Town Talk Diner

2707 1/2 East Lake Street
Minneapolis
http://www.towntalkdiner.com/

After seeing the episode of Diners Drive-Inns and Dives I had to check this place out. Lets just say this is not your average diner. If it is considered a diner, it should win the prize for the most trendy. Its not a huge diner but we only waited 5 or 10 minutes to get a table. It is split with the bar on left and the restaurant on the right as you walk in.

Seriously, what diner has a full bar? I knew there was a reason going to like this place. The beers are served by bottle or can. When they are ordered in the can they come with coozie's to keep them cool, nice little touch I thought. Town Talk is also known for its mixed drinks. I might be daring enough to try the Bacon Manhattan or a Kentucky Cousin during my next visit. Or if your are feeling adventurous you could just order the 40 of PBR and be done with it.

The menu is set-up with appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers and entrees. I guess you could say your typical diner food but a bit more eclectic. The best part about it was that nothing priced over $18! We started out with an appetizer of frickles or fried pickles which were great. For dinner I had the Kitchen Sink Burger which was as good as could be expected. My brother, on the other hand had the Brat Burger, which he still has not shut-up about to this day. Its served with spicy kraut, which he really liked. My wife had the Turkey Burger, which she too thought was very good and my bother's wife had the Organic Tempeh Sandwich. She said it was good but she wasn't quite as excited as her husband. The burgers come with Garlic Parsley Potato Fries which were to die for. No kissy face after that though.

Our trip to Town Talk Diner was great. The service was excellent and the food was way better than you would expect to eat at a diner. I would defintely return to try an entree and their bacon infused Burboun. Town Talk was recently sold to Thero Restuarant Group. So I guess one could say that it is no longer Chef Owned. Chef Tony Callies still runs the kitchen and Nick Kosevich is still behind the bar. Hopefully it has not lost its spark and I look forward to returning soon!

Ratings from 1-10:

Atmosphere 8

Food 7

Service 7

Noise 5

Price: The food was very affordable. The drinks were suprisingly inexpensive.

Red Stag Supperclub

509 1st Avenue NE
Minneapolis
http://www.redstagsupperclub.com/

The Red Stag Supperclub located in NE Minneapolis was an instant hit for me. A huge cast aluminum sculpture of a Red Stag guards the entrance. The restaurant reminds a person of a comfortable hunting lodge. It has a nice big bar with an ample amount of seating room. It didn't feel like a supperclub to me and will bode well with the urban hipsters.

At first glance of the menu my initial reaction was, "here we go again with the small plates and the big plates." However, after further review I determined that the small plates were more like appetizers. Other than the macaroni and cheese I don't think that I would consider any of the plates dinner material.

My brother and I chose an order of smelt fries for our appetizer or small plate. These were interesting to say the least, its kind of like eating deep fried minnows but no heads and no guts. I will most likely never have them again but had to try them once. I'm sure to the smelt fry connoisseur they we great, I had nothing to compare them to. For entrees I ordered the seared Blue Fin Tuna which was amazing! My brother has the Red Deer Stroganoff which we both agreed was awesome. Our wives both had the Pork Chop which I could take or leave.

The service was great. Our waiter was defintely helpful with luring us into the best plates on the menu. They even served water with dinner.

The Red Stag is the first Leed-C1 certified restaurant in the twin cities and serves local, organic foods as much as possible. Everything is recycled and waste food is composted. Green even in the bathrooom with full flush or half flush toilets and recycle bin for paper towels.

I really enjoyed our visit to the Red Stag Supperclub. They have great food and a casual atmosphere. They have a full bar and the drinks are reasonable. Owners Kari and Kim Bartmann have it figured out and Chef Bill Baskin is on top of his game. Chalk another great restaurant up to a list which inlcudes the Bryant Lake Bowl and Barbette.

Ratings from 1-10:

Atmosphere 10

Food 7

Service 8

Noise 3

Price: Moderate

Barrio Tequila Bar

925 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis
http://www.barriotequila.com/

Barrio Tequila Bar is the new hip and trendy Latin American/Mexican restaurant located on 9th and Nicollet in Minneapolis. My first impression was "Wow this place is small and crowded." We had to scream at the hostess to tell her the name that was on the reservation. Thankfully, she sat us in a booth surrounded by three walls in the back of the restaurant so we were not subject to the constant thud of music coming out of lower level bar area.

There is a reason why they named it Barrio TEQUILA BAR. With over 117 different kinds of tequila on the shelf, its obvious what this place is all about. You are not going to spend a ton on food but you better be ready to drop some coin on booze. The tequila selection was impressive and you could order a small side of Sangrita to go with. There was a nice selection of beer if you did not care to spend $10 for a shot of tequila or a margarita.

The menu is set-up with small plates and large plates. Enchiladas and tacos are ordered ala carte. We started out with made to order Guacamole for the table which was very tasty. As a second course I had the small plate of Sugarcane Skewered Tequila Shrimp and a Red Chile Enchilada off the ala carte menu, both were excellent. However, this did not fully satisfy my appetite. An additional small plate of the Tequila-Cured Salmon only helped slightly.

The service was slow and the food comes out as its made. Don't plan on everyone getting their food at the same time and manners are out the door, just eat it when its hot.

My overall take was that the food was great, the atmosphere was alive and the tequila was awesome. I am not a huge fan of Tapas or small plates because of my large appetite. So if you do not want to leave hungry, try a large plate. Chef Tim McKee obviously knows what it takes to run a successful restaurant and Solera already has the Tapas thing going for it. My question to him is "Why the small plate thing?"

Ratings From 1-10:

Atmosphere 10 (If you like it loud!)

Food 7

Service 5

Noise 10

Price: Tequila and mixed drinks are extremely expensive. The food price was moderate.