Hibachi Daruma

I think I have posted about the Hibachi Daruma food truck before, and I am happy to report they have opened a brick and mortar location in Downtown Minneapolis that is accessible via the skyways.

The location is a bit tricky to find if you are not familiar with the building. Essentially, you go through the building that houses Panera Bread, take a left at Panera, toward the Medical arts building, instead of going toward Medical Arts, take another left, as if you are going toward Hell’s Kitchen. Immediately after the shoe repair shop, take a right and go through the single glass door on the left side. Follow the long hallway and you will find yourself inside Hibachi Daruma. Or use your phone's GPS because those directions are terrible!

I had the Hibachi teriyaki chicken bowl. The food is exactly the same as it was on the food truck. I thought everything was very good. The chicken was tender and not dry at all. Of course, the yum yum sauce helps improve everything.

While the location is a bit hard to find, I think this is a great addition to the skyways! I'm looking forward to visiting regularly.



Hibachi Daruma
820 S Marquette Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: (612) 354-2250
http://hibachidarumamn.com/

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

Broadway Fast & Fresh Skyway

The Broadway Pizza in US Bank Plaza closed awhile ago, remodeled a bit and reopened with a new concept where you can build your own freshly made pizza. The toppings are unlimited and they also offer salads, wraps and pasta dishes. They offer a few favorites or you can build your own pizza and any pizza is priced at $7.99.

I tried this out the other day and was pleasantly surprised. The line moved quickly, you just tell them the toppings, pay and they call your number when the pizza is finished. The whole process only took about seven minutes from start to finish.

I topped my pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms and green olives. The finished pizza was hot and fresh, which is often a problem with skyway pizza places if it sits there too long. The toppings were generous and the sauce and cheese had good flavor.


Broadway Fast & Fresh
200 South 6th St #270
(612) 465-8899
http://www.broadwaypizza.com/downtown-minneapolis/

Come Pho Soup

A  new spot opened recently in the hallway between the Medical Arts Building sort of behind the old Walgreens location on Nicollet Mall. The menu offers pho and Bahn mi sandwiches with a variety of different meat options for each available.

Come Pho Soup is affiliated with La Belle Crepe down the hall, which has offered pho for awhile, but this makes the offering much more prominent. Before you kinda of had to just know they had it on the menu or heard about it form someone as a crepe place isn't somewhere you'd think of for pho.

Pho

pork bahn mi

We all agreed the pho and sandwiches were both quite good for a quick grab and go lunch, but the meat was a bit bland tasting. The toppings and fillings all looked and tasted fresh. The price was under $10 with a beverage, though I forget the exact price.

Since there are no pho or bahn mi shops in this area of the skyway, I think it will be a great addition to the skyway luncheon options.


Come Pho Soup 
823 1/2 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis,  MN
Phone: (612) 236 4457

Pad Ga-Pow

There has not been anywhere to get pad thai in the skyways since Sawatdee closed several years ago. I spotted anew place in the Highland Court building recently and it looked promising. It is in the former location of Sky Bites and seems to have undergone a paint job and menu change mainly.

Other menu items include pho, noodle soups and salads. I took a photo of the menu since I could not find a website for this restaurant. Combo #1 $6.99 is one item plus white rice, Combo #2 is two items plus white rice for $8.99, Combo #3 is three items plus white rice for $10.99, Soups are pho and are $8.99 and salads are $8.99. They also have cream cheese wontons and egg rolls available.

 Chili paste and other sauces to season and spice the entrees. 

My co-worker and I both tried the pad thai. This is the single order, but you could double or triple your order or add other entrees. I thought the portion was perfect for lunch, my co-worker would have liked a larger potion, but he did not realize he could have doubled the order. The flavor of the pad thai noodles was very good and I thought there was a good amount of chicken. The best part was all of the fresh chili sauces available to season and spice your pad thai as desired.

I thought the food was very good and I look forward to going back and trying more items. It certainly fills a void in the culinary scene, in the Minneapolis skyways at least.


Pad Ga-Pow
811 LaSalle Ave
Minneapolis, MN
Highland Bank Court building

World Cafe

Cafe Zentral in the Minneapolis skyway is no more and it has now been replaced by World Cafe. I stopped in to pick up a sandwich the other day and see what has changed. Turns out the menu is totally different with lots of salads, sandwiches and paninis on the menu.

I had the turkey and date jam panini with date jam, turkey and brie cheese. It was on a whole grain bread and would have been excellent if it had been warmed through a bit more. The bread was flavorful and I liked the date jam a lot. I'd order it again for sure.

I'll try to go back soon and try a few other items on the menu, but World Cafe is off to a promising start.  They are open for breakfast and lunch weekdays.


World Cafe 
105 5th Street S (Skyway Level)
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-298- 6808
http://www.worldcafempls.com

Real Meal Deli

I decided to try and step put of my lunchtime rut and try a new place again. Real Meal Deli has been in the Baker Building for some time and they recently opened a second location in the Tri-Tech building. The menu consists of sandwiches, soups and salads with breakfast available in the early mornings as well. The Baker Building location is strictly grab and go, the Tri-Tech location has tables, chairs and seating with widows even.

I had the Josie's Club Sandwich which is topped with sliced deli turkey & ham, swiss, chopped bacon, hellman’s mayo, lettuce and tomato. The bread was fresh tasting and the deli meat was higher quality band the vegetables tasted and looked fresh.

I made this a sack lunch combo so I could try the soup, you also get a cookie and a beverage. The wild rice soup was decent. I was not expecting a broth based soup, it was a lot like chicken noodle soup with wild rice in it. It had good flavor and a lot of vegetables and meat in it though.

The cookie was warm, which was a nice touch I thought. This was probably more food than I needed at lunch, but it was nice to try a few different items at once. Overall, the food was decent, not amazing, and I would go back next time I'm in the mood for a sandwich or soup. I found the pricing on par with other soup and sandwich places like Panera or Cosi, the combo was $9.48 before tax.



Real Meal Deli
Two downtown Minneapolis locations:

Baker Center
733 Marquette Ave.,
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Open Monday - Friday 10:30am - 2:30pm
612.436.0114

TriTech Office Center Suite #206
331 2nd Ave S.,
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Open Monday - Friday 7am - 2pm
612.436.0114
http://www.realmealdeli.com

Allie's Deli

I feel like I have been slipping into a major rut with my lunch time dining in the skyways. I tend to go to the same rotation of favorites and find it a challenge to go out of my comfort zone to try new places.

Allie's deli has been in the skyway for some time and they even expanded sometime last year into the old Caribou space next door. It is always busy with long lines, but the line moved very quickly for me.

I tried the French dip (half sandwich) with a pickle and chips. The bread was very good and the salty au jus added flavor to the rather bland meat and cheese sandwich. The meat was not dry, but it was a bit overcooked. I'm not sure I'd order this again, but I liked that you can order a whole or half sandwich option for every sandwich on the menu.

Next time, I need to try the salads or soups as those look to be the most popular items. I also found all of the employees to be very outgoing and friendly.


Allie's Deli
527 Marquette Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 333-6425
http://alliesdeliandcatering.com/

Bep Eatery

Bep eatery is another recent entry in the skyway dining scene. It seems like there have been a few new openings recently, which is kind of exciting. Bep eatery has Vietnamese street food and offers pho, banh mi, spring rolls and vermicelli noodle salads built to order in the Chipotle style of ordering.

packaged sandwich

trying to show the generous contents of the sandwich

I ordered a banh mi with pork, veggies, herbs, peanut chili dressing and jalapenos. The pork was excellent! It was large pieces of pork, seasoned and grilled. The meat was very tender and there was a lot of it in the sandwich. The vegetables were also very fresh and good and I really liked the peanut chili dressing as it added a lot of flavor. The bread was fresh and crusty on the outside and light and fluffy inside. This was an excellent sandwich and I need to go back very soon and try their other meats with different combinations.

The line moved quickly. You go down the line and select your topping and pay. There is some seating available inside the restaurant, but it looks like most people grab and go back to work. The banh mi was $7.95 plus tax, and it was a large sandwich, so the price seemed fair to me. It is a little out of the way in the Fifth Street towers, but it is certainly worth your trip!


Bep Eatery
100 S 5th St #210
Fifth Street Towers (skyway level)
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 338-5189
http://www.bepeatery.com

Naf Naf Grill

Naf Naf Grill is a new lunch option for downtown Minneapolis workers that recently opened in the US Bank Plaza building on the first level. It is skyway connected for the downtown worker that doesn’t like to go outdoors.

The menu touts authentic Middle Eastern food including pitas, falafel and shawarma, all freshly prepared. The ordering process is reminiscent of Chipotle in that you select and build the custom item of your choice, starting with your choice of pita, basmati rice, romaine lettuce or hummus, then select chicken or beef shawarma meat or falafel and add your choice of salads, garnishes and sauces. Sides include Naf fries, lentil soup and basmati rice.

I went with a pita and added chicken shawarma and topped it with chopped salad, some purple cabbage salad and garlic sauce. The chicken was tender and flavorful and the garlic sauce was strong and had lots of garlic flavor. The toppings were added generously and the pita was filled to capacity. The pitas are freshly made in-house and mine was very light, fresh and chewy. I added a side of the Naf fries and they a bit of a potato chip and French fry hybrid as some pieces are cut thicker and some are cut thinner so you get some that are crispy and some more tender.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with Naf Naf grill. It offers unique fare not available elsewhere downtown. I think I’d like to go back and try the salads and maybe some of the other sauce options. The customization of your order does offer a lot of options.


Naf Naf Grill
U.S. Bank Plaza
200 S. 6th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: 612-236-4620
Hours: Mon-Fri 10:30AM - 6PM | Sat-Sun Closed
http://nafnafgrill.com/

Velee Deli

Velee Deli has recently opened a permanent storefront in the Minneapolis skyways after many months of planning and construction. It might be ironic that they moved into a former Taco Bell location, but I for one find it a vast improvement over the former tenant.

I’ve visited a few times so far and have found the lines to be moving pretty quickly most days and speed of service is also improving the longer they are open, which is to be expected. The menu also has a few new items like chips and guacamole and a pork belly bahn mi sandwich.

The fish tacos contain beer battered fish with shredded cabbage and pico de gallo. The fish was hot and fresh and very crispy on the outside and flaky inside. There are two soft taco shells around each taco in case of breakage as well. Very delicious and I will order these again.

The Dragon melt quesadilla contains chicken, shallots, cilantro, lime, queso cheese and baja sauce. I got this with two kicks and it was spicy! The quesadilla is a good option if you are not quite hungry enough for a burrito and feel like having some cheese. The exterior was crisp, which makes the quesadilla taste fresh.

The Chicken currito burrito contains spicy thai curry chicken, potatoes, romaine lettuce, seasoned rice and creamy zing sauce. This is a super-sized burrito with lots of filling. The chicken had nice curry flavor and it was plentiful and flavorful.

Don’t forget that you can add kicks of spice to your order for free if you like your food spicy. You can add one, two or three kicks to each item. Kicks absolutely add a good amount of spice to everything! I’ve found two kicks is a bit much for me, but one seems to be just about perfect.


Velee Deli
706 2nd Avenue South
Baker building Skyway level
Minneapolis, MN 55402
http://www.velleedeli.com/

The Skyroom at Macy's

It has been some time since I have done a post on skyway lunch options and somehow I have never done a post on the Skyroom at Macy's. The Skyroom is located on the 12th floor and it is a spacious room with many large windows and several food kiosks with different food offerings.

The major draw for many people is the huge salad and soup bar in the middle of the room. The other kiosks offer Mexican, Italian, grill and deli selections.

salad bar

On my recent visit, I went to the grill counter and ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and french fries. The chicken sandwich is unique as it is marinated in piri piri spice and served with lettuce, tomato and guacamole on a toasted potato bun. The piri piri lends a bit of spice and extra flavor to the chicken breast and the guacamole really brings it all together for me. The fries are nothing special, but not bad if they are freshly cooked.

The Skyroom is a great option for lunch in downtown Minneapolis as it is good quality food in a nice setting at affordable prices. Plus, there are huge windows and if you sit in a cubicle all day like I do, this is a welcome respite from gray walls.

Deals & Discounts: Punch cards are available; after seven visits your eighth meal is free.

The Skyroom - Macy's
12th floor
700 On The Mall, Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 375-2200

Cafe Zentral

Café Zentral just opened this week in the Soo Line building in Minneapolis at the corner of 5th and Marquette. It is affiliated with Brasserie Zentral on the first floor of the same building, but Café Zentral offers quick service breakfast and lunch to the skyway dwellers. There is even some seating on stools at counters around the edges of the space, as well as windows with a view of the plaza below.

I stopped by the other day after seeing a few tweets in my feed about it last week. The menu offers salads, grilled cheese and Panini, crepes and Munchen dogs. The Munchen dogs offer a variety of choices: bratwurst, frankfurter or smoked Slovakian in a pretzel bun with a variety of sauces to choose from.

For my first visit I went with a frankfurter Munchen dog with sauerkraut sauce and spicy brown mustard inside. The pretzel bun is excellent, very soft with just the right amount of salt. The frankfurters had a nice snap and the sauces are served inside the bun. I think the sauces soaked into the bun a bit, so I did not get a lot of flavor from the sauerkraut sauce, but the spicy brown mustard sauce was good. I was almost wishing the sauces ere served on the side though. The top of the dog needs something to dip it in.

So far Café Zentral looks like an interesting addition to the skyway lunch scene. I will have to go back and try a few more menu items and do a few more posts on it I think. I want to try the salads and the Panini. The fresh bakery items such as croissants, blueberry muffins and other pastries are also intriguing, though it is a bit far from my office to get there in the morning.


Café Zentral
505 Marquette Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-333-0505
http://zentral-mpls.com/cafe/index.html

Maison Darras

Finally some new openings to report in the Minneapolis skyways! Maison Darras has opened in the Baker building recently and it appears to be a wonderful addition. It is a very small storefront made up of mostly counter and food display cases, though there are a few tables inside. It is mainly targeted at those picking up lunch and taking it back to the office.

On my first visit I had the goat cheese, turkey and tomato Panini. After you order they take the sandwich out of the case and put it on a panini press for a few minutes to warm it through. The combination of flavors in my sandwich was a winner with tart goat cheese and tangy tomatoes.

I also had the crème brulee, but in my excitement I totally forgot to take a photo of it. The crust was crisp and the interior was rich and creamy making this an excellent crème brulee. The prices are not bad; the paninis are $5.49 and sandwiches are $6.49. you could add a dessert and beverage as a combo meal for an extra fee as well.

I loved my first visit to Maison Darras and will be going back again soon. I am looking forward to trying more of their soups, salads, paninis and sandwiches.

Update: I went back again this week for a second visit.

This time I had the Chesterfield panini, which contained chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese and BBQ sauce. The chicken was cubed into small pieces and quite good. Not at all dry. The BBQ sauce gave the sandwich a rich and tangy flavor.

Here is a photo of the creme brûlée I talked about above. Amazing on the second visit as well!

Deals & Discounts: I was given a stamp card on my first visit. If you buy 10 sandwiches or salads you get one free. Not a bad deal for frequent visitors.


Maison Darras
Baker Center
733 Marquette Ave, Suite 211
Minneapolis, MN 55402
http://www.maisondarras.com/
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am - 2:00pm

Asia Max

It's been awhile since I've had a post regarding skyway lunches. There have been a lot of closures in the skyways and not many new places opening. It seems like there are a lot of marginal Chinese places and the key seems to be finding the dishes some places do better than average.

A co-worker mentioned she liked the coconut shrimp at Asia Max and it sounded good to me as well, so I stopped in recently. I also ordered a side of spicy green beans, which are reliably good. The green beans are actually pretty spicy and quite fresh tasting. A choice of white rice or fried rice is offered. I think fried rice might be an up-charge. The coconut shrimp are quite good too. They are crisp and not at all greasy. A side of dipping sauce is offered as well, but it is also coconut flavored, so I did not care for it much. It just overpowered the flavor of the shrimp. I used duck sauce from the packets to dip the shrimp in and that was a nice contrast to the coconut.  Asia Max is a good choice for skyway lunches if you know what to order.

Asia Max

2 locations in the skyway

U.S. Bancorp Center - Skyway

800 Nicollet Mall , Suite 270 

Minneapolis, MN 55402

612-978-8868

One Financial Plaza-Skyway 

120 South 6th Street, Suite 215

Minneapolis, MN 55402

612-483-1634

http://www.asianmaxrestaurant.com

Tea House - Minneapolis skyway

Sorry for the long layoff from the blog recently. I think I lost a bit of motivation after writing the last post on the Las Vegas trip. Those long posts always take a lot of work. And I have not been anywhere all that interesting. We went to one new place for food and trivia and I forgot to take photos of all of our food.

I did stop by Tea House for lunch the other day. I've been going here regularly for awhile now actually. The food is consistently good and quite inexpensive. I had the kung pao chicken with a couple of cream cheese won tons and fried rice on my last visit. Most Asian food in the skyway is sub-par to say the least, but Tea House is pretty good. The won tons are crispy and the kung pao chicken actually has some flavor. It is still made ahead and still not the absolute greatest, but for fast skyway lunches, Tea House is about the best around. The only negative is that is is far away form my office, so it is not ideal if I want to run out for a quick bite.

Tea House
2nd Floor in The Towle Building
330 South 2nd Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Tel: (612) 343-2133
www.ourteahouse.com/
Hours: Monday-Friday: 10:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Rosa Mexicano - 20 minute lunch

My co-worker Jenny and I decided to check out Rosa Mexicano over lunch the other day. She had visited for restaurant week and saw a special express lunch deal, which sounded great to both of us.

The express lunch includes guacamole, chips, tortilla soup, taco of the day and the espresso flan for $12. It arrives in 20 minutes or less if the whole table orders it. The server also brought us chips and salsa. The salsas were quite good; one was a spicy tomatillo salsa and the other had a smoky tomato flavor. The taco of the day was a lightly breaded fish taco with pickled vegetables. I loved the guacamole, it was very fresh tasting. The only thing is they do not make the guacamole table side if you order the express lunch. I love things prepared table side! Anyway, the taco was really good too. I liked the tortilla soup a lot also, though I did not detect any tortillas in it. It had a nice lightly spicy tomato flavor and some chicken and cheese in it. I liked the flan more than I thought I would. The crust at the bottom had a chocolate flavor with a lightly espresso flavored sauce.

We both thought the food was tasty and it was a good value. The waitress asked if we were full afterwards and she said she was still hungry when she had the express lunch, but we both thought it was the perfect amount of food. It was not so much that you fall asleep at your desk and enough that I was full.

The service was good and our food arrived in a timely manner. Our beverages were refilled frequently. The room is beautiful and relaxing and it was not very busy over lunch on a Friday. We even made it back to work before our lunch hour was over, which is pretty impressive.


Rosa Mexicano
609 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 656-7144
http://www.rosamexicano.com

Oak Grill at Macy's

I've been working downtown for almost two years now and surprisingly I rarely go out to eat at a full service restaurant. I guess I try not to spend too much money on lunches, even though I eat out almost every day. I have often walked by the Oak Grill on my way to the Skyroom on the 12th floor, but never stopped to look at the menu. However, awhile back I saw a post from the Minnesota Monthly food critic regarding the Macy's Oak Grill and a great burger on their menu. It sounded so good, I finally decided to check it out.

The Oak Grill is pretty formal and old school with white tablecloths, chandeliers and lots of wood paneling. I figured the food was along the same lines, but actually the menu had a nice variety to choose from. Good luck finding the menu posted online though. I am still looking for it. I don't think it is posted or it is hiding on the Macy's website in an undisclosed location.

You get one of their famous popovers to start. So light and fluffy!

I had the BLT jam burger and this was a very delicious burger. The meat was juicy without being greasy on a huge super-soft pretzel bun. The bacon was cooked perfectly and I loved the bibb lettuce instead of the standard iceberg lettuce, it gave it a better texture. Other toppings include cheese, fried onion straws and a tomato jam topping that tasted like concentrated ketchup, only a bit sweeter. The tomato jam really added to the overall flavor of this burger and makes it unique. The fries were good as well and they came with a mustard sauce for sipping in addition to ketchup.

The service was efficient and friendly, even when they got rather busy toward the end of my visit. A manager or another server stopped by to process my payment, since my server was busy with a larger group.


Macy's Oak Grill
700 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 375-2938

The Burger Place

The Burger Place is definitely the best place for burgers in the skyways. You can probably find a better burger elsewhere around town, but if you are looking for a quick, convenient lunch, it certainly fits the bill.

The burgers are Angus beef and quite tasty. I like the fact that they take the time to toast the buns and toppings are added to order. (Why doesn't every restaurant toast the buns? So easy, but so worth it!) The fries are quite good as well and always fresh and crispy.

The Burger Place recently moved into a new location in US Bank Plaza and have a larger, brighter dining room, though the move has increased their visibility and their popularity as well. Expect a line or go early.

Deals & Discounts: The Burger Place has a discounted burger special daily. I recommend visiting their website for the current selections.

The Burger Place

220 South Sixth Street Suite 215
Minneapolis, MN 55402

http://theburgerplace.com

Zen Box

Zex Box is a very popular, very tiny Japanese outlet located in the skyway system. I think they maybe have 4 or 5 tables inside the restaurant, which is not really an issue because most people take it to go.

They offer a variety of combo plates and rice bowls. My favorite menu item is the gyoza
(chicken dumplings). They come with any bento set or combo meal you order and they also have a combo that is all gyoza. On my most recent visit, I ordered the Bento #2 Chicken Kara-age that comes with chicken, gyoza and a small cabbage salad and ginger dressing. The ginger dressing is really good too, it makes a good palate cleanser at the end of the meal. The gyoza are always really good because they are just a bit crispy and they pour a bit of soy sauce over the top as well. The chicken dumplings are boneless and have a slightly crispy skin and then they pour what they call kamikaze sauce over the chicken and the rice. The sauce is a bit spicy with some garlic flavor for that extra kick.

Zen Box is a nice change from the usual Asian offerings in the skyway and it is very popular, so go early or be prepared to wait in a bit of a line.

Deals & Discounts: There are no coupon deals that I have been able to find, though they do offer a frequent diner card. After 10 punches you get a free bento set.


Zen Box
601 Marquette Avenue South #204
(Six Quebec building, skyway level)
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 341-3313
http://zen-box.com/