Friday, August 03, 2007

THE LOOP BAR & RESTAURANT - Minneapolis

The Loop Bar & Restaurant is in the revitalized warehouse district – an area of trendy lofts, interesting restaurants and entertainment. Three college buddies own the Loop. As you enter this casual comfortable space with 20+ foot ceilings with wooden beams, you get a sense that you have been here before.

Tim & I decided to do a bit of “Happy Hour grazing” before we went to dinner. He had been to the Loop and recommended that we stop. I am glad we did.
We ordered the Pomegranate Martini, made with 3 Olives Pomegranate, Absolut Citron and a splash of cranberry juice. Each round (we had 3) were identical – mixed to perfection by our bartender, John Buck.

Our first grazing selection was the Cream Cheese Wontons. These large crispy starters were filled with minced red peppers, spinach and mushrooms. These delicious tidbits were resting in a duet of sauces – a light jalapeno tomato sauce & a cool basil yogurt sauce. The 2 excellent sauces compliment each other. I would recommend a different plating – arrange the crispy wontons around the raised edge of the plate. Doing so would prevent them from absorbing the sauce. We did this to keep them crispy.


For round 2, we chose the Garlic & Herb Meatballs. The pan roasted, delicately seasoned meatballs were served on a pillow of smashed potatoes and drizzled with a smooth peppercorn brown beef gravy. The trio of meatballs, each slightly smaller than a golf ball, was fantastic!


We had a second plate of the Cream Cheese Wontons to go with our 3rd round of martinis. Yumm.


Tatum, our server, was a delight. Her energy and personality made our visit even more enjoyable.

Reasonable prices. Great quality. My next visit will be for dinner; the grilled yellow fin tuna caught my eye.

Link to more recent Loop visit

Mmm, Mmm...


www.TheLoopMpls.com


$
++++
✦✦✦

Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+

Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!

Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”

✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”

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