More to do in Minneapolis - Minnesota

Information Outlook, May, 1999 by Jerry Baldwin

Twin Cities Dining & Nightlife

Minnesota has long enjoyed a reputation as a "meat and potatoes" kind of place. But, as one of her native sons sings, "the times, they are a changing." The Twin Cities, home to America's first Afghani and first Kurdish restaurants, also satisfies diners with more exotic tastes.

Few cities have as many first-rate steak houses. Downtown Minneapolis alone has at least six venues serving large hunks of red meat, properly aged, then cooked to perfection; Capital Grille, Manny's, Merchant's, Morton's, Murray's, and Ruth's Chris. Some consider their menus interchangeable; all are pricey and most have a dark-wood, clubby decor. For locals, the popular choice is Murray's. Overwhelmingly pink, and virtually unchanged since the fifties, it is famous for its Silver Butter Knife Steak. In Saint Paul, the choice is the St. Paul Grill in the hotel of the same name. It has the added benefit of a view of Rice Park, one of America's most attractive public squares.

Seafood lovers may despair, contemplating dining in the Midwest. Nevertheless, the recently opened Oceanaire, with its top-notch oyster bar, should please even the most finicky. Entrees frequently change, based on what's fresh. Airfreight charges, no doubt, play a role in menu prices comparable to the steak houses. Less pricey options for seafood are at Shuang Cheng, near the University of Minnesota, Seafood Palace, on Nicollet Avenue, and at Machu Pichu, featuring Peruvian entrees.

Downtown Minneapolis provides other excellent, if pricey, choices. The recently opened Aquavit in the IDS center offers, surprisingly, the city's first upscale Scandinavian menu. The Local does the same for Irish cuisine. The Italian influenced dishes of D'Amico Cucina, in Butler square, many consider the best the city has to offer. French cuisine can be found at care un deux trois, in the Foshay Tower, or in Forepaugh's, a renovated Victorian home near the equally Victorian Irvine Park in Saint Paul.

More moderate prices can be found in restaurants and cafes catering to nearly any taste. Care Brenda is known for creative vegetarian entrees, Palomino for trendy dishes, The Pickled Parrot for Caribbean and Chez Bananas for an eclectic menu and toys on the table. J. D. Hoyt's offers Cajun and roadhouse food and the Nicollet Island Inn provides an elegant setting with the Mississippi River outside your window. Caravan Serai, America's first Afghani restaurant is now joined by Khyber Pass and Da Afghan, all a bit out of the way, but serving excellent Middle Eastern fare.

Dining on a budget provides many interesting options, especially for tastes running to ethnic foods. Jerusalem's is a good choice for Mediterranean flavors near downtown. Caspian Bistro near the university and Christo's on Nicollet or in Saint Paul's Union Depot are good options for Middle Eastern and Greek. Also near the university, Blue Nile and Red Sea serve spicy Ethiopian fare. For the adventuresome, the real budget finds are the wide array of Asian restaurants, including Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Cambodian and Hmong. And for something unusual, there's Babani's Kurdish restaurant in Saint Paul.

As for comfort food, Market Bar-B-Que and Rudolph's Bar-B-Que in Minneapolis serve two very different styles. Both are popular and each has its advocates, but for real, down-home southern cooking, you have to head to Big Daddy's Old Kentucky Barbecue in the Union Depot.

All this talk about food leaves little room to cover nightlife. Party animals might consider that only appropriate, since local law requires bars to close by 1:00 a.m. and by midnight on Sundays. A wide range of free and minimal cover charge choices compensates for the short hours for music and dancing.

The venerable First Avenue, with an eclectic mix of local and national rock bands is right downtown. Cedar Cultural Center, booking folk, acoustic and world beat groups is a short cab ride away. Jazz is available, at Cafe Luxx downtown, or at Dakota Bar & Grill (excellent regional food, also) in Saint Paul's Bandana square. Irish music and well-poured Guinness is on tap every night at Kieran's Pub and the Dubliner. The blues can be heard seemingly anywhere, especially in bars near the university. It's on stage nightly at uptown's Famous Dave's BBQ & Blues, in a faux-grunge setting, but you might want to head to the Blues Saloon in Frogtown, for the real thing on Friday, Saturday, or Monday.

Once again, there are more options than space to write about them. During the conference, be sure to stop by the Minnesota Chapter hospitality booth for the latest information on our ever-changing dining and entertainment scene.

Minnesota - Great Outdoors, Great Indoors

Minnesotans are known for our inventiveness in finding ways to revel in our great outdoors whatever the weather. Everyone knows about Saint Paul's Winter Carnival and its ice palaces, but how many know they can thank Minnesotans for personal snowmobiles, water skis, and in-line skates?