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From
dress rehearsal to curtain call:
Pre- and post-theater
dining & cocktails
By
Donna Tabbert
Long
Whether your style
is digging into a tender steak and downing an old-fashioned gimlet before
the show, or sampling Spanish tapas and sipping sherry
after, there’s no doubt Minneapolis has an abundance of dining options.
SPLURGE WORTHY
D’Amico Cucina: downtown Minneapolis in the Hennepin Theatre District,
here ’s outstanding Italian fare, superb service and understated elegance.
Solera: next door to the Historic Orpheum Theatre, forget entrees, an assortment
of hot and cold tapas are the best.
RETRO FLAVORS
Murray’s: home of the tender Silver Butterknife steak, a downtown
Minneapolis institution since l946. The Historic Pantages Theatre is nearby.
Ike’s Food & Cocktails: downtown – the place is cool, and
you can’t go wrong with the nightly blue-plate special. Be there early
if you want a booth.
CLASSIC HITS
Palomino: a popular pre-theater (across the street from the Historic
State Theater) dinner date for years. Don’t skip the “Palini” – their
signature champagne and peach nectar cocktail.
Capital Grille: another downtown before-show fave for legendary steaks
and martinis.
CASUAL CROWD
Rock Bottom Brewery: plan on beer and imaginative appetizers; it’s
across the street from Hennepin Stages.
Hard Rock Café: if you’re taking the kids, you can’t
go wrong here. Make time to check out the Prince memorabilia.
ROMANTIC AFFAIR
112 Eatery: in the warehouse district, this recently opened chef-owned
bistro is a cozy candlelit gem. And it’s open late.
SWEET ENDINGS
If the late-late munchies hit, the FireLake Grillhouse (located
within the Radisson Plaza Hotel) has good breakfast fare, the swanky
Monte Carlo Bar and Grill serves dynamite martinis and meatloaf sandwiches
(only
served late-night) and Pizza Luce is justifiably famous
with night owls for its
garlic mashed potato pizza.
Donna
Tabbert Long is a freelance writer who lives in the Minneapolis
area. Click here for more about
Donna and additional travel features she has written on Minneapolis.org.
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