Midwest is a great source for home brew suppliers! I also use them as a source for glass gallon…read morejugs for water refills!

Midwest Supplies needs a massive overhaul on their on-line ordering system. Customer support is…read morehandled via email. They claim to return an answer to your email within 48 hours. Trying to have a meaningful dialogue on any subject with a 48 hour delay between questions, answers, and follow-ups is super frustrating. Most companies use a live chat and accept phone calls, especially for complex questions. My issue dealt with using 2 gift cards that I received. One was a gift and the other was a card for a store credit. I cannot get them to work in their billing system. After several 48 hour delayed conversations, I have no resolution. I cannot access $300 sitting in their accounts. Back to the 48 hour delay. When I tried their fixes on how to use the gift cards, they did not work. So, I had another 48 hour delay to explain that their fix did not work and await comments on what to try next. Still no resolution. Finally, their policy of -- NO REFUNDS, only store credits -- is exceptionally difficult to deal with.

This is basically last man standing brick-and-mortar homebrew supply store in the Minneapolis area…read more From the outside it looks like it's operating out of an extra truck loading bay that the mattress store next door rented out. Inside it pretty much looks exactly like a truck loading bay with shelving built in, but you will find what you need. The guys working here are quite helpful but the fellow behind the register will scold you like a kid if you break any rules. I'm giving it four stars instead of three because once this place disappears I'm going to have to drive an hour to the next nearest supply store, or (worse) order grain online.

Lots of cool toys. Very much like an old fashioned toy store. Some RC stuff and an expert that…read morerepairs RC stuff. Good selection of parts. Balsa wood stock and paints on hand. There is a home brewing section that has started sets and refill stuff. They have a decent selection of beer brewing mixes and various bottles. Not much for model railroads, but a little bit of stuff and they have various scratch building supplies.

Traxxas fans will find that this is their local shop. No Arrma products except maybe a few parts…read more Good for RC cars and other hobbies

I FINALLY made it to the new(er) brewery in the Twin Cities, Brew Lab 101. This is a second…read morelocation of the brewery, the first being in New Mexico. They are bringing that south of the border flair with them with Mexican Food and beers that pair well with the spices. I had a flight of a handful of their beers to see what is going on in this small brewery. Sexi NuMexi: A Mexican Lager that is light bodied and subtle, but has a nice sweetness on the finish that clings to the palate in just the right way. Ope: An India Pale Ale that they call a "Midwest-Style IPA". Super drinkable with a nice malty backbone that is heavier in caramel and biscuit flavors than the Hazys and West Coast styles that are predominantly making it around the States. 505: A Mexican Lager dosed with Chile, Lime, and Salt. I don't get a lot of salinity or lime, but there is a mild chile flavor on the finish that leaves as fast as it comes - which is exactly what you want from a Chile beer. Pressure Drop: A Coconut Milk Stout with some sweet coconut flavors that are not punching you in the mouth, but just enough to keep you interested. _________

Minneapolis' newest brewery has opened! Brew Lab 101 has…read moretaken over in the former Clockwerks space in downtown Minneapolis. The space is bright, open, and relaxing with modern lighting, exposed brewing equipment, and a fun downtown Minneapolis skyline painting on the back wall. I popped in on a Monday evening durning the soft opening. The place was quiet as it is still very new and not well known, if known at all. Every single one of the staff/owners were incredible. Super friendly and fun. Tons of passion and love for beer. I ordered a number of beers and was pleasantly surprised for a new brewery. I especially enjoyed the 505 Green Chili Mexican Lager. They also offer up some small bites including authentic Green Hatch Chili Stew, queso, pizzas, and soft pretzels. The stew is legitimately some of the best I have ever had. I am going to say it again, best I have ever had. It alone is worth a visit. Definitely check out this new brewery. Have a few pints and a bite to eat.

So we arrived a little grumpy and decided on eating out on the deck over looking long lake…read more Immediately felt the Mood change ordered the Grouper tacos. Bursting with flavor grilled to perfection. So good ordered them again. Thanks Blaine for the good service.

My wife and I went to Birch's to get burgers during MN Burger Week. We had never been there before,…read morebut it's been on our list of places to try for a while now. I have to say that it was everything we had hoped for. The burger was cooked perfectly; not dry, at all. All of the ingredients married together very well, and the shoestring fries on the side were amazing! I consider myself a French fry connoisseur, and these are top notch. We're looking forward to coming back and trying their other dishes. The service was good and their beer/cider was great.

I wish I could give this place more than three stars. The space is great, with an indoor/outdoor…read morefeel. And it's located in a neighborhood that I'd like to support. But the food is average to meh. Likewise with the service. For $35 entrees and $20 cocktails, I expect better. A small example: if your menu is going to offer "frites" with bearnaise instead of plain old "French fries," it might be a good idea to actually serve them with a side of bearnaise rather than plain old ketchup, which came with our meals (even if the ketchup comes in a little ramekin rather than a bottle). In other ways, as well, our meal didn't walk the talk that the menu suggested. It felt overpriced for dishes where lots of salt and fat seemed to take the place of truly complex, well-harmonized flavors. Service: at the time I made our reservation, I referenced that my party would be celebrating a family birthday. There was no acknowledgment of this by the restaurant's staff at any time during our visit. Even little things like this matter. After being seated, no one poured water for our group. Appears that this is a "self serve" thing; if you're thirsty, pour your own water. We waited at least 10 minutes for our server after being seated. After our meal was served, our server did not come back to check in until it was time to ask if we were ready for dessert. We decided to skip dessert. We probably won't be coming back anytime soon.

The atmosphere with the outdoor patio , open fire truck doors , lovely service from attentive staff…read morewas fabulous. Well matched with creative food . Roasted fennel in.cream sauce paired with grilled char . YUMM!!

I came here with a group while I was up north for a bachelorette party. There was plenty of street…read moreparking and fun shops near by that I would definitely stop at if I had more time. Our server Maddie was great! I ordered a Moscow mule and it was delicious! We also got the chips and queso appetizer and it was a hit with the entire group! My main meal was the lobster ravioli and I would order it again if I ever stopped at Block North again!

Our server was very kind and the ambience of this restaurant was nice and cool! A bit of an…read moreelevated bar food style going on. I tried the strawberry rhubarb sour and it was much more sour than expected. Not my thing, but my friend tried a glass and liked it. The street tacos were pretty bland and far too-meat heavy for my taste. The tortillas fell apart on all three of my tacos before I could finish them. Would have needed a fork to finish my meal! I wasn't impressed, but it was a decent meal, still. I don't come out to Aitkin often, but I would consider trying another meal here. There was plenty of street parking and lots to walk to before or after the meal, which was cool!