Apple Valley Restaurants (Minnetonka, Woodbury, Maplewood: school, university, income)

[Khaalathas]

also just down the road you have mediterranean dunno if they have opened up in burnsville yet but was like mediterranean near cedarvale in Eagan before. Also dunno if its still there as ive been on the opposite side of town for a few years but there used to be a place just off of yankee doodle in eagan called chutney's which was indian food. In apply valley itself there isnt alot of diversity in food but if you look at the demographics there also isnt alot of ethnic diversity either. When you have mostly white folk your gonna have mostly food that white folks eat. I run into the same problem out here in Chaska too. But here the problem is mostly people try to open high end restaurants when people really need more affordable options. Could always try a real good Italian place. I don't seem to remember any options for that in Apple Valley and Italian seems to cross more lines as far as mainstream acceptability and bringing in the dollars for the owners to stay alive at the same time. I'd say I prefer a little more casual italian personally I have found that the more upscale tends to end up just being a place you goto for special occasions. I would think that a more casual mom and pop would have a more day to day appeal somewhat similar to an olive garden that people will just go there for lunch or dinner for no special reason at all.

[WannaBeinBoston]

Two Guys from Italy tried to make a go of it on Galaxy in AV, not sure if it even opened, but the space is up for lease. So much for casual Italian. Culvers put it out of business.

I'm with AVguy, any establishment in Iowa City beat the chains in AV.

Seriously, if someone had the personal assets to open up a Steak and Shake franchise, I think it would make a killing. Where else you gonna go for a burger and shake, Dairy Queen? Oh wait, I forget the 5-star Culvers. Maybe try the Red Robin. Barf.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by WannaBeinBoston

Two Guys from Italy tried to make a go of it on Galaxy in AV, not sure if it even opened, but the space is up for lease. So much for casual Italian. Culvers put it out of business.

I'm with AVguy, any establishment in Iowa City beat the chains in AV.

Seriously, if someone had the personal assets to open up a Steak and Shake franchise, I think it would make a killing. Where else you gonna go for a burger and shake, Dairy Queen? Oh wait, I forget the 5-star Culvers. Maybe try the Red Robin. Barf.

AVguy said Iowa City had better diversity than the entire metro. Clearly there are some awesome places if you leave the apple valley.

You want casual itailian - check out Roman Market in Mahtomedi. Place is stacked all weekend and the food is very good. Want a steak, try Gordy's every bit as good as some of the big joints like Ruth's Crisp, but with a view of the lake. They just opened a new burger joint where a awesome little italian place used to be. Have not checked it out, but I think it is called burger time. Looking for some Joe and an awesome baked goods, they have that right up the street. The retro drive in joint has broasted chicken and ice cream. Just because a place is suburban does not mean everything has to be a chain. Blame that on the city for letting it happen and people for supporting applebee and the other ussual suspects. White Bear and Stillwater have some good choices too. Woodbury, not so much. Curiously the do have the machine shed, which is based out of Iowa.

I won't even begin to touch on some of the awesome places in St. Paul and Minneapolis. They are all over the place. There is even some burger joint with awesome breakfast and shakes stashed out on a country road in Lake Elmo. Good food is not hard to find if you are willing to venture out and about.

[uptown_urbanist]

The Twin Cities have some great food options - I agree with Clifford, the chains in Apple Valley may not be the peak of fine (or interesting) dining, but there are a lot of options for all tastes if you look. (and yes, even in the suburbs.)

This is a great local food website, with useful links to many local food-related blogs:
The Heavy Table

[AVguy]

Originally Posted by Clifford63

AVguy said Iowa City had better diversity than the entire metro. Clearly there are some awesome places if you leave the apple valley.

I didn't actually write that. I quoted WannaBeinBoston and suggested that the south metro should have a dedicated Iowa sports bar (for selfish reasons, of course). The Vine is in the Iowa City MSA and Phoenix MSA, so why not AV?

On a per capita basis, Iowa City has more diverse restaurants than the Twin Cities, but what do you expect from a quirky little college town that considers itself the Berkeley of the Midwest? Take into account all of Eastern Iowa, including Iowa City, and then compare it to the Twin Cities, and no question the Twin Cities has more diversity, which is mostly driven by demographics and driven by a lesser extent by people wanting diverse options.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by AVguy

I didn't actually write that. I quoted WannaBeinBoston and suggested that the south metro should have a dedicated Iowa sports bar (for selfish reasons, of course). The Vine is in the Iowa City MSA and Phoenix MSA, so why not AV?

On a per capita basis, Iowa City has more diverse restaurants than the Twin Cities, but what do you expect from a quirky little college town that considers itself the Berkeley of the Midwest? Take into account all of Eastern Iowa, including Iowa City, and then compare it to the Twin Cities, and no question the Twin Cities has more diversity, which is mostly driven by demographics and driven by a lesser extent by people wanting diverse options.

Sorry for that. Misread the post. Not sure why some paticular areas are almost complely devoid of more homegrown or somewhat unique choices. My guess is it has a lot to do with people being very busy and not frequenting anything where they don't have the menu memorized. Lot of drive through and call in orders these days. I'll admit I can get sucked into that a bit at times, but I do enjoy a great meal out at least once a month. To me it is worth the time to go somewhere enjoyable.

[gatorinmn]

Originally Posted by WannaBeinBoston

Two Guys from Italy tried to make a go of it on Galaxy in AV, not sure if it even opened, but the space is up for lease. So much for casual Italian. Culvers put it out of business.

I'm with AVguy, any establishment in Iowa City beat the chains in AV.

Seriously, if someone had the personal assets to open up a Steak and Shake franchise, I think it would make a killing. Where else you gonna go for a burger and shake, Dairy Queen? Oh wait, I forget the 5-star Culvers. Maybe try the Red Robin. Barf.

The food at Two Guys From Italy was not good, and the restaurant was a strange hodgepodge of buffet and sit-down dining. It failed for this reason, not because of its proximity to Culver's.

That said, a good, inexpensive Italian place would fare well in AV, I think. Just look at the line at Olive Garden in Burnsville on a weekend . . . .

[WannaBeinBoston]

I concur with the previous posters that said that if you get out of AV, there are tons of choices in both ethnic food and types of food, ie. seafood, steak, etc. I just hate having to drive 30-minutes to Cosetta's or to Cafe Latte or Mandarin Kitchen. There are actually better choices in Burnsville then either Lakeville or AV.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by Khaalathas

Could always try a real good Italian place. I don't seem to remember any options for that in Apple Valley and Italian seems to cross more lines as far as mainstream acceptability and bringing in the dollars for the owners to stay alive at the same time. I'd say I prefer a little more casual italian personally I have found that the more upscale tends to end up just being a place you goto for special occasions. I would think that a more casual mom and pop would have a more day to day appeal somewhat similar to an olive garden that people will just go there for lunch or dinner for no special reason at all.

If you want to see an italian restaurant that has mastered the casual mom & pop neighborhood vibe (and actually is a mom/pop business), check out Papa's Restaurant & Deli in Victory neighborhood. I recommend the pizzas over the dishes- dishes are OK/ good also but they really excel in pizza-making.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by WannaBeinBoston

I remember when some new neighbors moved in and asked the outgoing home owners for a recommendation of a "good" place to eat. They recommended Raising Cane on the corner of Cedar and CR42. To me, that says it all. Sadly, as much as I would love to see some diversity in choices, the pallet of this area cannot support anything other than burgers, pizza and chicken fingers. I honestly believe an area like Iowa City has better food choices then the entire Twin Cities metro area.

No way on Iowa City. I lived there for several years. Despite their plethora of high-income earners, they cannot support high-end (or even medium-) for that matter restaurants. Most restaurants there are geared top the college set. When our friends from Iowa City visit, they are always amazed at the choice of dining spots here in the TC. Even the burbs here are starting to come into their own.