Best Restaurants with a Tasting Menu in Grand Ave

Staff was friendly and helpful. Food was really good. Portions were big. Restaurant was clean.

Always a consistently good meal. The service, at every level, was impeccable. Good for date night, good for any night.

We chose 1881 as we have dined at Lake Elmo Inn many times but were looking for a little more ‘atmosphere’ for our 43rd anniversary dinner. We both have childhood memories of the Union Depot and knowing we were never disappointed in Lake Elmo’s cuisine, we made reservations. Allison was our server and made our experience absolutely amazing. The meals were delicious and when Allison brought us our dessert, she graced us with glasses of complimentary champagne to celebrate our evening. She packed our leftovers beautifully and put in a little treat to have with them. She graciously took our picture and asked us what made our marriage last so many years. My quiet husband smiled and quickly answered, “Lots of patience and love.” Great evening, service and meals!

Had a great experience here before a concert at the Ordway. Very pleasant host and woman who seated us. Our server (Emerly) was great - she made sure we got our order in ahead of some large parties that were being seated, so we wouldn't be nervous about getting done in time for our concert. Two of us ordered salmon, the 3rd ordered beef tips, and it all was excellent!!

Everything was really nice. Laura, our waitress, was personable and attentive without being intrusive. The Old Fashioned was nicely done. It has the right balance between sweet and the bit of the rye. I tend to like to taste orange and cherry a bit more, but this one was well within the range of a very good cocktail. My wife tried the Aviator drink which tasted like lemon juice and gin --not her really profile. The mushroom toast was really excellent. It the carmelized onions and mushrooms blended really nicely on the focaccia and cheese. The $300 Burger (for $28) was good though, the potato wedges did not have much flavor (just roasted and salted). The seafood special was lobster risotto. It was very good with a lot of lobster. The only criticism was that the entrees were heavily salted, especially the risotto. We will happily return. It is really a neat space for a nice restaurant.