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