Mike,

Are you trying to get your customers killed? Dat not good bidness...

It was pretty new then, wasn't it?  We're going soon (Fogo didn't have any openings at a civilized time) so hopefully they've improved.

All mentioned plus

Cafe Lurcat in Mpls
Black Sheep Pizza in Mpls
Cossetta's in St. Paul

Howdy gents, been a while..

Wow, what's with all the love for Fogo de Chao? I found that place to be utterly obnoxious, and idiotically over-priced. If you're a Big man looking for Big meat, I guess that's one thing - but if you're small eaters, like the wife & I, you essentially end up subsidizing all of the fat hogs that stick around for eight or ten courses. And that salad bar.. well, let's just say that what it claimed in breadth it couldn't quite cover in depth - or, most importantly, freshness and quality.

And all the hustle & bustle, everything felt very rushed - and the NOISE.. oh god, the noise! To top it off, one of the silly-costumed Gauchos managed to slop meat grease all over my wife's shoulders as he attempted to serve others at the table. And while I'm letting loose on it, the whole serving system is a mess - it goes like this: You may have as many meat courses as you wish, and to signal that you're ready for a course, you flip a little sign from red to green.

Problem is, they have like eight different meats on offer. So if you're wanting, say, a lamb chop (I was) you will be interrupted time after time by the servers offering loin, fillet, broil, etc. while you wait for the gent with the lamb to show up. Drove me completely nuts, I couldn't WAIT to get the heck out of there - and I will never return. And to add insult, they automatically tacked 15% onto our tab for tip! What is this place, Dennys?! Do they really look down so far on their clientele that they can't trust them to lay down a tip commensurate with the service they receive? Cripes, I normally lay down 20% - but I suppose they had their reasons, as I would have been temped to dock it back as far as 10% after coping with that grease-slinging Gaucho and the circus-like serving atmosphere for the better part of two hours.

Fogo de Chao, what a joke. Go to someplace nice, and homely, like Emily's Lebanese Deli, on 7th and Uni NE.. or maybe over to St. Paul, for the best corner-diner in the cities at Magnolias on Payne Ave.

I thought Fogo was great the one time I visited, but I went with my dad, brought an appetite and an open mind. No, it wouldn't be my first choice for a romantic dinner.

I'd liken Fogo to one of those 'theme' or 'gimmick' eateries, sort of a dinner-theater type experience, sans stage or professional actors. If you're a Simpson's fan, think "Uncle Moe's" or "The Frying Dutchman".. the latter being particularly appropriate for the 'All you can Eat' deal.

Honestly, the place is very middle-brow, with all the trappings, pricing and taxes of downtown Minneapolis, and the whole 'Gaucho' thing was utterly silly.  Incidentally, I can't hear that word without immediately thinking of Steely Dan - a band apparently named for an absurdly large, metallic sex toy.

Seriously though, I'm honestly glad so many of you had a good time there, as it sort-of makes up for the awful experience we had. But for my money, there are just SO many other places I'd prefer to eat..

Did I mention Ai Hue, in St. Paul? If you can find it, and you love authentic middle-region Vietnamese, consider yourself an $8-per-meal winner! =)

The W?
Glad you enjoyed Manny's.

I don't recall when The strip club opened. I think I was there in 2011. Hope you have better luck than I did.

I've been there several times in the last couple years and have had nothing but top-notch food and great experiences.

Or we could huddle in fear at the Olive Garden instead

Yeah I really liked it.  First, I really appreciate a business in Dayton's Bluff that actually makes people want to travel to that neighborhood.  A lot of St Paul needs to be gentrified (or re-gentrified) and Dayton's Bluff is struggling right now as a few homeowners try to take it back from the shitheads.  So kudos to The Strip Club for building a successful business there.  

The place is loud.  I think it was a coffee shop that I never actually went to back when I attended Metro State and who knows what it was before that...it was obviously not built to handle a large number of people and the acoustics reflect that.  If you're looking for somewhere to have a serious conversation this isn't it, but if you want a fun night out with great food it's hard to beat in Saint Paul.  My New York strip was a perfect medium rare; charred on the outside and cool flesh in the middle.  The staff were friendly and the beer and wine selection was great.  I want to try their brunch next.  I highly recommend this place.  

Some good suggestions here but I didn't see the 112 Eatery.  Also, Birch Steak is quite good (but expensive).  You'll need reservations for both, most likely.

I've eaten at 112 several times and have never been disappointed.

Burch Steak is damn fine!  I agree!