Department store restaurant caters to ladies-who-lunch, shoppers and local office workers.

by Contributor

In Short
Black-lacquer decor, cloth tablecloths and pale pink chandelier light soothe even the crabbiest colleagues, unless the extremely chipper servers cheer them up first. Niceness--the genuine kind--emanates from the River Room inside downtown St. Paul's Dayton's. Caesar salad--moderate garlic--is a house specialty. And heart-healthy entrees--veggie burgers and lightly seasoned and sauced pastas--have a significant presence on the menu. This may be to counterbalance the complimentary giant, buttery popovers that come with the meals.