Edina / Minnetonka/ south Minneapolis dinner...good food and atmosphere???

[Nicola]

New to the area and looking for a busy place with good food, with entrees <$30. Tried Crave in the Galleria, and liked the atmosphere but thought my seabass was way to greasy...ick. Don't get to go out often, so when we do, we like to see people, and dress up a bit. Most types of food are fine, just not sushi. Any ideas appreciated!!

[mplsmike]

Ciao Bella in Bloomington (not far down road from Galleria) or Bacio in Minnetonka (both the same restaurants, along with Zelo downtown) have always been reliable

[b ster]

Really like the Ciao Bella recommendation...haven't been to Bacio. Heidi's and Cafe Maude are 2 options that come to mind in South Mpls.

[meljohns]

Cave Vin at 56th and Xerxes. Heidi's is good also. I personally am not a huge fan of Cafe Maude but plenty of other people love it. My favorite S MPLS restaurant is Grand Cafe at 38th and Grand. Great atmosphere (intimate, french country style) and terrific food. They've had chef Jon Randle there for a while now and the food's been extremely focused and delicious. I like Cafe Ena also.

[keithinmpls]

I wholeheartedly agree with the Cave Vin recommendation. I didn't go there for the longest time because it's not too much to look at from the outside, but when I finally did it blew me away. It's a really great spot with fantastic food and great service.

[MayrMN]

I concur. My husband and I went for our anniversary as we wanted to celebrate with some moules and frites. They were great as was my halibut.

The acoustics are on the loud side, so don't go for a romantic candlelight escape.

[jfood]

Good that Crave is out of your system, not a good experience for jfood either.

Heidi's is as good as any downtown place. Jfood just did a big review this week.

In Edina there is also a little place on the corner of 51st and France, Arizzo (sic) that has a very nice selection of Iralian, jfood has not been in about a year but liked.

Will give a few more ideas after some coffee.

[petergray]

i second the recommendations for heidi's and grand cafe, and add blackbird. it's right next door to heidi's, and does excellent comfort food with inventive flourishes.

[bob s]

I was going to add Blackbird, but it's not (IMHO) a "get dressed up and see people" kind of place. If Nicola is up for good food at a neighborhood place, I'd suggest Blackbird and also add Kings Wine Bar to the mix. Cafe Ena can be good, but I have found food and service to be unpredictable.

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Cafe Ena
4601 Grand Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419

Grand Cafe
3804 Grand Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55409

Cafe Maude
5411 Penn Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55419

Blackbird Cafe
3800 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55409

Cave Vin
5555 Xerxes Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55410

Heidi's
2903 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55408

Arezzo Ristorante
5057 France Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55410

Ciao Bella
3501 Minnesota Drive, Bloomington, MN 55435

Bacio
1571 Plymouth Road South, Minnetonka, MN 55305

Kings Wine Bar
4555 Grand Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419

[meljohns]

I live really close to Kings and want to like the food but I just can't. It's extremely uneven and lackluster. The wine/beer selection is good. I'd definitely recommend it for a drink but not a dinner.

[bob s]

Sorry to hear that meljohns. Everyone in the group I was with enjoyed their meals the one time I was there, but I leave it to your expertise on the food. I agree that their wine/beer selection is good.

[meljohns]

Oh yeah, Blackbird is good too- it's also my fav breakfast place on the weekend. Huevos Colleen O'Brien is addicting.

[gooey middle]

You absolutely cannot go wrong with Edina Grill. I know that the Blue Plate restaurants are getting the reputation of a chain, but the food and the service are outstanding. Is it dress-up fancy? Probably not, but if you choose to dress up, you certainly wouldn't be out of place. It is 50th & France, after all.

[Nicola]

After considering everyone's suggestions, we decided on Heidi's. We were thrilled with every aspect of the dining experience! Katie was a fabulous server, the manager (?, I think that's who he was) was friendly and very helpful, and the food was spectacular. I chose the trout, and the sauce was quite unique...it tasted a bit like sugar cookie frosting, which sounds odd but was delicious. My husband's red-wine poached filet was excellent also...he got the sauce on the side and didn't use it because the filet was perfect without it. I would expect to pay much for for entrees of this caliber (all entrees on the menu are <$20!!)
Could not have asked for a better night out--thanks for the recommendations!

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Heidi's
2903 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55408

[redmeatfan]

Broder's Pasta bar is a favorite. Small but the food is always good and prices are very reasonable.