Cuisine: American, Breakfast,
Restaurant Features: Bar, On-Site Parking, Bowling, Banquet Rooms, Games

Location: Northeast Minneapolis, MN
Address: 729 Marshall St NE Minneapolis, MN 55413-1815

Restaurant Hours: Monday – Thursday from 6am – 11pm, Friday from 6am – 12am, Saturday from 8am – 12am, and Sunday from 8am – 11pm.

Links: Elsie’s Website *  Google Map

Atmosphere: Elsie’s is a large building that has three distinct areas: the dining room, the bar, and the bowling alley.  The dining room has a mix of booths and tables, nothing fancy in the way of decor.

The bar area is long and narrow, with seating along the bar and bistro tables along the wall to accommodate additional diners.  Flat screen TVs hang above the bar for the sports fans.

Here is the Bowling Alley, with several lanes and computerized scoring.

Menu: Breakfast items include the Sausage Wrap, Potato Wrap, Bacon Skillet, Country Hash, Hamburger Patty & Eggs, Country Fried Steak, Sirloin Steak & Eggs, Mr T Sandwich, Denver Sandwich, Country Skillet, Cajun Style Skillet, Biscuits & Gravy, Eggs Benedict, eight Specialty Omelettes, Buttermilk Pancakes, and Waffles.

Appetizers offered at Elsies are the Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Nachos Supreme, Quesadilla, Breaded Mushrooms, Mozzarella Sticks, Cheese Curds, Chicken Fingers, Breaded Shrimp Basket, Walleye Strips, Onion Rings, Mini Corn Dogs,  Mac & Cheese Wedges, Breaded Cauliflower, Buffalo Wings, Chicken Drummies, Tator Tots, French Fries and Waffle Fries.

Salads include Grilled Chicken, Chef, Grilled Chicken Caesar, Cajun Chicken, Cobb, Garden, Taco Bueno, Buffalo Chicken, and Oriental Chicken. Soups include Chili, French Onion, and a Soup of the Day.

Elsie’s Sandwiches are the Pork Tenderloin, Grilled Cheese, Grilled Ham & Cheese, Nord East Classic, Grilled Chicken Breast, Cajun Chicken, Italian Beef Hoagie, Tuna Melt, Turkey Club Wrap, Southwestern Chicken Wrap, Chicken Caesar Wrap, Chicken Ranch Melt, Turkey Hoagie, Broadway Clubhouse, Low Carb Meal, French Dip, Classic BLT, Buffalo Chicken, Pot Roast Melt, Reuben or Rachel, Canadian Walleye, Hot Sandwich with Mashed Potatoes, Steak Sandwich, and Prime Rib Sandwich.  There are also ten Specialty Burgers, or you can build-your-own burger.

Entrees include Stone Arch Chicken, Chicken Mushroom Monterey, Chicken Parmesan, Fried Chicken, Twin Pork Chops, Liver & Onions, Meatloaf, Sirloin Steak,  New York Strip, and Prime Rib.  Seafood entrees include Canadian Walleye, Bourbon Salmon, Orange Roughy, Jumbo Shrimp, and Lemon Pepper Walleye.  There are some entree combinations available.

Pastas offered are Beef Tips over Fettuccine, Fettuccine Alfredo, Spaghetti with Meatballs, and Chicken Pesto Alfredo.

Price guide: Breakfast $6-10 Appetizers $4-9 Sandwiches & Burgers $8-9 Entrees $11-19 Seafood  $14-18 Pasta $11-14
What I ordered: I love breakfast and I love spice, so the Cajun Skillet seemed to be calling my name.  The dish advertised pepperjack cheese, but I was not expecting the thick layer of barely-melted cheese that topped the entire skillet (I wasn’t too fond of all that cheese).  The peppers and onions were sauteed nicely, but the potatoes were still a little on the hard side and could have been cooked quite a bit longer.  There was a decent amount of cut-up breakfast sausage and the Cajun spice had a nice kick to it.  It came with salsa and sour cream which I asked to be put on the side.  The scrambled eggs were typical scrambled eggs, as was the wheat toast.

One of my companions ordered the Bacon Skillet with scrambled eggs.  Good flavor, lots of bacon, mushrooms and cheddar cheese but the potatoes were still slightly hard.

Another companion ordered the Northwoods Omelet, which came with wild rice, bacon, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese.  My companion ordered it with tomatoes also and thought it was good, but kind of boring since all the flavors were so mild.

Another companion ordered the Veggie Omelet with a side of fruit instead of hashbrowns (which Elsie’s charged extra for instead of just substituting.

Service: The service at Elsie’s was okay.  Despite the fact that Elsie’s does not take reservations, our party of four adults, one child and three infants was able to get a table in the dining room late on a snowy Sunday morning.  The wait staff was nice and accommodating, but almost a little too friendly toward all the babies.   At one point one of the older servers helped herself to the newborn baby in our group without asking for permission, which completely caught the baby’s mother off guard.  Also, our food did not all come out at once, but was a process that took almost 10 minutes because of missing items (such as toast!)
Overall Impression: The breakfast at Elsie’s was okay, but nothing to write home about. The overall menu is large and I would like to try a meal other than breakfast sometime.  Prices are reasonable, but the restaurant itself is in need of some redecorating.  Servers were nice but could use some lessons in etiquette.

Cuisine: American, Fish & Seafood, Steaks, Chops & Ribs
Restaurant Features: Bar, Games, On-Site Parking

Location: Withrow, MN  (Washington Co. between Hugo and Stillwater)
Address: 12010 Keystone Ave Stillwater, MN 55082 (651) 439-6625
Links: Sal’s Website * Sal’s on Facebook * Google Map

Atmosphere: The structure of the restaurant is made of logs, so as you would expect, the interior has the feel of a giant lodge.  The vaulted ceilings make the large dining room appear even bigger than it is.  There are several wooden tables to accommodate various sized groups and a selection of booths as well. Attached to the dining room is a nice bar area.

Menu: Appetizers include Angus Bites, Chicken Bites, BBQ Chicken Nachos, Onion Stacks, Walleye Fingers, Sal’s Spuds, Coconut Shrimp, Pasta Nachos, Pork Wontons, Beer Battered Mushrooms, and Bruschetta.  Sal’s also has Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Wild Rice, and a Soup of the Day.

Salads offered are the Angus Bite, Chopped Chef, Caesar, BLT, and Sal’s Salad.

Sal’s also has a handful of specialty sandwiches such as the Hot Dago, Buffalo Chicken, Angus Bit and Italian Chicken.  You can also build your own burger or chicken breast sandwich.

Pastas include Homemade Lasagna, Chicken Penne, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Fettucine Alfredo, and Baked Chicken Parmesan.

Entrees are served with green beans and choice of potato, featuring Angus Sirloin, New York Strip, Ribeye, Sunfish, Walleye, Salmon, Jumbo Shrimp, BBQ Pork Ribs, Pork Tenderloin, Broasted Chicken, and Stuffed Chicken Breast.

Price guide: Appetizers $ 8-10 Sandwiches $8-10 Pasta $12-16  Entrees $17-22
What I ordered: We were given complimentary rolls with a sweet, sugary butter. I love it when restaurants have bread and flavored butter!

We started with Buffalo wings, which happened to be very large and crispy.  The buffalo sauce was tangy and I could detect a hint of garlic in the bleu cheese, a nice addition to the standard buffalo/bleu cheese combo.

I ordered the Hot Dago because I was really in the mood for Italian and although a Steak House/ Bar & Grill is not the place one would typically think would have good Italian food, I was really happy with my sandwich! Served on a large slice of toasted Italian bread, the meat was a tasty combination of both beef and Italian pork sausage grilled into a patty.  It had a light amount of sauce on top (with extra sauce served on the side), then topped with grated mozzarella and parmesan.  The flavor of the sandwich was really good and the bread stayed crispy rather than getting soggy from too much sauce.  The Dago came with a ton of fries that were hot and salty.

After debating whether to get Prime Rib or Ribeye, one of my companions ordered the 14 oz. Ribeye with loaded baked potato.  The steak was really tender and the baked potato was loaded with cheddar, bacon, green onion, and sour cream on the side.  The green beans were perfectly cooked and had a slightly sweet flavor.

Another companion started with the Italian Wedding Soup and then had the California Burger.  I didn’t try either of these, but the soup looked good.  The burger was supposedly “good”, but the perfect roundness of it makes me think that it may have been a frozen patty rather than from fresh ground beef?

Service: Our visit was late on a Saturday night, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.  Our server was really good and had suggestions that helped make our decisions.
Overall Impression: Really good for a rural restaurant.  The prices seemed reasonable for what you got and the service was good.

Cuisine: American, Steaks, Fish & Seafood
Restaurant Features: Bar, Games, On-Site Parking

Location: Maple Grove, MN
Address: 11780 Fountains Way Maple Grove, MN 55369   763-493-9815
Links: Dave & Buster’s Website * Dave & Buster’s on Facebook * Google Map

Atmosphere: The
restaurant itself is a decent size, especially when combined with the
bar area, which also serves food.  The bar had several flat-screen TV’s
mounted above it, showing popular sporting events.

Beyond the restaurant and bar area is a giant arcade with everything
from old-school favorites like skeeball to recent hits like Deal or No
Deal.  Get physical with games like Dance, Dance Evolution or try one
of the Trivia Video Games.  Shown here is a horse racing game.

Menu: Appetizers
include Philly Steak Rolls, Cheese Fries. Cheese Sticks, Fried
Mushrooms, Spinach Dip, Buffalo Wings, Thai Chicken Dippers, Bar
Burgers, Potato Skins, Nachos

Burgers and sandwiches include Grilled Chicken and Cheddar, Roasted
Turkey Avocado, Philly or Chicken Cheesesteak, Buffalo Chicken Wrapper,
Buffalo Bar Chicks,

California Bar Burgers, Garden Burger and several other burgers.

Entrees include Lacy’s Chicken, Black Jack BBQ Chicken or Ribs,
Chicken Fingers, a large selection of Ribeyes and Sirloins, Grilled
Salmon, Fried Shrimp, Blackened Tilapia, Fried Catfish, Fish &
Chips, Cajun Shrimp Alfredo, Parmesan Chicken Alfredo, Chicken
Marinara, and Blackened Chicken Pasta.

There is also a large selection of salads and soups.

Price guide: Appetizers $6-10  Sandwiches & Burgers $ 8-10  Entrees $ 10-25
What We ordered: We started off with the tempura fried mushrooms.  Lightly breaded and crispy.

I ordered the Buffalo Bar Chicks. I think maybe part of the purpose
of the smaller sandwiches is to make these easier to eat and less
messy.  The sauce was standard spicy buffalo sauce, with bleu cheese
dressing, fresh lettuce & tomato served on a warm roll.  I thought
it was pretty good.

One of my companions ordered the Sirloin, served with loaded mashed
potatoes and crispy onions.  The steak had really good flavor and the
onions and potatoes were a  nice compliment in flavor and texture.

Another companion ordered the
Atlantic Salmon fillet grilled and glazed with a Hawaiian ginger sesame
sauce. Served with citrus rice and sautéed green beans.  I did not try,
but it looked fabulous!

Another companion ordered the Mushroom & Swiss Burger.  The burger was quite large, as was the bun it was served on.

Since our visit was in celebration of a birthday, Dave & Buster’s gave us this complimentary brownie dessert.

Another companion ordered the Banana’s Foster dessert

Service: The
restaurant was very busy and every table was packed with people, so the
service was kind of slow.  After dinner we attempted to play a few
games, but found it very difficult to get started.  First we had to go
somewhere to get a plastic card and then we had to go somewhere else to
put money on the plastic card.  It was pretty much impossible to share
the card because you had to physically have it with you to swipe it in
the card slot.  One of us attempted to play a bowling game, but
discovered the $5 only covered 5 frames of bowling.  I thought that was
absolutely ridiculous! The arcade was very busy since it was a Friday
night and the fun, popular games that I would’ve liked to play had
lines.
Overall Impression: The restaurant had good food, but the arcade was overpriced.  Cool place if you’re into video games (I am not.)

Cuisine: American, Burgers, Pasta, Pizza

Restaurant Features: Banquet Rooms, Bar, Flat Screen TVs, Games, Happy Hour, On-Site Parking, Sports bar

Location: Vadnais Heights, MN

Address: 1132 County Road E E, St Paul, MN (651) 482-1100

Hours: Drink:  10AM – 1AM (Everyday)  Food:  10AM – 12 Midnight (Everyday)

Links: *Jimmy’s Website * Jimmy’s Facebook Page * Google Map

Atmosphere: There are actually three main parts to Jimmy’s: The Restaurant, the Bar, and the Banquet Center.  The restaurant itself is  smoke-free area with several booths and wooden tables, with several large flat-paneled TVs on the walls tuned in to various sports programming.  The large bar area is a very popular happy-hour hangout, with pool tables, dart boards, pull-tabs and other video games.  The banquet area accommodates up to 500 people and is available for wedding reception, conferences, etc.

Menu: Jimmy’s has a large selection of Appetizers including 13 flavors of chicken wings, Southwest Spring Rolls, Italian Dunkers, Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Walleye Fingers (beer-battered or Cajun), Coconut Chicken Fingers, and Quesadillas.  Check out the happy hour specials.

Sandwich selections include BBQ Pork sandwich, Chicken Caesar Wrap, Beefeater, French Dip, Monte Cristo, California Chicken, and Walleye.  There are also nearly 15 varieties of burgers.

Dinner entrees include Walleye prepared 5 different ways, Batter Fried Chicken, Champagne Chicken, Lasagna, Alfredo,  Seafood Linguine, Lasagna, Spaghetti, Battered Shrimp, Grilled Pork Chops, New York Steak and Baby Back Ribs.  Jimmy’s also has a selection of thin crust pizzas.

Price guide: Appetizers $6-9  Sandwiches $7-10 (fries $1.50 extra) Burgers $6-8  Entrees $12-19

What I ordered: My companion and I took advantage of Jimmy’s Happy House appetizer specials.  One thing we tried were the Cajun walleye fingers.  I’ve had the regular walleye fingers several times, but this was the first time I tried them Cajun-style.  I enjoyed the additional spiciness combined with the crispy batter and fresh tartar sauce.

We also wanted wings but I was debating whether I wanted the delicious teriyaki wings that I’ve had before or if I would try the spicy sesame.  The waiter recommended the sesame, so we tried those.  They were not at all what I expected, which was something more “Asian” inspired.  The “spice” in these wings tasted very much like their buffalo sauce, which I don’t particularly care for, topped with sesame seeds.  Won’t be ordering this flavor again, I will stick to the sweet, rich teriyaki.

Our other companion ordered the grilled chicken breast sandwich, served with honey mustard dressing and thought it was pretty good.

Service: Friendly, prompt.  There are usually free games going on for discounts on food or drink.

Overall Impression: Good happy hour specials, good place to meet with friends for happy hour or to shoot a game of pool.

Cuisine:  American, Fish & Seafood, Steak, Ribs, Chops

Restaurant Features: Bar, Games, Sports Bar, Target Center

Location: Minneapolis (Downtown)

Address:  Target Center 600 First Avenue North  Minneapolis, MN 55403    P: (612) 767-2960

Links: NBA City Website Google Map

Atmosphere: As one would expect, NBA City is a restaurant themed around Basketball. Have you ever wondered just how big the hands and feet are of some of the NBA Superstars like Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O'Neal, or Yao Ming? Check out their shoes and hand imprints on these bronze basketballs!

Or buy the jersey of your favorite Superstar in NBA City's Retail Store….

Or maybe you're more in the mood to have a seat at the Courtside Bar where you can watch a variety of NBA games on any of the many flat-panel plasma TVs that hang over the bar….

NBA City also has a private VIP seating area called the Wolves Den.

Menu: The Chef's at NBA City take great pride in their freshly-prepared dishes.  Appetizers include Chicken Wings (4 sauces), Pecan Chicken Fingers, Crab Rangoons, Mediterranean Flat Bread, Coconut Shrimp and Chicken Quesadillas. 

Pasta dishes include General Jin's Ginger Chicken, Chicken Bleu Cheese Pasta, Grilled Salmon and Bowtie Pasta, Lasagna and Angel Hair Pomodoro. 

Entrees include Grilled Mahi-Mahi, Sesame Crusted Grilled Walleye, Jambalaya, Baby Back Ribs, and Steak.

Price guide: Appetizers – $7-10, Salads- $7-11 Pastas-$10-16, Entrees- $15-22

What I ordered: Crab Rangoons.  Spring rolls filled with a mixture of snow crab, cream cheese, herb and spices lightly fried until crispy.  Served with a sweet Thai dipping sauce.  Love them!

General Jin's Ginger Chicken.  Chicken tenders sauteed in sesame oil, teriyaki, ginger and garlic, served with Asian noodles and vegetables in General Jin's mildly sweet and tangy sauce.  This was heaven! The flavor was wonderful and I especially loved all the fresh cilantro.  There were many more noodles than what it appears in the picture!

Service: My visit to NBA City happened to be on a night when there were no events happening at the Target Center, so the restaurant was almost empty.  We waited at the host stand for approx. 5 minutes, but no one was available to help us, so we sat ourselves at the bar.  The bartender was very friendly and was happy to answer any questions that I had about the menu and the restaurant.  The restaurant gets PACKED on game nights, so make sure you make your reservations early… even days ahead of time.

Overall Impression:  Fun atmosphere, excellent food.  Awesome Happy Hour specials!