Noshing in the Midwest: Longfellow Grill

When I started this blog, I viewed it in part as a great excuse to try out new restaurants and coffee shops, to be more adventurous, to step outside our norm. But in that excitment, I forgot about some of the old faithfuls, the places you go to when you are tired and hungry and want to be assured of a nice meal and comforting surroundings, without having to do any of the dishes afterwards. One such place for us is Longfellow Grill just over the river and through the woods in Minneapolis.

Longfellow Grill, a part of the Blue Plate restaurant family, is a spacious, lively neighborhood hot spot right on the bank of the Mississippi river. With a sprawling patio overlooking Lake Street, and lots of cozy seating in a colorful interior, Longfellow Grill offers both a cure for the winter blues and a friendly place to linger over a cocktail in the summer. The menu is robust and interesting, offering basic fare with a twist, like a decisively adult sized mac and cheese, a flavorful meatloaf served with garlicky mashed potatoes with asiago cheese, and a lucsious butterscotch pudding.

On a recent visit, I had one of the best fish sandwiches I have ever had. Off the specials menu, this was not just any fish sandwich, it was a Thai Fish Sandwich. I don't know what that means, exactly, but it was soft and sweet with so much heat I could only finish half. Which worked out great because I gave the other half to Tony and got the rest of his burger. A bacon burger, moist and delicious, especially when dipped (over and over) in a smokey Tillamook cheddar cheese sauce. I would have loved to have licked that tiny cup clean, but I didn't think that would be a good lesson in table manners. Speaking of Millie, her food came in the cutest little '50 t.v. tray with a gooey blob of twisted mac and cheese (mellowed out kid's version), cheesy bread, veggies and dip, and a cookie! Sheesh, if only she ate food.

Yes, we are regulars at Longfellow Grill, and I have brought just about everyone I know here at one time or another. Heck, I am even "friends" with them on Facebook, and you know how meaningful that is. It's nice to know that, while it might be exciting to venture outside of our comfort zones every once in a while, your favorite haunt will always be there when you want a piece of home delivered with a smile. And a great local beer.

Giant kids meal. Plus a couple of home-made potatoe chips from my plate.