Wirelessly posted (Opera/8.01 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/3.1.10423/1724; en; U; ssr))

anyone have good restaurant recommendations (local flavor not chains) in MSP?

not sure what you are looking for as far as price range, some restaurants I like (and often can be found at)

112 Eatery (international/frenchy/contemporary, wharehouse district) $$$
Barrio (mex, right Downtown) $
Cave Vin (French, quaint, quiet, South West Minneapolis) $$
Vincent (French, downtown) $$$
Porter and Frye (in the Hotel Ivy, downtown, contemporary) $$$

I made up the price scale, out of four.

Nye's Polonaise...the food is good and the piano bar is even better. (downtown Mpls.).

My wife and I dined at La Belle Vie in downtown a few weeks ago. The food was excellent, though not quite world class, but the price was very reasonable.

Hell's Kitchen is a must for brunch.

tb

Of the places you list I have only been to Vincent. I had high hopes, but found that their ambitions far outreached their ability to perform. Very adequate but mediocre meal.

milepig,

sorry to hear you had a bad experience there.

I dined there twice so far, and the first experience was exceptional, which prompted me to write the following review:

"Excellent dining experience. Service was professional, friendly and our waiter really went the extra yard: we couldn't decide on the wine, when we finally made our decision, he offered to bring us a glass of our second choice, so that we could try it at no charge. Food was very well prepared, I had Pan-Seared Scallops as a starter, very good balance of ingredients (leeks and orange-butter sauce) and the scallops were cooked to perfection. Excellent also my main, Duck Breast with Pumpikin Polenta, mushrooms and truffle sauce. At the end of the meal my wife and I wanted to go listen to some live music, so we asked the waiter if he knew who was playing downtown, he went and got us an issue of the city magazine! 5 stars. A little pricey."

The second time I wasn't as happy with the service, but still enjoyed the food plus I had a reasonably priced bottle of Bandol which was excellent (if you don't know this wine, it is a Mourvedre-Grenache based red from the Provence area, which I would recommend to those who like Chateuneuf Du Pape-style wines but are looking for an alternative at a lower price point).

I still think the food at Vincent is pretty "authentically" French, which is a rather rare thing stateside (I lived in Geneva, CH for several years and used to cross into France quite often, it took some time to find something adequate on this side of the ocean).

Barrio has some of the best guac I've ever had. I have also heard from many that 112 is amazing and affordable but have not been there yet

I'm partial to Bar Lurcat.

Steak house. Manny's. Downtown.

Murray's. Probably the best steakhouse I've been to - anywhere. You go in, and you go back in time. This place is old school. Very very special.

Mmmm, that sounds real good, I will check it out

Ditto Murray's.

And ditto Hell's Kitchen;

Hope you enjoy them both!

Taqueria La Hacienda, there are three locations, two on Lake Street and one in Burnsville. Excellent tacos al pastor, also try the alhambres. I never thought I'd find a taco shop like this in Minneapolis. You'll likely spend less than $10.

Two of my favorite less expensive places (everything under $20) in southwest Minneapolis (the city, not the suburbs) are Broder's Southside Pasta Bar and Cafe Twenty Eight. The latter has a lot of local organic meats, and a good beer selection (Surlys draft plus many Belgian). Look at http://www.broders.com/pasta-bar/index.html or www.cafetwentyeight.com for menus.

I agree especially with Murray's and Lurcat. Within downtown Starwood hotels, it's worth checking P&F (Ivy, relatively new chef and management), Bank (Westin), new upscale Italian (Chambers LM). Slightly away from downtown, Alma (creative, good fixed price deals) has been winning awards. For the setting, you might want to consider Nicollet Island Inn (upscale Minnesota food, historic building on an island in the Mississippi River across from downtown). Finally, Solera is a very stylish bar and tapas restaurant and the new seafood restaurant (replacement for Cue, RIP) in the Guthrie is promising. Farther afield, in Wayzeta (approximately ten miles west of downtown Minneapolis), Blue Point Oyster House is a traditional seafood choice.

Loring Pasta Bar in the East Bank campus ("dinkeydome") area is also a good inexpensive choice, but it can be very noisy, especially when there is live music and the bar is busy. It has mismatched furnishings and an aging hippie feel, but is very popular with graduate students as well as young professionals and a general mixed clientale.