We decided on Hai Hai for Independence Day dinner as it was one of the few restaurants on our…read moreto-try list that was open. While we made a reservation a couple of weeks in advance for an earlier 5PM dinner, it wasn't busy at all at that time. We easily could have gone without. Hai Hai is a really large restaurant, far larger than I anticipated, with plenty of spaces on the back patio, a large bar area, and a lot of seating indoors up in front. We were led to one of the indoor tables which we appreciated immensely given the heat outside. We found the service to be prompt and efficient. The food came out fast, within 10 minutes or so. They must be really efficient in the kitchen. Hat Yai Chicken ($23) - I've eaten this dish several times in the past, but always bone in. This one, on the other hand, includes two pieces of fried boneless thigh, mostly cleaned and stripped of skin. I say mostly because one thigh still had quite a large chunk of cartilage attached. Unfortunately removing the skin also removes a protective layer to help the chicken from being drying out. And overfried this is, making the meat somewhat tough and stringy, although there's just a bit of intermuscular chicken fat to moisten things up a tad. The hard fry does allow the breading to develop into a robust crunch, however, and with the fried garlic, fried curry leaves, and sliced Thai chili on top, makes a flavorful and texturally interesting bite. The chicken is served on top of a piece of roti. I assume it's homemade since it's on the denser side of things and is floury, without that glass shatteringly crisp skin of some other roti varieties I've had. There's a dip of red curry on the side, which is aromatic and flavorful, sweet with coconut milk to start, then the aroma of curry leaf and spices, and finally a small bit of heat to warm the mouth. It's strangely served lukewarm instead of hot. Finally, there's a small pile of home made pickles. Nice to eat, but the rest of the dish isn't fatty, oily, or heavy enough to really require them. Then again, it's nice to have as a palette refresher between bites of the flavorful chicken and curry. (4/5) Vietnamese Crepe, Pork & Shrimp ($23) - I've only eaten banh xeo once before and I found it to be a greasy, soggy mess. This one is anything but. The pancake stays completely crisp, almost shatteringly so, even on the bottom surface facing the plate. Of course it's still a messy dish to eat, due to having to cut it up to eat in lettuce wraps, mixed with herbs. Four large lettuce leaves are included, along with cilantro and some (holy?) basil. The banh xeo s not easy to cut with the provided butter knife, so I asked for the steak knife - still not easy to cut! Inside the crisp crepe are several pieces of shrimp, tender and not overcooked at all, a bunch of almost melt-in-the-mouth cubes of pork belly, then a bed of wilted onions, green onions, and bean sprouts. I love how the bean sprouts are cooked here instead of being raw like in so many Vietnamese dishes. This dish is served with two sauces. One a sweetened fish sauce Nước Chấm. For some reason I taste some fruity elements but I could be imagining things. The other is a barely spicy sriracha-ish sauce. (5/5) Visiting Hai Hai was definitely a good choice for dinner. I can see why the head chef has a James Beard award to her name! Bathrooms - Four all gender stalls, two wash stations right outside. It's great since most foods are messy finger foods that needs a convenient wash area. Food: [4.5/5] Service: [+] Other: [ ] Final Rating: 5/5

Two of us went to Hai Hai the other night and had a great experience! We started off with the Bun…read moreCha Lettuce Wraps and the Adobo Pork Ribs. The ribs were PHENOMENAL!!! Highly recommend!! For the vegetable we got the Fried Brussels Sprouts were amazing as well. The flavor that was in this dish was amazing. Our main course was the Balinese Chicken Thigh. It is very coconut forward, which was not my favorite thing. It is my fault for not reading the description, but I felt like the coconut cream sauce on the rice really overpowered the dish. We ended with the Vietnamese Coffee Tiramisu cake. So so yummy!!! Our server was great and the vibe of this place was so fun. The plants and colors really bring a nice pop to the area!!

Staff Meeting is in a larger food court building that contains other food establishments, most of…read morewhich serve East Asian cuisines. It's a really cool place that has plenty of varied seating locations. Staff Meeting itself is a fairly compact space peppered with pop culture decorations. It's also unbearably loud: the booming music, kitchen operations, and boisterous staff created a headache-inducing cacophony in such a small space. Luckily, we were able to find much quieter seating elsewhere in the building. The food is great, as well as reasonably priced. The ramen is delicious and super filling. We also enjoyed the wings, which were fried to perfection and well-seasoned.

Delicious, amazing pricing, and Hawaii-born and raised approved!! But we all know that!…read moreI've been meaning to come here for SO LONG. I was born and raised on Oahu, just moved to MN a handful of years ago and I'm always looking for food that reminds me of home. And this is one of them! Even the prices remind me of home?? I'm so impressed with the delicious food at such an amazing price point - you hardly see that in MN. Ramen is always soooo over priced, but not at Staff Meeting! We had the tonkotsu ramen, mom's fried rice, and the wings. All absolutely delicious and I'd get them all again. I wish they had the ribs, I was hoping to try it! I'll definitely return and highly encourage everyone to visit!!!!

Diane's Place is set in a gigantic building; it's essentially an entire building complex, with a…read morelarge patio for dining, multiple, I think four, interior dining room areas, a large event space, and a take out cafe. I think they own the entire block! They certainly must be doing pretty well financially to support all these endeavors! We made a reservation to visit about 2 weeks in advance for brunch. We ended up arriving around 30 minutes early after driving up from Rochester, but luckily they we were accommodate the early arrival and seated us immediately. Service is on the more upscale end. I found it interesting that chopsticks aren't given by default even for the noodle soups - the server only brings them out if requested. Thai Tea French Toast ($25) - This French Toast is a tower of carb-filled, dessert deliciousness, in a much larger portion size than I expected upon my initial order. It includes two resplendently towering slices of croissant loaf, easily reaching 4 inches in height in total, not to mention the extra bit of whip dolloped atop. The toast is, of course, soaked in a dairy rich Thai tea solution, then griddled until toasty. The bottoms are dark black in color, but there's no acridity to be had. Instead, they are sweet and slightly vanilla scented, boosted by the stabilized vanilla bean cream on top. I can't say there's much Thai Tea flavor in the mix though - it's only hinted at in certain bites towards the center. I must say that croissant dough is a great base for French toast. The natural airy chewiness really makes a tender and moist crumb when soaked. (5/5) Asian Chicken Noodle Soup ($24) - We were not expecting much out of this soup given the generic name, but we loved it in the end. The soup base has a thick and luscious mouthfeel, like it's been simmering for hours upon hours. It's similar in texture to a cornstarch thickened broth, although there's no gloopiness at all. It's rich with flavor, fragrant with chicken essence and peppery umami. The noodles here are thick as typical udon noodles and are cut into bite sized pieces. They have a great bouncy quality that somehow stays the same texture throughout the entire meal - even after 20 minutes or so, the noodles were just as bouncy as when they first arrived. Apparently these are made with a heavier tapioca starch blend - I assume the excess starch is what thickens the soup as well. In terms of toppings, there's first a substantial amount of boneless chicken. It's sliced up, but left skin-on and with the fat not completely trimmed off. This helps the chicken remain moist and succulent, and flavorful from lemongrass and other herbs and spices. There are then a bunch of herbs, fresh bamboo shoots, a tender soft boiled egg, and fried scallion bits. The soup comes with a small cup of house made chili crisp on the side. Be careful - this one is potent. A little goes a long way given how it's far spicier than typical chili crisp. (5/5) We were inside the restaurant for just over an hour and it was an enjoyable experience from beginning to end. While we were stuffed, we decided to jaunt over to the cafe side to take a look at some of the pastries (which can also be ordered at the table if desired!) Green Scallion Danish ($6) - Just the right amount of salty scallion punch in this croissant. It's like the classic Chinese scallion bread, but in a westernized format, with scallion yousu/roux mixed into the bake. While laminated, the flakiness and open honeycomb pattern aren't quite there. It's perhaps more brioche-like in resemblance in terms of texture. At any rate, it's sweet, salty, and super scallion fragrant. Delicious. (5/5) Diane's Place is excellent. Perhaps Americanized in some ways vs. the more traditional Hmong cooking in Hmong Village, but is delicious in its own way. I'm so glad to have ended my trip to Minnesota on such a high note! Bathrooms - Single unisex in the dining area, two more in the cafe area, another two larger ones in the event hall area. Food: [5/5] Service: [+] Other: [ ] Final Rating: 5/5

I had the luxury of meeting Diane herself, and as expected, she was very pleasant and kind. She…read morerecommended that I bring my family here for the dinner menu. So, Diane, if you're reading this, it's a promise! This is my second time visiting, thanks to the introduction of my coworker, and each time never fails to meet my satisfaction. To start, I feel like it's a crime to not order the Hmong sausage so I added that order along with the chicken noodle soup, a dish that sounds good for my aching, allergic body. The Hmong sausage was cooked nicely, consisting of its famous snapping of the skin, covering its juicy meaty fillings. The sticky rice always pairs nicely with it, and the sauce packs a punch--be careful to over drizzle your dish with it. The noodle appears to be handmade, resulting in a nice chewy texture. The toppings and the chicken were deliciously paired together. However, the main star is the broth--very rich, savory, and hearty. Highly recommend you get this dish, especially on a colder and/or sick day. The interior is beautifully decorated, clean and cozy atmosphere. I noticed a cafe right off to the side where you may be able to drop in quickly and go; will need to try that next time.

Typically I am anti "throw it in a burrito" but man oh man the thiqq panda chicken and the Korean…read morebbq burritos really brought us to a really delicious moment in time. The people were friendly in the limited interaction of an "order at the kiosk" type place and the vibe was low key for a Saturday afternoon. I'd come back if I lived here!

One of our favorites but hadn't been in a while and boy have things changed. We have to order at…read morethe table using QR code which isn't a big deal but a bit challenging to navigate. Took a while. We ordered our favorite apps--the Brussels sprouts and hummus. Unfortunately both were not as good as we remembered. The Brussels were not caramelized. We also had the tofu, chicken, and bulgogi bowls and all turned out pretty small compared to how we remembered them being. Disappointing. The server was nice but the quality has gone down a bit.

This place is so dangerously delicious. It's almost addictive. We have been here before, but we…read morenoticed they were celebrating their 3 years which was the perfect time to celebrate with them! We got 8 potstickers (they were giving 4 to each person for free to celebrate). Mouthwatering. The potstickers are the best ones I've ever had. We usually go for the chicken curry. However, this time we got the butternut squash/ shrimp mix, and their new chicken teriyaki. All of them were so flavorful, I'm pretty sure they are fresh. You can never go wrong with anything here. I would recommend everything! The only note I would make is that this is a smaller restaurant. There isn't a lot of space for the demand. If you go, I would recommend making a reservation. If you don't, you will most than likely have to wait for a table to open up. The service is always great. This time our food took a very long time, especially our main dishes. However, we don't mind waiting at all. Just a heads up that it might take a little longer than expected! Please be patient and give this place all the love it deserves.

They were tasty and had a unique flavor that I really enjoyed. The other dishes were more average,…read moreso I'd probably stick with the potstickers rather than ordering too much else. The atmosphere is also really nice, and they have cocktails, which makes it a fun spot to hang out and grab a drink.

I tried the spicy chicken sandwich and it was so good! I had to share it with my friend because it…read morewas too big for me alone to finish. The chicken had a really good flavor. I will say that the sandwich is pretty spicy - I don't mind it though :) When you enter, people can order their food through the tablet they have on the counters and then they bring out your food. The space has a good amount of seating inside with a few tables outside. I would definitely come back and eat here again!

My spouse and I first came here in January after seeing the establishment's struggles when…read moreOperation Metro Surge was happening and we intended to patronize this business to support their endeavors, and since they had the seasonal Peking Duck dumplings available, we had to give it a try and we totally enjoyed it. All the dumplings had nice side dishes with them, including rainbow slaw, pickles, and whichever sauce we chose, and my personal favorite was the chili oil or the garlic chili aioli, which was surprising because I normally ate dumplings with vinegar back home in China. The golden cloud bites were very authentically made as they reminded me exactly of how "golden buns" (金馒头) were made back home, and the condensed milk was exactly right in terms of what to dip them in. Conversely, I didn't enjoy the bowls as much. The veggie bowl had diverse ingredients but I think having more eggplant would help more because the caramelization can enhance the overall flavor. As for the sambal chicken rice bowl, I personally would prefer sambal rather than the sambal ranch that was included because the two ingredients had different flavors, and sambal itself, rather than sambal ranch, would have given the bowl more vibrantly pungent spice and umami flavors. Since this place has multiple locations, I would recommend one to ensure that their desired dishes are served at the particular locations they are trying to visit. I am just happy about the fact that there is a place like this establishment that serves tasty dumplings, and I would love to return and try some of their sandwiches and burritos.

Great experience!! Excellent service and food...Our waiter was very attentive and we enjoyed the…read moreexperience

Went there for lunch last Saturday, got seated quickly (the seats got greasy spots and dirty, had…read moreto ask them to clean them quick); sat down and saw the dry residue on both of our plates (had to ask them to replace them); this was at the time they just opened the restaurant. Food is good, decent quality of meat, and a few tasty side dishes. Service was good, friendly server (might be the owner). Would consider to go there again next time we are in town.

Wakame continues to be one of my favorite restaurants in town! We stopped in for happy hour the…read moreother night, and as always, it was such a great dining experience. We got the salmon hand rolls, spicy scallop hand rolls, shrimp tempura roll, Jeremy roll, Hot and Spicy Girl roll, big eye tuna, and inari - everything was delicious and beautifully prepared. The quality and flavors are always so consistent. The entire team is wonderful, and it's always great to see George. I've been coming to Wakame for years, and it's amazing to have a place that continues to deliver such great food, service, and atmosphere every time. Highly recommend!

It was pretty good. The menu is very diverse, so there's a lot of options depending on what you're…read morein the mood for. I got the curry (I forgot the exact name, something like manamma) at level 3 spice, which ended up being a bit too spicy for me, but the flavor itself was really rich and well done. Just be prepared to get a HUGE bowl that will feed you for at least 3 more days. The sushi was fair, nicely presented, just not the absolute best I've had. Still definitely worth ordering. They also have a great happy hour menu, which makes it easy to try a few different things. Service was smooth and food came out fairly fast. Wait time wasn't bad, even during a busier time. The space is clean and comfortable, good for both casual dinners and small group outings we had a party of 6. Portions are solid and everything felt consistent quality-wise. Overall, it's a reliable spot with a lot of variety. I'd go back to try more of the menu, just would probably adjust the spice level next time.

We ended up dining here before a concert at the nearby Mystic Lake Amphitheater (which was…read morecancelled). We didn't know what to expect since food in the suburbs can be pretty hit and miss, but Soi21 was actually really, really good. We got the Moo Krob, the red curry, sticky rice, and both the roasted eggplant jeow and the roasted tomato jeow. We also both got a cocktail. Service was fast and the inside was pleasant enough (it must have once been a Caribou, it reminded me of one). The food was definitely really good. The stars of the show were the jeows, some of the best we have had. The curry was flavorful and tasty, as was the Moo Krob. The cocktails were good; I would not come here expecting the same quality as a cocktail bar, but for a mom and pop thai restaurant, they were definitely above average. All in all I would definitely reccomed this place, especially before a show at the new amphitheater.

I got the Tom Yum Soup with shrimp, which was pretty good (4/5)! There were a lot of veggies in the…read moresoup (more than normal, which I liked) and five pieces of shrimp. It was a pretty good portion too. The service was quick and good (4/5), and the interior of the restaurant is clean and nice (4/5).

We had a wonderful time at Gyu-Kaku…read more We got the lunch special which is 2 BBQ items, white rice, miso soup and a salad for $16. I thought for what you get it's a total steal but it is a bit more than i'd spend everyday for lunch. As a once a week type deal though it's perfect. Staff were really nice, and food came out quickly. They were helpful as it was our first time there. Great vibe inside as well. I thought it'd be a fun place to get a beer. They have a few tap beers including a rice lager. We got Yaki-Shabu beef (spicy jalapeno miso), toro beef (sweet soy tare & miso) and spicy pork. It was all well marinated and overall excellent. One thing I will say is that the spicy food definitely has a kick. I enjoy spice myself and still was feeling it a bit more than usual. The sauce accompaniments were tasty as well. Overall will be back soon to try more stuff. Thank you for a great time!

I have been to Gyu-Kaku many times over the years and it has been a while since I visited. Went…read morewith a friend to lunch today and it was delicious! The Lunch Special (available Monday to Friday) is an amazing deal - 3 bbq items with rice, salad and miso soup for $19.95! The restaurant has a nice bar and seating options for different group sizes. Our server was friendly but not super attentive because he was busy with several tables. Would recommend dining here if you are looking for some good Asian bbq.