Nicollet Island Inn

11/13/09

Romantic Environment & Incredible Food

by twincitiesman at Citysearch

Went with my fiance for a nice evening on the town. I have lived in the Twin Cities my entire life and always wanted to try the Nicollet Island Inn Restaurant. I have heard wonderful/positive comments from family and friends. Its reputation was true and upheld. It has a very nice quiet/romantic atmosphere. The music playing fit the environment perfectly - Ella Fitzgerald along with some other nice light jazz. The food was excellent. My steak was cooked to perfection and my fiance's chicken melted in her mouth. To top the nice evening off, the manager came by introducing himself, and made sure our experience was pleasant. And it was! Growing up in Minneapolis/St. Paul I have been around and this establishment is tops. I highly recommend this to anyone. My only regrets is that it has taken over 30 years for me to eat at the Nicollt Island Inn Restaurant.

• Pros: Impressive staff and manager

05/05/08

Great for Escaping the Buffet Brunches in Town

by dnaily at Citysearch

My wife and I are Sunday Brunch diners. Like most brunchers in the cities, we have had countless buffet-style from "fine dining" restaurants down to the chains. This past weekend, we wanted a brunch that was neither a buffet or a typical breakfast menu. Our search revealed the Nicollet Island Inn and its five course brunch, and I am pleased to say that we've found a new brunch to add to the rotation.

I made reservation for 12:30, arrived on-time, but not early, and found a smooth transition from the host to the table. ("Smooth" as in - I told the host my name and within seconds I was following someone to my table.) If you haven't been to Nicollet Island, the scenery is tops among dining locales in the Twin Cities, and seperates itself from other scenic restaurants like the St. Paul Grille in that you have a view of the water and St. Anthony Main outside your window. A waiter came to us right after we were situated, asked if we had the Sunday Brunch Menu, when we said we didn't, he gave us a brief overview of the menu and the process, we chose courses, and he was off to get my wife a mimosa and me my coffee and OJ. The first course (pastries) arrived, they were fresh with a decent variety, I chose the Creme Brulet French Toast for my second course, the syrup had a full flavor and tasted more like the fruit (raspberry) than any other fruit-based syrup I've had in recent memory. I chose a flan for the third course, which seemed to prime me for the fourth. For the fourth course, I went with the salmon. The salmon flaked properly, was cooked to the right temperature, and the accompaniments added excellent flavor. For desert (fifth), I had the cheesecake, which capped off an nice dining experience.

The courses were well timed. Nothing came too fast and we didn't have to wait for the next course. The portions are well done so that you don't get full on the journey from beginning to end. This visit makes me want to test the rest of the options. We'll be back.

• Pros: Five course menu, unique brunch menu, enough options to come back

05/05/08

Wonderful Brunch experience!!

by Missm15 at Citysearch

I threw my girlfriends Bridal Shower here and I was very high maintenance with 18 women! They couldn't have been nicer. The food was wonderful and our server was amazing!