Primebar Takes Over Il Gatto Spot in Uptown
As many of you have heard from Stephanie March who writes Foodie File on @mspmag Primebar is coming to Minneapolis in Il Gattos Uptown location.
Primebar has a location in Dallas and is a national chain and I wonder how that will do in Uptown. It is a self proclaimed contemporary ale house. I think uptowners are more of a non-contemporary crowd, but maybe I am wrong. It does have a late night menu listed and I think that will help. But, the prices are a little bit over what uptowners like to pay unless the food is worth it. Hope they bring their A game! The ambiance at the Dallas location looks like it would fit in here and I hope they keep that similar at this location. Look at Primebar Dallas Here.
I am looking forward to trying Primebar! Let me know what you think @mplsgossipgirl and any readers from Dallas, Texas tell me what you think of your location.
Because really? Can there be too many bars?
@mplsgossipgirl
Tonight @Gather
If you haven’t been yet! Get there and get there tonight! I have had some great food here and the guest chefs are a lot of fun.
Get a cocktail with Prairie Vodka as well. A couple of month ago I had a Banh mi there once that rocked my world.
James Beard Semi-finalist Russell Klein of Meritage is the chef-in-residence tonight @Gather at the Walker.
There will be samples of:
Crispy Frog Leg
and
Oysters
Tonight from 5-9PM
Because Yummy!
@mplsgossipgirl
Starbucks Blonde Roast
Want to try something new? Try Starbucks Blonde roast.
I am usually a dark roast neighborhood coffee drinker but when I was out of my neighborhood I tried this because of a suggestion from a Barista.
It was much different than I expected and would drink it again when going to a Starbucks. I personally like the Veranda blend best but the Willow is good as well.
Give it a try.
Because drinking coffee is like therapy.
@mplsgossipgirl
Kowalski’s
I have been shopping at Kowalski’s for years and love the stores.
I recently discovered something that I thought I would share. When you walk in the door at any Kowalski’s there will be a box with fliers, books, and RECIPES! I am sad to say, that I just discovered the recipes. It is nice to be able to walk into the store take a look at the recipes and choose something that has all the ingredients in the store. This week I grabbed one for meatballs.
Thanks Kowalski’s for making meals easy!
Because anything that makes life easier is something to say thanks for.
If you know any other helpful discoveries like this one. Tweet me!
@mplsgossipgirl
MN Restaurant Week- Lunch at D’Amico Kitchen
All my #MNrestaurantweek recommendations have been glowing so far. Unfortunately, this one is not. I attended a lunch at D’Amico Kitchen at 12:00pm and was fairly disappointed. I tell you this because it is in the heart of downtown and there was barely anyone there for lunch. I would think with a deal like this, 10 dollar lunch, that they would be busy.
Most of my experience was foiled because of the service. Our server was not very good. He should maybe consider another career option since he had trouble talking to us and seemed nervous when attempting to explain the menu. He did not give any suggestions and only offered us wine to drink. Someone might want to tell him that most people cannot drink while at work or when going back to work. He brought us water but failed to keep it refilled and took awhile getting us our bill because he was folding napkins out on the floor and it looked like prepping for dinner service while chatting with other employees. My suggestion is that this should be done where customers cannot see. Although, I may not have noticed if I wasn’t looking for him.
Our food was fairly good. I ordered a salad that was a great lunch salad but it was on a small plate and I had trouble looking like I wasn’t struggling to keep it on the plate when I cut it. Someone in my group had a greens salad and it was bland. It should be kept off the restaurant week menu. I had the tomato soup and that was great. It had a little bit of heat to it and was great with house bread. The squash ravioli is definitely the way to go though. It was worth the 10 dollars, I wouldn’t have paid more for this experience.
I cannot say what the D’Amico Kitchen dinner experience is. But, I don’t think I will be back for Lunch anytime soon. If I did, I would get that tomato soup again. It was a perfect lunch soup.
#MNrestaurantweek
@mspmag
Because lunch is a break from reality.
@mplsgossipgirl
MN Restaurant Week- Cafe Lurcat
I was right! Cafe Lurcat is a must for #mnrestaurantweek. If you haven’t been yet you have until Friday to try their restaurant week menu.
If you don’t know what restaurant week is: check out www.mspmag.com. They have lists of the restaurants participating, the menus, and links to get a reservation. Most lunches are $10-15 while dinners are usually $30.
Thank you Cafe Lurcat for a great meal. Great food, good service, and a wonderful view.I even got some entertainment from the handsy couple next to us. There was nothing left on my plate for any of the courses. Thanks to the suggestion from our waiter Aaron I believe I ordered the best of the menu. The portions sizes were normal with enough to share with those at your table.
The hits were the Apple Chive and Cheese salad. It was fresh, clean, and so simple. The pot roast. It fell apart with a fork and had a wonderful red wine sauce. The best part of it for me was the carrots, if I knew how to cook them that way I would eat carrots for every meal. Other menu items I tried were the crab cake which was for the hearty and the barramundi which was light with a crunch with the added hazelnuts both were good but I was not in the mood for them.
On many restaurant week menus I have been disappointed with the desserts. That was not the case last night. I had a date cake with candied nuts. It was fantastic. One of the best desserts I have had in awhile. The hot sauce and nuts really put it over the edge. The chocolate cake was pretty good too. Not too rich or bitter.
The only thing that I would have changed was the weather. For those of you going there tonight. They do have valet parking for $8.00. It is a must for weather like this because the valets will meet you at the car with an umbrella.
Let me know what you think of Cafe Lurcat’s #mnrestaurantweek menu @mplsgossipgirl
Because a great meal can warm the heart.
@mplsgossipgirl
National Pancake Day
Today is a good day! It’s National Pancake Day! #nationalpancakeday
IHOP is giving away a short stack of pancakes to customers in exchange for a donation to Children’s Miracle Network. This sounds like a win/win to me.
A good pancake can help you start out the day or end the night right. One of the best pancakes I have had in Minneapolis was at Hell’s Kitchen. Their lemon ricotta hotcakes melt in your mouth and require no syrup because they don’t need it.
Now all I have to do is find a place with pancakes that delivers. I think I will want to snuggle up by the fire tonight and avoid this winter weather. Let me know if you know of any places @mplsgossipgirl
MN Restaurant Week
February 26th-March 2nd 2012
Restaurant week is a chance for you to get out of your box and try a new restaurant in mpls or St. Paul. I have participated in this food fest over and over again and I have never been disappointed. It is a great reason to get together friends that you haven’t seen for awhile to eat a 30 dollar dinner or 15 dollar lunch. A steal for most of the restaurants listed. They want you to enjoy your meal so that you come back.
Your best bet for this restaurant week is: Saffron. Order the Lamb “Cassoulet” 2.0. You can’t go wrong with slow cooked lamb. The curried potato soup looks great as well. Saffron is not skimping on the ingredients with lobster and lamb. Bring friends with and order all the dishes so you can try them all! There is not a dish on the restaurant week menu that I wouldn’t order. They also offer add on’s and wine pairings. If you have a little extra cash I would go for it.
Unfortunately, most of Saffron’s reservations are full at this point. But, there are other restaurants that always shine as well. I will be attending D’amico Kitchen for lunch sometime this week. Look forward to my posting.
Cafe and Bar Lurcat is a must. I have only heard the best from their restaurant weeks. The Capital Grill is a great place to have a fancy dinner if you like steak. This would be one to get your husband or boyfriend to go to who wouldn’t normally get caught dead in a fancy restaurant. I wouldn’t order the salmon there but as someone who does not order steak I tried the entire menu last restaurant week and loved them all. You cannot go wrong. They also put out the same menu for restaurant week so if you miss it this time, it will be the same menu next time. I liked it enough to go back again. Also, make sure you don’t order your steak well-done. The Capital Grill knows how to cook this quality meat correctly, he will never want to go to Applebees again. Dress to impress there.
Restaurant week can be a bust though. There are a few restaurants on the list that I would not pay 30 dollars for a dinner at. Their normal menu items are not above that price range so why would I go there to get a more expensive meal? I have discovered a few places that I liked but didn’t end up eating from the restaurant week menu because it seemed silly. Bradstreet Crafthouse was one of those places. I discovered an amazing drink menu and some great appetizers. But, spending the money for the menu was not worth it.
I make wishes every year to see La Belle Vie do Restaurant week again. I am always disappointed when the list comes out without them on it. I am sure they are NOT having a hard time filling tables. But, it would be nice of them to make it more accessible to those mpls residents who currently are not foodies. It would be fun to see a menu with drink pairings with it. Spill the Wine, Manny’s and Heidi’s would be nice to see on the list as well.
Get out there this week and eat some good food. Tell me about it!
#mnrestaurantweek
@mplsgossipgirl
mplsgossipgirl 