I was looking for a good pizza joint to go and meet up with Mike at, and dropped Aaron a quick line to get his suggestions. Based on our target area near North St. Paul, he said we needed to go to Randy’s Premier Pizza. He thought the idea sounded good, so he joined us as well. If you’ve never been to, or ordered from Randy’s, I can assure you that you’re missing some of the best pizza on the East side of the cities.

While primarily a take-out pie shop, they do have a few tables in the back if you care to dine in. They have a cooler with various non-alcoholic beverages in it, and Mike and I chose the classic Orange Crush in the glass bottle and placed an order while we waited for Aaron to show up. Mike ordered a pizza with spinach and artichoke on it, and I ordered a pepperoni pizza for Aaron and I to split. Soon after, an order of Italian Bread Sticks arrived, which is listed as an Italian crust with garlic. We dug into that, and made short work of it. Randy dropped in on us to see how we’re doing, and since Aaron is a regular there, they caught up on life for a few minutes, and then he returned to his post behind the counter making pies.

Shortly after we finished the bread, our pies came out and they both looked delicious. Not being a fan of the veggies like Mike, I didn’t try his, but just the presentation alone was enough to confirm that this was indeed a good pizza. His pizza was smothered in cheese, and fresh ingredients. Both pizzas were ordered with the hand tossed crust, and I could see that the edge of the crusts were proportional to the different size of the pizza, but both were plump and inviting.

The pepperoni pizza arrived and I noticed that it too was covered in cheese, which had a good amount of pepperoni tucked underneath. When we pulled out our slices, the cheese was plentiful and stringy between the slices. My impression after the first few bites was nothing less than stellar. The blend of the cheese and pepperoni and sauce was an excellent blend, and none of the ingredients over powered another. The sauce had a slight zing to it, and left me waiting for the next bite. The pepperoni was tasty, bold, but not to detract from the rest of the pizza. The crust was a bit limp towards the center, but not in a bad way, it was what I had expected. The closer you got towards the end the more flavorful the crust became. The crust is made fresh, not frozen like you might find at some other pizza shops, which I feel can make or break a pizza experience. If your crust is bland and soggy, overpowering or crackle thin, it will turn me off. If I want a thin crust, I’ll order it. The hand-tossed crust I ordered was right on the mark.

Partway thru our meal, Randy brought out some Pizza Fries. Aaron wasted no time on digging into these tasty morsels. It’s the garlic crust, loaded with cheese and cut into strips with dipping sauce. The three of us made short work of these and went back to our pizzas. We were getting full, but I didn’t mind, I was able to stuff another slice of this great pizza in before calling defeat and boxing up about 1/2 the pizza to take home.

Randy dropped by again to ensure our meal was OK, and we assured him it was with full mouths! He noted that he was going to be adding a wood-fired oven in the spring, so I will sure come back to check that out. Randy’s also offers some larger pizzas, from 30″ up to 48″ and also a pizza challenge to eat the 30″ pizza in 30 minutes.

The bill for for pizzas and drinks came to 37.50 + tip, which split across the three of us, was certainly an excellent value for the meal. I’ll certainly return and check out more items on the menu in the near future.

Have you eaten at Randy’s? What was your experience? – Check out what my friends Aaron and Bill have to say about Randy’s from their prior visits.

Randy’s Premier Pizza
6030 50th St N
Oakdale, MN 55128
651-777-1400

First off, I will admit the poor quality of the photo, I didn’t have the good camera with me, and cleaned it up as well as I could. It’s much more appealing looking up close and personal.

Eileen and I went out to visit the parents over the weekend, partly to take a look at Mom’s computer (stupid video card drivers broke), give them a demo of Wii Fit, and also to score a meal at Sal’s. Having been up to Sal’s a number of times before, I was certainly up for making the trip up to Stillwater. After a quick fix of driver updates, and laughing hysterically at us playing with the Wii Fit, and trying to see Dad balance, we headed up for a bite. Sal’s has had a few different names over the 25 years my Parents have lived nearby. It was the Keystone Lounge for many years, a favorite place to go after little league and have a soda while the parents and coaches had a beer, and was no larger than an overgrown trailer home at that time.

Over the years it’s had a few names, and has been Sal’s Angus Grill for the past few. It’s had a major remodel and addition to give it substantially more seating, a larger bar area and a ‘lodge’ style decor inside, complete with large fireplace in the corner to warm the passing patrons on their snowmobiles. (They also have a heated service van outdoors to act as the ‘smoking’ section during the winter months, complete with music and tiki lights inside last I saw. Currently, the place attracts customers of every type, from sledders to families, to the regular crowd at the bar. It’s as close to a ‘small town’ bar as I can see in the immediate area, that also has a great eatery.

The menu is quite varied and more than I had expected for a restaurant that’s kind of out in the sticks. They have an assortment of burgers, sandwiches, pastas, salads, ribs and apps that border on the gourmet side, such as bruschetta that is as good as any 5-star restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. They also have soups and lighter items if you choose. In the past, I’ve had the potato skins, bruschetta, nachos, buffalo chicken sandwich, etc and have been impressed with every meal.

On this particular visit I went with the basic burger, with bacon and pepper jack cheese added, as I had an appetite for a big old burger. It is served up with american or regular french fries, both are excellent depending on your preference. My mom ordered a loaded potato, dad opted for the ‘cock bites’ off the app menu, which is essentially chopped up bites of chicken breast, with seasoning and flavor on them, but not breaded. They make an adequate meal for one, or split as an app. Eileen got a burger as well, and we both found them to be excellent. Cooked medium with a slight amount of pink in the middle, juicy and flavorful. They are served with lettuce, tomato and onion on a fresh and soft bun, but not too large to overtake the size of the patty. We all agreed that our meals were excellent, and Eileen and I both left a bit full, but agreed that the meal was too good to leave behind or save for a take-home box (that’s what the gym is for afterall, no?)

Our server, was on top of our table, ensuring we had drinks, checking on our food and overall seeing that we were happy with our meals. For a Sunday night, the place wasn’t all that busy, and they appeared to have ample staff on hand to cover the crowd that was in the place. I didn’t see our final bill, as my parents picked up the tab, but you can see the menu on line and estimate what your ticket would be. Most meals are between $9 and $13, unless you go with the ribs or steaks which start about $15 and go up.

I can’t say that I’ve been displeased with any of the items I’ve had at Sal’s, and always am happy to get out and have a bite there. While it is a little drive North/West of Stillwater a little bit, near the newly re-opened Withrow Ballrom, it’s certainly worth the trip out if you’re looking for excellent food, and want something other than a chain quality experience.

Have you eaten at Sal’s? I’d like to hear what you have to say.

Sal’s Angus Grill
2010 Keystone Ave
Withrow, MN 55082

A few weeks back, Eileen and I met up with our friends Jeff and Pamela, (or Peff and Jamela if you prefer) to see the CP Rail Holiday train, catch some supper and check out Karaoke at the local bowling alley – Park Grove Bowl, as her sister’s significant other hosts the Karaoke show.

After checking out the Holiday Train (which I strongly suggest you plan to view next year if it comes anywhere near your home) we stopped past American Motorsports, because we didn’t want to give our money to the national chains. Having been to A/M a few times before, I was middle of the road with my impression of the food. I had first been there shortly after they opened, and my food came out on a hub cap, the fries weren’t anything to write home about, and the burger was nothing special.

The had gone thru a few rounds of expansions, remodels etc, and whatnot, and I thought I’d give them a try again, after-all, it has been a few years, and their parking lot now is pretty much always full. We walked in, to get a high top table in the bar, and ordered our drinks. They had a variety of beers on tap from frat-boy specials to local breweries, which I was happy to see, the local supporting the local.

The menu had a number of themed items revolving around nascar and auto-racing history, which set it apart from your run of the mill eatery.

I put in an order for chicken cordon bleu with fries, Jeff got a cheeseburger, Pam got the penne pasta in alfredo and Eileen got the buffalo chicken sammich. After about 15-20 minutes our food made it out, which was acceptable seeing as the place was about 70% full, and the bar area seemed to have a few Holiday parties in the mix, including what appeared to be a santa hat pub-crawl that head off. It appears they also have karaoke on the weekends as well.

The food came out as I said before I got sidetracked, and it looked great. Much better than my past experience. As we dug into our meals, everyone was impressed with the meals. Even the side ceasar that Pam had was above what I had expected, just on presentation alone. She commented that her pasta was right on, and tasted very good. Jeff’s burger was to his liking, and he made short work of scarfing that down. Eileen said her buffalo chicken was tasty. Not too much spice but enough to make it warm and enjoyable. My chicken was excellent, ham, chicken, cheese on a roll, it quickly disappeared.

The fries were also good. Far better than fast food, and actually most chain places that I’ve had fries at. Not quite huge wedge cut, but bigger than fast food, and FAR better. The service also was pretty good. Our waitress was attentive and friendly, and always was on top of our drinks and making sure we had everything we needed.

Overall, I was impressed with American Motorsports. The food, service and overall experience was far better than my last visit, and I will certainly return again.

Have you been to American Motorsports? What are your thoughts?

American Motorsports Bar & Grill
7240 East Point Douglas Rd S
Cottage Grove, MN 55016
(651) 768-0303

Recently at work, I found myself forgetting to bring lunch with. Not wanting to spent the afternoon regretting a sub-par lunch from Jimmy Johns (I will state that I don’t mind Jimmy Johns on a road trip, but not for a lunch that will be holding me for the remainder of the day) – I ventured over to Pairings to check out the food. I had been there a few times to pick up some adult libations previously, but not been into the restaurant portion. My boss suggested I check out the pizzas. I called ahead and ordered one of the 10″ pizzas, made to order. I chose pepperoni and garlic.

I drove over to pick it up, and it was ready and waiting for me. While the cashier was running my card, I checked out their cases of other food. They had huge meatballs, lasagna that looked enough for two meals, along with salads, pastas and gigantic pork chops.

I grabbed my pizza and headed back to my office, just down the road. As soon as I was in the confines of the truck, I was overwhelmed by wonderful smells of fresh garlic and pepperoni. When I opened up the generic white box, and saw a wonderful meal waiting for me. The pepperoni slices, as you can see were huge, and looked and tasted very fresh. There were actually full cloves of garlic chopped in half and spread around the pizza, that was a huge bonus.

The cheese was plentiful, but not overwhelming, and while it gave the pizza substance, I didn’t find it overly flavorful, or something that made the meal for me. The crust was pretty good around the edges and most of the way in, however I think the center was just slightly underdone. It is fired in a faux wood oven, and was rotated a few times while cooking. This didn’t turn me off to the pizza at all, since the outer two-thirds of the crust were fantastic.

Overall, I would certainly go back to Pairings for pizza, and possibly to try some of their other food options, as their menu is quite varied. Also, When you stop in for food, check out the wide selections of wines and beers they have. Along with a vast array of wines from around the region, and world, they carry a number of craft beers that are sure to satisfy any thirst you may have.

Have you eaten at Pairings, or picked up something from their liquor store? Let me know you opinion.

Pairings Food and Wine
6001 Shady Oak Road
Minnetonka, MN 55343
952-426-0522

You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter

On Thursday, myself and the rest of the recent new hires at my new job were invited out to breakfast with the CEO of the company at a place called Woody’s. I learned of the breakfast earlier in the week and took a few minutes to scope out the menu beforehand and see what they had for breakfast. I was not really expecting to see a full of a menu as I did. There was a large array of eggs, toasts, pancakes etc in about every shape or form you could imagine.

We were seated at 7:30 when we arrived, and within a minute we were presented with a hot cup of coffee on a chilly morning. When we arrived, we were about the only ones in the place, however when we left about 9am, the dining area was pretty much full, with a variety of patrons from locals, businessmen, and what appeared to be a senior group in for an outing.

I opted to get the Johnny D, which was scrambled eggs, smokehouse bacon, choice of toast or muffin, along with two pancakes and hash browns.

As we chatted and waited for our food, our server was very attentive to ensure our coffee was topped off. Our meals started to come out within about 10 minutes. I was really impressed to see the huge portions of food. Granted my meal was 9.95, which is still I think a reasonable amount for the most important meal of the day, but it was still a pile of food!

My eggs were scrambled, and didn’t taste like powdered either, they were light and fluffy, not slippery either. The bacon was thick cut, and well done, enough to not be limp, but not carbonized either. The has browns were excellent, browned on top, and warm and just perfect in the center. The pancakes had powdered sugar on them, with some rich maple syrup, which were also excellent.

There was enough food on my plate that I did not finish all of my meal, however I did eat enough where I was ready for a nap afterwards, afterall – it was really good.

Overall, I would suggest Woody’s for breakfast, and I would think their other meals are just as good. I did see a bar with a few taps on it, and a number of bottles, so I would imagine they have some good happy hour festivities.

Have you eaten at this or one of the other local Woody’s locations? Let me know your experience.

Woody’s Grille
6399 City West Parkway
Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Phone: 952-944-8799
Fax: 952-944-8785

Hours of Operation
Weekdays 7:00 am – 10:00 pm
Saturdays 8:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sundays 8:00 am – 8:00 pm

After spending a few previous outings with our friends Vicki and Justin, Eileen and I decided to invite them out to a non-stressful/athletic night. – (past events of ours have included sandbagging in Fargo, moving, and Wii boxing)

Last time we were at MOA, I had noticed signs all over for a place called Cantina #1, and figured it was a typical Corona bar tucked up in one of the locations empty since 2007 when Bloomington enacted the smoking ban at the same time the contracts renewals for the MOA entertainment had the prices jacked up, and subsequently non-renewed their leases.

We arrived about 6:30 and walked right in to be seated at a hi-top in the bar to wait for Vicki and Justin. The bar area is decorated a bit like a tiki bar with fake-palms all over, music playing and bamboo themed seating. There is an entire dining area on the other end of the location, separated off by the main entrance/shop with a variety of Corona merchandise. Overall, a pretty inviting place. There appeared to be a DJ booth in the bar as well, which I could only assume meant music and/or karaoke at some point during the weekend.

I decided to splurge and order the Cadillac Margarita to start with, because we were planning on going over to Moose Mountain for mini-golf after supper (ok, so I guess that’s kinda athletic, but not compared to sandbagging right?) Eileen got the Cherry Limeade, which was good, but strong, but not too strong, as she quickly found the bottom of the glass. My drink, I sipped a bit slower, as I knew there was tequila in it, but it was pretty smooth as it didn’t turn my nose up when I got it.

Vicki and Justin arrived and they ordered drinks, and we decided on our meals. Vicki ended up ordering something in a bowl, what I think was an enchilada bowl, but it was hard to see over what I’ll describe shortly as the large f**king burrito I’ve ever seen. Yes, we ordered what was called the ‘Maximus Burrito’ with steak, rice, beans, etc, all the trimmings in it (but I opted for no beans, ick!) In the menu, they looked like a good sized meal, and for the price of $15.00, they sure better be a good burrito.

Our waiter (who I forget the name of, but a great server) snapped up our orders and headed off to the kitchen, and returned about 15 minutes later, with as I said above, three of the most ginormous burritos I have ever seen in my life. The three of us, must have had a least a YARD of burrito between us, if not more. These were monsters. You cannot compare these to any other burrito I’ve seen or eaten, not from Ol’ Mexico, Don Pablos, Chipotle, nothing.. The thing was as long as my forearm and as big around as my bicep in the middle.

We dig into these things, and wow, were they good. Filled with steak, wow, just an amazing burrito to try and plow my way thru. Now, Vicki, who ordered something different, which I wasn’t able to see over my burrito, said it was good, but a bit spicy, not a bad dish though. Sadly, I was able to finish my burrito, which means I eat too damn much, but wholly crap it was GOOD. This thing would have fed a family of 4, I cannot explain how large this thing was, you could wrap it up and say it’s your newborn, yes it’s THAT BIG.

I happen to spot an another friend getting supper there as well, but didn’t feel like disrupting their evening to get a food review, so I used the next best option, Facebook!

I ordered the Swiss Enchiladas. It came with verde sauce or green sauce that just didn’t have a good flavor and all in all somewhat bland in taste. My stepmom got the shrimp tacos and she was unhappy with hers as well. Basically a fried shrimp thrown in a tortilla shell and call it a taco. Not sure what she was expecting though…. These two things were also listed as their “Signature” items I believe she said. Sangria was tasty and 4 people had the burrito (split it of course) and they loved it. ~ Courtesy of A.H.

So, I guess you can see the mixed reviews on how they liked the food. Our table was 75% happy, and the other table had mixed reviews on different parts of the meals. It seemed that the drink menu came back with 100% favorable results, while the dinner menu was on both sides of the fence.

After we stuffed ourselves on food, we stammered over to Moose Mountain for some mini-golf, which was actually pretty fun. I thought it would be a random thing to do, and even more fun after a few drinks, and it was just that! The course had some really plain holes, and some that were a little more challenging. A few had random sound effects, like horses and other animals that after awhile became comical, or the 17th hold that was an outhouse – Key is to hit the middle hole to make it ‘flush’

I think, the 4 of us spent around $80 total for the evening including big meals, two drinks each, and 4 rounds of mini-golf. Granted, it’s a chunk of change on paper, but we had a good few hours out together, and it was a great time.

Cantina #1
406 E Broadway
Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 854-6500‎

I was out in Hudson a few weeks back shooting some real-estate photography, and the weather was nice, so I figured it would be a great night to stop by Pier 500 and give it a review. Having been there a few times in the past, and enjoyed the food each time, I felt it was a great opportunity to shoot a few photos since I had my camera with me, and give it a proper review. I gave a quick shout out on twitter to see if anyone wanted to join me, and my buddy Will said he’d stop out too.

I arrived shortly after 6pm and picked up my beeper, as there was a 30 minute wait for a sunny Tuesday evening. I expected this, seeing as Pier 500 sits about 100 yards off the St. Croix River. While waiting for Will I picked up a Captain and Diet, which was mostly Captains, so there were no complaints there. Will arrived and got a drink as well as we talked and waited. There is plenty of space on the deck area near the bar, in addition to the maybe 30 or so tables on the deck. Certainly a great spot to stop by for a happy hour, or in off the river for a bite to eat.

Will and I got our table and sat down, waiting for our waitress. It wasn’t more than two minutes before she appeared and made sure our drink orders were OK. Glancing at the menu, I had forgotten how many different items they listed. The one thing I saw running out left and right but not on the menu was this huge freaking pile of nachos. I asked our waitress, and while they weren’t listed on the dining menu, they are part of the bar menu. Will and I quickly snapped up an order of these things, with chicken, and went back to drinking and catching up.

When the nachos made it out, they looked awesome, and tasted even better. With a great balance of meat, cheese and veggies, we sure as hell didn’t /need/ to order an actual meal, these would have filled us up quite well. The cheeses were melted and gooey, and not crunchy as if they’d spent 20 minutes under a heat lamp. The chicken was juicy and full of flavor, not dried and in bits as I’ve seen other places. – Overall, I would go back to Pier 500 for these alone!

When our meals did come out, Will’s steak salad looked pretty damn good, with big hunks of steak on one side of the plate and large sheets of parmesan to crack over the salad. The lettuce, looked to be a little higher than grocery store grade, so that was a little bit of a downfall. Will said the steal was great, but maybe not worth the extra $8.00 the steak addition put on the bill. The ceasar dressing was good, and overall he was content with the salad, possibly not worth the full price, but pretty good none the less.

I got the BBQ Burger with house made B.B.Q. sauce, home town cheddar and smoked bacon, and fries, nothing terribly exciting to eat, but I was really in the mood for a burger. The burger itself was actually pretty flippin’ good, the presentation was a little plain, so that was a little throw off. Once I got into the meal, the meat was nice and moist, cooked to my liking and full of flavor, so I really had no complaints on the taste.

Overall, Pier 500 is a good place to get together with friends for a drink after work, a good dinner, or a good place to take that special someone for dinner on the patio. I recall our bill coming to about $60.00 with a few rounds of drinks, the app and the meals, but well worth it in my mind. I don’t venture out too often due to cost and trying to watching what I eat, but this stop was certainly worth falling off the wagon for a night. The waitstaff is friendly, and if you don’t mind a little wait on a sunny day, stop in! Their website now lists online reservations available, so maybe check that option out if you aren’t in the mood, or cannot wait for 30 minutes. (it’s well worth it if you have to)

Pier 500
500 1st Street
Hudson, WI 54016
(715) 386-5504

One of the places I visited while I was in Florida awhile back was this little hole in the wall, and by hole in the wall I mean Deliverance hole in the wall.

Off the beaten path from I-75 lies Snook Haven, a mix-match of biker bar, what had the potential for a good hot-spot, and a place where the geriatric crowd dined, this place was pretty, well.. unique to say it best. In addition to the restaurant/bar, they also had a little shop to pick up random trinkets, a few ‘cabin’ looking shacks and canoe/kayak rental. They also chartered pontoon boat tours up and down the waterway, which I sure had more than it’s share of gators, so I was a bit hesitant to go for the kayak rental.

Off to the side of the lot, was an outdoor stage area with a dance floor which at the time of my visit was inhabited by a one man band doing cover songs in a full array of genres. Scattered about the ground were little lizards, geckos and random wildlife, nothing to threatening tho, which was good since I was in flip-flops.

When we got our seat on the patio, we looked thru the menu, both for food and drinks. Snook does not have liquor papers, so I went with a safe Bud Light, Dad had a margarita (premixed) and mom lushed it up with an ice cold water. The outdoor seating area was pretty decent, right on the water, on a long deck area, so there were certainly nature sights to be seen.

We placed an order for our meals, and poked a little fun at the place, with it’s, well. almost inbred looks, with tree’s growing out of the roof of the inside dining/bar area, and what looked like a truck hit the side of the building, but not in any place a truck could get to.

Dad ordered, I think some sort of Po Boy if I recall correctly, Mom played it safe with a salad and I went with a pulled pork sammich. We decided to split an order of sweet potato fries. Our food arrived, about as I expected. It was all served on foam plates, with plastic utensils. Mom’s salad looked like iceberg lettuce chopped up with the dressing on the side. Dad’s po boy looked interesting, and edible, and my pulled pork sammich looked pretty good. It also came with homemade potato chips.

Mom’s review of the salad wasn’t anything special, and Dad was pretty neutral on his po-boy, I could tell he was being a little nice, but he finished the meal so it wasn’t all that bad I guess. My sammich was pretty decent, the pork was good, moist and pretty tasty, but the bun was pretty basic, oh well.

What we did all find very good were the sweet potato fries, and my homemade chips. My chips were really thick cut, and not super crispy and fried to death, but just enough to make them firm and damn good. The sweet potato fries were also awesome, just as you would expect, a little sweet, and not completely crunchy like the bottom of the bin at your local fast food chain.

Overall, I think the bill was about $35, which wasn’t too bad for three meals, an app, and two drinks, all served on foam. The service was prompt and very friendly. While the food isn’t anything to write home about (seeing as it’s taken me two months to finish this post) it’s certainly worth the trip to check out the whole package.

Snook Haven
5000 Venice Ave. (Off I75)
941-485-7221

While on my last trip to Florida, I headed out with the parents, and later on met up with some other friends to a place called Joe Cracker. It is a bit like a sports bar, tiki bar, and Applebees in one, but with a far better menu and atmosphere. On my first trip there, I had a pulled chicken sandwich, which was pretty good, however I don’t recall the exact details other than it was pretty good.

On this trip, I paid a little more attention before the many rounds of beers did their trick (which by the way, they have a few of their own house brews which were pretty good, an ale, and a pilsner. Parrot Pilsner I think was the name. The flatbread pizza was pretty darn good, the crust was pretty crisp, but not crackle thin, as it was a bit chewy. The meat had flavor to it, pepperoni just a little spice to it, but not enough to overpower the rest of the pizza. The sauce was not mounded on the pizza, which was a bonus, it was just right, enough to round out the pizza along with the cheese.

I opted to go with the chicken minis, as they were described to be hot and spicy compared to my Father’s idea of the pizza. I should have chosen a pizza as well. For me, the chicken was good, breaded and fried like chicken tenders, on a little bun with lettuce, however, the spice was severely lacking by my standards.

Overall, of the two times I was at Joe Cracker, I was overall happy with my experience, Food was good, service was better than average, and we happened to be there on a night with a group singing cover songs which was pretty decent.

If you happen to be in the area, stop by and grab a bite. As an added bonus, they have WiFi available as well!

Joe Cracker
1020 El Jobean Rd
Port Charlotte, FL 33948

Tucked down in Cottage Grove, just a short distance from my home is a tasty little mexican joined called Las Margaritas. It opened up a few years ago shortly after I moved down here, and have been a semi-frequent visitor since. Less recently since I’ve been trying to shed my winter insulation. There is a second location down in Hastings, but I believe these are the only two locations, correct me if I am wrong.

The atmosphere is pretty lively, not as cliche as what a Chi-Chi’s or Don Pablos would be, but they do have the inflatable Corona seaplane hanging, which I really do want, along with some other bar-like decor, partnered with some variety of music in the background. Usually some mariachi music, sometimes with a little dance/electronic influence, sometimes more traditional, either way, it’s always inviting.

The place itself smells of freshly cooked meals and your mouth starts to water moments after you are seated. You are promptly brought a basket of chips and freshly made salsa (and I’ll admit I usually have more than I should, because it’s awesome) The menu has a variety of dishes on it, many of which family and friends have tried and really loved. I stick with a basic plate of rice, beans, and tacos or enchiladas due to my inability to cope with actual chunks of peppers outside the contents in salsa.

Your meal is typically out within about 10 minutes of ordering, always hot and fresh. The ingredients always taste fresh, and have never gotten the sense that something is just shoved in a microwave and dropped on a plate. I think I can recall one time out of all the times I’ve eaten there that my experience was less that perfect, but I believe that was with a large group, and it’s hard to orchestrate a part of 12 for most places, so I’ll not discredit them for it.

Overall, I would highly suggest you stop by and enjoy a meal. They do have a patio section in the summertime, which is always full when I’ve been there, and not been able to check it out yet.

After getting an invite a few weeks ago from Bill of Lazy Lightning to meet up at Ronin with a number of other of his readers and friends, the evening arrived and I ventured out in the crappy rain to meet up for some good food.

Looking thru the menu they have quite a number of sushi and other raw fish related options, as well as a handful of Thai dishes, soups, dumplings, and other assorted items on the menu. I went with a spicy tuna roll and an order of the chicken pad thai. Knowing Bill likes it hot, I asked for the ‘Bill spicy’ version of their 1-5 rating scale, which was written up as a 5+ on the order ticket. Others in the group had shahimi, curry dishes, and other things I couldn’t see from where I was sitting, but assumed others ordered things spicy as well, as soon after we ordered, my nose started to twitch. I got a little worried about my spice selection.

Our food started to arrive, and my tuna roll came out and looked excellent, it was a pretty big roll, and thin cut compared to other rolls I’ve had which were pretty small and chunky. After adding in a little wasabi to the soy sauce and remembering how to use chopsticks I dug in. The rice was firm and sticky like it should be, but not hard, and the tuna had a good flavor to it and didn’t taste too fishy. Generally, I’m not a huge sushi guy, and once every few months is enough for me, but I could certainly indulge on this more often.

My main dish came out, and brought a hint of spice with it in the air. I dug into my dish and all of the noodles and chicken did have some flavor too them, a bit of a sweetness, but nothing to overpower the food. Much like my dish from Mai Thai, the spice slowly grew on my as I ate thru the pile of noodles and chicken. At the end of the plate, I was plenty warm and the nose was clear. I was also quite full too. I had anticipated saving some for lunch, but realized it was too good to leave for the microwave to torture the next day.

The last item that was sprung on us by our waitress was an offer of a ‘cherry bomb’ I was very hesitant about trying one, just because I really don’t like peppers, and they really don’t like me. After some *prodding* by Bill, I agreed to split one with one of the others in our group.

Now, this thing, while it looks harmless on the outside, all fried and wrapped in bacon, is pure and utter hell to put in your mouth. I mean this in the nicest way possible. While peppers are not my thing, Oh… I forgot to mention, inside this bacon wrapped fried goodness is a habenero pepper stuffed with cream cheese. OK, where was I.. I can appreciate the item, I was rather a big ball of cursing ramblings on my commute home with my mouth on fire. I like hot food, but I’m also a texture guy, and I think the combination of not being fond of the pepper skin texture, and getting a mouthful of seeds, attribute my few choice words and funny looks.

Overall, for the $25.00 bill before tip (for the roll, pad thai and fat fire) the amount of food, the excellent service and great evening with friends was well worth it. I’ll certainly return, and have talked my dad into checking it out with me, just based on my mention of the cherry bomb to him, as he loves hot stuff.

I would suggest it for anyone who likes sushi or thai food, or anyone looking to try something new. You can get your meals in a range of 1-5 for spice, so even if you are a typical Minnesotan and consider ketchup spicy, you can find something here to appease your appetite.

Ronin Cafe and Sushi Bar
7704 160th St
Lakeville, MN 55044

Last night, on invite from Bill I joined him, Kim, Laura, Art and Laurie at Taste of Thaiyai down in Apple Valley. I’d been spending the majority of my day helping a buddy remodel his house, so I was certainly up for a tasty meal at a new restaurant.

Located in a tiny little strip mall, it’s what you would expect, a few tables, cliche decor, and the smell of good food about to be eaten. The menu had a large number of options, ranging from appetizers, a variety of main dishes, soups and sides.

I’m not the most adventurous person when it comes to trying different foods, so I tend to stick with dishes in my comfort zone, usually something with noodles, and a meat/poultry. I really don’t care for vegetables, so that limits a number of my options right off the bat.

I’ll contradict with last sentence, and say that I started my meal with the fresh spring rolls, with port and shrimp in them. The rolls themselves looked very tasty, similar to what I’ve gotten at the now closed Vietnam Restaurant. These rolls did have shrimp in them which tasted pretty good, seeing as I’m not a big fan of shrimp. The menu also stated that there was supposed to be pork in the rolls. What I found, was little pork balls, no bigger than you’d find in a serving of Dippin’Dots from the state fair. I dug to find actual pork chunks, and found none. Now, I’m not going to discount these spring rolls, because overall they were pretty good. The dipping sauce, however was a bit off. I’m used to being served some type of peanut sauce with my rolls, and these was almost like a vinegrette sauce, thick, with a splash of the red sauce and peanut chips on top. Again, not bad, just different. Overall, I would order these again on a return visit.

For my main dish, I went with a known dish, Pad Thai. Nothing like chicken chunks and noodles. I opted for the ‘REALLY SPICY’ variety, however, I don’t think our waitress understood that I really did want it spicy. My meal came out, and I was impressed by the large serving, and little did I know, the more I ate, the more the plate would keep growing more and more noodles.

The actual taste of spice of the dish was good. The food was excellent, a little sweet aftertaste, and the spice did slowly build on me, not to the extent that Mai Thai Cafe’s version of the Pad Thai did, but very good none the less. As I mentioned, the more I ate, and dug into the dish, the more and more noodles kept appearing on my plate. Not that it was an endless refill of noodles, but, they almost appeared to be breeding on my plate! We all got quite a chuckle out of this, and were treated to more of Bill’s cackling. I did manage to down all of my chicken and a good portion of the noodles, however I didn’t overly stuff myself as I’ve been trying to eat smart, and lose some extra pounds, and I didn’t think stuffing myself full of noodles was a wise choice.

I ended up getting out of Taste of Thaiyai for about 15.00 before tip and tax, which I thought was very reasonable for the huge amount of food I had. Typically, one would have split up my dishes into two meals possible, or share with someone special, however, seeing as my someone special lives three hours into Wisconsin for the time, and I’m not a fan of leftovers, I scarfed as much as I could and called quits.

Overall, I would suggest you stop by and give the place a try. Everyone in our party enjoyed our meals, and I know I will sure go back again when I’m in the area!

Taste of Thaiyai
7705 147th Street West
Apple Valley, MN 55124

I found myself in Woodbury last night at ULTA getting my haircut with the fabulous Crystal (I really suggest you make an appt. with her if you are in need of a cut, color, style, or eyebrow wax (OK, so I haven’t had the last thing done to me, but all of the others I can personally vouch for as being totally awesome) Anyways, – Go to ULTA if you’re in Woodbury, or make a trip out of your way.. You won’t be sorry.

Back to my point… After my cut, I was going to drop by Vietnam Restaurant, and old favorite of mine, for some spring rolls and sesame chicken. I pulled up and found that they were no longer there! I had heard there was a fire earlier this summer, but figured they would repair and re-open. I did a little searching from my phone to see if I could find out any information, and found the following info:

From CitySearch

Vietnam Restaurant *used* to be one of my family’s favorite places to dine in Woodbury–until they sold it and the new owners completely destroyed everything we had appreciated so much. The wonderful, personable service is gone, replaced by indifferent servers who treat their customers more like inconveniences than clients. The menu is still essentially the same, but the dishes have also lost their homey, delicious qualities. Case in point: I asked my husband to stop on his way home to pick up an order I placed. We received the wrong dishes, the dishes were lukewarm and the spice level was non-existent (even though I had requested and my husband confirmed upon pick-up that we had asked for “extra spicy”). Worse, the dish I did end up with had overcooked, limp, old vegetables, and all flavors that might have otherwise been present in the dish were completely overshadowed by a mass of over-sauteed onions and celery. A call to the restaurant did not fix anything. Take my advice, if you were a fan of the old Vietnam Restaurant, make a trip up to Maplewood and Vietnam Star, the restaurant that the former owner of Vietnam Restaurant (Nancy) and her sister run near Maplewood Mall. It won’t disappoint you. In the meantime, don’t bother with Vietnam Restaurant Woodbury–unless the old owners step back in and whip things into shape. Until that time, our dining dollars will go elsewhere.

Pros: cheap, close to home

Cons: new owners/chef have completely destroyed everything that used to be great

Now, thinking back a bit, I have noticed a downturn in the quality of food and service over the last year, and have a small thought in my head if that, and the fire earlier this year are related?

So, I continue on, thinking what to do for supper. I remember my co-worker telling me about Yang’s also up in Woodbury, and since I was already there, I thought I would give it a shot.

I rolled up, walked in and placed my order for my never-changing Sesame Chicken. The price was about $10 or so, which was average for my dish. I was asked how spicy I wanted my meal, and I inquired as to the ratings. I was informed that the ’5′, top listing, was pretty spicy, so I figured I’d give that a shot. While waiting for my food, I scouted the place and noticed about 20 or so tables and booths, filled with an array of patrons from high school giggly girls, to families and a few couples eating as well. The decor is what you’d expect from a strip mall take out joint, dim, but not darkly lit, semi aged seating with a more traditional asian appeal to it. Nothing retro or trendy, just pretty stereotypical. Certainly good enough to eat in.

I grabbed my supper and headed home, it was smelling up my truck by the time I got home and was anxious to dig in. I opened my bag and found two containers, one pint container, packed to the gills with my sesame chicken, and a rather small container with rice. I was expecting a small amount of rice from this little box, NO. It was overflowing, expanding like a sponge animal that just got doused in the bathtub!

I now had a plate full of food that looked great, and smelled better. The chicken itself wasn’t drenched in sauce, super battered or otherwise tainted by something nasty. It has a light breading on it, with a little sauce caked on, nothing too heavy. There were some sesame seeds scattered about of course, and some little peppering flakes, I assume they were.

I bit into the chicken before I even sat down, because it just looked so darn good, and it was. It was crispy, but not KFC styles by any means, the chicken was juicy and tender, and it had a good amount of spice to it. Not enough to make me pucker up, or reach for the water in pain, but just enough to know it’s there and give it a little kick.

I continued thru the meal, the spice didn’t build up on me and make me quit eating, but was a constant “HI, I’M HERE AND KINDA SPICY” feeling. The rice was pretty tasty too, good and sticky, and filling enough that I didn’t need any more than what came with the meal. Since I was eating at home, I had the TV on, and was shoveling food in my mouth until I realized I’d eaten almost the entire plate full of tasty goodness.

I decided not to be a total pig and left a bit on the plate, and bit into the fortune cookie. Now, a fortune cookie isn’t anything special, and they’re all trucked in in cardboard boxes, but these, were thick, crunchy and GOOD. It even had a good fortune in it!

All in all, I will return to Yang’s for food again. I would rank it a notch higher on the scale than my local favorite Bamboo Garden, but BG wins out on being 1/2 mile away.

If you’re in the area, or driving past, stop at Yang’s and see what you think. The menu seemed to be pretty varied and had a number of things to choose from if you care to venture outside of my comfort zone.

Yang’s Chinese Restaurant
1568 Woodlane Dr
Woodbury, MN 55125-2221
Phone: (651) 731-3212

I’ve been rather lax on getting this post up, the photo has been sitting here for a few months now. I think I’ve procrastinated for lack of a better photo, but here we go. The Bamboo Garden is one of your ‘run of the mill’ Chinese takeout places in a strip mall in regular suburbia.

I’m a creature of habit, and have always stuck with my variation of some type of chicken, and rice, but others I have dined with have ordered a variety of items off the menu, from the seafood dishes, soups and etc. I can say that all of the dishes that have come out of Bamboo Garden, into my home have been awesome. I can’t speak details for my friends who have ordered, but my meals have always been made fresh, typically just being boxed up when I arrive to pick it up.

The restaurant itself consists of a half dozen tables and is more or less a take out place, nothing too special, but it’s a cozy little place if you were going to stop in and eat, if you chose not to take advantage of the ‘take out’. The owner of the restaurant is always there when I’m picking up my food, and he knows exactly what I will be ordering when I walk in, without ordering first by phone.

The meals are priced pretty average, and you do get quite a bit of food, enough for two or three meals.. One meal if you want to be stuffed for the next two days!

I know I can’t do Bamboo Garden justice seeing as I only have a small variety of their menu, but I do suggest you stop in and take something home with you, as it’s would be my top pick for take-out in the Cottage Grove area.

7145 E Point Douglas Rd S
Cottage Grove, MN 55016
(651) 769-8887

So in all of my efforts to eat healthy and workout, tonight went to hell. I just was not in the mood for another chicken breast, cooked up however you like, it’s still a big wad of chicken, with noodles, with salad or with rice. I’ll just make sure to do an extra 50 sit ups in the morning… After all, part of a diet and changing your lifestyle is actually changing it to something practical, not all fast food, or all tofu. ICK.

So, that being said I had to run out for new jeans, as my old pair was all ratty and nasty at the bottoms, go figure.. Stopped at Rocco’s on the way back and order the standard Pepperoni pizza. – Thinking ahead, I would have ordered the sausage, because there’s just something really funny about the pizza girl sayin “You had the 12 inch sausage, right?” vs. “12 inch pepperoni”… Sausage just sounds so much more dirty.

Never having been in Rocco’s to get a pizza before, (always used delivery even though they are a block away) I notice that they’ve got 4 stacked ovens, not on a track, just even, so it’s all judged by eyes on if your pie is done. Nothing fancy, all utilitarian and effective.

The girl peeks in and sees that my pizza is done, and slides it out, asking for my approval, I nod at the golden brown cheesy goodness I am about to consume. The 1 block commute home made my truck smell like delicious pizza, so I’m going to have that to look forward to at 7am tomorrow morning.

The pizza itself, doesn’t look like anything special, it’s your standard party cut square pie in a generic white box with a coupon slapped on top, no big deal it ends up in the recycle anyways.

The taste however, is better than any of the local chains, as overall, it’s not greasy, slippery or soggy. Starting at the top, the cheese is pretty tasty, and appears to be mostly a blend of white cheeses, nothing sharp or fancy and doesn’t overpower the rest of the pizza. I went pretty basic and just had pepperoni. It had a mild kick to it, nothing to write home about for clearing the sinuses as some pepperonis I’ve had can do, but again, it added a nice balance to the pie.

The sauce was fairly even, a little extra at the edges I expect from the smearing around in the prep. It has a little hint of sweetness to it, and is pretty thick, so it’s not going to slip out between the cheese and crust and platter your pants. The crust itself, was overall good. It wasn’t real crispy, but wasn’t real soggy either, just perfect in my mind, unlike the soggy middled crusts you’d get from a popular chain with part of it’s name in common with a Star Wars Character.

Overall, this was a good pizza. While I don’t know that I’d order it for a romantic date at home, (for that I’d pick up stuff to make my own) [insert sausage comment here if you wish]. However, this is a pretty good option for having the guys over for sports, when you don’t feel like cooking, or just want something that’s not mass produced.

There are 6 locations scattered about primarily the East Metro area, and they also do deliver which is a bonus.

I can’t really compare against the pizza from Cassini’s I mentioned last week, as it was one of their specialty pizzas, I feel Rocco’s is a good quality pie, the ingredients are fresh, and combine well to make a tasty meal. The have wings, pizza fries, deep dish and Chicago style pies, however if I plan to continue the weight loss, I don’t think I’ll be reviewing those for some time. Feel free to try them out and let me know!

Rocco’s Pizza
7422 East Point Douglas Road
Cottage Grove, MM 55016
651-459-5575

While I’ve eaten at Cassinis a few times in the past, I haven’t taken the opportunity to do more than scarf for the tasty pie, so I figured this would be a good place to start with.

Being just down the street from me, it was well within my realm of easily obtaining, since I had to visit the nearby Target, I stopped in, and placed my order for an Alfredo Chicken pizza. – Marked as one of the ‘Specialty’ pizzas. Cassinis is just a walk in place, no tables or anything for seating, but that was OK with me, as I was going to work and eat at home tonight. I was told to stop back in 15 minutes, which left me plenty of time to get my shopping done. – I walked back in, right on time to pick up my pie. I paid the $13.88 including tax for a hearty helping of cheesy goodness, and headed back home.

Upon opening the box (which I had to do before I even left the parking lot, because it smelled soooo good) I noticed an ample amount of cheese, and big juicy hunks of chicken. The entire pizza was covered with some light italian herb seasoning stuff which added to the taste, but not overpowering.

The cheese was plentiful, but not smothering the taste of the chicken or the alfredo sauce. The sauce itself was not slathered on in typical pizza sauce style, which I was happy with. Instead there was just a nice thin layer across the pizza as to not make the whole thing soggy and slippery.

The crust is a whole other topic in itself. The cheese and toppings spread out almost to the end, leaving a good hand hold at the edge. Also, the edge and underside was just the perfect amount of tasty crispiness leaving the center of the pie nice and soft, but not soggy.

On some of the other experiences with Cassinis, I’ve tried the breadsticks and wings, which are OK, but I would stick with the pizza, as I was more impressed with that then the other things I’ve had.

If you happen to be down this way, stop in and pick up a pie on your way thru for when you get home (or stop by and say Hi)

Cassinis Pizza
(651) 459-1100
8711 E Point Douglas Rd S, #109
Cottage Grove, MN 55016