April 23, 2009 by chad.

This is a bit of a departure for me, if you consider the fact that I usually write reviews about sit down restaurants. Then again, if you consider the food alone a review could focus on Macaroni and Cheese dinners. It’s all a matter of scale.

In the last week I have had the opportunity to sample two dogs of vastly different venue and quality. For purposes of setting the stage I will give a short review of each and then a head-to-head comparison.

The Dome Dog:

For Anyone who has been to the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome, the Dome Dog is a tradition of tubed meat made in our own state by Hormel. Not exceptionally long but more plump the Dome Dog is meal enough for my kids and even me. Taste-wise, it is a kin to the cheaper hot dogs one can buy at the grocery store. It is oily and exceptionally salty. The texture is softer and more even. Housing the hot dog is a doughy, dry, tasteless hot dog bun. The upside is that you can put all the condiments on it you choose as long as you fancy something other than ketchup, mustard, relish, or raw onions.

Overall, the experience left me feeling a bit ill. To be honest, I was done halfway through the dog. It’s no wonder the Dome nixed the “Dollar a Dog” nights at the Dome for a while. They are far more useful being thrown onto the field than to actually eat.

Mi Famiglia’s Street Dog:

For the record, these hot dogs are not called street dogs by Mi Famiglia Ristorante or Italian Market. Consider this to be a bit of artistic license because it sounds good. This hot dog was the impetus for writing this comparison and I wanted to race home in time to write this review before the taste was fully washed off my pallet.

For those who do not know, Mi Famiglia’s has opened up a New York style hot dog cart just outside their restaurant. A few years ago, the St Cloud City Council in their wisdom made an ordinance allowing street vendors for food. All of the food vending has centered around the weekend night bar crowd. This is the first I have seen one during the day.

On to the review as that is what I really must share. It was one of the most delicious hot dogs I have had in some time. The hot dog was much longer and skinnier. It had a full flavor to it and was texturally rough with skin on casing. The seasoning lingered in my mouth for nearly 10 minutes but that’s a good thing.

Really, the meat was one thing but they managed to complete the experience with a superior bun. It was almost baguette style with a crisp on the outside soft on the inside feel to it. It was also very fresh and moist in all the right places. At $2 a dog I was floored by the quality!

Head-to-Head:

The winner must be obvious from the individual review, but certainly MiFamiglia’s hot dogs are far superior to the Dome Dog. Is that really much of a surprise? Considering the fact that a Dome Dog is three times the price, you truly are getting a better, tastier deal from the hot dog stand on East St Germain in St Cloud and they are local.

You cannot avoid the Dome Dogs when watching a Twins game this summer, but take the time to stop at the hot dog cart in downtown St Cloud for a great experience.

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April 21, 2009 by chad.

Gentle readers, I thought I would take a moment to share a few new things that either I am considering for this blog or what is going on in the restaurant scene around central Minnesota. Think of it as a desk clearing moment.

I was on Facebook the other day chatting with a distant reliative of whom we have not yet found the connection.(Come on, how many Groetsches are there out in the world anyway.) He brought to my attention that I seem to know a lot about something else that tickels the taste buds and that I enjoy, beer and whiskey. Seeing as how taste and flavor has a lot to do with what I do around here, that might be a direction to which I could add some more writings. There are limitations though, as I told Michael Groetsch, my uneducated pallet sees wine as little more than spoiled grape juice so do not expect much insight into that subject.

I would definitely consider posting some of my thoughts on whiskey or beer, but I need to be more consistent with my postings before I add more work to this. As is, if you are reading this, you likely came here from some other site rather than a straight trip.

As the economy seems to be still in a less than amicable state, the restaurant scene in St. Cloud has continued to cull the weak and underperforming. Bear Creek is gone and Grizzly’s has moved from its mall location to take its place. I think it is kind of ironic that a bear replaced a bear. There is a new restaurant connected to Crossroads Shopping Center and for the life of me I am forgetting the name, but I hope to make an official review of it in the near future.

As per some requests, I will be spreading my reviews out over a larger geographic area assuming there is enough money to do so. This year as the Minnesota Jaycees Individual Development Vice-President is definitely getting me out to more places I have not been in my own state, but it has not necessarily netted me a boon in new dining experienced. Time spend dining is not spent on the road or at chapter projects so fast food is sadly the norm.

I think that is all for now. Stay tuned for more review updates.

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April 21, 2009 by chad.

Jimmy’s Pour House

22 2nd Ave No.

Sauk Rapids, MN 56379

(320)253-0208

Jimmy’s has been an anchor restaurant in St Cloud since 1977. Simply put, to stay in business that long you have to be doing something right. Jimmy’s offers a lot of selection and taste for the the diner looking for a warm, friendly, and underplayed atmosphere.

Food: 6

What they may lack in ingenuity they definitely make up for in properly prepared standards in Americanna and breakfast meals.  This is not to say they lack originality in all events as they offer both a Fire Alarm Burger and a German Burger. The former is a concoction of competing fire starters and the latter being developed from the local heritage. For this sampling we tried the Chipotle Bacon Burger with its pepperjack cheese, pico de gallo, and chipotle mayo on top of a juicy, hearty sized burger patty. At first, I was a tad disappointed that the chipotle flavor was eclipsed by the pepperjack cheese, but then I found the medely of flavors when combined with the pico was far more grand than chipotle alone would have offered. Yep, fooled me once. Maybe they should rename the burger to include some of its other finer aspects. It is like calling something a ketchup burger just because it has ketchup on it.

Also in this sampling was the Jack Daniel’s Glazed Chicken. Sadly, I was less impressed here. The chicken breasts were smallish and the Jack Daniel’s marinade was in short supply. One good glimmer of hope was the side option that came with it, red skinned mashed potatoes. Think of it as the saving grace for that dish.

Jimmy’s is a reasonably priced place to eat out though. Consider it for a lunch meeting or family dinner.

Service: 6

Was it outstanding? Naw. There is nothing bad to tell, but nothing great to tell either. The service was satisfactory.  Our server was well informed on the menu, was prompt enough, and came at all the normal times to check on us. I guess I was not feeling loved by the server or that she REALLY enjoyed her job. After spending so many times analysing every minor point of the dining experience for so long  you get spoiled when you experience exempliary service. I would not use this criterion for judging whether to eat at Jimmy’s or not. There is more there to see and experience than this and remember the way I sample is through a single experience to preserve the same experience other diners would have.

Atmosphere: 8

Some places exude a level of comfort when you walk in the establishment. It is like an non-corporeal spirit. Some places have it and some do not. Jimmy’s is such a place. There is an ease about the establishment that makes it feel good.

The theme is a hybrid between Irish Pub and golf, but it is not overplayed. What I mean by this is that there is a level of acceptable decoration and then there is clutter. Jimmy’s tastefully decorates their restaurant in golf relics a kin to the mid 80’s to late 90’s need to decorate chain restaurants with antiques [cough…Applebee’s cough cough]. It works.

The dining area is sectionalized well enough enough that it breaks up the dining area. This allows for large groups as well as intimate dining.

Overall: 7

Would I go back? Surely. Jimmy’s has a large loyal local following for good reasons. They know how to make the food that people like to eat and have a clean and comfortable environment in which to dine, meet, drink, and play.

Check out their website for menu and hours.

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March 17, 2009 by chad.

The Bay Club

12635 Bayview Rd

South Haven, MN 55382

Since I first went to this restaurant almost 20 years ago, it has gone through many hands and many revisions. It is still located near the public access landing on Clearwater Lake. Chicken Oscar is still on the menu, the service has improved, and the offerings of a destination dining are definitely matured from the hole in the wall it once was.

I need to apologize to The Bay Club and my readers as this review has been sitting in queue as a draft for about five months. I am now just getting to write about it again. Luckily I have an excellent taste based memory.

Food: 6

The menu over the years has always been tilted towards meat. It’s current owners keep the restaurant pointed in that direction. I think it would be short lived if they ever tried to take their focus away steaks, cops and ribs. To classify the selection consider it a hybrid between Classy Americana and Surf and Turf.

I was able to eat both the Boursin Chicken and the North Woods Chicken on this particular instance. That is the benefit of eating with my family, there is always more food to try than is on your plate. The Boursin Chicken was tender and overall a mild dish. If you like to taste the same thing from the first bite to the last, then this dish certainly has the continuity you’ll enjoy. On the other hand, the Northwest Chicken was a more varied taste and texture but that was mainly due to the fact it was served on a bed of rice pilaf.

Yea for original and intriguing menu items like Sugarcane Shrimp Shewers. A propensity for mushroom dishes seems to permiate the menu. Also offered are wraps and a little southwest, Mexican, and Italia.(Stress, a little)

Prices are reasonable for a vacation town. It has different prices for a varied clientelle as a meal can run from $8-18without appetizer.

Service: 8

Service was great. Our server Brian was either exceptionally sincere or an outstanding liar. Either way we felt like he really was pleased and happy to serve us dinner. He was very well informed about the menu and the service well well timed and orchestrated. In this case the service was so good, it definitely improved the whole dining experience. Kudos.

Atmosphere: 6

Gone are the dark walls and dimly lit candled tables. Hello light colored wood, sports bar-ish flat panel monitors, and chunky furniture. It still owns a very rustic feel with exposed log walls and the ever prevalent knickknacks.

The only real knock I can make is that it would be great if they could pull a couple more tables off the main floor. I was not the only one having to jostle a neighbor when trying to make it to the bathroom with my son and then get back into our seats. If you need to pack them in, make sure there is ample path space for passing through the dining area.

If you like to stare out the window, make sure you get a spot down on the old porch area. A secluded and calm bay resides outside the back of the restaurant and the entire wall facing it is festooned with windows.

Overall: 6

Service was excellent, food was palatable, and environment was bearable. I will definitely return if given the opportunity.

Check out their website.

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March 14, 2009 by chad.

Welp, if I am going to put this thing back on the map of blogdom then I needed to make some changes:

Arrived

Central Minnesota RIP Eatery List - Its added but empty as of yet. I need to go through my own notes over the past year and post closings of restaurants, bars, and eateries in Central Minnesota. If you know of any that have happened outside of St Cloud proper then let me know so I can add them to the list. (I already know about Camille’s closing a few days ago.)

New Blogroll Addition: Dinner Diva - SpaGirl serves up some great dinning ideas and recipes…and hey, she is not only from Minnesota but I went to High School with her too.

New Look - I chose another theme which was a little less uniform and a little more edgy. I really gotta figure out how to bring widgets into the theme because it would be good to have content updated that wasn’t written by me and it would give me more flexibility.

Departed

Technology Section -  Ok, there are far more informed areas of the web to seek out technology insight than this blog. It always seemed out of place even though it was was I did for a living. Therefore…bye bye, Technology Section, we won’t miss ya.

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March 14, 2009 by chad.

As I write this the house is anything but peaceful. The din of Saturday morning as the children are chaotically attempting to simultaneously entertaining their mother whom they only have a few hours during the workweek to be with. The house is strewn with toys and a dwindling collection of tiny plastic farm animals that always seem to be underfoot. Despite the picture I have just drawn for you, I am as close to at peace than I have been in a long time.

In light of this, I believe there will be cause and inclination to post much more in this blog of the comming months. Intentions are just that. Action is eloquence, said Shakespeare (Or the guy who supposedly wrote for him.).  For those who have read this blog regularly in the past, I am sorry for my absence. We’ll try to get this thing going again.

One thing I can say is that there sure are a lot of spambots trying to create user accounts on the blog to schlog their viagra, porn, and other crap to yet another message board. Thankfully our blog’s host affords us a lot of control in the process of being a legit member of the blog community. Otherwise in my absence this would have degenerated into a useless pile of junk advertising.

I will try to update and post a list of restaurants that have come and gone in central Minnesota over the last year. If you have any to add to the list, please let me know the month, name and city where it was located.

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