Where is the Best Waterfront Dining in Minneapolis, Minnesota?
It was a dark and stormy night . . .. Actually, it was. Saturday, 11 August. Rain, lightning. But our group of five was happily indoors, quite dry (until the martinis and wine arrived). Our appetizers were the ubiquitous fried calamari, Dungeness crab cakes, and seared scallops with polenta. While ubiquitous, the calamari were among the best we’ve had, and the scallops were very nicely done, with the polenta a nice touch. My wife and I lived in Seattle for a time and frequently partook of the joys of Dungeness crab which we regard as slightly superior to the eastern blue crab. The crab cakes here, 1700 miles east, were outstanding, as was the sauce. (A quibble: it’s advertised as fresh, but it can’t be at this time of year.) The Caesar salad is advertised as assertively garlicly, which is precisely the way I like it. The table bread was certainly edible, but many restaurants have better. Now for the entrees: three people got the shellfish saffron risotto, of which I had a taste. It was
I have visited Vic’s on several occassions. On A busy Saturday night when the deck is full and on a quiet Monday night when the dining room and bar are perfect spots for an intimate evening.The tenderloin medallions were rich and delicious. The half rack of lamb a friend had was moist and tasty. The highest priced app (crab cakes @ $13) was good and fairly priced compared to others around town like the Capital Grille. Beef skewers, Garlic Herb Shrimp and Calamari have been my favorites.Service was good and comprable to other upscale casual places like Figlio or any Ciatti’s. Busier nights look like they could use more help.I will return again as will many of my friends and co-workers. We love their “Happy hour” special. Try the house martini, something called a Vick-tini, is a cool blue color and very good. ($4 during happy hour).Pros + river view, deck, non-smoking diningCons – open seating on deck
Last night my boyfriend and I ate at Lola’s Lakehouse for the first time. We had driven out to Waconia from Bloomington to get away and explore a new area. I had ordered the Balsamic chicken sandwich, not realizing that it came with some type of goat cheese on it. I had tried goat cheese one other time and really did not like it. I was going to just pull the chicken off and it it plain, but my boyfriend knew that I was really disappointed. He called our server over and explained the situation, asking if I could order something else. The server was apologetic and let me order the fish and chips, which was the other item that I had been thinking about ordering. He was really nice about it and did not make me feel bad for wanting something else. My replacement order arrived within 10 minutes and the server checked back with me right away to see if I was happy with it. It was really good fish and I would definitely order it again. A short time later, the manager came over to check in with
