LYN 65

Lyn 65 is a cute little place on the border of Richfield and Minneapolis, in an odd little strip mall. We tried to visit Lyn 65 a week before we actually ate there, but when we arrived the first time they said nothing was available for 2 hours. The restaurant is quite small, and reservations can be made online, so I highly recommend them. So, for our second visit the next weekend, we made reservations ahead of time and were seated right away.

We started with a couple of drinks. The menu is heavy on local beers and whiskey and bourbon based cocktails.

I had the Cut Cut Stab Kill, which contains Cabin Still bourbon, blood orange marmalade, blood orange cello, lemon and egg white. While potent, it was pretty light and refreshing.

John had the fish fry, which was a special on the Friday we visited. The fish was very light and flaky with a beer batter and lots of fries served on the side. The tartar sauce was quite good too.

I had the half fried chicken because I had read a lot in the local media about this dish. The chicken was very tender and juicy with a crisp skin. I really liked the grits served on the side.

At the end of the meal we were both given small vanilla soft serve cones as a complimentary dessert. They were quite good, not your average soft serve.

The service was excellent. Though the restaurant was very busy the entire time we were there we were not rushed along. The long narrow room has a bar on one side, tables on the other side and is a bit loud as there is just cement flooring and not much on the ceiling or walls. The light fixtures feature old fashioned style light bulbs and the room was quite dark.

Overall, we enjoyed the food and drinks a lot. If you live nearby, this would be one of my favorite neighborhood spots.


Deals & discounts: Happy hour specials are amiable Sunday through Friday from 4-6pm. See the website for more details: http://lyn65.com/pdf/lyn65_happyhour_menu.pdf 


Lyn 65
6439 Lyndale Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55423
(612) 353-5501

Three Squares

We visited Three Squares in Maple Grove recently for dinner on a Monday night. It was busy when we arrived, especially for a Monday night, with a wait for a table. We ended up finding a spot at the bar, so we just ate there.

John had the fish and chips. The fries were really good and the fish was also good. The breading was a bit heavy and thick, and the fish was light and flaky.

I wanted to try the perogies, so I got the steak and perogies entrée. For the price ($14.95) the steak was very good, cooked and ordered and very flavorful. The perogies were really good as well, with a horseradish dipping sauce on the side, for added flavor. The perogies are basically pasta filled with mashed potatoes and I liked them a lot. It is an out of the ordinary side dish.

The service at the bar was fine for our needs, though the bartender was very busy serving people eating at the bar and preparing drinks for the entire restaurant, so some people were waiting for things on occasion.

Deals & discounts: I highly recommend joining their eClub. We’ve been getting coupons on a pretty regular basis recently. On this visit we used a buy one get one free coupon. The only catch is that it was only good Monday through Friday.  There is also a Blue Plate Restaurants app available and you get a $10 off coupon just for adding the app to your phone. I think we will be using that coupon next!


Three Squares
12690 Arbor Lakes Parkway North
Maple Grove, MN 55369
(763) 425-3330

Tucci Benuch

We went to Tucci Benuch at the Mall of American recently as I had a couple Lettuce Entertain You diner club awards to use. I have not eaten at Tucci Benuch for many years and John had never been.

We were seated right away in the patio-like area in the front near the bar and it took a few minutes for a server to come by to greet us. The service after that was fine though. It was a good spot to sit and people watch at least.

Tucci’s famous ruby punch was recommended by the server and it was a delicious, sweet and fruity drink. It contained strawberrycello, blood orange, pomegranate and passion according to the menu.

John had the margarita pizza. The pizza is more of a flatbread, rather than a traditional pizza, with a very thin cracker crust. John was not crazy about the cracker crust, so he was disappointed in the pizza.

I had the chicken Parmesan. The chicken was actually quite good and the breading was very light, which I liked. I’m not sure I liked the marinara that much, it did not taste very fresh, it tasted canned.

Overall, out of all of the Lettuce Entertain You chain of restaurants in the Twin Cities, I think Tucci Benuch was our least favorite. Everything was ok, but nothing was outstanding or worth returning for.


Tucci Benuch
Mall of America
114 West Market
Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 853-0200
http://www.tucci-benucch.com/

Dayblock Brewing

We visited Day Block brewing recently because we had bought a Living Social offer online. Day Block is a newer brewery opened in 2014 in downtown Minneapolis and it is unique because it is more of a brewpub, with a large menu available.

We started with a couple flights of beers.

We got the bacon flight as part of our Living Social deal. The bacon flight flavors change daily. I’m not sure bacon needs additional flavor, though these were good.

I also ordered a pub pretzel. The beer mustard was really good; it was spicy but not too spicy. The pretzel itself was excellent, very hot, fresh and soft dough.

We got a growler to go and a T-shirt as part of our deal as well. I think we got Erik the Red as it was our favorite out of all of their beers.

The service was good and the space is very large and open. They even offer a full bar with liquor, so this might be a good option if you have friends that are not that into beer. The menu had appetizers, pizzas and some sandwiches, so there is a good amount of variety available.

Deals & discounts: I don’t think the Living Social offer is available anymore, but they do offer a variety of happy hour specials Sunday through Friday. I would imagine specials could change, so check out their website for more details.


Day Block Brewpub
1105 South Washington Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55415
(612) 617-7793
https://www.dayblockbrewing.com/