Rudolph's BBQ

We stopped in at Rudolph's on a night we did not feel like cooking. Those happen a lot at our house. Thank goodness for restaurants.

We've dined at Rudolph's quite a few times before because they have a coupon in the Entertainment book every year. The discount is a good amount, but for some reason the food is always sort of underwhelming. We've tried ribs at quite a few places around town and while Rudolph's is probably one of the nicest rib joints in town, it is also one of the most expensive. The ribs are ok, but they have never impressed me all that much. There are better ribs at other places around town at lower prices.

John ordered the St Louis style spare ribs with fries.The ribs were good really. Not dry and not fatty. I think the sauce is a bit underwhelming. The sauce is closer to ketchup than anything else in flavor and consistency. It just has a bit more of a brown sugar flavor to it than ketchup. I guess I like a BBQ sauce with a bit more spice and unusual flavors. The french fries are your standard frozen french fries, nothing special, but not bad either.

I had the herb grilled walleye with mashed potatoes, asparagus and lemon sauce. I was trying to order something a little lighter, but the lemon sauce tasted mostly of butter, so I don't think it was a lower calorie meal at all. The fish did not taste of herbs either, it just had a light breading on it that was getting soggy from all of the lemon butter sauce. The fish was cooked properly and tasted ok. The asparagus was ok, but somewhat overcooked and limp. The mashed potatoes were good, but the garlic flavor in them did not mesh well with the lemon butter sauce all around them.

The service was acceptable and our server was very efficient. We were seated next to a large table of ladies who were very loudly enjoying the happy hour though. So it was pretty loud in the bar area. The dining room tends to be a lot quieter. Maybe next time we need to request a table in the dining room instead.

Deals & Discounts: Rudolph's is always in the Entertainment book and is is always a hefty discount, for example in the current 2013 book the coupon is good for up to $20 off with the purchase of another entree of equal or lesser value. I suppose that is the main reason we keep returning here. They also have a very good happy hour from 4-7 pm Monday through Friday and 11-6 pm on Saturday and Sunday. They have discounts appetizers and $3 rails drinks and $2 off tap beer and wines.


Rudolph's BBQ
1933 Lyndale Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 871-8969
www.rudolphsribs.com