First time here for dinner in years and it didn't disappoint. Cocktails before dinner were served…read moreby a friendly bartender. The Zinfandel was tasty and the agave old fashioned was delicious. The restaurant was quite busy and we were seated in a timely manner and our server was helpful and attentive. We each tried a different dish which consisted of the walleye, pork chop, seafood spaghetti and swordfish. Each were very good but the swordfish was a bit dry. Dessert was carrot cake and cheesecake. Both delicious!

Great service! Cozy ambiance! Big portions! The…read morecheeseburger was cooked medium rare, just how I Ordered it. The fried calamari was not chewy at all which is typically what I experience. Loved it!

My wife and I had never been to--or even heard of--Baldamar, so when our friends invited us to…read moreRestaurant Week there, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to give it a try. From the hostess who graciously held the doors open for us in the 95° heat to our incredible server, David, everything was outstanding. We started with cocktails. I had what may have been the best bourbon Old Fashioned I've ever tasted, and my wife enjoyed a wonderfully refreshing cocktail (whose name I, unfortunately, can't remember). We began our meal with the roasted Brussels sprouts. Normally, I'm not much of a Brussels sprouts fan, but I happily cleaned the plate. My wife and I shared the 12-ounce filet mignon, cooked medium rare, and it was absolute perfection. Chef's kiss. David recommended a bottle of wine to pair with our steak. It wasn't inexpensive, but it was worth every penny. But wait... there's more. As incredible as that wine was with the filet, it somehow paired even better (yes, I know that sounds impossible) with the slice of heaven they call chocolate cake. I'm sure it has a much fancier name on the menu, but "slice of heaven" seems more accurate. If you've read my other reviews, you know I have a tendency toward hyperbole. If there were ever a time to lean into it, this is it. THIS MEAL WAS FANTASTIC. THE AMBIANCE WAS PERFECT. THE FOOD WAS EXCEPTIONAL. AND THE COMPANY WAS DIVINE. We will absolutely be back--and when we do, we'll be asking for a table in David's section. (He works Tuesday through Friday.)

Stopped into Baldamar and had a great experience sitting at the bar. Ashley took such attentive…read morecare of me from the moment I arrived and was incredibly welcoming throughout my visit. I started with the tequila and mezcal Old Fashioned, and it was fantastic. It was well-balanced, beautifully presented, and garnished perfectly. The food was equally impressive. The wings were delicious--crispy, well-seasoned, and cooked perfectly. My only small note would be that the celery was a little limp. The Caesar salad has officially been added to my regular rotation. The jammy egg was cooked perfectly with a rich, yolky center that was still easy to slice. The Parmesan crisps were thoughtfully sized, adding great texture without being so large they scraped the roof of your mouth. The salad was evenly dressed, making every bite flavorful. Overall, excellent food, outstanding cocktails, and warm, attentive service. I'll definitely be back.

Well back from an another wonderful evening at the Stockyards Tavern & Chophouse !…read moreCan't say enough about this place it's truly wonderful place for a night out . This is the 7th time we've been there and I've had something different off the menu . The staff is great very friendly and courteous and does a great job making you feel welcome . Shout out to Jackie our server and the rest of the staff for doing such a great job . This is a place you can feel at home and have a great meal . I can truly say you won't be disappointed .

Tried out Stockyards Tavern on a Friday so of course I had to try the Haddock fish fry! It was very…read moregood and good news is if you don't make it before it ends they do have a cod option on their menu. We were pleased with our deep fried pickles app, husband enjoyed his Rueben and I was very happy with the Midnight Cowboy cocktail (New amsterdam vodka, owen's nitro espresso mix & trader vic's chocolate liqueur). Parking was easy, we got in without a reservation and service was great. I'd day atmosphere wise I'd consider this an upscale sports bar.

Epic meal and fantastic experience! My daughter and son-in-law too me there last Saturday night for…read moremy birthday and it was fabulous! I had the pork chop with bone in and accompanied fresh cooked apple compote and thin sliced fried onions. It was cooked to perfection and was amazing. Delicious and wonderfully simple. We ordered asparagus and scalloped potatoes for the three of us to share. This was the right amount of sides since we started with the crab cakes and Hasselback boule (that is what it was but the menu had a different name I can't recall). Both of these were shared and exactly the right amount for us. These two appetizers were delicious and freshly prepared. We had drinks and dessert. Once again fabulously prepared and served. It was quite busy but we had reservations so we were seated quickly. Also, the table had a little birthday commemorative surprise; matches with covers with my name and Happy Birthday on them in gold foil. Our serve was John and he was wonderful as were all the other staff who we interacted with during our visit. The ambiance and atmosphere was exactly what you would expect in a restaurant with such great food and a history that started in 1933. If dinner is a bit outside your budget then I would recommend the happy hour and brunch options. Since given the outstanding quality of the food I'm sure it would be great. We are planning a return trip to Jax to explore both menus.

Not great. Not every experience needs to be 100% but the service at Jax this evening was just an…read moreoutright disaster. Very disappointing as this was my first visit to Jax in years and I WILL NOT BE RETURNING. Reservation for 8, sat at 8:20. Marched directly outside to the patio to the worst table, the "hostess" forgot to bring menus so we sat there for yet another 10 minutes while she figured that out. Next we sat for another 15 minutes before a server, who for the price point you charge is a giant bull in a China shop and easy to understand why he's the outside server, came by and rudely pointed out he was about 15 minutes late in getting to us. Water came, we ordered drinks and yet another 10 minutes passed before two very stale and sour beers arrived. The rest was just as terrible. Bad food quality, more terrible service and what kind of a restaurant seats people outside in 62° weather...no your heat lamps are not sufficient. All in all if you want to spend money on a nice dinner, don't bother going here. there are far too many other options in the Twin Cities metro area where you won't have terrible service and poor quality food for the amount of money you're being charged. I would literally suggest any other restaurant before this. Horrible! Think twice before going.

The food was so good, the best steak I've ever had. The…read moreservice was very good as well. The ambiance was very enjoyable.

Chianti Grill is a "go to" for date night. The Chicken Parmesan is out of this world...but I want…read moreto tell you about our anniversary dinner. My wife got the Chicken Parm...I decided to splurge and got the Blackened Ribeye with bleu cheese...to say it was amazing is to do disservice to word amazing. This was the most tender, tasty steak I have ever had. I would highly recommend this dish. We have never had a bad experience here, the waitstaff is attentive and friendly...and don't forget the focaccia bread with oil and balsamic vinegar wow!!!!

My lovely bride and I celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary at the Lexington on a recent Friday…read moreevening. The meal was delicious, service was top notch and we definitely be back sooner than the 50 year gap since our last visit (when we're HS seniors). We completely enjoyed the lobster/cauliflower/gouda melt appetizer- in fact this might have been the star of our meal. Moving on we shared a wedge salad that was fresh and delicious. For our main course we shared Steak Diane and asparagus. The combo of the steak with the creamy sauce over a bed of mushrooms was superb. Our meal closed with an ice cream sundae for our anniversary treat and we also shared the grasshopper pie. We loved the pie! The side serving of asparagus was much more than we needed - I might skip that choice for the next dining occasion. If you are a fan of the traditional feel of a supper club, this is the place for you. You will be treated well and made to feel special. The serving staff move in and around quietly and do everything you expect from a 5-star supper club. The warm moist towel at the end of the meal was a touch of gratitude that we appreciated. Our reservations were at 5:15 and I think arriving early helped our overall experience. We really appreciated the kitchen team for splitting the portions - it helps us share the meal so we can try more options without overeating. The staff was gracious and we received a complimentary photo celebrating our anniversary. There were so many little touches that made this a memorable celebration.

Enjoyed a warm spring evening on the rooftop of the Lexington (recently named in the top three…read morerooftops of the Twin Cities in Msp Magazine!). We were warmly greeted by the host who sat us right away in a sunny spot. Our server was wonderful. I ordered a drink that ended up not being up to par, and he kindly offered to switch it to something else with grace and class, without making me feel badly for asking this. This goes to show the caliber of this long standing institution. Customers are treated well and are respected here. Our snacks from the menu were delicious and perfectly sized. The shrimp cocktail was made well. The lamb meatballs were flavorful and hearty. My Hemingway Daquiri was refreshing without being too liquor forward. Love all the Luxardo drinks on the menu! We will definitely be back!

Me and my wife are originally from white bear lake, born and raised there. A year ago we moved to…read moresouth florida, but we come back to white bear lake once a year to visit our kids and celebrate our anniversary with them. It's been a tradition we look forward to. Every year we argue where we should go, but we always end up at Rudy's because we love it there. My wife loves the rudytinis as well as my daughters. So it's no competition. We flew in last week and all came to Rudy's to celebrate our 50th anniversary. It was extremely busy and we were skeptical if we chose the right place, but we were greeted well and shown to our table quickly. Right after we sat down we were greeted promptly by our favorite server Justin, the guy I wrote my last review of. We knew we were in great hands! Not only did he remember us he knew what we ordered last time and that was about 2 years ago. Impressive! He took care of us so well we were all blown away!!!! I can never find this kind of service in Florida. He made the evening so special and exquisite that I can not explain in words. Rudytinis, old fashioneds, medallions, and my wife's favorite the coconut ship were unbelievable! I had the prime rib and oh my god it was so juicy. Like on my last review, myself, and my whole family has never had a server that has shown us this much love and compassion as Justin! The timing and knowledge of every detail of the food and pairings is top tier!!! The experience of celebrating our anniversary at Rudy's along with Justin's service definitely makes us consider moving back from Florida. Thank you Rudy's and thank you Justin for doing what you guys do best. 5 stars! We recommend this restaurant to everyone down in south Florida when traveling to Minnesota for whatever reason.

Dinner on the rooftop this week. Two of our salads had "grilled" chicken that was the consistency…read moreof hard croutons and was not edible. This was brought to our servers attention and she said "sorry." No drink refills. Not sure what happened here, as I've been to Rudy's several times in the past. If you're reading reviews to decide where to go, skip Rudy's. I will be skipping it from now on.

We go here for our anniversary dinner. We are always greeted very warmly, have napkins and other…read morehappy anniversary items at our table and a complimentary dessert. The drinks, the food, the service is excellent. So many great reasons to dine at this fabulous restaurant.

Still one of my fav neighborhood restaurants. To be honest, it's the fresh popovers that I look…read moreforward to most when we come here. Service 5/5 Food 4/5 Ambiance 4/5 old school and masculine decor Popovers 5/5 - perfection Twin Filet Medallions 4/5 - good quality filet mignon, wrapped in bacon Shrimp Pasta 4/5 super creamy with a hint of black pepper spice to make it interesting. Walleye Filet 4/5 - flaky and delicate

For a hotel restaurant, we were very pleasantly surprised at how nice the place was. We had one…read moredinner and two breakfasts while there. All were very good, tasty, and satisfying. Avacado toast was exceptional. Berry bowls were fresh and nice. Wild rice chicken cream soup was quite nice. Will certainly go again next time we stay at the Sheraton.

Lela was the next stop on my restaurant adventures, and this ended up being my first stop that…read morewasn't quite my jam. There were still some things we really enjoyed, though, and I'm glad we gave it a try. We started with the French Onion Soup, which was one of my favorite parts of the meal. I loved that they used croutons instead of one giant piece of bread. Much easier to eat--no fighting with a giant bread raft to get to my soup! The flavor was really nice too. I had the Bolognese Pappardelle, which was good, and my partner really enjoyed his Hanger Steak. He also tried the Garlic Herb Mushrooms, but those weren't really his thing. I ordered the N.A. Lela Punch, and that one surprised me. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it grew on me as I drank it. Apparently we just needed a little time to get acquainted. Dessert was an adventure. I decided to try the White Chocolate Panna Cotta because I'd never had panna cotta before. It was beautifully plated, but this is also how I learned panna cotta has a Jell-O-like texture... and I do not like Jell-O. That's definitely a me problem rather than a criticism of how it was prepared. At least I can officially say I've tried panna cotta! I ended up trying the Crème Brûlée as well. Unfortunately, that wasn't my favorite either. I usually love crème brûlée, but I prefer the custard very smooth and creamy, and this one was thicker than I personally like. My partner had the Chocolate Molten Cake and thought it was okay, but it wasn't a favorite for him either. Overall, Lela had some definite highlights--the French Onion Soup, Bolognese Pappardelle, and Hanger Steak especially--but we also had a few misses. I can understand why other people really enjoy it; it just wasn't quite the restaurant for us. And hey, every restaurant adventure can't end with a new favorite. That's half the fun of trying them all!

A staple to Saint Paul. Think of it as your classic WI supper club, yet a million times better…read morebecause it's Minnesota - duh. Bennett's has it all. Soups, salads, burgers, steaks, appetizers, pastas, and the timeless entrees that come with either a soup or salad. In addition, there are layers and layers of martini flavors, mojitos, and even a small mocktail section. The website is robust allowing guests to make reservations in advance along with ordering takeout. Dining in, expect a darker atmosphere due to the supper club vibe. Personally, I like sitting outside in the summer months. The front patio is lovely and it's fun to see the hustle and movement of West 7th. There's also some magnificent hanging flower baskets too. I made a 6:45 pm reservation for a Tuesday and was able to adjust my indoor spot to an outdoor one when I arrived. The service is top notch as staff caters to the customers. I started off with a NA blackberry mojito along with the spinach and artichoke dip which was served with mini toast slices and super fresh and creamy. It was delicious. For my entre, I opted for the meatloaf dinner which came with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetable and then my choice of soup or salad. I got the house salad with french and blue on the side. The portion was large so I was able to take some home. My server was lovely and attentive. He helped me when I couldn't decide between items and had the perfect balance of checking in and allowing me to do my own thing. My only hardship with Bennett's is that they charge a 3% fee if you pay with plastic which 99% of the world does today. It would be nice if the credit card fee could be removed. Outside of that, lovely all around!!

Last night was great. Hostess was super nice and friendly when 5 of us showed up on a Saturday…read morenight at 7:30 without a reservation but she made it happen and seated us in the back corner booth next to the loudest table of 10! But heck!!! They were having fun. The server said they were out of baked potatoes which forced me to order their Au Gratin potatoes and I need to say "they were awesome"! Such friendly service made our night. Thank you!