Shady Grove

Found this little gem last year after reading a great review by Rick Nelson in the Star Tribune. First: the chocolate martini is great. The martini glasses are kept in the cooler and the martini is not one of those sweet sicking ones that you get everywhere. I have a hard time choosing between the Peach, Chocolate and the Shady Grove martini. The desserts: Last night I had to choose between the turtle cheese cake, pecan pie, chocolate genache cake, a chocolate mouse cake, creme brulee, chocolate pot de creme, lemon custard or a chocolate carmel tart. Our table went for the chocolate carmel tart and the lemon custard OMG ! They were amazing ! But the dinner is what I come for Love the duck breast so tender. The bison with the wild mushroom sauce and there special pastas are to die for. So yes I drive from Mpls to Ellsworth to eat and its worth it. more

We have been patrons of this restaurant when it was called the Copper Kettle, and now since it's Shady Grove. At the beginning of the transition the food was not very good, however we sporadically returned and found it had improved. We recently went there for ""Friday Date Night"", and our findings are: the menu is kind of limited but the food is good, and they have very few dessert selections. Also: I made the mistake of ordering a chocolate martini... the bartender poured it from a pre-made bottle & explained it was done that way because it's the most popular drink there. IT WAS WARM & HORRIBLE!!!!! Martini's should be ice cold, stirred, and freshly made to order! We'll come back, but we hope they learn to make martini's correctly...........! more

First time at this restaurant and I can't wait to go back. I'm not from the area but my girlfriend's family lives in Red Wing and they rave about this place. So we all went and I couldn't have had a better experience. The staff is very friendly and make you feel right at home. The owner's (husband-chef and wife-front of the house) knew my girlfriend's parents by name and hugged them as they came in. We had drinks at the bar, the bartender gave me a taste of every single beer on tap. So they won my heart at this point. We sat down and ordered a few apps. I remember having an artichoke dip and cheese curds. It was my first time having cheese curds (I'm not from around here) but they were awesome. I then had beer cheese soup. It was so good they could of put it in a pint glass and I would of drank it. Entree, I had the hanger steak. Perfect cut of meat and perfectly cooked. My girlfriend's parents both had swordfish and loved it. My girlfriend ordered the haddock suggested by our server and it was delicious. We had flourless chocolate cake and creme burlee for dessert. I'm not a big dessert guy but I will be at this place. Both were awesome. I loved the entire experience and can't wait to come back. I guess we'll need to visit my girlfriend's family more often. Pros: Example: best croissants in town Cons: What are the drawbacks? more

I was looking for a good restaurant while staying in a B & B in Red Wing MN (Lamp Lighter) and read the previous review on the Shady Grove and decided even though it was a 12-15 minute drive from where I was staying that I would give it a try. Red Wing is nice but could not find a good restaurant. Well, It was worth the drive !!!!!. First of all, it was a very lovely drive and I could imagine that come fall--a very beautiful one with all the rolling hills. Pulling into the Shady Grove I notice the sigh ""Chef owned and operated""---Yes this has potential to be good. We started out with the marinated cherry tomato and fresh mozzarella skewers and then tried the fresh Prince Edward Island mussels both were great. For our entrees, I had the grilled swordfish with a fresh tomato compote with balsamic vingar and my husband had the artic char (looks like salmon but taste more like trout. For dessert were split a fresh baked rhubarb and anise crisp a la mode. Yes we have found the place we were looking for !! The shady Grove will be on our dinning list every time we visit Red Wing. I only wish we had a restaurant like this in my area. Pros: Great soup, fresh veggies and loved the mash potatoes Cons: 15 minute drive from our B & B more

Almost three years ago I found this hidden restaurant while driving the beautiful Mississippi River Valley's roads. Told that it had just undergone new ownership in early 2004, I was delighted to see improvements in a casual fine dining and a no smoking atmosphere. Since then I have eaten there a number of times, last night being the most recent and the menu is phenomenal. I enjoy the feature menu, which lists local products and suppliers. The portabella pappardelle pasta from the feature menu sounded so delicious, that even though I have a gluten allergy I was tempted to get it. And when I spoke to my server, she told me that the chef/owner is very accommodating to food allergies. My date had the Walleye Cake Appetizer followed by a mouth-watering 12oz rib eye off the regular menu. I finally decided from the feature menu, a Fresh Red Snapper Vera Cruise. My date had a beers from local Wisconsin brewers made by New Glarus and Rush River. And I always enjoy a glass of wine from Wisconsin?s Wollersheim Vineyard. We completed the evening with a dessert martini, the Beldenville Appletini, which is made with fresh apple cider. I continue to come back to this little gem because the food is great, the atmosphere is cozy and the price is more than fair. more