Gandhi Mahal Restaurant Review

We went to Gandhi Mahal last night for the BF's birthday dinner.

It was a decent meal, but it was probably one of my least favorite Indian restaurant in the Twin Cities that I've experienced so far. Everything was just very mediocre and decent.

We ordered the Masu Karma Platter for two. We both received our own platter which was nice, since my BF prefers his food a little spicier. It was supposed to come with the following: vegetable pakora, aloo pakora, papadam with chutney, lamb curry, chicken korma, basmati rice, and raita yogurt sauce. We also received a rice pudding for dessert. It was different from what was actually listed on the menu, but it was a good ending dessert as we were already fairly full.

We actually got the papadam with chutney, before we even ordered and didn't get any additional.

I don't think I'd try this place again, but if someone else suggested it I wouldn't be completely opposed to it though. I liked the overall atmosphere of the place, and I thought the customer service was again...sticking to the theme...decent.

I prefer Copper Pot and Indian House to Gandhi Mahal for good Indian cuisine though.

Inside of Gandhi Mahal

Masu Karma Platter

Rice Pudding Dessert

Rosa Mexicano Restaurant Review

We went to Rosa Mexicano for my friend's birthday dinner. It was a great location and a fun environment with outside seating.

However, in regards to the food. It was the equivalent to generic cafeteria food. I ordered the chicken enchiladas with rancheros sauce. It just tasted like tomato soup thrown on top of a soft shell taco. It came out a bit cold as well. My friend ordered the carne asada which she thought was too salty and flavorful.

Chicken Enchiladas with rancheras

The alcoholic beverages were small and over-priced as expected for a Downtown Minneapolis locaton. The server also asked us if we would like some guacamole (for 5) with the complimentary chips and salsa. We all agreed guacamole sounded like a good idea until we saw the bill. It was $25 for guacamole, and it wasn't even that much guacamole. It was about two avocados, some tomatoes, onion, lime juice, and some salt. Super over-price. However, they were fairly accommodating with our special requests in food as well as when we were dissatisfied with the price of the guacamole they did change the price to a half order. 

Overall I'm glad we gave it a try, but I wouldn't go there again and would not suggest anyone to go there. If you are craving Mexican food in the Downtown area...Barrios might be a better option.

Copper Pot Indian Grill Review

Finally got to check out this place called Copper Pot Indian Grill in Downtown Minneapolis. I thought it was a cute place and enjoyed the quality of the food. My Indian boyfriend, however, was not impressed. He did seem to inhale his food with no leftovers, but he claimed it was because he had been craving Indian food for a while now. He thought the food took too long and was overpriced.

They brought us two thin flatbread with two different sauces. I have no clue what it was and neither did the boyfriend. I thought it was delicious like an Indian version of chips and salsa.

We started with the appetizer of Hyderabadi Chicken 65. It was a bit spicy but not "oh my god, my mouth is on fire spicy." It gave me a bit of a runny nose though.

For the main entrees, we ordered the dum puck with a side of naan and chicken briyani.

Dum Puck

Chicken Briyani

No clue how the dum puck is different from any other Indian dishes like chicken marsala, but the dum puck was made with lamb. In regards to the rice that came with my entree, I thought it was decent but it had a few hard pieces of rice in there. Being Asian and growing up on rice, I'm a total rice snob and biased to the Hmong rice I grew up with.

The chicken briyani was decent. It was basically a chicken pot pie with no broth but a ton of ice wrapped in a thin, hard and flavorless breading. The quality of the chicken in it was good though, except the meat was bone which makes it more difficult to eat.

I would probably try Copper Pot again, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there. It is probably the second best place I've had Indian food in the Twin Cities though.

Let me know what you think if you've been there before or what other Indian places in the Twin Cities you've enjoyed.

Trieste Cafe Review

I don't know about you, but when I forget my lunch or am too lazy to make it the night before I want something cheap, appetizing, and fast. Most of us are only allowed 1 hour if even for our lunch so fast is definitely key.

If you are craving Greek/Mediterranean cuisine for a quick lunch, I would strongly suggest Trieste Café in Downtown Minneapolis. They aren't really easy to find as there is no signage outside of the building but just keep an eye out for the black board they have outside on the sidewalk informing you of their specials.


Prices had increased

The trip took me like 10 minutes. It was amazing...fast like Jimmy Johns. I thought they had great customer services also in spite of it being crazy busy around 12 pm. I ordered the gyro with rice for $7.50. The option sized was perfected. I inhaled it easily, and I know my coworker can usually make two meals out of her food.

Gyro with rice

On top of fast being a key factor of where I eat for lunch, I also am very into quality. What do I know about quality? Besides being a foodies, I grew up working in a restaurant. You know what short cuts people make and can judge poor quality a lot easier as I've been behind the scenes. My mother is a perfection in her kitchen and only uses the best ingredients at Asian Café in Eau Claire, WI so I can tell when people don't.

I mainly judge quality on freshness of their vegetables. You can tell most restaurants specifically chain restaurants do not wash their vegetables. That is disgusting and a main reason why I don't order salads. I could tell that my green leaf lettuce was washed. There was a few browned leaves in there though. Also most Greek yogurt cucumber sauce doesn't sit well with my stomach, since I'm lactose intolerant (growing up from WI it's hard to resist). However I felt fine after inhaling my food at Triste Café.

It's definitely a place worth visiting at least once. I'm not sure if I would actually dine in there though, it a bit of a strange layout and felt a bit tight and cramped. Also it was crowded and there was a lot of conversations going on so it made it hard to hear much of anything.

Have you been to Triste Café before? What did you think? Are there any other Greek restaurants you would suggest for lunch? http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/trieste-caf%C3%A9-minneapolis-2?select=XlKyGY0s79d0GQpW2fAT2w#vW4tLl_wYtEXx-53u5B6Vg

Review on The News Room Restaurant

I'm grateful that I finally got to try The News Room restaurant and take it off of my list of places to try. It's definitely a place I'd suggest you try at least once. The overall food and quality wasn't really worth the price, but the atmosphere and design of the restaurant would be.

We went there for lunch and were blown away by their extremely large and overwhelming drink menu. I am definitely hoping to stop by there again for their Happy Hour.

However for their lunch, I wasn't incredibly impressed. Although I thought the service was decent as well as the cuisine, I didn't think the prices were worth it. Of course, I am a little bias since I love the hole-in-the-wall or mom and pops restaurants.

For appetizers we ordered:
-Arancini: crispy fried croquettes filled with risotto, benton's bacon,
and bleu cheese, served with marinara $8.95
-Brie Curds: deep fried brie, homemade blueberry ketchup $11.95

For the Arancini, we only received three tiny balls. A little steep for the price, it was good though. We were extra excited about the brie curds as lovers of curds of any kind and extremely intrigued about the homemade blueberry ketchup. I thought it tasted delicious, and the dish was worth it for the blueberry ketchup experience. However, my brother-in-law was not a fan of the blueberry ketchup as he thought it was too sweet.

For the main course, we ordered the Southern Bell Flatbread, Fish 'n Chips, and Kobe Burger. All of these dishes I thought were decent. However, the flatbread barely had any ingredients on it. When you first see it, it looks enormous, but it's definitely lacking any substance. My brother-in-law was super excited about the malt vinegar that came with the fish 'n chips, but having never been a fan of either I thought it was mediocre. I didn't think any of the dishes were something I would order again, but overall I do hope to make another trip there just to check out their happy hour.

Aside from the food and service, we also found the restrooms to be confusing. Still to do this day, I'm not entirely sure I went to the women's restroom. There are no signs and they are located right next to each other. I assumed I went to the correct one since it had more black and white images of women, but after leaving and taking a closer look so did the other side.

Are there any other dishes you've had at The News Room you would suggestion? Have you been to their Happy Hour?

Things to Do on a Budget in the Twin Cities

Twin Cities

Twin Cities in Minnesota is an awesome place to live and explore. There are so many things for you to do. I personally love trying new activities and attending variety of events, but maintaining that life style can get a bit pricey. However, if you are on a budget or trying to save that doesn't mean you have to spend your nights staying in.

Here are some fun activities for you to do when you are on a budget:

Indeed Brewery

1. Visit a brewery. What's more awesome than learning about a how beer is made while getting free booze?!

My sister, brother-in-law, and I just visited Indeed Brewery. Although the tour guide wasn't extremely charismatic, because he was under the weather, we got an ample amount of beer samples and great service at the bar. It was probably one of the easier breweries to sign up for. You can also try Summit Brewery and Fulton as well. Fulton you have to sign up for the tour the day of. You cannot sign up for the tour ahead of time, which I found particular aggravating since it's based on first come first serve. But I can't complain to much since it's free!

2. Hear live bands perform for free at the 311 Club. There's never a cover charge and a great variety of music!

3. Watch movies in the park for free. This past summer my friend and I watched "Back to the Future" at a park near by to us. You can see which movies are coming up through Vita.mn or City Pages.  It's so much fun! Make an event out of it and pack a picnic as well. There are a lot of people with dogs and their children. Get there early so you can get a prime spot to watch the movie. Be sure to wear some bug spray as well and bring a blanket or some lawn chairs to sit on.

4. Do something inside which is fun and educational by taking a tour at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The free tours are typically on Tuesday and Thursdays.

5. Watch comedians perform for free at ACME Comedy Club on Open Mic night. You might be a little wary since comedy is a hit and miss depending on the comedian but these comedians are actually pretty good. If they aren't you saved on the show, so grab yourself a drink!  

Hope these suggestions helped you get out into the city without breaking the bank. Let me know any other suggestions you have!