Mancini's Char House & Lounge- St. Paul, MN

Every few months my old Lifetime co-workers and I get together with our spouses and we rotate which couple plans the get together. It was our turn this time and after Greg and I went to Mancini’s Char House & Lounge about a month ago and fell in love with it, we figured it would be a great place to get together.

Turns out the night we went was abnormally busy and even though this restaurant is HUGE we still had to wait about a hour and a half. We just hung out in the lounge, had a few drinks and caught up with each other. They play live music Wednesdays through Saturdays too so you can either enjoy the music before dinner if you eat late like we did or check out the lounge afterwards and could even do some dancing if you are up for it. Mancini’s décor makes you feel like you are stepping back in time. I love restaurants with character so I think this is awesome.

At Mancini’s they give you a relish tray and the pickles, tomatoes and peppers that are on there are extra delicious. I don’t like to eat tomatoes straight up but compromised by trying one on a piece of bread out of the bread basket. It was yummy! We were obviously pretty hungry by the time we got sat since it was after 8:30 so we inhaled the relish tray, bread and our salads. The guys even got creative and dipped their bread in the juices left on the relish tray, don’t ask…

Our table ordered two 12 oz. filet mignons, two 8 oz. filet mignons, the beef kabob and a NY Strip. I had one of the smaller filets. It is the same thing I got last time and it was delicious once again. They butterfly it there (without asking) and it is cooked exactly as I like (I order it medium). This is my favorite filet to date. Everyone else that had the filets really liked them also. My husband had the kabobs and enjoyed them overall but had one piece that was a little tough. He had enough leftover to make a steak omelet the next day. Brian ordered the NY strip and liked that also, this is one of their signature items. I had the vegetables with mine and those were great too!


Last time we were at Mancini’s one of the owners came around to see how everything was. He did this again which I think is really impressive. I love when managers are involved and want to ensure everyone is enjoying their meal. Thumbs up on that one!

After we were done eating Rachel mentioned I should have taken a picture of the relish tray but needless to say, ours was devoured so… a few of them had their eyes on the table next to us that had just left and went over to bogart their leftover relish tray. Not only did we take a picture of it but my husband figured he may as well take some of those delicious tomatoes for his omelet also and of course emptied the rest of our bread basket into his to go container. Jacking the other table’s relish tray was pretty funny and was a good way to end the evening (notice there are no pickles left).

Overall I think Mancini’s is amazing and is a great value for your money. With your steak you get the relish tray, the bread basket, a salad and a potato or vegetables. I would highly recommend anyone and everyone I know to check it out. Dinner and some live music would make for a fun date night or get together with friends. If you have been to Mancini’s but it has been a while, I would encourage you to go back. If you check it out make sure to add your comments below.

Date of visit: Wednesday 10/15/2011- 7:30 pm
First time here: No
Total of bill before tip: $55.81 (Beef Kabob, Small Filet, Coke, Captain)
Recommended: Yes
Website: http://mancinis.com/index.html

Tilia- Minneapolis, MN

My friend Raya and I were planning a double date and she suggested we check out Tilia. I read some of the online reviews and was very eager to try this restaurant. The first thing I noticed was it was a little hard to find due to the fact there is not a sign for the building. There is simply a window decal which makes it hard to spot while driving by. The restaurant is on the small side and does not take reservations so it fills up quickly. I was early and was able to get a great table for us.

They have a great beer list which allows people to sample some new, fun beers. I originally wanted a glass of wine but couldn’t rationalize paying $10 for a glass of wine when the wine I buy in the store is less than that for a whole bottle. I decided to go with a diet coke. I ended up ordering a glass of $4 wine after Raya ordered one and I tried a sip since I wasn’t sure what kind it was, turned out it was pretty good.

We started out with the grilled bread with prosciutto & fresh mozzarella appetizer. I loved it. It was so delicious. I could have eaten 2 orders of it myself. The menu here is on the smaller side so I had my dinner narrowed down to two pastas and ended up choosing the small size of the tagliatelle pasta. It was… okay. I really didn’t feel there was anything special about it. Plus there were additional items in there that were not mentioned on the menu and I really had no idea what they were. Raya got the squash caramelle pasta and I liked hers a lot more. We should have switched since afterwards we realized we liked each other’s better than our own. Oh well! The boys got the reuben and the fish taco torta. The guys seemed to be happy with their meals. I also stole a few of our friend’s French fries and they were pretty good however they were less than impressed with the fry sauce that came with it. It didn’t have much flavor at all.


Overall this restaurant was cute, the waitresses were friendly and we had a great experience. I just left feeling a little under impressed with my meal but it could have been that I just ordered the wrong thing. I would definitely go back if someone suggested it and would just be sure to order something different.

Date of visit: Wednesday 10/5/2011- 6:00 pm
First time here: Yes
Total of bill before tip: $50 (2 beers, soda, glass of wine, appetizer, fish torta and small pasta)
Recommended: Yes
Website: http://tiliampls.com/

Best Cheap Burgers Around: Dan Patch American Legion- Savage, MN

If you are looking for a good deal on a hamburger you have to go to the Dan Patch American Legion in Savage. I don’t know how they cook these burgers but they do something magical to them. If you check out the Legion’s burgers make sure to go on a Monday night. The burgers are only $1.50 + $.50 for each topping so you have yourself a $2.00 cheeseburger. Plus, it is only $.50 for fries. While the burgers are great the fries are pretty good but nothing amazingly awesome. Not only do you get to enjoy a burger but they also have Bingo on Monday nights so that adds a little extra incentive to hit up the Legion on Monday nights.

I originally ordered one of these hamburgers only because they were so cheap. I didn't used to be a big burger girl but these burgers opened my eyes to the world of burgers. Since I initially tried one here, I have had a few elsewhere and have been on the quest for the best burger around. These burgers are pretty darn close. They aren’t outrageously huge so if you have a big appetite I would definitely get two. The only other burger I have found that I enjoy just as much if not possibly more would be Five Guys Burgers & Fries. I am putting the Legion and Five Guys at a tie for the best burgers around, thus far.

Over the past few months the Legion has done some rearranging, upgrades and remodeling to the interior of the building. It still isn’t anything fancy but they have definitely made some improvements. They have other awesome food deals different nights of the week such as cheap sloppy joes, wings and tacos. Other than Heggie’s Pizzas I haven’t had any of their other food yet. If you have tried any of their other items make sure to let us know what you thought!

Date of visit: Monday October 4th- 6:15 pm
First time here: No
Total of bill before tip: $6.?? (2 cheeseburger baskets and one soda). I must have thrown the receipt so I don’t have the exact amount.
Recommended: Yes
Website: http://savageamericanlegion.com/