Amore Victoria Restaurant

Where/Why:

I decided to do Amore Victoria  next because with all the new and popular bars and restaurants in Uptown this one seems to get forgotten amongst them, but that may be what adds to the elegant and romantic feel of this restaurant.  Amore has delicious Italian food and fantastic deals for their happy hour.  It’s also a perfect place for a date and to enjoy their newly opened roof top - below is the view looking off the side of it. 

The menu:

Amore’s menu is that of a classic Italian restaurant.  They have Antipasto, Tortellacci (which is a ravioli type noodle stuffed with beef, veal, and spinach), lasagna, gnocchi, ravioli, penne pasta, lobster, shrimp, mussels and much more.  My absolute favorite thing on their menu though is their pizza, it’s to die for.  I don’t know if it’s the crust, the cheese, or the sauce that makes this pizza so delicious but it’s got just the right taste to it.  It’s light, and there is a little bit of sweetness to it that makes this pizza unique.  Their happy hour menu is small but they have some great options including the pizza, artichoke spinach dip (which is also amazing), deep fried calamari, and bruschetta.  Another great thing about their menu is their wine and cocktail selection.  They have over 120 wines listed…which reminds me, you can also be seated right in their wine cellar!  They also have a well-reviewed mixologist on board which accounts for their customized and matchless drink selections.  Below is a picture of their ‘Uptown Crew’ pizza with prosciutto, roasted garlic, pepperoncini’s, feta, and mozzarella – delicious!! 

The Price:

You can get a $10 plate all the way to a $39 plate (the latter is a dish with lobster, clam, shrimp, and mussels over clam broth…yum!!) so if you bring a date here you better hope they aren’t craving sea food, or if you’re being brought on a date here…get it!  I am a fan of the happy hour of course.  It’s Monday – Friday 2-7pm and then they have a late night happy hour from 9:30-close.  I love their happy hour times; it’s hard to find a happy hour that goes past 6pm in the area so I love this.  The late night happy hour is nice too.  The deals are $5 appetizers and $3 tap beers and glasses of their house wine.  Not a beer or wine drinker?  You can also get a martini for $5!  Happy hour ends after 6pm for the rooftop so keep that in mind!

The Service:

Come here for a relaxed and stress-free time, when you’re far from feeling rushed and are ready to enjoy a great experience.  The staff is very professional and friendly, plus the fact that they have a popular mixologist behind the bar is a definite plus.

Amore Victoria is a great place to come and take in the charming and enchanting atmosphere, along with some very enjoyable authentic Italian food and great wine.  It’s sweet, cozy, and peaceful.  This restaurant is a perfect date spot or a great place to just go to unwind after a stressful day. 

The Lyon's Pub

Where/Why:

Working downtown I know that The Lyon's Pub is many people’s favorite weekly happy hour spot.  This restaurant definitely does well to represent Minneapolis. Even the burgers are named after buildings and companies within downtown Minneapolis like the IDS, Target, Gaviidae, and Hennepin burgers.  It’s a solid restaurant and bar with great service and great food.  It’s a large space, split with a bar on each of the sides with plenty of room for large parties.

The Menu:

They’ve got a large menu with plenty of variety.  They pretty much have any kind of burger you could be looking for.  They also have sandwiches, wraps, and salads but I must say their forte is certainly their burgers! I’ve tried the Bassford Remele (named after a Mpls law firm), which is just like a black and blue burger with a Cajun spin.  It’s rich and full of flavor, extremely filling so you may be bringing home the other half (or not!).  I’ve also tried the Hennepin, which is a burger served with bacon, cheddar cheese, and BBQ sauce drizzled on top.  This one wasn’t bad but I felt like the BBQ sauce may have taken away from the taste of the burger itself, but anyone who loves their BBQ would probably love this burger.  They’ve also got the Plymouth, which is a patty melt with sautéed onions, another rich one but very delicious!

If it’s beverages you are looking for here you will have plenty to choose from.  They have a great selection of beers on tap that’s always changing and some tasty specialty drinks. 

The Price:

All the burgers are right around $9 and served with fries on the side.  This is a great deal for a delicious burger that will not disappoint.  This price is especially good for the location and just the overall classy yet relaxed vibe of the entire place, not to mention the wonderful service.  They also have some competitive specials to check out.  They have ‘Taco Tuesdays’ where you can get two chicken tacos for just $3.95 along with $4 Cuervo Margaritas which the bartender perfects!  They also have half off appetizers from 3-6pm Monday – Friday.

The Service:

I’ve been going here for years and one thing I noticed is their staff isn’t constantly changing like I’ve noticed with a lot of bars downtown.  Every time I go in there it’s the same friendly faces I see and the same great service I can expect.  They take care of their customers and take the time to get to know you on a personal level.  The food is always out promptly and whether its water or beer you’re drinking they will make sure you are never left looking around for your next round.

This is a great bar to check out, come hungry and leave satisfied!  The service will not let you down, and you’re not going to be breaking the bank with your visit.  This is a great spot after work for happy hour or dinner with a group of friends.  It’s a friendly atmosphere with delicious food at a great price, what else could you ask for?

The Pourhouse

 Where/Why:

It’s always fun to visit new bars and restaurants so I decided to review The Pourhouse next, located right in downtown Minneapolis.  It has a great open feel to it with a two story lay out and a small stage that the tables surround.  It would be a fun personal place to see live music.  They have a huge screen that can go down for sporting events too and I just read that every Wednesday they have a happy hour standup comedy show.  

 The Menu:

They have a very full (and creative) menu – you can pick from burgers, sandwiches, pizza, fajitas, tacos, mac and cheese, ribs… (I could go on and on).  Or you can choose from their appetizers, which like any good sports bar they’ve got a lot to pick from.  Decide between cheese curds, their ‘Pint O’ Bacon, wings (or try their wing challenge!), chicken wontons, onion rings, and lots more.  One I tired and loved is their chicken lettuce wraps.  These come with this chipotle jam that I’m pretty sure is what puts them over the edge, it’s definitely one of the best if not the best lettuce wraps I’ve ever had!  These zesty wraps also include banana peppers and wonton strips to top it off with, it was great to share but I wanted the whole thing to myself! 

The Price:

I’d recommend coming here for their daily happy hour from 3-7 which is $5 appetizers and $3 rail & domestic beers.  They’ve got enough to choose from on their happy hour menu that you should be able to find enough to fill you up and make you happy.  Otherwise, the average price for their apps are around $10 and the average price for their burgers/sandwiches are around $10 - $13. 

The Service:

The service was good.  They have so many people working there I think they might have outnumbered the guests!   Which I guess is a good thing because it means no empty glasses and no empty plates sitting around.   Not only was our waitress on top of it but two other people were also checking in on us throughout our visit…pretty impressive, maybe not so great if you’re trying to have a close discussion on a first date but I didn’t mind it!

The Pourhouse is your ultimate sports bar.  They seem to have anything you might be craving food-wise and entertainment-wise.  I’m excited to check them out this Fall for some football games!  Come here with a group of friends for their comedy show or to enjoy some sports – and try their lettuce wraps!

Stella's Fish Cafe & Prestige Oyster Bar

Where/Why:

I lived in Uptown for a few years so I’ve definitely visited Stella’s Fish Café & Prestige Oyster Bar on numerous occasions, but usually after hours and it was mainly beverages being consumed (they make a fantastic bloody mary…ask for the cucumber vodka).  One of the reasons I love Stella’s is for the different feel you get at each level of the bar.  You’ve got your first level which is the main bar, you’ve got your second level with banquet rooms and a big room where a lot of times live music is playing (usually Jack Johnson and Sublime covers…love!) and the rooftop level with an amazing view of Minneapolis!   But I can’t leave out one of the main things I love there – the Oysters! 

The Menu:

You can select your oysters by different locations like most oyster bars but hit Stella’s up at the right time (before 6 on a Friday) and you can get them for .69 cents each.  These are good oysters, they come in half shells on ice with horseradish and cocktail sauce (sea salt and creole spice is on the table and a must) ...oh and usually right around that time it’s two-for-ones.  You cannot beat this!

The Price:

I already mentioned the .69 cents per delicious oyster on Friday’s before 6 but their happy hours are great and plenty.   Just check out the website, they have twice daily $1 oysters and appetizer discounts too for $5.25…may I suggest the spinach/crab dip?  YUM!!

The Service:

Stella’s certainly has many faces so I’m basing my service experience not on the insane 10:30pm-12:30pm Night Owls Happy Hour on Friday or Saturday (which truthfully really isn’t too bad considering the volume and the great deals) but I’m basing it on regular happy hour or dinner times.  I’ve only once had a bad experience here with a server and I’m pretty sure it was because it was actually her last day, plus that was years ago.  Service is usually pretty good and the food usually is served pretty quickly, the oysters are definitely the quickest to come out.  Always friendly, and always seem to have a lot of people on board there for service.  By the way….fun place for bday parties!  Reserve a table!

Stella’s Fish Café and Prestige Oyster Bar is a great place for some good oysters at an amazing price.  Come on Friday after work for the Oysters and stay for the rooftop and some beverages!  Great place to go for a variety of things, definitely a fun place to check out for whatever you’re looking for.

The Harriet Brasserie

Where/Why:

I figured I’d start out my blog with one of my favorites, and also a new and upcoming French/Brazilian restaurant – The Harriet Brasserie - located right in Minneapolis’ charming Linden Hills area.

I may be a little partial to this one because living right in Linden Hills, it’s become one of my (and my boyfriend’s) favorite date night spots.  It’s romantic, relaxed, and warm whether you’re sitting inside or out.  It may have won us over when they were first opening without a liquor license yet, and allowed customers to supply their own, which ended up making a very fun and affordable dinner (we brought some delicious local beer from Harriet Brewing which they now have on tap).

The menu:

The menu has enough to choose from without being overwhelming, and you can tell it has been carefully thought out based on the perfect variety offered.  You can get anything from pork belly to a fresh salad with rhubarb.  (They also serve breakfast but I have yet to try this).  My absolute favorites on their menu are the scallops (you get two scallops a plate but they’re big and worth every bite), and their Hill Burger which is probably one of the things that keeps us coming back!  The burger is made with grass fed beef and includes bacon and incredible oyster mushrooms…my mouth is watering just thinking about it! 

I’ve also tried their Tofu Hash pictured below.  This was amazingly delicious, especially for a lighter meal, even the greens on the side were very tasty…and very fresh!  

They also have plenty of wines to choose from, bottles or by the glass.  They also usually have specialty drinks that aren’t always listed on their website - I was drinking one of those in the pic above, it was a spritzer - nice, light and refreshing!  As a beer drinker mainly though, I love that they have the Old Speckled Hen in the can and of course, love the Harriet beer they have on tap (along with others).

The Price:

You can get most dinner plates for less than $15, which when you compare to some not-so-great restaurant and bars closer to Uptown, is a great deal for the quality of food you will be served.  The drink menu does well to cater to all guests as well, you can get an expensive bottle of wine or a $2.50 can of beer…not bad!

The Service:

There hasn’t been one time I’ve been here and felt disappointed about the service.  We’ve been seated if not right away, soon, every time.  Once seated you’ll be helped almost immediately, and even when they were very busy the food never seemed to take too long.

Overall this is a great place to come for a date, or just to catch up with a friend.  I love the intimate atmosphere and friendly service you’ll see as soon as you walk in.  I highly suggest making a visit to Linden Hills to experience The Harriet Brasserie, you will not be disappointed!