Overrated -- The Holy Land. Everyone raves about it, but I find the buffet pretty unappetizing, and I've had to throw out my last two falafel sandwiches!

I do buy their rotisserie chicken in a pinch, and plenty of their grocery items. But that's it.

The Holy Land is worshiped here in Nordeast (no irony intended!) And it's become a solid anchor for our community. The vibe in the place is fantastic! But for middle eastern food, I much prefer Zakia, or even Crescent Moon down the street.

Brasa should go into Highland Park!

I think Pizza Luce is highly overrated. It just won a poll for best restaurant in the twin cities. I don't think it's in the top 3 for pizza much less top for restaurants in general.

I would love it if Brasa came to Grand Ave! The Italian Pie Shoppe would be a great location.

I think the food at WA Frost is grossly over-rated. Their outside seating is divine, but the food (the four times that I've eaten there in the last three years)is average at best, but tauted as some local haven of haute cuisine. I do disagree with the above comments about The Holy Land. I've never seen it lauded by local food journalists just by locals because it is great Middle Eastern food at a great price.

Le Belle Vie is the most over rated restaraunt. The portions are too small for the price. The chef must be tight because it will cost $50 a meal and the starter salad is naked field greens. Every one at the table has to order the same dish or eat elsewhere.
Red Lobster provides more halibut with better flavor.

I would only give credit to the bar. The bar has all kinds of unique liquors from all over the world that make the drinking experience adventuresome.

'Overrated' is such a highly subjective topic! I certainly can't agree with the comment that compares La Belle Vie to Red Lobster. La Belle Vie serves spectacular food; Red Lobster is a middle of the road chain. Too many Minnesotans live by the 'the food isn't great but the quantities are large' philosophy! You don't have to have huge servings to have a memorable meal. That being said, I believe that Buca di Beppo is highly overrated and, even though it's a favorite of Andrew's, we found nothing to bring us back to Masa.

Brasa on Grand!?! LOVE IT. I was just at Brasa last weekend and had to restrain myself from hugging Alex Roberts (who was walking around in big work boots doing God knows what). While my first few trips were just OK, the last 2 have been spot on. They really seem to be hitting their stride. DO IT, Alex. Pretty please?

Brasa on Grand! I hope, I want, I need.

I second W.A.Frost. This summer's menu is an atrocity. It is all over the place and looks like the work of a chef who is frustrated that nobody is writing about them. It's pretentious, over priced and not very well executed. Blue cheese "air"? Come on man, that's not real food. $28 for "Chairman's Reserve" pork loin? That is Stockyard's in house brand, it's a decent product but when I run it for a special I can make my margin selling it for $19.

Last time I was there I ordered the burger, my dining companions wished they had done the same. Later that week we went to Alma and it was like night and day even though the prices were similar.

Gordon Ramsey falling 250 feet into icy waters....now thats good TV. I hope that video is on utube somewhere.

Anyone have a link to the geoduck, I would love to check it out and see what the fuss is about.

I agree with Gertron -
Masa is completely overrated. I'm an average cook with Rick Bayless cookbooks and can serve the same meal at home. Nothing upscale about this Mexican restaurant.

I would be excited that Brasa is coming to St. Paul, however Grand Ave wouldn't be my preference. I like Grand Ave but its a huge pain in the rear to park anywhere and there is only one bus that I know of that goes through the area. Somewhere a bit more accessible (maybe closer to the private colleges in St. Paul) would be better?

In terms of overrated, I would say pretty much any "Mexican" restaurant in town, with the exception of El Meson (which is more latin I suppose).

as long as pretty much any mexican didnt include Los Ocampo.

I remember seeing geoduck on the whiteboard menu at Shuang Cheng years ago (late '90s, I believe). Now that I know what it costs, I'm glad I never ordered it.

Thank you AZ. Jucy Lucy overrated? Absolutely.

Maybe we should be focusing on the UNDERappreciated gems around town before they all go under like Aribel's in Richfield. But, I'm always up for a cleansing vent session so here goes. Hammer away:

Walleye (everywhere): One of the planet's least interesting fish.
Culvers Butterburgers: The appeal is what again???
Mickey's Dining Car: Take a photo, then go eat at Al's Breakfast...or anywhere else.
Cecil's Deli: So much potential, such incredibly crappy food. And having to walk past that pathetic deli case makes it that much more painful.
Fishman's: See Cecil's above.
20.21 and Chambers Kitchen: Fine in a vaccuum, but if you've ever been to Puck/Vongerichten places on the coasts, you wonder why we got stuck with the Junior Varsity versions.
Mancini's: Painful to say because of the seemingly wonderful owners. But the food is nowhere near as good as the raves. Chuckle-inducing kitschy experience? Sure. Great restaurant that people make it out to be? No way.
Same goes for all of the "red sauce" places in St. Paul.
The State Fair: Yeah, yeah...Andrew's gonna pummel me with Gizmo sandwiches, and it's not a restaurant. But State Fair food defines overrated. Yeah, sights, sounds and (yes) smells around you while you eat are 90% of the deal, but all the going ga-ga over average and overpriced crap is classic "overrating". Weeks of radio chatter about frozen pickle juice and (gasp) chocolate coated bacon. Egads. And it's not even glommed onto a stick.

I would love a Brasa in St. Paul, but stay away from the Mac end of Grand because then I'll never decide if I should go to Shish or Brasa. Maybe, I'll just do both!

Also, I agree Frost's main menu is way too much. Go to the patio and hit the bar menu, it's much more reasonable.

How about a Brasa or Quang or Thanh Do in Golden Valley commons. there's huge demand for an indie restaurant there, but no supply. or, to beat my dead horse, how about in Bryn Mawr.

Just be glad Cecil's is still open...there are about 9 Jews left in St. Paul.

Was Zimmern's Puffin Hunting Adventure caught on film? Because I'd pay to see that.

"Le Belle Vie is the most over rated restaraunt. The portions are too small for the price." ...I re-read this 3 times trying to find the "dontcha know" at the end.

I second the kudos to Los Ocampo.. it's the best mexican food I've had in the city and it's cheep to boot. Stop by chicago lake for a cold six and walk across the parking lot for $2 al pastor tacos and you got yo self a hot date. walk down to the greenway and pick berries for dessert. shit, I love south!

Overrated: Nick & Eddie. I've never been there and had even somewhat decent service or food that was the correct temperature.

Overrated= minimum wage increase, what about a tip credit, good job government
Overrated= National night out, sales down 40% on Tuesday
Not Overrated= video of Andrew doing a swan dive into do a canon ball position from 250 feet into icy water

Overrated: Murrays, Kinkaids, and Oceanaire, I'll take a place like Erte over any of those three

Comparing La Belle Vie to Red Lobster in like comparing a Ferrari to a Yugo. Also it is insulting. To the Owners, the patrons and most importantly to the cooks that work there. Hands down, no questions asked the best MEALS (plural) I have ever had were at La Belle Vie. I dont think that the gentleman that wrote that realizes the kind of time, effort, and knowledge goes into every " too small" plate. The reason the halibut "tastes better" is the same reason a McDonalds Hamburger "tastes better" then a burger from say the convention grill or Matts is because of all of the flavor enhancers and the sort that they use on their protiens. It just goes to show that Mr. Mc Kellar has absolutely no idea what he is talking about.

Overrated: Nick and Eddies (bad service, passable food). French Meadow (dreadful service, cold food). Luce.

I've always felt that overrated and underrated are always in the eye of the beholder. One person's trash is another person's treasure or something like that. There are also restaurants where I go for the vibe and experience, not so much the food. MSPD called Mancini's and Mickey's overrated. Well, I call them perfect for what they are and that is an experience restaurant in my opinion. I don't go to either entirely for the food.

So I'm not going to call these places overrated. I'm just going to say they are places where I didn't feel comfortable. That's not to say they're bad, not that you won't or don't love them. They just weren't for me and, as Mr. Franken used to say, THAT'S Ok:

Nick and Eddie - The entire experience felt like everybody in the restaurant was in on some joke, except for me. That's the best way I can describe it to you. Who knows, maybe they actually were.

The Strip Club - I just felt like it wasn't a great bang for the buck. Walleye fingers, two steaks, and a bottle of wine for almost $150 after all was said and done. And that was one of the cheaper bottles of wine. Everything was good food-wise, but for that price, I guess I was expecting a little more.

Salut - Remember the days when Parasole used to take a concept and execute it to the highest of standards? Manny's for Steaks, Oceanaire for Seafood, or Muffletta for the neighborhood restaurant? It seems like now, they take a concept and try to dumb it down to the masses. It may be profitable and I don't hold a grudge, I just preferred the original formula.

Here are a few that I think don't get the attention/kudos they probably deserve:

Heartland Wine Bar - Everyone raves about the restaurant, but I prefer the atmosphere and vibe in wine bar myself and it often gets left out in the praise.

First Course - I'd kill to have something like this in Cathedral Hill.

Modern Cafe - One of those places that gets lost in the shuffle from time to time.

I agree with the comments on Nick & Eddie. The 3 times we've been there it's been the same frazzled service and just okay food. And we know some of the staff.
Brasa should open on Selby not Grand.

I agree with every single word of Danny B's way-too-long comment.

Geoff,

Having 30 minutes to kill on a Friday at 5pm until you leave work can lead to longer posts. Sorry about the length, but thanks for compliment.

This is too subjective a topic to contribute to or take seriously...but Mexican restaurants over-rated in this town? No, you are wrong. Gorditas el Gordo, La Hacienda, and Ocampo are all very good no matter where you are from. These places are barely rated...how can they be over-rated?

And LBV compared with Red Lobster?! Shame on you. More = better comments always give me a tickle.

I have to admit, eating out is such an experience, sometimes the quality of the service effects the "quality" of the food. The service at Masa (and all Damico restaurants that I've been to) is always so great, the experience so wonderful that I find myself being more forgiving of the food than I should. (BTW, the food at Masa is fine)

I just ate at Granite City and the food was quite unremarkable but they made such an effort to make sure our experience was positive that it helped cover a multitude of wrongs. (unlike other experiences at Macaroni Grill which were the opposite) Morton's which used to have both, now seems to have neither.

The State Fair has nothing to do with food. It's all about tradition. People go back to the same places every year, myself included just to make sure they're still there. :-)

RB

I must say it is very difficult to have sympathy for Gordon Ramsey even if he were to die. He's a major A#$HOLE on TV and in the kitchen and death by hunting Puffin would be a fitting end for his life. Sorry to be so blunt about it Andrew.

I keep sending people, one after another to Brasa and they keep coming back disappointed by the food and service. You must love this Alex Roberts more than your own mother because he can do no wrong in your eyes. We go there because it is much like the brasa (grills) you find in Latin America and Brazil but it is very, very AVERAGE. In no way can you consider it brillant. I call it over-rated.

State Fair food has got to be the top of the list of over-rated. It is awful and I am surprised with all the artery clogging menace it introduces to the body of its eaters that they survive to tell the tale. I think it should be universally called "death-on-a-stick."

And I have to agree with the earlier poster about Holy Land - I get sick eating their dry, over-cooked, steam tray combo meals. Steam trays and good food are antithetical to each other. No chef would dare put their name on it, although I've been to Nicollet Island Inn and Downtowner Cafe and those steam plates where horrible and the chef's laid claim to the food in them... Go figure.

awww a Jucy Lucy overrated? I dunno. I had the best Lucy at the Nook the other week and it was far from overcooked. Though to be fair, it was the Paul Molitor burger...mmm pepperjack cheese..

Why is geoduck so expensive now? I grew up in Seattle and growing up (70's-80's) it was very cheap (25-50 cents a pound) and was used for clam chowder. I have eaten my share of it and trust me, it is not worth $100.00. Am I missing something here?

it's the result of a vertical supply curve for geoduck coupled with runaway demand. to wit: assume some witch doctor in Japan says geoduck will give you a harder and longer-lasting boner (this drives demand through the roof), and since there's no great way to increase the quantity of geoduck harvested in a given the next thing you know, the price goes through the roof. Here's a handy graphic ("stimulus" in this case is represented by the bonerrific news):
http://www.cato.org/images/homepage/cedwards.jpg

I know you've heard me rant on this ad nauseum, but you asked. Most overrated? Red's Savoy Pizza. I finally came to terms with people's love affair with this Shakey's redux, when it was impressed upon me that this is GREAT pizza "if you like that kind of thing." A ha! I underestimated the love-greezy-pizza contingent.

Love the explanation Geoff! Thanks!!

MORTON'S! So expensive, so...blah. Ditto Oceannaire, Salut, and Nick & Eddie, meh. La Belle Vie? Hilarious comment about looking for the "dontcha know" at the end. La Belle Vie is a gem in this town, consistently top-notch, there's nowhere I'd rather eat (and drink - comment about the bar is right on, FUN, delicious drinks). I hate to say it, but 112 Eatery was pretty weak the last couple of times I ate there - everything was lazily floating in oil (I used to LOVE the place); I hope I just had bad luck and will return. The Sample Room gets rave reviews and is currently serving pretty horrible food.