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[Editor's note: the latest in Phoenix Woman's series on making the most of Netroots Nation 2011 -- June 16-19, in her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.]
In the first installment of this series, we discussed the Meat Coma that one can acquire at Lindey’s Prime Steak House in Arden Hills, a northern suburb of Minneapolis. But for those of you who of necessity would like to confine their intense carnivorism to downtown Minneapolis, there really is only one option, especially if you favor your beef rare: You must go to Murray’s. You must.
How good is Murray’s? It’s got competition at the end of the block, in the form of a McCormick and Schmick outlet, and it’s still going strong. When Brazilian-originated chain Fogo de Chao opened up a location in City Center a block away, Murray’s wasn’t worried: The Fogo de Chao folk tend to overcook the meat they have on those long fancy skewers, and no true steak aficionado will have anything to do with overcooked meat.
Now, steak joints, almost by definition, tend to be pricey joints, and Murray’s is no exception, especially at dinnertime. Their signature item, the Silver Butter Knife Steak for Two — so named because you can easily cut it with a butter knife — checks in at a whopping $96.00. However, you can get beer and a burger there for $9.95 at lunchtime on Twins game days, and there are other $9.95 daily lunch specials throughout the week. And if you don’t mind an early supper, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm Murray’s features a three-course meal that will only set you back $22.95, a true bargain in this day and age. (Almost all your meals, lunch or dinner, come with complimentary baskets of their insanely salty — and insanely addicting — garlic bread. You can feel your blood pressure shoot up just looking at it, but it’s all but impossible to resist.)
But in many ways, Murray’s biggest selling point is its ambiance and history. It’s been a fixture downtown since before most of us were born, and has shown remarkable wisdom in deciding what to change and what to keep as it strides on into the 21st century. It’s well worth a visit, and a quick jaunt on the #10 bus north on Nicollet Mall up to Sixth Street, then a quick ramble half a block to the west, will take you there.
38 Comments
Oh, PW (although I do like the P Dub name),
I can’t get there, not even for steak. Wish I could. I wish a lot of things.
But, thanks for the continuing efforts. :)
OMG, I grew up in Minneapolis and I remember Murray’s as vividly as my best friend in high school. Murray’s is *the* quintessential posh, 1960s ambiance, old-school steak restaurant. It has few peers and no equals. If you go to Netroots Nation and find yourself craving a properly cooked steak, you *must* go to Murray’s. That is all.
Yup. It’s the restaurant your grandpa might take you for your fancy sit-down dinner when you were a kid — but only if he really, really liked you.
De nada. :-)
Forum Cafeteria, Brady’s, Francines, Busters, were more in my prices range I think all on 6th. Don’t spose any still there. And that piano bar where everyone knew all the Tom Lehrer lyrics. What was the name?
Do y’all speak Spanish with that funny Wisconsin accent?
I have some good friends from Appleton. Great folks. Ja!
Francine’s (if you mean the place in South Minneapolis near 51st and Bloomington Avenue) is still around, as are Busters and Nye’s Polonaise (the piano bar, though Lou Snider, the piano lady, retired in February). Brady’s is long gone, having been taken out when Block E was razed and the strip clubs and punk music venues got replaced by a shopping mall that the owners now want to fill with a casino. The Forum is gone too — it shut down ages ago, was revived last year, then shut down again this April.
Yah, ve all sound like dah Svedish Chef, yanno?
Or like dis guy: Axel and His Dog (and Cat)
Swear, I came very close to saying that….der ka der ka der ka.
I can’t listen to that link, yet. We’re watching Standing in The Shadow Of Motown. Talk about great sounds. I have to keep getting up to dance.
Dont’ recall that one. In the 50′s south MPLS was still fairly dry. Francines was on 6th just north of Hennepin by 1st Ave No. When I got out of the army and was still thirsty but poor, a tall glass of beer at Francines was 15 cents. You could have a night out downtown for under a dollar.
Yep Murray’s was the place for special occasions, glad to hear it’s still going strong.
Will Sid Hartman be there?
Heh! I think he practically lives there.
Thanks for the info and the chattin’, Ms. Woman.
You’re most welcome, Ms. Demi.
Hmm, Phoenix Woman you are doing yeoman’s service with these countdown articles. The Farmers’ Markets article was great. Target Field with the shout out to my favorite Nordeast sausage house was fabulous.
We need to talk about Nice Ride (and places that rent bicycles for longer than 30 minutes). Minnehaha Falls is raging, worth seeing, and people can get some pretty good food and fabulous beer at Sea Salt. The Aster has the best outdoor cafe this side of Paris–and it is cheap especially the 3-6pm happy hour.
St. Paul’s Muddy Pig, Happy Gnome, and the Lowertown Bulldog serve fabulous beers. Hmm, there is way too much cool stuff to do in several days. The Twin Cities really are fab.
Hell’s Kitchen….
Yup. The Duluth one’s gone, but the Minneapolis one is still going strong (and it was the better of the two anyway).
Thanks! I’m going to do a bike/bus transport post soon — maybe I should do that one tomorrow.
Speaking of Target Field: Murray’s offers a steak sandwich there, but they tend to be overcooked (I think they sit in warmers, alas) and the best things about it are the pieces of garlic bread toast (see above) that come with it.
I should probably explain to the non-Minnesotans here:
Sid Hartman is a cranky old goat of a sports maven who is barely literate — and whose schmoozing powers are legendary. He founded the Lakers (ever wonder why a team that plays in LA is called the “Lakers”?) and was instrumental in getting the Twins and Vikings to come to town, and got the Metrodome (aka the giant herpes blister) built. If you want something sports-related done in this town, your best bet is to get Sid in your corner. Seriously.
I remember Murrays very well. I went there several times in the late 80s / early 90s every time I was in town for work. The best steak in the world. And, in summer time, the best raspberry pie I have ever eaten.
There was also another steak house we always went to as well. It’s specialty was HUGE slabs of prime rib. It was out in the suburbs somewhere. I don’t recall where or the name of the place.
Transport would be a good idea. Stuff like, avoid University Ave because it’s a nightmare right now, and you can get to St. Paul on an express bus in 15 mins w/ no stops.
Actually, if people are flying in and staying downtown they wouldn’t need rental cars at all. Light rail.
I’m not a steak eater, but Minneapolis is a world class food town. Just get as far away from Target Center as possible. Look for names like Heidi’s, Tilia, Grand Cafe, Corner Table, Bar La Grassa… it goes on and on. If you want great food, try skipping Yelp and take the advice of local hero Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl at Minnesota Monthly.
Semi-secret tip: From Wednesday to Saturday, after 5 PM, the Smack Shack (a food truck by day) sets up shop in the 1029 Bar, a working class cop bar in Northeast, a few minutes from downtown. Don’t let the bar pizza and braziers tacked to the ceiling scare you off. You can get a seriously good lobster roll for $13 or a giant one for $18. Afterward work your way up to the 331 Club (free local music) or any number of Northeast spots. People go crazy for Psycho Suzi’s a few blocks away on the river. It’s kitschy and fun–a big tiki-bar pizza place with a cool house band and a gigantic patio on the river. I think the place used to be a church. It’s getting to be a local institution–this is its second location after a big expansion a year or two ago.
You can also go south on Lyndale into the sleepy side of Uptown and have a good meal at Common Roots or French Meadow at 28th and Lyndale. There’s a a sporty hot dog bar called The Bulldog and a cool hellhole called the C. C. Club at the same corner. Also too a record store.
If you wind up in the busier Hennepin-Lake part of Uptown and nobody drags you to Chino Latino and you fail to hook up with someone at one of the night spots and you feel lost, try Barbette at Lake and Irving, a cool French bistro with great bartenders, a little outdoor seating, and some of the best French fries in the city. Also there are oysters and a late night happy hour.
That’s just off the top of my head. I don’t bother with downtown much. Like downtowns everywhere, most eating and drinking places there are overpriced and overrated. Not that you can’t do well, it’s just more about emptying the pockets of out-of-towners and making the rent.
Best place to eat on a tighter budget is the Tavern on Grand Avenue near Dale in St. Paul. They serve up one delicious walleye supper called the Shore Lunch, bast damn walleye ever served. Also in Saint Paul is Mancini’s a streak house that will bring you back to the late 70′s/early 80′s located on west 7th street. Enjoy a drink in their lizard lounge…swear to god its like stepping into a Larry Leisure Suit game. Oh, and the house band is some older types doing covers from the 60′s and 70′s, which I was once quoted saying: ‘ so terrible that instead of sounding better after several drinks they sound worse.” Enjoy
Yup. Just taking the light rail instead of a taxi will save you at least $15 one way (closer to $20 if you’re normally a proper tipper). That’s enough to allow for a bit of a splurge come dinnertime.
I love the Smack Shack! Right up there with the WSK (World Street Kitchen) truck, which serves up the best banh mi you will find outside of University Avenue (which is where the best Vietnamese places are, but which is torn up in spots for the next installment of light rail).
Mancini’s — ah, yes. If you want to see the old-time movers and shakers of Saint Paul in action, go there or (for breakfast) go to Serlin’s Cafe on Payne Avenue just north of the Capitol in the old East Side/Swede Hollow neighborhood.
Are you thinking of Paul’s Place and The Rib Joint in Roseville? Next to The Countryside chicken place? Those are both long gone and much missed.
Hey PW there you are.
We cannot be there, but are wondering if there is a way you can solicit a few bucks and live-tweet this thing from the ground.
Back when Andy Kroll was on the ground in Wisconsin, live-tweeting the Walker thing, they solicited some funding, and at the time we were actually able to kick in a small contribution, from our recycle money. We even considered ordering a pizza, but then just thought a few bucks would help more.
Just a thought. If it has been said already, I am sorry.
Hey, that’s a fabulous thought! I’ll pass it on.
How are you and the Blue Mason guy doing?
Why very well, thanks.
Gonna tweet this thing.
Thanks!
Hmm, Mancini’s lounge. It is a legendary place, and hilarious. I date this girl that loves that bar because of how incredibly retro it is.
Tavern on Grand? Come on. I’m a total St. Paul homer, but I can think of two dozen places in Minneapolis better than that. If you want cheap in that neighborhood, my neighborhood, Sweeney’s is way better than Tavern. Tavern is full of old people (no offense to old people – if you’re looking for a nap, Tavern is a great place to put yourself in the mood).
Yeah. You’re much better off hitting the (original) Green Mill or the Louisiana Cafe or (best of all) Brasa at 777 Grand Avenue (it’s actually better than the one on East Hennepin in Minneapolis, and that’s the one Amy Klobuchar frequents).
Yes yes yes on Green Mill and Louisiana Cafe, and Brasa is pretty decent too. Especially the one on Grand because in the summer the whole thing is open air – it’s in a converted service garage and all the walls on the inside are sliding doors open in the summer.
The only knock I have on Louisiana is no alcohol. Not that it’s in short supply in the neighborhood, but…early in the day, Louisiana. At night, the bars.
With your series here I feel like I’m getting to know your town. Very cool! Than ya!
While Murrays is a good Steakhouse the best Steakhouse is Mannys (http://www.mannyssteakhouse.com/)in the Hyatte about two blocks from the the Convention Center. If you prefer excellent seafood go across the hall to http://www.theoceanaire.com/Home.aspx There are a ton of Asian, Mexican, German, Malaysian and other ethnic restaurants on Eat Street all within walking or a very short cab ride from the Convention Center.
Gawd >facepalm< I meant Thank you!
‘S’OK!