First Course

Visited on Tuesday, August 18th with Erin T. and Nick

Ben's Review
Our friends Erin (ErinT) and Nick were visiting from New York so we planned on going out for dinner one night while they were back. Erin (my Erin) gave me a list of several restaurants to choose three from, and she sent those three on to ErinT. ErinT settled on First Course in south Minneapolis so we arranged to meet at 7pm on a Tuesday night.

First Course doesn't look like much from the outside. The sidewalk is very wide which gives them plenty of space for a patio. The restaurant is attached to the shops on either side of it, in a sort of neighborhood strip mall.

The inside, however, has a much different feel. They've decorated in a chic, urban way that almost would fit in better in uptown. One thing that I didn't even notice until later in the meal is that the north wall is mostly made of plywood, though it goes perfectly with the rest of the room, I thought it was a very clever way to make the place look cool on the cheap.

We were seated right away at a bistro table in the bar area. They also have regular tables around the restaurant as well. The one downside with our location is that we had the sun coming right in the windows into my face for the first twenty minutes or so. It took quite awhile for someone to actually greet us and bring us water, maybe 10 minutes? Once we got service the wait staff turned out to be knowledgeable and friendly.

ErinT and Nick ordered a bottle of an Argentinian wine that was really good (though I think Charles Shaw is also good, so take this with a grain of salt) while we chatted and enjoyed the warm bread. I wonder how long you could eat bread at a restaurant without actually ordering anything? There are several places I could do this and be completely satisfied, First Course is one of those places.

I decided on the cornmeal encrusted tilapia after much deliberation. They have several pastas that sounded great, but I had had pasta for dinner the past couple nights so I was hankering for something else. My tilapia came on a bed of mixed greens with other veggies and a lemon vinaigrette, the entire thing was fantastic, though if we go back I think I'd try Nick's butternut squash ravioli - holy crap that looked good!

(Squash Ravioli)

We ordered another bottle of wine and dessert to share, the warm German chocolate cake and the Tres Leches Cake from the menu. These desserts were both awesome, I'm a sucker for warm cake. We left full and I left a little tipsy, thankfully Erin is the designated driver for awhile!

• Service: Not good at first, but once we got service they were great.

• Food: Excellent tilapia, and the pastas are creative and delicious.

• Drinks: Large wine list and a full bar, I saw no evidence of a happy hour, but I could be wrong here.

• Ambiance: I felt like I was in an uptown restaurant without the loud music and annoying people, it was great :)

• Price: We were there on half price wine night, so that was cool. The entrees range from $12-$25. The pastas are in the lower range, which makes them a great deal.

• Convenience: First Course is located right near Todd Park with plenty of street parking (another benefit over uptown).

Erin's Review
As Ben mentioned, the process of choosing a restaurant for this evening was a little time consuming. When going through our list now, I now have to decide where I am willing to go and not have wine, and make sure there are enough entree choices with no forbidden foods on them. It's tougher than I thought!

When we got to First Course, I was a little put off by the outside appearance, it being in kind of a dingy strip mall. It was quite nice inside, however. I'm not sure I'd rave about it QUITE as much as Ben did, but it was certainly an upgrade from what I thought it would be from the outside. We were seated in the last 4 top available, the place was pretty full for a Tuesday night. It appeared there was only 1 or 2 servers working, and we waited quite awhile before even getting waters. This annoyed me a lot, but they redeemed themselves as the night went on. Finally we got our waters, and then after another long wait, got our bread. The bread was definitely fresh and warm which was a good thing after that wait.

I based my entree choice solely off the side dish offered. The gorgonzola and parmesan risotto was calling my name at that moment, so chicken roulade it was! It wasn't too long of wait to get our food, thankfully. I really enjoyed this meal - as expected, I liked the risotto more so than the chicken, but the whole thing was delicious. It was enough for 2 full meals for me, and was great for lunch the next day. Worth noting is the fact that they were very accomodating of Erin T requesting a meal with no dairy in it whatsoever - the server was very knowledgable of what could be replaced and showed no signs of being annoyed at her request.

As I watched Nick, Erin T and Ben drink their wine (1/2 priced bottles on Tuesdays!), I decided that I WOULD be having dessert, which was my primary reason for not eating more of my entree. It was tough to decide what to order, so I just went with 2 in hopes that someone would share with me - and they did :) I loved both the german chocolate and the tres leches cakes equally - the chocolate was warm and gooey and the tres leches cake was lighter and citrusy with lime zest - they complemented each other perfectly.

I loved First Course, and would definitely return there in the future! Cozy and warm ambiance and wonderful food.

Deets
First Course
5607 Chicago Avenue South
Minneapolis

Il Vesco Vino

Visited on Sunday, August 1st

Erin's Review
I used to volunteer every Sunday night from 4-8, and to celebrate my first completely free Sunday, I wanted to go out to eat. Since pretty much the only thing I've been wanting lately is bland carbs, a fairly generic Italian place seemed like it would fit the bill. Il Vesco Vino was the chosen destination.

Since we were there on a weeknight, they had a $25 deal where you get a salad, entree and dessert which is exactly what I wanted. I got the bibb salad, which was delicious - fruit and blue cheese is my favorite type of salad, so I was set.

The stuffed shells is the real reason I chose this place for our dinner - what can I say, I just wanted some pasta and a lot of cheese :) I figured the spinach was just a nutritional bonus. They were pretty good, but not the best I've had. I could only finish about 1/3 of it, but that just meant I got to bring the leftovers for lunch which is my favorite part of going to places with huge portions :)

I chose the carrot cake for dessert, which was quite good. I loved the caramel drizzle especially. Of course, I was already full, but I still managed to eat most of it! Since I'm without alcohol for the next 5.5 months, I got myself a "fun drink" of a decaf latte to go with my dessert. Yipee.... :)

Not sure I would really rush back to Il Vesco Vino, but it was a fun night with good food.

Ben's Review
Last Sunday, Erin wanted to go out and she wanted to have Italian food, and for the time being, we eat what she wants to eat :) We looked over our list for a Italian places and came down to Al Vento and Il Vesco Vino. The menu at Al Vento looked a little smaller so we headed down West 7th by Xcel Energy Center to Il Vesco Vino.

When we walked in we found the host booth by the door, but no host. We poked around a bit and eventually someone came over to seat us ("Sorry, Cocktail is on TV!" was her excuse :) The place was COMPLETELY empty, there were more employees huddled around the TV than customers. Being a Sunday night in downtown Saint Paul I wasn't really expecting a big crowd, and we got great service, so I can't complain.

We were quickly served up some bread and olive oil (though no pepper at the table!) while we looked over the menus. On Sundays they have a deal for $25 that gets you an entree, a salad, and dessert which seemed like a pretty good deal. You can't have any entree; there is a select list of ones that are available with the special, but there are plenty to choose from. I went with the linguine bolognese for my entree, with a caprese salad (I'd actually been craving this for awhile, even though I dislike tomatoes), I also got a glass of wine.

The caprese salad was HUGE! I was expecting a single "stack" of tomato slice, mozzarella, and basil, but instead I got five four, it was absurd. Between the delicious bread (two baskets) and the five four pieces of cheese, I was full enough to call it a night, but I wasn't throwing in the towel just yet. The bolognese was excellent, it was another recommendation from Erin, as I was having trouble deciding what to order. I should have stopped eating sooner than I did so I could have had more leftovers for lunch, but it just tasted too good.

For my dessert I got the turtle semifreddo, which I thought was good, but not worth the $8 you would normally have to spend to get it. Overall, a great (and filling) meal.

Also, I want to mention that every Monday night during the summer, Il Vesco Vino teams up with Stogies on Grand to have a cigar and drink special on the patio. $15 gets you a cigar paired with a drink from the bar. I want to hit this up before August is over, we have to get our smoking done in the summer months in Minnesota!

• Service: Great service, it helped that there was nobody else there :)

• Food: My pasta was great, and I loved the humongous salad.

• Drinks: They've got a huge mirrored bar behind the bartender that is FULLY stocked.

• Ambiance: We ate in the bar area, but there is also a separate dining room. I liked the bar ambiance, it was casual but still felt like a nice dinner. I think the dining room might be a bit too stuffy for my taste. They've also got a patio, but it was raining that night.

• Price: We ended up paying a little more because of the $25 deal, I probably wouldn't have gotten a salad or dessert otherwise. The prices are certainly reasonable though.

• Convenience: Parking on a Sunday night is no problem, but it's kind of hit or miss on West 7th normally (in my experience).

Deets
Il Vesco Vino
242 West 7th St.
St. Paul

Azia

Visited on Monday, July 13th

Ben's Review
A couple weeks ago, Erin and I received an invitation to attend a dinner with other local bloggers from Thom Pham, the owner of Azia and other area restaurants. We agreed, but weren't really sure what to expect, without knowing who else had been invited, or even how many people would be there.

It turned out to be a fairly small group of people - eight bloggers/guests and three of Thom's associates for cocktails and food at the Caterpillar Lounge, which is adjacent to Azia. We arrived and were brought to the bar in the Caterpillar by the hostess and were greeted by Nick, who does marketing for Thom, and he got us squared away with something to drink. In spite of the extensive list of specialty martinis I went with a normal half vodka, half gin martini (which was excellent) and Erin got some fruity concoction the bartender put together that looked delicious.

As other people started to arrive I was a little jealous that I hadn't gotten a fancier drink - several of them were served with dry ice that made the drinks appear to be smoking, it was a really cool effect. We enjoyed conversation as more people, including Thom, arrived and got drinks. Thom is a gracious host and an interesting person to talk with, he has a great story to tell of his arrival in Minnesota and starting several restaurants.

After everyone arrived they brought out appetizers in the bar. We helped ourselves to a great spread of food. There were these squash pot stickers that were fantastic as well as meat skewers, some sushi, and a couple other items that escape me at this point (I should have written this earlier). Everyone sat at the small bar tables in the back of the Caterpillar Lounge and talked while we ate. The food was excellent, everyone seemed to be having a great time.

When everyone had filled up on the appetizers, we were then moved into the dining area of the Caterpillar where were seated for a meal of family style items, some from the Azia menu and some new items as well. The invitation had said "heavy appetizers" but this was a full on meal with wine and several desserts. There were four or five main dishes that were passed around the table. I think my favorite was a tie between the Shanghai noodles, which was similar to pad thai but with very thin "cellophane" noodles, and the basil & jalapeno walleye. I was skeptical of the walleye at first, but it was absolutely delicious.

(Cranberry Curry - another winner)

After we ate Thom gave us a tour of Azia and described what it looked like when moved in (the pressed tin ceilings were covered by a dropped ceiling!) and how the corner used to be full of drug dealers, but it has now been transformed into a hip area that people love to come to. There is also a third restaurant, on the other side of Azia, the Anemoni sushi bar. They have a cool boat in the front corner of the restaurant with a table inside that I'd like to eat at someday :) He said that from any of the three restaurants you can order anything from any menu, which is great because you can choose the kind of vibe you want for the night, without having to sacrifice any of your meal options.

We only stayed a few minutes after the tour finished as it was after 9pm by this point on a Monday night and we're lame like that. The food and experience went WAY above the expectations I'd had for the night and it turned out to be a really fun night, I had a great time.

Erin's Review

When Ben told me we'd been invited to a "cocktail/appetizer" event at Azia by chef Thom Pham, I honestly thought it would be pretty lame. Even that night we weren't that excited to go, as we had no clue who else would be there or what the event would be like. Well, to put it mildly, this event FAR exceeded both of our low expectations! We were the first to arrive, and were greeted graciously by the host and the bartender. Nick the marketing guy, and Ryan (I think?) the manager of the restaurant made sure we got drinks right away. I asked for "something fruity" and was blown away by what I got! I can't remember what was it in, except for blackberry puree. It was definitely delicious!

A few other people showed up - bloggers from twin cities eats, The Food Court, and The Bloated Belly. It was really awesome to finally meet these people in person after reading their blogs for awhile! We had some great conversations about our various blogging experiences :)

After a bit of mingling we got some appetizers. I, of course, headed straight for the wontons. As with most things on Azia's menu, there was a twist to them - cranberry. YUM! These were absolutely delicious and one of my favorite things that I had all night. We chowed down for awhile, and I was already pretty much full... and then we moved on to dinner.

(My second fruity drink - complete with edible flower :)

We were all seated and got to try a number of Azia's dishes - I really loved the Sea Bass, which was served with squash, and the walleye with jalapeno basil cream sauce. Those were the two standouts to me, but honestly I was too full to really give any of the dishes justice, unfortunately! To top it all off, we then got dessert, the almond joy and some sort of banana something or other. I was a little meh about each of these - they were good, but nothing that blew me away. That was fine though - I'd definitely enjoyed enough!

This was an excellent event, and I'm so glad it finally got us out there to try Azia. We will definitely need to come back to try it on our own - I want to go to the sushi bar specifically. I loved the vibe in Azia - they have a number of sections - the lounge and sushi bar definitely feel more cozy than the huge main dining room, but the dining room is beautiful so it makes up for the hugeness. It seems like it would be a great place for a fun night out - albeit a slightly expensive one! Monday night wasn't exactly hopping, so when we go back I want to see what it's like on a weekend. Also a bonus - the kitchens of all 3 places are open until 2am!

Deets
Azia
2550 Nicollet Ave S
Minneapolis

Zumbro Cafe

Visited on Sunday, July 5th

Erin's Review
Since it had been exactly one month since we went to the last restaurant on our list, we made it a point to go somewhere new this past weekend! The weather was beautiful on Sunday, so we decided to make the trek over to South Minneapolis and do a walk around Lake Harriet followed by brunch at Zumbro Cafe in Linden Hills.

After the grueling walk around the lake, we were both starving. The crowd outside Zumbro didn't look promising, but luckily when I walked in, there was a table for 2 inside that no one wanted :) Zumbro Cafe is a very cute place - not a lot of decor, but it's clean, cozy, and friendly.

The pancakes were calling my name that morning, which is pretty rare for me. I chose the "Butters" option as opposed to the 2 probably much healthier options of Buckwheat Wild Rice and Cornmeal. They were delicious! You could definitely taste the hint of cinnamon. I also got the fresh squeezed orange juice, which hit the spot.

My one bite of Ben's frittata was also wonderful. He also helped polish off my pancakes, so I know he enjoyed those as well :) South Minneapolis is a long haul from us in St. Paul, so it's doubtful we'll go back to Zumbro, but I'd definitely hit this place up for breakfast if you're in the area!

Ben's Review
It has been far too long since we had gone out to one of our restaurants, so we planned to go out for breakfast on Sunday morning. We also had several places in south Minneapolis on our list, so we went for a walk around Lake Harriet and then headed over to Zumbro Cafe in Linden Hills for brunch. Fun fact: Zumbro Cafe is the last restaurant on our list, and will likely always be last :)

We rolled up to Zumbro Cafe around 11:45 on Sunday morning and I got worried as I dropped Erin off that there would be a long wait, due to all the people milling about outside. I went and parked the car and came back to the restaurant to find Erin already sitting at a table. Turns out most people were waiting for a spot on the porch side of the restaurant, but we weren't that picky this morning so we got sat right away.

The interior ambiance of Zumbro Cafe reminded me of the Egg & I in uptown, with a fancier feel to it. The tables are close enough together so you can hear your neighbors conversations and the decoration and outside porch are similar, however there are less piercings and no clear glass coffee mugs :)

The laminated menus are relatively small (both sides of a single sheet), but they feature most breakfast options you would expect. I went with the Zumbro frittatas with the bacon and cheese option. I also added fresh spinach, which turned out to be a good choice. The frittata was large, about eight inches across, and loaded with bacon, havarti cheese and spinach. My meal also came with some roasted potatoes with green onions and sourdough toast. The potatoes were especially good, I loved the green onions and it tasted like they were cooked in some olive oil.

The first cup of coffee I had was really good, I even made Erin try some. The second cup, however, tasted a little funny, almost like the cream had gone a little bad, but it was the same cream I had used in the first cup. It's possible that the coffee was getting a little old, I'm not sure if that would cause the taste I had, but something seemed off.

Overall I liked Zumbro Cafe a lot and I would recommend them for a weekend brunch, the service and food are both great.

• Service: Good service, no issues even though it was busy.

• Food: Excellent food and they use local, organic ingredients if you care about that sort of thing.

• Drinks: The menu doesn't have any alcohol, but they do have an espresso bar.

• Ambiance: There was good ambiance because it's a small place that was full of people in good spirits.

• Price: Prices were in line with other breakfast places, especially considering that they use organic ingredients. My frittata was $8.75.

• Convenience: I might be off the mark here, but it seems like going to the Linden Hills area is always kind of a pain. It's not near any freeway, and there's no decent road that cuts through the neighborhood, so I would say it's a bit inconvenient. We went on a Sunday, so we weren't in a hurry anyways.

Deets
The Zumbro Cafe
2803 Upton Ave S.
Minneapolis