Read all about it on my examiner.com page!
http://www.examiner.com/bars-in-minneapolis/the-new-psycho-suzi-s-revamped-and-less-cramped-review
Any feedback or critique is welcome.
Monday, November 29, 2010
I write on Examiner.com now!
Hey all! So, I am now an Examiner at examiner.com! Basically, it's a site compiled of people who like to blog and write about a wide array of topics. My topic is Minneapolis Bars. I do have a chance to get paid, but that depends on how much of an audience I gain, and how much traffic comes through my pages. I am waiting for my very first article to be reviewed and activated, but in the meantime you can go look at my bio here: www.examiner.com/bars-in-minneapolis/katrina-copeland
Just looking at my bio helps increase the views on my page...and eventually helps me make money at this silly hobby of mine. So please, support a fellow blogger and go check it out! Oh, and be sure to stay tuned here for my very first review, which is on the new Psycho Suzi's space in NE Minneapolis! I won't be reviewing food over there, but I will continue to do that here.
Happy Holidays!
Just looking at my bio helps increase the views on my page...and eventually helps me make money at this silly hobby of mine. So please, support a fellow blogger and go check it out! Oh, and be sure to stay tuned here for my very first review, which is on the new Psycho Suzi's space in NE Minneapolis! I won't be reviewing food over there, but I will continue to do that here.
Happy Holidays!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Sticks Restaurant - Minneapolis
Sticks is connected to the wonderful Acme Comedy Club. They are known for having pretty great dinner/show packages, which I have taken advantage of in the past. I found out last minute that my FAVORITE comedian Emo Phillips was performing, so I was all over it!
Mr. H, myself and Ms. K piled in the car and off we went to the late showing. We each purchased a dinner/show package which works like this: $30 per person for the show, and up to $16 towards any entree on the menu. The best part is that you can simply call and make a reservation, then pay at the door when you arrive. They're never too busy, as I have never been turned down or redirected to a different time slot. You also get reserved seating, which is usually fairly close to the front. Basically, you pay for your own booze, or any difference in a higher priced entree. The entrees are anywhere from $13-$23, and they also have appetizers and dessert. The decor is quite elegant and romantic, with white tablecloths, dim lighting, and candles. The exposed brick and wood, complete with fireplace completes the ambience.
We three arrived, and ordered drinks. The drink menu has a few wines, and an assortment of specialty cocktails, martinis, and scotches. The alcohol isn't the cheapest, at around $8 a pop for a martini or specialty drink. I ordered the Red Apple Martini, which came in a small-ish martini glass and was good, but not great. Sticks menu is simple without being boring. I ordered the Grilled 8 oz. Angus Sirloin ( $16), and my company ordered the Seafood Linguine ($17.50) and the Mushroom Ravioli ($15.) They do serve a warm bread basket, which was perfectly standard.
8 oz Angus Sirloin
Ok, so I don't get the whole meat-laying-on-top-of-a-knife thing. But whatever. This dish was excellent. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium, a seasoned crust was successfully achieved, and the meat was succulent. The potatoes were simple and fantastic, just 2 red potatoes cooked soft and lightly seasoned. The vegetables contained a lot of onions and zucchini, making it not my favorite but not terrible either. I was very pleased with this - it was well balanced, well composed and exquisite.
Mushroom Ravioli (Roasted Portabella, Shiitake and Crimini Mushrooms with Caramelized Onions, Mozzarella and Grana Padano Cheese Wrapped in Egg Ravioli, Served in a Marsala Mushroom Cream Sauce.)
Ok, so I know it looks like this thing has a mound of greasy cheese on it. Looks are deceiving! And admittedly, I was hesitant to try this because I don't care for mushrooms. But I folded and tried a bite, and oh my HEAVENS... it was pillowy, mushroomy, creamy, saucey DELIGHT. The cream sauce is rich and deep, the earth and meatiness of the mushrooms melt in your mouth, and the ravioli itself is pillowy but firm. This dish alone has almoooost turned me to mushrooms, as I will order it the next 3 places I dine that offer it. This dish was rich and satisfying, without being over the top and clingy. Was it the Grana Padano?? Who knows? I loved it.
Seafood Linguine - the picture of this didn't come out.Sorry!!
(Black Tiger Shrimp, Scallops, Little Neck Clams and Mussels, Sautéed with White Wine, Fresh Garlic, Seafood Broth and Plum Tomatoes.)
I was a little surprised when this arrived to the table swimming in red sauce. The description is a little misleading, as the sauce was a little spicy, and very marinara-like. It was a good red sauce, but overall this fell a little flat for me. I was expecting something light, fresh, with toothsome ocean aspects here and there. It wasn't any of those.
We finished in time to get to the show, even though they have a creme brulee cheesecake (my two favorite desserts EVER) that I MUST try when I go back.
Greats:
-The atmosphere- mellow and romantic.
-The service was spot on - not too soon or too long, and our waiter was down to earth and not annoying.
-The sirloin steak
-The awesome, off the hook mushroom ravioli
Not so greats
-Drinks are expensive and not worth the price (small, weak, etc)
-The description of the linguine was a bit off what we actually got..
The starter salad is nothing special.
http://www.acmecomedycompany.com/index2.php
Mr. H, myself and Ms. K piled in the car and off we went to the late showing. We each purchased a dinner/show package which works like this: $30 per person for the show, and up to $16 towards any entree on the menu. The best part is that you can simply call and make a reservation, then pay at the door when you arrive. They're never too busy, as I have never been turned down or redirected to a different time slot. You also get reserved seating, which is usually fairly close to the front. Basically, you pay for your own booze, or any difference in a higher priced entree. The entrees are anywhere from $13-$23, and they also have appetizers and dessert. The decor is quite elegant and romantic, with white tablecloths, dim lighting, and candles. The exposed brick and wood, complete with fireplace completes the ambience.
We three arrived, and ordered drinks. The drink menu has a few wines, and an assortment of specialty cocktails, martinis, and scotches. The alcohol isn't the cheapest, at around $8 a pop for a martini or specialty drink. I ordered the Red Apple Martini, which came in a small-ish martini glass and was good, but not great. Sticks menu is simple without being boring. I ordered the Grilled 8 oz. Angus Sirloin ( $16), and my company ordered the Seafood Linguine ($17.50) and the Mushroom Ravioli ($15.) They do serve a warm bread basket, which was perfectly standard.
8 oz Angus Sirloin
Ok, so I don't get the whole meat-laying-on-top-of-a-knife thing. But whatever. This dish was excellent. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium, a seasoned crust was successfully achieved, and the meat was succulent. The potatoes were simple and fantastic, just 2 red potatoes cooked soft and lightly seasoned. The vegetables contained a lot of onions and zucchini, making it not my favorite but not terrible either. I was very pleased with this - it was well balanced, well composed and exquisite.Mushroom Ravioli (Roasted Portabella, Shiitake and Crimini Mushrooms with Caramelized Onions, Mozzarella and Grana Padano Cheese Wrapped in Egg Ravioli, Served in a Marsala Mushroom Cream Sauce.)
Ok, so I know it looks like this thing has a mound of greasy cheese on it. Looks are deceiving! And admittedly, I was hesitant to try this because I don't care for mushrooms. But I folded and tried a bite, and oh my HEAVENS... it was pillowy, mushroomy, creamy, saucey DELIGHT. The cream sauce is rich and deep, the earth and meatiness of the mushrooms melt in your mouth, and the ravioli itself is pillowy but firm. This dish alone has almoooost turned me to mushrooms, as I will order it the next 3 places I dine that offer it. This dish was rich and satisfying, without being over the top and clingy. Was it the Grana Padano?? Who knows? I loved it.Seafood Linguine - the picture of this didn't come out.Sorry!!
(Black Tiger Shrimp, Scallops, Little Neck Clams and Mussels, Sautéed with White Wine, Fresh Garlic, Seafood Broth and Plum Tomatoes.)
I was a little surprised when this arrived to the table swimming in red sauce. The description is a little misleading, as the sauce was a little spicy, and very marinara-like. It was a good red sauce, but overall this fell a little flat for me. I was expecting something light, fresh, with toothsome ocean aspects here and there. It wasn't any of those.
We finished in time to get to the show, even though they have a creme brulee cheesecake (my two favorite desserts EVER) that I MUST try when I go back.
Greats:
-The atmosphere- mellow and romantic.
-The service was spot on - not too soon or too long, and our waiter was down to earth and not annoying.
-The sirloin steak
-The awesome, off the hook mushroom ravioli
Not so greats
-Drinks are expensive and not worth the price (small, weak, etc)
-The description of the linguine was a bit off what we actually got..
The starter salad is nothing special.
http://www.acmecomedycompany.com/index2.php
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Barrio - Downtown Minneapolis
Having never been to Barrio, and knowing I would be downtown before the Mark Lanegan/ Isobel Campbell concert, Mr. C and I opted to pop into Barrio.
Having been attracted by their small plates AND their prices, I was even more intrigued upon seeing the outside. Small, but not overly fancy or casual. We walked into a very cramped small space. To their credit, it was a Saturday night. I think we were lucky that we even got a table within 5 minutes. We were seated at the front window and perused the menu. The dinner menu consists of small plates for $7.50, and tacos and enchiladas for about $4 a pop. Wonderful! The larger dinner plates are around $18, however. The drink menu boasts around 100 tequila's, margaritas ($10 average) and several innovative and quite tasty sounding cocktails (EL TORO: Michelada style beer, slightly citrusy spicy salty on ice - $6) including non alcoholic (BABY CITA:
Limeade Martini with Cherry Foamer- $4.50.) I opted for a simple red sangria, which was better than most places I've had it, but not excellent. It was a bit watery, and the fruit element was underwhelming.
THE FOOD. (forgive the lack of pics - I lost a bunch so the pics/quality here are limited.)
Guacamole
I will begin by saying that I'm not sure why this is grouped in with small plates at $7.50. Furthermore confusing are the...radishes. However, this was a great guacamole, if a salty guacamole. It is served in a very heavy stone bowl, and it doesn't look like much but it was plenty enough for the two of us, keeping in mind we ordered a bunch of other stuff too. Side note: it came with this red sauce that I want to bottle and hoard away from others. It's smokey, tangy, a wee bit spicy, and gorgeous.
ADOBO GRILLED CHICKEN QUESADILLA (with roasted corn and poblano
peppers.)
Again more..radishes. Aside from that, the quesidilla was pretty standard. Tasty for sure, but nothing special popped out. The corn did add a lovely element to it.
DIVER SCALLOP CEVICHE (with grapefruit, orange,
cilantro & avocado.)
I have never had ceviche anywhere besides my own house. This was a must try, and it definitely did not disappoint. Chunks of soft, light scallops bathed in light citrus, sprinkled with some avocado. My only complaint would be that the citrus was a tad too light. Fortunately, they put little slices of habanero in there to balance it all out a bit. Overall, it was as good as I imagined a scallop ceviche to be!
SOFT SHELL CRAB TACO (with watermelon-tomatillo pico de gallo and avocado - $4)
This came out last, and was the least favorite option. The crab inside is deep fried, but soft. The taco shell is nice and soft; not hard from cooking, or too stale. But it was unremarkable. I didn't get the watermelon anywhere, and overall it was a little bland.
Afterwards came tequila time. I opted for the Sauza Cien Anos reposado, with a side chaser of white grapefruit cherry soda. Oh...I didn't mention those? Those little pops of light and bubble after the tequila bites you? They offer them as "tequila compadres", and they are $1.50 apiece! ( Blood Orange Soda,Tamarind, Cinnamon Cola, Apple Ginger Soda, Red Bull etc.) Excellent.
The Sauza was not my favorite tequila, and our server was none the more wise about what it was like when I inquired. That was the only problem I encountered with the service during my visit. I've heard people complain about it, but for us it was bang on. The food came out in perfect timed sequence, about 5-10 min between each plate. Especially for how extremely busy they were, I give them credit for being so spot on.
Greats
-Atmosphere. I want to go back when it's less busy for sure.
-Tequila Compadres!
-Scallop Ceviche
-The red sauce
-The service was good-food was timed well.
Not so greats
-It was really busy
-The soft shell crab taco
-Radishes?
- Guac is 7 bux
http://www.barriotequila.com/Barrio_mpls.html
Having been attracted by their small plates AND their prices, I was even more intrigued upon seeing the outside. Small, but not overly fancy or casual. We walked into a very cramped small space. To their credit, it was a Saturday night. I think we were lucky that we even got a table within 5 minutes. We were seated at the front window and perused the menu. The dinner menu consists of small plates for $7.50, and tacos and enchiladas for about $4 a pop. Wonderful! The larger dinner plates are around $18, however. The drink menu boasts around 100 tequila's, margaritas ($10 average) and several innovative and quite tasty sounding cocktails (EL TORO: Michelada style beer, slightly citrusy spicy salty on ice - $6) including non alcoholic (BABY CITA:
Limeade Martini with Cherry Foamer- $4.50.) I opted for a simple red sangria, which was better than most places I've had it, but not excellent. It was a bit watery, and the fruit element was underwhelming.
THE FOOD. (forgive the lack of pics - I lost a bunch so the pics/quality here are limited.)
Guacamole
I will begin by saying that I'm not sure why this is grouped in with small plates at $7.50. Furthermore confusing are the...radishes. However, this was a great guacamole, if a salty guacamole. It is served in a very heavy stone bowl, and it doesn't look like much but it was plenty enough for the two of us, keeping in mind we ordered a bunch of other stuff too. Side note: it came with this red sauce that I want to bottle and hoard away from others. It's smokey, tangy, a wee bit spicy, and gorgeous.
ADOBO GRILLED CHICKEN QUESADILLA (with roasted corn and poblano
peppers.)
Again more..radishes. Aside from that, the quesidilla was pretty standard. Tasty for sure, but nothing special popped out. The corn did add a lovely element to it.DIVER SCALLOP CEVICHE (with grapefruit, orange,
cilantro & avocado.)
I have never had ceviche anywhere besides my own house. This was a must try, and it definitely did not disappoint. Chunks of soft, light scallops bathed in light citrus, sprinkled with some avocado. My only complaint would be that the citrus was a tad too light. Fortunately, they put little slices of habanero in there to balance it all out a bit. Overall, it was as good as I imagined a scallop ceviche to be!
SOFT SHELL CRAB TACO (with watermelon-tomatillo pico de gallo and avocado - $4)
This came out last, and was the least favorite option. The crab inside is deep fried, but soft. The taco shell is nice and soft; not hard from cooking, or too stale. But it was unremarkable. I didn't get the watermelon anywhere, and overall it was a little bland.
Afterwards came tequila time. I opted for the Sauza Cien Anos reposado, with a side chaser of white grapefruit cherry soda. Oh...I didn't mention those? Those little pops of light and bubble after the tequila bites you? They offer them as "tequila compadres", and they are $1.50 apiece! ( Blood Orange Soda,Tamarind, Cinnamon Cola, Apple Ginger Soda, Red Bull etc.) Excellent.
The Sauza was not my favorite tequila, and our server was none the more wise about what it was like when I inquired. That was the only problem I encountered with the service during my visit. I've heard people complain about it, but for us it was bang on. The food came out in perfect timed sequence, about 5-10 min between each plate. Especially for how extremely busy they were, I give them credit for being so spot on.
Greats
-Atmosphere. I want to go back when it's less busy for sure.
-Tequila Compadres!
-Scallop Ceviche
-The red sauce
-The service was good-food was timed well.
Not so greats
-It was really busy
-The soft shell crab taco
-Radishes?
- Guac is 7 bux
http://www.barriotequila.com/Barrio_mpls.html
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