Handsome Hog

We visited Handsome Hog for John's birthday celebration this year. We made sure to make reservations well in advance as it is still a very popular restaurant. The restaurant also recently moved form lower town St Paul to Western Avenue on Cathedral Hill. I assume because this location is more spacious and had more space for outdoor dining.  The patio is very large with a nice sized bar in the back. They have a lot of greenery and planters and such to space the tables and add decor. 

John had the Combo #5  which included brisket, spare ribs, a cornbread muffin, grilled sweet corn and house pickles. The ribs were tender and had a nice smoke flavor as did the brisket. 

I had the smoked pork belly, which was a special that day. It was super tender pork belly with a corn relish and some grits on the side. A smaller portion, which the server told me, but it was the perfect amount for me. 

The service was fine, maybe a bit rushed, they were quite busy throughout our visit. The patio was full. We got everything we needed and didn't wait long for anything. There are a lot more interesting items on the menu 

Handsome Hog
173 Western Ave N 
St Paul, MN 55102
Phone: (651) 219-4013
https://handsomehog.com

The Howe Daily Kitchen and Bar

We visited The Howe because we had purchases a Sidewalk Dog restaurant pass, where you pay $25 for the pass and that gets you a free drink and a number of local restaurants and bars. All of the restaurants have dog friendly patios, so you are encouraged to bring your furry friend. 

We were seated on the back patio, which gave us plenty of space to set up shop with Maya. They even brought over a water dish and yoga mat for her to sit on. Not that she really relaxes much when we go out! They really do pamper your pooches here. We ordered Maya a beef marrow bone off their doggie menu and it was the best $3 we have ever spent. She was busy for the rest of our visit working on the bone. She did not even have time to beg for our food! It was great!

John had some boneless buffalo wings. He said they were pretty good.

I had the two piece broasted chicken meal. The chicken was quite good- very juicy with good flavor. I’m not bananas about their breaded French fries. They are OK. Not my favorite fries.

The service was great and we loved all the puppy pampering. Lots of other diners brought their dogs as well, so we did not feel like Maya was in the way or anything. Even without a pet, the patio is a nice outdoor space.

The Howe Daily Kitchen and Bar

3675 Minnehaha Avenue South 

Minneapolis, MN 55406

(612) 729-3663

http://www.howempls.com/

Redstone

We visited Redstone on Friday, April 22nd intending to sit in the bar and have drinks and appetizers. It was full in the bar so we got a booth in the dining room.

On this visit I had the Buffalo Shrimp. This is one of my all time favorites on their menu. I think Redstone was one of the first places to do this dish and they do it well. They use lightly breaded jumbo shrimp, coat them with buffalo sauce and there is blue cheese sauce and crumbles on the plate.

JS got the Original Burger and fries. He prefers the original burger as he is not into having tons of toppings on his burger. They will cook it to order. The fries were very good was well; very crisp and well seasoned. Their burgers are usually on the lists of top burgers in town and I can see why.

I'm not sure what to say about Redstone that has not been said already. The food at Redstone is always high quality and the service is wonderful. The prices are a tad on the higher side, but I really think you get what you pay for here. However, I still find it to be a solid dinner/lunch choice even though it has been around since 1999 or so.

They have a few other favorites on the menu I often come back for like the Classic Rotisserie Chicken, Prime Rib, BBQ Ribs, Jerk Chicken Fondue and the Seared Ahi Tuna. I have a few friends that love the fondue and we are always looking for reasons to go to Redstone so we can order it! Plus, going there and sitting in the bar or on the patio is entertaining beyond belief. It is like watching the nature channel for the older, divorced, affluent set sometimes. Maybe I am still too young to be their target market. Hope so anyway!

Discounts:
I've never seen any coupons or discounts of any kind for Redstone. If you know of any please let me know! I did call and ask if they had happy hour deals (I didn't think they did) and they are currently offering a variety of appetizers for $5 and $2 off all drinks from 2-6 pm.

There are 2 locations in Minnesota. I find the Eden Prairie location to be a bit busier than the Minnetonka location. So if you don't want to wait, try the Minnetonka location. If you want a fun bar atmosphere and a nice outdoor patio try the Eden Prairie location.

Redstone
12501 Ridgedale Drive,
Minnetonka MN,55305
Phone: (952) 591-0000
8000 Eden Road,
Eden Prairie,MN,55344
Phone: (952) 903.9500
www.redstonegrill.com