Herbie's On The Park - St.Paul, MN
For a restaurant with a statue out front of Herb Brooks raising his arms in victory, Herbie’s is a quietly stellar restaurant. Beautiful stately old building that from the outside you’d be a bit hard pressed to guess it contained a restaurant. Cozy and warm and bright inside, with a great bar area to chill at and seating near a huge old school fireplace
My only real pet peeve (besides the pathetic kids cheeseburger (see below)) is that some of the portions are generally massive. It’s what I call a “Minnesota Pour”. I know that when people go to The Cheesecake Factory or Olive Garden and their ilk, they expect to have a to-go box for a meal or two the next day, but that’s not the type of establishment Herbie’s is. More likely than not you’re going to Herbie’s before or after a show at the Ordway, a game or concert at the Xcel, an event at Landmark Center, a Happening at Rice Park. You’re not going to Herbie’s to gorge, and if you’re going before an event, what are you supposed to do with the leftovers?
What if they say cut the size of the portions in half, and sell it for a third less?
Anywho . . .
Herbie's Waldorf Salad. This was ridiculously huge. Looking at the menu now, I see it comes in a small or large portion. I don't recall the waiter asking which we wanted; just brought out the more expensive one. Was perfectly fine, and the poppyseed dressing was better than I thought it'd be
The highlight of was easily the PEI Mussels in a delicious Sweet Pepper Garlic Broth. All three of us savored them, and at one point our kiddo exclaimed, “I LOVE MUSSELS!
The Roasted Beet Bruschetta with red and golden beets was delicious, though a bit ungainly to eat
The Garlic Parm Chicken (Cavatappi, Sweet Pepper Carbonara, Bacon, Peas, and Fresh Basil) was fine, but I’d have been frustrated if it was my entrée, as it wasn’t breaded, without any indication of that on the menu description. I'm not Italian, I've never been to Italy, so maybe it's traditionally unbreaded and America has bastardized
On the flipside, the Kid’s Smashburger was a huge disappointment. A truly sad tragic example of a cheeseburger. Way too small for the bun, the cheese barely melty. I know it's a kids burger, but c'mon. Can we at least try?
All in all though, it's a fairly stellar restaurant, somehow cozy in it's grandiose, especially in the Tundra
Herbie’s On The Park - 317 Washington St, St Paul, MN 55102
(651) 726-1700
Herbie's On The Park - 317 Washington Street, St. Paul, MN 55102
651-726-1700
Comments
Post a Comment