518623 Tue May 13 06:41:10 -0700 2008 20 8 Midwest 0 3682036 Any suggestions on a nice place to take a visitor for a mid-week breakfast in Minneapolis/suburbs? Thanks! Tue May 13 06:41:12 -0700 2008 25095 mifish 1 3682135 Maria's is my favorite. The menu is Columbian Breakfast. Very tasty. Also good, and in the neighborhood is Seward Cafe, but it is very hippie-ish. Lots of Vegan food. But real good. I recommend the Biscuits and Gravy. Tue May 13 07:12:05 -0700 2008 3682036 56203 churchka 1 3682167 Obviously it depends on what kind of things the visitor likes, but to me, mid-week breakfast practically calls out for Al's. You likely won't have to wait as you do on the weekends. Not only is Al's a unique place in terms of atmosphere, but the food is also just really good. Tue May 13 07:21:19 -0700 2008 3682036 149892 mtullius 1 3682328 It would really help if you gave some parameters. There are literally at least 500 places serving breakfast "midweek" and I would venture to say that 100 of them are noteworthy for one reason or another. Here are a few things that would help: - Is this person young (Al's or Common Roots) or old (Good Day Cafe or Patrick's French Bakery)? - Refined breakfasts (Jay's Cafe, Pastries on the Rustica Bakery patio), greasy spoons (Our Kitchen), ethnic (Maria's) and/or natural/healthy (Birchwood or Trotters)? - Are they big city folk (Highland/Longfellow/Edina Grill or Hot Plate) or small town (St. Clair Broiler or Colossal Cafe) - Do they love coffee (Kopplins) or tea (Tea Source)? - Will you and/or that person be visiting a particular part of Minneapolis/suburbs? Otherwise, you're just going to get a crapshoot. Tue May 13 08:02:21 -0700 2008 3682036 11110 MSPD 2 3682744 Good point! Another specific detail -- were you hoped to linger for a conversation or some business? That alone rules out several spots like Al's, Colossal Cafe and Victors. In the direction of the western suburbs, and reflected in nearly every breakfast thread in the last eight months: Good Day Cafe. Tue May 13 10:01:48 -0700 2008 3682328 10514 KTFoley 3 3683455 MSPD- brilliant post- you asked and answered the questions perfectly- why , kt foley, would Colossal or Victor's rule out lingering? And I must say Good Day Cafe would not be recommended for conversation due to the loud noise level mentioned by many posters. And on that note, don't go to Bad Waitress if you want to have a non-shouting conversation, in spite of the great pancakes, loud jukebox that management 'has no control over' when asked politely. Of course, 'Bad Waitress' kind of telegraphs something...::) Tue May 13 12:50:47 -0700 2008 3682744 11890 faith 4 3683761 We went to Colossal on Sunday and you definitely don't want to linger there. Even though there were 2 tables empty when we arrived at noon, by 12:30 a line was forming at the counter and we knew we were beginning to overstay our welcome. Their food is so wonderful I'm happy to do my part and head out so others can experience a good meal there. Tue May 13 14:08:52 -0700 2008 3683455 52149 katebauer 4 3683983 katebauer has answered the question for Colossal very accurately. From my visits to Victor's I also recall people lined up waiting for tables, waiting for diners to pay & go. Though this may have been more prevalent back when it was Rick's, I also recall some signs. One set reminded folks that certain tables & booths were reserved for larger groups during peak morning hours. Another notice asked people to be considerate about taking up a table after the meal was finished if others were waiting to be seated. Tue May 13 15:10:50 -0700 2008 3683455 10514 KTFoley 2 3685781 MSPD and everyone else - thank you for the suggestions! Yes, I know I was vague in my request. This is someone I meet maybe 3-4 times a year for a mid-week breakfast so it's sorta special, but not so much in a special food way if that makes sense. Good food is certainly a bonus that makes it all that much better. While you wouldn't think it possible, we always have a difficult time deciding where to meet. Do we want pancakes? A sweet roll? An omelette? We never know where to go and so I thought it'd be nice to just toss out the question and see what was on the top of everyone's mind. Thanks again! Wed May 14 07:56:44 -0700 2008 3682328 25095 mifish 3 3685852 Well...then I highly recommend any of the 18 places I mentioned in my post as well as Good Day Cafe. Wed May 14 08:16:54 -0700 2008 3685781 11110 MSPD 4 3687630 My husband and I stopped in at Good Day Cafe for breakfast this morning, and really felt the restaurant didn't meet the hype. I had the ham and brie omelette, which had boring deli meat ham strips and flavorless brie inside. My husband had the crab cake eggs benedict. The crab cake was extremely sweet, so much so that it was really distracting from the flavor of the dish. We both got the GDC potatoes on the side, which were nothing special. The room was also extremely loud, and this was at 10am on a Wednesday morning. I can't imagine a weekend day. I really wanted to like this place, but we left feeling a quite full and bloated, but not due to amazing food. Wed May 14 15:41:08 -0700 2008 3685852 52149 katebauer 5 3687792 TCL and I have never gotten the hype either. There's long waits, a lot of noise, and a "If we get this right, we can take it national" vibe. The best thing I ever had there was a souffle omelet, which was really, really fluffy. Nothing else (other than the wait) has ever been memorable. We really want to like the place, but just can't do it. Here in Robbinsdale, Thistle's is now serving breakfast during the week. http://www.thistlesamericanbistro.com - I have no idea what is on the menu, however. Wed May 14 16:30:55 -0700 2008 3687630 11349 Danny 3 3690498 If you meet downtown/warehouse, I highly recommend Moose & Sadies. Possibly the best huevos rancheros in town, tasty pastries, Peace coffee, Yumi tea, terrific quiche. And mid week you shouldn't have the yoga crowds. It's definitely a place that invites lingering. http://mooseandsadies.com/breakfast.html A little further north on Central is Wilde Roast. Also invites lingering. http://www.wilderoastcafe.com/ Thu May 15 11:32:50 -0700 2008 3685781 13136 Loren3 2 3690233 What is "refined" about breakfast at Jay's? Thu May 15 10:35:27 -0700 2008 3682328 159761 keg 3 3690386 This Places link includes the website for Jay's Cafe, and the menu is posted there. Breakfast includes an egg and smoked gouda crepe, a hash made with Fischer Farms pork and sofrito, french toast made with ciabatta & served with real whipped cream. I've eaten with folks whose main criterion for a good breakfast is that it be too big to finish, and they might be disappointed here. Thu May 15 11:09:16 -0700 2008 3690233 10514 KTFoley 4 3690517 Wow, perfect summary. I would add the price points as well especially if you walked down the street and compared to Bonnie's Cafe, a place I absolutely should have listed in the small town and/or greasy spoon parentheses. Or Keys Cafe a few doors down. Thu May 15 11:38:11 -0700 2008 3690386 11110 MSPD 4 3690523 I've enjoyed Jay's dinner service (though, it's been several months since I've been there--not since their chef changed earlier this year), but I confess, I've not been impressed by their breakfasts. The menu is ambitious enough, but nothing ever tastes as good as I want it to. (And I'm not referring to the issue of volume). Maybe I'd go to Bon Vie on Selby instead? I can't really tell from the OP and subsequent clarification if St. Paul is within bounds... ~TDQ Thu May 15 11:39:23 -0700 2008 3690386 12005 The Dairy Queen 1 3682603 What about Victor's in uptown? Great cuban breakfast. The yucca fries are soooo good! Tue May 13 09:22:07 -0700 2008 3682036 153623 omrtp 1 3695392 hell's kitchen! (perfect during the week, when not so packed. the food is often brilliant, everything very high quality). i am amazed that this thread has gone so long w/o mention of hell's! Fri May 16 18:43:42 -0700 2008 3682036 46030 soupkitten 2 3695395 link Fri May 16 18:45:09 -0700 2008 3695392 46030 soupkitten 3 3697703 I was about to answer HK the day of the original post, but thought it would be interesting to see how long it took for HK to pop... Sat May 17 22:24:25 -0700 2008 3695395 12826 bob s