Visited on Friday, October 1st
Ben's Review
For our anniversary this year
we went to Duluth and had several people recommend
New Scenic Cafe on the north shore as a wonderful spot for dinner. When we arrived in Duluth, the owner of our b&b also recommended it, so we went ahead and made late reservations for a Friday night.
We had a late lunch so we didn't make it out to New Scenic Cafe until 7:45, but the place was still packed. I overheard someone inquire about how long of a wait it would be (without a reservation) and he was told an hour! That seems incredible to me at that late in the evening, but apparently it's well known. We got there a little early so I had a beer while we waited around. I was surprised to see that they had Hopslam on their beer list, but alas, the list was outdated. I settled for a Bell's Oktoberfest as I hadn't tried that one yet. The beer was good, but I think Summit has my favorite oktoberfest this year.
I recall the lighting being odd, it was dim without being dark, and I don't recall any candles. The interior is all natural wood so that must help the little light make it seem brighter. Anyways, I liked the ambiance there, it was quiet but not so quiet that you felt awkward having a conversation. The older gentlemen next to us didn't feel awkward at all discussing his various stocks and bonds. Very interesting stuff.
I ordered a curry spinach soup to start off with and it was delicious and huge. I will admit that while the soup was excellent, I was skeptical that it was made in-house after
seeing a picture of a Sysco truck on Google street view earlier in the day, that was unfortunate timing on their part. Nevertheless the soup had great flavor and a little spice to go along with it.
I've been enjoying pork more than steak lately and so I went with the pork tenderloin with squash, cilantro, and corn for my entree. Like the soup, this was fantastic. The pork was moist and done to perfection and the squash and corn tasted great with the cilantro; there was even enough for Erin to try a few bites to make up for her steak. Unlike the soup, I feel confident that this was made fresh to order, based on the time it took to arrive and just the sheer quality of the pork itself.
As usual I had no interest in dessert but Erin certainly did so she had some apple pie while I sat there uncomfortably full. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here and would go back again next time I am in the area. We even remembered to bring back the last third of our bottle of wine, rather than forget it at the table!
- Service: The service was fine, our server seemed a little strange, but nothing too weird.
- Food: My soup and pork were great, Erin's steak was not.
- Drinks: Good beer and wine list, no booze.
- Ambiance: We were there after sunset but if you go earlier you can get a great view of the lake. This is a quiet place to go and relax.
- Convenience: Not much for public transit, but an easy drive up 61 from Duluth, before you get to Two Harbors.
Erin's Review
After my coworkers Amy and Sharon both independently recommended New Scenic Cafe, I was very excited to try it! I kind of wish we had gone there earlier in the evening so we could have actually enjoyed some of the scenery, but I guess we saw enough of the lake during the day anyway.
Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of the exterior or interior since I wasn't planning on writing a review, but if you clicked on the google street view link above, you get the picture. It really isn't anything to write home about in terms of decor, that's for sure! I was expecting something a little nicer, but like everything up there, it was pretty much northwoods themed, which is pretty tired if you ask me.
They were pretty tight with the reservations - we got there at 7:30 and our table for our 7:45 reservation wasn't ready until closer to 7:50. They had some tables set up in the entryway to wait, which was a nice touch. I enjoyed a refreshing lemonade while we waited.
I asked the server for recommendations for a red wine, and was pleased when she actually stayed at or under my requested price range - all too often servers will recommend something that is just a few more dollars than you ask which I hate. The wine was a little dry for my taste, but I guess I never know how to request what I actually like so that's my own issue :)
There were a number of interesting dishes, but for some reason I decided to go with the filet mignon, which was ultimately a bad choice. I love a good filet and hadn't had one in awhile so I figured it would be good.... but alas, no. I also chose the house salad as it seemed to "go" with the filet best but that was kind of mediocre as well. It was FINE, just nothing great. Ben's soup was MUCH better.
The filet came with a side of baked potato. The whole thing was just not great. The filet was pretty tough, which really should never happen with that cut of meat. It reminded me of why I typically hate steak - I had to chew each bite like 30 times to get it to the point of swallowing. I ordered it cooked medium, and it was plenty pink in the middle, so I don't think it was overcooked either. All in all, pretty disappointing! The potato was fine.
To try to make up for my disappointing entree, I ordered the cranberry apple pie for dessert, which was quite good - I especially liked the ultra custardy ice cream that it was served with. I did LOVE Ben's entree - so I wouldn't be opposed to going back if I was in the area, but it wouldn't be my top pick either.
Deets
5461 North Shore Scenic Drive
Duluth, MN
