Restaurant Review: Colossal Cafe (St. Paul Location)

Our food ticket (named after streets in St. Paul)

Apparently we couldn't get enough of St. Paul because two days after Meritage we found ourselves back in our not-so-old stomping grounds! We met up with our friends Ben & Angie who had been telling us about this restaurant called Colossal Cafe (as seen on Diners, Driver Ins and Dives*) that apparently served up a mean brunch menu. *I should note that they do have a Minneapolis location but it only accepts cash and we didn't have enough on hand.*

Doing brunch had been on our summer bucket list so meeting up one Saturday after our Farmer's Market trip was an excellent opportunity to fulfill that bullet point on our list. On the ride to the restaurant Ben & Angie warned us that the place was small and had fend-for-yourself seating, something that would have thrown me off had I not been briefed beforehand. Sure enough and true to the description the place was small and extremely busy. Knowing we were newbies, Ben & Angie ordered quickly and hustled to find us seating while Mark and I mulled over the menu. After finally ordering we took our seats on the two stools at the bar that Ben & Angie had secured for us and waited for our food to arrive.

Mark went with a full stack of flappers complete with apple, brie, honey and walnuts on top. I wish I could have snapped a picture of the look on my face when Mark's HUGE plateful of yeast-based pancakes arrived. They were smothered in the above mentioned toppings and were delicious.... for a few bites. After a while they were just too heavy for me. As luck would have it Mark loved them, especially the thickness of the pancakes. He could see how these flappers worked as sandwich bread (one of the ways you can order any of the sandwiches on the menu). Mark also thought the brie was a great addition to the pancake toppings. However, he noted that there was just too much honey. The honey was literally covering the plate, he couldn't even eat the bottom flapper due to the saturation.

Ready to dig into his stack of flappers

Close up of the apple, brie, walnut flappers with honey

I ordered the artichoke, spinach, tomato, and feta frittata. It was wonderful, eggs with vegetables and cheese... the ideal "Tara" meal if one were to exist. The ingredients mixed together to form the perfect flavor tones. The tanginess of the artichoke, the saltiness of the feta, and the mellow undertones of the spinach and tomato thoroughly satisfied my palate. It came with two slices of lightly buttered homemade toast which were obviously an appreciated and enjoyed side.

My yummy frittata

Mark and I really liked the food and were grateful we had chaperones to lead the way through our busy first Colossal experience. Next time I would probably order the frittata again (THAT good), and I bet Mark would order one of their savory sandwiches on a flapper.

Notes:

*The Minneapolis location is the one featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.

7.14.12

Restaurant Review Restaurant Week Summer 2012 Edition: Meritage

Mark's Zoolander face

As Mark mentioned, when Restaurant Week rolls around we spent copious amounts of time picking out new places to try; however this time around there was one restaurant that was a shoo-in, Meritage in St. Paul. You see, a couple months ago Msp Mag released their "best of the best"restaurants issue and Meritage beat out our beloved Vincent for best french restaurant in the readers poll.

Obviously we had scope the place out for ourselves. The menu looked good, but they had some big expectations to fulfill. For starters, did they have a cool french-looking waiter to give Mark free iced tea?

Due to the fact that the restaurant is all the way in St. Paul (Minneapolis, you feel me?) and Mark had to work all week we went for dinner.  As with most Restaurant Week participants, Mertiage put together a 3-course meal menu for a fixed price of $30. So it's a nice way to try some of the best restaurants in the city for a reasonable price.

Restaurant Week menu

When we arrived it was extremely loud and busy. The place is laid out kind of like a small European cafe (not that i've ever been to Europe, just what I imagine it to be). We were seated in a tiny booth/table with no room between us and the next booth/table. Our waitress came and although she was clearly American she was nice so no strikes were given against her or Meritage. Since we had studied the menu for weeks prior we were able to place our orders right away. This calmed me immensely because it was already close to 7:30, I was starving (the three pieces of buttered bread I inhaled upon arrival did nothing to sooth my hunger pains), and the place was packed with no end of incoming traffic in sight.

Luckily, I remembered to take a picture
before devouring and asking for more