Schuller's Tavern

In all the years I've lived in Golden Valley, I've never been to Schuller's Tavern. Not sure how that happened. I knew it was there, just never made a pint of visiting. We weren't feeling like cooking one night, so we stopped in for dinner. It was plenty busy, but we easily found an open table. Schuller's is a local's place with happy hour, bands on the weekends and free popcorn. They have plenty of TVs and also pull tabs. It's not fancy, but it's not a dive either.  

John had the garlic burger brushed with garlic sauce and topped with sautéed onions and melted pepper jack cheese.

I had the bacon cheeseburger with cheddar cheese. It was a solid burger, with a 1/2 pound patty and a nice, fresh bun. The fries were a standard frozen fry, nothing special, but not the breaded type at least. 

The service was good- prompt and helpful. The prices for food and beverage are not bad, on the more affordable side. This would be a good spot to watch local sporting events for sure. 

Schuller's Tavern
7345 Country Club Dr 
Golden Valley, MN 55427
Phone: (763) 545-9972
https://schullerstavern.com

Revival St Louis Park

Way, way back in June of 2021, the St Louis Park location of Revival opened in the Texa-Tonka Strip mall on Minnetonka Boulevard in St Louis Park. We've visited the original location in Minneapolis pretty regularly for fried chicken and were thrilled when this outpost opened much closer to home base.  

The room is quite large and open with exposed beams in the ceiling. There is a large bar on one side and standard seating on the other side f a half divider wall. The patio is spacious, but offers little shade, so it's toasty on hot days. 

On this visit we stopped for a coupe sandwiches on a Sunday afternoon. John had the Southern style fried chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato and pickle on a toasted bun. This is a big sandwich! The chicken reading is the same as on the fired chicken and just th right out of crisp with perfectly done chicken inside. 

I've been meaning to try their burger for ages, but the fried chicken usually wins out for me. I finally tried it and was not disappointed. It is a thin patty burger with American cheese, mayo and pickles on a toasted, buttered bun. This was perfectly done and I think I'd get the double next time around. 

They also feature their famous Southern Fried Chicken with plenty of sides. If you have not tried their chicken, be sure to check it out. They also offer a Tennessee Hot chicken for spice fiends. 

The service is quick and efficient. Note, they have instituted a 6% service charge to support back of house employees. Parking is plentiful and online ordering for carryout if also available. 

Revival 
8008 Minnetonka Blvd
St Louis Park, MN 55426
Phone: (952) 303-4125
https://www.revivalrestaurants.com/locations/st-louis-park

Chip's Clubhouse

Chip's Clubhouse is a newer venue that opened last spring along Snelling Avenue in St Paul. The interior is cozy with lots of wood walls, trim and wooden booths. The room looks as if has been there awhile, but I think this may be a newer building. 

We both had the cheeseburger which is topped with American cheese, garlic mustard aioli, pickles and onions. The burger patties are thinner and I really enjoyed the garlic aioli. The burger was excellent with a toasted bun. This burger should be on all the lists of top burgers in the twin cities. It is that good! 

We shared an order of the battered fries with garlic aioli dipping sauce. We usually do not enjoy battered fries, but these were very fresh, crisp and actually very delicious.

We found the service to be casual, friendly and approachable. The menu has a nice variety and is also very approachable. I had a cider to drink and John had a tap beer but the cocktail list looks very intriguing as well. We need to return soon and explore the menu. 

Chip's Clubhouse
272 Snelling Ave S #200 
St Paul, MN 55105
Phone: (651) 330-1617
https://visitchips.com

Animales BBQ Company - Burger Night

Animales BBQ has been doing a burger night on Thursdays over the summer. Not sure how much longer it will be happening, probably not long, but it was a delicious change for a quick weeknight meal. We usually made a reservation at Able brewing so we could order a beer and have a table for our meal. Online reservations are kinda handy!

They offered a single or double burger on a fresh toasted bun. The burger was juicy and I quite liked the special sauce served on the side. It was a bit spicy actually. 

To stay up to date on Animales menu and events, I recommend following them on Instagram and Twitter. 

single cheeseburger

double cheeseburger

Animales Barbeque Co.
(at Able Brewing)
1121 Quincy St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413

https://animalesbarbeque.com

Burger Dive at Tony Jaro's River Garden

The classic Northeast Minneapolis dive bar Tony Jaro's has new management in the kitchen. The guys from Smack Shack have opened Burger Dive and are putting out solid burgers. I think the changes happened last summer and it took us ages to get here, as is our custom.

side of fries to share

I had the wedge burger topped with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, blue cheese dressing. It turns out all of the burgers here are a double. It's a pretty thin patty and the edges had nice crispiness. The bun was nicely toasted and everything had great flavor.

John had the house burger topped with American cheese, minced onion and pickles. 

I'm not sure it is worth commenting on the service. I mean, the service is quick and efficient, but may be a tad abrasive. It's a dive bar, so keep your expectations in check if you get what I mean.

One important item to note- Tony Jaro's does not take credit cards; cash only. You will need to pay for food separate from your drinks also. There is an ATM on site.


Burger Dive at Tony Jaro's River Garden
2500 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
Phone: (612) 789-9728
https://burgerdivene.com

Wooden Hill Brewing Company

We visited Wooden Hill for a weekend lunch recently. Yes, this is a brewery, but the interesting thing about Wooden Hill is that they also have a full kitchen offering a nice variety of burgers, sandwiches, pizzas and other bar food.

We both had the house burger that is topped with cheddar cheese, garlic aioli and house made pickles. I had sweet potato fries as my side and John had the regular fries. It is an attractive looking burger and it tasted great also. It is a thin patty burger. I found the toppings and bun to be nice quality also.

There is a small patio in the front and a larger one in the back and both are dog friendly if you want to bring your canine companion along. The tap room is quite nice and spacious as well.



Wooden Hill Brewing Company
7421 Bush Lake Rd
Edina, MN 55439
Phone: (952) 960-9663
https://woodenhillbrewing.com

Bull's Horn chicken bucket

We went back to Bull's Horn again recently because we wanted to try their bucket of fried chicken. They call it dill pickle fried chicken. Essentially, there is some dill seasoning salt on top of the chicken skin and I think it may also be marinated in pickle brine. It didn't give the chicken a strong dill flavor though.

The chicken had a rather thick layer of breading. It was almost too thick-- it was hard to locate the chicken under the breading. The chicken itself was very tender and juicy though.

 fried chicken

 fries

cole slaw

The fries were tasty. The cole slaw had a strong vinegar flavor, but I liked that it was finely chopped.

I think next time we return we will stick to the hamburgers and fries, as we really found those to be the standout items at Bull's Horn.


Bulls Horn
4563 S 34th Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Phone: (612) 208-1378
https://www.bullshornfoodanddrink.com/

Wahlburgers MOA

We finally decided to check out the Wahlburgers at the Mall of America. I have no idea why it took so long. I watch the silly TV show more than I care to admit too. Yes, it is a dumb show, but I quite like Donny Wahlburg. Always have. (New Kids on the Block anyone?) I guess Marky Mark (Mark Wahlburg) is OK too.

We both had The Our Burger with fries on the side. The burger was topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, government cheese, Wahl sauce and pickles. The server also let us choose a complimentary dipping sauce for the fries, which was a nice touch. The burgers were cooked as ordered and tasted good. I’m just not sure anything really stood out with the food or service that would make us rush back.

The service was fine. This location is full service, in that they wait on you at the table. I was under the improession most locations were more of a counter service situation. The burgers were good, but it is hard to ignore the fact that there is a Shake Shack just above Wahlburgers, and I really like Shake Shack burgers a lot.



Wahlburgers
Mall of America
234 North Garden
Bloomington, MN 55425
Phone: (952) 854-1655
https://wahlburgers.com/

Bull's Horn

The Bull’s Horn is an old dive bar (Sunrise Inn) that was bought by a local chef and given a bit of a refresh. I had never been previously, but it still seems to retain some of the dive bar character, but it's probably now cleaner, brighter and with much better food.

John had the Bull’s Horn burger with bacon and cheese added. He’s not a big cheese fan most of the time, but even he liked the cheese on the burger.

I had the Weather Brooklyn burger with bacon and the house made American cheese added and fries on the side. The house made cheese is some seriously melty, gooey deliciousness. The burger and the bun are just right as well. The fries are solid too.

The Bull’s Horn is a casual spot with some seriously good food. I can’t recommend trying these burgers enough. We want to return to try the fried chicken also.



Bulls Horn
4563 S 34th Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Phone: (612) 208-1378
https://www.bullshornfoodanddrink.com/

Copper Cow

We have been wanting to visit Copper Cow in Minnetonka since it opened, but we were a bit afraid of the possibility of huge crowds. We decided maybe brunch would be the way to go and as lick would have it, we ended up with just a shirt five minute wait for a table.

Copper Cow is not a huge restaurant either. It is in a converted Dairy Queen that was added onto. The dining room is one large room with a bar at one end and the kitchen on the other end. On the side, there is an area for take out order pickup. The tables are a bit close together and cozy.

John had the Cow and the Sow burger. It is a 60% local beef & 40% local bacon patty, with bacon cheddar, icebox pickles, butter lettuce, on a house-made milk and honey bun. Since we were there at brunch they were not serving fries, so it came with a side of farmer’s potatoes, which are cut up and fried potatoes. They were fine, but not a preferred potato format for either of us. (Hash browns would be preferred.) The burger was cooked as ordered.

I had the Crispy Chicken and Waffles, which was fried buttermilk chicken, bourbon and bacon maple syrup and micro greens. The chicken was a boneless breast and nice and crispy. The waffle was excellent as well. The bourbon syrup was flavorful and really made the dish. The whipped butter was ok, and best on the waffles. It was a large serving and I would order this again.

The service was fine, a bit rushed, but we had everything we needed in a timely manner.  The only real downside was the cold drafts every time the front door opened. They really need to add an entry way or a double door. I’m not sure if the Copper Cow is worth the trip to the suburbs, but if you live nearby it is a nice addition to the dining scene.



Copper Cow
5445 Eden Prairie Rd
Minnetonka, MN 55345
Phone: (952) 297-8066
https://www.coppercowkitchen.com

Parlour Bar

John has been on a bit of a burger quest lately, so we decided to check out Parlour bar for dinner recently. Their burger has been on the best of lists for a few years now.

The burger is ground chuck, ribeye and brisket topped with white American cheese. It really is a delicious, juicy burger worth the hype.

We also had an order of fries. Decent, plentiful fries for sure.

We also got the tuna topped with carpaccio, Kalamata olive, pickled mustard, pepper, chive and rye crisp. The tuna was cut, very, very thin and the olive overpowered any flavor of the fish. I didn’t love this combination.

The seating is just open seating, either at the bar or at tables around the room. There is no host or hostess on duty. So seating gets a bit chaotic and competitive.  They have an excellent cocktail list, but I totally forgot to take photos of our beverages. The service was fine, nothing memorable, but perfectly acceptable.

 

Parlour bar
730 N Washington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: (612) 354-3135
https://www.parlourbar.com

Nolo's Kitchen & Bar

We checked out Nolo’s restaurant and bar on a recent Friday for dinner and drinks. We had made a reservation, but on arrival it wasn’t busy, so I’m not sure it was necessary, but it was pretty early. Maybe later in the evening it would be busier.

 I started with the rum punch cocktail with plantation rum blend, passionfruit, pineapple, orgeat, lime.

We started with an appetizer of tuna crudo with avocado, watermelon radish, cucumber, citrus, habanero salsa, ponzu, mint. This was a light and fresh starter. Very delicious! Looked so pretty too.

John had the cheeseburger which is double meat patties, double cheese, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and spread. This burger has made a few best burger lists lately, and it is legit. The meat was very juicy and all of the toppings just made it even more rich. The fries were great also and seemed to be freshly made in house. This is worth coming back for.

I had the smoked chicken pizza topped with smoked chicken, roasted onions, Parmesan, fontina, whole milk mozzarella, roasted garlic cream sauce. It was solid, with a nice woodfired thin crust.

The dining room is very light, bright, open and airy, especially during daylight hours. The prices are not bad and the service was excellent. They have convenient valet parking on the side of the building as well, which is nice because parking in North Loop is getting difficult.


Nolo's Kitchen & Bar
515 N Washington Ave #100
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: (612) 800-6033
https://www.noloskitchen.com/

Prairie Tap House

We visited Prairie Tap House for a quick dinner one evening when we were not feeling like making dinner. It wasn't very busy and we were seated right away. We used a coupon from the Metro Dining Guide for $8 off each month.

John had the pit beef sandwich topped with thin-sliced angus beef, shaved onion, creamy horseradish sauce.

I had the Latin pig sandwich topped with pit pork drenched in mandarin habanero sauce, avocado, fresh cilantro and mayo. The habanero sauce was far more sweet than spicy, and it was a super sweet flavor. The fries were hot and tasted like they had been freshly made and were the best thing on the plate and were possibly made in house.

Both of the sandwiches were ok, but nothing memorable or outstanding. The meat was a bit on the dry side and all a uniform doneness. No rare meat here, which also meant it was all a bit on the dry and chewy side.

The service was ok, kind of rushed, but we were only left waiting when we were ready to pay the bill.     Overall, everything was ok, but I don't think we will be rushing back.


Prairie Tap House 
Eden Prairie Center
8251 Flying Cloud Dr,
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Phone: (952) 217-4054
http://theprairietaphouse.com

Rock Elm Tavern

The former location of Eat Shop in Plymouth on Highway 55 win Plymouth as a new tenant called Rock Elm Tavern. Let's hope this one sticks. That location must be cursed or something. I had noticed they had a birthday club so I joined and got a coupon around my birthday for a free hamburger, so we thought that was a good excuse to visit. The restaurant has been downsized slightly, what used to be the bar area is now a gym of some sort.

We visited for dinner on a Sunday evening and were seated right away. The server came by after a few minutes and took our drink order and recommended a few items and pointed out some specials. The menu features burgers and also has salads and a nice variety of entries with something for everyone.

They had a Sunday special of a Minnesota tap beer and a cheeseburger for $12, so John went with that.

I had the bleu burger with montfort bleu cheese, bacon, roasted tomato aioli, lettuce and fries. The server said the fries were made in house, but they tasted like standard frozen fries to me. The burger was cooked medium as ordered and very juicy. The bun was fresh and soft, but strong enough to hold up to the juices from the burger.

Our server was excellent and the food was good at a competitive price. I'm not sure if it is worth driving across town for, but if you live in the area it is worth checking out.


Rock Elm Tavern
16605 County Rd 24
Plymouth, MN 55447
Phone: (763) 208-4451
http://www.rockelmtavern.com

RS Sports Grill

Now that Redstone in Minnetonka has moved across the street into Ridgedale Mall, the old building has been rebranded as RS Sports Grill. The interior looks pretty much the same as before, but they have added a lot of flat screen TVs all around the restaurant. It would be a good place to watch football or something.

John had a buffalo chicken sandwich with waffle fries and seasoned sour cream. The sandwich was OK, the fries were decent and the seasoned sour cream was acceptable. The buffalo sauce seemed to be simply Franks Red Hot sauce. I guess I had been hoping for something more like the Redstone buffalo sauce, which is very flavorful.

I had the cheeseburger sliders. The hamburgers were cooked perfectly, but did not have a lot of flavor. I did like the deep fried pickles on each. A nice touch.

The service was OK, but I don’t think either one of us were too impressed with them menu selections. The menu seemed a bit limited and what we had was not very impressive. I had been hoping for more creative and better executed bar food, but I think we got average bar food. Hopefully, it time they revise the menu and step things up a bit.


RS Sports Grill
12501 Ridgedale Dr
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Phone: (952) 544-0993

The Depot Tavern

The Depot Tavern is located on the side of the First Avenue building and run by the same owners. We have dined here a few times now and I have never gotten around to doing a review somehow.

The room is pretty basic, but comfortable and clean. The service is always very efficient and the food is definitely elevated tavern fare. The menu has a nice variety with something for just about everyone.

John had the BLT, which is your standard BLT on brioche bread. He really liked the fries though. They are made freshly in house daily and very crisp with excellent potato flavor.

I had the buffalo chicken sliders with fries on the side. The buns were lightly toasted and the buffalo sauce was very good. Everything was freshly prepared.

We really enjoyed our food and found the prices to be in line with similar establishments in the area, and I feel the quality of the food is much higher with the Depot going above and beyond to elevate the bar fare to be higher quality than average. We enjoyed it once again and plan to return. It is a great option near Target Center, Target Field and First Avenue.


The Depot Tavern
17 N 7th St
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Phone: (612) 338-1828
https://thedepottavern.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

Ummie's Bar & Grill - Mankato

I visited Ummie's Bar & Grill recently my friends Tricia and Christine for a late lunch on a Saturday. They suggested Ummie's since it is a newer spot in town. It was not busy at all and we seated ourselves near the front. The interior has been nicely redone and has lots of exposed brick and wood floors with a bar down the side of the room.

I had a chicken sandwich with a bourbon sriracha sauce and topped with swiss cheese. The sandwich was excellent and the sauce was sweet and spicy, but not so spicy I did not enjoy it. I ordered the house made potato chips with the secret recipe chip dip. The chip dip seemed to be cream cheese based and was very flavorful, but not spicy.

Christine had a bacon cheeseburger

Tricia had the avocado turkey burger

The service was good and the food was all excellent. Ummie's is a great addition to the Mankato dining scene. The town certainly needs more independent restaurants with great food. I look forward to going back and visiting during patio season.


Ummie's Bar & Grill
530 S Front St,
Mankato, MN 56001
Phone:(507) 625-8277
http://ummiesmankato.com

Malone's Bar and Grill

We visited Malone's in Maple Grove for lunch on a Sunday recently. We needed a place with lots of TV's for NFL football on and this certainly fit the bill. They take reservations, which was a great selling point for our large group with small kids.

I had the buffalo chicken sandwich with grilled chicken, waffle fries and seasoned sour cream. The sandwich was good and the onion bun was very fresh and soft. The waffle fires were excellent, but the seasoned sour cream was not very good. It basically tasted like sour cream and not much seasoning.

Megan had the Jimmy burger, which was topped with fried onions, lettuce, tomato, American and cheddar cheese and Jimmy sauce. Jimmy sauce is basically like special sauce at McDonald's.  

John had the California burger and said it was good. It was topped with Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and guacamole.

I found the food much better than I expected and the service was good as well. The server did a good job with our group. I would certainly return to Malone's again. They have a lot of HD televisions, which is great; I don't think there is a bad seat in the house.


Malone's Bar and Grill 
12635 Elm Creek Blvd N
Maple Grove, MN 55369
Phone:(763) 447-6500

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/