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REVIEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BEST OF THE TWIN CITIES “…the place on Ninth and Marquette downtown that boasts two rooms: a more restaurantlike "Tavern" and a "Blue Star Jazzroom" that feels like some of the best Chicago jazz clubs. What the rooms have in common is a wonderful array of food for what's called a 2-4-6 happy hour (2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Tavern, 10:00 p.m. to midnight in the Blue Star every day). The menu changes every week, but you can, for example, get a half-pound cheeseburger or a barbecued pork sandwich for $2. (We'd suggest the steamed mussels in white wine sauce.) For four lousy bucks, try a plate of the oysters Rockefeller. If you're feeling a little heavy in the wallet, you can drop all of $6 on a spicy pork chop or a Louis DeMars steak sandwich with fries. And all of these are very generous--not happy-hour chintzy--portions. Of course, you need a little help working up your appetite, so the Blue Star room has two-for-one drink specials from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and the drink prices aren't sky-high. (Five dollars for a mid-shelf cocktail is about the norm.) The overall effect is that you're a high-class, high-stakes roller, even if your whole point is to save as much as possible.” -City Pages --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “...every piece of beef I had was superb and cooked as ordered. The larger cuts were grill-broiled then finished in a custom-made oven that reaches temperatures that otherwise exist only on the sun’s surface. The results—especially the crusty and juicy porterhouse, tenderloin, veal chop, double porterhouse, and top sirloin—were worth the effort. The beef is 100 percent USDA wet-aged prime.”
- Andrew Zimmern, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Rossi's has the look of the quintessential, bygone-era men's club. Located downstairs in the Metro Building, the high-class digs include a huge fireplace and plush booths; polished, dark-wood paneling; tasteful paintings; and heavy linens and flattering lamplight. Excellent and friendly servers lavish patrons with attention. Corporate types abound, but that doesn't dim the romance factor--it's a perfect spot to sip the requisite martini and sink into a steak on a frigid Minnesota winter night.
To start out, a server does a show-and-tell with a platter of meat cuts and colossal lobster. All steaks, including an exceptional porterhouse and bone-in sirloin, are cooked to juicy-pink perfection, and the meaty veal chop is memorable. Seafood and chicken round out the menu, while appetizers range from a crab meat-avocado combo to icy, irresistible lobster cocktail. Mammoth desserts are rich as sin: Sample the intense chocolate-passion tart." -Citysearch 80 South 9th St. • Minneapolis, MN 55402
Rossi's Steakhouse & Tavern (612) 312-2880 • Rossi's Blue Star (612) 312-2828 |
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"Walls tiled with autographed celebrity photos, live jazz, cocktails, steak, seafood and butter have long been the staples of a celebration dinner out on the town.Thanks to Rossi's Steakhouse, Tavern and Blue Star Room in downtown Minneapolis, they're also the new gold standard for downtown happy hours...The Tavern, one of downtown's best-kept secrets, offers a modified version of the main menu from 2 to 6 pm on weekdays and from 4 to 6 pm on weekends, and is well worth a late lunch or cocktail hour visit...If a bar doesn't offer good food, great service, camaraderie among regulars and stellar live music, (Paul) Price said, he won't darken its door.Now a regular, he gives the Blue Star Room high marks for the designer pizzas ($8) but says the live music won him over...Indeed the music - provided by pros - is interesting enough to listen to, but not so complex as to hinder conversation."