Rachael's Restaurant Reviews- Kiku Bistro

Sometimes it's so hot you just can't imagine eating anything that is even remotely warm.  Enter Sushi! The perfect summer dinner.  Andy and I have been going to Kiku Bistro for a few years now.  It's close to where we live, you can sit outside, there is always a $10 off coupon floating around somewhere in our "junk mail" pile, and they have a crazy long happy hour.

Kiku Bistro- 2819 Hennepin Ave.S. Minneapolis, MN 55408

Rating- 7.5

Okay you thrifty bits, Kiku Bistro's Happy Hour is insane. The Happy Hour Hours are (drumroll...)

Monday-Thursday: 4:30pm-7:30pm & 9pm-Close

Friday: 3pm-7:30pm & 9pm-Close

Saturday & Sunday: ALL DAY

Do you realize what this means? On most days there is only about an hour and a half when it is NOT Happy Hour. Thank You Kiku Bistro! 

 The Order: 

Caterpillar Roll- Eel – Cucumber – Kanpyo – Avocado

 I love me some Avocado.  Eel isn't my favorite Sushi but it is Andy's so we usually end up with some type of Eel roll. Rice is sticky, sauce is deep and salty. Yumm. 

Lake Calhoun Roll-Tempura Shrimp – Avocado – Spicy Crab - Crunch

I love the crispy bits on top of this.  The special sauce adds a nice spicy, creaminess to the roll and I love the crispy tempura Shrimp combined with the Avocado inside. Very well balanced textures.

Spicy Tuna Roll- Not much to say about this one except that it's Spicy Tuna and I like it.

 

Now, clearly I am a fan of Kiku Bistro.  Mainly because it's pretty good sushi for a good price and I always have a coupon.  Is it the best Sushi in the world? Nope. Is it even the best Sushi in the Twin cities? Probably not. But is it a great deal and a fun place to have a quick happy hour? You betcha. So go. Because I want to make sure it stays open. K? Please?

Rachael's Restaurant Reviews - Bone Yard

Hello Lady Bits! The reason I love to cook is mainly because I love to eat delicious food, so naturally I also love to go out and try new restaurants. And I've decided to start reviewing them for you!

Bone Yard: 2841 Hennepin Ave. S. Minneapolis 55408
Rating: 6.5 out of 10 (I'm pretty tough!)

Recently my best friend James and I tried the new Uptown restaurant, Bone Yard http://boneyarduptown.com.  It's a country-style upscale cowboy type atmosphere.  Think plaid western shirts and jeans, exposed wood beams and cast iron skillets on the wall. For you local folk, it's where the Old Chicago used to be. We arrived around 6:40pm on a Monday and were pleasantly surprised to find out they were still on happy hour! 4pm-7pm M-F for you thrifty bits.  So we went a little hog wild and ordered enough for the entire restaurant. We ordered the Fried Chicken Po' Boy with Cottage Fried Potatoes, Beef Brisket Tacos, Fried Mac N Cheese Bites, Crab Hush Puppies, Pit Ham Sliders, and Smoked & Spicy Dry Rub Wings.  When they brought out the food the two hostesses continued to pass by our table with confused looks until James and I spoke up and assured them that "yes all that food is for us. Yes, they did have the correct table number and yes we do plan on eating it all."

 The Brisket Tacos were the highlight.  The brisket was flavorful and juicy, the pickled onions added the right amount of acidic tang and the smoked chile ailoi gave the necessary kick to pull together a nicely balanced taco.  The Pit Ham Sliders were also quite delicious.  Nice thick smoked ham slices on cheddar biscuits with homemade hot pepper jelly.  The salty sweet of the ham combined with the spicy peppers all on top of a  fluffy but still substantial biscuit? Render this diner happy.  The wings were standard, nothing to write home about but certainly satisfying enough to order again.  The Fried Mac N Cheese Bites were disappointing, bland and in need of a sharper cheddar (and double the amount) as well as a dash of cayenne (or any spices really!).  The Crab Hush Puppies were also just so so, as the corn meal was nicely prepared but the crab meat was used so sparingly they might as well not used it at all. But the spicy curry mustard aioli dipping sauce the crab hush puppies were served with? Delightfully delicious. I'd order that stuff on the side forever!  I have to admit I didn't get to try the Po' Boy as my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I was done by this point in the night.  But I will say it was huge for a Happy Hour item. It came with a whole basket full of twice fried potato medallions (cottage fried potatoes) and two big pieces of fried chicken on top of fluffy white bread with lettuce, tomato and jalapenos.  I'm not sure Po' Boy is the right name for it, as it just looked like a fried chicken sandwich. but I guess I'll just have to go back and try it for myself.

All and all I'd say The Bone Yard is worth the trip especially on a Monday night when you feel like eating your weight in country fried food. Which I do, most of the time.