Duplex - J and I visited on a Friday night after seeing In Bruges at the Uptown. (I finally had to give in and see this excellent movie at the Uptown, as much as I hate the place, since the movie never went anywhere else. This flick should have got some traction, but didn't. I'm guessing people thought it was too dark. But I loved it.) We had been planning on visiting Duplex for a long time, but aren't generally inclined to go to Uptown restaurants.
The first floor was fairly empty when we arrived. There is also seating on the second floor, but we never got up there. Even so, we were seated in a kind of dark and boring side room without any energy. Why we weren't allowed to sit in the bring front room near the hubbub and the bar wasn't clear. But after we arrived they sat another couple right next to us, which was also weird since the front room had plenty of tables and now we had other patrons right on top of us (who had a box fan sitting under their table).
Both of us were starving, so we ordered the poutine as an appetizer. If you don't know what poutine is, you should try it once in your life. It is a combination of french fries, melted cheese curds, and brown gravy. So deliciously bad and indulgent. I have no idea how it compares to the original poutine in Canada, but if I were in ever in need of emotional support through food, I'd go back to Duplex for the poutine.
For our main courses, I ordered taquitos with tofu. I should have known better, but didn't realize they'd be fried. I know that taquitos are normally fried, but somehow had it in my head that they would be served like a taco. After the poutine, I really didn't want more fried food. I was really hoping for a fresh, light dish. To make matters worse, they were boring. Not much flavor, other than fried tortilla.
Duplex is probably better known for its main courses, but I never tried any of them. At some point we'll probably go back and order differently and with better forethought. And I know, regretfully, we won't order the poutine.
Punch Pizza - Punch is our go-to place on a weekend when we don't know what else to eat. As much as I love their pizza, I often stick with the Punch salad. Mixed greens, a bit of prosciutto , pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese covered with a great balsamic and served with a bit of baked crust is all I need to be satisfied. The small is around $4 and the large is around $7. A really good meal at a really good price.
Strippin' trip two - A few weeks ago, I wrote about the greatness that is the Strip Club. We went again, this time with other people, and had another superb meal. My brothers both ordered the NY Strip. My brother's girlfriend had a different cut of meat and J and I shared the pork for two. The pork came with Brussels sprouts (one of my favorite foods on the planet) and mashed potatoes. We had an excellent server who plied us with different mixed drinks and wine pours. We got silly and laughed heartily. The staff joined us in our revelry. I can't recommend this place enough.
Psycho Suzi's - We've been here many times, often in the summer to sit on their patio and consume tiki drinks. When my brother visited, we tried again. We didn't really eat a meal here and mostly just munched on hummus and bread or ham and pickle roll-ups (why do I like these so much?). But we did order one pizza for all us to share. It was pretty basic (cheese and sausage, I think) to accommodate my bland pizza needs. However, I have to say it was really good. Much better than expected for a place that doesn't really specialize in food.
El Patio (Downtown St. Paul Mexican) - I saw a mouse. 'Nuff said.
Red Stag - I should really write a separate post for Red Stag. If you haven't read about it, it is the first LEED-CI registered restaurant in MN. From their website, "The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings."
I've been there twice. The first time was for lunch. My companion and I split a salad and split a squash pasta dish. After that first visit, I was sort of "eh" about the whole experience. The salad, their version of the chop including mixed greens, rice, pomegranate, blood orange, cheese, and bacon-like ham hock, was incredibly small. We ordered the large (for $12 and split it), but what we got was less than a regular side salad. And I found the flavors sort of boring. We also split the butternut squash ravioli. Again, a very small dish, which again was under-seasoned. After this experience, I wasn't sure I'd be back. But J really wanted to try the place. They have lots of weird items on the menu (like roasted bone marrow) so the place is right up his alley.
Saturday night, we arrived at 10 p.m. and still had to wait to be seated. The place is extremely popular and exceedingly busy. Reservations are recommended. But once at our table, our server was friendly and efficient. One of the best perks is that diners are given the option of fizzy or still water. J loved this. He is a big La Croix drinker. Another lovely touch is the inclusion of a small bread basket with both butter and a garlic dipping sauce. The best part of the bread basket are the homemade garlicky, salty crackers that go well with either topping.
I started my meal with an order of Brussels sprouts (I told you I love them) followed by the same salad. (I know; why order the same salad again if I didn't like it the first time? Well, I decided this is the type of salad I should like, so it deserved another chance.) What a difference a second visit makes. This time it was plentiful, flavorful, and gorgeous. At dinner it is the same price as lunch, so I'm not sure why the volume changed. If I knew I'd get that salad at every visit, I'd probably never order anything else. J ordered the garlic and onion bisque followed by the elk stroganoff. Neither are things I would find interesting. However, he liked them both and especially praised the stroganoff for its originality.
We also received a complimentary dish from our server, that neither of us would have ordered, but, for free, it was fun to try. Called the butcher plate, it came with potted duck, pig in a blanket, a scotch egg, a bunch of toast, and really good, grainy mustard. I actually didn't try either the scotch egg or the potted duck, but the pig in a blanket was a small (about two-inch) long sausage of some sort wrapped with a dough, that mixed with the mustard was a very nice little treat. J didn't like the potted duck (too rich, cooked in fat), but did find the egg good in an unusual sort of way. I can't exactly remember the details, but there was an outer deep-fried egg around another hard-boiled egg.
Red Stag also has a good beer and wine selection and a long bar where lots of people hang and eat small plates. The larger items on the menu can get expensive, but it is possible to eat cheaply if you stick with the small plates (like the Brussels sprouts).
Comments