January 4, 2010 by Chad.

After nine years in the IT field I am embarking on a new and exciting direction. A direction that will help redefine who I am. A direction that will use my skills, talents, and personality more completely. What direction am I going? I have no idea but thanks to the immortal (and now deceased) George Harrison, I have this lyric to apply to my current state, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”

I am standing at the precipice of the unknown and enlivened by the opportunity to engage in new challenges as of yet foreign to me. It is truly thrilling to me that I am given the choice to change directions after 12 years of serial employment, but the downside of all this is my lack of recent experience in hunting for employment. Consider the rust of 12 years a possible governor to my zeal, keeping me from engaging in the hunt as a veteran hunter rather than a relative novice. After all, that which we hunt is still the same animal but the tools and techniques have been augmented by the continued assimilation of technology into every facet of our lives. In other words, I need to relearn how to search for a job and what I am looking for. Remember if you don’t know where your going(don’t have a clue what you want) any road will take you there.

Well, this is of course a great way to re-engage my writing on this blog. For those who may be reading, I appeal to your experience, your knowledge, and your guidance. Like a good recipe, the outcome all depends on the journey taken to it not the attainment of the finished product. If you show little care to the process, then your outcome will surely be crap.

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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

So today Robin was sick at home with strep. Her big plan was to make it into town and get the oil changed in her car. Well, it got to the middle of the afternoon so I decided to take the car in myself so she could continue to sleep off her ills. We have been going to a place on Highway 10 that has a good multiple change deal for a decent price when changing her oil. I tend to take thew car to Snappy Lube Plus because I am loyal to a mechanic there. The crux of this short post is just that. What motivates a person to go to a place where they get the best price when they might get better service elsewhere?

The economy is not yet recovered but it goes to show the level of quality people are looking for when places like Walmart are making a ton of money. The oil change I paid for was from a place where I know the people who work there. Was it the cheapest? No. It doesn’t have to be. Would the other place have done it well enough too? Maybe.

I guess I just like doing business with people I know and not with nameless, faceless corporations that can mass buy product for the cheapest price possible. I say this, but I also won’t deny I shop at places like Cub Foods, Target, and Menards as well. In those cases it’s convenience…which is probably another issue with modern society. I am not trying to fix that problem today. I just wanted to get people thinking about who they do business with and why. If there was someone you could trust but had to charge more for their products or services, would you go there? That’s a loaded question, I know. So, give it some thought and let me know what you think. Jeff Haskamp is my mechanic and I am more than willing to pay a little more to have him look at it. I trust him. That means a lot to me.

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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally reviewed July 21, 2009

Decoy’s Grill & Bar, 1022 Main Street, Hopkins, MN 55343

I was down at the Raspberry Festival in my favorite hometown of Hopkins, Minnesota to partake in the Waterball competition hosted by the Hopkins Jaycees. While there the hungry bell rang so my friend Tracey Biegert and I stopped into Decoy’s for a bite to eat. Upon entering, we were assailed by a cacophony of discordant Karaoke performers. It was then that we remembered that there was a karaoke competition going on. Oh well.

We sidled over to a booth along the windows and ordered up a couple burgers. Dining with me is an experience of sharing. Thankfully Tracey realized this and we exchanged halves. The two burgers I sampled were the Olive Burger and a burger with blue cheese(The name escapes me and they do not have a web page that appears in Google with a menu for me to check…grrrr).

A guy in the booth ahead of us laughed at me when I breathed in the smell of the Olive Burger. Is that really all that odd? Olives have a distinct smell to them and I was checking to see if the burger had that smell. Little did I know it was an inside joke to his wife, who had her back to me. Back to the burger. I was disappointed that I could not pick out the smell at all. The patty was fresh ground and irregular which is always a good sign and the cheddar cheese was oozy on top. Overall it was palatable and might be worth trying again sometime.

The gem of the meal was the burger I ordered. The blue cheese was thick and added just enough tang to the burger that it complimented the beef. Bacon(?) on top was a textural bonus. This one I would order again in an official review someday. It may not be top 20 worthy but its definitely worth trying.

If the blue cheese burger was the gem, then the fries were the coal. They were inconsistent seasoning, bland, and slightly undercooked for my tastes. They existed someplace in between a jo-jo and regular table fry, with little to no crisp snap but clearly not as soft as fish and chips fries.

The best part of the meal besides hanging out with a good friend? My junior high/high school crush walked by the window as she was on her way to Monsters vs Aliens at the theatre. Thankfully she heard me pounding on the window. That was the first time I have seen or talked to Amanda in person since early college, but enough about me… go eat already!

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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted July 14, 2009

209 Bar

209 Minnesota Ave NW

Bemidji, MN 56601

I was up visiting an event run by the Bemidji Jaycees at the local Legion. Normally I am pretty good at staying on top of eating within a reasonable dinner time. This evening in particular was an exception. At 8pm as the DJ spins music for the dueling karaoke challenge, I get the empty pit feeling. We are not talking about that snicketty snack feeling but the full-on empty stomach chasm feeling. To this I turned to my friend Will Fischer and asked him if there was a local restaurant that was very close. He pointed me in the direction of the 209 Bar. A mere half block walk found me at the doorsteps of the 209 and my stomachs salvation.

Food: 8                     Type: Bar Food

The menu was by no means extensive but as I sat down at the bar I saw what I needed, a good burger. Among the 20 items on the menu was an interesting burger called The Tony. It was a 1/2 pound cajun seasoned hunk of meat with pepper jack cheese and bacon on it. The best part? It was slathered with a thick robust BBQ sauce that was exceptionally mess but put a ribbon on what was a well prepared burger. The flavor of fresh ground beef was unmistakable and the well balanced myriad of seasonings and other toppings played a delightful tug of war on my taste buds. This varied flavor quality lends itself to less boredom and more exhilaration for the eating experience.

Under normal circumstances, I would have had an app or at the very least some fries to judge, but I had a limited time frame to get back to the music and then on my way back to the cabin in Crosslake so I had to be satisfied with the burger and chips it came with.

Had I been there with someone else or had four stomachs like a cow I would have tried out The 209, a burger of monstrous proportions.(2 pounds, 9 ounces….as if 2 pounds alone was not enough) They of course want a days notice to prepare the beast before you are able to slay it and at $24.50, it costs more than three times anything else on the menu. With that exception, everything is very reasonably priced.

Service: 5

A good bartender will talk you up when you are waiting and know when to leave you alone when you are intently watching the Twins game on the bar TV. This one was a bit of a talker, but he did a good enough job. He poured me a cold Finnigan’s Irish Amber which was smooth and a balance to the burgers sweet tingle. He did what was needed to feed me, but not outstandingly so. The food was prepared in a reasonable amount of time. Not much more to say about it I guess.

Atmosphere:4

It was a bar, with bar gear, bar decorations, and bar posters. Not much to go on here because it was not unlike a lot of bars I have darken the doors of in the last 15 years. The bathroom was clean and that is a big statement when at a bar.

Overall: 6

If you are a traveller and need to stop in Bemidji for a bite to eat then let me suggest the 209. I came there looking for exactly what I got, a tasty burger and a glass of beer. I left having filled the chasm in my stomach and still got back in time to listen to a little music before hitting the road.

Would I go there again? Absolutely!

Sherburne County Backroads is proud to call The Tony one of the unofficial top 20 burgers in the state.

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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted July 14, 2009

The Schmit Haus

10361 115th St NE

Gilman, MN 56333

While at an event near Foley, MN my interest was piqued  by a dining establishment that had been made out of a former auto shop in Gilman.  I had eaten a few years ago in a garage restaurant down in the cities that, for the life of me, I cannot remember the name of. (Bad Chad!) Anyway, what kind of a theme or dining gem would I be able to pull out of this experience? There really was only one way to find out.

Food:2

Here was a great opportunity for some very creative dining options, even within the scope of americana, that could have really made the food special. There could have been a German influenced infusion of options with sour kraut or schnitzel but there was not. There could be a classic burger joint feel with ice cream floats or classic americana but again there was not. In fact, the menu was limited, greasy and bland and that made me very disappointed. There is a lot of opportunity here for improvement or elaboration.

Can I use the terms limp and lifeless to describe the frozen meat patty I received that passed as a burger? Not cool. Normally I have something good to share here. Not today. Not here. The people of Gilman are the only people who are likely to come here because it is the only place to go in this little town. If you are the only place in town who do you have to compete with anyway. Maybe driving to Foley for dinner is not all that bad an idea.

Service: 4

Ok, our server tried. She really tried. She tried to do what she could with what she had.  She had patience with our children as they were beyond  nap time. She managed the floor well and the glut of people who came in when we got there, gliding amongst the tables making sure everyone CAN of  pop still had enough in it.  In the end, she was hampered by an exceptionally slow kitchen and that counted against her. So, the end resulting score has more to do with the kitchen side of the service than the server. It still added up to an hour wait for a few cheeseburgers and fries. There was no apologies for this time lapse from our server so I had to assume that this was par for the course here. More reason to question giving them a higher score in the service area.

Atmosphere: 2

Again this is an area of squandered opportunity. If you want to go someplace that remarkably looks like your crazy Uncle’s 70’s wood paneled basement rec room, then this place is for you. With a bar at one wall, booths opposite, and tables and chairs in between, this is pretty basic. The most interesting thing in the room is the wooden door with class windows that opens into a small quick access cooler for the server to store milk and other common restaurant perishables.

Tie a good food theme with decor and you have a winning combination for a point of destination dining experience. That is what people want.  I speculate whether the Schmit Haus is a very thinly capitalized restaurant because there was almost no attempt to spruce it up. I even speculate on whether it would have been more interesting if they had left it looking like a garage on the inside. Now, that would have been interesting. Add to it some automotive hardware from the scrap yard(but lovingly cleaned up). To any gearhead that would be a place to stop, a place to see, and a place to tell your friends about.

Take note, the bathroom needs a serious remodel and that is all I will say on that subject.

Overall: 3

A lot of room for improvement here. There is no definable direction in the menu, food, or the atmosphere. Food on the go at a snail’s pace was not appealing to anyone at our table or tables near us. I really don’t think that the people of Gilman are all that different from anyone in St Cloud or points throughout the state of Minnesota. This being the case, I think the people of Gilman probably would feel the same as I do about the Schmit Haus. It needs more…a lot more.

Would I eat there again? Unless it goes through a major remodel of operations, definitely not.

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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted April 23, 2009

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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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted April 21, 2009

Jimmy’s Pour House

22 2nd Ave No.

Sauk Rapids, MN 56379

(32…

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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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted March 17, 2009

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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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted October 25, 2008

Rancho Grande

1004 Hwy 55 West

Buffalo, MN 55313

Robin and I were in Annadale staying Thayer’s Historic Bed and Breakfast in Annadale a few months ago and upon the recommendation of Sharon Gammel the proprietor we hoofed it down to Buffalo to experience the authenticity of Rancho Grande for ourselves. Story has it that they were originally located in a very small restaurant space and they relocated because they were literally bursting at the seams. That is what tripped my interest in reviewing Rancho Grande.

Food: 8

If you are looking for signature dishes of a restaurant you can ask the server, but often times they have been couched on only a few of the dishes (Most of them are at the top end of the menu price). I cannot emphasis enough how refreshing it is when a restaurant marks their signature dishes in the menu itself. If I have a limited time and no knowledge of a restaurant, theere is no time to try it all.

For the review I was looking for something meaty and well balanced. That was most definitely found with their Enchiladas Rancheras. A lot of Mexican restaurants will have the staples included in this meal: three cheese enchiladas and rice and bean. What really made this meal phenomenal was what came on top of the enchiladas. It was topped a healthy pile of fried shredded pork, sweet grilled tomatoes, bell peppers and onions. Then add to it a seasoning that is not outstandingly hot, but robust, and you have an outstanding meal. It provided a great expanse of flavors that hit different taste buds at different moments with every bite. It was thoroughly enjoyable and almost never duplicated. It was one of those meals you wanted to eat past the third bite because you knew it was going to be different than the last. That is what food should taste like!

Enchiladas on their own are a quite simple item, it is when creativity and a flair for taste is applied that it can be made into a very enjoyable experience.

Service: 2

Where they excelled in the food category, they failed in service. Outside of the host who graciously glided around the dining floor and back to the waiting area, our serving staff was very sub-par. Serving is an art. It is an art of timing. We were largely ignored for about 20 minutes before being approached for an order.(We did get the cursory chips and salsa though) We had to place out beverage order twice because it was forgotten. To top it off we needed to prompt someone to give us our bill. Isolated experience? I do not know. All I can say is what I saw. This definitely needs to be addressed in training and/or employee reviews because service is a piece of the equation that equals a superior dining experience.

Atmophere: 6

The dining area of the restaurant is split into two sections by a rather creative and fun way. The ceilings and walls are painted in a night and day scene. The bar section was painted in the night scene with stars moon and other interesting artifacts. The main dining area was obviously the day. This definitely distracted from that fact that it was basically a big open room. It’s loud when the tables are full and a booth is really the only source or relative intimate dining. Plastic chili peppers and other decorative schlock adorns the walls, but it is more there to add three dimensions to the wall murals. It is still designed with a fun theme that children and adults would enjoy.

Overall: 5

The food was outstanding. If that was all I was reviewing then this would likely be one of the top Mexican restaurants I ever ate at. Unfortunately, the significant lack of quality service was a big hindrance to the overall enjoyment of the experience. What can I say? Hopefully my experience with the service was an isolated occasion, but I walked away from it thinking that if given the chance to go there again…I just might pass on it.

There was no picture for this location on MinnesotaRestaurantSearch.com, but there are a couple of them for their other two locations in Alberville and Monticello.

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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally posted July 8, 2009

RJ’s American Grill4221 Clearwater Rd

St Cloud, MN 56301

You know the old adage about the most important thing when buying a building for home or business? It’s all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! Well, in spite of this fact RJ’s American Grill has squirreled itself behind a truck stop in an out of the way strip mall presumably to make you look for it like a buried pirate treasure. The ground is not marked with an “X”, but it definitely holds a wealth of dining experiences.

Food: 9

RJ’s is definitely Americana, but dances to the beat of their own tuba. Tuba you ask? Well, their spin on American dining fare is so unique, I felt it needed more emphasis and what has more POW than a tuba…but I digress. The menu, which is online, is filled with very original accents to the traditional slab of meat. Rarely do you see such things as kalamata olives or Gorgonzola cheese on a menu anywhere around here. Very few things are as quintessentially American as a burger and, to be honest, it is hard to find new things that peak taste buds. That is just what happened though.

I had the RJ’s Crispy Cheddar Burger with the sweet potato fries and was pleased. The cheddar was shredded and the tactile taste of slightly crunchy slow cooked cheddar was amazing. During my cooking escapades I determined that given the right amount of heat everything melts, but it takes skill to cook cheese without melting it into a indiscriminate blob. Kudos. Sweet potatoes, which are usually relegated to some traditional holiday meal and bathed in melted marshmallows, was definitely a different experience to eat but very tasty. I even had cause to eat them without any condiments what so ever.

Also, eaten was a Black and Blue Burger. The slight Cajun flavoring sat in good contrast to the applewood smoked bacon and blue cheese. This burger is immensely sloppy to eat, or maybe that was just me.

The kids options for meals had a couple different options. Buttered noodles for the finicky toddler and mini burgers for small eaters. The mini burgers fit nicely when children refuse to eat well outside of the home. The second burger can easily be boxed up and taken home.

For desert? Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches with 2 chocolate chip cookies as bookends to a generous portion of ice cream. You can tell they were not prepared on the fly as they were thoroughly frozen, but not everything  that is called homemade is made on the spot.

Prices are a little over average for dining out and the menu is laid out with round numbers rather than $8.95. I for one have seem more restaurants do this on menus and it seems to be more of a true pricing. Every time I see .99 cents on the end of a price I think of the old commercials for “Viking Chevrolet in downtown Fridley.”

Service: 9

I am tough on servers. Never do I show even a small sign of discontent, but the relationship between the server and the patron can, and often does, outshine the food. If people feel they are getting great service they may feel like eating mediocre food again just so they can get that warm fuzzy feeling. I don’t care how good the food is or how neat the digs are. If the service is lousy, so will be your experience.

Our server was OUTSTANDING! That is a word that seldom comes out in a review. She was attentive, interested in serving our needs, watched for the appropriate time to visit the table, and even swooped in like Superwoman with crayons and pictures to color for our squirmy children. That was definitely the big thing. Its standard for a restaurant to have crayons and a pre-packaged menu for kids to draw on. These pictures she brought us where from a website that had no advertising and no menu. Someone actually took the time to deliver a unique drawing experience to my children. I was amazed!

Food was timely and spaced out perfectly between appetizer, entree, and desert.

Atmosphere: 8

A lot of restaurants are moving toward decorative stonework. The problem with that is unless it is decorated enough, it can appear cold and uninviting. This restaurant blends an original stone design on a focal wall with warm lighting, and contemporary decorations to produce an upscale eatery. Dining is compartmentalized enough so that the perception of intimacy or privacy is maintained from almost every point in the dining rooms. There is a good sized meeting room in the back of the main dining area for meetings.

Overall: 9

If looking for Americana, this place should definitely be on your short list of places to try in the St Cloud area. The triumvirate of Food, Service, and Atmosphere play excellently here and so few restaurants can say they have all the pieces working in unison. The only concern I have is the location, but that can be overcome with effort on the owner’s part. The presentation is spot on!

Check out their website for more information

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