Maxwell's American Pub - Minneapolis

I found out some great news today. Maxwell's American Pub is opening this Saturday after being closed after a devastating fire in February. Anyone lucky enough to have Minnesota Vikings tickets or Minnesota Gophers Football tickets for the games this weekend should stop by, grab a beer and one of their awesome sandwiches and welcome Maxwell's back! For anyone not familiar, Maxwell's is located at 1201 Washington Avenue South, just blocks from the Metrodome in Minneapolis. They offer a wide selection of tap beer and a great menu. Their phone number is 612-354-7085.

azuki Japanese Restaurant - Minneapolis

My business partner had to run to Minneapolis to pick up tickets for the Minnesota Vikings game this Sunday at the Metrodome. On his way he stopped to pick up lunch for the office. He happened across azuki Japanese Restaurant, a little hole in the wall on the University of Minnesota campus. I'm a huge sushi fan, but always a bit leery of raw fish from somewhere I've never heard of. Well, this may be one of the restaurant finds of the year. The sushi rolls were awesome. The crowd favorite had to be their New Orleans roll which consisted of craw fish, avocado, 'crunchy inside', snow crab, spicy tuna & wasabi tobiko on top. This was one giant sushi roll. All the fish was incredibly fresh. My second favorite was the Crunchy Spicy Tuna roll. We did not try any of the Sushimi or A La Carte sushi, but I have to go back now that I know the quality of fish is so high.

For a tiny little restaurant, azuki has a fairly extensive menu. They offer three different soups daily and five unique salads. You will find most of your favorite Japanese appetizers, including Edamame, Shumai, Gyoza, Negimaki, Tempura, Yakitori & Tuna Tataki, just to name a few. There is also a decent list of Japanese Entrees. The prices seem extremely fair. On average, $4-$6 for appetisers, $8-$12 for special rolls, $3-$6 for regular rolls and a la carte sushi and sashimi, and $10-$15 for entrees.

I noticed on their menu they offer delivery, which I plan on trying in the very near future. Azuki is located at 307 Oak Street SE on the University of Minnesota campus blocks away from Mariucci Arena. It is tucked in between Chipotle and the Oak Street Cinema. They are open Monday - Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday - Saturday 11am-11pm and Sunday 1pm-10pm. The phone number is 612-331-9551.

Meritage - Saint Paul Minnesota

Before attending a recent performance at the Ordway Theatre in Saint Paul, we had a fabulous meal at Meritage. Meritage is French stlye bistro located in the historic Hamm building just blocks from the Ordway Theatre, Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Xcel Energy Center and the Fitzgerald Theatre. It occupies the same space as the now closed A Rebours. The new restaurant and menu are very similar to A Rebours. The weather was perfect for enjoying dinner on the sidewalk patio. To drink we started with decided to start off with a glass of Rose Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine. Their dinner menu is split up into "Amusements", "Soups & Salads", "Introductions", "Main Characters" and "Plat Du Jour". The "Amusements" are made up of $3 two-bite appetisers. We tried the "Tiny Tuna TarTar Taco" and the "Braised Beef Strudel", which consisted of braised beef and gravy twisted inside of puff pastry. Both were exceptional and the Cava complimented them nicely. We then moved onto the "Classic Pork Rillette with Fig Puree". The rillette, which is basically a pate made from slow cooked pork, was served in a small mason jar with a layer of fig jam on top, all on a plate with grilled bread, dill pickles and brown mustard. This substantial starter would make a perfect light lunch or would be great on a picnic. From there we moved onto some Alaskan Halibut and Roasted Rack of Iowa Lamb. Both dishes were great, but the Halibut was my favorite. It was served with a sweet pea puree, glazed fingerling potatoes, cippolini onions and a white truffle emulsion. This was a perfect summertime dish loaded with tons of complex flavors. The white truffle and sweet pea worked great together. We split an order of the Pomme Frittes with Bearnaise sauce on the side. The Pomme Frittes were excellent. We brought our own bottle of Sea Smoke Ten Pinot Nior. The wine was awesome and went nicely with both the fish and the pork. For desert we went with the Vanilla Bean Pot du Creme and Chocolate cake. The Pot du Creme was a vanilla cream custard with whipped cream and served with an almond cookie. Our waitress suggested pairing it with a white Pineau des Charentes. Overall, it was a great meal. It was nice to see that Meritage has picked up where A Rebours left off.

Eagle Street Grille; St Paul

After a recent noon Minnesota Twins game, my buddies and I headed to Eagle Street Grille in St. Paul for a late lunch and beer. This is one of my favorite bars in St. Paul before or after Minnesota Wild games, with the kids or with the guys, I always have a good time; good food, good atmosphere, good service.

The guys who own the Eagle Street, Kevin and Joe, have really made it their own since they purchased it. The Eagle Street Grille menu reflects the since forgotten mob presence in St. Paul. The items have names such as ‘the bandit burger,’ the ‘black mail’ chicken sandwich and my favorite the ‘loan shark’ walleye sandwich. They also have a sandwich dedicated to their alma mater, Cretin Derham Hall.

They have a good selection of tap and bottled beer so everyone’s sure to be pleased. The Eagle Street bartenders are friendly and know me and my guys by name now. I ordered the D “Anne” G Burger with blue cheese, mushrooms and bacon. I tried the seasoned sour cream with the fries and was unimpressed, it tasted more like sour tarter sauce than sour cream with ranch seasoning. No worries, though, everyone left pleased. The Eagle Street Grille is a good place to head after Twins Games because it’s a short drive once you’ve escaped the Metrodome Minneapolis traffic and it’s not that crowded.

Fat Lorenzo's Pizza - Minneapolis Minnesota

One of my favorite Pizza places in Minneapolis is Fat Lorenzo's near Lake Nakomis. We recently stopped for pizza on the way home from the Minnesota Twins game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. They have great New York style pizza. They really load on the cheese and use very fresh ingredients. Because the pizza is so great I have yet to try the hot hoagies or pasta, but from what I've seen they look tempting. If you are looking for an appetizer try the Homemade Bread Stick. My kids love them. Because the food is so great and it's such a popular spot be prepared to grab a beer and wait for table. Fat Lorenzo's is located at 5600 Cedar Avenue South on the corner of Cedar and Edgewater Blvd. They have off street parking behind the restaurant.

Xcel Energy Center - Saint Paul, Minnesota

There may not be a hotter spot in the Twin Cities right now than Xcel Energy Center. Anyone with Minnesota Wild Hockey Playoff tickets knows this to be true. I was lucky enough to score a couple tickets to last Friday's Minnesota Wild Playoff game. As long as I was at the game I figured I might as well check out some of the food offerings. I was actually a little disappointed with how limited the options were if you didn't want a hot dog, something deep fried or drowning in fake cheese. I was excited to see they did offer Davanni's Pizza. Having grown up in the Twin Cities I've been a huge fan of Davanni's since they started out back in the '80's. Unfortunately, the hunk of overcooked dried out cardboard I was served at the Minnesota Wild game resembled no Davanni's pizza I've ever had. One thing Xcel Energy center does offer is a great beer selection, both domestic and import. Luckily my ice cold Summit Beer, a Saint Paul classic, didn't disappoint. Paired with an exciting Wild hockey game win, it more than made up for my terrible pizza experience.

Kafe 421 - Minneapolis, Minnesota

We enjoyed a great dinner at Kafe 421 in the heart of Dinkytown on the University Of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Kafe 421 was founded by Georgia Sander, who emigrated from Greece at the age of 14. The restaurant consists of a bistro / wine bar with sidewalk seating in the front half with a more elegant dining area in the rear. It's a perfect place to go if you are looking for a gourmet meal without having to get dressed up or spending a fortune. It would be an ideal place to grab a drink and something to eat before going to an event at the Varsity Theatre or Northrop Auditorium. If you have Minnesota Gopher Basketball Tickets at Williams Arena this would be a great place to stop for a sandwich and a beer before or after the game.

I'm glad we made a reservation as the restaurant was packed when we arrived. I tried a glass of the Skouras Moschofilero while we waited for our table. This Greek white wine hit the spot and I could certainly see pairing it with seafood or spicy Asian dishes. Kafe 421's wine list is well rounded and very affordable.

After a very short wait our table was ready. We started out with the Mezedes, which turned out to be a huge appetizer platter consisting or Spanakopita, Caprese Skewers, Coconut Shrimp, Beef Kebabs and Fava Beans with Tomato Sauce. This massive plate of food could easily satisfy two for dinner. It was an excellent way to sample what Kafe 421 has to offer. Everything was great, but the highlights were the shrimp, caprese and beef kebabs. The Shrimp was lightly breaded and served with a sweet orange sauce. The Caprese was served on bite size skewers with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar. These would make awesome appetizers for a party. The beef was cooked perfectly and served with a creamy cucumber sauce.

I tried the Rack of Lamb for dinner. The lamb was grilled to perfection with Greek seasoning and served with a Dijon Mustard vinaigrette, Mashed Potatoes and Haricots Verts. My dinner companion had the equally tasty Campesino, which was a grilled London Broil served with a creamy Gorgonzola sauce, asparagus and roasted potatoes. Just like the lamb, the London Broil was done perfectly and the complimented nicely by the Gorgonzola sauce.

For desert we tried the Galatobouriko, which is a Creamy Custard and Orange Zest wrapped in Phyllo Pastry with Grand Marnier and Honey Syrup. The desert was great and I recommend adding a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Kafe 421 is located at 421 14th Avenue SE in Minneapolis Minnesota. They offer parking validation for the lot directly behind the restaurant. They are open Monday - Thursday 11am - 9pm, Friday & Saturday 11am - 10pm and Sunday 12pm - 9pm.