highlight was probably the combination platter, which came with 3 dumplings (varenyky?): one stuffed with sauerkraut, another with sausage, and the last with potatoes. The platter also came with a giant cabbage roll, kind of like a polish burrito: sausage and riced potatoes wrapped in cabbage leaves and covered in a creamy sauce. Kramarczuk's has a good selection of imported beer list and serves Sebastian Joe’s ice cream. At the deli next door, we bought some poppy seed kolaches (pastries) to bring home for breakfast the next morning. Yum. Kramarczuk's Eastern European Deli 215 E Hennepin Av. Minneapolis, MN 55414 Phone: (612) 379-3018 Fax: (612) 379-7693 ~TDQ Link: http://minneapolis.about.com/library/bl/bl_dsc00829.htm Tue Oct 18 08:36:07 -0700 2005 676501 0 The Dairy Queen 3 676607 that reminds me, would Nye's Polonaise Room ever be a good choice? Is it close enough? Is it still good? That is where Paz and I went on one of our first dates. Tue Oct 18 20:59:24 -0700 2005 676589 0 Alice 4 676642 Nye's Polonaise Room is across the street from Kramarczuk's. But don't go to Nye's for the food. Go to Nye's for the drinks, the piano bar, and the authentically retro atmosphere. Kramarczuk's food is 1000% better. Me, I would eat at Kramarczuk's, then go to Nye's for the rest of the evening. Anne Wed Oct 19 20:19:28 -0700 2005 676607 0 AnneInMpls