Downtowner Woodfire Grill
http://www.downtownerwoodfire.com/main.htm

Imagine a beautiful living room with dark wood and natural stone. Now, throw in the sound of running water and ambient lighting. Finally, light a fire in the hearth while you sit back with a glass of smoky scotch or a rich red wine and allow your senses to become enveloped in the sights, sounds and smells. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? If only you could do this at home right?

Well if your humble abode doesn’t offer all these amenities, never fear, you can find this atmosphere everyday at the Downtowner Woodfire Grill in St Paul, Situated on West 7th Street only blocks from the new heartbeat of downtown St. Paul, the Xcel Energy Center. Yes you heard me right, St Paul still has a heartbeat, and it is getting stronger and stronger with the success of places like this.

The minute you walk in the door at DWG, you are surrounded with the rich smell of an open fire followed by the running water from the unique fountains behind the bar. We were seated immediately in the backroom right next to one of the multiple fireplaces located throughout the establishment. It made for a very cozy and quite dinner away from the hustle of the main dining room.

Dinner started with the crab cakes. When they came out my first thought was “crab fritters”. I still don’t know the difference. They were very standard and had a sauce that was rather watered down.

My entrée choice was one of the house specialties (recommended by our server). The Persian Fire Roasted Leg of Lamb was spectacular. If you are looking for a large chunk of meat, you had better check out a different part of the menu. If you are looking for a reasonably (and still plentiful) sized dinner with all kinds of flavor and tenderness this meal is for you. I really enjoyed the lamb which is served kabob style with veggies and a light, almost refreshing rice. Grilled veggies compliment the meal.

All in all the meal was very good. The wine selection was average and the service was better than most, even though our server had quite a number of tables. He was very efficient.

Bottom line, if you are looking for a place in St Paul with a good steak list and a number of other choices, all well enjoying a nice fire and the wonderful smell of real burning wood on a cool winter night, this is the place. Prices are reasonable as well. GO on a non game night (The MN Wild play just down the street) and you should have no problem finding a table.

City Cafe - Rochester

http://www.cccrmg.com/city_cafe_contact.htm


So my travels took me outside of the Minneapolis/St Paul area this past weekend. But not so far that I didn’t feel like a write up was relevant. Rochester, MN – Home of the Mayo Clinic, a water tower that looks like a corn cob, and City Café.

Prior to eating at City Café this weekend, I had never been, nor was I aware that it has been named Rochester’s Best Restaurant 3 years running.

I was able to learn about all of the accolades that City Café had earned while I wondered if the food would be good during our 45 minute wait for outdoor seat. Did I mention that we arrived at 8:45. (Who says summer is over after Labor Day? What a beautiful night it was). Once we were seated our real dining experience began. With a few glasses of good wine for the table we dove right into the appetizers. Starting with the Crab Fritters and the Fried Blue Cheese Ball. While I am sure there are Fried Blue Cheese Balls elsewhere, this was my first experience. Set atop a bed of Mushroom jus, and served with wonderful bread, this is something that every restaurant should look into. WOW. A nice mild Blue with a crispy fried shell keeping all of that gooey warmness inside just waiting to be spread over a piece of toasted bread. Perfect, may I get another?

The Crab Fritters were also good, but nothing to really write home about. Fairly standard in my opinion and what is the difference between a crab cake and a crab fritter? I am sure it is size, but to an untrained food novice, I couldn’t tell what it was.

On to the main course. For me it was Parmesan Crusted Grouper with Basic Cream Sauce. I didn’t get the full story, but City Café has a pretty good connection for fresh fish. This story can be seen on the walls in the lobby if you are inclined to read the articles. After having the Grouper, I wished I had read more. What a great dish. Tender fish with a light crust. The sauce was a perfect complement.

For food I would certainly recommend the City Café in Rochester. Atmosphere was also perfect for a late warm summer night and the patio was worth the wait. The critique that I would have was with the staff. The host desk was manned by a couple young girls who looked like they were just dying to text their friends rather than seat tables. Our server also appeared nervous and a little out of touch with the menu. There were a few questions that she seemed to stumble with.

Bottom line, if you find yourself with a serious illness and get referred to the Mayo, tell all your visitors to stop by City Café. And when you are healed, make your own stop to find out what has been keeping your visitors happy.