Trying out minneapolis, st.paul for 2 days (St. Paul, Rochester: transplants, apartment complex)

[Mayo bound]

There's a good chance i'm moving to rochester this summer to start a job at mayo. I'm taking my fiancée there next week so she has some idea of what to expect weather wise and culture wise, and we're also going to spend 2 days in minneapolis. I want to show her what a great city minneapolis and St. Paul are. What should we do?

We are both Chinese, and moving from NYC. We are particularly interested in knowing the areas with asian ethnic restaurants and grocery stores. Also interested in other activities we can do in the winter. So far, I am planning on: 1) mall of America, 2) eat street, 3) walk around the skyway. If it were summer, we would def go canoeing, walking around lakes, etc., but not sure what to do in the winter. Any other suggestions? Asian areas in St. Paul? General things to do in St. Paul? Places with nice views? Nice restaurants downtown? We are not really into bars or clubs but would consider going somewhere special. We are staying at the W foshay hotel. I really want my fiancé to get a good impression.

Thanks!

[peachesplease]

This probably isn't that helpful for what you want to do, but my daughter (not asian but loves asian things) was excited to find an asian grocery store here in Minneapolis called United Noodles. It is not really much compared to what we are used to (transplants from the Bay Area in Cali), but it was fun, and she was very excited to discover it.

If anyone knows any good Chinese restaurants, I would also be interested. We haven't tried much Asian food here. A little afraid to try anything since the food in SF/Bay Area is so good. I hear that there are some good Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, how about Chinese?

[glendog]

Frogtown in Saint Paul on University Ave is the largest Asian area/neighborhood in the Twin Cities. I came from Seattle and it's kind of run down by comparison to the International District there which was more Japanese and gentrified whereas here it's Hmong. In terms of other winter activities, there's tons of theaters and nightclubs, cool bars and cafes restaurants in the Twin Cities. In Minneapolis, I would go to the Walker Art Center, it is an amazing world class museum, check out Uptown,(near the Walker) the Warehouse district and Hennepin Ave all in downtown. In Saint Paul, it's more mellow and residential. If you have the chance check out The Cathedral in Saint Paul and the entire Cathedral Hill/Summit Avenue area, it is a beautiful neighborhood with the longest rows of Victorian mansions in the entire country. The homes are almost hard to believe they exist kind of homes.
People don't really hide away in the winters here. We Nordic ski a lot, ice skate, go sledding and running in the snow... Life doesn't stop it just changes and for many it gets better! Hope you have fun!!

[MichaelItman]

Definitely check out Midtown Global Market for a range of ethnic food - MIDTOWN GLOBAL MARKET

While you're staying at the Foshay, I'd recommend checking out one of the theaters downtown if you're into it - Official | Hennepin Theatre Trust's State, Orpheum, Pantages and New Century Theatres in Minneapolis or Brave New Workshop if you're into comedy - Brave New Workshop, or dance at the new dance complex - The Cowles Center

For dining, there are SOOO many options in downtown Minneapolis, and the fun is that you can walk between most of them via skyway. Murrays and Manny's, Oceanaire for amazing seafood, Keys and Hells Kitchen for breakfast, Barrio and Masa for insanely good Mexican food (and cocktails), Zelo for organic/fresh food without pretentiousness, Fogo de Chao if you just want to eat like crazy for hours, Solera for amazing tapas, and that's just a start!

Good luck & have fun!

[dravogadro]

The Chinese offerings are not going to be as nice as NYC. The best you will find will be Little Szechuan on University & Western Ave in St. Paul (szechuan style cooking dominates here). The next best you can do is Tea House and they supposedly have a brunch buffet on the weekend that is good (haven't been there myself).

For stores, United Noodle is a good choice. There is a huge Hmong market in St Paul (International Hmong Market or Hmong Village) on Como Ave.

One large Asian area is a stretch of restaurants and stores on University between Lexington and Western in St. Paul. I would also check out Nicollet Ave between E 24th and E 28th St in Minneapolis for a good selection.

[glendog]

Originally Posted by MichaelItman

Definitely check out Midtown Global Market for a range of ethnic food - MIDTOWN GLOBAL MARKET

While you're staying at the Foshay, I'd recommend checking out one of the theaters downtown if you're into it - Official | Hennepin Theatre Trust's State, Orpheum, Pantages and New Century Theatres in Minneapolis or Brave New Workshop if you're into comedy - Brave New Workshop, or dance at the new dance complex - The Cowles Center

For dining, there are SOOO many options in downtown Minneapolis, and the fun is that you can walk between most of them via skyway. Murrays and Manny's, Oceanaire for amazing seafood, Keys and Hells Kitchen for breakfast, Barrio and Masa for insanely good Mexican food (and cocktails), Zelo for organic/fresh food without pretentiousness, Fogo de Chao if you just want to eat like crazy for hours, Solera for amazing tapas, and that's just a start!

Good luck & have fun!

I agree totally, except I'd skip the skyways. I'm not a fan. If I wanted to go to the mall I'd go the...I know I know, let the hate begin! We can save that discussion for elsewhere.

[HiFi]

The 2 asian places I go to in downtown Minneapolis are the 'king and i thai' which is in loring park (a gay neighborhood), and 'sawatdee' which is in the mill district (a gentrified downtown neighborhood). sawatdee is in walking distance from stone arch bridge and the walking paths opposite the river, a potentially great walk for you and your fiance even in the winter!
I don't know of any asian neighborhoods that are not seedy however. (I would not go to frog town, its pretty much all public housing with suspicious looking guys leaning up against the walls outside of payday loan places. not very impressive. It has the highest concentration of violent crime in the city as well.)

[maui-intoxicated]

Something more obvious...all of these establishments listed above / Asian ethnic restaurants are in the Metro area which is roughly 1.5hrs or one and a half hours away from Rochester where the Mayo Clinic is located.

If you are hoping for a "manhatten or DC selection" of Asian cuisine I feel you might be dissapointed.

Off-topic Rochestor, MN has only 100,000 people vs the "Twin Cities" of Saint Paul / Minneapolis and its subburbs have roughly 1,000,000 people... a 30minute drive once in the cities will get you a satisfying Asian cuisne for sure, in Rochester you might be better off cooking up your own...or trying some Corn on the Cob, Mashed Potatoes with Butter and Salt, a nice big Steak with a side of green beans and a nicely cooked medium rare t-bone cut steak.

[srsmn]

^^^Rochester does have a healthy population of Asian-Americans, although I'm not sure how many of them are opening up restaurants

I'm also a bit confused about people that are advising to avoid Frogtown, because it is "seedy." It is most certainly not "mostly public housing"-- there is one large public housing project, Skyline, near Frogtown, but that is significantly safer than it was before CommonBond took over as property manager 10+ years ago.

Besides, does an area have to be upscale or gentrified to have good food offerings? Many of the restaurants in Frogtown were opened up by Hmong immigrants and their family members....they are as authentic as you can get, albeit the Chinese offerings are a bit limited. Granted, it might not be the quality of the International District or certain spots in San Fran, but if you are motivated by the food, it is a better than serviceable option for sure.

I'm also confused about deriding Frogtown, and in the same breath recommending Eat Street. If crime is a concern, you're in just as bad of an area in Whittier (which abuts Eat Street), then you are in Frogtown, if not worse....

[StanleyVegas]

I was watching a documentary about University Ave. recently. It seems like the enduring "seedy" rep of Frogtown comes in part from the adult theaters and adjacent prostitution that existed at University and Dale in the 80s. Obviously crime didn't magically go away after their demise, but these days a library and a senior apartment complex reside at the same intersection.

The "mostly public housing" comment (while not really true) means that there are a lot of people of limited means living in Frogtown. This may not be impressive to some.

Some people have taken advantage of the lower rents to set up shop along East University, so you can get some excellent food in Frogtown.