Starting with St. Paul restaurants…
First recommendation is Ward 6 on Payne Avenue. Reservations not accepted, however, so you will want to arrive on the early side. Fantastic gastropub fare and excellent cocktails.
Further north along Payne is Tongue in Cheek. Again, very good with the cocktails, and the food is creative and comforting.
Rounding out the east side of St. Paul is The Strip Club. Cocktails, check (order the Boxwood). Excellent job with meats. After all, the URL is domeats.com.
Moving to downtown St. Paul…
Heartland should be experienced – when Lenny Russo is in the kitchen. Heartland was a pioneer of farm to table here in Minnesota. They have just opened up a wine bar, but you can order off the dining room menu there. They’ve added excellent and creative burgers to attract the crowd from the new stadium (Northwoods League) across the street. Very good wine list.
Also downtown, I recommend Meritage. It’s a brasserie-themed place. Good wine and spirits. Excellent food. They have an oyster bar as well. Both heartland and Meritage will be on the high end, but downtown St. Paul doesn’t have much in the way of great restaurants. If you are looking for a breakfast or lunch spot, be sure to go to The Buttered Tin.
Heading west of downtown on University Avenue…
Ngon Vietnamese Bistro should not be missed. The menu is split between traditional Vietnamese and modern/fusion. Good wine list. Excellent local beer list.
On’s Thai Kitchen has, IMO, the best Thai food in town. Beer and wine selections are okay.
In the Grand Avenue and Selby Avenue area of St. Paul…
Brasa is excellent for QPR casual dining, although the beverage options kinda suck.
Nextdoor to Brasa is Punch Pizza, mentioned above.
Happy Gnome is a very good gastropub, where it’s all about the beer (70 on tap), but they also have okay cocktails and okay wine selections.
If your numbers are small enough, in the something special category, my favorite place in St. Paul is Joan’s in the Park. Beer and wine only, and the glass options are just fine. Food is outstanding.
Most every other place mentioned upthread is Minneapolis, and I’ll chime in starting with North Loop…
Cocktails: Marvel Bar and Parlour. You can sit outside at Parlour. Marvel Bar is indoor seating only and quite dark. But hard to find better cocktails. If you go to Parlour DO NOT SKIP THE BURGER.
Wine Bar: Toast Wine Bar. The owner is very accommodating. Wine selection is good and the food is good enough.
Restaurants: 112 Eater as a gastropub experience, Bar la Grassa for pasta, Black Sheep for pizza… Higher end is Spoon and Stable (the latest “hot spot”) and The Bachelor Farmer (nouveau Scandinavian and Continental European with an excellent food-friendly wine list).
Northeast…
Restaurant Alma has been a standout for a very long time, and deservedly so. It will be on the high end price-wise, but worth it.
The Sample Room for cocktails and small plates.
Vic’s for the best QPR wine list and a great view of downtown Minneapolis.
Uptown and surrounding area…
Icehouse really wowed me recently. Great cocktails, killer ploughman’s platter, gastropub themed. Ask for Chris Greenfield, if he is working, and tell him you know me. It’s under the radar right now, but I can’t imagine it staying there.
Further south…
Rincon 38 for Spanish tapas and a good Mediterranean wine selection.
Terzo for an all-Italian wine bar with very good snacks/small plates.
Tilia is one of the best food QPR places going, and a favorite of our local wine group. Nothing bad on the menu. Decent wine selection, better tap beer selection. If the wait is too long, go next door to Harriet Brasserie. You won’t be disappointed.
Let me know if you are 1) looking for something specific or 2) looking for company.