Pizza Karma

A second outpost of Pizza Karma opened last fall in Maple Grove. We had been intending to visit the Eden Prairie location for awhile now, so I was happy to see it open in Maple Grove as well. We visited on a weekday evening and it was empty except for one other table. I hope they are busier on the weekends.

We started with the tandoor fired wings with dry rub of fresh ground spices. The wings were a bit small and anemic, but the dry rub had a great flavor. The spices were Indian-inspired and quite flavorful, but not spicy.

We had the chicken kebab pizza topped with chicken, tomato-fenugreek sauce, fresh mozzarella and onion pepper medley on plain crust. The naan crust was very light, crispy and airy. We both liked it a lot. It is a personal sized pizza, so one per person would be a nice serving size. We decided to share since we had the wings to start though.

Pizza Karma is a quick service restaurant, where you simply order at the counter and your food is brought out to your table as it is ready. The employee at the counter was helpful and friendly. The space was modern, open and airy. We enjoyed everything we tried and look forward to returning soon and trying some of their other unique pizza options.



Pizza Karma
11611 Fountains Dr
Maple Grove, MN 55369
Phone: (763) 432-7561
https://www.pizzakarma.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

Wildfire

We decided to visit Wildfire in Eden Prairie as I had received a coupon mailer with discounts at all of the local Lettuce Entertain You restaurants in the chain. We arrived around 5:30pm and were told there was a 45 minute wait. The bar was packed to the gills so we grabbed a drink and waited in the  entry area. The wait was considerably shorter than quoted, I think we only waited about 20 minutes for a table.

We both had the prime rib and it was perfect. It was cooked as ordered and the horseradish sauce was spicy and excellent.

The service was good, although nothing memorable. We were in and out rather quickly actually.

 

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. Wildfire also offers happy hour specials on food available Monday through Friday from 3-6pm and 9-close in the bar area.

 

Wildfire

8251 Flying Cloud Dr

Eden Prairie, MN 55344

(952) 914-9100

http://wildfirerestaurant.com/

 

Tavern 4 & 5 breakfast/brunch

We visited Tavern 4 & 5 for brunch recently since we had to run an errand in the area. We also discovered, strangely, there are not that many breakfast option in Eden Prairie. They are open daily for breakfast and also weekends for brunch, in addition to lunch and dinner hours.

The breakfast menu is quite extensive and spans all of the options from omelets to pancakes and french toast to benedicts.

I had the all American breakfast, which includes three eggs any style, your choice of meat, tavern potatoes & toast. The tavern potatoes are a very tasty hash brown concoction. It tasted like it had some cheese and garlic mixed in with the potatoes. The bacon was very high quality and flavorful. 

John had the  classic buttermilk pancakes. The pancakes were good, though he didn't like the powdered sugar sprinkled over them. 

The service was excellent. Overall, we found Tavern 4 & 5 to be a very solid place for breakfast in Eden Prairie.

Here is a link to my first post on Tavern 4 & 5: http://whereshouldwegomsp.blogspot.com/2013/12/tavern-4-5.html

Tavern 4 & 5

16396 Wagner Way

Eden Prairie, MN 55344

(952) 934-4545

http://tavern4and5.com/

Redstone - New Year's eve

We visited Redstone on New Year's eve thinking if we went early it would be easy to get in as they do not take reservations. However, it was quite busy when we arrived around 5:30pm. And I learned they do take reservations now. Good to know I guess. We only had to wait about 30 minutes for a table, which is not bad at all for a busy night like New Year's eve.

We both had the scallops off of the specials menu. The scallops had a lobster sauce and spinach underneath and lobster mashed potatoes in the center. The lobster mashed potatoes were so rich and amazing. The scallops were seared perfectly and not too salty, which can often be the case.

John's entree

my entree

As usual, the food and service were very good. I don't think Redstone gets much respect from the critics in the area, but I think it is always high quality food and service that never fails to deliver. 

Redstone
12501 Ridgedale Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Phone: (952) 591-0000

8000 Eden Road
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Phone: (952) 903.9500

12109 Main Street North
Maple Grove, MN 55369
Phone: (763) 420.0232

www.redstonegrill.com

Tavern 4 & 5

I visited the newly opened Tavern 4 & 5 recently with a couple of friends. It is in Eden Prairie off Highway 5 in the spot that has housed a couple different restaurants recently including a Timberlodge Steakhouse. Eden Prairie is a fickle area of town for restaurants for some strange reason. It seems like a lot of restaurants come and go in the area and if they are not well received, they don’t last long.

That said, I think the chances for Tavern 4 & 5 look good. It is operated by the same people that own Hazelewood Grille in Minnetonka. It underwent a remodel since the last tenant and has a warm and inviting atmosphere.

The restaurant was packed when I arrived, so I put my name on the list and managed to grab a seat at the bar. The wait time quoted was pretty accurate as I recall. We were seated at a tall table near the pizza oven area. The service was fine, nothing memorable occurred.

I had the wood fired rotisserie chicken entrée with mashed potatoes and green beans on the side. The potatoes were very good and the green beans were fresh tasting and sautéed in a bit of garlic and lemon. The chicken was excellent, though the gravy was pretty salty.

Kelly had the rotisserie chicken sandwich with onion rings. She has been here a lot as she lives nearby and they really like this place so far.

Michele has the Cajun beef bites with onion strings and a spicy dipping sauce. She said they were very good with tender beef.

Overall, I enjoyed Tavern 4 & 5 and will probably return again soon. The service was good, the food was good and the atmosphere was great. The room was a bit loud, but not deafening.

Deals & Discounts: Tavern 4 & 5 has a good happy hour available 3-6pm daily and a late night happy hour Sunday through Thursday from 9-11pm. It has both food and drink specials with $4 and $5 appetizers.


Tavern 4 & 5
16396 Wagner Way
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
(952) 934-4545
http://tavern4and5.com/

Campiello

I visited Campiello with a couple girlfriends on a beautiful Saturday afternoon a couple weeks ago. We sat on their patio, which is very leafy and lovely. You can hardly tell you are in a strip mall parking lot. I tend to forget that Campiello is still open since the Eden Prairie location is tucked away off highways 62 and 212. The food and ambiance were still very good even though I had not been here in some time.

Since we arrived pretty early, we were offered the early dining menu in addition to their regular menu. This is available from 5-6pm daily. I'd call or visit their website for details as I'm sure the selections change often.

Kelly and I both started with the Caesar salad. I had anchovies on mine. I have no idea why I said yes to them when the waiter asked if I wanted them. They just taste super salty, but I don't really care for them all that much. I especially liked their Caesar dressing as it had a nice strong garlic flavor.

Michele ordered the Sicilian meatballs for her appetizer. I had a bite and the sauce had amazing fresh tomato flavor.

All three of us ordered the penne pasta for our entree. This is one of my all time Campiello favorites.  The pasta has chicken, artichoke, basil, garlic and lemon in it. The chicken is the rotisserie chicken you can order as an entree, but they pull it off the bone for the pasta. It is very rich and delicious and the pasta was cooked perfectly.

The service was very attentive without being overbearing, which I prefer. The servers and busers were very good at keeping our water glasses filled as well. We had a great experience and I look forward to returning again soon.

Deals & Discounts: An early dining special menu is available from 5-6pm daily. For $24.95 you get a choice of appetizer, entree and a glass of wine. We felt this was a great value and we were able to change out the menu's wine selection with another for an additional change if we wished. There is a nice variety of appetizer and entree choices, which includes some of their most popular items such as penne, hanger steak and roasted chicken.

Campiello

6411 City W Pkwy
Eden Prairie, MN 55344

(952) 941-6868

http://www.damico.com

Redstone

We visited Redstone on Friday, April 22nd intending to sit in the bar and have drinks and appetizers. It was full in the bar so we got a booth in the dining room.

On this visit I had the Buffalo Shrimp. This is one of my all time favorites on their menu. I think Redstone was one of the first places to do this dish and they do it well. They use lightly breaded jumbo shrimp, coat them with buffalo sauce and there is blue cheese sauce and crumbles on the plate.

JS got the Original Burger and fries. He prefers the original burger as he is not into having tons of toppings on his burger. They will cook it to order. The fries were very good was well; very crisp and well seasoned. Their burgers are usually on the lists of top burgers in town and I can see why.

I'm not sure what to say about Redstone that has not been said already. The food at Redstone is always high quality and the service is wonderful. The prices are a tad on the higher side, but I really think you get what you pay for here. However, I still find it to be a solid dinner/lunch choice even though it has been around since 1999 or so.

They have a few other favorites on the menu I often come back for like the Classic Rotisserie Chicken, Prime Rib, BBQ Ribs, Jerk Chicken Fondue and the Seared Ahi Tuna. I have a few friends that love the fondue and we are always looking for reasons to go to Redstone so we can order it! Plus, going there and sitting in the bar or on the patio is entertaining beyond belief. It is like watching the nature channel for the older, divorced, affluent set sometimes. Maybe I am still too young to be their target market. Hope so anyway!

Discounts:
I've never seen any coupons or discounts of any kind for Redstone. If you know of any please let me know! I did call and ask if they had happy hour deals (I didn't think they did) and they are currently offering a variety of appetizers for $5 and $2 off all drinks from 2-6 pm.

There are 2 locations in Minnesota. I find the Eden Prairie location to be a bit busier than the Minnetonka location. So if you don't want to wait, try the Minnetonka location. If you want a fun bar atmosphere and a nice outdoor patio try the Eden Prairie location.

Redstone
12501 Ridgedale Drive,
Minnetonka MN,55305
Phone: (952) 591-0000
8000 Eden Road,
Eden Prairie,MN,55344
Phone: (952) 903.9500
www.redstonegrill.com