Saturday, September 05, 2009

CHEEKY MONKEY DELI - St Paul

Cheeky Monkey Deli opened in February ’09 in a wide, open space of bright, white tiles, red & glossy white walls, a huge fireplace, chalkboard menus and an eclectic collection of “frame within a frame” artwork of Andy Warhol prints, comic book covers, record album covers and vintage black & white images. It works! There are no deep fryers hiding in the back making it very easy to enjoy the amazing aromas drifting from the kitchen. The steady stream of diners placing orders at the front counter indicates that the secret is out!

I have had several great experiences on prior visits; I decided to treat my parents to a dinner at one of the best casual eateries I have found in the Twin Cities.

We didn’t break my tradition and had the meat board as the starter. The fine selection of mortadella, pate, Genoa salami and prosciutto arrived with olive oil, balsamic vinegar reduction, sun dried tomatoes and an incredible combination of chopped olives & peppers (similar to tapenade with less EVOO). We used the small thin slices of French bread to make tiny open face sandwiches that quickly disappeared.

For dinner, I chose the meat loaf – the 2 thick slices were a delicious combination of beef, veal, & bits of onion resting in the pan sauce accented with butter and parsley. The side of spicy mayo included sambal creating a flavor explosion. Sambal is a very popular condiment from Southeast Asia of "mortar & pestoled" chili peppers & salt as its base. Yumm. I also had the griddle potatoes – thick, golden brown slices of Idaho potatoes generously dusted with paprika, black pepper, coarse salt & parsley.

As we finished our dinner, my father said there are few restaurants that he has gone to that he would want to talk about but this is one of them. My parents and I agree – this casual restaurant with an inviting atmosphere, super friendly staff and incredible food is fantastic!

Cheeky Monkey takes simple ingredients and makes them exceptional!

Link to prior Cheeky Monkey visit

Mmm... Mmm... Mmm...

CheekyMonkeyDeli.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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