Hot Plate

Hot Plate is one of those cute, quirky places- lots of fun vintage games piled up by the waiting area and tons of stuff on the walls to look at. It isn't a large restaurant, so be prepared for a bit of a wait. I think we waited about 25 minutes for a table.

The walls are covered in kitsch- paint by numbers pictures mostly, lots of crazy thrift store type finds.

John had the pancakes with a side of bacon. The pancakes were quite good- very light and fluffy. The bacon was crispy and delicious.

I had the Bloomington sandwich on grilled sourdough with asiago, Swiss and cheddar, bacon, soft scrambled eggs and griddled with 100% pure Maple syrup. The syrup added just a touch of sweetness. This was a hearty and tasty breakfast sandwich, I wasn't bananas about their breakfast potatoes- they were fine, but not particularly memorable.

The food is good quality with some fun, interesting menu items. The service is quick and efficient. There isn't a lot of time to chat. They are trying to get you in and out as quickly as possible, without rushing you through the meal, which is OK since you can see the next round of people waiting for tables.


Hot Plate
5204 Bloomington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55417
Phone: (612) 824-4794
http://www.hotplate.com

St Genevieve

Stephanie and I decided to try St Genevieve in Minneapolis for our latest dinner adventure. It is a French bistro style cafe- very cute, very small. Reservations were not that difficult to get a few days in advance though. It opened min-2016, so it has taken us awhile to get around to this one.

frites with bernaise - very fresh and crisp

celery soup

oysters - cute presentation

sauces for oysters

scallop and squash

agnolotti - this is basically a type of filled pasta- very good. 

carrots

skate wing - unusual, it was a light fish, not at all fishy or strongly flavored. 

chocolate brownie

panna cotta

The service was excellent throughout our visit, very attentive, very helpful, very friendly. We enjoyed everything we ordered. It is hard to pick a favorite item we had- I think the scallop was very good and the skate wing was something I'd never tried before and it was delicious. The menu changes often though, I suppose based on seasonal availability of items. The experience overall was wonderful, a relaxing experience and delicious food made for a fun evening.


St Genevieve
5003 Bryant Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55419
Phone: (612) 353-4843
www.stgmpls.com

Young Joni & Back Bar

We'd been wanting to back to Young Joni, but getting in is not easy. We decided to try going early and getting a spot at the bar. No such luck, the bar was full when we arrived, but we put our names on the list and headed to the back bar to try getting in there.

The Cocktail Formerly Known as Paisley Park

The MOA

The wait to get into the back bar was only 10 minutes or so and we enjoyed waiting there until our table in the restaurant was ready. I think we waited 75-90 minutes total. The drinks at the back bar were excellent too.

The cauliflower includes shishito peppers, saffron chermoula, pickled fresno, golden raisins, almond picada and cauliflower yogurt.

Basque pizza topped with Spanish chorizo, mozzarella, goat cheese, piquillo pepper, red onion, Castelvetrano olives and preserved lemon.

whole fish with one piece missing....it was branzino, which was a special. 

after...it was very light, flaky and delicious.  

The service was excellent and the food was amazing. The pizza is perfect and the fresh, whole fish is great. Don't be afraid to try a whole fish! The cauliflower is spicy, sweet and creamy, so many good flavors. There's a reason Young Joni is insanely busy and popular. It's worth the trouble to get in.


Young Joni
165 13th Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Phone: (612) 345-5719
http://www.youngjoni.com

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/

O'Cheese Grilled Cheese Shop

The O'Cheese food truck recently became a permanent skyway spot. It opened to huge lines and excitement from fans. I waited a few weeks until things seemed to calm down a bit and went early. The lines are a bit confusing as the order line and waiting area are next to one another in a small space.

I tried the Not-so-Classic with sharp cheddar, havarti, dubliner irish cheddar on white bread with a side of tomato soup. The tomato soup was very good- rich and flavorful. The sandwich was pretty good, there is almost too much cheese on it, if that is possible. It was very cheesy and gooey. The key to the best flavor is to dip the grilled cheese into the soup for the perfect combination of salty and savory.

I think if the food truck had enough fame the skyway spot could thrive. And maybe some new menu items down the line would be interesting as well. Either way, new places in the skyway for lunch options are always welcomed in my book.


O'Cheese
705 S Marquette Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: (612) 568-5737
http://www.ocheeze.com

Rabbit Hole

I've heard a lot about Rabbit Hole from various media sources, best wings, excellent chef and such, but we had not made time to visit. We should have gone a long time ago. The menu is interesting and fun and the beer list and cocktails are great too.

I had the poke mon, this was the rice with fish flakes. 

The fish and other items were in another bowl- Hawaiian Style marinated salmon sashimi, avocado, mango, and wakame. This was a great poke bowl- the fish was fresh tasting and the accompaniments were great additions.

The "wangs" or wings often make the best of lists in the area. And they certainly were tasty with a flavorful sauce and crisp exterior and juicy interior. The Singapore chili sauce was quite salty though. I'd try another sauce next time.

John had the California sub, which was more along the lines of a sorta with fried chicken, avocado, pickled onion, pico de gallo, bacon, avocado crema, jalapeño hot sauce and served with house cut fries. The fries were excellent, freshly cut and crisp. John loved the sandwich, it was super flavorful and perfect all around. 

The food was great and the service was good as well. I'd like to return and try some of the other menu times as the tacos and bop bowls sound great.


Rabbit Hole
920 E Lake St Suite 101
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Phone: 612) 236-4526
http://www.eatdrinkrabbit.com