Gold Nugget Tavern (Minnetonka.Glen Lake): Part 2

Since my move to the 'burbs, me and Mrs. D are commiting to occasional Tuesday dinner outings. Bless her heart! I really like to have "regular" outings with people, but lack the people able/willing to do them. Mrs. D is not too food adventerous, so when she asked where we would, go, I immediately decided on the Gold Nugget.

Last time Mr. H and I went there, I was pretty satisfied. The atmosphere isn't much, it's comparable to Houlihan's/ any other suburbia restaraunt. Which is why it was perfect for Mrs. D and I. I was sure she would love it, and I was right!

I had problems deciding what to order (is this a surprise???) and struggled between a dinner and a Juicy Lucy. I'm not too impressed overall by Lucy's, and figure I'd like to try one at The Nook before anywhere else. So I decided on the half chicken dinner, with mashed 'tatoes and roasted veggies. Mrs. D decided on the Pear and Goat Cheese salad. Please let me also note, in reference to my earlier blog, that they now have FOUR pasta's at Gold Nugget! One of which I'll totally order next time. With no further ado!

Pear and Goat Cheese salad w/ balsamic vinagrette (sorry it looks so cartoonish - my phone sucks)





I didn't have a full bite of this salad, but dude; that thing on top is a breaded patty of goat cheese! I love goat cheese, and having it (anything) breaded ROCKS. To add even more awesome, it wasn't greasy at all. Just crunchy, and then smooth goat cheesey smooth-ness! The vinagrette was also very good. Vinagrettes can often be overpowering and too tart, but this one wasn't too tart at all. Mrs. D said she loved the pears. They looked cooked, but they were cold and coated with something - maybe a bit of sugar? She gave this salad two thumbs up!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! (and more craptastic cell pics.)

Just gaze at it's glory for a moment, it's ok. This was perhaps one of the best chicken dinners I've ever had. The chicken itself was flavorful and moist, even in the breast area. The gravy below it was delightful - though I can'tput my finger on what it was made of. It's not your typical savory gravy - it's a little salty and a little sweet. The mashed 'tatoes were a tad lumpy, in a good way. They tasted earthy, but also creamy and light. They weren't over-spiced or box-y tasting, they were just plain old good mashed 'tatoes! The vegetables consisted of cauliflower and carrots. They were nicely roasted with a bit of char on the outside, but still firm and toothsome. I'm always glad to have cooked veggies that are texturally sound.

Halfway through dinner, we thought about dessert. I wanted to try somehting, but didn't see anything good on the dessert menu. I had hoped for a cheesecake, or a creme brulee. So I ate more of my dinner, only to have the waitress come over and explain to us that one of the dessert items was replaced with a pumpkin creme brulee (!!) I ordered it anyways.

I didn't care much for this. The top shell was nice and hard- the most fun part of creme brulee! But the "creme" was too thick. I am used to having brulee's that are more of a custard, and this was more of a puree. The flavor was ok - it just tasted like a mushy pumpkin pie. Not the best brulee I've ever had.

Greats

-Breaded goat cheese patty!

-The chicken dinner was large in and in charge

-Hanging with Mrs. D was great

-Our waitress was cool, and not overbearing (i hate overbearing servers.)

Not so greats

-Pumpkin creme brulee

-The atmosphere is just like every other place around there

-They don't have the same awesome drinks as last time (though Im sure it was a seasonal thing)

-The people behind me had their baby carrier (baby and all) on the floor, directly behind my chair.