Walkin' Around Checkin' Stuff Out. #72
Green Line Checklist…UPDATE!
We’re back on the Heavy Table Checklist…this time we’re revisiting Every new restaurant on the Green Line in St. Paul. We were here 9 years ago and a lot has changed.
If you’re new here and don’t know what the Checklist is, about 10 years ago we had the crazy idea to eat and document every independent restaurant on main drags through the city. So far we’ve visited Central Avenue, The Green Line (basically University Avenue), East Lake Street and Lyndale avenue.
We hit 5 restaurants in a night and document what we saw and what we ate…killer food reviews, food photography, and write-ups about the experience. I supply the drawings. It’s a ton of work, but we love it. The food, the people, the stories. It’s pretty fun…even if my intestinal system hates me for it.
These are just the drawings…consider subscribing to the Heavy Table to see the whole article when it comes out. It’s money well spent.
Mandalay Kitchen.
Wow...we came out strong right out of the gate, they did not phone-in the Pad Thai...this stuff was good, no...this stuff was great...and for a brief moment it was the best Pad Thai we’ve had.
I love it when a server smiles at the food they are delivering to the table...you know it’s gonna be good. And it was. Everything we had (except the drinks...they were awful) was fantastic. The tropical decor even made us forget it was -10 degrees outside.
Man, I love rolled ice cream...it’s almost chewy, and fun to watch them make, as long as there isn’t a long line. The owners were a couple young dudes hanging out when we stopped in...they seemed to be planning how to take the world over with their rolled ice cream business plans. That, or they were just jacked on sugar.
Rolled ice cream has to be the most labor intensive fast food out there. Luckily it was dead of winter so there was no line. In the summer the line can stretch out the door and it can take an hour to get your order. I wonder how many calories this guy burned making our order?
Sweet things to put on ice cream...if you want it, they got it.
The Luscious Crab.
Sorry, I gotta say...”luscious” way overestimates the food you’re gonna get at this place. And that’s my review.
Seafood boils are a hard enough sell in Minnesota, but the whole Disneyland vibe doesn’t help. I’m not sure I need to be greeted at the door by a 7 foot tall version of what I’m about to eat.
When in Rome. Hey, you can’t say we didn’t try.
It’s tough when a place pays more attention to the decor than what’s on your plate. In defense of the place, the people that were there seemed to be very happy and that’s what counts...food is a subjective thing.
Cheat sheet...in case you want to see what you are about to eat looks like.
Not gonna lie, bubbly tea places are not my favorite places to visit on these checklists. I’m not a fan of the overly sweet diabetes drinks and the spaces don’t tend to be much fun to draw.
As sweet as the drinks are, bubble tea places tend to look more like laboratories, which given the chemical make-up of some of the drinks makes sense.
Basil Cafe.
The Green Line is the undisputed champion of Thai restaurants based on this night alone, and Basil Cafe is as good as they get.
The kitchen was buzzing when we showed up. The owner said they had a crazy busy night, but the kitchen didn’t miss a beat when it came to making our food fantastic.
We had just had the best Pad Thai at Mandalay Kitchen, but they didn’t hold the title long as the Pad Thai at Basil Cafe was beyond...so good. Pad Thai is a good test of a Thai restaurants chops as a lot of places phone it in. Not here.
Giving a shit matters. This place had real plants in the condiment holder. Necessary? No...but a nice touch that says someone cares enough about the little details. The owner even had her own line of bottled drinks and they were pretty great.
There were a lot regulars eating and looking really happy and don’t need us telling them how good this place is.
Be sure to subscribe to the Heavy Table, you won’t find a better food blog.
Awesome drawings, as usual!