Category Archives: Restaurant

Restaurant

Hilton, Bloomington, MN

Hilton, 3900 American Blvd West, Bloomington, MN, 55437

The price of the Hilton is really good for what you get.  This isn’t your low end hotel.  Everything about it is nice.  You pay a little extra for this, but not a lot extra.  A lot of the rooms are cheaper or at the same rate that I have paid at somewhat iffy places on my travels.  Everything in this hotel looks so nice, so clean, and so upscale.

This is a great hotel to use as a base for both a vacation and for business travel.  It is right near the airport, the Mall of America, the bus stations at the mall (there are probably ones closer), and the light rail.  The hotel offers shuttles.

Hilton Bloomington 2nd floor 1 Hilton Bloomington 2nd floor 2

The Hilton near the Mall of America has recently been renovated and the inside looks sweet.  The staff at this Hilton want to make your stay a great one.  The rooms are clean, which was the truth even before the renovations.  Most of the cleaning staff has worked there for eight or nine years which says a lot.  Check out the inside of this suite.  This Hilton passes 4 inspections per year and does very well on them.

bedroom area of the executive suite
bedroom area of the executive suite
the living area in the suite
the suite area separate from the bedroom area

The lobby area is very nice.  You can hang out in the seating area or the bar.  The drinks are great and reasonably priced for the twin cities.  Take the time to get to know your fellow travelers and guests.  During the week you will run into business travelers.  On Friday and Saturday you are more likely to run into someone on vacation.

Hilton lobby seating area
Initial seating area outside of the bar
Hilton bar from the front
View of the bar from the front entrance.

The bar has 3 entrances, seating around the actual bar and seating near the fireplace.

Hilton Bloomington Chef samples

The food

I have attended 2 events at the Hilton and the food is amazing, and I truly mean amazing.  If you want food that is actually better than you can make at home I suggest eating here.

The chef comes up with the most incredible recipes.  I had a duck and wild boar dish that was to-die-for.  His soups are incredible.

They had a state fair theme at one of the events and the hot dog/sausage link thing I had was what I remember a good hot dog tasting like.  The bacon on a stick was pretty great too.

I hear the fish tacos are incredible and the Ruben is wonderful as well.

Restaurant

El Parian

El Parian – 1960 Cliff Lake Rd #117, Eagan, MN 55122

Let’s get Mexican tonight!  This is the restaurant I mean when I say that phase.  It is actually the second best Mexican restaurant in Eagan, but the closest to me.

The food is consistently good, but never great.  If you are picking up it usually takes 10 – 15 minutes.  You can get in and out if you are dining in pretty quick, but they do not have many seats.  You will occasionally have to wait.

The tables are clean and I love the huge portraits on the walls.  You can often catch a soccer game on the tube.  There isn’t a bar area as the restaurant is super small.

The drinks are pretty good.  Treat yourself to a margarita.

margarita, chips, and salsa

You automatically get chips and salsa, all you want.  I like the red salsa.  The white salsa looks like a ranch, but it is not.  The chips are really good and while salty, generally not too salty.

Number 3: Taco, chili relleno, and enchilada
Number 3: Taco, chili relleno, and enchilada

Currently I am eating my way through the menu.  The hard shell tacos are pretty good.  The chili relleno was good, just remember it is a giant pepper, but not hot.  I am not a huge fan of their ground beef.  I do like their chicken.  Their rice and beans are amazing.

Restaurant

Chick-Fil-A

Chick-Fil-A – Eat more chicken

If you have never eaten at a Chick-Fil-A then you have never had amazing fast food chicken.

Warning:  if you are allergic to peanuts you may want to stay away.  Take note:  cooking the waffle fries in peanut oil makes them amazing.

Chick-fil-a started down south by a southern baptist family and has never gone public which is why the quality of the food has never suffered.  Some of the restaurants are franchise.  The price back in the day seemed higher than most fast restaurants, but these days I would call it perfectly priced.

This restaurant is a throwback to a day of unapologetic cooking (peanut oil) and Styrofoam cups (look my ice isn’t melting).  They do not care about maximizing profits and appeasing everyone.  They care about offering a great meal.

Everyone talks about Chick-Fil-A’s chicken sandwich.  I disagree.  The chicken nuggets are where it is at.  Chunks of chicken very lightly coated with a great seasoning.  Always pair your chicken with waffle fries, always.  If you want sauce you need to ask because they will not.

chick-fil-a chicken nuggets and waggle fries

Minnesota

7480 153rd St W, Apple Valley, MN 55124 – Consistently great food!

The entrance to the Chick-fil-A in Apple Valley, MN

The Apple Valley Chick-Fil-A is amazing.  The food is always cooked right.  They get you through the lines inside and out quite quickly.  It looks full most of the time, but do not let that scare you off.

You can always hear children playing in the game room, not too loud.  There is a car in there about six feet or so off the ground.  Looks like fun if you are that age.

 

2500 West 79th St, Bloomington, MN 55431 – Almost great food unless it is great.

The Bloomington Chick-Fil-A is pretty good, but on occasion they do not meet the perfection of the others I have eaten at.  That being said one of the chicken sandwich’s served there was described to me as the greatest chicken sandwich ever made.

Kids really seem to like this Chick-Fil-A.  You can really hear them having a grand time in the playroom.

Lodging, Restaurant

Sylvan Lake Lodge

Sylvan Lake Lodge – 13389 US Hwy 16A, Custer, SD 57730

Stay in the Lodge or in one of their cabins just around the corner and you have a great place to start your trip around Sylvan Lake Sylvan Lake and up Harney Peak Harney Peak.  You can also take your chances through driving through Needles Highway, slow down and drive a smaller vehicle.

The front of Sylvan Lake Lodge

Here is their website.

Sylvan Lake Lodge Cabin, picnic table, and fire pit.

We stayed in one of the cabins.  Some cabins are bigger than others.  Ours had 2 beds and a bathroom.  The campfire outside was nice and the fireplace inside was fun to have in the room.  We found some flying insects in the room, but this is a park and bound to happen.

Sylvan Lake Lodge bed, fireplace, and appliances.

The cabins are a very short walk to the lodge and the restaurant.  We ate breakfast and one dinner at the lodge.  The lounge area is really nice.  We took our dinner on the outdoor patio.  There is an opening along the wall of the patio that you can take right off a ledge or down to the front of the building, I love South Dakota.  It is very tread at your own risk.

seating at Sylvan Lake Lodge

Breakfast the lodge can be a little slow, but the food is amazing:  pancakes, try the pancakes.  The bacon was pretty good too.  The restaurant is very high end for South Dakota.  Check out their menu.

This cost is high for South Dakota, but not super expensive.  Really the overall cost was rather reasonable.  Plus you are right there to start your trek up to Harney Peak or around Sylvan Lake.

Lodging, Restaurant

Alpine Inn

Alpine Inn – 133 Main St, Hill City, SD 57745

The Alpine Inn is great from a location standpoint being super close to Harney Peak and a ton of other places like Mount Rushmore.  It has a long history and is family owned.  It’s history dates back to the gold rush.  I cannot speak to the lodging, but they keep the stairs to the upstairs area well watched and you have an excellent bar and restaurant right below your feet when you stay here.  The prices look reasonable.

Check out their rates and the restaurant menu on their website, Alpine Inn Hill City.

Alpine Inn sign with me

Now let’s discuss the restaurant and bar.  Expect to wait for a table in the evening and take advantage of their indoor or outdoor bar area as you wait.  The wait is well worth it.

Their lunch menu has a few more items to choose from on it than their dinner menu, but their dinner menu is awesome both the items on it and due to how short it is.

We went for dinner.  I enjoyed a nice glass of wine while we sat on the porch.  They moved the people through pretty quickly.  This is a cash only til so make sure you have cash on you before you go inside.  They also have an ATM available to use.

I love the atmosphere inside the restaurant.  It seems like a rather large restaurant, but it is divided into many little areas with very low lighting.  We ended up in a room with 4 tables and one other set of guests.

Your evening dinner choices basically come down to meat or vegetarian.  With a second choice of small cut of meat or large cut of meat.  Oh and the meat item is a dirt cheap filet mignon.  For those of you who have never heard of filet mignon this particular cut of meat is meant to be eaten medium rare so please do not ask them to burn it to a crisp.  The salad was a quarter wedge of lettuce covered in homemade ranch dressing, so good and simple.

I was scared based on the price, but this was a truly amazing meal.  Super cheap for what you get, but very good quality.

This place is well known for their desserts.  Order one.  Just do it.

Everything is great about The Alpine Inn.  If you are in the area definitely stop in, this place is worth it.

Restaurant

Silver Bell Diner

Silver Bell Diner – 1981 Silver Bell Rd, Eagan, MN 55122

When I think of a diner Silver Bell Diner is the exact style of restaurant that comes to mind.  Checkered floor, jukebox in the middle, and those chairs and booths.  Don’t forget the stools up front for those single diners or the kid that just wants a malt or shake.

Jukebox, records on the wall, checkered floor, and a blue chair.

I love the old advertisements on the wall and the records.

Strawberry Malt with a wafer and cherry on top.

I general go to this place shortly before close which is early to me, but normal for Minnesotans.  It is never packed at this time.  I hope this means that they do more business at breakfast and lunch time.  Their breakfast menu looks super tasty and is served all day.

They offer an assortment of burgers.  The meat is pretty good and the toppings make sense.  They offer a burger of the month.

Hamburger and fries on a plate

I have eaten my way through a good portion of their dinner menu and everything tasted just right.  I think they may have traded cooks since their open because they changed their menu and the food is a little bit better than when they started.  They offer daily specials.

I am kind of stuck on their tuna melt and cheese curds as my preferred menu item.  I had never tried a tuna melt before, but they are pretty darn good.

Tuna melt, cheese curds, and 2 pickle chips on a plate.

If you have room when you finish your meal they have homemade pies.  I have taken a slice home on occasion and their desserts are amazing.

You can find their menu on their Facebook page.  I would put their prices exactly right for what you are getting and overall not expensive.   They are priced at a level that you could probably eat at pretty often.

If you are looking for normal, American, feel good food or if you just want a shake or slice of pie I highly suggest this little gem of a diner on Silver Bell.  Go to the new mall and then stop in here for lunch.

Restaurant

The Blue Door Longfellow

The Blue Door Longfellow – American food restaurant at 3448 42nd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55406

Burgers and stuff.

I had lunch today with co-workers at The Blue Door in Minneapolis.  The restaurant is tucked away in the middle of what seems like a residential area.

The inside is arranged nicely with large seating areas, some booths and some tables.  All are wood, but not uncomfortable.  The tables are an appropriate height for the seats.  The walls are lined with great art work and pictures.  It has a really nice atmosphere, not too loud, but not too isolated.  You can tell there are others around you without hearing every word, or worse hearing nothing but noise.

I tried the Jiffy Burger with Pepper Jack cheese, bacon, pickle, crunchy peanut butter, and mayo.  The first bite made me feel like I have finally found a burger joint that knows how to make a burger.  It wasn’t the combination on this particular burger as much as the patty and the bun itself.  The basic building blocks of a great burger a patty that isn’t too big and a bun that tastes fresh.

The Jiffy itself is interesting and pretty good.  I could only eat half because it is a really heavy sandwich.  The bacon was thick, but not that gross thick that some places have.  They actually took the time to cook it completely.  You do not really notice the mayo.  The peanut butter is chunky which helps the overall taste with the occasional crunch.  They use dill chips, thank you.

Jiffy burger, tater tots, and ranch

I tried one hand-cut fry which was pretty good.  It had a Cajun seasoning on it.  It had a little heat.  We came for the tater tots.  I do not know if you have to order it with lime chili sauce or if it just comes that way, but those tots where pretty good.  They are sticky and sweet.  They come with a dipping sauce, ranch I believe.  I enjoyed them.

Overall my experience at The Blue Door was very positive.  I look forward to returning and trying one of the other burgers.  I may even have to try one of their famous Blucys.

You could easily eat your way through this entire menu and I doubt you would be disappointed.  They seem to make things right at The Blue Door.

Check out their website and their menu at:  http://bluedoorlongfellow.com/

Restaurant

Hong Wong

Hong Wong is possibly the best Chinese Restaurant in Eagan, MN, if you are taking it to go.

This is the type of restaurant that anticipates your needs and learns your wants.  It may not seem like much at first, but when you forget to ask for the House Singapore Rice Noodles, or you prefer the house sweet and sour sauce over the packaged stuff it means a lot when they take the time to clarify.

The prices are fair.  The food is generally fast unless they are overwhelmed.  Then it takes a normal amount of time.  Everything tastes good, no matter what you order.

They have a buffet if you want to eat in, but it seems like most people order take out.  They do not deliver, but who does?

I have never had a meal that was bad at Hong Wong.  If you are thinking about ordering Chinese I suggest checking this place out.

Garlic Chicken and Cream Cheese Puff
Garlic Chicken and Cream Cheese Puff

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