Pat's Tap
Pinstripes
Cheese curds are basically a way of life in Minnesota (it doesn’t matter if the cheese originated in Wisconsin, they’re still Minnesotan). You absolutely cannot visit the state and not have them. Arguably, some of the best can be found at Pat’s Tap, which touts itself as a Skee Club and Gastro Pub. They have a brilliantly appropriate happy hour, “party boobytrap,” featuring cheese curds, fried pickles and more. Named after the owner’s mom, Pat’s Tap whips up a dizzyingly palindromic array of Minne-centric pub fare like a Wild Rice Burger, and worldlier offerings like buffalo chicken terrine, kofta, gougéres (try them with the soup!) and ramen. Brunch offers faves like Biscuits and gravy, shakshuka, and a Bloody Mary sandwich. As the Term Skee Club suggest, they are home to a number of skee ball games you can play while you wait on food or as you enjoy one of the over 100 beers they have available, including tons of Minnesota beer, or shoot some pool at a table that attracts a surprising amount of excellent players. As the Pat’s Tap website states, “Drive Fast. Take Chances. Eat Cheese Curds.” Challenge accepted …except the driving fast part, unless of course it’s to go get some cheese curds.
The first tier suburb of Edina has a lot of competition when it comes to restaurants, but Pinstripes stands out from the rest with their stellar cuisine and entertaining venue. Pinstripes, which is originally from Chicago, showed up to Edina and changed the dining and happy hour landscape of the city. Pinstripes boasts 2 floors of bowling lanes and bocce courts, and a number of private dining and meeting rooms for work meeting, weddings, receptions, etc. One thing that sets them apart is the caliber of the culinary fare they offer; it’s not your typical bowling alley food. Pinstripes offers yellowfin tuna flatbread, house-made pastas, short ribs, chicken marsala and notably excellent calamari. [PJ2] The higher end feel of the venue melds perfectly into Edina’s France Avenue area. Pinstripes is very family friendly and has a wide range of patrons, from retirees taking advantage of their senior specials to young families with their kids. If you’re a fan of happy hour, they have a wide range of ‘by the glass’ wines, and a well curated beer menu. Or if that’s not your thing, go for an old fashioned or an espresso martini. The outdoor patio, (which is year ‘round, as we Minnesotans are a hardy folk) and the impressive fire pit will help keep you cozy while you enjoy your beverage outside, overlooking the beautiful and bustling Centennial lake.
Punch Bowl Social
Up-Down
The best way to start your visit to Punch Bowl Social is with a walk around the place to decide what you want to do first (preferably with one oft their adult milkshakes in your hand). Bowling, skee-ball, karaoke, giant scrabble, pool, ping pong and more, for those who want to go out to work on their skill or tap into their competitive side. Even those who aren’t really into games will enjoy the charged atmosphere and the creative menu. Punch Bowl Social is known for their, well…punch bowl sized sharable drinks, available in single size, for 4 or for 8, with cool names and cooler contents. The menu, which was overseen by Hugh Acheson, also offers large sharable ”Big Baller Platters” to share alongside your cocktails. “The Maine Squeeze” features lobster rolls, and of course the “Colonel of Truth” comes with 12 pieces of fried chicken. If you’re in the mood for a whole lot of decadence you can splurge on “The King of Infinite Space” which includes 4 egg salad sandwiches and accoutrements including an ounce of Ostera Caviar. The A La Bama chicken sandwich is awesome, as are the L’il Street Tacos and Cubano. They have a really good kid’s menu, and believe me, kids LOVE this place, but fret not, you won’t find the place crawling with them. It’s more of the crowd who likes good food with their mini-me’s in tow, there to enjoy the creative drinks and the diverse menu.
Being an adult is a lot different than we all thought it would be. But enter into Up-Down, and it takes you back to how you thought you would be spending your days once you were out from under the evil thumb of curfews and crappy allowance; you can finally live the fantasy your younger self looked forward to! For just a quarter, you can fall head-first into a world of skee-ball, pinball and vintage video games. Located in the in the Uptown area of Minneapolis, Up-Down keeps the menu simple. Pizza by the slice or a whole pie in a few varieties, spanning the range from pepperoni to mac-andcheese and buffalo chicken. There are also a few salads on the menu, but its kept simple, because the real draw is the vintage video game machines. The four player Pac-Man is amazing, and pinball is just as addicting as you remember it to be. The walls are plastered with childhood heroes and heartthrobs (like Kieffer, Suzanne, Prince and of course, Beavis and Butthead). Up-Down is a fun place to go with friends, but it’s great to go solo and get lost in a game. When weather permits, you can lounge on the rooftop, or the outside patio and watch the interesting characters of Lyndale Avenue stroll past. There’s not a lot you can buy for a quarter anymore, but at Up-Down 2 bits gets you the ultimate 16bit fix.
Written by Kelly Allard The Minnesota Food Guide
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