azuki sushi closed - OH NO!

You may have heard my go-to sushi spot is closed forever. Earlier this month asuki sushi in Minneapolis closed and rumour has it the owners moved back to New York. The good news is a couple of sushi chefs from another of my favorite restaurants are opening their own sushi bar in the old azuki space. The sign on the window says opening soon.

Salut Bar Americain - Saint Paul

I seized on the opportunity to dine outside for the first time this year with the 80 degree temperatures. It was a perfect evening for Salut Bar Americain on Grand Avenue in Saint Paul. This was probably my third time dining on the patio at Salut and all three times have been pretty consistent. Grand Avenue, and Saint Paul in general, are desperate for more places like Salut. I hope more local restaurateurs take note of Salut’s apparent success and open up more cool places to go out to. They were sure busy on this warm spring night. I’ve noticed on the half dozen or so times I here that it is a favorite spot for girl’s night out. Salut has a comfortable bar area that opens on to the large outdoor patio. There is also a large indoor dining room and even when they are very busy I’ve never had to wait longer than a couple drinks to get a table. I’m not sure is Salut is an American bar-restaurant trying to be a French bistro or a French bistro trying to be an American bar-restaurant. Either way it seems to work. You will feel comfortable here in a jacket and tie or t-shirt and flip flops. The food and service at Salut are good, but if they could kick it up a notch or two I think they would really have something. None the less, it is still probably the best option on Grand if you a looking for a spot to meet up with friends between Lexington and Dale that is a step up from the rest.

We started out with a generous portion of calamari which was lightly fried and served with both an aioli mayo and a roasted red pepper sauce. Both complimented the calamari nicely. I shared a crock of the French onion soup, which always hits the spot. For the main course I shared Le Cheeseburger Royale, a bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and onion, served with excellent Pomme Frites and Béarnaise sauce. The French fries with the side of Béarnaise were the highlight. Unfortunately, the Lyonnaise frisee salad we shared was not so great. We finished off the evening with a gigantic piece of red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. This cake is awesome and worth a trip just for desert.

I would put the menu prices on the reasonable moving towards the high side. There is plenty of variety on the menu as well. Anywhere from small plates to full blown steak and fresh seafood dinners. Salut is located at 917 Grand Avenue in Saint Paul. They are open Monday – Thursday 11am – 10pm, Friday & Saturday 11am – Midnight and Sunday 10am-10pm.

Blue Door Pub - Saint Paul

I've been to the Blue Door Pub three times since it opened a few months back and each time it has been great. Located just off the corner of Selby and Fairview in the Merriam Park / Lexington - Hamline neighborhood, it's the perfect spot to grab a casual bite to eat or a great micro brew. It is a cozy little restaurant and it's been packed every time I've been there. But don't let the crowds discourage you. There is a small bar and plenty of great beer on tap. It's definitely worth the wait and the kids will love the chalk board walls in the booths. This would be a great spot before or after the game if have Minnesota Wild tickets.

My favorite appetizer has to be the Spam Bites. Spam, cream cheese, pickles rolled up into generous sized balls, breaded and deep fried. They are served with a spicy chili lime sauce and are out of this world. They also offer some the best fried green beans I've ever had. You can get them as an appetizer or on the side with your sandwich as an alternative to fries or tater tots. The tots are also excellent. Either plain, my preference, or Cajun.

I usually prefer a proper burger over the stuffed 'juicy lucy' style or 'Blucy' as they are called here, but the Blue Door Pub does a really nice job with theirs. On my last visit I tried the Frenchie, which was the burger of the day. Stuffed with Swiss cheese and caramelized onion on a toasted, buttered, super fresh bun and served with a side of au jus. This was incredible and I can't wait to satisfy my craving for another on my next visit. Another favorite of mine is the Pub Sandwich, which is basically a BLT with pepper jack cheese and a fried egg. I have also tried the Blucy, their specialty burger stuffed with blue cheese and garlic, and their straight up cheese burger. Both are worth coming back for.

The Blue Door Pub is located at 1811 Selby Avenue. They are open Monday - Sunday 11am - 1am. The phone number is 651-493-1865.

azuki sushi open and delivers to downtown Minneapolis

Azuki sushi is open!!! I had lunch delivered this week and it was great. My office is close to the Metrodome downtown Minneapolis. I'm not sure how extensive their delivery area is, but if you live or work downtown, it is definitely worth checking out.

azuki sushi open December 1st!!!

Great news for azuki sushi fans! Jenny from azuki sent me a message to let everyone know they plan on being open December 1st after they are finished remodeling.

azuki sushi closed ???!!!

My buddy scored us some Minnesota Gophers hockey tickets for the game today. I offered to buy lunch at my favorite sushi spot, azuki in Dinkytown on the University of Minnesota campus. To my horror it was closed up. There is a note on the door saying 'closed for remodeling'. It did not appear there was any work going on inside. A passer-by noticed us peering in the window and told us they've been closed for over a week or two. I really hope they are only closed for remodeling and not closed for good. If anyone out there has the inside scoop please post a comment.

Cantina #1 - Bloomington

I went to check out the new Cantina #1 at the Mall of America on a recommendation from a friend of mine. Usually, I try and avoid the chain restaurants, but on this occasion I was pleasantly surprised. I was totally expecting a super-cheesy Jimmy Buffet cheeseburger in Paradise type joint serving uninspiring mall food. Luckily Cantina #1 blew my low expectations out of the water. The restaurant design will make you feel more like you are in a swank downtown Latin restaurant than the largest indoor mall in America. Don't get me wrong, you still won't forget you are in a Corona owned restaurant, but it is by no means over the top. I ate in one of the hip booths the dining room but next time would opt for a spot at the more cozy tiki bar area. With plenty of large flat-screen TVs this would be an ideal spot to have a cold Corona Extra and watch the game if you don't have Minnesota Timberwolves tickets.

Like most Mexican restaurants we were immediately brought a basket of chips and salsa. The fresh salsa was very good with plenty of cilantro. The chips themselves were a bit average but the salsa made up for it. My favorite part of the meal was the shrimp ceviche appetiser. I would come back just for this. It ended up being a huge portion of shrimp ceviche spilling out of a coconut bowl served with chips. I can't think of a better way to break up a day of shopping than an ice cold margarita and this very satisfying snack. For the main course I went with the fajita platter with a trifecta of shrimp, steak and chicken. I washed it all down with a very tasty margarita on the rocks. Next time I think I will try one of the many tropical drinks on the menu.

Corona's Cantina # 1 is located on the 4th floor on the East side of the Mall of America.