Restaurant Help!

My wife, two kids, and I are heading this weekend to the Twin cities for a weekend get away. Of course we are thinking on spending a day at Mall of America, so the kids can enjoy Nickelodeon Universe. Probably on the first day (Friday) of our trip, we are going to eat some where in the mall, any suggestions? On the second day, which will be Saturday Valentines day, I like to take the wife and kids to a real nice restaurant (nothing super fancy but not a dive either). Where would a local go for a nice lunch or dinner? What I am looking for is Latin cuisine, specially a great Mexican restaurant or Spanish cuisine, which is my wife%26#39;s favorite. We are both 2nd generation of Mexicans, and the best Mexican food for us is our Mom%26#39;s home cooking, so what I am looking for is something authentic or at least contemporary because unfortunate here in Milwaukee there are hundreds of Mexican restaurants, but I can only count 2 or 3 that I would consider good and authentic, and we only have 1 Spanish restaurant. I guess for good Mexican or Spanish cuisine, we have to go to Chicago, but what do you have in the Twin cities?

Also, any suggestions for good fast and cheap eateries. I hear that Manny%26#39;s Tortas makes the best sandwishes in the Twin cities, is that correct? Or, is there another place where we can go on Sunday morning or afternoon for quick and inexpensive service. I will also take the best buffet place and sunday brunch. Thanks in advance.

Restaurant Help!

A place I like is El Meson in Minneapolis. It is Spanish-oriented cuisine in a small, well-run place in south Mpls. Good service. Fair prices. Not cheap. Not too spendy. 34th and Lyndale. 612-822-8062

La Bodega is a tapas place on Lake and Lyndale (not too far north of La Mesa). Been there once and liked it.

On lake street east of I-35W is where you%26#39;ll find the city%26#39;s most heavily concentrated Hispanic population and hence the more authentic places serving mexican cuisine. I%26#39;ve only been to one but thought the prices were great. El Nuevo Rodeo, coincidentally right across the street from Manny%26#39;s Tortas and within walking distance of the light rail stop at Lake Street.

It%26#39;s not a place you go for the decor. But the food is good and cheap. It seemed pretty authentic to my non-expert palate, and that was reaffirmed a bit by my waitress%26#39; total absence of English. She was a sweetheart, though.

As for eats in the mall, kids seem to love Bubba Gump Shrimp. Kitschy and all that, but again, it%26#39;s the kids I%26#39;m thinking of here. Options very limited in the mall.

Restaurant Help!

Can%26#39;t give any Mall of America recommendations-- my conscience won%26#39;t allow. Tiger Sushi, maybe, but not sure if that%26#39;s family-friendly.

Re: other Mexican/Latin-American choices: sometimes some gems are hidden in strip malls and try to cover all bases, but have decent authentic dishes within: La Hacienda in St. Paul%26#39;s Sibley Plaza-- Hwy 5 from near mall, past airport, and just across Mississippi, is the first example that comes to mind:

twincitiesfun.com/La-Hacienda-ID002983.html

Richfield and the 494 corridor also has restaurants of this type... some coming to mind are at Portland Ave. strip malls just south of 494 and in the Hub Center at 66th St. and Nicollet Ave.

In addition to Manny%26#39;s Torta%26#39;s, there are several decent similar places along Minneapolis%26#39; Lake Street. On Lyndale just north of Lake Street, is El Meson:

http://www.elmesonbistro.net/

Similarly, you might try going food-court style at the Midtown Global Market:

www.midtownglobalmarket.org/…

If you%26#39;re in St. Paul, Concord Ave./Cesar Chavez on the West Side (actually due south of downtown St. Paul), there%26#39;s a good node of decently authentic Mexican/Latin-American restaurants:

http://twincities.metromix.com/ (search under West St. Paul and Mexican filters)

Hope this helps. Enjoy your time here!

Oops, where I wrote La Mesa I mean El Meson. Duh.

I included the number of El Meson so you could call and ask about seating, kids and availability.

I wish I had more of a Mexican cuisine authenticity sense, but I%26#39;m not an expert. I have been to Manny%26#39;s Tortas -- at least the Lake Street location -- twice. I loved the sandwiches I had. Might make a good lunch spot. It%26#39;s not a dinner spot to me. At least in the location I have visited. It%26#39;s not a place for a nice dinner, I%26#39;d say. Just has that takeout feel to it.

By the way, where will y9ou be staying and will you be driving? I guess I should have asked that before I started putting out suggestions on restaurants all over the map.

Rats! mntoathens beat me to the punch on a lot of these.

Forgot to add: Maria%26#39;s Cafe; lots of love for their corn pancakes, if you want a breakfast suggestion. Note... it%26#39;s a bit apart from the other nodes of similar cuisines-- it%26#39;s N/NE of the Lake Street stuff.

One more... but small place and can get crowded for breakfast and reviews seemed polarized: Victor%26#39;s 1959 Cafe (Cuban).

I like the suggestion of the global market Karras had. That might make a fantastic lunch experience.

I also like the comment about conscience not allowing Mall of America recomendations. I%26#39;m the same way. Ha. (although I made one, again, for the kids).

I will be staying at the Sheraton, 6 or so miles east of Mall of America. How far is this hotel from downtown Minneapolis? The Hispanic area where there is a large concentration of Mexican restaurants, how bad is the neighborhood? Because I know here in Milwaukee, it is not a place I would recommend any tourist to stop by. Thanks for the suggestions.

Probably not as rough as the neighborhood in Milwaukee from the sound of it, but I would suggest a visit during the day. Perhaps lunch at Midtown global market or one of the nearby taquerias. At night it probably would be best to avoid Lake Street (again, the part east of 35W) at night. Just for safety%26#39;s sake.

El Meson is in a fine neighborhood, fyi. By the way, Karras provided a link, which you should look at it if the place appeals to you. But I would recommend calling rather than using the online reservation service OpenTable. I used to trust that the place was full when OpenTable told me it was. But I don%26#39;t use it any more once I discovered that phone calls almost always got me a reservation when OpenTable did not.

My mistake, the Sheraton is 6 miles west of Mall of America.

Regular visitor to Milwaukee-- have family there. I wouldn%26#39;t liken our areas to the near South Side of Milwaukee. Personally, I%26#39;d be a bit more wary of the Manny%26#39;s Tortas area of Lake Street and the Midtown Global Market after dark; wouldn%26#39;t call it a deal-breaker, but I%26#39;d be less inclined to visit than during daylight. Area where is El Meson is fine, as is La Hacienda and Victor%26#39;s 1959 Cafe.

Given it%26#39;ll be Valentine%26#39;s Day, you might want to have an early (before 5:30) or late dinner, even not at typical Valentine%26#39;s Day spots. On Saturday, traffic shouldn%26#39;t be a problem.

Re: getting to downtown, this weekend I 35W will be closed from 494 to Hwy 62 (Crosstown). You might be better off going 494 east to Hwy 5 past airport, then west on Hwy 55 (Hiawatha Ave.) to Lake Street, then west (left) on Lake Street. You could also backtrack from 55, westbound on Crosstown, and north on 35W, particularly if you go to Victor%26#39;s 1959 or El Meson.

Hi there! Sounds like a fun weekend.

Places to eat at the Mall of American... mmmm lots of chains. I love Famous Daves. If you like BBQ and Buffalo Wings you have to go there.

For Mexican I love this place in Woodbury called Mi Familia. The owners are from Mexico and the food is FAB! Here is a link. I eat there at least once a month. Try the dinner meal with bananas on it!

http://www2.rakemag.com/restaurant/Woodbury/Mi+Familia+Restaurante+y+Cantina/2124

Sunday brunch, I live in Woodbury so here is another Woodbury suggestion Sunsets, I think it is like $15 per adult but the food is good!

sunsetsrestaurant.com/woodbury/…brunch.htm

Downtown MN now has a Keys Cafe at the Foshay which is a cool place to check out. They get really busy after 10 am so get there earlier. Regular cafe prices like $10 for breakfast each or something like that. Slightly more than Perkins but nice! Good bakery items.

twincitiesfun.com/Keys-at-the-Foshay-ID00344…

menu link that works

http://keysfoshay.com/keys_foshay_menu.pdf

There is also a Key%26#39;s Cafe in Woodbury.

Have a fun trip!