World Cafe

Cafe Zentral in the Minneapolis skyway is no more and it has now been replaced by World Cafe. I stopped in to pick up a sandwich the other day and see what has changed. Turns out the menu is totally different with lots of salads, sandwiches and paninis on the menu.

I had the turkey and date jam panini with date jam, turkey and brie cheese. It was on a whole grain bread and would have been excellent if it had been warmed through a bit more. The bread was flavorful and I liked the date jam a lot. I'd order it again for sure.

I'll try to go back soon and try a few other items on the menu, but World Cafe is off to a promising start.  They are open for breakfast and lunch weekdays.


World Cafe 
105 5th Street S (Skyway Level)
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-298- 6808
http://www.worldcafempls.com

Prairie Dogs

John and I recently went back to Prairie Dogs as I had bought a Living Social deal for two dogs and two beers for $15 or something along those lines. Upon arrival, we noticed they no longer had beer on tap or in bottles. It appears they lost their liquor license or have not paid their liquor taxes, though I heard our server say to another table something was broken with the tap beer system. Regardless, the server said we could have bottled sodas instead of beer, which we said was fine.

John again had the the Micho’s Sonoran Dog which is bacon wrapped and grilled, cilantro aioli, bean spread, avocado, cotija, onion, tomato, salsa verde. The salsa was spicy and fresh. The hot dog had a nice snap (they use Vienna hot dogs) and the toppings were all fresh and flavorful. It was very good once more.

I had the Saucy Pig dog, which was topped with bbq pulled pork, prairie slaw, sweet onion strings. It was good and had a lot of toppings. 

We added an order of the double fried fries with prairie sauce. The fries were amazing, so fresh and crispy.

I hope this place is not doing as badly as it looked like it was. The lack of alcohol is odd. It seemed like they were getting a steady stream of customers at least and no one left upon hearing they had no beer available, but it is unsettling to say the least. The food was all still very good, so was the service and we would go back if they stay open.


Prairie Dogs
55408, 610 W Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 223-8984
http://www.prairiedogsausage.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

Butcher and the Boar

John and I visited Butcher and the Boar for our Christmas celebration this year, on the day after Christmas. A busy holiday season caused things to be a bit delayed this year. Our reservation was not until 8:30pm, so we went to Eli's for a drink beforehand since it is just a block away. We thought we could maybe get in early at Butcher, but we ended up sitting at the bar for appetizers and drinks.

candied beer nuts - very tasty snack and great with beer or cocktails

The hot link croquettes were also very good and a bit more substantial. they are basically sausages with a bit of breading around them. The dipping sauce was a bit spicy too.

It was our reservation time and the hosts had not come to get us as promised so we checked in again and they seated us right away. I think they forgot we were there waiting.

Our server was with us right away and provided good service throughout our visit.

It was pretty much a given that we ordered the smoked beef long rib with Tabasco molasses sauce. The meat was tender and the sauce gives just the right amount of kick.

The cornbread was very good and came with a flavored butter that had some sweetness to it.

The smoke roasted potatoes were quite good and really did have a nice smoky flavor. We shared everything and found we still had food leftover to take home.

We found the food and service to be just as good as our last visit a couple years ago. This is great news as I think there have been some changes with the chef and staffing. Though I can't believe it has been that long since we ate in the dining room, we have been there to visit the patio a few times.



The Butcher and the Boar
1121 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 238-8888
http://butcherandtheboar.com/