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Dive Night ~ Little Venetian + Cup And Cone

July 14, 2011 by Sara

Once a fairly popular dining destination is now a little joint in a strip mall.  The Venetian Inn may have downsized to Little Venetian, but the food is still to die for.

This establishment has been serving the Twin Cities since the 1920s by a single family, the Vitales.  Family pictures are proudly displayed in the restaurant.

The restaurant looks like a fast food place when you walk up to the counter to place your order.

Yes, you place an order with the cashier and the food is delivered to your table when it is ready.  Why bother with menus when you can just post the menu on the wall like McDonald’s does?

They have a small salad bar which is kind of cramped and hard to wrangle, but the salad was good, and I was especially impressed with the homemade french dressing.  It was chunky!  And delicious, I might add.

A bad photo, but you get the idea of the chunky french dressing

There is little better than authentic Italian food.  Mama Vitale was also famous for her frozen entrees back in the day.  Do you remember the jingle?  “Let Mama Vitale come into your kitchen, she does the cooking, you get the praise…”  Mama isn’t doing the cooking at the restaurant anymore, but her kids have kept the tradition of mouth-watering cuisine in the downsized version of their parents’ restaurant, no doubt using the same recipes as Mama did.
Our little group had lasagna, ravioli with red sauce and a giant side of sausage, chicken parmesan, and mushroom-stuffed ravioli.  All were tremendously scrumptious.
Personally I favor Italian food with a white sauce, which usually contains wine and garlic and butter.  Everyone had a marvelous time eating.  Conversation was kept to a minimum so we could savor it all.
I’m going to remember Little Venetian for catering and take-out too.  Everything on their menu is available for take-out and the entire time we were there people were lining up, ordering delicious food to go.
I think I speak for the entire group when I say Little Venetian is big on authentic Italian food.  So very, very good.  They also serve beer and wine.
As a little treat we went to another local dive for dessert ~ White Bear Lake’s Cup And Cone.  It’s been around forever and it’s simply the place to see and be seen.  Okay, it’s not really as uppity as all that, but truthfully, everyone in the area of White Bear Lake goes to Cup And Cone at least once during the summer.
One word of advice: when they say large, they mean large and don’t predict the size of an ice cream cone on the size of the cone itself.  See for yourself.  Ruthie and Ray got a small- and medium-sized cones.  They’re gargantuan!  (The cones, not Ruthie and Ray.)
I, unfortunately, got a large cone and felt downright piggish walking around with this mountain of ice cream in my hand.  It was a pretty warm day too, so I had to eat it really fast.  Delicious as it was, my eyes were much bigger than my stomach, especially after just having a rich Italian meal.  The large size is for fanatics, that’s for sure!
It was a really nice evening filled with delicious food; Little Venetian and Cup And Cone are a perfect pair.

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Dive Night ~ Macaluso’s Roadhouse

May 11, 2011 by Sara

A long time ago I went to a little bar with my motorcycle -driving boyfriend.  We were young and foolish and very brave.  This little bar had a reputation of serving the toughest bikers in the area, but like I said, we were young, foolish and very brave.  We had a drink and left the bar unscathed.  I never returned…until now.

The bar has probably changed hands since I visited over two decades ago, but it’s still known to cater to the biker types.  I’m not so young and foolish any more, but I can still be pretty brave.  We entered Macaluso’s Roadhouse like we owned the place.

The first thing we noticed after we seated ourselves at a booth was this…

Happy hour from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.  You gotta love a place like that.  Interestingly, when Ruthie asked our waitress what kind of wine they had she left and returned with a list.  A very generic list.  The waitress’s “cheat sheet” to be precise.  Pinot Grigio was actually a choice, so Ruthie and I had one.  The guys both had a beer.  True to a dive they also offered free popcorn, serve yourself of course.

It wasn’t very good popcorn, but I didn’t expect too much.  I also ate plenty.  I think I was hungry.  There was also a nice meat raffle girl walking around selling numbers.  I asked what kind of meat we would win and she hesitated.  I asked “animal meat?”  She concurred with a relieved smile.

The view from where I was sitting was less than optimal.  Basically I was facing Ruthie and Ray, who were sitting in front of a wall.  Seems that happened last time we went out too.  I’m going to have to make sure that doesn’t happen next time.  I did turn around at one point to get a photo of the place.  The disco ball was particularly endearing.

I was kind of amazed at the variety of food Macaluso’s offered ~ everything from pasta to burgers.  We began with appetizers, as usual.  These included chicken nuggets with BBQ and ranch dipping sauces (we requested two and weren’t charged extra) and fried ravioli served with marinara dipping sauce.

 

The ravioli was especially good, I thought.  The appetizer plates were styrofoam.

Entrees came with either chips or baked french fries.  Our waitress failed to ask us what we wanted so we got chips.  When we said we wanted the french fries the cook said it would be another twenty-five minutes as they’re baked, not fried.  I would have liked to try those, but was too hungry to wait another half hour.  The chips were fine with my meal.

My Italian Hoagie
Husby’s Taco Basket

 

Ruthie’s Meaball Sub

 

Ray’s Hot Dago

All of us enjoyed our meals immensely.  Really, I really wasn’t expecting food that good.  Just goes to show you, can’t judge cuisine by its clientelle.  Hot and delicious, really flavorful.  Apparently their pizza is also very good, and I’m pretty sure Husby and I will try it sometime.  They have take-out and delivery on their pizza.

There was one other thing I really loved about Macaluso’s was the t-shirts worn by the waitresses.  Check it out…

Sounds like something I’d say.

If you’re feeling brave you should really try Macaluso’s Roadhouse.  Dress down.  Wear leather if you’ve got it.  You won’t regret your visit.  And really?  Those bikers are actually very nice people.  Don’t let them scare you.  However, you should know we arrived for our dining adventure around 5:45.  I can’t vouch for the atmosphere after 7:00.  If you’re feeling really brave, check it out and let me know how it goes.

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Dive Night ~ Brine’s

March 15, 2011 by Sara

Once again it’s time for a Dive Night review.

Depending on where you enter, this is Brine’s.

This is the front.

This is the back.

I love the old buildings in Stillwater, MN, and Brine’s inhabits one of them.  If I were to own a restaurant or a shop I’d want it to be in an old building.  The inside of Brine’s is nice too.

The curtains add a nice, homey touch. I wasn’t thrilled with the whole salad bar thing going on in the middle of it all. In fact, the salad bar itself wasn’t much to write home about. I’ll get to that a little later.

As in many old buildings comes old signage, which is always cool.

 

I don’t usually comment on the drinks we order, but Ray and Husby ordered something a little different called Woodpecker Cider.  Both of them took a sip and simultaneously their eyes lit up and their lips curled into smiles.  Also simultaneously they offered a sip to Ruthie and me.  I don’t drink a lot of beer (and this drink was on the beer list) but this stuff was something else.  Sweet like apple cider, but with a nice fizz and a little hint of that hoppy, grainy taste that beer is.  Woodpecker Cider.  I think it would be especially refreshing in the summertime.

If you don’t know about Brine’s it has been known for many years as providing supurb deli sandwiches. They have standard sandwiches or you can create your own with a wide variety of meats and cheeses. Brine’s didn’t really offer appetizers, per se, but rather “sides.” We always order appetizers, but this time we had to order sides to start our meal. We ended up with deep fried cauliflower with a ranchy, horseradishy dipping sauce and potato skins with cheese and bacon.

 

I especially liked the cauliflower because 1) people don’t normally like to share cauliflower because it’s a weird a bumpy vegetable and 2) the fact that it was fried and also had a delicious dipping sauce made it delectible.

On to the main courses.  Husby decided to go with soup and salad bar.  That brings me back to the salad bar itself.  It was just kind of a garish thing in the middle of the room, which in my opinion takes away from the vintage feel of the restaurant.  If it were off to the side of the room it might not have made such a bad impression on me.  It just didn’t fit in as it was glaring and bright.

Plus, in my opinion it wasn’t that great of a salad bar.  It was okay, but there wasn’t much in the way of originality.  I chose the salad bar too, but I think I could have filled up on something better had I checked out the bar before ordering.  Anyway, Husby’s soup was divine.  Mmm, beer cheese…  Look at all that popcorn!

Ray also started with a cup of soup.  Chili to be precise.  The fun thing about this was, it was actually served in a cup.  A coffee cup.  Cute!  He also had a BLT.

This is a really bad picture, which is why it’s smaller than the others.  The chili was good though!

Ruthie ordered the fish sandwich special.  It came with fries and coleslaw.  I should have tried one or five of her fries, because they looked so good.  And that bun?  Yum!

I chose the salad bar, as you know, and a tuna melt.  Not only was it a tuna melt, it was a tuna melt with gouda cheese.  Like I said, Brine’s is good about giving you what you want.  I mean really, would you rather have a tuna melt with plain old American cheese, or gouda cheese?  If you chose American you have to go stand in the corner for two minutes.

The service was fine except for one thing.  Our waitron didn’t ask us if we wanted any dessert.  Normally we’re too stuffed for dessert, but tonight was an exception.  Well, not really an exception.  We were stuffed, but Ruthie and I couldn’t resist ordering a piece of cheesecake to go.  When I ate it the next day I nearly died.  It was so creamy and delicious.  Just plain cheesecake without the fancy fruit on top or swirls of flavor throughout, but man it was some of the best cheesecake I’ve had in a while.

The lower level of Brine’s is the bar.  It was more happenin’ than the restaurant section.  I bet you can probably order food in the bar too, and it would probably be better for people watching and definitely better if you’re in the mood for a game of after dinner pool.

So that’s Brine’s for you.  If you’re in Stillwater stop on by.  They’re right on the main street.  And remember, gouda cheese, not American.

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Dive Night ~ Meister’s, Shoreview

February 1, 2011 by Sara

It’s cold and snowy here in Minnesota, but that doesn’t stop the Dive Night crew from braving the weather and checking out another year of dives.  Unfortunately what became a tradition was not the best choice of places to kick off the 2011 dive adventure.  Meister’s, which was really good in Stillwater and pretty good in Scandia turned out to be kind of mundane in Shoreview.  Of course that’s just my opinion.

The decor is frighteningly ordinary, except for the occasional dancer you might find in the hallway outside the restaurant.  You see, Meister’s in Shoreview is contained in a strip mall and shares a hallway with a dance studio.  We got to see a spinny guy in a matador costume when we were there.  But other than that the place is pretty ho-hum.

These little cut-outs of German people (we called them Heidi and Hans) were taped to a mirrored wall on one side of the dining room.  The room itself was pretty well lit and except for Heidi and Hans was pretty devoid of any character.

There was also a very large party of people in the dining room, and they took up the whole length of the room.  They were all really old, and one guy had exactly one tooth.  I think it was Grandma’s birthday, because the lady at the head of the table looked to be about 127 years old.  I thought it was sad that Meister’s was the place her family chose to celebrate what could be her last birthday, but who am I to judge?  Anyway, the four of us were seated in the back corner booth, which was fine.

First we ordered our drinks.  Ray and Husby got a big old pint of beer and Ruthie and I ordered a glass of white zinfandel.  Our wine choices were generic.  I don’t know why I think I can get a good glass of wine in a dive, but I’m always a little disappointed when I can’t.  I should probably start drinking hard liquor if I want to get a good drink in a dive.  Our wine came in little splits and tasted like the kind you would get out of a box with a spigot.

No matter, we’re there for the food, not the libations.  First of all I will give Meister’s kudos on the temperature of their food.  Everything was hot.  Like, really hot where you’d have to let it sit for a while before biting into it.  That’s good.  The choice of appetizers was limited and pretty ordinary.  We ended up getting onion rings and mushrooms.  The mushrooms came with a little ranch dipping sauce.

Ray couldn’t resist getting a cup of the sausage tortilinni soup, which he said was tasty.  It came with three packets of crackers.  Very generous indeed!

As for the entrees, we each had something different.  I had the philly sandwich (sans green peppers *burp*) with au jus, Ruthie had taco salad, which was huge, Husby had a buffalo chicken wrap sandwich, and Ray had a rueben.  As I mentioned, everything came to us really hot and tasted fine, but in my opinion the menu in general and my dinner lacked any kind of originality or pizazz.  The rest of the gang might have different opinions.

 

 

 

And what kind of dive would Meister’s be if it didn’t have a Friday Night Meat Raffle?  Of course we had to buy a couple of chances because who doesn’t want to go home with a hunk of raw meat after an evening out?

Unfortunately none of our numbers were winners.

Long and short?  We kicked off the third year of Dive Nights with a tradition, but the least favorite of the three Meister’s.  Nothing about it was outstanding, but nothing was icky either.  It was just…zzzzzz.

One thing I must mention is the service.  That was pretty decent.  Our waitress was very attentive and did a good job of keeping up with us and the large party of old people.  Nice and friendly, but not too friendly to get in your way.  I like wait staff like that.  Our waitress was excellent.

So that wraps it up.  I feel a little guilty not being more positive.  I will say if you’re going to go to an average place to eat you should be accompanied by superior company, like Husby and I are every time we’re out with Ruthie and Ray.  Thanks, guys!

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Dive Night ~ River Garden Bar

November 15, 2010 by Sara

Our Dive Night experience taken on the Friday before Halloween with Ruthie and Ray started out at Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge.  That was definitely an experience of the good kind.  The thing is, we were in Nordeast, old stomping ground for Husby and Ray, and we couldn’t leave the area without stopping by to call on Tony Jaros.  OK, we couldn’t really visit Tony Jaros because, well, he’d dead.  More specifically, the River Garden Bar.  Yikes.

For those of you who are totally out of the loop (like I am), this bar is home to The Greenie.  I’ve heard about The Greenie for years from Husby.  Apparently Ray has reminisced about the River Garden and Greenies too.  It’s a stiff drink, but you’d never know it because it is so dang sweet and tasty.  So without further adieu I give you…The Greenie.

All I can say is, the River Garden Bar is a place where people go to get drunk.  It is also a trendy stop for people who think it’s quirky to go into dive bars just to drink up the atmosphere.  It’s got character and characters.

This guy was constantly on his phone, but could only see it with one eye closed.

Husby and Ray loved returning to their old stomping ground, the River Garden Bar.  Apparently it is one of those places where you can go back and relive those days of yore because it hasn’t changed a lick in decades.  Ruthie and I loved sitting at the bar making up stories about all the other people, speculating about who will go home with whom, what they do for a living, and what their lives are like.  Of course we would label them with names like The Russian, Staring Guy, Artsy Girl, and Tight Lips.  Great fun.

There were also a bunch of mice who came into the bar.  Humans dressed as mice.  I don’t know if they were supposed to be rats or mice.  Doesn’t matter, they were a very fun bunch and I just had to take a picture of a couple of them before we left.

I’ll remind you we were out the Friday before Halloween, so I assume these guys are dressed for that occasion and don’t normally go out in their black long underwear, white gloves, and mouse ears, but I could be wrong.  They were much fun, no matter what.

So all I can say is the dive dining and drinking for October was quite an experience.  The food at Psycho Suzi’s was great, the Greenies* at River Garden were great.  Of course the company of Ruthie and Ray can’t be beat.  It was the most memorable Halloween weekend I’ve had in a long time.

* The River Garden Bar also makes Blueys (sp?), Pinkies, and Purpleys (again, sp?).  The Blueys taste like Sweet Tarts, and uncannily so.  If you drink too many of all of these drinks you will no doubt barf rainbows.

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