Chef J.D. Fratzke, previously of Muffuletta and Tim Niver and Aaron Johnson of the Town Talk Diner just opened their new restaurant The Strip Club. It’s situated in just east of downtown Saint Paul and probably a little too convenient for my commute home from work.
A group of over ten of us popped in on their opening to check it out. It’s generally unfair to judge a place by their first night open to the public but our food, drink and service were all fantastic.
I had three small plates: the walleye fritters, escargot and their fries, all of which were very tasty. Ang, who coincidentally lives in one of the condos above the Strip Club ordered the New York Strip and said it was probably one of the best steaks she’s ever had. (No doubt that having this place downstairs from her will be too convenient, for better or for worse.)
Everyone seemed to love the mixed drinks, all of which seemed to be modeled after prohibition-era cocktails. As Max from the Bottle Gang noted, “At least three of their cocktails use a brandy base. That’s really rare these days; usually they are made with bourbon nowadays. The original recipes were brandy recipes and they’re really good with brandy.” I agree wholeheartedly.
We were seated on the second floor which is accessible only by a small, tight spiral staircase. My first thought is that it’s likely difficult to be carrying food and drinks up it. It’s a very nice feature but probably would be my worst enemy if I worked there. Our service was fast, very friendly and made me forget about the staircase they were repeatedly scaling.
The view of downtown Saint Paul from the Strip Club is great, the interior is well lit and the place feels classic. There’s also a secret door on the second floor that leads to the Strip Club’s office. Cool.
I’m going to be back here a lot.
The Strip Club
378 Maria Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55106
651-793-6247
Also check out my photos from the evening, Brian Moen’s write-up on his visit during the friends and family opening, Courtney’s photos, Ed’s post on The Deets and Cristina’s post in The Rake.
Comments 13
Brandy! You’re a lady!
Posted 16 Jan 2008 at 18:05 ¶Sounds delicious. One more place for me to check out when I move to Saint Paul!
Posted 16 Jan 2008 at 18:32 ¶Nice, didn’t know of this and only 2.2 miles from my house.
Posted 17 Jan 2008 at 10:08 ¶Do they have a website?
Posted 18 Jan 2008 at 09:42 ¶Red Pepper- It’s on their business cards, but it’s never worked… until I checked this morning: domeats.com.
Posted 18 Jan 2008 at 09:49 ¶Oh, I’m all over it! Kudos to them for being on top of things right off the bat! I was going to wait a little while, but I’m on my way!
Posted 21 Jan 2008 at 14:19 ¶While I and many of my friends had great service, I should point out that one of my friends went last weekend and thought the service was really slow. He figured it was because they were new; it wasn’t like the speedy service I remember at all. He said the food was great though.
Still ironing out a couple kinks I guess, which is normal.
Posted 21 Jan 2008 at 14:35 ¶Oh, I am all over this!! I was going to give them some time, but kudos to them for having everything straight right off the bat. Thanks for the heads up~ Consider me on my way!
Posted 21 Jan 2008 at 15:00 ¶Okay..good to know. Sorry about the dup post, too. Not sure what happened there…
Posted 21 Jan 2008 at 15:02 ¶Too bad this place doesn’t offer any vegetarian items like most restaurants because it’s right by my house…oh well.
Posted 17 May 2008 at 18:13 ¶Almost one year from the date that it opened we finally made our first trip and we really did wait to long.
A bit cramped but that actually kind of adds to the attitude of the place. We sat at the bar and our bartender was great. The steak I had ranked as one of the most delicious pieces of meat I have had to memory.
Scott (nothing like leaving comments on blogs one year later)
Posted 05 Feb 2009 at 13:09 ¶I noticed in the string of comments that their website is frequently down, I tried today in an attempt to check out the menu for a first-time visit but it did not work then as well. I called and let them know but they seemed distant and disinterested as if they’d heard it before and there was nothing they could do about it.
Posted 29 May 2009 at 11:37 ¶I noticed in the string of comments that their website is frequently down, I tried today in an attempt to check out the menu for a first-time visit but it did not work then as well. I called and let them know but they seemed distant and disinterested as if they’d heard it before and there was nothing they could do about it.
Posted 29 May 2009 at 11:37 ¶Trackbacks & Pingbacks 1
[...] upcoming dinner at Cedar Summit Dairy Farm in New Prague, MN. “Your tastebuds will tingle as JD Fratzke, one of the area’s most talented chefs, creates an unforgettable five-course dinner, using [...]
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