The Lyndale Tap House

The Lyndale Tap House had a lot going for it. We sat down looking for a break from the a cold February in Minnesota and found some relatively god eats.  Given that we aren't really into the pit roasted beef that they specialize in, we still found some things to enjoy.

As is her lot in life, Sabrina ordered the grilled cheese sandwich and had absolutely no complaints.  Crisp, gooey, and filling. Though she did pull out a few onions as they were a bit overwhelming, picky picky.

I grabbed a club sandwich and more importantly a glass of Bell's Hopslam.  This year's is not the best I've had but it's still leagues ahead of anything else domestic I've had. Anyways back to the sandwich, it was solid. The bacon was what stood out the most but not in an overbearing way, it just complimented the other items as if it was smoked with this end in mind.

Also, I've heard of some bad experiences with the wait staff here but had no complaints when we went. I do have to say that the decor is a little off for me. The scantily clad women pictured with live beef doesn't really make me want to order a cheese steak sandwich, it makes me wonder why any woman would go back.

A big plus for this place is the fries.  There's a few places around town that have switched to really thin, McDonald's-like fries.  I don't like that. It's as if we're being treated like some weird kids who were raised by wolves and have never seen a french fry before. Don't try to fool us, we know what good fries are, they're thick and long and not overly crispy because you left them in the fryer. Like the ones at the Lyndale Tap House.  Props to them and shame on the cheapskates who are ruining a good meal with soggy fries. [gets off soap box]

Tilia

Sabrina and I had a pretty divided opinion on this place.  She ordered oatmeal with hazel nuts, raisins and apple sauce (sounds awesome to me), and was not impressed as it was a little bland.

I ordered something out of a personal food fantasy:  french toast with pinapple slices, a coconut whipped topping and a maple beurre fondu (basically syrup).  It was possibly one of the top 5 things I've ever tasted.

Where we do agree is on the ambience of the place. Its proximity to Zumbro lends itself to brunch comparisons and in truth it seems more like a place where you'd come for a late dinner than for any form of breakfast. Nobody here just woke up and headed over in their yoga pants and flip flops and while that makes it seem a little less comfy, it won't distract me from recommending their food.  I'll be back for a couple of other things on their brunch menu and will probably convince Sabrina to try something off of their dinner menu as well.

Triple Rock

A lot has been said about the Triple Rock's weekend brunch, most of it really good, and in the past I've had nothing but good luck.  But this time the food fell short of our expectations.  Sabrina says it reminded her of something she'd get at Perkins or IHOP.  Basically nothing special.

Bacon and eggs are hard to screw up and they certainly didn't but there was nothing really distinctive about it.  Same with the biscuits and gravy--good enough but not something we'll come back for.  The big problem was that is seemed like they were using the potatoes to just fill space on the plate, and they lacked any distinction at all.  Whenever I reach for the pepper shaker more than once in a meal its usually a bad sign.

We'll probalby be heading elsewhere next time.

Muddy Waters

Hipsters to the rescue!

One step in this place and you'll immediately feel judged by the clientele but a few minutes later you'll realize they are just there for a good beer and conversation, and maybe a little judgement too but they keep it to themselves.

The staff are awesome and have the goods to back it up. We went with our gold standard pepperoni pizza with some basil and were not disappointed. Not too greasy, and for a pizza that's not cooked in a brick oven it sure had a tasty crust.

We came in early February and were pleasantly surprised to find that they had Bell's Hopslam on tap which is always a plus. They even made sure we were ok when we carelessly broke a glass and spilled beer all over the table, AND gave us a free round to boot.  


We will definitely be coming back next time we're around Lynlake.