EVEREST ON GRAND - MSP

[snoboardbabe77]

CHs....anyone been there recently? The only posts I'm finding are more or less a year old.....anything worth getting or staying away from? We're pretty open (though I'm allergic to shellfish). Planning on heading there tonight. Or is Cat Man Do still open? Saw some mixed reviews on that. We need to change it up from our thai fixation!

TIA.

[bob s]

Coincidentally, I had lunch there today. For lunch they have a very serviceable buffet which changes every day. Wednesday is less exciting than others but still very good. My dinners there have been very good and I recommend the momos.

[faith]

Bob, since we have been discussing multiple places, can you clarify which one you had lunch at? I'm thinking places like Everest that have service issues might be ok for buffet eaters, since you aren't so dependent on attention from the servers.

[snoboardbabe77]

Thanks guys. We're either going to try our luck at Everest, India House at 758 Grand or Cat Man Do. I'll report back.

[bob s]

Sorry Faith - I ate at Everest on Grand today. (I hit reply to the original message but - d'oh - you may not be able to tell that...;-) The restaurant was busy with lunch rush and the food seemed to be fresh and replenished appropriately. Service was not bad either - relatively speaking.

Having said all that, my few experiences with service at EoG during dinner have been mixed. I expect leisurely service and then can be pleasantly surprised when it's prompt.

[KTFoley]

I'm fond of the momos and the goat curry. However, the service is as unpredictable as ever. On my last visit I tried to order takeout at the counter. Here's what happened:

The foyer area was pretty crowded as I worked my way in to stand at the counter. Then I waited. We waited. He, she and they waited. In 25 minutes, the servers did not speak -- nor even make eye contact -- with anyone around me except to seat them.

Then a fellow interrupted a server's studious non-seeing by leaning 3/4 of the way over the counter to wave her down with a polite insistence that he pay for his phone order. When I asked how long a delay he'd been given, it turned out to be about as long as we'd been standing there in our magic invisibility.

So I pulled out my cell phone and dialed up the number from the take-out menu I'd been holding for half an hour.

Tah-dahh! The person at the register picked it up on the third ring and took my phone order without ever noticing it was a VERY local call. The owner figured it out when I flagged him down to pay and cleared up confusion about a sauce by pointing to it on the very menu in my hand. His response? He tucked another copy into my bag and advised me to call ahead next time.

I'm driving across the river to Himalayan Cafe on Franklin next time I get a yen for momos. In the long run, it'll be quicker and less absurd.

[rjayasuriya]

I couldn't agree more with KTFoley. I went there with my wife about an year ago and it was nothing special. The food was okay but nothing special for me to come back for. The service was horrible. Overall, I would not recommend this place to anyone.

[snoboardbabe77]

Hmmm...this is not promising. Over the last month and a half, I've had mediocre to bad service and I'm tired of it. I see no menu for Himalayan Cafe - Franklin..how far away is it from True Thai? My girlfriend did say that last time she went there to eat, she was treated actually rudely. I usually try and give places 2 shots...but ???

[The Dairy Queen]

Himalayan is West of True Thai. It's on Franklin a couple blocks East of Chicago.

~TDQ

[AnneInMpls]

Sno, give the Himalayan another try. I've always had good service, but perhaps your girlfriend encountered someone who is now gone (the waitstaff changes periodically). My recent experiences have been very good. And the food is excellent. I've loved everything I've tried - especially the momos with yak filling (they come with chicken, beef, or veggie filling, too) and the Himalayan-style "tandoori" chicken, which is quite "saucy". Yum!

Anne

P.S. It's a few blocks east of Cedar, not Chicago Ave. (TDQ, you're a St. Paulite, right?), about 4-5 blocks west of True Thai.

[The Dairy Queen]

Actually, no, I meant it's a few blocks East of Chicago. In this case, "a few" means about ten (it seems fewer when you're in a car, as I often am when I'm on Franklin). But, yes, it's even fewer blocks East of Cedar. ;-) But Cedar in my mind is very confusing because it's all windy-curvy at that part of town and actually even seems to change names right around there, too. Not a very good point of reference in my mind. Chicago is a nice, straight, perpendicular to Franklin Street and is a good point of reference in my mind. Plus, lots of chowish options on Chicago, which makes it a good landmark.

~TDQ

[snoboardbabe77]

Any opinion on India House at 758 Grand Avenue?

[Bobannon]

I'm looking forward to trying the Himalayan Cafe, but you can also get great momos and service at Gangchen in Mpls.

[The Dairy Queen]

You don't have to go all the way to Minneapolis for great momos. There's Himalayan's sibling, Highland Bakery and Cafe on Ford Parkway in St. Paul (a few doors down from LeeAnne Chins.) Very limited menu of Nepalese items, sometimes you have to ask for it, but the same (and in my own mind, better...) momos.

~TDQ

[snoboardbabe77]

I'm leaving the decision to my gf as to where we go. For tonight, I just didn't want to deal with traffic and therefore wanted to stay close to home (Como-ish area). It will either be Everest, Himalayan, India House on Grand to give it a shot - I'm interested in good momos but more importantly, good spicy curry or tandoori. If we can't figure it out-we always end up at a Thai place. So, we'll see and I'll report back! Thanks everyone. TDQ-Highland Bakery - hmm...is it in one of the strip malls by Barnes and Noodles/Lunds? That area is always soooo congested...I stopped going to Highland Grill (do Longfellow instead) because parking can be such a nightmare!

[The Dairy Queen]

It's not in the same one as Lunds. It's on Ford Parkway, but on the OTHER (East) side of Cleveland. In the same strip mall as Von Hanson's, CHatterbox Pub, LeeAnne Chins, etc. Parking can be a nightmare if you go at peak hours, I agree, though, at least there is a parking lot for the strip mall whereas there is not a lot for Highland Grill.

It sounds like you're better off elsewhere if you want more than momos...

~TDQ

[kevin47]

Wait, highland bakery is a sister to Himalayan? How did that not come up in the myriad threads about restaurants in the area? I had a two month project in that building, and figured it was just a Denny's with beer. Do you know how many times I went to Cleveland Wok for lunch?

This board has failed me.

[tex.s.toast]

In this board's defense generally, and TDQs in particular, there have been numerous reports about this. Highland bakery was purchased by some nepali folks who added a few (very few) dishes to the otherwise very traditional american menu. If i recall correctly reports suggested nothing special about the typical american dishes but were quite positive on the Momo's and other specials offered. As a result of the success of those items (and probably because they didnt want to keep cooking in the style of denny's/perkins) the same people opened the Himalayan on franklin, which to annotate TDQ's comments above is quite a few blocks east of chicago, towards the new location of the Seward coop.

Defending the functionality of the search feature of this site, that is another story . . .

[kevin47]

I'm just playin'....

[The Dairy Queen]

Oh, poor kevin! Cleveland Wok!?! Highland Bakery and Cafe was actually FIRST, before Himalayan. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/417443

~TDQ

[kevin47]

Ah. Well, to be fair, I could get take out lunch for $2-3 (they charge by the pound) and their potato dish is pretty addicting, in a "my tongue is buzzing and I don't know why, or if that's healthy" sort of way.

Cleveland Wok is better than Tiffany's Lounge, I'll give it that.

[JimGrinsfelder]

Cat Man Do is still open. Haven't been to either lately.