Her perspective: D
A brasserie is an informal French cafe serving beer, wine and simple, hearty food. I wish I had known this before I went, it would have changed my expectations. I was expecting a fine dining restaurant from what I had heard about this restaurant.
The waitstaff was somewhat casual, which didn't seem to fit to me. The floor had obviously not been swept and there were ants running around under our table. The appetizer plates were sitting on the table as part of the setting under the folded napkin. Both of our plates were dirty and mine was chipped. I also noticed that all the tables had linens except for the largest table in the center of the main floor dining room which seats 10 comfortably.
Our server did not seem very knowledgeable, although she seemed pleasant enough and did seem to really be trying. However, she was quite inattentive.
We did not get our bread until shortly before we got our appetizer, which leads me to believe that, even though we had a reservation, they were not ready for us. However, it was served hot and was very good. Our escargot was tasty, very hot and not gritty, but the menu stated that they would be in garlic butter. They were served mostly in olive oil with a little bit of butter and little bit of garlic - not what we were expecting. We did not get a salad included with our entree, which is unusual for even the low end of fine dining. My friend and I ended up sharing a 14 oz. ribeye. It was cooked perfectly and was very tasty - served with mashed potatoes, asparagus and a very well done bearnaise. The meat was quite tender. We both really enjoyed it.
At one point, I noticed the host running down the stairs to seat a party that was waiting at the door. On his way down, he picked up a small ramekin of ketchup that had apparently fallen off a plate earlier. It appeared to have fallen upside down, but he just picked it up and no one ever cleaned the ketchup up off the stairs. I was hoping that no one would slip and fall.
We asked for a dessert menu which mentioned that a list of dessert wines, cognacs and ports would be on the wine list. When I asked to see the wine list again to see the dessert wines and ports, the server stated that she might need the bartender to come out and talk to me about them since they just printed new wine lists and these were not listed on there anymore. When she returned, she was carrying a bottle of port, mentioned two more and did not mention any dessert wines at all. I ordered the flourless chocolate cake and a drink on the dessert menu called Vanilla Royale with vanilla cognac and espresso. My friend ordered a Keoke Coffee. When our drinks arrived, mine was room temperature and served in a snifter. I was confused since the menu had stated there would be espresso, I was expecting a hot coffee drink. The server seemed confused as well. She stated that she had never served one of them before and that's what the bartender gave her. She asked if I wanted something else and I asked if they had Godiva liqueur. She said yes and I ordered a Godiva and coffee. She served the cake without any forks and I had to ask her for them. When she brought my new drink, it looked white, which made me think that they had used Godiva White, which is not what I had asked for, but something I would still enjoy anyway, so I didn't press the issue. The chocolate cake was very good, not too rich, but still rich enough to require coffee with it. We took our time and savored each bite. However, there was a hair on the rim of the plate when it was served. We could see back into the kitchen and only one chef was wearing a hat or hair restraint.
To sum up, I was not impressed with the decor, atmosphere or service. The food was great, but I'm concerned with the numerous health code violations I saw. I will most likely not be back any time soon.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
The Coffee Cup - August 4, 2007
1446 Rice Street
St. Paul, MN 55117
Her perspective: D
I went in for a quick breakfast, but there was almost nothing quick about it. I went in and sat down at the counter. The busser brought me silverware right away and asked if I wanted coffee which he got right away. However, I burned my mouth on it; it was too hot. I decided quickly, but it was like pulling teeth to get the attention of a server. When she finally came over, I asked if I could order. She seemed like she really didn't want to be there. In fact, she paid more attention to the guy sitting next to me, who sat down after me. She also kept trying to fill my coffee cup when I had only taken one or two drinks from it. I also had to ask her for my check.
The food was pretty tasty and cooked properly. The eggs were fluffy, the toast was lightly toasted with a good amount of butter and the bacon was crisp.
We have been to this restaurant a couple of times before and had always had good service. I would like to believe that this was an abhorration and will most likely not get repeated. I'm giving this server the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps she was just having a bad day, but it will make me think twice before sitting in her section again.
St. Paul, MN 55117
Her perspective: D
I went in for a quick breakfast, but there was almost nothing quick about it. I went in and sat down at the counter. The busser brought me silverware right away and asked if I wanted coffee which he got right away. However, I burned my mouth on it; it was too hot. I decided quickly, but it was like pulling teeth to get the attention of a server. When she finally came over, I asked if I could order. She seemed like she really didn't want to be there. In fact, she paid more attention to the guy sitting next to me, who sat down after me. She also kept trying to fill my coffee cup when I had only taken one or two drinks from it. I also had to ask her for my check.
The food was pretty tasty and cooked properly. The eggs were fluffy, the toast was lightly toasted with a good amount of butter and the bacon was crisp.
We have been to this restaurant a couple of times before and had always had good service. I would like to believe that this was an abhorration and will most likely not get repeated. I'm giving this server the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps she was just having a bad day, but it will make me think twice before sitting in her section again.
The Bourne Ultimatum - August 3, 2007
Synopsis: Matt Damon returns as the trained assassin Jason Bourne. All he wanted was to disappear. Instead, Jason Bourne is now hunted by the people who made him what he is. Having lost his memory and the one person he loved, he is undeterred by the barrage of bullets and a new generation of highly-trained killers. Bourne has only one objective: to go back to the beginning and find out who he was. Now, in the new chapter of this espionage series, Bourne will hunt down his past in order to find a future. He must travel from Moscow, Paris, Madrid and London to Tangier and New York City as he continues his quest to find the real Jason Bourne - all the while trying to outmaneuver the scores of cops, federal officers and Interpol agents with him in their crosshairs.
Her perspective: Wait/Must Own
Very good action flick. Good story line, it kept moving and kept my attention the whole film. Matt Damon was excellent, as always, and the other actors were great as well. The action was very well choreagraphed. However, there was quite a lot of extraneous camerawork during the fight scenes. I understand that the director wanted to portray how frantic the characters and the action was, but it was too much. If it had been a less talented actor, I could have seen using the camerawork to "hide" the fact, but it wasn't needed with Matt Damon.
They never really did explain the whole program that he had joined or what they had done to him that made him lose his memory. They also hinted at a personal relationship between Bourne and Nicky Parsons, but they never explained that, either. Even though these left me feeling unsatisfied, I still enjoyed the story.
All in all, if you're a fan, go ahead and see it in the theater, but if you just want to see a good action flick, buy it on DVD. This is one for the video collection.
Her perspective: Wait/Must Own
Very good action flick. Good story line, it kept moving and kept my attention the whole film. Matt Damon was excellent, as always, and the other actors were great as well. The action was very well choreagraphed. However, there was quite a lot of extraneous camerawork during the fight scenes. I understand that the director wanted to portray how frantic the characters and the action was, but it was too much. If it had been a less talented actor, I could have seen using the camerawork to "hide" the fact, but it wasn't needed with Matt Damon.
They never really did explain the whole program that he had joined or what they had done to him that made him lose his memory. They also hinted at a personal relationship between Bourne and Nicky Parsons, but they never explained that, either. Even though these left me feeling unsatisfied, I still enjoyed the story.
All in all, if you're a fan, go ahead and see it in the theater, but if you just want to see a good action flick, buy it on DVD. This is one for the video collection.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
The Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis
We live here in the Twin Cities (as should be obvious), and we would just like to say that our thoughts, our prayers and our hopes go out to all those working on and affected by this terrible event. We hope that everyone will be able to find some peace and solace after these events.
Our prayers to you, and to the safety of the rescuers, workers and recovery personnel in the aftermath.
Our prayers to you, and to the safety of the rescuers, workers and recovery personnel in the aftermath.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Chili's, Maplewood - July 21, 2007
Her Perspective: C
His perspective: C
We went to Chili's at 2:30 pm on a Saturday for drinks and appetizers. We went to the rail of the bar, but there was no one behind the bar and we had to wait several minutes until the bartender came back. She seemed friendly enough at first and we ordered two Presidente margaritas, which is one of our favorite drinks. She made them right away, and we were trying to watch her make them so we could figure out what is in them. It was hard to see because there was a partition in the way, but we did notice that she used four different bottles. When she brought us the drinks, we asked her what was in them. Her reply was that she wasn't sure! Considering that she had just made the drinks, it's disturbing that she didn't know what is in them and had to look it up in the drink menu. Not to mention that when she started to read the names of the liquors off the drink menu, she couldn't pronounce any of them. She handed the drink menu to me to read for myself. There are three liquors and we had watched her use four.
William's drink tasted different than mine. His had a distinct whiskey flavor in addition to what was supposed to be in it and mine did not. I think she grabbed a bottle of whiskey by mistake and made his drink with it and mine without.
We ordered two appetizers: Queso and Southwest Eggrolls. The queso came out right away, but didn't taste very good. It tasted a bit burnt like it had been sitting for a while. When the eggrolls came out, I noticed that they looked very light in color like they had just changed the oil in the fryer. When I tasted them, I confirmed that they were cooked in new oil. They were very tasty. We put aside the queso and when the bartender came to take it, she asked if we were done with it since we didn't finish it. She did not ask if we were unhappy with it. We told her that it tasted burnt and she rushed off while saying that she would see if the manager would take it off the bill, which they did.
She made one more margarita for William, this time with three liquors, but then gave us our check. We might have stayed longer and had more drinks, but since we already had our check it seemed like we were being asked to leave. We did not feel inclined to stay in light of that, so we paid our check and left.
The bartender was very inattentive during our visit and seemed stressed and busy even though there were only three groups in the bar area including us. Overall, we were quite disappointed.
His perspective: C
We went to Chili's at 2:30 pm on a Saturday for drinks and appetizers. We went to the rail of the bar, but there was no one behind the bar and we had to wait several minutes until the bartender came back. She seemed friendly enough at first and we ordered two Presidente margaritas, which is one of our favorite drinks. She made them right away, and we were trying to watch her make them so we could figure out what is in them. It was hard to see because there was a partition in the way, but we did notice that she used four different bottles. When she brought us the drinks, we asked her what was in them. Her reply was that she wasn't sure! Considering that she had just made the drinks, it's disturbing that she didn't know what is in them and had to look it up in the drink menu. Not to mention that when she started to read the names of the liquors off the drink menu, she couldn't pronounce any of them. She handed the drink menu to me to read for myself. There are three liquors and we had watched her use four.
William's drink tasted different than mine. His had a distinct whiskey flavor in addition to what was supposed to be in it and mine did not. I think she grabbed a bottle of whiskey by mistake and made his drink with it and mine without.
We ordered two appetizers: Queso and Southwest Eggrolls. The queso came out right away, but didn't taste very good. It tasted a bit burnt like it had been sitting for a while. When the eggrolls came out, I noticed that they looked very light in color like they had just changed the oil in the fryer. When I tasted them, I confirmed that they were cooked in new oil. They were very tasty. We put aside the queso and when the bartender came to take it, she asked if we were done with it since we didn't finish it. She did not ask if we were unhappy with it. We told her that it tasted burnt and she rushed off while saying that she would see if the manager would take it off the bill, which they did.
She made one more margarita for William, this time with three liquors, but then gave us our check. We might have stayed longer and had more drinks, but since we already had our check it seemed like we were being asked to leave. We did not feel inclined to stay in light of that, so we paid our check and left.
The bartender was very inattentive during our visit and seemed stressed and busy even though there were only three groups in the bar area including us. Overall, we were quite disappointed.
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