Restaurant Week is back again from February 21 through 26. For a limited time, you can try out some of the Twin Cities’ finest digs at an affordable price.
Prices will be dependent on each restaurant, but you can expect to pay $10-25 for lunch and $15-35 for dinner.
With more than 10 new restaurants joining Restaurant Week, A&E got the scoop on some of the latest additions.
Citizen Supper Club
Nestled inside of the multi-million-dollar, renovated InterContinental Hotel in St. Paul, Citizen Supper Club is still much more than a hotel restaurant.
The eatery brings back the ’60s supper club theme with classic dishes like chicken and dumplings. Executive chef John Occhiato and chef de cuisine Jennifer Farni play with comfort dishes to fit into the restaurant’s classy-yet-homey aesthetic.
Overall, the menu beyond Restaurant Week’s discount is a bit pricey for college students; however, the food delivers. It makes for a wonderful special occasion restaurant, or, if you have the financials to back it up, throw back a Citizen Burger at least once a week.
Citizen Supper Club’s Restaurant Week offering menu is huge, so here are a few recommendations to help out with the decision-making process:
Citizen Burger: The namesake burger is so simple yet so well done. The patty’s seasoning shines. The Velveeta cheese and red wine butter lend the burger a balanced flavor profile, which will make you want another one. Plus, the fries are excellent — crispy and perfectly seasoned.
Shaved Cauliflower: Don’t overlook the shaved cauliflower appetizer.
I know the name sounds severe, and you’ll probably wonder why anyone would choose something called shaved cauliflower when you can have something like deviled eggs — which are delightful, by the way.
The cauliflower salad is a reinterpretation of Caesar salads, and somehow the addition of cauliflower works.
This dish will have you seriously reconsidering what cauliflower means to you.
Citizen Supper Club
11 E. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul
$15 for lunch, $30 for dinner (Restaurant Week prices)
Scena Tavern
The menu at Scena Tavern is the brainchild of chefs Jamie Malone and Erik Anderson, and it doesn’t disappoint. The restaurant’s Italian-centric menu is vibrant with complex flavors.
Located in Uptown, the restaurant’s space is enticing and romantic. The atmosphere is darker, but individual lights at each table brighten up the whole place. It’s a great date-night pick.
Scena Tavern’s Restaurant Week menu is concise and to the point. It features fun dishes that are sure to please a big crowd.
Pappardelle with veal tongue Bolognese: Bolognese is a meat-based sauce with hours of work put into it, and the veal tongue elevates the dish. The pappardelle noodles are made in-house and cooked to al dente — the perfect “firm to the bite.” The Bolognese sauce is hearty, but not heavy, and has a perfect balance of acidity.
Alongside the pasta dish comes house-made bread, and it’s a great accompaniment to the dish. Whether you decide to devour it with loads of butter or dip it into the pasta sauce, the breads are phenomenal.
Scena Tavern
2943 S. Girard Ave.,
Minneapolis
$25 for dinner (Restaurant Week price)
Vieux Carré
Housed in the Hamm Building alongside other St. Paul favorites like Meritage, Vieux Carré brings a splash of Creole-inspired cuisine to the Twin Cities.
If you’re looking for a place to wind down at night with some live tunes, Vieux Carré has the perfect atmosphere for that. The restaurant is dim with soft lights, which makes for a cozy atmosphere. The stage at the far end of the restaurant is used every night with lively music. Plus, the bar offers some amazing cocktails and an impeccable selection of wines and beers.
Although the Restaurant Week menu was not available for preview, A&E got to try the Jazz Fest Gumbo.
In line with all Creole-inspired cooking, there was spice, heat and a whole lot of love that went into the gumbo. This dish is no joke — it’s cooked for 14 hours. And unlike the traditional Creole dish, Vieux Carré’s take on gumbo is to serve it with basmati rice. The flavors are all there, and the bowl will leave you feeling full.
Vieux Carré
408 St. Peter St., St. Paul
$25 for dinner (Restaurant Week price)
