Bloody Mary Review: The Loop Bar & Restaurant

Place: The Loop Bar & Restaurant

Location: 606 Washington Ave. N. - Minneapolis, MN 55401

Day: Friday, January 11, 2013
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Temperature: 36 degrees
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor

The Loop is an unexpected surprise of a restaurant, with an atmosphere that can range from casual at lunch, to elegant for a dinner with friends.  It's location is a bit off the beaten path from downtown Minneapolis, but worth the journey.   The staff have always been pleasant on each of my visits, and are very attentive to the needs of thier patrons.  This time was no different.

Bloody mary time!

As you can see from the photos, the bloody mary extras were limited.  These being just a mere 2 olives and a lemon wedge.  The beer chaser in the picture was offered instead of assumed.   And the verdict ... AMAZING!  The flavor of this mix was absolutely fantastic.   I asked what they used and the response was that they make thier own mix.  The flavor was on the milder side of spicy, but sooooo totally there. It was heaven in a glass.   The salt ring, while a friend said was just celery salt, was one of the most flavorful I've tasted in a long long time.   Trust me, there are some disgusting celery salts out there, and this wasn't one of them.   One strong suggestion, stir your drink well, as the heaviest of the vodka was till resting at the top of the glass when it arrived.  Still, the mix had such good flavor, and the portions of mix to alcohol so perfect, I'd go here over and over again just for this drink alone.

Parking in this neighborhood can be a task during busy hours.   It's mainly street metered parking, with no off-street lot.  Worth the journey, just the same.

End results:
Location : B
Parking: Street metered
Bar/Restaurant Appearance: A
Staff: A
Bloody Mary Appearance: B ( just kind of average )

Bloody Mary Extras: C

Bloody Mary Itself: A

Price: $5.50  (seriously, just $5.50 ... NICE! )

Beer Quote #3

Bloody Mary Review: Grumpy's Bar & Grill

Place: Grumpy's Bar & Grill

Location: 1111 Washington Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55415

Day: Friday, March 16th
Time: 4:50 p.m.
Temperature: 77 degrees
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor

Grumpy's isn't a place I frequent more than once a year.  Not because it's an unlikeable place, but because I just don't find any reason that draws me over to that part of town.  In truth, the place itself is a nice, almost hometown feeling, bar with an eclectic crowd that lends to a feeling of comfort.  Every here and there you can see attempts to show throwback homage to 1950's diners.

Seating is bar fare, and depending on the time of day you get there, can be limited.  With pool tables, darts and pinball ( 2 of each ) set to entertain the masses, it can make for an enjoyable getaway or an everyday watering hole.

The service at Grumpy's ( at least while my friend and I were there ) was excellent.  The Bloody Mary had great taste with a bit of a kick, and was perfect in consistency. The salt ring was flavorful and blended well with the mix of the drink.  The extras were 'moderate' at best, consisting of just a pickle and an olive.  A beer chaser, however, was offered ( and accepted ) and had a similar flavor to Miller High Life.

If you make the journey, I recommend the chilli.  It was just what the doctor ordered.

End results:
Location : C
Parking: Street metered & good parking in a lot around back
Bar/Restaurant Appearance: B  ( It's a bar, seriously, but clean )
Staff: A
Bloody Mary Appearance: B ( just kind of average )

Bloody Mary Extras: C

Bloody Mary Itself: A

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As an added bonus, my friend ordered a Summit Oatmeal Stout.  

His review "Delicious" "Comparable to Guiness" 

Beer Quote #2

Bloody Mary Review: Sally's Saloon & Eatery

Place: Sally's Saloon & Eatery
Location: 712 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, 55414

Day: Friday, March 16th
Time: 2:49 p.m.
Temperature: 72 degrees
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor

Sally's is my #1 favorite bar near the University of Minnesota campus.   Nothing too fancy, but plenty of space indoors and out.  It's clean and always has a courteous staff.  It's the kind of place where you can walk in and immediately feel relaxed.

 

2:49 p.m. on a Friday afternoon in March the tables are pretty much open, pool tables & otherwise.

Mind you, if you're going to make the journey to Sally's, I heavily recommend the popcorn.  Yes, it's located right outside the bathrooms, but what other time are you ensured at least 50% of the people have washed their hands.  Say what you want, but the people just walking into a bar don't offer any guarantee that their hands are clean either.  At least near the bathrooms theirs a better chance of it.  HA!

Bloody Mary BAZINGA! The service on this day does NOT disappoint.  A very sweet waitress stuck working the daytime shift, yet still she does it with a smile.The Bloody arrives with a beer chaser, light in appearance, but also light in flavor.  Still an unrequested, free chaser.  Bonus points.

The Bloody has just the right amount of flavor to spice ratio to be a very tasty treat.  The extras, while minimal, included a pickle, a banana pepper, an olive and a lime wedge.   Minimal extras are fine enough in my book if the Bloody Mary has good flavor.   The banana pepper had an unexpected amount of kick to it.  Worth noting.  The beer chaser came in handy after chowing on that thing.

End results:
Location : A
Parking: Street metered & some parking in a small lot
Bar/Restaurant Appearance: A
Staff: A
Bloody Mary Appearance: B ( just kind of average )
Bloody Mary Extras: C
Bloody Mary Itself: A
Price: $4.75


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As an added bonus, my friend ordered a Summit Extra Pale Ale.  
His review "Good.  Hoppy, but not too strong."

Bloody Mary Review: The Library Bar

Place: The Library Bar  
Location: 1301 4th St. SE, Mpls, MN 55414

Day: Friday, March 16th
Time: 1:10 p.m.
Temperature: 60 degrees
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor

Located in Dinkytown, the Library has been an annual stop on a bar-hopping/walking tour through Minneapolis for many many many years now.  With a good sized room and bar on the main level, and a decent space upstairs with video games, pool tables, super-clean bathrooms, a grouping of video screens with sports, music videos, ESPN, CNN, blah blah playing and a second bar (Never in use during the hours we've been there). 

 

At 1:00 in the afternoon, the Library's patrons are few. On this day, however, there was a group of college guys hanging out and partying at a table on the upper floor. The pool tables were open though, so my friend and I ventured to our usual spot near the window and chose our cues for a couple of games.  The waitress ventured up the stairs, walked right past us, over to the partying table, flirted, took requests, and then ventured right past us back downstairs.  After about the third or fourth time she did this ( approximately 2 pool games worth ) we determined that we were either invisible, or just plain not going to get served.  We played one more game.  No service.

I'd love for this to have been a blog entry about an extraordinary bloody mary or heck, even a mediocre bloody mary would have been nice, no such luck.   More of a blog entry about poor service and an alumni-sized tip lost by a waitress.  Sad.  

This sign on the sidewalk outside the front door gave me a chuckle.   First off, what does "All You Can Fish Fry" mean?  Me thinketh they forgot a word.  This is a bar near the college campus.  Just saying.  Second, with the kind of service my friend and I got at this place, don't expect your $7.99 to actually get you very much.  HA!

On to the next location... I'm still thirsty!!!

End results:
Location : B
Parking: Street Metered
Bar/Restaurant Appearance: A
Staff: F
Bloody Mary Appearance: Who knows?!
Bloody Mary Extras: Who knows?!
Bloody Mary Itself: Who knows?!
Price: Who knows?!

Bloody Mary Review: Green Mill Restaurant & Bar

Place: Green Mill Restaurant & Bar  
Location: 2626 Hennepin Ave, Mpls, MN 55408

Day: Sunday, June 3rd
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Temperature: 65 degrees
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor

 

In case this photo isn't suggestive enough, yes, this was a Sunday morning, working lunch.

 

I admit, I have not been to this Green Mill in a VERY long time. Not since my sister-in-law decided that it was just fine to scold my brother, informing him that he was a "BASTARD! Just like your father!" right in front of her three, grade-school age children when given the impression that he was saying that 'she' was just like her mother. (The actual situation was that he was telling their young daughter she was "just like her mother" as a compliment.  I can only imagine what the poor sucker my niece ends up marrying as an adult will have to go through if his statement holds true. )

But I digress ...


This place sets a fantastic standard for a clean, well managed establishment.  I was impressed by everything, from appearance, to the clean fresh smell of the place, to the well mannered and attentive staff.


Bloody Mary come hither ...


The 'extras' in this thing flooded the top of the glass.  Salami, cheddar, a green olive, peperoni, mozzarella, more peperoni, pickle, a lime wedge and a good size stock of celery.  Lunch in a glass.  YUM!  To be fair, I will tell you that I ordered the spicy bloody mary, as they have a less spicy option for the heartburn afflicted set.


The flavor was good without being too spicy or too alcohol strong (as a side note, we all–at my table– felt that while the taste of alcohol wasn't strong, the drinks had quite a bit of power to them ).   A good stir helped keep the drink equally as good from start to finish.
 

The only oddness came in the form of a beer chaser.  I wouldn't say that it was the best, but I wouldn't say it was the worst either.  Just not fantastic.  Still, it was brought to the table without request, so as an extra it garnishes an A+.  As for the price of this wonderous drink ... $3.99!  Yes, just $3.99!  Probably and early bird special, since my friends and I arrived 30 minutes before they even opened that morning, but if that's the case, I'm arriving early more often!   We accomplished our business goals and were off to enjoy the Sunday afternoon. 

End results:
Location : B
Parking: A ( A good sized lot & Street parking )
Bar/Restaurant Appearance: A
Staff: A+
Bloody Mary Appearance: A
Bloody Mary Extras: A
Bloody Mary Itself: B-
Price: A ( $3.99 )