The conference didn't start until late Saturday afternoon, but I took an early morning flight, for 2 reasons. First, it was the only direct flight from OKC and I hate layovers. And second, in previous years I got in just a couple hours before the reception hall first opened, and by 10pm I could barely keep my eyes open. Luckily my room was ready when I arrived, and I took that as a good omen for the week.
After a trip to Target for a new camera, registering for the conference and a quick nap, it was time for lunch. Dale Dickerhoof had recommended The Loon Cafe, and Joe Pruitt recommended that I try walleye during the trip. It was only a 10-minute walk from the hotel and I figure neither one of them would steer me wrong, so I decided to try it out.
Minneapolis was a lot hotter than I expected, and later found out that the 100-degree weather was really out of the ordinary. That always seems to happen when I'm visiting a new city. So after a couple glasses of water, I decided to try a local beer. I don't like really dark or heavy beer, so the waitress recommended Grain Belt. It was good, light and refreshing. I then ordered the habanero crusted walleye sandwich. I'm not a beer-batter fan, so I tried the grilled instead of fried.
 |
Coated with habañero cracker-crumb breading, fried OR grilled
and served on a sourdough bun, with roasted jalapeño tartar sauce,
coleslaw and chips
|
The fish was really good! It's a firm whitefish with a mild flavor. The tartar sauce wasn't powerful, and added just a little additional kick. Honestly, it could probably have used even more jalapeno. The roll was too much bread for the amount of fish, and had I thought about it sooner I would have put all the fish onto just half the bread. But oh well. The cole slaw was very good, and not too heavy. The fries could have been hotter, but they were still good.
Would I go back? If I'm ever back in Minneapolis, then yes! It had a great sports bar atmosphere, it's just a short walk from the Twins ballpark, and the food was good. Next time I would try something different, just to see what else they have on the menu.
