Great steak for a decent price
My dad's 60th birthday is coming up and he is planning to come to Saint Paul to celebrate and asked me if I knew of a great place to get a steak for under $30. I am a vegetarian, so I am pretty clueless when it comes to steak and what is good. Any suggestions? We prefer to stay in Saint Paul/Minneapolis and menus that are vegetarian friendly are preferable.
Thanks!
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For whatever reason, I couldn't find a thread on The Strip Club, so this seemed like the most appropriate place to add a review for my dinner from last night.
Started with the 'charcuterie', which turned out to be nothing more than a block of liverwurst with some pickled onions on top, a swath of mustard underneath, and 3 small toast sections to accompany. Everything tasted good, but I expected some variety on the plate. Not a huge deal.
Moving on to main course. I know the obvious specialty here, but I opted for the Tri-tip, which came in at $24. I got the 'Bleu movie' topping, which is bleu cheese and possibly something else (I don't remember). The steak itself was cooked a wonderful medium rare, nice char in some parts, and the bleu cheese was quite good. There was a ton of it and it was quite strong tasting, but I liked it a lot. The carrots that come with were fairly boring, to be honest. It would be nice if they offered other types of sides...maybe that's what the small plates accomplish.
On the cocktail side, I had the Up in Smoke, which consists of bourbon, Averna (Italian liquer), and hickory maple syrup. It was slightly sweet and slightly smoky, but not overpowering on either. Very nice balance.
Side note, I saw Chef Fratzke walking around with a cast on his right wrist and the staff were asking him when they could sign it...so something must have just happened.
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These are great suggestions! Kind of craving a steak and a side of buttered mushroom, maybe.... Thank you all!
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re: LinneaJC
I drive past Lindey's all of the time and have heard great things from my carnivore friends. However, my wife went there last month for a birthday party and loved their steak. That's rare. She's only said that once before, and that was eating Murray's butterknife steak.
The back history on Mrs. Gutgrease, is that she was a vegan before meeting me but was just getting back into meat eating. Third date we were at a friend's cabin. They served prime rib, bloody. Grossed out Mrs. Gutgrease. It took three years for her to try another steak. She's only liked the butterknife at Murray's since then. Then all of a sudden she's forced to eat the one at Lindey's. She loved it and even brought home the leftovers.
Maybe all of that helps, if Linnea isn't a all-the-time vegetarian!
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MSPD
Feb 20, 2012 08:37 AM
I'm sticking with St. Paul since you said "planning to come to Saint Paul". Two ideas, both of which would offer the upside of great vegetarian possibilities:
The steak frites at Meritage is $25.50.
The grilled hanger steak at Osteria i Nonni just across the river from St. Paul is $27.›5 Replies-
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re: MSPD
Db Cooper
Feb 20, 2012 02:54 PM
I don't really consider those restaurant's "steakhouses" exactly. My whole point was just listing out those that fall into the category of steakhouse. If it was me, I'd go with Mancini's of those four. As a total dining experience (food, service, atmosphere, history, etc), you can't beat what Pat and John do. Here's how I rank steakhouses in general
High-End: Manny's or Capital Grille both in Minneapolis. St. Paul has no equivalent. Note these are well over $30 per person so this is just to list, not recommend for this post.
Local History: Muarry's in Minneapolis or Mancini's in Saint Paul. Muarry's also well over $30 per person.
Budget: Erte in Minneapolis or Bennett's in Saint PaulBest Steak not at a steakhouse: Meritage in Saint Paul or Butcher Block in Minneapolis.
When All Else Fails: The Best Steakhouse, specifically the one in the mall on the NE corner of Larpenteur and Rice Street. Chief, as the owner is known, makes a mean steak and for under $10, you can get a salad, steak, baked potato, Texas toast, and a Pepsi.
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Jordan
Feb 20, 2012 07:13 AM
How about Erte in NE Minneapolis? Steaks are under $30 and even come with soup or salad. (Good salads, too.) Other sides are a la carte. The menu is reasonably vegetarian-friendly for a steak-focused place.
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re: soupkitten
well.... i think... less than thirty dollars?.... i think someone should buy him a more than thirty dollar steak......
you can find both at the porterhouse. it is a great little steakhouse.
http://www.porterhousesteakandseafood...
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If you weren't a vegetarian I would recommend Lindey's Prime Steak House in Arden Hills. For $29.85 you get the Lindey's Special Sirloin which comes with an iceberg lettuce salad, hashbrowns, garlic bread and pickled watermelon rinds. The place is unpretentious, the wait staff is stuck in a time warp and the dining area feels like you are at grandpa's cabin up north. It's a blast! The steak may not be the best in town, but it's a great steak for the price. Unfortunately the vegetarian options on the menu are very limited. Actually, they don't even have menus. They just stick a sign post in front of you when you sit down and the options are steak, steak, steak and shrimp.
Since most steak houses aren't very vegetarian friendly and can quickly get expensive, I would maybe consider a place like Salut on Grand Avenue. They have four or five steak frites options in the $30 range. I've always had good meals at Salut. I'm sure your father would enjoy it and you would have more options.
Good luck!
