Centro

Centro is a quick service taco joint in Northeast Minneapolis. We find ourselves in this area a lot, but did not realize exactly where it was. You order at the counter or  sit at the bar and food and drinks are delivered to your table. The process works quite well.

The chips and guacamole were really excellent. Great flavor. Some guacamole can be way too bland! This was not. The chips were the thicker style, like you would get in Mexico.

John had one carnitas en adobo taco (pork), one pollo a la plancha taco (chicken taco) and one chorizo taco.

I had one carnitas en adobo taco and one papas con chorizo taco. Both tacos were excellent and had tons of meat in them. The chorizo was spicy, but in a wonderfully perfect way. These were some of the best tacos we have had outside of Mexico.

I think we really need to try Popol Vuh, which is the fine dining sit down restaurant in the same building as Centro and the same chefs. I suspect we would enjoy it a lot.




Centro
1414 Quincy St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Phone: (612) 345-5527
https://popolvuhmpls.com/centro/#tacos

Hai Hai

We went back to Hai Hai recently as we had not been there since last fall. We arrive a bit early on a Friday evening and were able to easily get places to sit at the bar. It wasn’t even that full until right before we left around 7pm. There were plenty of people waiting in the entry for dining room tables though.

We started with fried wontons filled with cream cheese, chicken liver pate and a side of passion fruit dipping sauce. The chicken liver pate made the flavor very rich and meaty. We also had the water from cakes again, but I forgot to take a photo of them. Still good though!

We also had the spring rolls, which were a bit different than expected. They had a crunch egg roll skin a line of pork sausage, some pickled carrot and jicama all wrapped in a soft spring roll wrapper with dipping sauce. John loved these. I thought they were just OK.

We also had the Balinese chicken thigh with kale, bean sprouts, coconut rice, coconut cream, crispy chicken skin, lime leaf and spicy sambal with Thai chili and fried shallots. This might be our new go to dish. The chicken was so tender and juicy and the coconut rice was rich and creamy. The dish was a bit spicy, but not too much.

We finished with the Vietnamese coffee pot de crème dessert. It was Vietnamese coffee custard, creme fraiche, coco nib and crispy tuile. A light and flavorful way to finish the meal.

The service at the bar was super quick and speedy and all of the food came out amazingly quickly. So I am still loving Hai hai one year later!



Hai Hai
2121 University Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
Phone: (612) 223-8640
https://www.haihaimpls.com/

Young Joni revisit

We went back to Young Joni again. We were unable to get a reservation, so we went early on a Saturday, around 5pm and scored seats at the bar. I had not realized on previous visits that the bar and also a huge square table near the front are all open seating for people without reservations. Anyway, the trick seems to be to arrive early.

We started with the Sweet and Spicy Pork Spare Ribs gochujang bbq sauce, pickled vegetables.

Next, Brussels Sprouts with zhoug, pomegranate, pickled shallot.

This is the Tavern Pie topped with house red sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, jalapeño, honey. It was spicy and a little sweet for a nice contrast.

The service at the bar was just fine. All of the food was exceptional as always. I see why Young Joni is still mobbed as the food and service are worth every dime.


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

Hai Hai

There’s been a lot of buzz around town since Hai Hai opened in Northeast Minneapolis last fall. It is owned and operated by the people that also own Hola Arepa, another popular eatery in South Minneapolis. We tried to arrive early on a Saturday afternoon to beat the crowds, but everyone else had the same idea we did. We just added our names to the wait list and enjoyed a drink while we waited. They do not take reservations and it is not that large of a place, though the back patio will make it quite a big bigger once the weather improves. So, be prepared to wait. We waited about 45 minutes I think.

MSG Margarita So Good 

bar

Lychee Keen

We started with fried wontons filled with cream cheese, chicken liver pate and a side of passion fruit dipping sauce. The chicken liver pate made the flavor very rich and meaty.

Next up, were the water fern cakes. I wasn’t sure what we were ordering here, but I had heard these were a must try. They are steamed rice cakes with mung bean, ground pork, crispies, scallion oil, nuoc cham and Thai chili. Essentially, these are rice in a bowl, with a bunch of stuff on top and they are quite delicious. The toppings add a ton of flavor and texture and overall it is a light and flavorful snack. They really are a must try item!

Next up was the fried Brussels sprouts from the vegetables section of the menu. They are cooked with nam jim herb vinaigrette, roasted green chile paste, pork belly and puffed rice. The pork belly added an earthy flavor to the fresh and flavorful brussel sprouts. These were excellent and not spicy or anything, just very flavorful.

Next, we went with the sugarcane shrimp under the assembly required section of the menu. These are shrimp mousse cooked on sugarcane skewers with lettuce, herbs, rice noodles, peanuts and nuoc cham. Somehow, I missed the fact that this was shrimp mousse and not whole shrimp. The shrimp mousse ended up tasting a bit fishy. This wasn’t my favorite item of the night.

We really enjoyed Hai Hai and thought it was a fun dining experience with new and interesting foods, to us anyway. The cocktails are excellent and we found the service to be willing to offer menu suggestions and help whenever needed. The place is mobbed and busy, so I don’t imagine lingering is encouraged, but we didn’t feel rushed at all. The busy atmosphere ended up feeling fun and festive. I think we need to return and try a few more items on the menu like the crepe and the fried rice.


Hai Hai
2121 University Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
Phone: (612) 223-8640
https://www.haihaimpls.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

Young Joni

We finally went somewhere new shortly after it opened. I really wanted to try Young Joni, so I made a reservation about a month ahead of time. It was worth the wait.

We were seated right away. The room is very warm and inviting with open beams and lots of dark wood. The place was packed and buzzing and the sound levels were good, not too loud and not too quiet.

Our server greeted us pretty quickly and provided excellent service throughout our visit.

Paloma and sarsaparilla cocktails

We began with a couple starters- the first was the brussels sprouts. The sauce was a bit sweet and the onion added to the smoky flavor of the brussels sprouts.

The second starter was the grilled chili prawns. The sauce was definitely spicy and not in a Minnesota way. They were perfectly grilled and I could have eaten several more. 

We shared the Korean BBQ pizza. The crust was sturdy enough to support all of the topping and just the right amount of chewy and soft. The arugula was nicely dressed with sesame and soy vinaigrette and the short rib topping was tender and plentiful.

John had the sea salt and olive oil soft serve. It was surprisingly delicious, he was not sure it would be good, but it was in fact great. The olive oil almost tasted like caramel sauce.

My dessert was the church basement bars plate with a side of milk. The chocolate chip cookies were warm and perfect. The middle bar was a blueberry and lemon bar, which was sweet and light, like a cobbler. The chocolate bar on the left was super chocolatey, rich and sweet.

looking toward the bar

looking toward the front 

That reminds me, that the front door is a little tricky. All the windows and doors on the front look the same, the door is at an angle and has a very small lip to grab. 

restroom with giant lightbulb

I very highly recommend Young Joni. The experience was perfect from start to finish. It is not cheap, but worth every dime for the high quality food and service your receive.


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

Ideal Diner

John and I visited Ideal Diner awhile back on a Sunday morning. We were thinking it might be busy with lines out the door, so we arrived kind of early, around 8:30 am. It didn’t get that busy throughout our visit though. But, keep in mind this is one of those small places and the only seating is at the counter, so maximum capacity is 14 seats. Of course, I also like watching the action of the cook behind the counter.

I think we both had the same thing, with differently prepared eggs. I had eggs over medium, with hash browns, bacon, toast and one pancake. The food is all very solid and well prepared. The hash browns were crispy, eggs cooked as ordered, bacon excellent quality.

The pancakes are quite good, I’d place them second behind Al’s Breakfast pancakes. It is a thinner pancake with crispy bits on the edges and softer in the center. The pancakes are buttermilk and had some of that nice buttermilk flavor, but not as strongly as Al’s Breakfast pancakes.

Here is John’s plate with scrambled eggs and rye toast.

We found the food and the service to be excellent at Ideal Diner. Considering we got right in and the food was ready quickly, we will certainly return again.


Ideal Diner
1314 Central Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
http://www.idealdiner.com/

Northeast Social

I’ve heard a lot about Northeast Social in the local media since it opened, but it is one of those places we’ve never made it to before. I recently realized they take reservations, which is always nice, especially for a smaller place, so I made one for a recent Friday night.

The room is lots of brick and high ceilings and the large windows in the front were open, even though it was a bit cool and rainy that evening. I was prepared with a jacket anyway.

We started with a couple beers, the list has lots of interesting local choices. I ordered the seared scallops appetizer. It included two large scallops on top of hoppin’ john, which is a type of bean. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the beans brought down the salt factor of the scallops a bit.

John had the bone in pork chop with honey glazed carrot and radish. The pork was coriander dusted and very tender with excellent flavor. He really enjoyed it a lot.

I had the seared tuna sandwich and fries. The fries were quite good, very hot and fresh. The tuna had pickled egg, napa slaw, avocado and basil aioli on it. It seemed like too many toppings to me. The tuna was good, but I ended up removing the pickled egg and some of the slaw, or rather it escaped out the back of the sandwich anyway.

The server was very helpful, giving us recommendations when needed and checking back with us often. This is a nice neighborhood spot, I think we would return, depending what is on the menu.


Northeast Social
359 13th Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 877-8111
http://www.northeastsocial.com/

Pizza Nea

We have not been attending trivia nights like we used to, which is a shame, but none are held at any of our old haunts. So we went to Pizza Nea before going to trivia at Keegan’s recently. It is a bit of a drive to go down there, but not too bad.

We seated ourselves when we arrived at Pizza Nea and a server came over quickly to bring us menus and take our beverage orders. We had bought a Groupon and the server explained what we could order with it.

I ordered the Diavola pizza, topped with salami, pepperoncini, olives, mozzarella, cracked red pepper and basil. The pizza was a little spicy, as expected. I liked the char on the crust and the red sauce was flavorful.

John had the Margherita pizza with Buffalo mozzarella and basil. John thought this was an good, traditional Neapolitan style pizza.

The pizzas came out very quickly and we were in and out with plenty of time to spare. The service was excellent. I liked the wide variety of pizza selections available on the menu.

Deals & Discounts: We had purchased a Groupon for two pizzas and two glasses of tap beer or wine for $26.50, valid Monday through Thursday. Considering this came to $38.00 in the restaurant this was a great deal. This Groupon is still available too! We just left a cash tip for the great service.


Pizza Nea
306 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55414
(612) 331-9298
http://pizzanea.com/

JL Beers now open in NE Minneapolis

I'm happy to report that the JL Beers in Minneapolis opened recently. We visited just last weekend and the food and beer selection was as good as the Grand Forks location. The look and feel of the interior is the same as that location as well, with a long bar along one side and tables along the other side. We stopped in on a Saturday afternoon for lunch and it was not very busy at all.

I had the BLT Blue burger and the topping include bacon, lettuce, tomato, blue cheese and a hamburger patty on a bun. I also had the freshly made chips with sea salt and a side of R dip. Everything was freshly made and very delicious.

John had the Rajun Cajun burger with chips and R dip. This burger is topped with pepperjack cheese, cajun lime sauce, grilled onions and a hamburger patty on a bun.

The food, service and beer selection were as good as the other location. JL Beers is a welcome addition to the burger scene in Minnesota for us, though I wonder how it will do with so many other places nearby with great burgers.

Here is my previous post on JL Beers in Grand Forks, ND:
http://whereshouldwegomsp.blogspot.com/2013/08/jl-beers-grand-forks-nd.html


JL Beers
24 University Ave NE Suite 100
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 208-0400
http://jlbeers.com/nempls/location/

Anchor Fish and Chips

I have wanted to write a post on Anchor Fish and Chips for awhile now. It is not a new restaurant and we have been many, many times. However, starvation always gets in my way. I have a tendency to forget to take photos when I am extremely hungry and by the time we get a table and order at Anchor I dive right into my fish as soon as it arrives. The problem is the fact that Anchor is so very popular and so very delicious and in rather small quarters. This is not their fault. Anchor would probably not be as wonderful and charming if it was a huge restaurant that I could go to anytime.

The first thing you need to know about Anchor is that the fish and chips are amazing. The breading on the fish is so light and crisp. The fish always tastes fresh. The chips are just the right amount of crisp, with great potato flavor. The prices are quite affordable too.

The second thing you should know about Anchor is that the food is deep fried in beef tallow. I think this contributes to the deliciousness of the food somehow. Apparently, the beef tallow is a bad thing if you are vegetarian. I don't think I will become a vegetarian anytime soon. Mostly due to this place.

If you have never been to Anchor Fish and Chips I very much encourage you to check it out. Just don't go when I want to go, so the wait is shorter for me! And Anchor, please don't go changing. I love you just the way you are!


Anchor Fish and Chips
302 13th Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 676-1300
www.theanchorfishandchips.com/

Stanley's

Stanley's in Northeast Minneapolis is quickly becoming a favorite stop of ours. They have a great selection of beers on tap and a great menu with a wide variety of choices. The service is always friendly and quick as well. It is definitely a good place to watch football or basketball games on TV since they have quite a few TV's.

I love the pretzels at Stanley's! I've ordered them the last couple times we have visited. The honey mustard dipping sauce has great flavor and the pretzels taste freshly made as they arrive warm. These are probably the best pretzels I've found around town!

John ordered a burger and did the build your own burger with bacon and Swiss cheese. He said the bacon was very tasty and it was a solid burger overall.

I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich with bacon and pepper jack cheese. It caught my eye on the menu as it also had the honey mustard sauce on it. The sandwich was quite good. I am not that crazy about the french fries for some reason. They have some sort of coating on them that does not improve them at all.

Deals and Discounts: There is a coupon in the 2013 Entertainment book for Stanley's this year. They are a new addition to the book and a good one too. The coupon is buy one entree get one free (up to $10 off). Stanley's also has a good happy hour and wide variety of specials all the time. We were unable to use the coupon on this visit as they had bloody Mary's on special and we could not use the coupon with other specials. That's ok, we will use the coupon next time.


Stanley's 

2500 University Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
(612) 788-2529
http://www.stanleysbarroom.com