Update as of 2/09 ***** This restaurant has changed ownership and now goes by a different name*****

Cuisine: American, Bar & Grill

Location: Forest Lake

Address: 7050 Scandia Trail  Forest Lake, Minnesota 55025  Phone: 651-464-8435

Links: Dummy’s Website Google Map

Atmosphere:  Dummy’s is a very large restaurant, with an even bigger banquet hall attached to the back half of the building. Adjacent to the dining area you see pictured below, there is a large bar in the center of the back room, with bistro tables surrounding it.  Very nice area, but smoking is allowed and my impression was that there had been a LOT of cigarettes smoked in the bar recently.  There is a also a screened in porch overlooking the public golf course next door, with patio tables. This was the perfect place to sit for lunch on a beautiful sunny day.  Here is the picture of the main dining room.

Menu: Appetizers include the Dummy’s Drummys, walleye cheeks, chicken nachos or quesadillas, onions rings, mozzarella sticks, potato cheese poppers and chicken fingers. Besides five hamburger variations, Dummy’s has chicken wraps and many other sandwiches including the Prime Time, Cajun chicken, chicken Parmesan, Reuben and Buffalo Chicken.  Dinner entrees include the Super Bowl Sirloin, fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and asparagus, spaghetti and meatballs, meat balls and gravy, pan seared walleye, tequila lime chicken, steak or chicken stir-fry, fajitas and gourmet pizzas.  Salad eaters- Never fear, they do have a few premium salads.

Price guide: Appetizers- $5-9   Sandwiches and Burgers $7-8  Dinners $9-14

What I ordered: Chicken quesadillas (flour tortillas filled with spicy chicken, jack cheddar cheese, chipotle pepper sauce, tomatoes, onions and jalapenos.  Served with sour cream and salsa.  I was very impressed with the size of these quesadillas- eight whole slices!  They were loaded with cheese and a mix of chopped chicken, jalapenos and onions.  I liked the flavor the jalapenos and onions gave the quesadillas, but there was something about the chicken that I didn’t like…not sure how it was cooked, but it was kind of rubbery and didn’t have much flavor.  I was also disappointed that they didn’t have any guacamole; apparently they don’t sell enough of it to keep making fresh batches. Boo Hoo! Quesadillas just aren’t the same to me without guacamole :( I did, however, really enjoy the buttery, crispy texture of the tortilla.

One of my companions ordered the Prime Time sandwich.  Thought the beef and toppings were pretty good, but the chintzy hot-dog bun they served it on was way too weak to hold all the toppings and was very messy to eat after it fell apart.  It is highly recommended to find a new, thicker style of bread to serve this on!

Another of my companions ordered the grilled buffalo chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries.  he thought the sandwich was pretty good also, as long as you like char-broiled chicken.  There didn’t seem to be enough buffalo sauce on the sandwich either.

Service: Our visit was mid-afternoon on a Monday, so the only person who appeared to work in the dining room/bar area was the bartender.  We chose to sit in the screened in porch outside, so it was only every so often that the server/bartender would come check on us.  The owner of Dummy’s also happened to be at the restaurant at the time of our visit and came out to check on us and chatted with us for awhile about the golf course next door.

Overall Impression:  The food was decent, but far from impressive.  Might try it again, but not a place I will be rushing back to anytime soon.

**CLOSED**

Cuisine: American,

Restaurant Features: Bar (limited to beer and wine), Counter-Service, Live Music, On-Site Parking

Location: Forest Lake

Address: 21450 Forest Blvd. North (Intersection of Hwys 61 & 97) 651.982.1802  | Fax 651.982.1803

Hours: M-F 6am-9pm Sat 7am-9pm  Sun 7am-3pm

Links: Max’s Groove House Google Map

Atmosphere: Brightly colored walls with lighted pendants hanging from the high ceilings, Max’s is brightly lit during the day, and seems like it is romantic and laid-back at night.  Counter service is offered for breakfast and lunch, with digital screens displaying the current menu.  Dinner menu/table service is the standard for dinner.  I was pleased to see that Max’s is smoke-free and they also offer Wi-Fi :)

Menu: Breakfast items include a variety of omelets, breakfast burritos, fruit and classic breakfast sandwiches (build-your-own with choices of a variety of meat, eggs and cheeses).  Several varieties of coffee and energy drinks are also very popular.  Lunch items include a variety of fresh salads, soups (chicken dumpling and SOTD), and specialty sandwiches including the baked Reuben, Philly cheese steak, grilled chicken, clubhouse, and a variety of deli sandwiches as well.  Hot dogs and hot carved beef (referred to as “burgers”) sandwiches are also very popular.

Dinner selections include all of the specialty and hot sandwiches, plus pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs, rotisserie chicken, and coconut crusted tilapia.

There is a large dessert menu and also a huge variety of specialty drinks offered, including a selection of wine, beer, teas, coffees and old-fashioned sodas.

Price guide: Breakfast $3-6, Salads $4-7, Sandwiches $5-8  Dinners $8-11

What I ordered: Baked Reuben (Hand carved corned-beef topped with swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and 1000 island dressing on rye bread, served with seasoned kettle chips.  I thought the sandwich was very good, the corned beef was lean and had great flavor.  My personal preference is that Reubens have better flavor when grilled with butter, but this baked Reuben is a better choice for keeping it “light”.

My companion ordered the Memphis Bleu Burger, slow-cooked shredded beef topped with peppered bacon and bleu cheese, served on  ciabatta bread.  This sandwich was amazing! I tried only a  few bites and have never had anything like it before.  The combination of flavors from the beef, bacon and bleu cheese was really wonderful and I loved that it was served on the ciabatta.

Service: Very friendly! No matter what time of day you visit, you are sure to be catered to.  Although you must order at the counter for breakfast or lunch, food is prepared reasonably fast and brought to your table.  The only thing I think that could be improved is having a refill station that customers can access.

Overall Impression: Excellent food, fast service, great prices!