DashCapper - Fred Anderson

Disclaimer: I have not been to the St. Paul Grill, but my wife says it great, but you may not be able to get a reservation at this late date.

Where's the beef? Sadly it's not in St. Paul. I wish I could recommend a place downtown to get a great steak, but you are going to have to catch a cab or local to take you over to Minneapolis for this.

First let's get it out of the way that a good cut of meat is going to cost at least $20 (more like $40), add on an appetizer,  drinks, tax and tip and it's at least $50-$70/per person.

In Downtown St. Paul the two places I have eaten are Mancini's and Kincaid's, and at both I found the food to be average, which isn't going to "cut" it (hardy har har). If you have to stay in St Paul, I would choose Mancini's the atmosphere is great.

Now for the real food. As I said earlier, catch a cab or a local cf'er and make your way to downtown Minneapolis. Your choices are

• Ruth's Chris
• Murray's
• Manny's (best steak) $$
• Rossi's (my favorite) $$

Manny's and Rossi's are going to cost a little more. Manny's has better steak, but may favorite is Rossi's, they have a great jazz bar and they offer a "bone-in" tenderloin that is fantastic. Both of these places are going charge at $40 for you cut of meat.

It seems that in some parts of the country that bald eagles are rarely seen if ever. That is not the case in the upper Mississippi River Valley. So, while you are here enjoying the conference step outside and look south to river. there is a good chance you will see some bald eagles.

Like any major city in the US you will find ethnic neighborhoods , usually with a name like "ThisTown" or "ThatTown" or "LittleThis" or TheWhateverDistrict". St. Paul is no exception. Just south of downtown, across the river, there is a Mexican area called The District del Sol and at 194 Cesar Chavez St. St. Paul, MN 55107 you will find The El Amanecer Restaurant. It is authentic traditional Mexican food. It's a short cab ride from the Crowne Plaza. I not sure how far the cab is going to get you after Wabasha turns into Cesar Chavez St. considering the Cinco de Mayo festival and crowds.

Friday the 2nd and Saturday the 3rd there will be a Fiesta Cinco de Mayo. So if you have an issue 100,000 people throwing a party stay clear, if you want to make it 100,001 people it should be a pretty good time.

Update: here is the brochure for the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta. I also wanted to add that the El Burrito Mercado is a fantastic place to eat as well.

I suppose you could eat there. After all It is a pub. But why bother, let's drink. I have never eaten there but I hear it is good food.

The Liffey is a traditional Irish Pub, lots of great people having a great time.

It's walkable from the Crowne.

Amazing Italian within walking distance of the Crowne Plaza. Pazzaluna Trattoria.

So, a couple of things to note here. The risotto is top-notch, they have a daily special so check that first to see if it sounds good. Great Broccoli Rabe, they have fresh mozzarella so a caprice salad is always a great choice. I am getting hungry just talking about this.

Here is the Google info page if you want some reviews and such.

Tanpopo Noodle Shop is located on the other side of downtown from the conference. But if you want Udon or Soba it is worth the trip. As you can see from the google info page this Tanpopo is favorite of many people.

It is located on the southeast corner of 4th st. e. and Broadway or  Prince st. and Broadway it sort of a crazy little chicane where two streets meet up in the middle of a block so they call them by two names.

Enjoy this fine restaurant.

Sadly, there are not a lot of "rock" clubs in downtown St Paul. The only one I can think of is Station 4 . On Thursday May 1st the line up is as follows, I have never heard these bands but the links should give you an idea of their music.

Thursday May 1st 9:00 pm Station 4
18+ show
Northern Room
Weaver at the Loom
Windsor Drive
In Harbour

On Saturday May 3rd 5:00 pm Station 4
18+ Show
Camera Can't Lie
A Verse Unsung
Lights Out Dancing
Gloria
Abandon Kansas
Progress in Color

Wow.. that was fun, looking up and listening to 10 bands on mySpace.

Todd Sharp from cfsilence commented in my firts Mickey's Diner post that the Alton Brown show, Feasting On Asphalt made a trip to Mickey's Diner. I did a little searching and found Episode 06 of Season 02 on the Alton Brown website lists Mickey's Diner.

The full episode is broken into 5 parts adn posted on YouTube. The section for Mickey's Diner starts at the end of segment 3 and runs through the beginning of segment 4.

Segment 3

Segment 4

I have been saving Mickey's Diner for my Friday post (my A-material). Like the Artists' Quarter this place is close to the Crowne Plaza and it is the top of it's class. Mickey's is open 24 hours a day another plus for the programming crowd. It is a traditional diner the food is made on the spot and a little greazy.

A lot more information can be found here at the google page.

The Artists' Quarter is, in my opinion, the premier jazz club in the twin cities. For the most part I have only gone there to watch "Standard Jazz" like Joe Pass and Herb Ellis but they have some Fusion and other forms of Jazz as well.

The best part is, the Artists' Quarter is just around the corner from the Crowne Plaza. Here is the now obligatory google page link Artists' Quarter