Hen House

We visited Hen House in downtown Minneapolis awhile ago. I am way behind in postings, but I had some nice photos I wanted to post. We sat at the counter and while they were very busy, the service was ok.

John had the archer tostadas with corn tortillas topped with refried black beans, eggs, queso fresco, avocado, cilantro and crema and hash browns.

I had the cinnamon roll pancakes with bacon. They were definitely very sweet and the drizzle tasted like frosting. They were tasty, but I could really only eat about half of them.

This is a great breakfast spot and it is often very busy on the weekends, but the food is usually worth the wait. I think they have improved considerably since they have been open.



Hen House
114 S 8th St
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-345-4664
http://henhouseeatery.com

Red Rabbit brunch

John signed up for Red Rabbit's eClub recently, so we visited for Saturday brunch. You get a coupon for $10 off upon joining. We arrived just prior to noon and were seated right away. It did fill up quite a bit more by the time we departed. I guess North Loop brunches late.

I had the ham and cheese with grilled ham, mushrooms, arugula and triple creme, with grilled bread and a waffle hash brown. The waffle hash brown is just what it sounds like and it was a great combination of crispy and softer bits of potato. The grilled bread was excellent as it had a bit of smoky flavor.

John hasn't stopped raving about how good this waffle was. I'm told the waffle was very light and fluffy and the berries were fresh with great flavor. He added a side order of bacon as well. The bacon was thick cut and had nice smoky flavor. I was granted a small bite, but the waffle was gone before I got a nibble.

The service was helpful and attentive once more and the food was amazing. John has been talking about how good the waffle was ever since, so I am sure we will be going back very soon.

Brunch is available Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 2pm.


Red Rabbit
201 N Washington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: (612) 767-8
https://www.redrabbitmn.com/855

Red Rabbit

Red Rabbit opened at the beginning of this year, but we are terrible about visiting new restaurants as soon as they open. We have very little desire to fight the crowds and service and food tend to be better later on in many cases. I had also joined Red Rabbit’s eClub and received a discount coupon, which always increases our interest considerably.

We had planned to start off at the bar for happy hour and move to the dining room for dinner, thinking the coupon would not be valid for happy hour. However, there was a long, long wait for dining room tables, so we opted to stay put at the bar for our entire visit, which worked out great.

The cocktail menu is extensive and a whole lot of fun too. I love a good tiki drink! I think this was the “ugly but good.”

We started with the ricotta toast topped with honey and black pepper. This was amazingly simple and amazingly delicious. The honey had a lot of flavor and the ricotta cheese was silky and smooth. We both loved this appetizer.

We also had a few oysters on happy hour. I don’t recall where they were from. That would be great information to share.

We also nibbled on the bar nuts which were spiced hazelnuts. These were a tasty bar snack, and not too sweet.

John had the house sausage pizza. He enjoyed it and compared it to Punch pizza. 

I had the chicken Parmesan, which was delicious, but a gigantic portion. This should be shared! Or plan to eat the leftovers the next day. The red sauce had fresh tomato flavor, nicely seasoned and the chicken was thin with a crisp exterior.

Overall, the service, food and drinks were all outstanding. It is definitely worth the trip to North Loop. It is a fun casual restaurant, so there is not bad time to go.

Deals & discounts: Excellent happy hour daily, visit their website for current details. Also, I recommend joining the eClub for a sign-up coupon and a coupon on your birthday. (I don’t recall the amount of the sign-up coupon and I have not received the birthday coupon yet.)



Red Rabbit
201 N Washington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: (612) 767-8
https://www.redrabbitmn.com/855

Punch Bowl Social happy hour

John and I went to Punch Bowl Social for happy hour the other day. We just grabbed spots right at the bar, though it wasn’t very busy as all of the games were booked for a private party. They had a variety of food and beverage specials and happy hour runs from 3-6pm.

At the recommendation of our bartender/server I tried the Lil Street Tacos, which were filled with cocoa dusted pork carnitas, salsa adobo, crema,  radish, queso cotija, lime and cilantro. The prok was very tender and juicy with great flavor.

One taco was not enough, so I ordered two more to make it a meal. Not a bad deal at $2 each.

We also had the chips and dip, which were kettle chips with charred inion crème frache. The chips were decent and the onion dip was great. Great snack to nibble on.

John had the Knock Jr. burger which was grass-fed hormone-free patty, comeback sauce, pickled onion, lettuce, American cheese, sesame seed bun and fries. This was a decent sized burger for a happy hour item priced at $8.00. The only difference between this and the normal burger is the patty was smaller and the other one costs $13.

The service was just fine at the bar and the bartender had some excellent food recommendations, so I am glad I listened to her. I think we need to go back and try some items from the regular menu as it looks interesting. The food is solid for happy hour, so one would assume it is just as good or better for full entrees.


Punch Bowl Social
The Shops at West End
1691 Park Pl Blvd
Minneapolis, MN 55416
Phone: (763) 400-3865

6Smith

Stephanie and I checked out 6Smith in Wayzata for our most recent dinner outing. Wayzata is a nice midpoint for both of us to meet and there are a lot of new dining options too. While 6Smith is no longer new, I had not visited for dinner in the main restaurant yet, just the rooftop last summer.

We started with a couple drinks, Stephanie’s Red rum drink looked very nice. It contained Sailor Jerry, Lola Belle rum, Aperol, lime juice, cranberry juice, Angostura and cherry bark vanilla bitters, topped with soda.

We started with the tuna poke, which was pretty standard: Ahi tuna, sesame & soy sauces, seaweed, avocado and wonton crisps. It tasted fresh and we liked the light, crisp chips.

I had a fish special and I can’t recall all of the details to save my life. I think it was Cajun seasoned with a cilantro cream and chili oil sauce. The fish was excellent- a bit spicy, but not overly so. The sauces added a nice fresh flavor.

Stephanie had the prime rib eye with the bacon jam and Fini cheddar fondue sauce added. The sauce was divine, not that the steak really needed it, it was great alone too, but the cheese was rich and creamy and you can’t go wrong with bacon of any kind.

We shared the French fries as a side. They were fresh, I am pretty sure made in house and came with béarnaise and truffle aioli . The truffle aioli was excellent too.

Our dessert was the butterscotch and chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream and a warm cookie and some caramel drizzled over the sides. It was quite good.

Overall, the service was excellent. Our server checked with us often and we never waited for a thing, though we did not feel rushed and were given plenty of time to visit. The dining room has large windows facing the lake letting in lots of light and an industrial feel throughout.  I enjoyed everything about 6Smith and I look forward to returning when the weather is warmer so we can sit outdoors and enjoy the lake view.


6Smith
294 East Grove Lane
Wayzata, MN 55391
Wayzata Bay, Lake Minnetonka
952-698-7900
http://www.6smith.com/

COV Wayzata

My friend Angie and I met at COV in Wayzata for a recent get together during happy hour. It was busy when I arrived, but I got one of the booths on the side of the bar.

Our server was very nice and checked back with us frequently. I was impressed considering it was just happy hour. The good service did make the think it would be a great place for lunch or dinner though.

The sesame ahi tuna for $9. It was very good and a decent portion for the very nice price. 

chicken tenders $7

The chicken flatbread for $9 was a very generous portion.

truffle fries for $5

We had a fun time visiting and enjoyed our appetizers and drinks a lot. I'd highly recommend this happy hour and it makes me want to return to try items on the regular menu. The food quality and service all seemed to be top notch.

Deals & discounts: The happy hour is very good with food and drink specials. It runs M-F 3-6pm and Saturday 10-5 in the bar area only. Check website for current happy hour menu.
http://www.covwayzata.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/COV_HappyHour11.16_full.pdf


COV
700 Lake St E
Wayzata, MN 55391
Phone: (952) 473-5253
http://www.covwayzata.com/

New Bohemia Wurst & Bier Haus

We've been going to New Bohemia in Golden Valley for trivia on a pretty regular basis. We went for dinner when they first opened to try the food and saw a sign about trivia and we could not have been more excited as it is close to home, they have a variety of beer and the trivia is early, starting at 6:30pm. But, I keep forgetting to take photos when we go. 

To order food and drink, you place your order at the register as you enter, they give you a number and the food is brought to your table. There are no servers checking back, so if you want another beverage, you need to go to the register or go to the bar. A bit unusual, but it works fine. 

The menu is centered on interesting brats and sausages. It seems like they have something for everyone, from a basic brat to crazy stuff like elk, duck and alligator. You also get to pick two free topping for each sausage order. 

variety of house made mustards and ketchups

On our first visit I tried the smoked jalepeno and cheese sausage. It was pretty spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. The bun was buttered and lightly toasted, very nice and very fresh.

The freshly made pretzels are very good, although we don't care for the cheese sauce that comes with it. I prefer to dip the pretzel in one of the mustards on the table. The pretzel is huge and meant for sharing.

John has been getting the kielbasa on almost every visit. He said it is delicious. Looks like he added fried onions and sauerkraut to this one.

On our last visit, I had the buffalo blue cheese sausage. It was a bit spicy, but I did not get much flavor from the blue cheese. The apple jicama slaw added a nice crunch and a bit of sweetness.

Our favorite things about New Bohemia are the interesting sausages, wide variety of craft beers and the trivia at 6:30pm on Thursdays. All of those things will keep us coming back on a regular basis for some time to come.

Deals & discounts: Happy hour is daily from 3-6pm, and Monday-Thursday, 10pm-close. It includes $3 select drafts, $3 beer cocktail pints. They also offer $3 pints from Third Street brewing during trivia.


New Bohemia
8040 Olson Memorial Hwy
Golden Valley, MN 55427
(763) 544-1882
http://www.newbohemiausa.com

there is also the original location in NE Minneapolis:
233 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN
(612) 331-4929

Dan Kelly's Pub

Over the winter, Dan Kelly’s was sold to new owners, who also happen to own Republic and the Red River Kitchen food truck. It underwent a remodel and retooling of the food and drink menus as well. Since I work very, very close by, I was interested to see what they had done with the place. I visited with a few co-workers for lunch. We seated ourselves at the bar.

I had the fish and chips and found it to be quite good. The fish, line caught wild cod was flaky and light with a crispy breading. The fries looked and tasted freshly cut and fried and were very good. The tartar sauce was not my favorite, but it was acceptable. I liked the crushed minted peas, though I did not detect any mint, they just tasted like fresh smushed peas.

One of my co-workers had the corned beef and cabbage. The portion was very large and the corned beef was very good. It is Peterson farms beef brisket with braised cabbage and caraway roasted onion.

My other co-worker had the salmon with honey glazed parsnips, carrots, potatoes and dill butter. The dish looked very delicious and she said it was excellent. The portion for the salmon was very large as well.

Overall, I thought the food was great. It was not at all busy when we visited, so the service from the bartender was very good. I think a happy hour visit is in order to try the many whisky selections on the drink menu and try a few appetizers. The menus and atmosphere are definitely an improvement over the previous owner’s offerings, so hopefully they do well.

Deals & Discounts: There is a happy hour from 3-6pm daily with a few food specials and select tps, house wine and rail drinks are $4. 

Dan Kelly’s

212 7th Street South
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 333-2644
http://www.dankellyspub.com/

Spasso

I visited Spasso recently with a couple friends. It has been open for quite awhile now, but it is one of those places just off the radar for me. Kelly suggested we check it out as she liked the $3 wines available during happy hour.

I had the butternut squash ravioli. The portion did not look that large, but it was more than I could finish. The pasta was very good and cooked perfectly.

Michele had the penne bolognese, a red meat sauce with cream and Parmesan. The portion was very large and she had a lot left over to take home.

Kelly had the grilled salmon burger with a Caesar side salad. She visits frequently with her family and said she gets this all the time.

Our server was great and we enjoyed the food and wine a lot. There is a wine shop attached that is owned by the restaurant and we found our server to be very knowledgeable as well. The menu has a wide variety and there is certainly something for everyone from pizzas to pastas to burgers and steaks.

Deals & discounts: Happy hour is served Sun-Thu 3-6 & 8-close and Fri-Sat 3-6 & 9-close. They offer one red and one white wine for the $3 happy hour as well as rail drinks for $3 and domestic taps for $3-4. A variety of food options are available starting at $3 as well.


Spasso Restaurant
17523 Minnetonka Boulevard
Minnetonka, MN 55345
(952) 224-9555
http://www.spassomn.com/

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

6Smith

We visited 6Smith for a happy hour on the patio recently. Oddly, there are not that many places with patio seating on the lake in Wayzata. 6Smith certainly has a great patio right on the marina. I should have taken a photo of the view. The patio is on the second floor with a separate bar and small kitchen. There is also another patio on the first floor off the bar.

The calamari with Thai dipping sauce was good, though the dipping sauce was very salty and soy sauce based. The calamari was cooked perfectly though.

The sticky balsamic glazed ribs were very flavorful, but they were cold when they arrived. I’m not sure if they were supposed to be warm or not. I think they would have tasted better hot. The meat was tender and the sauce was very sweet with a little bit of spice.

The smoked chicken wings were quite good. The tamari glaze added just a bit of spice, however they tasted awfully salty. Probably because tamari is a soy sauce.

The drinks were quite good; I had a margarita and a Moscow mule. John had a couple of Pacificos, which was available on tap.

The rooftop menu has several lobster options, a variety of appetizers, salads and sandwiches as well as fresh oysters daily. The menu for the main restaurant is more steak and meant centric in addition to the items mentioned above.

One note: while there is a large parking lot, it seems to fill up quickly and we found valet parking was really the only option. Maybe if you arrive really early you will get a parking place though.

Deals & Discounts: There is a happy hour in the bar on the first floor, but no deals on the rooftop. The happy hour might be new as I did not see anything about it on the website before we went. Might have to go back and check it out.


6Smith
294 East Grove Lane
Wayzata, MN 55391
Wayzata Bay, Lake Minnetonka
952-698-7900

Pub 42

We've been back to Pub 42 a few more times now and photos of all three visits are below. While I loved this place on the first visit, we've had mixed experiences since.

We went back for dinner and trivia night and had dinner before the trivia started. Our server seemed ok at first, but he brought out the entirely wrong burger. John had ordered a burger with provolone, and bacon, cooked medium and he got a well done burger with cheddar. It was sent back and he got another burger with cheddar, but it was cooked correctly this time. Still no bacon. Oh well. The manager ended up removing the burger from the tab anyway, so that was nice.

I had the pumpkin ravioli. The portion seemed rather small for the price of $13.95. The cream sauce was very rich and flavorful though. I'm not sure I liked the sausage on top of the ravioli though. It didn't complement the sweetness of the pumpkin very well.

cheeseburger with fries

 

We went back again for trivia a week later and sat at the bar this time, hoping things would go better and they did. No service issues at all. John really liked the char wings as they had a nice smoky flavor.

char wings

The filet sliders were good, but the meat was a bit chewy in spots. A decent appetizer though.

The huge side order of fries. Also, they have a great seasoned sour cream that tastes just like the Champps seasoned sour cream.

 

We had one last gift card won at trivia to use up, so we went back one more time. We sat at the bar again and the service was fine. No issues again.

chicken Caesar salad

The side of fries. this time the fires were really undercooked and most of them were soggy.

The chicken fingers were really good, with a light crispy breading.

Overall, we had mixed service at Pub 42 and the food seemed to be a bit hit and miss. Some things are better than others on the menu. And if you want good service I would recommend sitting at the bar.

Oh yeah and to top it all off, they have canceled trivia night. So much for that one. Time to look around for a good trivia night again.

Here is a link to our first visit to Pub 42:
http://whereshouldwegomsp.blogspot.com/2014/04/pub-42.html

Deals & Discounts: They have a happy hour! Both early and late. Monday – Friday: 3 to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close and Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Here is a link to the happy hour page on the website: http://pub42.com/happy-hour/


Pub 42
7600 42nd Ave N
New Hope, MN 55427
(763) 278-4242
http://pub42.com/

Hen House

Hen House Eatery opened last month in the old Peter’s Grill location in downtown Minneapolis. They have done some work to the space including new paint, some new light fixtures and a new bar. They retained some of the more charming features of the previous tenant such as part of the counter seating and the wooden booths.

I had the egg, bacon, avocado, cream cheese and tomatoes sandwich with Hen potatoes on my first visit. The sandwich was barely warm when it arrived unfortunately. I did not care for the type of bread used with this sandwich, it was a multi grain bread and after it was toasted it did not have much flavor. The bacon was of good quality, but it was a bit undercooked and not at all crisp. The cream cheese was melted into the bread and it did not seem to add much flavor. I was excited to try the Hen potatoes are they are cubed sweet potatoes with rosemary. However, the sweet potatoes were very undercooked and crunchy throughout even thought they were cut into very small pieces. They have potential if they were cooked through.

One of my lunch companions had the kitchen sink omelet, which contained Italian sausage, bacon, ham, sausage, cheddar cheese, green onions, tomatoes, peppers and hash browns . He thought it was overpriced at $12.99. While the omelet was very large, I have to agree. That is rather steep for a bunch of eggs.

On my second visit I had the turkey panini with garlic artichoke mayo, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and a side of fries. The fries were your standard frozen French fries and nothing special, but they arrived hot and tasted freshly made. The panini was pretty good, with lots of cheese and turkey, but I did not detect any garlic, artichoke or mayo. And at $9.99 for the sandwich plus $2.00 extra for fries the sandwich become pretty expensive quickly.

Even after both visits I’m still on the fence about Hen House. Both times I sat at the bar and the server seemed very rushed, probably because she was covering the whole bar and counter area. So service was acceptable, but not exactly friendly. Both times, the food was a bit underwhelming. Nothing was amazing enough to make me want to come back soon. So, I’m still undecided. I am hoping they improve as they are open longer and maybe make some refinements to the menu and the food. For now, it just seems like overpriced average-quality breakfast food and sandwiches, that are not worth the trip downtown.

Deals and Discounts: Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 2-7pm. I am not sure what the discounts are though. No details on the website that I could find, but a City Pages write up mentioned all drinks are $1 off.


Hen House
114 S 8th St
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-345-4664
http://henhouseeatery.com