Meeting #12

Luna Rosa Wine Bar

402 S. Main St.
Stillwater, MN 55082

Attendees: Beth, TJ, Jenny, Chris (honorary member) and Katie (honorary member)

Restaurant description: Intimate, rustic cave setting. Low lit, indigenous feel; felt like we were in Italy!

The meal: Terri has the Pasta of the Day (fettucine, shrimp, roasted red peppers, capers and calamata olives in an olive oil, garlic sauce with a touch of pomodoro. To drink...2 glasses of house riesling. Chris has the Chicken Marsala and a glass of the house zinfandel, and he also ate a lot off of Terri and Jenny's plates. Jenny ate the Penne Sicliona and two whiskey diets. Katie enjoyed the Chicken Cacciatore and drank a Limoncello mojito. Beth ate the Fettucine Alfredo with Chicken and Mark West Pinor Noir. We all shared desserts. The chef was running behind in making desserts, so our server brought us free limoncello shots. The desserts we ate were an Espresso Martini, Tiramisu, and Creme Brulee.

Rating:
Atmosphere: 5
Creativity: 4.5
Taste: 4.5

Memorable moments of the evening: 1. It was great having Katie and Chris in attendance. 2. Chris' comment, after hearing that our taste rating was a 4.5 and not higher: "4.5! Bullshit! I had three meals and they were all wonderful!" 3. Katie's comment, when asked to provide a quote summarizing her evening: "I can't come up with a quote under all this pressure." 4. Terri: "I look like a nun tonight, why did I wear a turtleneck?" 5. We were given a private cave tour at Joseph Wolf Brewery (connected to the restaurant) after dropping Rafaelle's name. It was awesome!

In the caves (notice NO ORBS in this shot :)

Chris' marsala!

Terri's Pasta

Jen and Chris

Meeting #11

Spill the Wine

(To be added at a later date)

Meeting #10

Mayslack's Bar
1428 4th Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418

Attendees: TJ, Beth, Jenny and Katie (special guest for the 2nd time!)

Restaurant description: This place is a total towny bar, well known in the neighborhood. Nothing fancy about it, some may even describe it as rough around the edges. It quickly became clear to us that this place is clearly about the food--specifically meat!

The meal: Beth had the Reuben with Tater Tots and a 22-ounce Grain Belt. Terri had the Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich with 'Slax' Fries, and two Amaretto Sours (delicious). Jenny had the "Original" (Roast Beef Sandwich) and two Whiskey Diets. Katie had the Grilled Avocado Chicken Sandwich with 'Slax' Fries and an Iced Tea. Terri and Jenny had the cornbread appetizer with a delicious honey butter (TDF).

The four of us also shared a Root Beer Float and slice of cheesecake drizzled with strawberry sauce.

Rating:
Atmosphere: 2
Taste: 4.5
Creativity: 3.5

Memorable moment(s) of the evening: While checking out the 'interesting' crowd, Jenny said, "We're gonna see a lot of Carhardts and Wranglers tonight!" Terri also commented "That guy has fish on his shirt."

Jenny and "Bill".

Meeting #9

Black Sheep Pizza
600 WASHINGTON AVE N
MINNEAPOLIS, MN

Attendees: Terri, Beth, Jenny, and for his first DDC experience, Chris Forrest.


Restaurant Description: Classic warehouse district vibe. Garden level, industrial feel. Refurbished building allows for open floorplan. Cozy booth with a few of the dough flippin chefs.


The meal: We each ordered a pizza with two different halves. There were some original combinations that we were nervous to try, but the waitress eased our minds and sold us on some of their creations. Chris had half Meatball, Ricotta & Garlic and half Fennel Sausage, Hot Salami, Onion & Cracked Green Olives. He also had a Surly beer. Jenny had half Fresh Tomato, Green Pepper & Kalamata Olives and half Fresh Tomato, Green Pepper & Kalamata Olives. Terri had half Fresh Tomato, Green Pepper & Kalamata Olives and half Cracked Pepper and Garlic. Beth had half Meatball, Ricotta & Garlic and half Chicken and Mushroom.






Rating:
Atmosphere: 3.0
Taste: 4.25
Creativity: 4.0


Memorable Moment: After Beth made some genius comment (no one can remember what it was so it must have been good) Jenny said, "And that's why you're president of the DDC!"

Meeting #8

Modern Cafe
337 13th Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Member pick: Beth
Attendees: Beth, Jenny, TJ

Restaurant description: Nestled in the heart of Northeast Minneapolis, a small but rare treasure in the chest of the DDC (quote from Beth). The Modern Cafe is a diner-style cafe with a genuine look, without trying too hard.

The meal: All three members had coffee (TJ: 6 cups, Beth: 3 cups, Jen: 1 cup). Terri had the Pampered Eggs (scrambled eggs with mushrooms, chives, and cream cheese (TFDF)). Also, a side of hashbrowns and wheat toast. Jenny had Scrambled Eggs (with spinach, tomato, and cheese), pancakes and wheat toast. Beth enjoyed a cheese omelet, crisp bacon, wheat toast and a pancake. Terri and Jenny ended the meal with a refreshing mimosa (TDF).

Rating
Taste: 4.75
Creativity: 4.5
Atmosphere: 4

Memorable moment: Funny coffee stories...Beth asked Terri if she'd like cream in her coffee. Terri said "Just a splash." Beth had barely poured a drop and Terri yelled "THAT'S ENOUGH!" Luckily there was hardly no one in the restaurant--or they'd all been looking at us. We also had a laugh when the waiter approached Jen and said, "Would you like coffee?" and Jenny quickly replied, "YES!" Guess we were all tired that morning. This was the first DDC meeting in months and it was certainly good to be back in action.

Meeting #7

Barbette
1600 W. Lake St.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Member pick: Beth
Attendees: Beth, Jenny, TJ

To be completed at a later date (when Beth finds the notes about this meeting).

Meeting #6

Girvan Grille
8700 Edinbrook Crossing, Brooklyn Park, MN
Member pick: Beth
Attendees: Beth, Terri, Jenny and our 1st ever guest, Katie, who was an honorary DDC member for the evening.

Restaurant Description: Contemporary, dimly lit golf pub with a scenic view, overlooking the championship golf course Edinburgh USA!

The meal: For an appetizer, we had the buffalo roll-ups with spicy chicken and crispy wontons on a bed of lettuce, with bleu cheese dressing on the side. For dinner, Beth had the reuben with french fries, a Summit Pale Ale and lemonade. Jenny had the Buffalo Burger with cheddar cheese and fries, and a Corona Light. Terri had the Diablo Chicken wrap that came with crispy chicken salsa, corn, cheese, dragon sauce and fries. She also had a glass of the Luccio pinot grigio. And Katie had the Spice & Smoke Burger with fresh mozzarella and fries, and an iced tea. For dessert, we shared the Seven Layer Chocolate Sin cake and the bread pudding.

Rating:
Taste: 3.75
Creativity: 3.25
Atmosphere: 3.5

Memorable moments: SPECIAL GUEST KATIE! And her response to the experience, "Definitely lived up to it's hype." The other memorable moment came when Jenny said to our waitress, all sassy, "Well you didn't suggest that, did you?", when the waitress told us--after we had eaten the cake--that she likes ice cream on it.