Stonegarden - breakfast

I've had Stonegarden on my list for awhile now. I saw a picture of their omelette and it looked like a traditional French style omelette. I made a reservation, but it wan't very busy on arrival, so not sure that was necessary. Perhaps a later arrival time, say 10 or 11 am would require a reservation. 

I had the french onion omelette with caramelized onions, gouda, parmesan. It was a large and filling omelette and I really liked the onion flavors. 

My friend had the the nordic omelette with dill, horseradish crème fraîche, gravlax, capers, lemon zest. This was a newer menu item and it was excellent. (I had a small bite.) 

We split a side of the fried potatoes. They were a bit bland but I added some hot sauce, which gave a little kick. 

The food and service were both excellent. I enjoyed the light, bright ambiance and relaxed atmosphere. I'll definitely return to try some of the other menu items that sounded interesting. 

 

Stonegarden
Address: 5401 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55417
Phone: (612) 489-7715
https://www.stonegardenmpls.com

Murray's

We visited Murray's back in October for my birthday dinner. We made reservations in advance and we were apparently one of the first reservations of the evening as the doors were locked on arrival.  We only waited a couple minutes before the doors were unlocked and we were seated promptly.

We've never tried their famous Silver Butterknife Steak, so we decided to take the plunge. It is a 28 oz. strip sirloin carved tableside for two people. 

It also included a choice of Caesar salad or French Onion soup, which I neglected to take photos of. I believe we both had the salad and it was freshly made with a potent Caesar dressing. 

We both ordered a baked potato for our side.

My serving of steak after slicing

John's serving. The steak was cooked as ordered (medium rare) and well seasoned with salt and pepper. It was very tender and juicy. Since I love tableside preparation of pretty much any type of food, I enjoyed the slicing and serving of the steak at the table. 

The portion was more than enough for two people. I forgot to take a photo of the garlic toast and bread basket, but their garlic toast is amazing. It is chock full of butter and garlic with just the right amount of crunch. 

complimentary lemon bundt cake birthday dessert was a nice special touch

The service was very good, friendly and helpful when needed, but not stopping by too many times. The steak for two was not cheap, but the fact that said and a potato were included was nice. They do offer more budget friendly options on the menu as well as non-beef choices. We really enjoyed our meal and I feel Murray's is a great spot for a fun night out downtown or a special event meal. 

Murray's
26 S 6th St
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 339-0909
http://www.murraysrestaurant.com/

Side Chick

Side Chick is a newish fast casual restaurant in Uptown Minneapolis by famed local chef Justin Sutherland. We stopped by on a Sunday afternoon for a late lunch. There was plenty of seating available and we were quickly greeted by a friendly server.  A full bar is available with a number of tap and bottled beer offerings, though we stuck with sodas on this visit.  There are a good number of TVs so it is definitely a sports bar atmosphere. 

John had the three tenders with fries with Cry Baby Craig's hot honey sauce on them. It was certainly spicy, but not so much that your face is on fire. John had ranch and seasoned sour cream as his side sauces. 

I also had the three tenders with fries with sweet garlic chili sauce on the side. I should note the waffle fries are the breaded variety, which are not my personal favorite, but these were crispy, hot and fresh, so not bad. I had blue cheese and seasoned sour cream as my side sauces (white sauces in pic). Everything was cooked well and served hot. We found the prices to be affordable, I believe it was $10 for the combo meal.

The menu, as expected, is very chicken focused and offerings include wings, sandwiches and even tacos. There are quite a few different sides available, so it seems like they have something for everyone.  They offer a variety of dry rubs, sauces and dipping sauces for the wings and chicken tenders, ranging from no spice to very spicy. 

Side Chick seems like a good addition to the neighborhood. I'm looking forward to going back and trying more items on the menu. 

Side Chick
3006 Lyndale Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Phone: (612) 886-1917

www.sidechickmpls.com

Petite Leon

We went to Petite Leon for John's birthday way, way back in July. This is so out of date it is not even funny. Oh well, my 5 readers won't mind that much. The photos and food are so pretty I had to go ahead and post this regardless. 

black tuna

crispy tamal panisse

wedge salad

chicken

frites

ice cream

The service was good and the room has been remodeled nicely from when it was the Blackbird space. The menu has been updated considerably since the summer, I suppose it changes seasonally, which is great. We will need to return soon and try some of the new dishes. 

Petite Leon
3800 Nicollet Ave 
Minneapolis, MN 55409
Phone: (612) 208-1247
https://petiteleonmpls.com/

The Butcher's Tale

The Butcher's Tale is the reopened Butcher and the Boar restaurant on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. The room is more or less the same as before with some minor upgrades here and there. 

The food and drink menu retains many of the menu favorites from Butcher and the Boar as well. Don't worry, you can still get the beef long rib- we just thought we'd try some of the new offerings on this visit. We booked reservations well in advance, but I believe you can still walk in for open seating in the bar area as well as the beer garden in the back. 

We started with the Caribbean crab and lobster cake with jumbo lump crab, lobster, passion fruit citrus slaw and smoked jalapeño aioli. The sauces were an excellent addition to the crisp crab cake. 

John had the hanger steak with a fresh corn slaw on the side. It was cooked as requested and quite tender. 

I had the swordfish, which was a daily special. It had a tropical style salad on the side with mango and pineapple I believe. The fish was very light and flaky. I enjoyed it a lot. 

For our side we had the buffalo steak fries served with Creole ketchup and buttermilk ranch. They were very fresh and crispy. 

Overall, we had a great visit. The food was high quality and the service was excellent throughout our visit. I should also mention the wonderful beer garden is still there and available for walk in service. As with anything now, be sure to check hours of operation in advance. 

The Butcher's Tale
1121 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 238-8888
https://butcherstale.com

Rosalia Pizza

Rosalia is a pizza outlet that opened in the back of the Martina space in early 2021. It is owned and operated by Daniel Del Prado a local chef that now has a mini empire of six outlets in Minneapolis. 

I did not realize at first it was possible to eat in at this restaurant. They do take reservations for tables inside and outside. There are a good number of tables and the room is bright and white with huge windows on one side and lots of greenery as dear throughout. The service is somewhat hands off, possibly due to Covid protocols, where you scan a QR code to bring up the menu and ordering system. The food is delivered as it is prepared or you can order items one at a time and keep adding onto your tab as needed and close out at the end. 

The  menu has a number of interesting starters so tried the tuna with roasted tomato, caper, cilantro, chile oil and lime. The tuna was very fresh tasting and the other ingredients added extra flavor and a bit if spice to the dish. 

We also tried the chopped salad with oregano vin, romaine, pepperoncini, carrot, tomato, sunflower seeds and chevre. There's just something about having a sale with pizza that works. This was a bit different, but very delicious and flavorful. 

We had the pepperoni pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, parmesan and pepperoni. The pizza is wood fired and the char is excellent. The crust is fairly light and airy with a good amount of toppings and not too much cheese to weigh it down unnecessarily. 

We enjoyed all of the food items we ordered. Since ordering is on your phone, service is fairly hands off, which is fine. There are people you can flag down if you need anything and everyone is friendly and helpful. 

Rosalia Pizza
2811 W 43rd St 
Minneapolis, MN 55410

Phone: (612) 345-5494

https://rosaliapizza.com

Sooki & Mimi

We visited Sooki and Mimi back in May. Apparently I am a smidge behind on posting. Oh well. My three readers have not exactly been complaining. 

Anyway, some things to know before visiting-- if you wish to do the multi course meal, be sure to make reservations well in advance. You can walk in and sit in the upstairs or downstairs bar, but the menus seem to be a bit limited. 

First course was the aguachile verde with spring vegetables, pickled rhubarb, thai basil and mint. Amazing. So fresh. Tasted like springtime in a bowl. 

We both added the drink pairing to our meals. For $40 it was a selection of cocktails, cider and wine. But I forgot to take photo of all of the drinks. 

My first course was the mackerel gravlax tostada with charred allium cream cheese, everything bagel spice and pico verde. This was so unique and delicious! The mackerel was not fishy tasting, very fresh. 

John had the english pea sope with requeson, horseradish and preserved lemon. 

John's third course was the walleye tacos with cabbage and fennel slaw, avocado, serrano and herb tartar sauce. 

My third course was the mole verde with white asparagus, spring onion, ogok-bap and tortillas. 

John's fourth course was kimchi mandu with masa, chrysanthemum, chayote and shivaji dashi. This was very unique yet traditional. 

Fourth course was the hominy grits with new Caledonia prawns, salsa macha and fennel. 

Dessert was a hibiscus rhubarb bar with whipped cream and lime leaf. So unique, seasonal and delicious. 

The service was excellent throughout our visit. Very efficient and polished. The room is bright, open and modern, yet traditional with the touches of wood and greenery all around. 

Sooki & Mimi
1432 W 31st St 
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Phone: (612) 540-2554
https://www.sookiandmimi.com

Stepchld

We hit the brunch at Stepchld awhile back. This is a little spot where J.L. Beers used to be in Minneapolis and they are doing some fun, creative stuff.  They did a light remodel but are working within the footprint of the previous tenant. 

I had the Real Deal Holyfield egg sandwich with cheesy soft scrambled eggs on a freshly toasted bun. The sale was dressed nicely as well. Simple but so well executed. 

John had the Cooper burger with alicia, pickles and American cheese. This was a nicely griddled double patty burger with lots of gooey, white American cheese. Really good and the fries were solid as well. 

It doesn't appear that Stepchld is one for brunch right now, but open for dinner daily. We enjoyed our food immensely and found the service to be quick and helpful. The menu has some very intriguing items, so we will try to return soon to explore further. I would strongly recommend reservations as it is not a large place. 

Stepchld
24 University Ave NE STE 100
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Phone: (612) 354-7409
https://www.stepchld.com

J.D. Hoyt's Supper Club

We've never set foot in J.D. Hoyt's Supper Club even though it has been around for years. They have valet parking most of the time or there is plenty of street parking in the area. The dining room is filled with greenery and memorabilia that's fun to look at.  

The garlic toast was top notch! 

John had the cajun pork chop and said it was good. 

The cajun hash browns were very crispy and delicious. Highly recommend. 

I had the prime rib. I did not love how they grilled it, it made it too well done and I prefer prime rib a bit more rare. It was nice that the meats included a vegetable though. 

The service was excellent throughout our meal. Overall, I enjoyed most of the food and I'd simply try something else next time around. 

J.D. Hoyt's Supper Club
301 N Washington Ave 
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: (612) 338-1560
https://jdhoyts.com

Martina brunch

I've been missing going to brunch so much. I mean, getting food to go is fine and all, but going out for a relaxing meal is wonderful. I managed to get a reservation at Martina for brunch and things are back up and running. We were seated right away and they have you use your phone to place your food and beverage orders. The server was available to assist if needed too. It is a rather slick system.  

John had the almond flour pancakes with fruit, butter and almond butter. They were very light in texture yet filling at the same time. 

I had the crab cake eggs benedict. They were tasty and very filling with an excellent hollandaise sauce. 

We also had some potato churros, which I did not remember to get a photos of. I think we had them on a prior visit. They are amazingly delicious potatoes fried like a churro, essentially. 

Let's hope the march to normalcy continues. 

Martina
4312 S Upton Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55410
Phone: (612) 922-9913
https://www.martinarestaurant.com/

Guava's Cuban Cafe

We visited Guava's Cuban Cafe for brunch recently. I think it is a fairly new restaurant on the edge of Richfield/Minneapolis. It is a very cute little cafe with a small patio in the front. You order at the counter and the food is delivered to your table. 

John had the Vaca Frita Hash with braised beef, house potatoes, charred onions, yuca, 2 eggs, cilantro aioli and tostada. He really enjoyed this. The meat was tender and well flavored. It was a huge portion and he took some of it home for another meal. 

I had the Miami breakfast with bacon, 2 eggs, patatas bravas and Cuban toast with guava butter. Everything was very good. I really liked the Cuban toast and guava butter. The  potatoes were crispy and well seasoned. 

We really enjoyed Guava's and plan to return soon. The menu is not huge, but everything was high quality and there were some other items I'd love to try. 

Guava's Cuban Cafe
5607 Chicago Ave 
Minneapolis, MN 55417
Phone: (612) 824-0951
https://guavascubancafe.com

Billy Sushi

One of the few restaurants to open in 2020 was Billy Sushi in the North Loop of Minneapolis. And it has been a hot reservation when they have been able to have in-house dining. The atmosphere is definitely fun and the sushi is excellent quality.   

Billy's live bait cocktail

yuzu tuna

JFC Japanese style fried chicken

Silly Billy sushi roll

assorted sashimi 18 piece

We've visited a couple times now and had excellent service and a fun evening each time. The sushi is very high quality. If you are up to in-house dining and looking for quality sushi, I would very highly recommend Billy Sushi. Carry out is also available.  

Billy Sushi
116 N 1st Ave 
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: (612) 886-1783
https://billysushi.net

Lake and Irving to go

A number of local restaurants have changed up their menus and added items better suited to carry out. Lake and Irving added several varieties of smoked wings to their menu so we ordered online and picked them up for dinner. 

bourbon buffalo with st. pete's bleu cheese, celery

kona gold with honey, mustard, turmeric, chili

The wings were large and meaty, but either the wings did not travel that well or the sauces were not very flavorful. The wings are smoked, but I didn't get any smoky flavor in the meat.  I love Lake and Irving normally, but  I am not sure I'd order the wings again. 

Lake & Irving
1513 W Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 354-2453
http://www.lakeandirving.com/