Question from a Trojan...

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Goldcard

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I will be in Minneapolis for the game on the 18th. My question is, where would suggest would be a good place to eat/drink on the Friday evening before the game. I'm not talking fine dining, just a fun kind of place with decent food, where I might see a few college football fans. I'm well past college age, so not necessarly looking for the young college crowd, but just a place with some upbeat attitude.

Thanks for any replies I may get. I'm really looking forward to the Minnesota experience, especially seeing your fantastic new stadium.

Fight On! :drink:
 

Many options, depending on where you are staying. Are you in downtown Mpls or near campus? There are alot of options if you give a little better idea what you are looking for?
 

annies bar and grill is the place in dinkytown, great burgers and malts
 

You probably won't find many college fans unless you are eating on campus which in that case Big Ten Club, Sally's, Stubs and Herbs. Minneapolis is considered a pro sports town. I'm not sure if you like Baseball but the Twins are playing that night at home in their new stadium I believe even if you don't get tickets, there are plenty of bars, restaurants and clubs downtown by the stadium (kierans, huberts, smalleys).

If you like the small burger joint type, we are sort of known for Juicy Lucy's where the one's that get the most hype are Matt's bar and 58 Club.

If you are staying along the light rail you could take it down to the mall but don't really know if you are going to get much of an atmosphere but there are plenty of food options.
 

Maybe you'll like "The 90's". Iowa and Wisconsin fans love bragging about their amazing nights there before games against the Gophers cause it's where their fans feel at home.

Since you're older, you could hit up Nye's Polonaise. Rated #1 bar in America by Esquire and is truly an old school bar. Uptown is always a good time by hitting up Old Chicago, Williams, or Red Dragon. This isn't too big of a college football city, so if u stray too far away form campus, you may find yourself not talking too much Gophers and talking more Twins and Vikings. Sad to say it, but it's true. Minnyrules11 has a lot of good ideas.
 


Stay in the city, take a cab to campus, check out sally's, then go back to the city to Gluicks.
 

PLACES TO EAT FRI P.M. & SAT A.M.NEAR TCF BANK

Dear Goldcard,

Welcome to Dinkytown USA, and TCF Bank Stadium, on what we hope will be a beautiful September weekend. I don't know exactly where you will be staying, but here are some of my Dinkytown/campus area favorite dining spots. All of these are in the heart of Dinkytown and only a short walk to the football stadium.
1.) Vescio's Italian Restaurant, family owned, great Italian food, I have been going there since 1966, link:
http://www.vesciosdinkytown.com/

2.) Kafe 421, Great Mediterranean/Greek food, link:
http://www.kafe421.com/

3.) Loring Pasta Bar, 327 14th Ave. S.E., link:
http://www.loringpastabar.com/

For your Saturday morning pre-game breakfast, there is only one possible destination, the ultimate hole-in-the-wall breakfast spot,
Al's Breakfast, 414 14th Ave. S.E., all of 10 feet wide and 14 stools deep, great made to order and specialty omelettes, blueberry pancakes, Belgian waffles, and other artery clogging favorites, a must eatery before that big game, link:
http://www.dinkytownminneapolis.com/restaurants-and-bars/als-breakfast/

My top choices are Vescio's for Friday night dinner, and, of course, Al's for Saturday morning.

Best wishes, and GO GOPHERS!
 

I will second Vescio's and Al's combo. Probably some of the best combination of food quality and campus atmosphere you will find.
 

If you are looking to shoot the s*** with college fans on Friday night, I would recommend Big Ten's or Sally's on Washington Ave on the Stadium Village side of campus, or The Library in Dinkytown.

That is if you are going to actually eat dinner--if you're going to be out later than 10 the Library and Sally's turn into a more typical drunk college crowds (which is cool if that's what you're looking for)....but they have plenty of big screen TVs, etc. Food is decent, nothing tremendous, but is probably more of an upbeat experience IMO than Vescio's, or other choices.

Man, after thinking about it, I am pumped...where should I go???
 



The Nook in St. Paul for the best burger you'll ever eat.

Conveniently located across the street from Cretin Derham Hall and one of the nicer baseball fields in the state (high school wise), you'll be able to kill two birds with one stone by eating here. It's a tiny little joint, so you'll have to wait for a couple minutes if you go during peak hours. You'll be able to kill some time by grabbing a Summit beer and checking out some cool memorabilia. Menu items are named after former Cretin stars like Joe Mauer, Paul Molitor and Matt Birk to name a few.

I'm not a Cretin grad and don't have any ties to the place, it's simply the best burger in town. I'd recommend the Matt Birk or the Nookie Supreme (great fries as well). This place is a MUST VISIT for anyone intrigued by Minnesota Sports history.

And yes, get breakfast at Al's before the game.
 


Let's not forget Campus Pizza for a nice pizza close to the stadium and nice golden Gopher decor.
 

Blue Door

Fairview and Selby in St. Paul. Best burger anywhere.
 



Monte Carlo Club on 3rd and Washington in.

Minneapolis. Nice outdoor patio. Neat 40's type bar with the white table cloth treatment in the resturant. Go there for a pizza, or high class meal. Good crowd mix; mid 20's to mid 50's.
 


A lot of Cal fans were at the Oktoberfest tent party at Gasthof zur Gemutlichkeit last year. An age-diverse crowd, lively atmosphere, but the food is brats or ... brats.
 

Thanks to all the Gopher fans......

who replied to my question. I appreciate that so much. And I got some fantastic info for me to digest. I believe I will be making reservations at the Doubletree Minn. Park Place Hotel. Price is very good (with free parking) and just a couple miles from downtown. The reviews I read were very satisfactory.

Al's for breakfast on game day sounds like a must, and I plan to do just that. Parking for the game is the one area I'm not sure about, but after I leave Al's I will kinda scope the area out.

Again, thanks for all the kind replys......heres to an injury free, well played game by both teams.

Go Gophers, and FIGHT ON! :clap:
 

Goldcard said:
who replied to my question. I appreciate that so much. And I got some fantastic info for me to digest. I believe I will be making reservations at the Doubletree Minn. Park Place Hotel. Price is very good (with free parking) and just a couple miles from downtown. The reviews I read were very satisfactory.

Al's for breakfast on game day sounds like a must, and I plan to do just that. Parking for the game is the one area I'm not sure about, but after I leave Al's I will kinda scope the area out.

Again, thanks for all the kind replys......heres to an injury free, well played game by both teams.

Go Gophers, and FIGHT ON! :clap:
Click to expand...

Check out the East River Flats for $10 parking. A nice walk through campus to the stadium and no season permit required. Much more convenient then the State Fair Grounds.

Last Year's Flyer
 

Goldcard said:
who replied to my question. I appreciate that so much. And I got some fantastic info for me to digest. I believe I will be making reservations at the Doubletree Minn. Park Place Hotel. Price is very good (with free parking) and just a couple miles from downtown. The reviews I read were very satisfactory.

Al's for breakfast on game day sounds like a must, and I plan to do just that. Parking for the game is the one area I'm not sure about, but after I leave Al's I will kinda scope the area out.

Again, thanks for all the kind replys......heres to an injury free, well played game by both teams.

Go Gophers, and FIGHT ON! :clap:
Click to expand...

Can't beat Al's, but be prepared for a wait. Get a paper, and stand in the back just like everyone else.

You can view the parking map here. Al's is almost covered by the legend, but it is between 4th and 5th Streets, on 14th Avenue.

Staying at the Double Tree should be convenient enough, and you will be very close to a new development, the Shops at West End. Painfully generic, but some good food options there.

Have fun, and sorry to pin this upcoming loss on your squad.
 

I always had envisioned a question from a Trojan as being a bit more rhetorical.
 


The one thing that Troy is known for is losing to the Greeks on a trick play.
 

Minnesota-Crookston used to be known as the Trojans when they were a JUCO. I remember one headline in the Crookston Times: "Local boy fulfills dreams with Trojans".
 

I think any dream worth anything at all would be Trojan-free, but that's just me. Trojan's tend to diminish the feel of my dreams.
 


I agree with the guy who said you should check out the '90s. Just grab a cab and tell the driver that's where you want to go, he'll know the way.

Seriously though, when I visit the Twin Cities there are only two places I really want to eat - Joe Senser's and Jax Cafe.
 

The Nook makes a very good burger.

I had a burger at Annie's Parlour last weed and it tasted like it had been precooked and put in a warmer. It was small,hard and dried out; plus overpriced. The deck and pretty server almost made up for it.

Famous Dave's actually makes a better freshly cooked hamburger than Annies, Matt's, or the 5-8 Club. Mayslacks in NE, and Costello's or the Tavern on Grand in St Paul also make vastly superior hamburgers.
 


Goldcard: If you don't mind my asking.. where are your seats? I ask because my season tickets are first row on the 30 right behind the visitors bench, and the seats to the left of me are all broker seats. Meaning I'm expecting to be sitting next to either a bunch of USC fans or late arriving Gopher fans. Just curious.
 

Since you're staying out there on Park Place -- I'd check out Cooper (Irish) Pub. It's part of the West End development, a block or so from your hotel. They also own The Local, The Liffey, and Kieran's - all Irish pubs/restaurants.
 

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