Andy, Brian, Amber, Ang, Jeremy, Lesley, Ian and I stopped down at Señor Wong in Saint Paul. They opened earlier this month in Kellogg Square. The owner apparently is the son of the man behind the Red Dragon in Minneapolis. Co-owner Lam Truong’s brother owns N’Gon on University, and his father was the original guy behind Caravelle. The bar manager’s father owns Red Dragon in Minneapolis. (Thanks to Dave Parker for the correction.)
Speaking of Red Dragon, the menu is a bit similar but the “Señor” bit adds some tacos to the menu. Apparently the famous Wondrous Punch is secretly there as well under another name. But don’t think this is anything like Red Dragon. It’s much more laid back, a lot more roomy and they have a decent pool table and darts in addition to their restaurant, bar and lounge areas.
Our wonderful waitress Jill handled our larger group well and served us some sake that they just got in and wasn’t on the menu yet. Brian, Ian, Lesley and Andy went off to shoot some pool on the other side of the bar and she kept all of us straight.
I didn’t eat much - only having their sweet potato fries - but they were some of the best I’ve had. I have a problem with sweet potato fries being just too sweet but the ones here hit the mark. Our party ordered a bunch of other food and everyone enjoyed what they got. Andy had been before and had a full dinner and spoke highly of the food.
They had a good selection of beer and mixed drinks but their taps weren’t operational yet. Not a problem for me considering all the sake I drank.
With the amount of space they have, the great happy hour specials and friendly staff, I’ll be back soon. I think their biggest problem right now is that I’m not sure anyone knows they exist. Works for me though as this place is great if you want a laid back atmosphere. If you’re in Saint Paul, check them out.
Señor Wong Restaurant and Lounge
111 Kellogg Blvd E (Enter on Robert Street or 4th Street)
Saint Paul, MN 55102
651-224-2019
Comments 3
I will check it out.
Posted 13 Feb 2008 at 23:42 ¶But don’t think this is anything like Red Dragon. It’s much more laid back…
How do you get more laid back than 22-year-olds puking up chunky red stuff all over the corner booths? Or, you know, the layer of utter filth on everything in the Red Dragon.
Senor Wong had a heck of a groundswell ad campaign; I remember seeing bathroom stall ads late last fall.
Posted 14 Feb 2008 at 01:03 ¶I missed seeing anything about it… except for this strange MySpace page with 300+ friends… a bit weird. Especially as it says “Minneapolis,” no “Saint Paul.” And for how many friends they have on MySpace it seemed like the only people that were there were a few after-work diners, my group and some friends of the chef.
And yeah, it’s quite a bit cleaner than Red Dragon.
Posted 14 Feb 2008 at 07:14 ¶Post a Comment