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If you are looking for a place for a group from work to go for lunch and are sick and tired of the chains (Chevy's, Chipolte, Baja Sol, etc) you might want to check out Salsa a la Salsa at the very...
If you are looking for a place for a group from work to go for lunch and are sick and tired of the chains (Chevy's, Chipolte, Baja Sol, etc) you might want to check out Salsa a la Salsa at the very beginning of Eat Street next to Market BBQ. With a bar you can get marguirettas and wine and there is plenty of room for large parties of people assembling for office party lunches.
The major claim my office mates made about Salsa a la Salsa was that it was Mexcian owned and run and thus more "authentic" that Tex Mex and the gringo buritto bandit bunch. And it's probably true but there are a variety of authentic Mexican-style eateries these days from southern coastal seafood grills to a corn based rural tortillas and full red sauces. This cruisine follows more closely the second, although, here in the US lines if distinction become blurred.
As I like my food hot and full of spicy kick I found their green and red salsa's lacking any punch. Served with chips on the table as you come in, the red tomato salsa was really nothing more than diced tomatoes and onions. When we requested a dipping salsa for out chips, they augmented our options by adding a creamy pink coction to the table that had a bit bigger flavor but certainly not HOT.
I had grilled fajitas ($11.99) and they were good but not anything that would make you roll your R's and from the plate of add-ons they forgot the guacamole which I sadly missed. Usually, when I order fajitas, they serve them with warm flour or wheat tortillas but these were small round white corn and, again, that is the style and regional difference coming into play. The Arnie Palmer (ice tea and lemonade mix) was delicious and the people I sat next to have fluittas and they said they were good but not anything like the best they've ever had.
The atmosphere was nice and roomy inside a dining room of of paintings fomr the Trujillo Gallery and a very pleasant surrounding in contrast to Taco Morellos further up the street. We didn't try too much outisde standard faire fo lunch. The next time it might be a bit more adventurous to try their walleye tacos, Devil Mary Chicken Wings, and pupusas--cheese-stuffed masa pancakes.
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All pizzeria's fall into category by style of pie and Cassetta's is the New York style. The New York style is round pizza, with a fairly thin crust made from elastic flour dough, cut into wedges...
All pizzeria's fall into category by style of pie and Cassetta's is the New York style. The New York style is round pizza, with a fairly thin crust made from elastic flour dough, cut into wedges with a puffy ring handle by which to grab your slice and eat it.
And technically, while it may be controversial for me to suggest, there is an offical New York way to eat this slice also: You must grab your slice firmly by the thick doughy handle, crease it down the middle, fold it so that the bottom crust is on the outside and then begin eating at the tip until you reach the handle. You then have to option to make a personal call -- you can either eat the crust or throw it out. You won't be penalized for either option. In the old days when santization conditions were different in New York City, you were suppose to throw the crust because of the germs you carried on your hands.
Cassetta's makes very good pizza and probably, along with Fat Lorenzo's in Minneapolis, the best in this category of pie. And, don't let people tell you that you have to go to New York for good pizza -- amoung the top five pizza makers in the Twin Cities, we rival anything made in New York. [Take that b*t#ch!] As for Chicago, well, I hate to say it but the style called "deep dish" Chicago-style pizza is not pizza -- here in Minnesota we call that casserole. Or hot dish. Not pizza.
Don't overlook the market here at Cassetta's because they have very good sausage, cheese, and pastas to take home and make for your family and guests. And, absolutely be sure to save room for a chocolate chip canolli and Italian Ice Cream. Outta this world!
But sure to check out the cozy upper dining areas in the upstairs portion of the shop. while this place hops and feels crowded, the best place to get away from the long lines is upstairs.
Cassetta's is as good as it gets in Saint Paul.
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I had to bring my girl Sophie here before she grew up and got a wiff of high-society and haute cuisine and would never turn back to her Minneapolis roots of old. Murray's is like a postcard for a...
I had to bring my girl Sophie here before she grew up and got a wiff of high-society and haute cuisine and would never turn back to her Minneapolis roots of old. Murray's is like a postcard for a bygone era of mauve diningrooms, linen tablcloths, lush curtains, airy mirrors, butterknife steaks, garlic toast and cheesy potatoes. This is where you brought family members to let them know you had arrived, that you were about to announce something special or were to embark on a journey in life from which there may be no turning back. Garrison Keillor made Murray's legendary with his story published in Time magazine. The waiters are old professional scriptors of a world of elegance and they also carve huge slabs of meat as big as footballs and arrange them neatly on your plate.
A one time experience, although, I know guys who do lunch here many times a week.
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There have been a lot of immitators trying to recreate the old 1930s era burger and malt shop but this is a real hang over from the time. Not much has changed as even the signage above the grill is...
There have been a lot of immitators trying to recreate the old 1930s era burger and malt shop but this is a real hang over from the time. Not much has changed as even the signage above the grill is of the hand painted type face, yellow and brown, barking out the dash and manner for you to ENJOY! and EAT! with great aplomb.
The chocolate, caramel, and banana malts ($4.00) are thick lumpy and poured from a tin malt canaster by your waitress and the can frosts up while you make room in the fluted glass with your straw. But be careful, you might bust a vein in your neck when the straw clogs and it might be better to eat it with a spoon for its thickness. The french frieds are golden crisp and hand cut potatoes ($2.00) and heaping. And the burgers and the true diner-style, sizzling hot of the grill ($6.00 and up). On a fall or winter nights it warms the heart.
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A breakfast diner/counter just slightly wider than a Mini Cooper, Al's breakfast 12- spinning stools line up with customers quickly. Those waiting must stand in a row behind the stools or out on the...
A breakfast diner/counter just slightly wider than a Mini Cooper, Al's breakfast 12- spinning stools line up with customers quickly. Those waiting must stand in a row behind the stools or out on the sidewalk. You need a fisheye lens to great this picture. This isn't the place you want to come with a large group or family breaksfast. It's a place for self-educated loners and grifters, self-absorbed poets and long-shot politicians, drummers to a different rythym, one-eyed lumberjack philosophers, firebrand unity seekers, out of work blues musicians, and seasoned malicontents. Americans best!
This is a hash-house where almost everything can be had for $6 and you can watch the grill-cook sling hashbrowns and eggs to make sure nothing is thinned with unusual substances or watered down with sorrow and self-pity. You might find this a perfect setting for Tom Watis and it was probably visited by Bob Dylan, Guy Noir and Allen Ginsberg.
If you think privacy is being alone in your thoughts and the only company you keep are the voices in your head, this is the place for you.
Recently, WCCO TV used Al's railroad-car styled space to set their commercial for the evening news program, with news anchor Angela Santaniello barking orders to fry-cook Don Shelby serving up plates to a hasty crowd.
Al's Breakfast is a Minneapolis institution not to be missed.
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A great place for weekend brunch and famous for the Mahnomin porridge ($7.00), an earthy stew of wild rice, dried blueberries, roasted hazelnuts, fresh maple syrup and whole cream. Also there, a...
A great place for weekend brunch and famous for the Mahnomin porridge ($7.00), an earthy stew of wild rice, dried blueberries, roasted hazelnuts, fresh maple syrup and whole cream. Also there, a breakfast bruschetta made with walnut bread and the lemon-ricotta hotcakes are dynamite. The huevos rancheros ($10.00) with bacon, onion, black beans, and fresh salsa and eggy breakfast stir-fry piled high is enough to feed two. But the extras kind of make the place and that is homemade marmalade and ginger-berry preserves; an amazing peanut butter that the kitchen roasts its own peanuts and then coarse-grinds them with a bit of honey and brown sugar.
A walleye BLT dusted with cornmeal for lunch?
The best way to do Hell's Kitchen is get a couple and order various dishes to taste and share. The chef Mitch Omer calls his food a new take on Native American food.
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I know the whole scrapbooking phenom just got very specific in the retail sense of the word but PAPER SOURCE would be a great for someone on the hunt for materials and rubber stamps.
Just a tip: ...
I know the whole scrapbooking phenom just got very specific in the retail sense of the word but PAPER SOURCE would be a great for someone on the hunt for materials and rubber stamps.
Just a tip: The address listed in Judy's Book 2404 Hennepin is incorrect. That store got hit by a out of control Van driving down Hennepin Ave in the srping of 2005. The PAPER SOURCE was forced to move its shop to the Northwest corner of Hennepin and 31st St in Uptown. It is a better location for them with more floor space BUT don;t go to the old location listed above!
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Autopia
Category:
Auto Repair & Service
2311 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55405
(612) 377-2886
This is another auto repair with a checkered history. In my past experience, they have done good work at moderate prices when they stick to the plan and quoted prices. However, they have the sales...
This is another auto repair with a checkered history. In my past experience, they have done good work at moderate prices when they stick to the plan and quoted prices. However, they have the sales upgrade mentality -- go in for a $150 repair and get bumped to the $500 or higher of seemingly needless items and service. I have heard from many friends that they are respectful of women and friendly toward their clients but you'd just wish they'd handle the service / sales relationship better and with more integrity. As a person who deal with clients in a creative realm for a long time, I known there are better methods to create trust, provide the customer with options and even upsale them if they want to go there but auto repair doesn't seem to ge this side of the equason well.
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West Photo
Category:
Cameras & Supplies
21 University Ave NE
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55413
(612) 379-2321
I think we all go to West begrudgingly because they have a professional orientation that few other places in the Twin Cities have -- they are sort of like the Genuis Bar at the Apple Store of retail...
I think we all go to West begrudgingly because they have a professional orientation that few other places in the Twin Cities have -- they are sort of like the Genuis Bar at the Apple Store of retail photo shops.
However, lets be honest, their service is cool and spotty. Compared to National Camera, their core of experts is thin. The prices are steep but there are items here at West you just can't get close to at other places. You could order most of this equipmeent from B&H and J&R or search it out at other locations but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and use West.
Distinct advantages: West has good equipment rental service so you can try before you buy. When it comes to checking out a new Canon lens as an example, get the feel for it in your hand, feel its responsiveness during a shoot, it might be best to rent it first and then buy it if you feel it gives you that added edge. Also, in the entry portal, you can scan the corkboard for postings of other pro photographers who are selling their equipment so they can buy the latest, newest, hottest piece on the market.
As a pro, you cannot avoid going to West but you wish you didn't have to...
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The best thing about National Camera Exchange & Video is that you can talk with the guys at the countter and they are (for the most part) photo and DV enthusiasts and they know their stuff. I do...
The best thing about National Camera Exchange & Video is that you can talk with the guys at the countter and they are (for the most part) photo and DV enthusiasts and they know their stuff. I do everything I can to inform myself by reading, searching the internet, comparing prices, etc but then I finally get close to a buy, I need to put my hands on the device and ask a few interactive questions to finish the deal. And that's were National Camera comes in.
National Camera will also do their best to try and meet, match or get close to the best price on equipment. Even if you have to pay a few dollars more, it is worth the expertise they bring to a sale and support if something goes wrong shortly thereafter. You know they make their money on accessories (which you will often pay a premium for) but if you watch carefully, you'll find they offer sales and discounts on those as well.
Another thing to watch for is National Camera's semi-annual tent sale. Often these happen in early or mid-August and they take all of their inventory out of the store room and used equipment, makr down the prices, and move it out into tents next to their building. You can score some great deals during the inventory sale. And if you are looking for an old SpeedGraphic or made a Kodak Brownie, this is the place to pick that rare item with a special film look to your arsenal of equipment to impress the foto-groupies with your work.
The counter can be something of a circus and getting to the experts a challenge.
Now, if I could only find the foto-groupies!
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