October 12, 2009 by Chad.

I try to go to restaurants with a very objective view of the establishment, untarnished by other experiences. Sadly, without hearing a word about the Super Buffet, I was influenced simply by the name…SUPER. I blame them for raising the bar far beyond what I came to experience while eating lunch there.

Food: 7 (High marks for variety, but not outstanding)

The best thing about the Super Buffet is the unique additions to the St Cloud Asian buffet. I say Asian because there were definitely some dishes that seemed of varying origins. A couple of the more surprising items included massive salmon fillets and…forgive me for not knowing the proper terminology on this one as I don’t often eat raw fish…sushi wrapped in rice. I plated what I thought was some sort of chicken in something like a sesame sauce but it was actually a sweet peanut buttery sauce….mmm, yummy.

Probably the most remarkable thing I found in the buffet was something quite unremarkable, sliced pieces of hotdog. What makes this remarkable is that they are fully catering to the finicky tastes of the American toddler. If every restaurant had hotdog as an option then most families would have a far better experience dining out with little ones. Goodness knows, our family would definitely have avoided a number of toddler blow-ups. Kudos.

Now for the downside. Nothing was outstandingly awesome in the taste category. The peanut sauce was the only surprise. Also, enen though I was impressed by the presence of salmon, it was a little overcooked, but what can you expect when it sits in a warming tray for a few minutes beyond prime done-ness.

Service: 5 (Nothing beyond way is necessary)

I am torn here because there are cultural morays at play when it comes to service. Once you have realize that there is a service/sociability difference that often is exhibited in Asian restaurants, it is hard to view things with truly “Average Joe American” eyes. Since the audience here is more than likely the type of people who would view service in this way, I am bound to judge it in generic American perspective.

Here is what I experienced. The wait staff does what it needs to do. Is your glass empty? Has that dirty plate been sitting on your table for 5 minutes without being picked up? That’s about it. I tend to appreciate my dining experience more when the server or host makes an effort to cater to my needs more than just assume my needs are the same as any other animal coming to the feeding trough. I like personality. I like people going out of there way to please me.

Atmosphere: 5 (Score Suffers due to cleanliness issues)

If you’ve read a previous review you will have already known my philosophy of a buffet includes a crowbar to wedge people in to a big room with lots of tables. Super Buffet has dividers and tries to break it up some, kind of like how a lot of McDonald’s differentiate themselves by decorating their restaurants in a different way…its still feels like a McDonald’s no matter what you do. Lots of gray, a few more wall hangings, but nothing really eye catching.

What this place really needs is a good cleaning. Dirty carpeting that is many shades darker than it was originally needs to be cleaned. Glass booth divider tops need more cleaning attention as splatter and hand prints were not isolated to just one booth. This tells me either one naughty little kid intentionally got their hands dirty and walked into each booth with the sole intent of getting all the crane relief frosted glass to bear his mark. Better yet, how did this splatter marks get up there, the idea is to dine not gorge. For not being thqat old of a restaurant I expected more effort to make it look nice.

I was a little disappointed, but the overall experience was satisfying…maybe only because I know that I can take my 3 year old there for hotdogs and I can have salmon without much fuss. I may seem over analytical to some, but at least you know what you are getting into before you go.

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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Many moons ago the Lincoln Depot was just a bar that served good burgers. As time marched forward and the powers that be decided that they needed a separate dining room, the Lincoln Depot became much more. It became a family friendly restaurant with a thoroughly ingrained locomotive theme.

Food: 7

Assuming that you like bar faire americana, then the Lincoln Depot serves up a bounty of tasty dishes for people of varying tastes. Salads, sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and a cornucopia of yummy fried objects. Oh, and try the soups. Beer Cheese and Chili are mainstays, but I have heard reports that the onion soup is great…guess you have to like onion more than I do to appreciate it.

Eatin out at the Depot is a great thing on the pocketbook as well as you can always go out on a date with a significant other and manage to spend around $20 and that’s no stripped down meal. This would include an app, entrees, and drinks. Definitely reason to go more often.

Service: 8

The staff at the Depot are an ageless lot that seem to stick a round forever. They are the type of people you get to know and always seem to remember what you had last time you were there. Ok, so people to come and go, but the core seems to remain the same.

Atmosphere: 9

Remember mention of the train theme? Well, the Depot has a train on a suspended track that travels around the restaurant and bar area. A mural and a lot of train and station memorabilia adorn the walls and even the table tops to bring it all together. To top it off you can order a Switchman’s Special or the Cowcatcher off the menu which continues the theme in the menu too. Its a nice touch.

Definitely worth going to if you are on the east side of St Cloud and looking for some good grub at a good price!

The Lincoln Depot is at:
629 Lincoln Ave SE
St Cloud, MN 56304
(320) 251-9211

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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Woohoo! Retro is always in fashion when you take 1 part burger joint, add a healthy portion of 50’s memorabilia, and then wrap it all up in hammered tin and chrome. The Park Diner is all about the 50’s in its appearance, but I was sadly left with only a partial sense of nostalgia for a time long before I was born. Still, it’s a good alternative to the hordes of clone restaurants on the Division Street strip.
Food: 7 (Good size portions)What to expect? 10 points to the guy in the corner that said Americana. Yep, burgers and sandwiches with cutsie names like “The Potsie” are all over the menu. There is also a breakfast menu for those who are looking for a little morning faire.

Presentation was good. Salads are laid out nicely with lots of toppings and little or no rust. While lettuce rust is not necessarily completely in the control of the restaurant, keeping it to a minimum is a mark of quality. Kids meals are served in cardboard Mustang convertibles which may seem minor to adults, but for the 3 to 8 year crowd that’s a brand new toy holding their food. Malts and shakes are a winner as they are served with the tin cup extras.
Meals are not robust, but definitely on the larger side of average for Central Minnesota.
Service: 6 (Bus staff is excellent)

Service was good but not outstanding, but, considering most of the staff seems to be younger, honing good customer service skills tends to be a developmental process that can take a long time. Like most restaurants that stay open for longer than a few months, the wait staff checks in as often as they need to. Not any more it seems than is necessary to keep you complacent.

The bus staff was a pleasure to watch as they descended on tables before the customers had even left the building. The power to turn tables quickly can be a great boon for places of this nature where the seating is not ample. This seems to be the case whether they are crazy busy or not. Kudos.

Atmosphere: 8 (So close to greatness.)

Ok, love the decor and the whole diner feel. I don’t wish to detract from that part of the experience. Its bright and gleaming in there with scads of cool things to look at in case the conversation with the person on the other side of the table is not interesting enough to absorb you attention. Hammered tin ceilings are cool no matter where you are and ya gotta have a checked floor in a place like this.

Overall, the environs were really well done. My only disappointment lies in the fact the theme did not travel completely across the board. I mean, even the dishes looked like they were appropriate for the time period! My disappointment lies in the fact that the servers were not in a period attire. The whole nine yards with hoop skirts and that stuff would be really over the top, but ANY attempt to coincide with the theme and it would complete the dining experience for me. If you are going to go through the trouble of making a recreation, then you need to go a little further.

In closing, would I eat there again? Definitely. Will I like it? Sure. Will I still grouse about the lack of theme continuity? ABSOLUTELY, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Feel free to comment if you thing I am anywhere near correct, but don’t feed my ego. It’s full enough already.

Park Diner
1531 Division St, Waite Park, MN
Tel: (320) 252-0080

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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

I like to eat. No, really, I like to EAT, and there isn’t anything that fills the void better than a buffet. The Great Dragon in downtown St Cloud is an example of the American traditional Chinese buffet in almost every way possible. The food served up is just as advertised so let’s get into it.
Food: 6 (Nothing extraordinary but tasty)

Now I am not trying to knock the Great Dragon as I have eaten there many times, but to be honest its like eating at a Perkins or Denny’s…you almost know exactly what you are getting before you sit down. 95% of the objects at the buffet are no different then all the other Chinese buffets you have ever eaten at…General Tsos Chicken, Mai Fun, Jello cubes and fortune cookies…just what you expect to find when you eat at any Chinese buffet. In the food category, you do not see a lot of originality, but maybe that is what you are looking for when you go to a place like that. When you go to McDonald’s you expect to find certain things as well. All in all, there is nothing that is served that I didn’t like or that I hadn’t seen elsewhere. I guess the sameness of it prevents the diner from saying, ‘WOW, that was too ‘original’ for my tastes.”

Service: 6 (Self serve soda after your first glass)

Without specifically speaking to the staff, I would imagine the same family has owned it for some time. The guy who seats you has been there for as long as I can remember. Staff stability ensures consistent service which leaves diners from feeling that something was missed. As you would expect, the tradition of respect to diners is followed according to the culture.

Atmosphere: 5 (ala McDonald’s… it seems so familiar)

This is a smaller restaurant which lends itself to more intimate dining, but the center of the main dining area is still crammed full of tables. Unless, its the height of dinner time, you should expect a more quiet dining experience. We are still talking buffet here where the main goal of any buffet restauranteur is to cram patrons in with a crowbar to make the big dough. Expect the same type of decor you would find elsewhere. The backlit picture of the family boating down the Yangtze River is nice to gaze at during your middle of the day moment of zen.

You get what you pay for and as long as you aren’t expecting anything other than the standard fare of any other Chinese buffet, then the Great Dragon is right up your alley.

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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Industrial but classic, that would be the best way to describe the East Side of St Cloud and its landmark fast food restaurant, Val’s Rapid Serv. Val’s is a hold over from a time gone by when you didn’t have to be big to be successful as a restaurant. You didn’t need a huge parking lot and you didn’t have to decorate your dining area with elaborate themes. It truly is a burger joint with a classic appeal and a HUGE following of devoted fans from far and wide. My wife works in Onamia and one of her coworkers proudly proclaimed that he wanted to eat at Val’s when they had to come down to St Cloud for a seminar, just because it was Val’s.Just because. Normally that is not necessarily a good enough incentive for me to dine at a place. There are hundreds of restaurants in this area so its hard to justify going somewhere based on that flimsy reason. Find a more dynamic reason like the fact that it is an experience not to miss when coming to, living in, or finding yourself in St Cloud….ever.

Good: 7 (Mmmmm…grease)

A small army of workers like the core of a bee hive make your burgers on the fly in a tiny cooking area. Good thing there is a lot of family working in there because if they didn’t have the family tie, they would most certainly hate each other. Take it from me, when I worked for restaurants, the confines of the kitchen were sometimes battle grounds for bruised egos and bitter rivalries.

The burgers, and almost everything else on the menu, are greasy. Expect this. Its part of the charm of the place. Fresh ground beef patties…none of that preformed burger meat garbage, relish comes on the burger unless omitted during order, Oh, and if you are eating alone, never order more than a regular french fry because they already fill your bag up with fries…a large is overkill. You’ll find other menu items like fish,a Lent specialty, and chicken but don’t expect a huge variety. The main reason to go is for the burgers.

Service: 7 (Uniquely setup)

The first Time I went to Val’s ordering food was very in a very original way. You used to pick up a phone to place your order and you would talk to a lady who would key in your order. It would appear on a screen in from of you. This was very unique because you were no more than 3 feet from the window you receive your food from. Welcome to the 21 century. Now you have a touch screen to enter your order. When your order is done you will be beckoned to the window and pay for it there. The service at the window is quick but polite and almost neighborly.

Atmosphere: 5 (….uh, nice picnic tables)

Unless you have a desire to be dumped by your date who thought you were going to a posh restaurant, don’t expect a dining experience beyond that which you would get at a local park. This place is small…..no, smaller than you are thinking. Picnic tables are sprinkled around the tiny lot they have. Val’s sits on the corner of Lincoln Ave and East St Germain, a very busy intersection on the east side so there is not much else to do but jaw a bit and watch cars fly by.

Sometimes you go to restaurants for different things. Sometimes its comfort and sometimes its the experience. Well, for Val’s its the opportunity to strip away all the superficial trinkets of dining out and focus on the essential experience. What you see is what you get.

Overall 6.5

A half point? Well, I right the rules so I can do as I see fit. Val’s is definitely an experience unto itself, but as a “dining” experience it is lacking. You can’t make a classic car look like a 2007 model, but, then again, why would you? Know that you are eating at a piece of history and know that you will probably get something greasy but good.

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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

I will pull through all the reviews I have made over the years but I will probably jettison the remaining content for a clean start of it. We’ll have to see how much I am able to recreate. Unfortunately I will most likely not be inclined to re-download and link the pictures originally associated with the reviews. Though it may be convenient for readers, it really has less to do with necessity and more to do with fluff.

As I readjust everything, please have patience. The blog is still hosted by 1&1 and will still be a Word Press formatting. As Sherburne County Backroads will now have its own domain, ChadGroetsch.com  will likely become more of a project site for me to play with a few things.

If you are reading this, please register again new as I cannot keep the user list from the old hosting package.

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