St Paul Grill - St Paul, MN

We were wandering looking for the St Paul Grill, knowing only the address. We finally found it, discovering the St Paul Grill was located inside the St Paul Hotel. We also quickly realized we were under dressed for the occasion as the beautiful people in dresses and suits stepped out of their cars and the doorman and valets were ready to assist. Our T-shirt and jeans didn't quite cut it but we overwhelmed them by sheer numbers.

The menus were waiting for us, listing only the food choices and not the prices. This was a 5 course meal including starters, salad, entrees, sides, and dessert.

Our table shared the following starters and sides:

• Hot Pepper Shrimp: Cajun dusted shrimp in a sweet, tangy hot sauce.
• Cajun Bites: sauteed beef tenderloin bites tossed with Cajun seasoning with horseradish sauce
• Grill Au Gratin Potatoes: tangy cheese sauce with a hint of ale, fresh chives, and potatoes
  
• Asparagus Spears
• Baked Mac and Cheese: elbow macaroni, Tillamook cheddar, and bacon
  
• East Coast Fried Potatoes: baby red potatoes with lemon, parsley, garlic, and citrus tarragon aioli. This was my favorite of the bunch with the parsley reminding me somewhat of tabouli.
  

My personal choice for salad was a Caesar salad with anchovies. This was just an average rendition of the salad, invoking no sense of anticipation of the entree to come.

My choice of entree was the 24 ounce Bone-In Ribeye. When asked what the best steak in the Twin Cities is, I've never heard anyone mention St Paul Grill. Is that an oversight? I would have to say no. The steak was one of the better thick steaks I've had with a nice grilled flavor, probably ranking in the top 25 steaks I've had. However I had asked for medium and it came medium well to almost well. Everyone who ordered steak at our table ended up with steaks cooked to doneness more than they preferred. That doesn't speak of the skill of the cook or the establishment.

I didn't stick around for dessert. By this time, I was stuffed.

St Paul Grill is a classy upscale establishment that oozes money. It also has a very large bar with liquor bottles lined against a mirrored wall giving the establishment a studied and stunning view. Unfortunately, the food doesn't match the decor or the image they try to portray.

St Paul Grill
350 Market St.
St Paul, MN