Cuisine: Gyros, Steaks
Restaurant Features: Cafeteria Style, On-Site Parking
Locations: St Paul, MN
Addresses & Maps:
Hillcrest Shopping Center- 1676 White Bear Ave North St Paul, MN 55106 (651) 776-5419
University- 860 University Ave W St Paul, MN 55104  (651) 228-0310
North End- 1700 Rice St # G St Paul, MN 55113 (651) 489-2900
East Side- 949 Payne Ave St Paul, MN 55106 (651) 771-6740
Hours: Mon – Sat 11am-9pm Sundays 11 am- 7 pm
Links: Best Steak House Website * Best Steak House on Facebook

Atmosphere: The Hillcrest location of Best Steak House is at the corner of White Bear Ave and Larpenteur.  You walk in and are immediately directed toward the counter where you order, then head through the cafeteria-style line which includes the salad bar, toward the cash register at the end of the line.

The dining room is long and narrow, with several booths running along the wall, as well as a large room in the back with tables.

Menu: The menu varies slightly at each Best Steak House location but most include T-Bone, Fillet, New York Strip, Ribeye and Shrimp.  Gyro Sandwich and Steak Burger.

Additionally, the Best Steak House on University offers Cod Filet, Catfish, Cheeseburger, and Chicken Tenders.
Price guide: Steaks $9-17

What we ordered: Nearly every plate you order at Best Steak House comes with a trip through the salad bar.  My salad consisted of some of the basic but fresh items offered.

I ordered the Gyro with Fresh Cut Fries.  I cannot believe how much food I got for under $10! There was a giant pile of thickly sliced gyro meat, many of which were crispy on one side and still moist and tender.  It also had thinly sliced white onions and a couple of slices of tomato.  It came with a small side of sour cream with chives rather than traditional tzaziki sauce.  It was still great, overall and so big that  I had enough left over for a second meal the next day.

My companion ordered the Sirloin for $10, which came with a baked potato and Texas Toast.  The steak was ordered medium rare but was served closer to medium, but was still tender and juicy.  It may have had a tiny sprinkling of salt, but other than that it wasn’t seasoned.

Service: We were able to order right away and move through the line to get our salads and then paid at the end of the line.  We sat ourselves, which is how you do it at Best Steak House, and our food was delivered about five minutes later.
Overall Impression: Fast service and decent food at very reasonable prices.  Excellent gyro!

This is an original review of Best Steak House on Twin Cities Restaurant Blog

Cuisine: American, Fish, Pasta, Steaks, Ribs, Pizza, Southwestern
Restaurant Features: Bar, Gluten-Free Menu, Happy Hour, Late Night Happy Hour
Locations: Blaine, Eagan, MSP Airport, Plymouth, Savage, St Paul, Woodbury
Addresses & Maps:
Blaine- 4365 Pheasant Ridge Dr NE Suite 102  Blaine, MN 55449  (763) 398-2475
Eagan- 1555 Cliff Road  Eagan, MN 55121 (651) 452-0200
Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport 4300 Gluemac Drive RMLT3256  St. Paul, MN 55111 (612) 726-5360 x4633
Plymouth- 3000 Harbor Lane  Plymouth, MN 55447  (763) 398-7408
St Paul- 850 Grand Ave.  Saint Paul, MN 55105 (651) 312-1299
Savage-  14120 South Highway 13  Savage, MN 55378  (952) 447-1122
Woodbury- 1424 Weir Dr.  Woodbury, MN 55125  (651) 735-0085
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11am-12am  Fri-Sat 11am-2am  Sun 10:30am-10pm
Links: Axel’s Bonfire Website * Axel’s Bonfire on Facebook

Atmosphere: The St Paul location of Axel’s Bonfire is at the intersection of Grand Ave and Victoria St, in the same building as Cafe Latte.  The restaurant is divided into a bar area and a dining room; the latter of which has several tables in the bigger, open section, as well as a number of booths off to the right side of the dining room.  The walls are painted a rich, deep red and the lighting is very soft.  Casual and somewhat trendy.

One feature of the decor that is hard to miss is the giant Bull sculpture hanging from the ceiling over the dining room near the hostess stand.

The bar is also a dominant space with Axel’s Bonfire, a giant island seating at least twenty guests with an additional number of tables near the windows looking out onto Grand Ave.

Menu: Appetizers at Bonfire include Axel’s signature Bullbites, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Colossal trip (wings, bontons and teriyaki green beans), Tripe Dips and Chips, Alamo Nachos, Walleye Fingers, Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas, Bonfire Sticky Wings, Fire Roasted Peppers, Calamari and Bontons (chicken, gorgonzola and buffalo sauce in a wonton).

Soups include Tortilla, Chicken White Bean Chili, and a Soup du Jour.

Salads include House, Caesar, Bonfire Chopped, Blackened Walleye, Tempe Chicken Salad, Asian Chicken, and Baby Bleu.

Wood Fired Pizzas include Four Cheese, Three Sausages, Bella Roma (artichoke, spinach, tomato), Margherita, and BBQ Chicken.

Burger and Sandwich options at Bonfire include Cowboy Burger, Bacon Bleu, Be Bold Burger (two half-lb burgers with sauteed mushrooms, onions, peppers and four cheese, 1000 island dressing), and the Hickory Burger.  Sandwiches include Arizona Chicken Wrap, Chicago-Style French Dip, Mango Chicken, Bistro Chicken Club, Rotisserie Turkey Ciabatta, Texas Pulled Pork, and Walleye Sandwich.

Bonfire’s Southwestern items include Chicken Fajitas, Steak or Walleye Fajitas, Veggie Fajitas, Chicken Enchiladas, Walleye Tacos, Chimichanga and Baja Burrito.

Woodgrilled Meats include Bacon Wrapped Medallions, 8 oz Sirloin, 14 oz New York Strip, Drunk and Dirty Sirloin, and 8 oz Filet

Entrees include Rotisserie Chicken, St Louis Style Ribs, Prime Rib, BBQ Beef Brisket, and Brick Oven Kabobs, Blackened Grouper Tacos, Pan-Fried Walleye, Grilled Salon, Grilled Roughy, Fettuccine Alfredo and Broccoli, Fire-Roasted Baked Spaghetti, Cajun Chicken Penne, and Bonfire Fettuccine.

Dessert options at Axel’s Bonfire include Towering Carrot Cake, Death by Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Deep-Fried Cheesecake, Kids Sundae and Seasonal Dessert.

Price guide: Appetizers $8-13 Salads $6-14 Sandwiches $10-15 Entrees $12-27

Happy Hour:

• Daily 3-6pm
• Sun-Thurs 9pm-close
• $2 off cocktails
• 1/2 priced Appetizers

Weekly Specials:

Sunday- Limited Brunch Menu 11am-2pm Brunch Menu with Hand-crafted Bloody Mary’s and Screwdrivers $4 and $.99 mimosas.
Sunday Night- 4-9pm Kids build their own pizza and sundae for FREE with the purchase of each adult entree.

Mondays- 1/2 Price Bottles of Wine (1/2 price on bottles that are sold by the glass & 20% off our reserve bottles)

Wednesday & Tuesday Evenings- Dinner for Two: Your four course culinary adventure includes an appetizer to share, two entrées with sides, shared dessert for $49 per couple

What we ordered: My visit happened to be during Happy Hour so I enjoyed the $2/off on cocktails and got myself a Margarita for just $4.  Just the right mix of tart and tangy with sweet and sour and Don Julio tequila.

A couple of my companions ordered the Dirty Martini, which came with a shaker full for $8 at the Happy Hour price.  Such a deal!

Appetizers were half off during Happy Hour so we started with the Spinach and Artichoke Dip.  I love artichokes and get this dip at many restaurants but Bonfire’s version was one of the most boring I have tried to date.  It had several decent sized chunks of artichoke but the sauce was very thin and didn’t have a lot of flavor.  It was served with tri-colored tortilla chips (which also happen to be my least favorite accompaniment to artichoke dip).  The good news is that we paid half-price for this during Happy Hour.

We also got the Triple Dips and Chips, which came with salsa, guacamole and jalapeno cheddar dip.  The salsa was very good, spicy and slightly sweet.  The guacamole was decent as well, but the serving was very small.  The third dip didn’t look very appetizing to me so I didn’t try it at all. The dips were served with tri-colored tortilla chips.

As usual, I had a hard time making up my mind about what I wanted to eat for dinner.  I was leaning toward fish tacos and since Axel’s has both Walleye or Grouper,  I asked the server his opinion.  He didn’t hesitate to recommend the walleye, so that is what I ended up getting.  There were three flour tortilla tacos, each piled with hand-battered Shore Lunch walleye fingers topped with pico de gallo, cilantro and shredded lettuce.  The walleye was good, crispy and not at all fishy.  One of the pieces of walleye still had a small bone in it which wasn’t very appealing but not unheard of.  I wish I would’ve asked for a side of salsa to spice up these tacos because while they were good, they were kind of bland.  The pico didn’t have as many jalapenos or cilantro as it could’ve. The order was served with burracho beans and tomatillo rice, both of which were full of flavor.

One of my companions ordered the Chicago French Dip.  This sandwich looked wonderful and was at least eight inches long, thinly shaved prime rib on top of a fresh ciabatta roll.  The beef was complimented by homemade giardiniera with spicy pickled peppers, onions, carrots, and caulifower.  My companion thought this sandwich was wonderful but wished there was more beef then what it came with.  Also, ketchup is preferred to be self-serve from a bottle instead of partitioned into a little dish.

Another companion ordered the Veggie Fajitas as a vegan option.  These were wonderful! There was a very large pile of seasoned and sauteed broccoli, green beans, baby carrots, portabella mushrooms and onions.  Hot tortillas, beans and rice were served on the side.

Another companion ordered the Mango Chicken Sandwich, a grilled chicken breast topped with fresh mango salsa served on a grilled bun with french fries on the side.

The last of us ordered the Margherita Pizza, light on the cheese.  This pizza looked really good but I think it would’ve been better with the standard amount of cheese.  It was topped with plenty of tomatoes and fresh basil.  This was also half price during Happy Hour.

Service: My five of us in my party all arrived at different times and met in the bar until we were all present.  We had made an advance reservation and our table was ready for us when we wanted to sit down.  Our server was patient with us while we perused the menu, and offered suggestions that were vegan-friendly for one of the members in our party.  The food was prepared reasonably fast so we decided to wait until our appetizers were served before ordering our entrees.  When presented with the bill, our server had taken the liberty of giving us separate checks with the appetizers split five ways…. so easy and convenient!

Overall Impression: This was my first visit to Axel’s Bonfire in many years and I had forgotten what a hassle it can be to park near Grand Ave.  I highly suggest parking in the ramp on the southwest corner of Grand and Victoria, as parking on the nearby residential streets is likely to get you a parking ticket for around $30.  You may also want to make a reservation, especially on the weekend evenings.  We had very good service during our visit.  The atmosphere is contemporary and somewhat artsy and the menu has a lot of variety.  The portion sizes were well sized.

This is an original review of Axel’s Bonfire on Twin Cities Restaurant Blog

Cuisine: American, Burgers
Restaurant Features: Bar, On-Site Parking, Pull Tabs
Location: St Paul, MN (North End)
Address: 1220 Rice Street St Paul, MN 55117    (651) 487-7967
Hours:  Daily 11am
Links: Google Map

Atmosphere: Tin Cup’s is located at the northeast corner of Rice Street and Maryland Ave, in St Paul’s North End neighborhood.  I have worked just blocks from this restaurant for five years and never gave it a second glance until one of my readers recommended it after it was recently remodeled.

The first time I stepped foot in Tin Cup’s was two weeks ago.   I  have no idea what it looked like previously, but I hear it was a very dark and dingy place.  The restaurant closed down for about two years, and reopened earlier this year with a newly remodeled interior.  It is bright, clean and modern.  The bar runs along one side of the room but the rest of the space is occupied with tables and booths along the wall of windows.  There are a few flat screen TVs lined up over the bar and in the back near the kitchen.

Notice the sign below? Man Vs Food Nation recently visited Tin Cup’s to take the Tin Cup’s Lucifer Challenge:  two 1Lb Lucifer burgers plus two lbs of fries in 45 minutes or less for $25 (unless you actually eat it all in which case it is free!!)  The show airs Oct 5th, 2011

Menu: Appetizers at Tin Cup’s include Onion Rings, Memphis Nachos, Walleye Fingers, Chicken Quesadilla, Chicken Wings, Buffalo Wings, Chicken Tenders, and Wisconsin Cheese Curds.

Salads include the Tin Cup House Salad and the Chef Salad.  There is also a Soup du Jour.

Burgers include fries and coleslaw.  Options are the Classic Burger, Smokey Bacon Cheeseburger, Pstty Melt, Mushroom & Swiss, and the Tin Cup Burger (with cheddar, pepper jack, bacon, onion rings and steak sauce).

The Tin Cup is also well known for their Juicy Lucy’s, including the Cedar Ave (stuffed with American), Lucifer ( stuffed with pepperjack and jalapenos with diablo sauce), Dirty Lucy (stuffed with olives, jalapenos, onions and bleu cheese), The Inside-Out California (stuffed with American, pickles and tomato), The Eggcellent Lucy (stuffed with Swiss and bacon, topped with an egg and American cheese), and the French Dipper (stuffed with swiss and caramelized onions, served with au jus).

Sandwiches also come with fries and coleslaw. Choose from Classic Grilled Chicken, Smokey Bacon Chicken, Pulled Pork, The Northender (chicken topped with pepperjack and bacon), Perfect BLT, Reuben, The Governor (steak with swiss, mushrooms and onions), and the Pot Roast Melt.

Wraps include the Minnesota (walleye, lettuce, tomato wrapped in potato lefse), Maryland Avenue (turkey, bacon and cheddar wrapped in potato lefse, and the Chicken Finger Wrap.

Tin Cup’s is also well known for their Fried Chicken.

Desserts include the West 7th (salted nut roll wrapped in cookie and the fried, drizzled with caramel) and Decadent Bites (deep fried brownie bites coated with powdered sugar and caramel sauce).

Price guide: Appetizers $5-8  Burgers $7-9  Sandwiches $6-9

What we ordered: I actually visited Tin Cup’s on two occasions within a few weeks of each other and will be writing about the food on both visits.

Visit #1

We started with an order of Wisconsin Cheese Curds, nuggets of white cheddar cheese curds breaded with a cornmeal mixture and served with ranch dressing.  Very tasty! They were hot and gooey, with an excellent crunchy crust.

We also tried an order of Walleye Fingers.  I personally didn’t care for these at all but my companion liked them.  I thought they were kind of fishy and had obviously been frozen until the moment they hit the deep-fryer just minutes earlier.

I ordered the Dirty Lucy which comes stuffed with bleu cheese, jalapenos, onions and olives.  Each patty is hand stuffed per order, so I was able to order mine without olives (one food I just do not care for).  This burger was awesome!! It exceeded my expectations, in fact.  The burger itself was so tasty and big and it had a ton of peppers and onions inside.  All burgers are cooked over charcoal and then finished on the flat-top so you get the heavenly flavor of the grill.  It also came on a big toasted bun with coleslaw and french fries.

My companion ordered the Cedar Avenue Lucy, which is the Classic Juicy Lucy stuffed with American Cheese.  Normally it comes with caramelized onions but it was requested to leave them off.  I didn’t try this burger but my companion thought it was awesome, ranking just behind The Nook for best Juicy Lucy in town.

Cedar Ave Juicy Lucy at Tin Cups ~ St Paul, MN

Visit #2

My second visit was for lunch with a few of my colleagues.  I loved the Dirty Lucy that I had on my first visit to Tin Cup’s  but wanted to try one of the Juicy Lucy’s that I hadn’t tried yet so I got The French Dipper.  Yum!! This giant burger was cooked medium well and was stuffed with swiss cheese and caramelized onions and served with a side of au jus.  This was so good!  If you like French Dips you would love this Burger.

One of my companions ordered the Dirty Lucy, the same burger I ordered on my first visit.  Check out the size of this burger and how stuffed full  it is with jalapenos, onions, and olives.  The bleu cheese kind of melts into everything and the flavor lingers.

Another companion ordered the Eggcellent Lucy, stuffed with swiss and bacon, topped with American cheese, caramelized onions and a fried egg topped with hot sauce.

A peek inside the Eggcellent Lucy

Another companion ordered the Pot Roast Melt.  It looked wonderful and my companion loved every bite.  There was a hefty amount of pot roast  along with swiss cheese piled between two slices of grilled sourdough bread.  Served with thick gravy for dipping.

Service: We had pretty good service on both visits to Tin Cup’s.  I had a different server on each occasion but both were friendly and quick to respond to any requests.  The food service was a little slow, understandably as the food takes awhile to prepare, especially the Juicy Lucy’s which are all lovingly made-to-order.

Overall Impression: Most under-rated Juicy Lucy restaurant in the Twin Cities!  They have a great variety of huge burgers, and I would love to try the Fried Chicken very soon.  If you are in the mood for a Man Vs Food type challenge, try the Tin Cup’s Challenge of two 1Lb Lucifer burgers plus two lbs of fries in 45 minutes or less

Cuisine: American
Restaurant Features: Bar, Live Music, Night Club, On-Site Parking
Location: St Paul, MN
Address: 1638 Rice Street  St Paul, MN 55117  651-331-0929
Hours: Daily 11am-
Links: Wilebski’s Website * Wilebski’s on Facebook * Google Map
Atmosphere: Located at Rice Street and Wheelock Parkway, Wilebski’s is located in a large building formerly occupied by Club Cancun.  Although they do serve food, the primary focus at Wilebski’s is the music and night life.  The center of the club is the stage and dance floor.  There are tables placed toward the back of the dance floor on evenings with live music performances.

There is another seating area upstairs, overlooking the dance floor.

There is also seating in the bar area.

Menu: Appetizers include French Fries, Onion Wings, Chicken Wings (BBQ, Buffalo, Dry Rub), and Mississippi Catfish Bites.  Chili is also available.

Caesar Salad is also available.

Sandwiches at Wilebski’s include B.L.T, Saucy Southern Chicken Breast, BBQ Pulled Pork, and Catfish Po’ Boy.

Burgers include Plain, California, Delta Burger (jalapenos and bacon) and VooDoo Burger (jalapenos, bacon, fried onions and fried egg).

Price guide: Appetizers $5-10  Sandwiches $7-10
What we ordered: My companions and I were at Wilebski’s to see a band play, and since we were hungry, we ordered some of the food.  Please excuse the terrible photos, I had no choice but to use flash.  The first item we ordered were the Mississippi Catfish Bites.  These were surprisingly really good! No doubt they were the frozen variety, but they were hot, thick and substantial.  The cornmeal breading on the outside was crispy and well-seasoned.

One of my companions ordered the BBQ Shredded Pork.  There was a substantial amount of pulled pork on the toasted sesame bun, slathered in barbeque sauce.  I did not try any of this sandwich but it looked good and my companion ate it quickly.

We also got a couple of burgers, including the Delta Burger. This burger was thick, cooked medium, with fried onions, slices of fresh jalapeno, and chipotle mayo. According to the menu, the Delta Burger was supposed to have bacon on it, but mine came without. The french fries were hot and crispy, heavily seasoned.

Delta Burger at Wilebski’s Blues Saloon ~ St Paul, MN

Service: As I mentioned, we were at Wilbski’s to see a band play.  That being said, there was only one server covering the tables on the dance floor.  She was terrible and not because she was busy, it wasn’t a busy night.  She just didn’t seem to have a clue of how to wait on tables, like it was her first day ever doing such a thing.  Once, after flagging her down and ordering a beer, I waited 15+ minutes before getting my own beer at the bar.   I also ended up getting my own food from the food service window after seeing it sit there for nearly ten minutes.
Overall Impression: The food was actually much better than I was expecting, but I won’t be running back anytime soon.  Cool place to see a show but the sound system needs major improvement.

This is a follow up to the original review I wrote of The Nook in April 2009

Cuisine: American, Burgers
Restaurant Features: Bar, Bowling Alley
Location: St Paul, MN
Address: 492 Hamline Ave S, St Paul, MN 55116 651) 698-4347
Links: The Nook Website * The Nook on Facebook * Google Map

Atmosphere: The Nook has recently reopened after being closed for several months due to a damaging fire in Dec 2010.  The renovations look great! The kitchen was moved to the very back of the long and narrow restaurant and the unisex bathroom is right in the middle.  A single line of tables run along the wall to the back of the kitchen and is more comfortable than it was before. The Nook must have been able to save a lot of the memorabilia that had been hanging on the walls before the fire, because it all seemed to be the same.

There is a nice, shiny wooden bar when you first walk in that seats six.  There is also a bowling alley downstairs.

Menu:

Appetizers at the Nook include Jalapeno Poppers, French Fries, Runyon Rings, Cheese Curds, Mozzarella Sticks, Mini Tacos, Mini Corn Dogs, Leprechaun Legs (fried green beans!), Nokie Wings with your choice of eight original sauces, Boneless Wings, Chicken Drummies, Chicken Tenders.

Pizza offerings include Deluxe, Sausage, Pepperoni, and Double Cheese.

The salad choices at the Nook are Dinner Salad, Garden Salad with Chicken, Caesar, and Buffalo Chicken.

Sandwich offerings include the Reuben, Bourbon Bacon Chicken, Charbroiled Chicken Breast, Charbroiled Chicken Club, BBQ Chicken, Buffalo-style Charbroiled Chicken, Chicken Tender Melt, Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, Half Pound BLT, Battered Cod, Salmon Burger, and Grilled Shamrock’s Cheese.  All sandwiches come with fresh cut fries and pickle.

Burgers are what the Nook is known for! With many to choose from such as The Mickey’s Original, Cheeseburger, Bacon Cheeseburger, Patty Melt, California, Pepperjack Burger, Swiss Mushroom Burger, Bourbon Bacon Burger, Alumni Burger (Worcestershire sauce enhanced), Casburger, Nookie Supreme (Double Decker cheeseburgers with special sauce), Juicy Nookie (stuffed cheeseburger), Paul Molitor Burger (stuffed with pepperjack), Matt Birk Burger (two patties with pepperjack), Lodge Burger, Bleu Cheeseburger, Burger of the Month, and Garden Burger.  All burgers come with fresh cut fries or sub for onion rings just $1.50 extra.

Dinner Entrees come with coleslaw, garlic toast and French fries and include 7 oz Filet Mignon, a Surf and Turf Combo, Steak Sandwich, 8 oz. Ribeye, Fish & Chips, Fried Shrimp, Fried Chicken Wings, and Pork Chops.

Price guide: Appetizers $ 6-8 Sandwiches & Burgers $6-8 Salad $4-7
Weekly Specials: Sunday- Kids eat free from Kids’ Menu  One child per adult.

Monday- Dollar Burgers from 8:30-10:00 (smaller burgers)

Tuesday-Bourbon Bacon Burger with fries $5.50

Wednesday- Ribeye and the Works $9.95

Thursday- Breaded Pork Tenderloin $5.95

Friday- Fried Shrimp or Fish Fry $9.95

Saturday- 4pm to close 10oz. BBQ Pork Chop Dinner

What we ordered: My companion and I split a Strawberry Malt.  It was good, but not the best malt I have had at The Nook.  It was made with plenty of malt powder the way I like, but this malt in particular tasted like it was made with strawberry syrup.  It wasn’t very thick and the strawberry was finely blended.  Most malts I have gotten there are thicker and have bigger chunks of strawberry.  It was still very tasty.

I have tried several different burgers at The Nook, but this Bleu Cheese burger is my favorite. This stacked burger has a layer of bleu cheese crumbles on the bottom bun topped by the juicy beef patty then sauteed mushrooms and fried onions (optional).  I love the combo of flavors and textures.  This is one of my favorite burgers anywhere, the beef has amazing flavor even if it is a little greasy.  I also love the fresh cut fries that come standard with the burger at no up-charge, making it one of the best valued burger baskets around these days.  All this for $7.95.  I don’t know who can beat that!

One of my companions ordered the Juicy Nookie Burger.  Twin Cities classic, two patties formed around a center of molten cheese.  My companion loves this burger and thinks The Nook has the best one he has personally tried thus far.

Another companion ordered the Nookie Supreme. This enormous layered cheeseburger has an extra bottom bun and cheeseburger patty.  The buns are extremely soft and fresh even after being toasted.

Service: Our visit was at 3pm on a weekday which is the perfect time to go if you don’t want to wait.  We got a table right away and our server was on top of it.  Drinks were refilled quickly and the food was ready within 15 minutes.
Overall Impression: The Nook really does have some of the best burgers around town, if you haven’t been yet, I urge you to go! Prices are great and so is the food and service.

*** Abetto’s Deli is closed  as of 10/14/11***

Cuisine: Deli, Italian, Pizza
Restaurant Features: Banquet, Catering, Counter-Service, On-Site Parking
Location: St Paul, MN
Address: 560 Como Ave St Paul, MN 55103  651-488-4040
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11am-8pm  Fri-Sat 11am-10pm
Links: Abetto’s Website * Abetto’s on Facebook * Google Map

Atmosphere: Abetto’s Deli is located on Como Ave in St Paul ( at Kent St) with an attached liquor store.  There is a counter to order at when you first walk in, with the food preparation area just behind the safety glass.  The dining room in back is nothing fancy, but it is spacious and has wooden floors. There are several red & white-checkered banquet tables spread throughout.

Menu: Appetizers at Abetto’s include Garlic Toast, Garlic Cheese Toast, Italian Fries, and Chicken Wings.

Salad options include Chef, Garden and Italian.

Subs and Sandwiches include Cheese or Veggie, Corned Beef, Smoked Turkey, Roast Beef, Ham, Pepperoni, Tuna, Italian Salami and Meatball.  Hot Sandwiches include Pizza Sub, Hail the Vulc, North of the Border, Meathead, Heartburn, Tuna Fetish, Mr Magoo, The Titan, Lunch Box 360, The In’Vince”ible,

Hot entrees include Baked Rigatoni, Hot Dago, Mostaccioli, Reuben, and Spaghetti & Meatballs.

Pizzas come in either 6″, 10″,12″ 14″.  Build-your-own or choose from one of the following specialty pizzas: Canadian Bacon/Pineapple, Veggie, Reuben, House Special, Taco and Super Works.

Price guide: Appetizers $1-6  Salads $4-5 Subs $4-7  Hot Entrees $6-7  Pizza $4-18

Weekly Specials:
What I ordered: On my first visit to Abetto’s, I wasn’t sure what to try so I asked for a recommendation.  The cook immediately replied with “Hot Dago” so the Hot Dago is what I got!  My order came with a thick patty of Italian sausage sitting atop a fresh hoagie roll, then smothered in red sauce and mozzarella and baked until the cheese and bread were golden and toasty.  This was pretty good; there was a substantial amount of all ingredients.  I would get this again but next time I would see if I could get sauteed peppers and onions added to it to spice it up a little, I would also probably add crushed red pepper and parmesan.

One solo tasting of Abetto’s was not enough for me, so a few days after I ate the Hot Dago above,  I went back and ordered a sub to-go.  There were many appealing options but I ended up getting the Heartburn Sub.  It wasn’t much more money to get a 12″ vs a 6″, so I went with the larger sub.  Totally unnecessary, 6″ was almost too much for me! The heartburn sub has pepperoni and cheddar as well as roast beef and pepper jack, both of which are toasted along with the bread.  There was a significant amount of both meats; this sandwich was seriously Stacked.   The pepperoni was great but I didn’t care as much for the roast beef, it seemed too processed for me but I still ate it and enjoyed the sandwich.  The sandwich also had plenty of shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and banana peppers, and then was drizzled with mayo and oil.  Potentially a very very messy sandwich, which is why it is smartly cut in half and wrapped tightly in paper.

Service: I visited Abetto’s over the lunch hour on two separate occasions within one week and had consistent, friendly service on both visits.  Toasted Specialty Subs are ready in 5-10 minutes, depending on how busy it is.
Overall Impression: I am glad to have discovered Abetto’s Deli after  a reader recommended it, it is very close to where I work which makes it very convenient to stop to pick up a sandwich.  They also have a great Pizza Special on Wednesday nights where a large 1-item pizza is only $5.60.  That’s cheaper than DiGiorno!

Cuisine: American, Burgers
Restaurant Features: Bar,  Flat Screen TV’s, Games, Late-Night Dining (until 12:30am), On-Site Parking
Location: St Paul, MN
Address: 857 Grand Ave St Paul, MN 55105  (651) 292-9140
Hours: Daily 11am-1am  Food served until 12:30am
Links: Billy’s On Grand Website * Billy’s on Facebook * Google Map
Atmosphere: Billy’s is on Grand Ave at Victoria, with entrances in the front (through the patio) and from the Victoria Crossing mall.  Billy’s is a pretty big place, with quite a few different rooms.  We sat in the bright and sunny atrium at the front of the restaurant.  This room has several tables, which are frequently pulled together to accommodate large parties.  There is also a cozy fireplace as well as live plants.

This is the main bar, which has seating around it, as well as booths along the wall. Not pictured is the large entertainment room in the back, complete with bistro tables, TV’s and dart boards.

The patio at Billy’s is a popular place when the weather turns nice around here.  Soon these tables will all be covered with umbrellas and filled with patrons.

Menu: Appetizers at Billy’s include Wings (Buffalo, Dry-Rub, Cajun, Honey-Chipotle and Jerk), Potato Skins, Mozzarella Sticks, Onion Rings, Vegetable Plate, Chips & Salsa, Chili Cheese Fries, Nachos, Chicken Fingers, Brie Amandine, Quesadillas, Southwest Eggrolls, Jerk Chicken Quesadilla,, Garlic Cheese Bread and Spinach Artichoke Dip.

Soups include Chili, Chicken Noodle and a Soup of the Day.  Salad options include Cobb, Chef, Grilled Chicken and Strawberry, Crispy Chicken, Taco Salad, Grilled Steak and Mixed Greens Salad.

Billy’s Burger options include Cajun, Billy the Kid (bacon & cheese), Guacamole, Patty Melt, Wild Bill (lettuce & tomato), The Firehouse (habanero sauce bleu cheese and bacon), and the Spicy Melt (stuffed with pepper jack and jalapenos).  All burgers come with chips and pickle.  Upgrade to fries for $1.50

Billy’s also has a large selection of sandwiches including the French Dip, Reuben, Southwest Chicken, Spicy Jerk Chicken Breast, Turkey Avocado, Walleye, Tuna Melt, Honey Chipotle Chicken, Wenglerwich (chicken with cheddar, bacon and mushrooms), Veggie Sandwich, Billy’s Club, and the BLT.  There are also a couple of wraps including Chicken Guacamole, and Buffalo Chicken.  All sandwiches and wraps come with chips or you can upgrade to fries.

Billy’s also serves 10″ pizzas, build-your-own from a selection of toppings.

Entrees include BBQ Ribs, Walleye, Rotisserie Chicken, 10oz NY Strip, 10oz Center Cut Sirloin, 6 oz Petite Sirloin.

Price guide: Appetizers $6-11  Salads $10-11  Burgers $8-9  Sandwiches $9-10  Entrees $10-20

Happy Hour:

• All Appetizers are $5

Weekly Specials:

• Sunday Brunch Buffet 11am-2pm  $9.95
• Tuesday $3 Tacos 8-11pm

What we ordered: I really wanted something spicy but I wasn’t craving anything in particular.  I thought the Spicy Melt stuffed with pepper jack and jalapenos sounded like a good choice.  The burger was good but I was somewhat disappointed that it wasn’t spicy enough for me.  It did have a small amount of pepper jack stuffed inside, as well as the equivalent of two tiny slices of canned jalapenos chopped up.  I expected it to have a lot more flavor and would have liked some jalapenos on top of the burger as well.  I asked for a side of Billy’s cilantro mayo and that made it much better.   Burgers are always better with bacon, especially when it is thick and crispy like this was. The burger came with chips but I upgraded to the fresh cut fries for an extra charge.

My companion ordered the Buffalo Chicken Wrap with fresh cut fries.  There were several pieces of white meat chicken strips coated in the spicy buffalo sauce, then wrapped inside a tortilla along with lettuce, tomato and bleu cheese chunks.  It was also served with bleu cheese dressing on the side.  Very good!

Service: We arrived at Billy’s for lunch, shortly after they opened so we had no problem getting a table or parking spots in the side lot.  Our service was pretty good; our drinks were refilled when needed and the food came out reasonably fast.
Overall Impression: Billy’s on Grand is a good place to have drinks and a bite to eat; at any time of the day or night, rain or shine.