October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted July 14, 2009

209 Bar

209 Minnesota Ave NW

Bemidji, MN 56601

I was up visiting an event run by the Bemidji Jaycees at the local Legion. Normally I am pretty good at staying on top of eating within a reasonable dinner time. This evening in particular was an exception. At 8pm as the DJ spins music for the dueling karaoke challenge, I get the empty pit feeling. We are not talking about that snicketty snack feeling but the full-on empty stomach chasm feeling. To this I turned to my friend Will Fischer and asked him if there was a local restaurant that was very close. He pointed me in the direction of the 209 Bar. A mere half block walk found me at the doorsteps of the 209 and my stomachs salvation.

Food: 8                     Type: Bar Food

The menu was by no means extensive but as I sat down at the bar I saw what I needed, a good burger. Among the 20 items on the menu was an interesting burger called The Tony. It was a 1/2 pound cajun seasoned hunk of meat with pepper jack cheese and bacon on it. The best part? It was slathered with a thick robust BBQ sauce that was exceptionally mess but put a ribbon on what was a well prepared burger. The flavor of fresh ground beef was unmistakable and the well balanced myriad of seasonings and other toppings played a delightful tug of war on my taste buds. This varied flavor quality lends itself to less boredom and more exhilaration for the eating experience.

Under normal circumstances, I would have had an app or at the very least some fries to judge, but I had a limited time frame to get back to the music and then on my way back to the cabin in Crosslake so I had to be satisfied with the burger and chips it came with.

Had I been there with someone else or had four stomachs like a cow I would have tried out The 209, a burger of monstrous proportions.(2 pounds, 9 ounces….as if 2 pounds alone was not enough) They of course want a days notice to prepare the beast before you are able to slay it and at $24.50, it costs more than three times anything else on the menu. With that exception, everything is very reasonably priced.

Service: 5

A good bartender will talk you up when you are waiting and know when to leave you alone when you are intently watching the Twins game on the bar TV. This one was a bit of a talker, but he did a good enough job. He poured me a cold Finnigan’s Irish Amber which was smooth and a balance to the burgers sweet tingle. He did what was needed to feed me, but not outstandingly so. The food was prepared in a reasonable amount of time. Not much more to say about it I guess.

Atmosphere:4

It was a bar, with bar gear, bar decorations, and bar posters. Not much to go on here because it was not unlike a lot of bars I have darken the doors of in the last 15 years. The bathroom was clean and that is a big statement when at a bar.

Overall: 6

If you are a traveller and need to stop in Bemidji for a bite to eat then let me suggest the 209. I came there looking for exactly what I got, a tasty burger and a glass of beer. I left having filled the chasm in my stomach and still got back in time to listen to a little music before hitting the road.

Would I go there again? Absolutely!

Sherburne County Backroads is proud to call The Tony one of the unofficial top 20 burgers in the state.

Posted in Grub Reviews - OLD | Print | No Comments »

October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted July 14, 2009

The Schmit Haus

10361 115th St NE

Gilman, MN 56333

While at an event near Foley, MN my interest was piqued  by a dining establishment that had been made out of a former auto shop in Gilman.  I had eaten a few years ago in a garage restaurant down in the cities that, for the life of me, I cannot remember the name of. (Bad Chad!) Anyway, what kind of a theme or dining gem would I be able to pull out of this experience? There really was only one way to find out.

Food:2

Here was a great opportunity for some very creative dining options, even within the scope of americana, that could have really made the food special. There could have been a German influenced infusion of options with sour kraut or schnitzel but there was not. There could be a classic burger joint feel with ice cream floats or classic americana but again there was not. In fact, the menu was limited, greasy and bland and that made me very disappointed. There is a lot of opportunity here for improvement or elaboration.

Can I use the terms limp and lifeless to describe the frozen meat patty I received that passed as a burger? Not cool. Normally I have something good to share here. Not today. Not here. The people of Gilman are the only people who are likely to come here because it is the only place to go in this little town. If you are the only place in town who do you have to compete with anyway. Maybe driving to Foley for dinner is not all that bad an idea.

Service: 4

Ok, our server tried. She really tried. She tried to do what she could with what she had.  She had patience with our children as they were beyond  nap time. She managed the floor well and the glut of people who came in when we got there, gliding amongst the tables making sure everyone CAN of  pop still had enough in it.  In the end, she was hampered by an exceptionally slow kitchen and that counted against her. So, the end resulting score has more to do with the kitchen side of the service than the server. It still added up to an hour wait for a few cheeseburgers and fries. There was no apologies for this time lapse from our server so I had to assume that this was par for the course here. More reason to question giving them a higher score in the service area.

Atmosphere: 2

Again this is an area of squandered opportunity. If you want to go someplace that remarkably looks like your crazy Uncle’s 70’s wood paneled basement rec room, then this place is for you. With a bar at one wall, booths opposite, and tables and chairs in between, this is pretty basic. The most interesting thing in the room is the wooden door with class windows that opens into a small quick access cooler for the server to store milk and other common restaurant perishables.

Tie a good food theme with decor and you have a winning combination for a point of destination dining experience. That is what people want.  I speculate whether the Schmit Haus is a very thinly capitalized restaurant because there was almost no attempt to spruce it up. I even speculate on whether it would have been more interesting if they had left it looking like a garage on the inside. Now, that would have been interesting. Add to it some automotive hardware from the scrap yard(but lovingly cleaned up). To any gearhead that would be a place to stop, a place to see, and a place to tell your friends about.

Take note, the bathroom needs a serious remodel and that is all I will say on that subject.

Overall: 3

A lot of room for improvement here. There is no definable direction in the menu, food, or the atmosphere. Food on the go at a snail’s pace was not appealing to anyone at our table or tables near us. I really don’t think that the people of Gilman are all that different from anyone in St Cloud or points throughout the state of Minnesota. This being the case, I think the people of Gilman probably would feel the same as I do about the Schmit Haus. It needs more…a lot more.

Would I eat there again? Unless it goes through a major remodel of operations, definitely not.

Posted in Grub Reviews - OLD | Print | No Comments »

October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted April 21, 2009

Jimmy’s Pour House

22 2nd Ave No.

Sauk Rapids, MN 56379

(32…

Jimmy’s has been an anchor restaurant in St Cloud since 1977. Simply put, to stay in business that long you have to be doing something right. Jimmy’s offers a lot of selection and taste for the the diner looking for a warm, friendly, and underplayed atmosphere.

Food: 6

What they may lack in ingenuity they definitely make up for in properly prepared standards in Americanna and breakfast meals.  This is not to say they lack originality in all events as they offer both a Fire Alarm Burger and a German Burger. The former is a concoction of competing fire starters and the latter being developed from the local heritage. For this sampling we tried the Chipotle Bacon Burger with its pepperjack cheese, pico de gallo, and chipotle mayo on top of a juicy, hearty sized burger patty. At first, I was a tad disappointed that the chipotle flavor was eclipsed by the pepperjack cheese, but then I found the medely of flavors when combined with the pico was far more grand than chipotle alone would have offered. Yep, fooled me once. Maybe they should rename the burger to include some of its other finer aspects. It is like calling something a ketchup burger just because it has ketchup on it.

Also in this sampling was the Jack Daniel’s Glazed Chicken. Sadly, I was less impressed here. The chicken breasts were smallish and the Jack Daniel’s marinade was in short supply. One good glimmer of hope was the side option that came with it, red skinned mashed potatoes. Think of it as the saving grace for that dish.

Jimmy’s is a reasonably priced place to eat out though. Consider it for a lunch meeting or family dinner.

Service: 6

Was it outstanding? Naw. There is nothing bad to tell, but nothing great to tell either. The service was satisfactory.  Our server was well informed on the menu, was prompt enough, and came at all the normal times to check on us. I guess I was not feeling loved by the server or that she REALLY enjoyed her job. After spending so many times analysing every minor point of the dining experience for so long  you get spoiled when you experience exempliary service. I would not use this criterion for judging whether to eat at Jimmy’s or not. There is more there to see and experience than this and remember the way I sample is through a single experience to preserve the same experience other diners would have.

Atmosphere: 8

Some places exude a level of comfort when you walk in the establishment. It is like an non-corporeal spirit. Some places have it and some do not. Jimmy’s is such a place. There is an ease about the establishment that makes it feel good.

The theme is a hybrid between Irish Pub and golf, but it is not overplayed. What I mean by this is that there is a level of acceptable decoration and then there is clutter. Jimmy’s tastefully decorates their restaurant in golf relics a kin to the mid 80’s to late 90’s need to decorate chain restaurants with antiques [cough…Applebee’s cough cough]. It works.

The dining area is sectionalized well enough enough that it breaks up the dining area. This allows for large groups as well as intimate dining.

Overall: 7

Would I go back? Surely. Jimmy’s has a large loyal local following for good reasons. They know how to make the food that people like to eat and have a clean and comfortable environment in which to dine, meet, drink, and play.

Check out their website for menu and hours.

Posted in Grub Reviews - OLD | Print | No Comments »

October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted March 17, 2009

The Bay Club

12635 Bayview Rd

South Haven, MN 55382

Since I first went to this restaurant almost 20 years ago, it has gone through many hands and many revisions. It is still located near the public access landing on Clearwater Lake. Chicken Oscar is still on the menu, the service has improved, and the offerings of a destination dining are definitely matured from the hole in the wall it once was.

I need to apologize to The Bay Club and my readers as this review has been sitting in queue as a draft for about five months. I am now just getting to write about it again. Luckily I have an excellent taste based memory.

Food: 6

The menu over the years has always been tilted towards meat. It’s current owners keep the restaurant pointed in that direction. I think it would be short lived if they ever tried to take their focus away steaks, cops and ribs. To classify the selection consider it a hybrid between Classy Americana and Surf and Turf.

I was able to eat both the Boursin Chicken and the North Woods Chicken on this particular instance. That is the benefit of eating with my family, there is always more food to try than is on your plate. The Boursin Chicken was tender and overall a mild dish. If you like to taste the same thing from the first bite to the last, then this dish certainly has the continuity you’ll enjoy. On the other hand, the Northwest Chicken was a more varied taste and texture but that was mainly due to the fact it was served on a bed of rice pilaf.

Yea for original and intriguing menu items like Sugarcane Shrimp Shewers. A propensity for mushroom dishes seems to permiate the menu. Also offered are wraps and a little southwest, Mexican, and Italia.(Stress, a little)

Prices are reasonable for a vacation town. It has different prices for a varied clientelle as a meal can run from $8-18without appetizer.

Service: 8

Service was great. Our server Brian was either exceptionally sincere or an outstanding liar. Either way we felt like he really was pleased and happy to serve us dinner. He was very well informed about the menu and the service well well timed and orchestrated. In this case the service was so good, it definitely improved the whole dining experience. Kudos.

Atmosphere: 6

Gone are the dark walls and dimly lit candled tables. Hello light colored wood, sports bar-ish flat panel monitors, and chunky furniture. It still owns a very rustic feel with exposed log walls and the ever prevalent knickknacks.

The only real knock I can make is that it would be great if they could pull a couple more tables off the main floor. I was not the only one having to jostle a neighbor when trying to make it to the bathroom with my son and then get back into our seats. If you need to pack them in, make sure there is ample path space for passing through the dining area.

If you like to stare out the window, make sure you get a spot down on the old porch area. A secluded and calm bay resides outside the back of the restaurant and the entire wall facing it is festooned with windows.

Overall: 6

Service was excellent, food was palatable, and environment was bearable. I will definitely return if given the opportunity.

Check out their website.

Posted in Grub Reviews - OLD | Print | No Comments »

October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted October 25, 2008

Rancho Grande

1004 Hwy 55 West

Buffalo, MN 55313

Robin and I were in Annadale staying Thayer’s Historic Bed and Breakfast in Annadale a few months ago and upon the recommendation of Sharon Gammel the proprietor we hoofed it down to Buffalo to experience the authenticity of Rancho Grande for ourselves. Story has it that they were originally located in a very small restaurant space and they relocated because they were literally bursting at the seams. That is what tripped my interest in reviewing Rancho Grande.

Food: 8

If you are looking for signature dishes of a restaurant you can ask the server, but often times they have been couched on only a few of the dishes (Most of them are at the top end of the menu price). I cannot emphasis enough how refreshing it is when a restaurant marks their signature dishes in the menu itself. If I have a limited time and no knowledge of a restaurant, theere is no time to try it all.

For the review I was looking for something meaty and well balanced. That was most definitely found with their Enchiladas Rancheras. A lot of Mexican restaurants will have the staples included in this meal: three cheese enchiladas and rice and bean. What really made this meal phenomenal was what came on top of the enchiladas. It was topped a healthy pile of fried shredded pork, sweet grilled tomatoes, bell peppers and onions. Then add to it a seasoning that is not outstandingly hot, but robust, and you have an outstanding meal. It provided a great expanse of flavors that hit different taste buds at different moments with every bite. It was thoroughly enjoyable and almost never duplicated. It was one of those meals you wanted to eat past the third bite because you knew it was going to be different than the last. That is what food should taste like!

Enchiladas on their own are a quite simple item, it is when creativity and a flair for taste is applied that it can be made into a very enjoyable experience.

Service: 2

Where they excelled in the food category, they failed in service. Outside of the host who graciously glided around the dining floor and back to the waiting area, our serving staff was very sub-par. Serving is an art. It is an art of timing. We were largely ignored for about 20 minutes before being approached for an order.(We did get the cursory chips and salsa though) We had to place out beverage order twice because it was forgotten. To top it off we needed to prompt someone to give us our bill. Isolated experience? I do not know. All I can say is what I saw. This definitely needs to be addressed in training and/or employee reviews because service is a piece of the equation that equals a superior dining experience.

Atmophere: 6

The dining area of the restaurant is split into two sections by a rather creative and fun way. The ceilings and walls are painted in a night and day scene. The bar section was painted in the night scene with stars moon and other interesting artifacts. The main dining area was obviously the day. This definitely distracted from that fact that it was basically a big open room. It’s loud when the tables are full and a booth is really the only source or relative intimate dining. Plastic chili peppers and other decorative schlock adorns the walls, but it is more there to add three dimensions to the wall murals. It is still designed with a fun theme that children and adults would enjoy.

Overall: 5

The food was outstanding. If that was all I was reviewing then this would likely be one of the top Mexican restaurants I ever ate at. Unfortunately, the significant lack of quality service was a big hindrance to the overall enjoyment of the experience. What can I say? Hopefully my experience with the service was an isolated occasion, but I walked away from it thinking that if given the chance to go there again…I just might pass on it.

There was no picture for this location on MinnesotaRestaurantSearch.com, but there are a couple of them for their other two locations in Alberville and Monticello.

Posted in Grub Reviews - OLD | Print | No Comments »

October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted July 8, 2009

RJ’s American Grill4221 Clearwater Rd

St Cloud, MN 56301

You know the old adage about the most important thing when buying a building for home or business? It’s all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! Well, in spite of this fact RJ’s American Grill has squirreled itself behind a truck stop in an out of the way strip mall presumably to make you look for it like a buried pirate treasure. The ground is not marked with an “X”, but it definitely holds a wealth of dining experiences.

Food: 9

RJ’s is definitely Americana, but dances to the beat of their own tuba. Tuba you ask? Well, their spin on American dining fare is so unique, I felt it needed more emphasis and what has more POW than a tuba…but I digress. The menu, which is online, is filled with very original accents to the traditional slab of meat. Rarely do you see such things as kalamata olives or Gorgonzola cheese on a menu anywhere around here. Very few things are as quintessentially American as a burger and, to be honest, it is hard to find new things that peak taste buds. That is just what happened though.

I had the RJ’s Crispy Cheddar Burger with the sweet potato fries and was pleased. The cheddar was shredded and the tactile taste of slightly crunchy slow cooked cheddar was amazing. During my cooking escapades I determined that given the right amount of heat everything melts, but it takes skill to cook cheese without melting it into a indiscriminate blob. Kudos. Sweet potatoes, which are usually relegated to some traditional holiday meal and bathed in melted marshmallows, was definitely a different experience to eat but very tasty. I even had cause to eat them without any condiments what so ever.

Also, eaten was a Black and Blue Burger. The slight Cajun flavoring sat in good contrast to the applewood smoked bacon and blue cheese. This burger is immensely sloppy to eat, or maybe that was just me.

The kids options for meals had a couple different options. Buttered noodles for the finicky toddler and mini burgers for small eaters. The mini burgers fit nicely when children refuse to eat well outside of the home. The second burger can easily be boxed up and taken home.

For desert? Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches with 2 chocolate chip cookies as bookends to a generous portion of ice cream. You can tell they were not prepared on the fly as they were thoroughly frozen, but not everything  that is called homemade is made on the spot.

Prices are a little over average for dining out and the menu is laid out with round numbers rather than $8.95. I for one have seem more restaurants do this on menus and it seems to be more of a true pricing. Every time I see .99 cents on the end of a price I think of the old commercials for “Viking Chevrolet in downtown Fridley.”

Service: 9

I am tough on servers. Never do I show even a small sign of discontent, but the relationship between the server and the patron can, and often does, outshine the food. If people feel they are getting great service they may feel like eating mediocre food again just so they can get that warm fuzzy feeling. I don’t care how good the food is or how neat the digs are. If the service is lousy, so will be your experience.

Our server was OUTSTANDING! That is a word that seldom comes out in a review. She was attentive, interested in serving our needs, watched for the appropriate time to visit the table, and even swooped in like Superwoman with crayons and pictures to color for our squirmy children. That was definitely the big thing. Its standard for a restaurant to have crayons and a pre-packaged menu for kids to draw on. These pictures she brought us where from a website that had no advertising and no menu. Someone actually took the time to deliver a unique drawing experience to my children. I was amazed!

Food was timely and spaced out perfectly between appetizer, entree, and desert.

Atmosphere: 8

A lot of restaurants are moving toward decorative stonework. The problem with that is unless it is decorated enough, it can appear cold and uninviting. This restaurant blends an original stone design on a focal wall with warm lighting, and contemporary decorations to produce an upscale eatery. Dining is compartmentalized enough so that the perception of intimacy or privacy is maintained from almost every point in the dining rooms. There is a good sized meeting room in the back of the main dining area for meetings.

Overall: 9

If looking for Americana, this place should definitely be on your short list of places to try in the St Cloud area. The triumvirate of Food, Service, and Atmosphere play excellently here and so few restaurants can say they have all the pieces working in unison. The only concern I have is the location, but that can be overcome with effort on the owner’s part. The presentation is spot on!

Check out their website for more information

Posted in Grub Reviews - OLD | Print | No Comments »

October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted July 7th, 2008

Ciatti’s Ristorante

2635 West Division St

St Cloud, MN 56301

Normally I don’t touch anything remotely connected to a chain restaurant because they have their place in society some place next to fast food but a little better. Ciatti’s is a chain in the upper midwest with 13 restaurants, but Ciatti’s Ristorante may be a franchise. (The only one of its kind according to staff from there.) That being the case I felt it was ok to skirt the grey area and jump in to one of my favorite food groups….pasta.

Ciatti’s was located downtown St Cloud for a long time, but, due to a small construction boom around the restaurant, they decided to build a new restaurant and relocate to the more traffic heavy and retail friendly Division Street. For Italian food diners there has always been a dirth of variety but Ciatti’s always stood as a reasonably priced beacon of opportunity for those seeking quality Italian. Remember, we are talking Central Minnesota Italian here. It’s probably a fair bit different than that experienced in bigger metropolitan areas.

Food: 6

For years my favorite item on the list was Spicy Chicken Penne which is a complimentary dichotomy of tastes between the Cajun of the chicken and the creamy pesto sauce with sweet sun dried tomatoes. In the interest of seeing this as a new review for a “NEW” restaurant, I skipped over my traditional choice for something new and interesting. I ordered the Chicken Saltimbocca. It was definitely a different experience for me to be sure.

The grilled chicken was blanketed in a thin layer of prosciutto(ham) and capers and a sauce consisting of sag, lemon, and white wine. It made for a less dynamic and more subdued taste with a lemony tartness that was persistent throughout. Served along with the chicken was a healthy portion of vegetables mainly consisting of peppers (red and green) and squash.

Robin(my wife) ordered a more traditional meal of Manicotti. If I was not trying to sample more diverse tastes that day, I would certainly have chosen that over what I had. It was slathered with an incredibly generous amount of mozzarella cheese. It was literally a cardiac attack on a place, but, man oh man, it was just what my taste buds needed to wake up after the Chicken Saltimbocca.

Prices are a little higher than they used to be. (About 20 to 30 percent by my reckoning) Can you blame them? They build a new restaurant with higher property value and the whole economic situation has food vendors over a barrel and forced to raise their pricing. It also helps them define their clientele a little better. “Fine” dining is a rare enough beast in the central part of the state.In both cases the plate presentation was very classy.

Service: 7

Service was timely and light on the chattiness. I like to talk to servers because you can get a great primer on what the restaurant has to offer from their service staff. There of course is a too little and too much information threshhold that some people have a hard time judging. Our server was not one for chatting so I was not provided great insight. The hosting staff was friendly. The best experience with the staff came from the gentleman who visited each table once. I assume this person was a manager. He was engaging and sounding like he honestly wanted to know our thoughts on the dining experience. I have a habit of seeing through the “I really don’t care what you think as long as you eat here” mentality. It was definitely refreshing.

Food again was timely. This is timely in the sense that you are not going to go there for dinner and treat it like a quick stop. The time it took from ordering the food to getting the finished product was good for a casual meal. The appetizer and entree were a little too close to one another, but they at least did not arrive at the same time.

Atmophere: 8

I always liked the look and feel of the old restaurant with its classically designed wall painting, columns and all. The new restaurant is clean both in newness and in form. In the modern era of restaurant architecture it has a large high ceiling in the central dining area, separated bar are, and a pergola covered patio with a stone privacy fence around it. Walking through the main dining area I am reminded of that medieval churches found in Europe. The patio was comfortable. I could imagine how much more secluded it would feel if they planted grape vine and let them run up the pergola like a trellis. It exudes a sense of fine dining.

Overall: 7

Definitely will eat there again. Why? Why not. I saw nothing in the experience that would make me think twice about eating there again. Wait, there is one…if I had my children in tow I would not dine there. That is definitely not a children’s place to eat. Leave them with a babysitter for goodness sake and take your spouse, significant other, or a good friend out for a high quality meal. It is just the right place for a relaxed good conversation and a glass of wine.

Check out their website. Its not much, but they do post their menu.

Posted in Grub Reviews - OLD | Print | No Comments »

October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted December 29, 2007

Recently I sat down and tried to determine the number of Asian food restaurants in the St Cloud area. I used the broad stroke approach including Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and anything fitting into the whole mandarin culture and area. When it was all said and done I came to 11. That is not including the latest popular Mongolian craze or restaurants over 5 miles from St Cloud proper. That’s amazing. I would venture to bet that its the second or third most populated food type behind Americana and pizza (go figure on the later since it is a college town).Next on my path through the prepared food world was the Great Wall Buffet. My opinion of buffets are they are pretty much the same thing from place to place, but in all cases it is best to pay attention to the details and the things that set them apart from their competitors. That is how we are going to approach this one too.

Food: 6

You will find most of the building blocks of any other Chinese buffet. The buffet is a medium sized buffet with a larger number of options for the diner. They dabble in sushi roles and on the kids plate they had something resembling Totino’s pizza rolls. Unfortunately the sauce was too bland to appreciate as much as Totino’s. For the life of me I cannot remember the name of their General Tso’s alternative chicken dish, and it does not appear on their website, but it was something different. If you are a vegetarian, then you will appreciate the buffet. Besides that it’s pretty status quo.

Service: 3 of NA

Par for the course. You really don’t go to a buffet if you are interested in being doted on by the serving staff. If anything our server, who also subbed as the cashier, was efficient and barely spoke a word as he swooped down on plates from vacated tables. Beverages are self served so there is no server dependence here. I look at Service here as almost a non-entity. We really did not see or interact with the server except when we came in and payed to strap on the old feed bag.

Atmosphere: 4

The restaurant is clean and laid out for the purpose of feeding the masses. Decorated as it always seems to be with large lit up pictures of different Chinese locales, mirrors, and traditional respectful references to classic Chinese decoration including the shrine to Budda. Nothing more to say here as atmosphere is counter to this type of restaurant setting. Just make sure there’s enough room in the aisle as I make my way to the trough.

Overall: 5

Nothing outstanding but the price is moderate and you get what you pay for. Just remember when going to a buffet, your goal is not to make sure the restaurant loses money on you because of how much you eat, just enjoy the variety of tastes in moderation and your belt will still cinch up to the same hole.

Posted in Grub Reviews - OLD | Print | No Comments »

October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted December 28, 2007

House of Pizza has been around for over 40 years so you have to expect that there are certain things that will be covered in a dining experience. I mean, after 40 years most of the pitfalls restaurants go through in the process of perfecting their craft have to be resolved to make it that far. My family and I recently went to HOP for dinner and I thought it was an experience that would make a good review.Food: 9

Bordering on outstanding! I love the variety of the offerings at HOP. They are one of he few pizza places that really embraces alfredo white sauce as opposed to just championing the red. Not that their red sauce is bad at all. In fact, it is a tasted sweet tomato with a hint of spice. No, the thing I really like off the menu is the Four Seasons specialty pizza with its garlic chicken, spinach, sun dried tomatoes and black olives. It creates such a variety of tastes on the pallet that you cant help but love it. They also have a full line of sandwiches and pastas. Sure, they may be an Italian style restaurant with those other menu items, but, don’t be fooled, their specialty is pizza.

Service: 7

The serving staff was well trained. They had excellent product knowledge (Something I am always trying to test servers on.) and great customer service. On the day of this review my kids were both pretty unruly and hard to control. This is a common side effect to being a tired pre-schooler and toddler {Not to self…avoid dining out when they are devil children} but the serving staff saw our plight and came the the rescue with clean pizza cardboard circles and crayons. My only concern is that they probably should have given us that when they seated us, but oh well.

Atmosphere: 7

Clean and newly remodeled, the dining area is wider in appearance and more spacious. Its still the upstairs of an older building downtown, so its not hat much wider, but it’s an improvement over what they had. The color scheme is comfortable and the rich colored stonework coupled with the warm wood tones makes for a pleasant experience. The remodel did away with 80’s interiors cushioned walls….much better now.

Overall: 8

I would say that the House of Pizza is one of the better restaurants in the area and definitely one of the best pizza’s in town. Just remember this is a premium pizza parlor, only one of a couple in the area, so you will pay more but your experience is worth it.

House of Pizza

19 5th Ave S
St Cloud
320…

Posted in Grub Reviews - OLD | Print | No Comments »

October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted December 28, 2007

For years I went to O’Hara’s Restaurant on the corner of 33rd Ave and 3rd street in St Cloud. It was a landmark on that corner for over 50 years. Times change and so in the aftermath of Tim O’Hara’s restaurant debacle, we have a new and improved restaurant at that famous intersection.

McCann’s (Notice the same Irish name) completely redesigned the restaurant, cutting out most of the excess space used for meetings by every organization imaginable in the St Cloud area. They kept the brewing equipment but I have unfortunately not tried any of the house beer. I know,”for shame, Chad!” Hey, I was in there on my lunch break with one of my salesmen. I really didnt want to tip too much beer and go back to work.

Food: 6

While it was no particularly outstanding, the menu consists of a lot of bar related food. They had a roast beef sandwich as the special. I will admit, I am not a big beef person. Give me pork, any kind of foul, or fish and I am satisfied. Oh, and burgers are much better when they are beef as well. The beef was definitely tender and the portion size was good. The prices seemed a little on the high side of low…as in middle of the road.

Service: 4

We were mostly served by the jovial bar back but the service level was more a kin to sports bar traffic than actual fine dining, which is a shame. They still have a good sized dining room and hopefully they will develop that kind of dining which is seriously lacking in the whole St Cloud area.

Atmosphere: 4

They must have spent a bundle on the remodel. There is a lot of decorative stonework covering the walls and a lighter color scheme. The downside to any stonework is that you need to counter the cold of stone with the warmth of decorations. Unfortunately they must have run out of money or time in the decorating area as the walls that were not coved with stone were devoid of the nicky nacky types of things that can warm up a room. It felt very sterile. They opened recently so we can only hope that this type of thing develops over time. Hopefully sooner than later. Even college students like a little character inside their haunts and the locals may object to the changes from the landmark restaurant location they now occupy.

Overall: 5

They have potential. With a smaller restaurant space, retooled look, and preservation of the massive pool table room in the basemen, this place can once again reclaim its designation as a college student hang out. For the restaurant portion, it still needs a little work. I will eat there again with the hopes that they are still developing their dining experience. If not there might be another open space for rent in the next year or so.

McCann’s Food & Brew

3310 3rd St N
St Cloud
320…

Posted in Grub Reviews - OLD | Print | No Comments »