Holy Land Midtown Global Market - Minneapolis, MN

CLOSED June 4, 2020 

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/midtown-global-market-terminates-holy-land39s-lease-after-racist-social-media-posts-resurface/ . Not surprised. I always felt the employees stared holes into you and treated outsiders with contempt.

920 E Lake St, Midtown Global Market

Visited September 8, 2019

Great Pita chips.  The food is great but the service is  apathetic as if you're an inconvenience and interrupting their conversations.  And you think that service in Chinese restaurants is terrible...

Jimmy John's - Minneapolis, MN.

88 S 9th St

Given a choice, I'll take Jimmy John's over Subway any day. However, this Jimmy John's falls way short is an exception to the rule. Maybe it's OK during peak times, but it's not OK this evening. It's located in an area attracting the homeless, panhandlers, and freeloaders.  They're after more than free smells.  This can't be the model Jimmy had in mind.

I order the Number 8 Billy with roast beef, smoked ham, provolone cheese, Dijon mustard, lettuce, tomato, & mayo. The assembler slathered on so much mustard it choked all else.  This location is a nope.

Caribou Coffee - Minneapolis, MN

CLOSED

733 Marquette Ave S #223

Mention Caribou Coffee and it's impossible to not envision coffee. Would you envision food? Probably not. There's good reason for that. First, the food selection, especially hot foods, is very limited. Second, it sounds better than it tastes.

Falafel King - Minneapolis, MN

CLOSED Sept 2014(?)

701 W Lake St

The teenage boy cashier at the ordering counter says he will bring the food to me. I see the prepared food in trays behind the glass display. Typical of a place that serves gyros, there are two rotisseries with gyro meat. So I thought it would be  few moments, especially with only a few patrons.

Pho Tau Bay - Minneapolis, MN

CLOSED 2026?

2837 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN

Visited June 14, 2008

Pho and Cha Gio. This particular pho, Pho tai nuong ca (spelling? $6.50 large) comprises sliced beef, flank, and tendon. The broth was clear and simple, and not as intense as I would have liked. The noodles were thinner than usually served. I felt this detracted from the heartiness and comfort that pho should have.

Pagoda Dinkytown – Minneapolis, MN

CLOSED the 1417 4th St SE Minneapolis location and RELOCATED to 2401 Fairview Ave Roseville MN.

Pagoda is a Pan-Asian establishment with a modern minimalist yet warm decor. If the decor wasn’t enough of a clue, you soon realize scanning the menu this is not the typical Chinese American restaurant. The menu lists a mind numbing 269 plus items, many Hong Kong style. If you’re a first timer with an adventurous palate, add 15 minutes to read through the menu.

La Sirena Gorda - Minneapolis, MN

CLOSED November 3, 2011. Health issues brought an early retirement.

920 E Lake St, Midtown Global Market

La Sirena Gorda (Fat Mermaid) specializes in tempting seafood. We settled on the Flautas Pescado ($6.25) Fish Flautas platter with mahi-mahi. Flauta is Spanish for flute, which is an apropos name for this dish consisting of 3 corn tortillas rolled into flute-like shapes.

Starlight Cafe - Minneapolis, MN

CLOSED March 31, 2008

920 E Lake, Midtown Global Market

Starlight Cafe is more bakery than a cafe with a lot of sweet looking treats.  The bakery good we zoned in on was a savory Sambusi.

Sambusi ($1.34 including tax) is a triangular shaped pastry consisting of ground beef and onion plus some other ingredients wrapped in an egg roll type skin and deep fried.  The savory flavor was surface deep only, failing to soak into the core. 3 stars.

Taqueria Los Ocampo - Minneapolis, MN

CLOSED 2022(?)

920 E Lake St, Midtown Global Market

Visited December 30, 2007

I walked up to the friendly cashier and placed an order for #6 because I didn't know how to pronounce Huarachazo. I asked him how to pronounce it and he something like said "Wah - ra - chaas' - o".