Shish - Saint Paul

Shish on Grand Avenue in Saint Paul, near the Macalester campus, has some of the best gyros I've found in the Twin Cities. I just grabbed some lunch while running around and picking up some Minnesota Wild tickets.

I had my first gyro while attending school at the University of Wisconsin in Madison Wisconsin. At the time, there were two incredible gyro joints on State Street. The only downside to having world class gyros so easily accessible, is I'm now spoiled and expect only the best. Shish definitely delivers the goods. Their gyros start out with a full grilled pita. I hate it when places try and stuff everything in a cold pita cut in half. That is not good gyro. Then Shish piles on the lettuce, tomato, onion, tzatziki sauce and more gyro meat than a human could ever fold up in a pita. This is good gyro.

I also picked up a chicken shawarma sandwich. Most places would call this a chicken gyro. The shawarma sandwich is just like their gyro sandwich just substitute the beef & lamb with sliced seasoned marinated chicken. I should also add Shish offers excellent hummus and soup as well as a nice little coffee bar and delicious cakes and pastries.

Shish is located at 1668 Grand Avenue between Snelling and Cambridge. Shish is open 7am - 11pm daily.

Pop - Saint Paul

I have Minnesota Wild tickets and I can't wait until the next game so I can go back to my latest hot spot find which is Pop!! downtown Saint Paul. Pop!! is the sister restaurant to the original Pop! in Northeast Minneapolis. I'm guessing this is the story behind the double exclamation marks. I have yet to visit the first Pop!, but I have heard nothing but good reviews. Pop!! Saint Paul is located in the old Fhima space on the corner of Sixth and Wabasha. I always liked Fhima and it's nice to see a new restaurant in this space. The space looks very much the same with a few slight cosmetic changes. If anything, feels more fun and casual. I think it would be a great place to take the kids for something different.

We decided to start out with the Pop!! fritters ($6.25) and the ... ($7.50) off the small plate menu. Both were great and the portions are very generous. We could have easily made a meal of just the appetizers. The signature fritters consisted of black beans, shrimp, cornmeal and served with a chipotle and a quasaca (Venezuelan avocado condiment) dipping sauces. The spicy fondue was served with grilled vegetables, cumin bruschetta, flat bread and plantain chips. I would not recommend ordering this unless you bring two or three friends to share with.

For entrees we went with the Swedish Meatballs and a Spicy BBQ Sandwich. Again, all the portions were very generous and we could have easily split either between the two of us. The meatballs were great, but tasted a little plain against all the other spicy food.

For desert we went with the Dulce De Leche filled crepes with candied hazelnuts and vanilla bean ice cream. For carmel lovers this is a must. It was awesome and I will definitely return just for the desert.

Pop!! has a decent wine & beer list with selections that compliment their menu nicely. It's definitely a great place to stop before or after a show if you have Ordway Theatre tickets or tickets to a Minnesota Wild game at Xcel Energy Center.

The Lexington - St. Paul

We didn't have any Minnesota Twins tickets for the big game vs. the White Sox so we decided to grab some dinner and watch the game at The Lexington, or "The Lex" if you live in Saint Paul. We were looking for a step up from the usual bar fare. Walking in the front door of The Lexington is like stepping into a time machine and taking a trip back 30-40 years back to an era when the supper club was king. The bar at The Lexington is the perfect spot to grab a bite and a drink while watching the game. There is only one TV, but it is large enough for viewing anywhere in the bar area. Don't let the fancy surroundings intimidate you. They will treat you like the Mayor whether you're in a suit and tie or shorts and a t-shirt. This is Saint Paul after all. The menu is upscale supper club. They feature steaks, seafood, pasta and some great comfort food. All the soups are home made and I have yet to try one I did not care for. They offer a wide selection of appetizers, but my favorites are the coconut shrimp and The Lexington green beans, which consists of Fresh green beans blanched in oil then tossed with minced garlic, crushed red pepper, onion. It's hard to play favorites with the entree selections, but the Walleye Almondine is always great on it's own or paired with a steak. I'm not sure if it's on the dinner menu, but I'm a big fan of the 1/2 pound Lex Burger. Order some Bearnaise Sauce on the side to dip your fries. The Lexington is located on the corner of Grand Avenue and Lexington Avenue in Saint Paul. They are open 11am-10pm Monday - Thursday, 11am-11pm Friday and Saturday, and 9am-9pm Sunday.

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.