JW Marriott Bloomington and Cedar + Stone Urban Table

Michele, Kelly and I spent a weekend at the Mall of America JW Marriott to celebrate Michele's birthday a little early this year. I think we are on our 3rd annual MOA girls weekend as of this year. It is always fun to get away even if it is just for one night. We have lots of fun shopping, dining and just spending time with each other.

This year we stayed at the JW Marriott. (Last year was the Radisson Blu.) Kelly booked us in a suite this year! It was a large room with two rooms plus a gigantic bathroom.

Huge bathroom!

TV in bedroom

living room

Nice view of the airport and the MOA parking lots.

We had brunch before we checked out at the Cedar + Stone restaurant. I had the fried egg sandwich with candied bacon, white cheddar, garlic aioli, english muffin loaf. The breakfast potatoes were a mixture of potato types and actually quite good, probably because sweet potatoes were included.

biscuits and gravy

cedar and stone breakfast

The food and service at Cedar + Stone were both excellent, though a bit slow at the outset. It was busy and they explained it would be a bit until they could take out order. But our order was taken pretty quickly, so it was a bit odd we were told that.

We also enjoyed happy hour in the bar on Saturday afternoon while we waited for our suite to be ready. Oddly, it wasn't ready until 5pm, but we enjoyed drinks and apps in the bar a lot. Also, the shower did not drain, so that was not great either. Think they also forgot to come and setup the sofa bed for Kelly, we had to call and request it. The hiccups were a bummer, but the room looked nice anyway. I'm not even sure if Kelly mentioned the issues at the front desk.


JW Marriott
2141 Lindau Ln
Minneapolis, MN 55425
Phone: (612) 615-0100
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/mspjw-jw-marriott-minneapolis-mall-of-america/

Firelake MOA

I visited Firelake again recently for a girlfriend getaway at the Radisson Blu at the Mall of America with Kelly and Michele.  After reviewing the dining choices at the MOA we realized there are not a lot of great options there.

Kelly ordered the Blue Smash drink and it looked cool! It was made with fresh blueberries, vanilla simple syrup, fresh squeezed orange juice, Zaya 12 year rum and ginger ale.

We started with broccoli tots, which were deep fried chopped up broccoli with Boursin, white cheddar, smokehouse bacon, potato crust. The dipping sauce had a good kick to it. These were oddly good.

Our second starter was the Dirty Fries- hand-cut frites, Eichten’s cheese curds, Pinot Noir reduction, oven dried mushrooms and truffle salt. They were serviceable fries. I wished for more of the cheese curds.

Kelly had a salad with rock shrimp.

Michele had the Roasted Tomato Soup & Hook’s Grilled Cheese Hook’s 2-year aged Wisconsin cheddar cheese and brioche.

I had the I had the rosemary rotisserie chicken entrée with cheddar mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were good, but I did not detect a lot of cheese flavor in them.

We found the service to be excellent and the food was quite good also. The menu had a pretty wide variety and a lot of local themed and sourced items.


Firelake
2100 Killebrew Dr
Bloomington, MN 55425
Phone: (952) 881-5258
http://www.firelakerestaurant.com/moa.php

Caio Bella

John had received a Ciao Bella gift card from his team  at work for the holidays, so we recently went for dinner. We made a reservation in advance, I am not sure it was necessary, this is a very large restaurant, but we did not have to wait for a table this way, even though it was not crowded when we arrived.

John had never been to Ciao Bella and I had not been for many years, probably since I worked in Bloomington, so it took us awhile to decide on our selections from the large menu.

John had the cacao e pepe, the grilled shrimp with pecorino, cracked peppercorn and parmigiana reggiano served over spaghetti. There were six large shrimp over the spaghetti and it was a large portion.

I had the short rib and roasted tomato ravioli with caramelized onion and thyme. The ravioli were stuffed with the short rib meat and were cooked perfectly. The tomato and onion were served on top and added a lot of savory flavor to the dish.

The service was very good and we both enjoyed all of our food a lot. For some reason we usually do not crave Italian food, but whenever we have it, it is very good and we enjoy it a lot, when it is done well, so we should give it a try more frequently.


Ciao Bella
3501 Minnesota Dr
Minneapolis, MN 55435
Phone: (952) 841-1000
http://ciaobellamn.com/

Shake Shack Mall of America

We were excited to hear earlier this year that a branch of the famed Shake Shack would be opening at the Mall of America. It is located in the newly redone food court area on the third floor on the North side of the mall. The menu ranges from burgers, hot dogs, fries and chicken sandwiches to frozen custard made into concretes and shakes.

You order at the center, are given a number and you can take a seat until your order is ready. The food was ready pretty quickly and the line to order moved very quickly as well.

I had the Smoke Shack burger, shown on the left, which is topped with with cheese, smoked
Niman Ranch bacon, chopped cherry pepper and Shack Sauce. John had the Shack Burger, on the right, which is topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and Shack Sauce. Shack sauce is basically their versions of secret sauce and seems to be mayonnaise-based slightly spicy, sweet and sour blend of mayo, ketchup, mustard and spices. I really liked it mixed in with the cherry peppers on my burger. the meat was tender and juicy and the buns were lighted toasted and try fresh and delicious.

The crinkle cut fries were hot, fresh and crispy. Very solid overall. 

We thought the food was very good with burgers that are well above average. The service was quick and friendly as well. I think Shake Shack is a very good addition to the average, run of the mill  fast food options at the Mall of America. The mall could use more quality options along these lines.


Shake Shack
332 E Broadway
Bloomington, MN 55425
Phone:(952) 466-6056
https://www.shakeshack.com

Cadillac Ranch - Mall of America

We met Kristin and Chris at the Mall of American the other day. We could not really decide where to go, but we knew we wanted to go somewhere that would have college football on TV. We could see the game was on when we walked by, the menu looked OK, so we thought we would give it a try. We were seated right away and the server was with us promptly. He was good at checking back with us throughout our visit.

John had the buffalo chicken sandwich. It was your basic chicken sandwich and fries. 

I had the pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw and blue cheese potato chips. The pork was OK and the BBQ sauce was in short supply. I'd call this average, nothing special.

The blue cheese chips were not bad, although I was expecting a potato chip rather than potato slices. They were decent though with lots of blue cheese dressing and crumbles on top.

Chris had the no bull burger, which was a hamburger topped with pulled pork, BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese and onion straws.

Kristin had the Philly cheese steak with a side of fries.

The food was fine, the service was acceptable, but the one thing that made us all want to leave as soon as we were done, we the extremely cold temperature of the dining room. All of us were freezing cold, even people that never get cold normally. Maybe they keep it cold to make sure you won't stay too long, so they can turn the tables faster. Either way, we found it acceptable, but I don't know that I would go back anytime soon. It is just one more of the average dining options at the Mall of America. I did see that some new options are coming soon, so hopefully those will bring better food with them as well.


Cadillac Ranch
Mall of America
352 South Avenue
Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 854-1004
http://www.cadillacranchgroup.com/

Cantina #1

Michele and I met at the Mall of America recently for a bit of shopping and lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Cantina #1 is the only Mexican food choice in the mall itself and it is located on the fourth floor with a view of Nickelodeon Universe.

I had the Swiss enchiladas, which was four chicken enchiladas topped with Monterrey jack cheese, red onions, sour cream and tomatillo sauce. The tomatillo sauce was OK, not at all spicy, but tart. The chicken inside seemed a bit dry.

Michele had the chimichangas with beef and cheese inside and topped with tomato ranchra sauce. They were OK, but nothing notable about them. They came with rice and refried beans on the side. Michele said her food was not very hot and neither was mine. It seemed like it may have sat awhile before being brought out to us. Also, it should be noted that chips and salsa are not free, it costs $2.45 for an order.

The service was a bit hit or miss. We waited awhile after we were seated for the server to come by and she was slow to keep our beverages filled. We had to ask for refills. Overall, I was not impressed at all. The food was mediocre and so was the service. There are far better choices in the mall, but we selected it because it was Mexican food at the mall and we happened to be meeting there. I would not go out of my way to visit again.


Cantina #1
Mall of America
406 E Broadway
Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 854-6500

Twin City Grill

I recently joined the Lettuce Entertain You loyalty club called Frequent Diner Club Rewards. It costs $10 to join, but you get a $10 off coupon on your first visit with the card as well as a birthday discount and points for each dollar spent at the restaurants that you can redeem for free food and drink. There are quite a few restaurants in the company's line up in our area too. So we decided to visit the Mall of America, get some walking in and then have lunch at Twin City Grill.

We did not make a reservation, but we were seated right away. The restaurant was pretty busy, but not packed. The atmosphere is rather dark and clubby, with lots of leather booths and dark wood. Our server arrived quickly to take our beverage order and tell us about the specials.

I had the walleye sandwich and salt and vinegar fries. The walleye sandwich was beer battered and topped with tartar sauce and lettuce and tomato. The walleye was very good with a nice crispy breading. It was a very large sandwich and very filling. The salt and vinegar fries were OK. There was just too much salt on them and the vinegar gave them a very sour flavor. Maybe there was too much vinegar on them as well. Either way, they would have been fine with a lot less seasoning. I should have just ordered plain fries.

John had the Baja burger with salt and vinegar fries. The Baja burger was topped with avocado, jalapenos, provolone, chipotle mayo, lettuce and tomato. He said it was a good burger, but certainly not close to the best he’s ever had. It was a bit overcooked actually. He thought the salt and vinegar fries were too salty as well.

We’ve always liked Twin City Grill quite a bit and overall, we had a good experience and will certainly return, especially now that I have the Frequent Diner Club card. I believe you also get birthday perks and we also received some coupons for all of the other restaurants in the chain such as Big Bowl and Wildfire.

Deals and Discounts: The loyalty club has proven to be a good value so far, since I already recouped the cost for the card. I also received some discount coupons for all of the restaurants in the chain in the Twin Cities. Twin City Grill also offers happy hour specials on food and drinks available Monday through Friday from 3-6pm in the bar area.


Twin City Grill
130 N Garden
Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 854-0200
http://www.twincitygrill.net

Streetz American Grill

John and I stopped by Streetz American Grill in Hopkins recently. Since we go to the gym across the street, we’ve been watching them remodel the building from an empty dilapidated commercial building into a decent looking strip mall for quite some time now.

One thing we quickly realized upon arrival is that the parking lot is not quite large enough for all of the businesses in this strip mall. And there is nowhere to turn around if you can’t find a spot at the end. So that is not great.

The restaurant is counter service, where you order at the register, are issued a number and your food is brought out when it is ready. I believe they offer beer and wine in bottles. There was no line to order and the wait for our food was pretty short.

I had the chili cheese dog . It was ok. The hot dog had a nice snap to it. I was not crazy about the liquid cheese. The chili had decent flavor.

We shared a basket of fries. They were quite good. I needed to add some salt to them as they arrived unseasoned and were pretty bland.

John had the gyro. It was huge. However, there was barley any yogurt sauce on it or in it. He went up and asked for more and they gave him some in a small container. Not a lot inside of it for onions or tomatoes either. Just tons of meat.

I’m not sure we will be rushing back to Streetz. The food was ok, but nothing that great. I guess if I lived or worked very close by it might seem like a nice addition to the area. Or maybe we just did not find the gems on the menu quite yet.


Streetz American Grill
415 17th Ave N
Hopkins, MN 55343
952-217-4406

1200 W 98th St
Bloomington, MN 55431
(952) 888-1411
http://streetzgrill.com/

Tony Roma's

We visited Tony Roma’s at the Mall of America recently because I had received a coupon for my birthday good for a free entrée. I have not dined at Tony Roma’s in many years, so we thought we would give it a try. We called ahead to make a reservation, assuming it would be quite busy on a Saturday evening.

When we arrived they appeared to be pretty busy, but there was not a wait for tables that I noticed. We were seated immediately. Our servicer was very good. She made a few recommendations regarding the BBQ sauce choices and explained the differences in the sauces very well. She also recommended the green beans and made them sound very appetizing. I was surprised to learn that they offered a variety of BBQ sauces. The varieties are: TR’s Original, Carolina Honeys, Blue Ridge Smokies, Red Hots, Memphis (made in house) and Maker’s Mark Bourbon BBQ (made in house).

I had the original baby back ribs with the Maker’s Mark Bourbon BBQ sauce, loaded baked potato and fresh green beans sautéed with lemon and garlic. The ribs were surprisingly good. They were very tender, though they lacked smoky flavor in the meat itself. Any flavor came from the sauce, which had a sweet flavor with a hint of onion. The baked potato was just fine, but the green beans really were as good as the waitress had described. They were fresh and lightly sautéed with a nice lemon and garlic flavor.

John had the beef ribs with the Memphis sauce, baked potato and fresh green beans sautéed with lemon and garlic. His ribs were slightly larger than mine as they are the beef full rib. His sauce was a little bit spicy, but not hot. It had nice flavor more than anything.

Overall, I think we were pleasantly surprised. The food was better than we expected it to be and the service was quite good. I don’t know that I would go out of my way to return, but if you find yourself at the Mall of America this is certainly a good option.

Deals & Discounts: We visited due to the birthday club deal that is good for one free entrée valued up to $15.99.


Tony Roma’s
Mall of America
346 South Ave
Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 854-7940
www.tonyromas.com

Firelake

My friend Stephanie and I visited Firelake at the Mall of America recently since I wanted to do a bit of shopping at the MOA. It might have been a bad idea to visit the MOA on a Saturday as it was quite busy. However, Firelake was a bit of an oasis since it is just slightly detached from the mall. It is accessible via a skyway on the second floor of the mall, but as you get closer to the hotel the atmosphere changes a bit. It is a lot quieter and the Radisson Blu has a very modern design. It looked like a nice hotel and it’s about time they built a hotel that is attached to the mall. The design of the restaurant is very open and modern as well, but with some wood accents throughout.

We had a reservation and we were seated immediately. Our server stopped by right away and suggested a couple drinks. We needed a few minutes and it took some time before he stopped back again. About the time we were wondering where he went he came back to take our drink orders. It took awhile for our drinks to arrive and once they arrived we placed our orders. The food came out in a decent amount of time, but it took a long time for the server to check back with us. Later on, I wanted another glass of wine and the server was nowhere to be found until he came to take an order at another table. Once we were finished there was a long break between when the dessert was delivered and out bill was delivered. After our cards were ran we did not see the server again. It seemed like he should have been checking back with us more often and on the floor more.

Stephanie had the honey cured duroc pork chop. She substituted sweet potato spaetzl for the loaded fingerling potatoes, which had with blue cheese, scallions and crème fraiche on them.  The pork chop was good.  Stephanie said she did not recall tasting the apple-pecan flavor that should have been there from the smoking, but the bacon marmalade that was on it was very good and that may have masked the apple-pecan flavor. The fingerling potatoes were really great with the blue cheese and crème fraiche. Tons of flavor.

I had the rosemary rotisserie chicken entrée with cheddar mashed potatoes. The chicken was very juicy and tender and I liked the slight saltiness of the rotisserie rub. The mashed potatoes were good, but I did not detect a lot of cheese flavor in them. The portion was quite generous.

We had the dark chocolate truffle tart for dessert.  Dessert was good, but not too memorable. The chocolate flavor was good, and not overly sweet.

I think Firelake is a nice addition to the current dining options at the Mall of America. It seems a bit more upscale and relaxed than restaurants in the mall itself and the menu is quite extensive with some interesting choices. I think the menu has a wide enough variety, there is something to please almost anyone, which is important in a hotel setting I’m sure. The prices were on the higher side, but they had less expensive options like sandwiches, pizza and flatbreads as well.



Firelake
2100 Killebrew Dr
Bloomington, MN 55425
Phone: (952) 881-5258
http://www.firelakerestaurant.com/moa.php

Parma 8200

Stephanie and I met for dinner the other day and decided to try Parma 8200 in Bloomington. It is located in one of the office buildings right off 494 and 100, but it is not in  visible location, so I tend to forget all about it.

The room is very open and yet cozy and comfortable all at the same time. Definitely and inviting atmosphere. And it is easy to forget you are in an office building. They even have a nice patio out back. They even had a jazz trio playing in the bar while we were there. The music was at a good level, not loud at all. We were seated right away, though I had made a reservation on Open Table in case it was busy. It was pretty quiet when we arrived, but it filled up later on.

We started with the fried Sicilian rice balls at the recommendation of our server. They sounded odd to me at first, but they were very tasty. The red sauce on top was very tart and I liked the contrast of the crisp exterior against the soft rice inside. Stephanie also ordered the apple salad, but I forgot to take a photo of it. It was amazing with a wonderful gorgonzola dressing, candied hazelnuts, apples and romaine lettuce.

I ordered the Friday special of the shrimp risotto. It had a generous portion of shrimp, asparagus and risotto. I could not finish it and ended up taking the leftovers home to eat the next day. The sauce was very rich and creamy.

My poor photo skills are in play again here. Stephanie ordered the broiled lemon chicken and it was amazing. I had a few bites and it had a tart lemon sauce with perfectly cooked chicken and delicious roasted potatoes and arugula.

Our entrees took a long time to arrive, but we really had not even noticed as we were visiting and having fun. The manager stopped by to let us know what the delay was and offered to take the lemon chicken off the bill and also offered us a complimentary dessert as well. So we were very happy about that as we were probably going to order dessert anyway. Too bad more establishments do not stay ahead of issues in such a professional and proactive manner.

For dessert we ordered the butterscotch panna cotta with sea salt chocolate shortbread. This was amazing and almost as good as the butterscotch pudding we had at Tilia awhile back. Maybe better. The panna cotta was very rich and creamy and the generous amount of caramel on the top put this dessert over the top. The sea salt shortbread helped cut the sweetness of the panna cotta if your palate needed a break. I would not hesitate to order this dessert again and I’d maybe stop in just for drinks and this dessert!

Even though we had some slight issues with our food taking a long time to arrive, we had a great visit to Parma. I’d like to go back and sit on the patio sometime.

Parma 8200

5600 W 83rd St #100  

Bloomington, MN 55437

(952) 896-8888
http://www.parma8200.com/

Wally's

There are only a few places around town that have really good roast beef sandwiches. Wally's, Maverick's Roast Beef and the Bloomy's truck. Somehow, I have not done a post about Wally's or Maverick's yet!

Lately, I've been ordering the French dip when I go to Wally's. It is a little larger than their standard roast beef sandwich and it comes with a wonderful au jus with good garlic flavor. The French dip was very good, with excellent, rare, roast beef. I love that they serve the standard Heinz BBQ sauce, it tastes great with the roast beef really. Their horseradish sauce is great too. It is quite spicy and not for wimps! Unfortunately, I don't love they french fries at Wally's. I often skip them. They are chewy and soggy and not at all crisp. I wonder if they make them too far ahead of time possibly.

If you have not been to Wally's in a couple years, you should know that they moved to a new location just south of 494 on Penn a couple years ago. There is more parking available, so I consider the move a good thing, since it was sometimes hard to find a parking spot at the old location.


Wally's
8120 Penn Avenue South  
Bloomington, MN 55431
(952) 884-4349
Open for lunch only, Monday - Saturday
http://wallysroastbeef.com