So, I told you about House of Pizza in St. Cloud, MN on Monday, so I could set up this entry for today.
I'd been promising my dealer in St. Cloud, MN, Audio Video Extremes, that I'd come up to take them out for a nice dinner for quite almost two years. The co-owners, Rich and Jay, suggested I take them back out to dinner at House of Pizza. While the return trip to House of Pizza was tempting, especially with a chance to get one of their Italian Conglomerate sandwiches, I wanted to do something upscale. In the Minnesota northwoods, there are a number of little supper clubs that offer great food. I asked the guys if there was anything like that in the area. Rich, who lives about 15 miles outside of St. Cloud, said, "No, there really isn't anything like that around here any more. There used to be a few of them around that were a 15 to 20 minute drive from town, but they've all gone away."
The problem now was, where is there an upscale restaurant to go to in St. Cloud? Jay said, "If I'm looking for a good meal, I'll drive into the Twin Cities." He did suggest one place, 5th Avenue Grille, located in the Radisson Hotel in downtown St. Cloud. I said it was a date and we'd meet there that evening.
5th Avenue Grill is billed as an urban contemporary restaurant. While the setting is elegant and looks very similar to an upscale steak house in a larger market, they have a relaxed atmosphere. It's the main restaurant for the Radisson, so there is a fair amount of out-of-town travelers that use the bar and restaurant.
I found the Radisson in downtown St. Cloud and was able to park in the ramp next to the hotel (see map). I was a little late in getting in from Minneapolis, so I found Rich and Jay seated at the bar with one of their installers. I grabbed a seat next to them and enjoyed a couple drinks and a couple appetizers before we were seated for dinner. It gave us some time to talk some business and to go over details of a few things that we had going.
Their installer couldn't stick around for dinner, so it was just the three of us when we grabbed a table. The waitress was a friend of theirs - small town acquaintances, no doubt. Jay introduced me to her and he said, "This guy has eaten in some of the best restaurants around. You can't let him be disappointed in this place." She said she'd try her best.
We were given menus and I looked through the wine list to see what they had to offer. Actually, it was a pretty small list, but they did have a few reasonably priced bottles of wine. One that sort of jumped out at me was the Provenance Vineyards Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. I'd seen that same bottle of wine for well over $100 bucks a bottle at other restaurants. The 5th Avenue Grille had it for $70 bucks. I ordered a bottle of that.
Since we'd had appetizers at the bar, we were ready to jump into dinner. Even though they offered items such as fresh seafood, pasta, and even ribs, Rich said that the steaks at 5th Avenue Grille were very good, quite possibly the best in the city. So, that's what I went with. I got the 8 oz. tenderloin filet, rare plus. The waitress knew exactly what I was talking about. "Not quite rare, but not medium rare. Right," she asked.
They also gave me a choice of homemade sauces. I thought it would be kind of nice to try their brandy peppercorn sauce. But they also had a roasted garlic sauce that sounded good, as well. I asked if I could get both on the side and our waitress said, "Absolutely!" I also ordered a side of the restaurant's au gratin bacon, cheddar cheese and herb potatoes. I knew I wouldn't have much of them, but a couple bites would give me an idea as to how good they were.
Rich ordered a ribeye, medium rare. Jay also ordered the 8 oz. tenderloin filet, medium rare. Our wine was poured and it was very good. I was having a nice relaxing evening with two good guys whose business with me is growing.
Our steaks and sides were brought to the table in about 20 minutes. My steak was a very large 8 oz. cut and it was cooked perfectly - still red rare in the middle, but warmer than rare. Jay was also happy with the way his steak was cooked. The tenderloin filet was juicy and tender. And his cut, too, was pretty good sized. Definitely bigger than the 8 oz. advertised on the menu.
Rich's steak, on the other hand, was way overcooked. He cut into it and it was pretty tough. He looked at how it was cooked and you could easily tell it was nowhere close to medium-rare. He had a couple bites and he said, "Oh, man, this is WAY overdone."
I said, "Let's get you another steak."
He said, "No, no. That's OK."
I said, "Look, we're spending some money in this place tonight. Let's make it right." I motioned for the waitress to come over. She slid over to our table and said, "What can I get you?"
I pointed at Rich's steak and said, "He needs a new steak."
Rich said, "Yeah, this is a little overdone."
She looked at it and said, "Oh, my gosh! I'll say it's overdone!" She took the plate and ran back to the kitchen. Jay took a phone call from a client who was having problems with controlling a system, so I shut down my eating while waiting for things to get back to normal.
After a little over 10 minutes, the waitress came back out with Rich's steak. He cut into it and declared it to be "much better." A little while later, the manager came over to ask if Rich's steak was better. He said it was and she apologized for the screw up. "I think what he did was cook it along with the filets. It took a little longer for the filets to cook because they're so much more thick. I think he just spaced off and threw all three on the grill at the same time. I certainly apologize for the problem."
Rich said, "It was no problem after I got this steak."
By the way, the bacon cheddar au gratin potatoes were pretty damn good. They were flavorful and cheesy with the great taste of caramelized cheese on top. And the brandy peppercorn sauce was very good, but I was disappointed in the roasted garlic sauce. It was sort of bland. I expected more of a garlic "zip" to the taste.
Overall, the experience at 5th Avenue Grille was above average. My steak was very good, I enjoyed the au gratin potatoes - the two or three bites I had of them. And our service was very good. The waitress, being friends with the guys, had a good sense of humor and was a good sport in some of the guff they were giving her. The atmosphere at 5th Avenue Grille was relaxed, but the decor was very classy. All in all, it was a pleasant dining experience. But if this is the best of what St. Cloud has to offer, I can see where it's worth the hour or so drive into the Twin Cities to get a good meal.
Comments