Cheeky Monkey
If I didn’t live in Minneapolis the Selby/Dale neighborhood would be high on my list because Cheeky Monkey Deli is located there. Cheeky is one of my favorite places to get a casual meal. To date I haven’t had anything on their menu that I haven’t liked.
This place has a neighborhood feel and is the perfect place to meet an old friend for dinner. I love sitting by the fire-place and keeping warm. During the summer you can even sit outside on their back patio.
If you are sitting down for a meal expect it to take a little bit more time. The service is a little slow sometimes and the food takes awhile to prepare. It is fresh and I am okay with waiting a little longer for my meal. Our server Amanda let us know if we needed anything we could flag her down. It is more relaxed than your typical restaurant and has a unique atmosphere. It makes you want to have a long discussion about something deep.
For an appetizer order the salt and pepper chips the blue cheese dip is creamy and delicious. For an entrée choose anything from the menu, it is all good. I have had many of the sandwiches and salads. This time I had the beet salad with goat cheese. It was large and I had enough to take for lunch the next day. I also enjoy the fancy grilled cheese and the salmon salad. Don’t miss the sides at the bottom of the menu. The kale and brussel sprouts are cooked correctly and a great way to add another vegetable to your meal. This is a place I enjoy to linger and stay for a while with a glass or a few glasses of wine or beer.
Cheeky Monkey is doing a prix fixe valentine’s dinner for $60 a couple which includes three courses and a bottle of wine. That sounds like a sweet deal to me.
When you go there make sure that you stop at the wine store next door to the Cheeky Monkey. They have a good selection. They told me they do a wine event for mother’s day which sounds like the perfect event for wine lovers.
because it is fun to get cheeky.
@mplsgossipgirl
Crave – Downtown Minneapolis
Crave is a great place to bring a group of people who may have many different requirements when having a meal. They have a very large menu with both sushi and american food. So if you have picky eaters in the group they are bound to find something that they like on the menu.
This is also the case with the Happy Hour menu. Crave is a great place for a large group during happy hour. The booths are big and it is not limited to just sitting at the bar. We ordered 8 items for four people and it was a little too much we were not able to finish it all. They also have many items on their happy hour menu, that way you can order a variety of different types of food.
I liked the mini burgers the best since I was only looking for a little bit of food and then was able to share the other burger with others. They were cooked well and I liked the small shoe string fries that were served with it.
Chicken sliders were good but a little bit dry I could have used a sauce to go with them just to add a little bit of moisture. A bit of something on the side would have been great. I needed something a little bit spicy and creamy. I would have done some sort of aioli.
I did not like any of the sushi we got off the happy hour menu. I am not a fan of a salad with my sushi mostly because it makes it very hard to eat. When you are eating and socializing it is nice to be able to pop in a piece of sushi. The rolls that we ordered had half of the roll with vegetables sticking out of them. After trying to eat some of them we gave up and left the rest on the plate.
I also had a roll that the seaweed wrapping was super dry and broke apart before even eating it. I think that with small improvements I would love to come here for happy hour sushi.
Overall, the service was great and the ambiance was nice. I really appreciated that the server came by right before happy hour ended and asked if there was anything else that we wanted before happy hour ended.
I will be back simply because this place has a menu that accommodates many different tastes. It a great choice if you may not know what your client normally likes to eat because they have almost everything on the menu here. Their happy hour also allows room for large groups.
because sometimes you just have to have a burger and some sushi.
@mplsgossipgirl
French Meadow
French Meadow is seriously undervalued. This is on the top of my best of Minneapolis list for 2013. I have been here many times for brunch on weekends but it was only recently that I have visited for dinner. Wow!
I had no idea how wonderful dinner was here. Better than brunch. I am a huge fan of breakfast here but dinner is not as hectic as brunch can be.
The ambiance is completely different when you come at night. The lights are dimmed low and candles light each table. It is very romantic but still relaxed.
I started my meal with soup because they had excellent options. I had the tomato soup and enjoyed it because of the real tomato taste. The clam chowder was also very good and it was spicy. Both were perfect on a cold winter night.
For my entrée I had the walleye sandwich. It was crispy and served on a freshly baked bun. I forget how much of a difference that makes. The potatoes that come with it are seasoned well and the sauce that comes with it is light.
My favorite part of the meal was dessert. I wanted to try the bread pudding but they were out. Kudos to the server who warned me about this when I ordered it and explained that they make everything daily. That made me not upset when I had to order something else. I had the tres leches cake that was very good. All desserts are priced from only $4.00-6.50 and are not an after thought. They could stand alone. I am thinking of maybe doing a dessert party there sometime. Each person orders a dessert and then you share. That sounds like a happy hour I would want to go to. I would also love to see a sampler platter for around $10.00 because there were many items I wanted to try. It would be fun if it changed daily.
I like that they have many gluten-free and vegan options because I like to eat vegan sometimes. Plus, if you have someone in your party with dietary needs this place is very accommodating. Hats off to the chefs for creating a menu that has many options, is not too large, and has items with several price points.
When you go here be prepared to order an appetizer, drink, entrée, and dessert. Never skip dessert.
My only criticism is that I wish their happy hour went later. I will never be able to go to the happy hour because it is only Monday-Friday 3-5 PM. Most people are not done with work until 5 including this girl. It would be nice if one or two days a week you extended the happy hour.
because never-ever-ever skip dessert.
@mplsgossipgirl
Rojo Mexican Grill
Rojo has really good margaritas. They are expensive at $9.00 each but you only need about half of one to feel it. I did some shopping after the lunch that I had at Rojo because I needed to walk it off. It was well mixed because I didn’t taste the strong-ness of their margaritas.
I had the lunch special of a torta. I chose the chicken torta with a chopped salad. I made the wrong choice on the salad. It was really not good. But with a few improvements could be good. Firstly, it was made with only arugula which is really strong. Then there were noodles on it. They were like cold Chinese noodles. It was interesting and not a good interesting. It did not add anything to the dish but the addition of the texture of a wet noodle. I do have to say that the dressing was really nice and I liked the avocados that were sliced in it. Good news, Rojo is coming out with some new salads. I am excited to try them.
The best part of this meal though was that the sandwich came with fries as well. It was a nice surprise. We also had chips and salsa to start the meal. This is a nice touch because even if the service is a little slow you have at least something in front of you to eat.
Overall, Rojo is a bit expensive. But, I would go back for the $9.00 margarita. Since it makes me feel like I had a little bit of a vacation. The food is just okay but this is a posh place and I think it would be fun to do a birthday here.
because you should go for the margaritas
@mplsgossipgirl
Dino’s Gyros
I am not a fast food person. The fastest that I do is Panera and Subway on occasion.
Dino’s is the exception to the rule. This place has some really great Gyros. It is sort of half restaurant and half fast food because they bring the food to your table but you can also do take out as well which makes it “fast”.
This is one of my favorite “fast food” places because they are who they are. They do Greek food, only Greek food (well other than the ice cream machine and the beer).
What they do, they do well. My favorites are the gyro (the normal plain one) and the pita chips and spicy feta dip. It is excellent because they make the gyro eatable with the right amount of meat, tomato, onion, and cucumber sauce (tzatziki). It is all about ratios. It rolls up so you can bite into it without it going everywhere. Not to mention the pita is perfectly soft.
The spicy feta is something that cannot be missed as well. It really adds that kick to the meal and the pita chips that come with the dip are freshly made. I had enough to bring some home to have for lunch the next day.
Dino’s is a great place to go to grab a quick meal. It is good food quick.
Because good food can be fast food.
@mplsgossipgirl.
Peninsula Eat Street Minneapolis
I always like to go on eating adventures. Eat Street in Minneapolis is one of those places that I like to drive down and pick a place to eat. I like to think of it as dating.
Sometimes I am wonderfully surprised and have found a place that is not on the normal best places to eat list. This time I made a bad choice. Peninsula was like a bad first date.
I was first drawn in by the outside. Malaysian Cuisine, what is that? I must try it. Sort of like online dating, I was drawn in by the idea of this restaurant. It boasts about having the best Malaysian chefs in the country. What could go wrong?
Well, much like the two dates going on next to us, this place bombed. Talking about having relations with your ex while on a first date is usually not a very good idea. Ordering the salted fish and noodles dish also not a very good idea. With 220+ items on the menu I had no idea what to order, but man I really did a horrible job. The server was no help and said that everything was very good. Not true or helpful. What I ordered was not edible.
This is the first time I have been at a restaurant in Minneapolis and after having a few bites not being able to tolerate any more. It tasted like someone had taken a bottle of fish sauce and mixed it with some over ripe fish and put it on a plate with noodles. It smelled like rotten fish that had been left out in the sun. This was nothing like what was described on their eharmony profile.
If this was a date I would have pulled the “oh crap, I have an emergency!” trick and would have run out of there as quickly as possible. Which is exactly what each of those people on the dates around me should have done. But, just like me they sat because there were so few people there and because I couldn’t understand the server very well, I did not send it back or leave. I felt too bad.
I really wish this place would have been better because it has the bones of being a good boyfriend. It just had a really bad first impression oh and the food was bad. It is a great space and the beer was cold. I think if I were Peninsula I would start with a new menu. I would limit it to a few items that I could do very well because over 220 is too many.
I hope this place makes a come back and finds the customers of their dreams.
because who doesn’t love a fairytale ending?
@mplsgossipgirl
Top 20 New Things to Try in 2013 in Minneapolis
Every year I try to make goals, usually they involve weight loss or cooking a meal so many times a week. This year I needed a change, I picked 20 new things to try for 2013. Goals should be fun and it should be fun completing them.
I encourage you to leave me comments or Tweet me (@mplsgossipgirl) to help me on my quest to complete my list. I am looking for suggestions, helpful advice, and items for my list for next year.
Top 20 New Things to Try in 2013 in Minneapolis
1. Brewing Beer– I love to drink it. I should learn how to make it. I would love to travel to Vine Park since I am a bit low on space. Or even try to make my own at home with Midwest Suppy or Northern Brewer. What do you think?
2. Go to a Pop music concert– I haven’t been to one in years but there is something about going to a Christina, Madonna, or Justin Bieber concert that makes your toes tap. Who is coming to town?
3. Take a Class at The Loft. Clearly, I like to write. I have been dying to take a class at The Loft Literary Center for a while. What were your favorite classes?
4. Find a new hole in the wall restaurant. And share it with all of you. Any suggestions are welcome and I am willing to travel anywhere in Minnesota to find a new favorite place.
5. Enter a baked good in the Minnesota State Fair. I love the fair and I love to make baked goods. I am hoping my grandma who is a ribbon winner will help me. If you have any suggestions of what I need to do as well. Let me know.
6. Travel somewhere outside of Minnesota. Love you MN, but I need to do some outside travel.
7. Learn how to can foods. I really like curried pickles which means I need to make them myself. Do you know where I can take a class? Maybe I will enter them in the State Fair too!
8. Discover a new thrift store. I am open to suggestions, please send them to me!
9. Go to a winery. Or maybe a winery tour of many wineries. Where have you gone? Have you been to Northern Vineyards, Falconer Vineyards and Winery, Cannon River Winery, Alexis Bailly Vineyard, or St. Croix Vineyards?
10. Go see an IMax Movie. I know that this is silly but I haven’t been to one yet.
11. Travel to a small town in Minnesota for a weekend trip. Any town suggestions?
12. Go to a Gopher Football game. I want to go to a game in the new stadium and cheer on the gophers.
13. Do live band karaoke. Where is the best place?
14. Run a 5K. Did I mention I cannot run. I prance. So I will prance the 5K. What is the best 5K in the Twin Cities?
15. Go to a show at 1st Ave. I think it would be fun to go and see a band that I might have never heard of. I am open to suggestions.
16. Take a walk over the Stone Arch Bridge. Sometimes it is nice to do something relaxing.
17. Visit the buffet at one of our casinos. Just for fun! What casino has the best buffet?
18. Dakota Jazz Club. I love jazz and I had some of the food from the Dakota Jazz Club at the Food and Wine Show last year and it was delicious. I need to get there. The whole needing to pay to get in to pay for dinner scares me a bit. But, I need to take a jump off the cliff and try it.
19. Go to the Opera! I am hoping to go see a show at some point this year with the Minnesota Opera.
20. Do something uniquely Minnesotan. I don’t know what this is particular goal is… but I will know once I partake in something uniquely Minnesotan. What do you think is something that every Minnesotan has to do?
because 2013 is going to be epic.
@mplsgossipgirl
Gather Minneapolis
Seriously, Gather what were you thinking? After sharing my previous post you changed what I praised you for a great selection of 5 dollar plates for happy hour.
Not smart.
You can read my previous review HERE.
I really hate having to tell my readers about a change in a restaurant that I recently gave glowing reviews. I dread it. But, alas it has to be done. What I said then, now is not true.
I praised you for you happy hour of 5 dollar small plates. But, when I went there this thursday the menu was different and there were not the 5 dollar plates available (only the bahn mi and the peas and bread). It was disappointing. Especially since I had suggested this restaurant as a great meeting space where we could get happy hour appetizers to share. Please update your website with your current menu.
The British fare should have been done in addition to the regular menu. “My favorite restaurant serves only British food,” said no one, ever.
Thank goodness I was in the presence of fellow fantastic, fashionable, foodies who were able to find some other interesting menu items.
When we ordered I was asked if I wanted salmon on my salad. I said sure and the server had to check to see if they even had salmon. Why offer it if you don’t know if you have it? I did not feel well afterwards. The server could have told me that you did not have any fresh salmon and I would have been fine with that.
I was then charged for the salad and the salmon separately. Which ended up being more expensive than anything else on the entire menu. What? yeah. I know. 12 dollars for over salted salmon served on a small side plate. If I would have known this I would have never said okay to the salmon which came on the side and not on top of the salad. A good rule of thumb is to only offer up-charges that are half of the price of the main order. My salad also did not have asparagus on it which is the second item listed with the salad on the menu. The salad was well dressed and the beets were tasty, it was just too bad there wasn’t asparagus on it.
The cocktail I had was poorly mixed. Not sure why you would do a vodka cranberry with a mint syrup. Also, when you have the holiday grog on your menu it should be available. Do not act suprised when someone orders it and respond with a snide comment of, “it is not ready yet, it has to sit for a while” Honestly maybe you should have thought about that before you put it on the menu. College students plan better when making wops or jungle juice.
In one single night of a poor $40 dollar dinner you have disappointed me and embarassed me. Gather was one of my favorite spots in the city. I would love to hear what you have to say about my recent experience please leave me a message or email me. Bring back the good 5 dollar happy hour menu!
because if you have a good thing, don’t change it.
@mplsgossipgirl
Family Friendly Restaurants in Minneapolis- Fudruckers
I hadn’t been to a Fudruckers in years until last week. Fudruckers is a burger place and can most closely be related to 5 Guys and Fries the 1990’s version. It is too bad that there is only one left in the Twin Cities. It may be because there is nothing truly good for you on the menu but it still is a fun place to go for families if you don’t want to go to McDonald’s.
No one looks at you funny when your kid throws a crayon or is impatient with you while they try to run away from you. It is expected that you are respectful to others with children.
They also have enough room to get a little wild and there are a few video games to play as well. This may not be necessary because the drink machine is like its own video game. You get to use a touch screen and have tons of options to choose from. My personal favorite was cherry Dr. Pepper. Although you can get as creative as you would like.
The burgers at Fudruckers are very good and come with your choice of toppings, you can put on as many tomatoes as you would like as well as your choice of condiments including nacho cheese. What I like most about the burgers are the buns that are perfectly cooked and fluffy.
The fries are seasoned well plus you get to choose your condiments. Do you want to dip them in nacho cheese or one of the other many condiments? I personally like a little bit of mayo and ketchup.
I think that I like this place because I went here as a child. I always looked forward to Friday nights where I ate a cheese burger, played video games, and purchased trinkets from the candy machines by the door.
You can find the Fudruckers website HERE. They are located near Southdale and parking is free and easy.
What is your favorite place to bring children in the Twin Cities? (always looking for suggestions)
because everyone likes nostalgia.
@mplsgossipgirl
Secrets of the City – Left Handed Cook
The Left Handed Cook is one of the best new restaurants in Minneapolis and is one of the secrets of the city. I cannot believe that this place does not have a line out the door every Friday and Saturday night. It is hip and they are making some great and unexpected food here in Minneapolis.
Located in the Midtown Global Market The Left Handed Cook brings a casual dinner to new heights.
It is a little intimidating for non-foodies. But, if you knew what was actually in the dishes I think you would like it. I watched many people look at the menu and shake their heads. A bip bowl and sandwiches with all of these fancy ingredients were too much for them to think about. I say give it a try you might like it.
I am sure that the owners and cooks would love to explain to you everything that goes into their dishes. It is just sad that one Yelp reviewer said they put a “raw egg” on their bip bowl, I think this person may want to learn how eggs can be cooked different ways; actually it was poached. If you never have had a poached egg before, you must try it. It is my favorite way to eat an egg.
The limited menu boils down to starters, sandwiches, and rice bowls. I would suggest to order at least one sandwich with a rice bowl. To start you off they give you a small snack of popcorn with hand mixed spices.
I ordered the soft shell crab sandwich. The bun is likely from the Salty Tart. For those with a sweet tooth the Salty Tart is a cramped bakery in the Global Market that creates some of the best baked goods in the city. In between the bun is sauce, fried crab pieces, and fresh greens. The sweetness of the soft shell crab comes through the light crunch of the breading. Oozing between the meat and lettuce is a brightly spiced sauce that provides some heat. The best part of the sandwich was truly the sauce that I wish I could have to put on everything in my own home.
On the side is a fresh roasted beet salad. My favorite part of the meal. There is something about a perfectly dressed salad with flavors that meld well that really makes me happy. This particular salad had cheese and a roasted nut with little bit of crunch that paired well with the greens and the dressing. I would eat that salad for lunch everyday.
I also ordered the pork belly rice bowl . Steamed white rice topped with fresh lemon grass, kimchee, asian spiced vegetables, a poached egg, and a perfectly cooked portion of pork belly is what makes up a Bip Bowl. They have many choices for what meat you would like on top.
Overall, this is a great place to go if you are looking for something a bit off the grid. It really filled my need for really good food in a relaxed atmosphere. You don’t need to get dressed up to grab a bite here, come as you are and chow down on a bowl or a sandwich. I also must mention that you can park in the lot across the street for free when you buy something. Bring in your parking ticket and get it stamped by the business that you purchase your food from. It is easy to get in and out of the parking lot.
because good food does not require a fancy outfit.
xoxo
@mplsgossipgirl
mplsgossipgirl 