Ward 6 - W6 Eastside

858 Payne Avenue, St. Paul
http://ward6stpaul.com

Larry made sure Ward 6 was a destination early in the Tiny Dining Club ventures. This relatively new bar/restaurant is the Eastside at its best! It was Lance and Annie's first time here and they enjoyed its unique vibe and relaxed atmosphere.

Ward 6 has great food - some familiar and some unique offerings that always come out right. On the appetizer menu ( or "Food for Drinking" per the Ward 6 menu) we always order The Farmers' Platter - a fun array of chef creativity in spreads, meats and cheeses, and pickled stuff. Delicious!  Also loved the lahmacun ... and the poutine - but we must save room for our meal. 

The Ward 6 Burger is pretty hard to top - a juicy combo of tasty ground meat cuts and other wonderful toppings, including bacon jam. Without a doubt, Larry's favorite burger in all the land. But there's also the Reuben - and it is gorgeous! Lance had to order it as soon as he saw one travel by on its way to another table. Honorable mention goes to the excellent housemade fries  - so good you might eat them before your sandwich.

Ward 6 serves up creative and delicious pub food, complemented by an excellent lineup of craft beers. In fact, Lance declared this a place he'll return to - just to sit at the beautiful old bar and have a sandwich and a beer. 

And bonus - the coffee was also very good. This from Tiny Dining's self-proclaimed coffee snob - Annie!

Tiny Tuesday Rating:
Food: 9
Service: 6.8 (though I think our server was new)
Ambience: 7.8 (Larry gave it a 9!)
Overal Experience:  8.8

Salut Bar American

917 Grand Avenue, St. Paul
http://www.salutbaramericain.com/menu/stpauldinner.html

What a fun surprise when we entered this classy French style bistro - the ambience was immediately inviting. The space is cozily arranged and the decor throughout the restaurant is pleasant and clean.

The dining club was split on the quality of the entrees however. Larry ordered pork tenderloin with roasted sweet potatoes and says it was the best he's ever had! Lance had the Poulet Paillard and gave it an 8 rating. But both Annie and Isabel tried the Butternut Squash Shrimp Linguine, which sounded lovely, but was rather disappointing. The butternut taste was lost, and the dish was a bit pasty.

Our server was a friendly confident guy (bordering on cocky) who really knew the menu well and enjoyed bantering with us over our menu and bar selections. Our only complaint was he literally disappeared for quite some time between dinner and dessert. Not sure what happened.

However all was forgiven when dessert arrived. Isabel and Larry shared a decent classic Creme Brûlée, but Lance and Annie loved their dessert choice - sadly I cannot recall what they ordered! ... Something with cream and caramel I think!

All four of us readily said we would return to dine at Salut.

Tiny Tuesday Rating:

Food:  7.8

Service:  9.6

Ambience:  8

Mucci's Italian

786 Randolph Ave., Saint Paul 55102 
http://muccisitalian.com

If you like Italian, this little restaurant is a hidden gem. Literally - we almost drove right by! It is so nondescript on the outside - just a brick front with simple black awnings. And even inside, it is very understated - the style is sleek modern contrast - maybe lacking a little in warmth (or artwork)? But this is immediately forgotten when you are greeted and seated in the cozy close-fitting table settings here at Mucci's. There is a comfortable conversational buzz in the place - the tables fill quickly and a waiting line forms. 

The menu is short, but filled with irresistible Italian offerings - some familiar and some intriguing. And the general ambience here is comfortable and easy. Come in, sit down, eat, drink - enjoy!

And enjoy we did! Both Larry and Lance had the lasagne and Isabel and Annie both ordered the Mushroom Agnolotti. The lasagna was straight up incredible! Lovely flavor and the pasta held up perfectly. The Mushroom Agnolotti was creamy and delicious, though not served quite hot enough. For dessert we ordered Mucci's tiramisu - oh my goodness! Good thing we had four spoons - we all loved it! Best I've had since in Italy. 

Service got a mixed review from the Tiny Tuesday diners; our waitress was a bit too brassy, but attentive nonetheless. She was well-versed on the menu and helped guide us to some great selections.

We are intrigued by the Italian doughnuts offered on weekends and plan to come back on a Saturday morning to sample the coffee and doughnuts. 

Tiny Tuesday Rating:
Food: 8.8
Service: 4.1
Ambience: 3

Lutsen Resort - Lakeside Dining Room

Lutsen, MN
https://www.lutsenresort.com/dining/lakeside-dining-room/

Lance and Annie have often enjoyed the classic elegance of this north shore landmark and were excited to introduce Larry and Isabel to this nostalgic dining experience.

The setting is lovely - right on Lake Superior's shore! The quiet dining room is set in an old knotty pine lodge with touches of elegance all around.

It was a classy dining experience from start to finish - the old time ambience and the savory food were nicely complemented by attentive, not intrusive, table service. 

Lance had stuffed pork tenderloin; Annie loved the seafood fettuccine; Isabel purred her way through the pot roast special, and Larry ordered the Swedish meatballs in his grandmother's memory.

After dinner we sat in the adjoining lamplit lounge where Annie and Isabel handily won two games of cribbage over the guys, a fact that likely boosted the ratings in the "Overall Experience" category!

Tiny Tuesday Rating:
Food - 7.3
Service - 8
Ambience - 8.5
Overall Experience - 9.3

Great Waters Brewing Company

426 St. Peter St, St. Paul
http://greatwatersbc.com

This month we tasted the pub fare at Great Waters Brewing Company. Nice standard food, but nothing crazy amazing. The waiter was very patient with our menu indecision and he was well-prepared to answer our questions.

Annie loved the Portobello Mushroom Ravioli and will be back to enjoy it again! Larry had the burger and ranked it ok - but a pale comparison to his beloved Ward 6 burger!

Lance and Larry are big IPA fans, but both were disappointed with the IPA Great Waters had to offer this month.

We'd say Great Waters is a convenient place to grab food before a Wild Game or an event downtown, but it's predictable and nothing really stands out, so it probably won't become a Tiny Tuesday top ten destination.

Tiny Tuesday Rating:
Food - 7
Service - 8.3
Ambience - 7

Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza

512 N. Robert St, St. Paul 55102
http://blacksheeppizza.com

We absolutely love this little coal fired pizza place - Larry and Isabel have been here many times and never disappointed. Depending on the day and time, Black Sheep can be a quiet little corner hideaway or a trendy bustling dinner spot.

The pizza is pretty much perfect - nice crisp crust and fresh toppings done just right every time. We recommend the #9 with the house red wine! The delightfully fresh house salad deserves special mention - it's big enough to share and comes with a fabulous creamy house-made dressing. Love it! Service here is friendly and efficient.

Get here early to score a cozy corner booth with a garden level view of the city sidewalk; or slip in when its crowded and grab a stool at the bar - you'll get the same great service and have an added bonus of a ringside seat to watch the pizza cooks work their craft at the coal fired oven.

Tiny Tuesday Rating:
Food - 8.7  
Service - 7.3
Ambience - 7.3