El Patio, St. Paul

El Patio Mexican Grill is conveniently located on St. Paul’s West Seventh Street, giving easy access to pre-Wild margaritas. The carnitas are what is to try here, but vegetarians also have options as there is a separate menu of meatless delights (the complimentary soup is not vegetarian so watch for that). The spot isn’t called El Patio for nothing, in the summer there is great space for outdoors dining although it’s tough to think about in the middle of January.

The margaritas are expensive but tasty. The better drink deal here is the 40 ounce draft beers for only six to seven bucks, and that includes Heineken! If you’re feeling Mexican on a Minnesota Wild game night, or any night, El Patio is a good space. If you don’t sit in the dining room, get up and try to check out the mural that is strewn across one of its walls at some point.

128 Cafe - St. Paul, Minnesota

Residents of the MacGroveland Neighborhood in Saint Paul will be happy to know the 128 Cafe is back and better than ever. We stopped in for an early dinner on our way to the Timberwolves game at the Target Center in Minneapolis. For those who have been to the 128 Cafe, it is a 60 seat casual-sheik restaurant on the corner of Cleveland and Laurel right across the street from the University of Saint Thomas Campus and just minutes away from downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul. We started out with the steamed fennel mussels which were perfect. We also tried the chipotle seasoned pumpkin soup with creme fraiche and a caesar salad. Both were great and really hit the spot. For dinner we had the flank steak and bbq baby back ribs. The ribs, which were a specialty of the old 128 were fantastic as always. The meat falls off the bone and is not fatty at all. For desert we had the egg nog creme brulee which also did not disappoint. The dinner and wine menus are both very fairly priced which with the free Timberwolves tickets I got from my boss made for an inexpensive date! Overall a great way to kick off the evening and highly recommended. Valet parking is available and some of the street parking does require a permit.

Spill the Wine; Minneapolis

On the other side of town, Willie’s wine bar shuts down because of no business. That was in the Laurel Village neighborhood next to the behemoth University of St. Thomas Minneapolis campus. Come on, we all know that college kids don’t drink wine. Meanwhile, Spill the Wine is birthed on Washington Avenue next to the Metrodome. Will Twins fans come? Ha, try Guthrie Theatre goers. Spill the Wine will give it a go at its East Downtown location, with two separate spaces for dining and drinking. The bar has televisions and a wall displayed with regional wine. The dining room features an open kitchen.

Get $5 appetizers from 4-7 p.m. or even $15 bottles of wine. Grilled asparagus sounds pretty darn good with a nice sauvignon blanc, no? At dinner, order the beef tenderloin and another bottle of wine, this time a crisp pinot noir. Besides, there’s no rule about switching colors midway through, just make sure to clean the palette. If you want to make a real night out of it, come for one of the five-course Italian Wine Dinners. The next one is September 27. At $59 a pop, it presents a real opportunity at reeling in your biology class crush (if you’re one of those special college kids who like wine).

Spill the Wine is in a great spot to sweep up Guthrie fans and Metrodome fans alike and don't forget the weekday lunch rush of business people - this is in a booming business district with fresh new office buildings including the one on the corner of Washington and Chicago that belongs to local Minnesota ticket broker, Ticket King.

Lake Elmo Inn, Lake Elmo, Minnesota

You might run the risk of running into some obnoxious teenagers out for a sno-daze ball, but the Lake Elmo Inn is always a good bet when you want to spend a night out with a pleasant drive and elegant dining. The Inn was established in 1881, and current owner John Schlitz is keeping tradition alive by keeping the Inn’s legendary salt & pepper shaker collection intact and the restaurant’s historical décor pristine. It’s fine dining, yet casual. You’ll receive a hot towel, but the service is friendly.

Enjoy a relaxing drive out to Lake Elmo down highway 5, an area of the Twin Cities less bustling but more picturesque than the west suburbs. The cuisine is classic and fine, but highly affordable. The Lake Elmo Inn continues to hold fast to its location, refusing to roll over to chain restaurants while offering quality dining at a reasonable price.

Eli’s Food and Cocktails, Minneapolis, MN

Oh how I pity you, all you downtown business people who wait for a Chipotle burrito in a 20-minute long line over the lunch hour. Why wait for Chipotle, when you can escape the horrors of lunch hour on Nicollet Mall at Eli’s Food and Cocktails down the street on Hennepin Avenue. Eli’s, located at 1225 N Hennepin Ave., has a true neighborhood feeling to it in a downtown area. The across-the-street Laurel Village apartments and close-by Loring Park add to its more quiet atmosphere compared to skyway restaurants and eateries inside of downtown towers.

You can sit yourself down over the lunch hour and have a beer while reading a good book, or stroll down with a co-worker for some conversation. The menu offers favorites in seafood, pasta and sandwiches, with a daily “board” menu offering specials. Try the macaroni and cheese for grown ups or do one of the tasty sandwiches. The food is great, the service is extremely friendly and the décor is modern without being futuristic or intimidating. Stop in after work for happy hour from 3-6 for dollar off drinks. Escaping the Nicollet Mall never felt so good.

Heartland Contemporary Midwestern Restaurant; St Paul, MN

Lenny Russo and Mega Hoehn’ Heartland: A Contemporary Midwestern Restaurant was such a food critic success that Russo was stolen away from his executive chef work at his own restaurant to the Guthrie Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. Now that Russo is back home in St. Paul’s Macalester-Groveland neighborhood, Heartland patrons couldn’t be happier. Everything Russo touches turns to gold, and regulars at the Heartland want their eating quarters to be golden for some time to come.

Heartland, located at 1806 St. Clair Ave., uses only indigenous ingredients from the American and Canadian Midwest. The restaurant includes a pastry kitchen where breads and pastries are made daily. Heartland prepares two fixed priced menus per night, one “flora” and one “fauna.” If the fixed priced menus don’t suit your tastes for the evening, choose from an a la carte menu that ranges from $6 yellow wax beans with walnut vinegar butter to $36 Minnesota elk chop with glazed organic fennel. The dining room has an even 50 seats, with décor dedicated to the early Twentieth Century Arts & Crafts movement. A highly elegant wine and beer bar is located adjacent to the restaurant, a good place for non-reservation holders to enjoy some of Heartland’s superlative aura.

Bombay Bistro; Minneapolis, MN

The search for exceptional Indian food in the Twin Cities can end with a visit to Bombay Bistro on Marquette Ave. and Eighth St. in downtown Minneapolis. Voted best Twin Cities Indian restaurant in 2007 by City Pages, Bombay Bistro presents an exhaustive menu that includes beef, chicken, vegetarian and seafood Indian dishes. Quickly becoming Britain’s national dish, the chicken tikka masala is always a safe choice for Indian food newbies. Once treasured as a fine-dining experience, masala is becoming Americanized in a fast-food fashion; something for the masses to pick up over their lunch hour for a quick bite. That said, if you’re going for lunch, expect to be able to get the chicken tikka masala or some other popular Indian delicacy on Bombay Bistro’s bountiful buffet line. Get white or lemon rice, spiced potatoes and green beans or the most flavored meatballs and sauce you can imagine on a single plate and don’t be shy to try a second. Being accustomed to burgers and fries will make Bombay Bistro’s flavors and spices take your taste buds on a trip to Valleyfair. Or better yet, try getting Jimmy John’s subs for lunch on Monday and then visiting the Bombay Bistro lunch buffet on Tuesday and be prepared to be knocked out. And if you’re a lowly Target intern, never fear, Bombay Bistro’s lunch buffet is reasonably priced at $9.50.