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MWRF Minneapolis/St. Paul meals


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#21 KevinKorell

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Posted 28 June 2015 - 05:01 PM

By one of the reviews, it reminds me of the old Sizzler steakhouse chain (which still exists in some parts of the country), whereby the customer starts at a cafeteria style line were they get their salad/appetizers and drinks, and order their steaks which are brought out later.  It is in effect a sitdown place although one does not order their main course from the server.



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#22 jebr

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Posted 28 June 2015 - 06:28 PM

Looking at one of the pictures on Yelp, it appears there is a long table that can easily sit 12 people on it. While it may not be huge, it appears they could handle a group of 12 or so.

 

One of the things that I'm a bit concerned about is the cost of the meal. Many of the places discussed seem to be $25+/entree (plus drink, tax, and sides if they're not included,) and that would be a bit out of my price point at this time. Keys and 8th Street Grill don't list prices, so those might work, though I'd like to know prices first.

 

The ones that I know would be in my particular price point are Zelo, Old Spaghetti Factory, Republic, and Best Steak House. Out of those four, Zelo seems to not really be "in the running" anymore, though I wouldn't mind it. Republic would be my first choice after that, for reasons I've mentioned earlier. Best Steak House would be my second choice; it is extremely convenient to transit, the reviews look good, and I'm perfectly fine with a "meat and potatoes" type dinner, though I'd probably grab an adult beverage somewhere afterwards. If Old Spaghetti Factory was chosen, I'd go with if that's where pretty much everywhere else was going, though if people went to two different restaurants I'd likely opt for the other option (unless the other option was too expensive.)

 

Just my two cents, for what it's worth.



#23 KevinKorell

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Posted 29 June 2015 - 12:40 AM

Jeb, a few of the criteria we look for are below. I know I am repeating what was said earlier but it's relevant again.  The examples I give are for those who have been on the Fests before over the course of the 15 years I have been running them:

  • Ability to seat the group.
  • Ability to seat the group conveniently. By conveniently I mean if one or both sides of a table are booth-type seating, or seated close to a wall, it is cumbersome if everyone on one side has to keep on sliding out and in to let a person go to the bathroom. Example of that is one of the older Fests in Boston when Joe's American was at its older location. They did much better the last time we visited them at the newer location, in fact we got our own room.
  • Separate checks are important. It resolves the uncomfortable issue of trying to figure out how much each person owes the one who ultimately pays the bill when it's together. Even knowing this, we somehow forgot to mention it when we ate at the Doubletree's restaurant in Albuquerque in 2012, and it took them longer than the actual meal took for them to figure it out.
  • It could be OK to split us at separate tables, 6+6, or 4+4+4, assuming the total of 12, keeping in mind ease of egress and access.
  • Dress code especially being Saturday evening has to be considered too at some of the nicer places. Since we've been out in the sun all day dressed appropriately, we aren't bringing a change of clothes nor do we want to.

 

Therefore even if we do eventually agree on something, they also have to pass the above litmus tests, which would require somebody to make a phone call to see if all of the above is possible, and potentially make a reservation (if needed) based on our projected arrival times. If somebody does want to do this, I  will first need to figure out when we would be getting there. Obviously somewhere in downtown Minneapolis along the trunk light rail line our arrival would be sooner than the place in St. Paul on the Green Line.   

 

Old Spaghetti Factory and its eastern facsimile Spaghetti Warehouse being chains, we know they have come through for us before in several cities.

 

In general, if restaurants list the food but not the prices, said prices are either high or subject to whatever they wish to charge (market value). If one does not wish to spend a fortune, those places are most likely not for their consideration.

 

So far the votes span just about everything presented, either one's first or second choice.  We have several votes for the downtown restaurants (Firelake, Mission American, and Keys at Foshay), a few for Republic, several for Old Spaghetti Factory, one for Burger King, and I'm on board for the one Jeb presented recently (Best Steakhouse).



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#24 BillMagee

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Posted 29 June 2015 - 07:17 AM

If it helps gaining a consensus, I'll throw my vote to Old Spaghetti Factory. Food is fine, and there is beer and wine for those of us who enjoy that pleasure.

#25 jis

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Posted 29 June 2015 - 01:50 PM

I could go for Best Steakhouse or Old Spaghetti Factory if it helps achieve some semblance of a consensus.



#26 jebr

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Posted 29 June 2015 - 02:12 PM

I would be willing to make a call or stop by as needed for wherever is chosen.

 

For me personally, my top vote is Republic, but Best Steakhouse is fine if consensus is needed.

 

EDIT: I'd probably tag along with people wherever if it was within my price range, otherwise I'd be fine finding an alternate solution should the rest of the group desire to go to a place that I don't want to go to/is out of my price range.


Edited by jebr, 29 June 2015 - 02:14 PM.


#27 pennyk

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Posted 29 June 2015 - 02:39 PM

For what it is worth, it is very possible that I will not be joining the group for the MSP group dinner.  My dining preferences are pretty different from that of the rest of the group.  For consensus purposes, Kevin, you should probably ignore my vote.



#28 steve4031

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Posted 29 June 2015 - 10:12 PM

I'll reorder mine,
1 8th street grill
2. Spaghetti factory.

I like both menus. I think 8th street has a menu and prices that could accommodate most.

#29 KevinKorell

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Posted 30 June 2015 - 12:57 AM

While I would prefer Old Spaghetti Factory,  I suppose I could find entrees on 8th Street Grill's menu to my liking and budget.  However in reading the fine print under the Burgers section, it says this:

 

18% Gratuity may be added to parties of 7 or more                     No checks Please

It's expected that large groups get the fixed 18% gratuity, which saves everyone's having to figure it out.  I am not sure what "No checks Please" means, but if they intended to say "No Split Checks Please" that is a negative. I don't think anyone would go there expecting to pay by check.  That's something which can be asked if somebody calls them.   The concern too is those a little less mobile than the rest of us ---  3-1/2 blocks each way is 7 blocks total, and we do have light rail to catch back to St. Paul afterwards.



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#30 steve4031

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Posted 30 June 2015 - 07:04 AM

I can call and verify what "no checks " means. The walking issuE also applies to mall of America and several other aspects of the fest. I think they forgot my want personal checks.



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