Cuisine: American, Healthy Eating
Restaurant Features: Beer & Wine, On-Site Parking
Locations: Edina and Roseville, MN
Roseville- 1910 West Highway 36  Roseville, MN 55113 651-636-0956
Edina- Galleria 3460 Galleria Edina, MN 55435 952-925-1001
Hours: Monday-Saturday 7am-10pm Sunday 7am-9pm

Links: Good Earth Website * Good Earth on Facebook

Atmosphere: The Roseville Good Earth is located along the frontage road along the northern side of Hwy 36, west of Fairview Ave.  The decor inside the restaurant is very mellow and casual.  There are many wooden tables throughout the dining room, with a few booths along a couple of the outer walls.

Menu: Breakfast foods include fresh juices & smoothies, Organic Oatmeal, Granola, Ten-grain Hotcakes, Buttermilk Pancakes, Brioche French Toast, Wild Mushroom Omelette, Veggie Omelette, Tomato Basil Omelette, Turkey Sausage Scramble, Grilled Salmon Hash, Good Earth Huevoa, Breakfast Quesadillas, Black Bean Roaster, Vegetarian Joe’s Eggs, Breakfast Wrap, Bacon & Eggs, and the Heartland Breakfast.

Small plates offered at Lunch and Dinner include Middle Eastern Medley (tebouleh, hummus, spiced feta, kalamata olives), Nachos, Edamame, Bangkok Chicken Satay, Vegetable Pot Stickers, Baked Artichoke Dip, Wild Mushroom and Gruyere Flatbread, Thai Chicken Pizza, and Pear and Fig Flatbread.

Soups and Salads at Good Earth include Vegetable Bean Soup, Tropical Spinach Salad (side or full), Cashew Chicken, Mediterranean Greek Salad, Curried Turkey Salad, and Chopped Salad.

Sandwiches offered include Cashew Chicken Salad, Cashew Chicken Melt, Almond Tuna Salad, Almond Tuna Melt, Grilled Shrimp Pita, Grilled Veggie Sandwich, Turkey Club, Rueben, Harvest Wrap, Thai Chicken Wrap, and Bean Burrito.  Burgers include Basic Burger, Bison Burger, Turkey Burger, Patty Melt, The Good Earth Burger, Vegetarian Planet Burger, and Turkey Porcupine Sliders.

Good Earth’s Entrees “From the Farm” include Grilled Chicken Quesadillas, Teriyaki Chicken, Thai Chicken Chiang Mai Noodles, Turkey Meatloaf, Coconut Curry Chicken, and Mandarin Beef.

The Entrees “From the Sea” include Wild Mahi Mahi, Wild Ahi Tuna, Keta Salmon, Atlantic Salmon,  Farm Raised Tilapia, Grilled Tuna with Ginger Noodles, Shrimp and Scallops with Creamy Corn Polenta.

Vegetable Dishes include Wok Seared Seasonal Vegetable, Winter Pear Risotto, Vegetarian Enchiladas, and Winter Gnocchi.

There is also a selection of Monthly Seasonal Specials including Apple and Sunchoke Salad with Pomegranate, Pan Roasted Rainbow Trout, Pomegranate Braised Rainbow Trout, Grilled Pomegranate Glazed Chicken, Vegetarian Chili, Grilled Shrimp and Zucchini, Coconut Panna Cotta, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, and Sorbetto.
Price guide: Breakfast $  Small Plates $5-10  Salads $6-13  Sandwiches $10-12  Entrees $11-16
Weekly Specials:

• Sunday- Corn Meal Crusted Walleye $10.95
• Monday- 10 wines, 10 bottles, 10 Bucks
• Tuesday- Chicken Marsala $10.95
• Wednesday-All Natural Steak Fajita $10.95
• Thursday – Wok Seared Shrimp Curry $10.95

What we ordered: We started with the complimentary basket of Breads.  It contained a sampling of many different breads and homemade pita chips and was served with a side of hummus.

I asked our server what the spiciest thing on his menu was and without hesitating he said the Thai Chicken Chiang Mai Noodles. I was sold!  This dish had a nice amount of heat to it, the base of which was a coconut curry sauce.  It had several large pieces of white meat chicken and was tossed with red and green bell pepper, cucumbers, garlic and ginger and noodles that similar to vermicelli.  The cucumber helped to cool it down a little.  I liked this a lot.

One of my companions had the Good Earth Burger.  The burger was made with fresh ground bison served on whole wheat bun, then topped with caramelized onions, avocado, portobella mushrooms, tomato, sunflower sprouts and Gruyere cheese.  It was a big, hearty burger.  It comes with a sweet red pepper aioli and side greens salad.

Another companion had the Turkey Burger on whole wheat bun, also served with field greens.

One companion had the Wok Seared Vegetables with the Tropical Spinach Side Salad.  The vegetables were a mix of  yellow squash, pea pods, bell pepper, carrots, broccoli, bok choy, cauliflower, mushrooms, water chestnuts, celery, with roasted almonds.  It was served with brown jasmine  and wheatberry rice.

The Tropical Spinach Side Salad consisted of a bed of baby spinach topped with chopped mango, red bell pepper, jicama and candied pecans.  It was served with a tahini poppyseed dressing.

Another companion ordered the Shrimp and Scallops with Creamy Corn Polenta.  This dish was sauteed with zucchini, yellow squash, and tomato in a tarragon wine sauce.

For dessert a few of us shared the Carrot Cake.  It was a large piece; fresh, moist and delicious.  The cream cheese frosting was sprinkled with toasted oats which contrasted in texture with the creaminess of the frosting.

One of my companions ordered the Blood Orange Sorbet.  It looked good and I heard no complaints ;)

Blood Orange Sorbet at Good Earth ~ Roseville, MN

Service: We had very good service at Good Earth.  It was a busy night and our party of five took our time enjoying our meals and each others’ company.   Our server was very attentive and had good suggestions from the menu.  The Good Earth is great about dietary needs and chef will often discuss options with guests.
Overall Impression: The Good Earth is a restaurant that makes a conscious effort to work directly with the farms who produce the meats and vegetables they use in their dishes. Everything is organic and locally sourced whenever possible.

Cuisine: Asian, Mongolian
Restaurant Features: Bar, Lunch Buffet, Dinner Buffet, On-Site Parking
Locations: Coon Rapids,  Richfield, Roseville
Addresses and Maps:
Coon Rapids- 2085 Northdale Blvd NW Coon Rapids, MN 55433 (763) 767-3018
Richfield- 500 E 78th St Richfield, MN 55423 (612) 861-7991
Roseville- 2720 Snelling Ave N. Roseville, MN 55113 (651) 631-3398

Hours: Daily 11am-9pm

Atmosphere: At the Roseville location there are several small dining areas situated around the restaurant, which are made a little more private with the creative use of live plants.  The dining areas all surround the centrally-located meat and vegetable buffets.  All seating is limited to tables, but there is at least one dining space that allows for tables to be pushed together for larger parties.

Within the restaurant there is a small bar area to accommodate patrons who may have to wait for a table on a busy night, or for those who would like to try one of the specialty tropical drinks or wines.

Menu: The concept of Khan’s is one that allows diners to customize their own stir-fry dishes.  Guests choose from a buffet containing a variety of sliced frozen meats (beef, chicken, pork, lamb, shrimp and imitation crab).  You take a bowl, fill it with the meats and noodles of your choosing, and then move down to the vegetable line where you can choose from a large selection of fresh vegetables to be used in your custom stir-fry.

After filling your bowl with your preferred meats and vegetables, you then add sauces to flavor your stir-fry, such as Garlic Sauce, Cooking Wine, House Sauce, Dragon Sauce, Teriyaki, Curry, Lobster Sauce.  There is a sign over the sauce bar that suggests which sauces and flavorings you should choose, depending on how spicy you would like it.  After you have your bowl filled with meats, noodle, vegetables and sauces, you take it to the Barbeque Area, where  your stir-fry is cooked right in front of you.

Price guide: Lunch (1 bowl) $10  Dinner (unlimited bowls) $14

What we ordered: It is true, Khan’s has changed their appetizer.  Each table now receives a plate of crispy fried wonton chips with a sauce that is a combo of sweet, sour, spicy and garlicy.  They are great but I miss the chicken wing and hot and sour soup that it used to come with.

At first it may seem overwhelming what to include in your stir fry but I have been to Khan’s enough to have my combination down.  I always get beef and the very fine noodles at the bottom of my bowl.  For my veggies I get broccoli, purple cabbage, onions, bok choy, bean sprouts, pineapple, zucchini, red and green bell peppers, mushrooms and a ton of fresh cilantro.  Its the sauces that can get tricky and impact the flavor of your stir fry.  I like sweet, savory and spicy all together so I usually follow the recipe for the spicy and add a scoop of garlic, fresh jalapenos, chili oil, teriyaki, and Thai peanut sauce.  Yum!

My companion made a stir fry that had beef, lamb, shrimp, noodles, mushrooms, bok-choy, green pepper, water chestnuts, crushed red pepper, garlic, and curry.  Much more savory than my dish and quite spicy. Very good!

Service: I have eaten at Khan’s a handful of times each year for the past decade and while they once had very good service, the service at the Roseville location has really gone downhill this past year.  On this particular visit we especially had bad service from the moment we arrived.  There is a big sign that says “please wait to be seated” but there wasn’t a host present and we waited several minutes before someone acknowledged us.  Once we were finally seated, we had to wait several more minutes before seeing our server and then it was an even longer wait before initial drinks as well as refills were brought to the table.   On most visits a server will ask us if we have been to Khan’s before so they can explain the procedure.  On this particular visit, our server did not ask us this.  I can imagine that if we had not been to Khan’s before, we still would have figured it out but its easy to see that newbies might not know how it works.  We went ahead and got in the buffet line fast and efficiently since we both know exactly what we want.  Sometimes Khan’s will have someone available to offer help with sauces, but not on this visit.  The line for the Barbeque goes rather quickly.  We sat down and started enjoying our dinner but then the server brought our check out to us before we had finished our first plates!  I thought this was strange, but I guess I would rather have it now than wait forever later.  I haven’t had anyone to help me with my sauces in the last 2-3 visits either.
Overall Impression: I go to Khan’s for the food and definitely not for the service! The make-your-own stir fry at Khan’s can be varied thousands of ways, depending on what combination of ingredients and sauces you use.  Be prepared because it can take some time to create the stir-fry to your liking, at least it did for me. If you’re lucky, there may be an employee helping customers with their sauces.

I recently tried the Thai Chicken Pizza at ZPizza and thought it was really good.

This was the XL pizza (16″), a hand tossed crust layered with Thai peanut sauce, cheese, sliced red onion and chunks of white chicken.  It was baked until the cheese was browned and bubbly then topped with fresh cilantro, bean sprouts and shredded carrot.   The sauce is not super sweet but rather tangy from the vinegar. So full of flavor and 100% delicious.

Thai Pizza at ZPizza ~ Roseville, MN

Have you tried Thai Pizza before? What did you think?

Cuisine: American, Pizza, Steaks
Restaurant Features: Bar, Flat Screen TVs, On-Site Parking,
Location: Falcon Heights, MN
Address: 1611 West Larpenteur Ave  Falcon Heights, MN 55113  651.789.8888
Hours: Daily 11am
Links: Stout’s Pub Website * Stout’s Pub on Facebook * Google Map

Atmosphere: Located in the former home of Chianti Grill (Ciatti’s before that) on Larpenteur just off Snelling Ave,  Stout’s Pub opened just a couple of weeks ago and is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. The newly remodeled interior is laid-back and somewhat rustic, with wooden floors, walls, tables and booths.  There are several flat-screen TV’s mounted all over the restaurant and bar area.

The bar area is the first thing you see when you walk in the front doors; a large island with seating around all four sides as well as additional seating in booths.

Menu: Appetizers include Ahi Tuna, Blackened Tenderloin Tips, Cajun Walleye Strips, Little Charlie’s (filet mignon sliders), Pig Wings, Onion Rings, Roasted Veggies, Buffalo Wings, Spicy Popcorn Shrimp, and Spinach Artichoke Dip.

Small Plates include Roasted Pork Taco, Hard Boiled Eggs, Smoked Jerky, Peel & Eat Shrimp, Pickled Herring, and Guacamole with Chips.

Soups include Chili and Soup du Jour.  Salads include Build-Your-Own Lettuce Wraps, Cobb and Pacific Rim Salad.

Sandwiches at Stout’s Pub come with fries and include Chili Cheese Dogs, Reuben, Stout’s Dip, Spicy Cajun Chicken, Walleye, Grilled Cheese, Hot Turkey, and Pulled Pork Sandwich.

Burger options also come with fries and include Cheeseburger, BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger, Cajun Cheeseburger, Proud Stout Burger, Portabella Cheeseburger, and Patty Melt.

Stout’s Pub also offers 10″ Wood-Fired Pizzas including the Sausage & Mushroom, Margherita, Diavola (spicy giardiniera, pepperoni), Chicken Alfredo, Shrimp Alfredo, Mediterranean, BBQ Chicken, Thai Chicken, Paul’s Jambalaya, and Meat Lovers Trifecta.

Entrees include Fish & Chips, Filet Mignon, Wood-Fired Atlantic Salmon, and Pig Wings Dinner (tender pork shank).

Desserts include Chocolate lava Cake, Cinnamon Apple Wood Fired Tart, and Ice Cream Sundae.
Price guide: Appetizers $7-11  Small Plates $2-5  Sandwiches $8-13
What we ordered: We started with the Meat Lovers Trifecta Pizza, which came with chicken, pepperoni and sausage on a 10″ hand-tossed dough.  The pizza was baked in the wood-fired oven so it was crispy while still being chewy.  I had the option of either red sauce of cajun alfredo as the base of the pizza; I wanted to try both so I asked if they could do half-and-half for me.  The white sauce was good but I thought the red sauce had more flavor.  The meats were good; the pepperoni was evenly distributed and the pizza also had a decent amount of sausage and chicken, most of which was piled in the middle.

For my meal I ordered the Chili Cheese Dogs.  The two all-beef hot dogs were covered with Stout’s Pub homemade chili, shredded cheddar, sour cream and green onions.

My companion ordered the Portabella Cheeseburger.  When ordered, the server asked if we wanted it pink or no pink.  It was ordered pink and was indeed quite pink when it was served so it was very juicy.   It was topped with sauteed portabella mushrooms and topped with rich and creamy Swiss cheese.  It came with a large pile of french fries.

Service: Our visit was on a Saturday afternoon after the lunch rush so we had no problem finding parking or a table.  Our server was very friendly and informative of the menu and had a variety of suggestions from the menu.  Drinks were refilled as needed.
Overall Impression: We had a nice time at Stout’s Pub; the service was friendly and the food was pretty good.  They had only been open less than two weeks at the time of our visit and things seemed to be running smoothly.

Cuisine: Pizza, Pasta, Sandwiches, Salads
Restaurant Features: Counter Service, On-Site Parking
Location: Roseville, MN
Address: 1607 County Road C  Roseville, MN 55113   (651)633-3131
Hours: Daily 11am-9pm
Links: ZPizza Website * ZPizza on Facebook * Google Map
Atmosphere: The Roseville location of ZPizza is just off Co. Rd C and Snelling Ave, in the strip mall right next door to Byerly’s.  The inside of the restaurant is bright, colorful and modern.

ZPizza offers counter service, with the counter conveniently located just inside the entrance.  There are menu boards hanging above, but I found the wording to be too small to read.  Like super tiny!! Luckily I was able to look-over one of the take-out menus that was sitting there.

Menu: Appetizers include Garlic Bread, Mediterranean Plate (hummus, feta, Greek olives, roasted peppers, cucumber slices, bread), and Parmesan Flatbread Sticks.

Salads include Arugula with Candied Walnuts, Chicken Caesar, California, Greek, Mixed Greens, Pear & Gorgonzola, Strawberry Goat Cheese, and ZBQ Chicken.

ZPizza also has many sandwiches like the Curry Chicken on Wheat, Meatball Sub, Pollo Latino (chicken with avocado and salsa), Sausage Calzone, Veggie Calzone, Super Sub, Tuna, Yuppie Veggie, and Turkey on Wheat.

Pastas offered are the Chicken Penne Pesto and Penne with Meatballs.

ZPizza Creations come in three sizes: small, large and extra large.  Options include the Berkley Vegan, California (organic tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh rounds of tomatoes, red onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, black olives), Casablanca (roasted garlic sauce, mozzarella, ricotta, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, parmesan), Provence (garlic sauce, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, capers, tomatoes, fresh basil), Napoli (homemade roasted garlic sauce, mozzarella, fresh rounds of tomatoes, parmesan, fresh basil),  Greek (feta, mozzarella, red onions, Greek olives, fresh rounds of tomatoes, oregano),  Italian (basil pesto, mozzarella, ham, artichoke hearts, fresh rounds of tomatoes, black olives), Santa Fe (chipotle pesto, mozzarella, chicken sausage, red onions, corn, serrano chilies, tomatoes, cilantro), Mexican (salsa, mozzarella, spicy lime chicken, green onions, red onions, fresh avocado, sour cream, cilantro), Thai (peanut sauce, mozzarella, spicy chicken, red onions, cilantro, carrots, bean sprouts, serrano chilies), Tuscan (roasted garlic sauce, mozzarella, cremini, shiitake and button mushrooms, caramelized onions, feta, truffle oil, thyme), and ZBQ (bbq sauce, mozzarella, bbq chicken, roasted peppers, red onions, fresh rounds of tomatoes, cilantro, sweet corn)

Rustica Pizzas include the Mediterranean (mozzarella, feta, artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, Greek olives, oregano, pili pili oil), Curry Chicken & Yam (mozzarella, curry chicken, yams, mango chutney, raisins, fresh cilantro), Chicken Sausage (marinara sauce, mozzarella, arugula, chicken sausage), Moroccan (basil pesto, mozzarella, roasted eggplant, feta, caramelized onions, pine nuts), and Pear & Gorgonzola.

Price guide: Appetizers $3-8   Salads $5-9  Sandwiches $6-7  Pizzas $8-21

What we ordered:My companion and I ordered two pizzas to share, the first was the Italian.  This pizza started with a chewy hand-tossed crust made of 100% organic wheat then topped with basil pesto, mozzarella, ham, artichoke hearts, fresh tomatoes, and black olives.  It is baked in the wood-fired oven.  This was delicious!  The crust was light and chewy, with the pesto slightly absorbed into it then covered with mozzarella. I was impressed by how many artichokes were piled on top, it really added great flavor to the pizza.

We also ordered a small Mexican pizza.  This pizza had salsa, mozzarella, spicy lime chicken, green onions, red onions, fresh avocado, sour cream, cilantro.  The salsa was hardly noticeable but all of the the other ingredients were fresh and plentiful.  I really liked it but wish it was a little more spicy or had more salsa.

Service: ZPizza offers counter service.  The staff working were really friendly and patient while we were trying to decide what to order.  The pizzas took approximately 15-20 minutes.

Overall Impression: ZPizza is a fast, healthy option for pizzas, salads and sandwiches.  The service is reasonably fast and there are many delicious pizza options.

Cuisine: Italian, Fish & Seafood, Steaks
Restaurant Features: Bar, Gluten Free Menu, Happy Hour (Bar only), On-Site Parking, Sunday Brunch
Locations: Burnsville & Roseville, MN
Addresses & Maps:
Burnsville- 14296 Plymouth Ave  Burnsville, MN 55337  952-892-7555
Roseville- 2050 North Snelling Ave Roseville, MN 55113  651-644-2808
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-12am  Sun 10am-10pm
Links: Chianti Grill Website * Chianti Grill on Facebook

Atmosphere: The new home of the Chianti Grill in Roseville is on Snelling Ave next to Har Mar Mall.  This newly constructed restaurant has been open for about two years now and is a much larger and more modern version of its former home.  The main dining room is large and seems even bigger with the tall ceilings.  The room is divided into sections of high backed booths, which help to keep noise levels under control and also offer some privacy for the guests.

The bar area is another large seating area, with seating at the bar as well as booths along the wall.  The bar is beautiful and runs the entire length of the room.

There is also a little lounge area in the bar near the entrance; a great place to have a cocktail and wait for a table when it gets busy on the weekends.

Menu: Appetizers at Chianti Grill include Spicy Tenderloin Tips, Calamari, Mozzarella Caprese, Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Seared Ahi Tuna, Crab Claws, Bruschetta, and Spinach Artichoke Dip.

Flatbread options include Prosciutto Arugula, Mediterranean, Margarita, and Grilled Chicken.

Pastas include Seafood Canneloni, Lasagna Bolognese, Mostaccioli, Manicotti, Tortellini (ham, mushrooms and peas), Spinach Ravioli, Cappellini al Fresco, Spaghetti with Meatballs, Cappellini al Gamberetti, Spicy Chicken Penne, Seafood Linguini, Chicken Cappellini, Fettuccine Alfredo, Gnocchi alla Crema di Campagna, and Shrimp and Lobster Linguini.

Seafood options include Grilled Tiger Prawns, Walleye Impanato, Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Salmon Taormina, and Crab Claws.  Steaks include 8 oz Filet Mignon, 16 oz Sirloin, 16 oz Ribeye, 14oz NY Strip.  Chicken and Veal options include Marsala, Sorrento, and Parmigiana.

House Specialties include Zuppa de Pesce, Lobster Ravioli, Grilled beef Skewers, Lobster Oscar Filet.

Gluten-Free items include Chicken Spicy Penne, Lobster & Shrimp Spaghetti, Chicken Spaghetti, Penne Chicken Alfredo, Spaghetti and Mostaccioli, as well as all of the steaks and many of the seafoods from the dinner menu.

Price guide: Appetizers $7-13  Flatbread $8-10  Pasta $14-20  Entrees $16-28 (items on lunch menu considerably less)

Happy Hour:

• Served in the Lounge only

Sunday Brunch:

• $12.95/Adults $6.95/ Kids 4-11  Free/ Kids 3 and under
• 10am-2pm
• a variety of homemade pastas, fresh fruit, pastries, salads, an omelet bar, traditional breakfast items and delicious desserts.

What we ordered: What do you do when two different appetizers sound really good and you can’t decide which to get? Order Both!! At least that’s what I do ;) First on that list is the Spinach Artichoke Dip.  This was a large portion of cheeses, artichoke, spinach and onion blended then baked in a ramekin.  It was served with a sliced, toasted baguette.  Delicious! The dip was very flavorful, partially because it had a lot of onions in it, which I thought was great.  You might not love it as much if you aren’t a fan of onions.

We also tried the calamari.  This was good, but nothing out of the ordinary.  The calamari was cooked just right so it was still tender but the breading wasn’t too crispy and was kind of boring in the flavor department.  It was served with marinara and also a  horseradish dip, which were both good and definitely helped spice up the flavor.

Then came the basket of bread with our meals.  We didn’t have any room for this at dinner so I brought it home and had it later.  It was very good and kind of dense.

Our meals also came with a house salad, I got mine with ranch.  I just love fresh buttermilk ranch dressing and this one was really good!

For my meal I ordered the Mostaccioli.  Although this is kind of an ordinary meal for me and I usually order pastas that are more adventurous, I was in the mood for red sauce.  I was too full to eat more than a few bites while we were still at the restaurant, but it was very good.  The noodles were tossed with a zesty red sauce, ground Italian sausage, chunks of mushrooms, sauteed onions, garlic and other spices.  It was topped with a ton of mozzarella then baked.  I also had it topped with freshly grated parmesan.  This was yummy (although I know I could easily make something similar at home) and hit the spot.  The leftovers were just as good the next day.

My companion wanted to have something with seafood and after much deliberation and suggestions from the server, ordered the Crab Ravioli, one of the daily specials.  This was a unique dish; there were about five raviolis stuffed with shredded crab meat.  The bell pepper cream sauce that it was served with was very sweet and contained pieces of the tri-colored peppers.  We both liked it but I admit I think I would like it better with a more savory sauce.

Service: We had good service at Chianti Grill.  We visited at an odd time (3:30pm) on a Saturday and had no problem getting a table without a reservation.  Our server was both friendly and also had a funny sense of humor.  She had several recommendations on the menu and did a good job timing our food so that everything was staggered.  Most of the time our drinks were refilled as soon as needed but there were a couple of times while we were eating that I waited for several minutes without anything to drink.

Overall Impression: I am glad I finally had the opportunity to try Chianti Grill.  I thought the food was decent, as was the service.  Items from the lunch menu are considerably less expensive, so if you want to save a few bucks, visit before 4pm.  Happy Hour offered in the Lounge only.

Price guide: Appetizers $6-9  Sandwiches $9-10  BBQ Meats $12-13  Ribs $13-22 Desserts $6

What we ordered: I had the two-meat combo with Catfish Fingers and Texas Beef Brisket.  The four medium-sized catfish fingers were hot and crispy, fresh out of the fryer and seasoned with semi-spicy Cajun seasonings.  It  comes with to sauces to dip in, a sweet & sour type of sauce and a seasoned mayo tartar.  I thought these were especially yummy with the seasoned tartar.  The Texas Beef Brisket was also pretty good.  This combo came with corn, a corn bread muffin and two sides.  I love the corn bread at Famous Dave’s! It is more moist than typical corn bread and slightly sweet.  I am not a fan of the overcooked boring corn, which is a far cry from the sweetcorn we harvest in Minnesota.  The two sides I got were the garlic smashed potatoes and coleslaw, both very good.

My companion ordered the XXL Rib Platter, a 12-bone rack of St Louis Style ribs.  The ribs were meaty and quite tender, full of smokey flavor from the Pit.  The two sides were fries and cinnamon apples.

Service: The Forest Lake location of Famous Dave’s offers counter-service, and we were able to order within minutes of arriving.  We got ourselves drinks at the self-service station and waited approximately ten minutes before our food arrived.  Staff walk the dining room and check with guests from time to time to determine if they need anything, and bus tables when necessary.

Overall Impression: I really like the variety of menu choices at Famous Daves, although I think their prices are slightly high for the amount of food you get.  They have several great choices of sauces and despite being a large chain-restaurant, I think they do have pretty decent barbeque (you can’t go wrong with the ribs!).  If you register to be a part of the P.I.G. Club you can get special offers, so go sign up here