Laurie

This is for Paige: The Northland Inn on 694 is near Brooklyn Park. I have never stayed there, but often have meetings or lunch there, it's a great meeting place for those of us on the north side. Several other Duluth hotel choices, Fitgers, formally a brewery, now a hotel. Their suites are fantastic, many with exposed brick of the brewery. It's an easy walk to Canal Park from there along the lakewalk. Superior Shores in Two Harbors is nice. I'd make sure you have a lakeview room. They also have condos which are very nice and spacious.

paul

Go to the Mall of America at your own risk. We Minnesotans have a love/hate relationship with it. We like that people come from other parts of the country and spend money there, but we hate the fact that we are known for a huge, indoor shopping center. Be sure to do some of the "original" Minnesota activities, such as walk "the lakes" and catch a play or musical in downtown Minneapolis.

Paige

I know I should get my atlas and look it up, but how far is Duluth from Brooklyn Park? How long does it take to drive to Lake Superior? I guess the Chain of Lakes is located in the metro Minneapolis area? Where is Stillwater?

loangalsal

It would take about 2.5+ hours to drive from Brooklyn Park to Duluth. Duluth is on the southernmost tip of Lake Superior, so the "North Shore" drive starts at Duluth and you drive north from there. Stillwater is east of St. Paul, maybe a 45 minute drive so good for a day trip. "The Lakes" that everyone refers to in the Twin Cities are in south Minneapolis, Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, Lake Nokomis and Lake of the Isles, but there are many other small lakes all over the place.

Mary

Thanks for your restaurant suggestions. We are heading down to the Cities next week for a "spring break" (just had 8 in. of snow last night with more on the way tonight) and will try out some of your ideas. My parents used to be sort of hip but now they 78 years old and not so daring.

leslie

Living just west of the cities I can only hope that by May we will be sufficiently thawed out and if so I recommend heading to Lake Minnetonka and wander around one of the lake towns (try Excelsior- my favorite). You could roam the shops or hang out at one of the restaurants with outdoor seating. I'm not a native Minnesotan but from what I've experienced, May can be iffy- it might be nice or it might be freezing!

Maureen

Mary,
Joe's Crab Shack is in Roseville. They have seafood and a kid's menu. The atmosphere is pretty loud, though - my parents liked it OK, but some seniors might not like the noise. The outside playground is great for a 5 year old. (My kids ages 2 and 9 have been going out there all winter!) Put your name on the list on the way to their house - there is always a wait and they don't take reservations.

Byerly's in Roseville has recently redone their restaurant.

Applebee's, Chili's, Friday's have variety and are OK with kids, but are chains.

My son (the 9 year old) loves Cafe Latte on Grand in St. Paul. Great deserts and pizza for the kids, lots of salads and soups for healthy eaters.

If you are into buffets, Panda Garden on Lexington in Roseville has a Chinese buffet, but also has things like Chicken nuggets, potato rounds, and a salad bar on the buffet. Saturday nights are always crab legs and often shrimp on the all you can eat buffet.

Khan's Mongolian Barbecue let's you pick the raw ingredients off a buffet and then stir fries them for you. My kids thought that was interesting, but they aren't picky eaters, either. (This would not appeal to all kids)

Hope some of these are interesting.

Mary

Thanks Maureen for the suggestions. We will try them out in future trips. We have gone to Cafe Latte a couple of times and there does seem to be something for everyone there too. Wonderful food and if you time it right you can sail through the line and get your food quickly. Getting food quickly is the main appeal of OCB for my kids. Also the ice cream machine!

Maureen

Panda Garden has an ice cream machine, too!

Sister Jean

Panda Garden?! What a sh*thole. I can't believe anybody would recommend a place like that to a visitor. If your idea of a good meal is perhaps the worst Chinese buffet EVER, then by all means, go for it. But if you want really good Asian food, try Leeann Chin. You'll still get more than you could ever eat, but you won't end up gagging on a hunk of gristle or, heaven forbid, something else.

Maureen

If you read Mary's original question, you would see that the woman wants to eat in Roseville, not downtown. She doesn't want carry out, and they apparently like buffets since they frequent Old Country Buffet. Personally I think Panda Garden is way better than OCB.

Apparently YOUR criteria aren't the same as hers Sister Jean. Apparently you don't have small children.

If you want good restaurants anywhere in the twin cities, I'd have a different list - How about Goodfellows? How about Zelo? I'd never take my kids there and they aren't in Roseville, but those don't seem to be YOUR criteria.

loangalsal

I would agree that Panda Garden is not a great place to eat, about the same as OCB, maybe a little worse. Champps, TGIF or something like that would be a far superior choice and not a whole lot more expensive. Leann Chin is for sure WAY better than Panda Garden if you want Asian food, but again it is more expensive. Try the D'Amico & Sons delis, everyone will love that and the price of the kids meals can't be beat for the quality of food you get.

ron

Wow. I can't believe all of the recommendations for national chain restaurants! Mary - if you eat in Mpls, please try some of the local places. D'Amico is tops, Cossetta in St. Paul is good an not far from where you'll be, and Pepito's is a great Mexican place. All that plus you know you are supporting the locally based businesses.

loangalsal

Oh, How could I have forgotten Cosetta? That is a great place! Wonderful italian food, good suggestion! I also love the Vine Street Brewery which is right by Cosettas, but the OCB fans might not like the innovative menu. Ronny, I am also not a fan of "chain" restaurants, but when you have part of your group that loves Old Country Buffet, a chain restaurant can be a good "middle ground" to try to please everyone.

Laura

Tavern on Grand (a tavern on Grand in St. Paul!) is a "hole-in-the-wall" famous for their fantastic walleye. They also have a kiddie menu and some fishtanks that keep my kids happy.

And your five-year-old should definitely get to the MN Children's Museum. I disagree with the post that calls it small -- it is quite large -- and it is tons of fun for kids. It does get crowded on weekends and during the summer, but a weekday in May will be a great time to visit (especially on a Tuesday).

Your daughter will also love Camp Snoopy, Cereal Adventure and everything about the Mall of America. Also, take her to a Twins game -- it may be their last season and the games are quite fun for kids.

Skip Stillwater -- it's a wonderful place but not a kiddie favorite (antique shops just aren't that exciting for 5-year-olds). She might enjoy a Mississippi River paddleboat ride, though (can board in either Mpls or St. Paul).

And if your daughter likes books, take her to the the Wild Rumpus in Mpls -- she'll love it!

May should be a lovely time to visit. Have fun!

deb

You'll love Minneapolis/St. Paul in June.All ages seem to enjoy Nora's on West Lake Street. Their turkey dinner is great (stuffing like Mom's)and you can get a good drink for a small price. Also I recommend doing the lake thing. You might want to check in to a tour of the city/cities by trolley or motorcoach (check the yellow pages) which would give you a great overview of everything. I like whatever production is on at Hey City Theater. Drive down Summit Avenue in St. Paul and see the glorious homes. Neighborhood walking tours of this area are fun since you learn about the history of the area which is fascinating and also see inside these posh places. The zoo in Apple Valley is wonderful and they have an IMAX there that usually has an interesting show.
Welcome to our friendly cities and please come again soon.

Mary

I want to thank all of you for giving me some restaurant ideas.I now have a long list ready for future trips. I totally agree about supporting local businesses. They are few and far between in the suburbs. My Dad (age 78) and my son (age 9) are the ones that love OCB but the last time we ate there my husband said "never again" since he always gets indigestion from that place .
P.S. We were going to make the trip to the twin cities last weekend. The plan included going downtown Mpls. and trying Pizza Luce but the snowstorm kept us home. We went to Duluth on Sat and went to the Pizza Luce there on Superior St. and it was great.