Anton's Restaurant Reviews

These are comments on restaurants I particularly like or dislike. Current listings include:

Hudson, Wisconsin

OK, there aren't very many restaurants in Hudson. But I live nearby, so it ought to be represented. Besides, at least two of these are worth a drive from the Cities.

Chadwick's. This startup restaurant has some excellent food. The chef is creative and is always finding interesting ingredients to work with. It's a little pricy for Hudson, though not bad for food of this quality. Their menu changes daily. (They're in the building formerly occupied by Mama Maria's, below.)

Dragon Pearl. Their lunch buffet may be entirely Americanized, but order from their full menu if you have the time and you'll probably enjoy it. (Consider the Hunan lamb, if you eat meat.) The food is good, it's inexpensive, and the owners and servers are friendly. They opened within a few months of when my friends and I opened our own business in Hudson, so we've been visiting them for a long time.

Hickory's. While this restaurant is take-out only, their barbecued ribs and chicken are so good that I had to include them anyway. You have a choice of several barbecue sauces available, including a Cajun variety. They also offer several side dishes; the baked beans are good, but so are all of the others I've tried. My wife feels that their burgers are the best in Hudson, as well. Consider calling ahead for fastest service, but we've rarely had to wait over 15 minutes. If you're looking for catering in the area, Hickory's does a good job there as well; we had them in several times at Adaptec, and they did a great job (as well as providing us with extra lemon bars!).

Mama Maria's. This Italian restaurant serves wonderful food at a reasonable price. Each night they have specials based on the fresh ingredients they've found that day, and it's worth visiting just for those, but the regular menu is also excellent. I particularly enjoy their canneloni (and enjoy all of the dishes which include a half-canneloni as well). They don't take reservations for groups of fewer than six, but you can call ahead to get on the waiting list. Closed on Mondays.

Twin Cities (Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota)

Boca Chica. This is currently my favorite authentic Mexican restaurant in the area, though to be honest I haven't tried very many. The mole is good, the sopa is decent, and I need to go here again to refresh my memory of all the dishes I like. Basically everything I've tried, though.

Don Pablo's. This restaurant chain, new to the Twin Cities, is awful. (At least, it has been on my visits.) The enchiladas could be described in two words: bland and boring. Shredded beef was nowhere to be found. All dinners seemed to be served with mashed potatoes, of all things. The so-called sopapillas were flat squares of pastry in a sweet butter sauce. Yuk. Save yourself the trip. (If you're forced to go, try the fajitas, which my wife thought were fine.)

Esteban's. This southwestern restaurant serves a great shredded beef burrito (my wife says it reminds her of Tucson) and good chicken fajitas. Their other selections are pretty good too; it's worth visiting if you're in the Stillwater area and like Mexican or southwestern food.

Harvest Restaurant and Inn. This is one of the most expensive restaurants in Stillwater, but it's a very good one. They grow some of their own ingredients, and operate a small bed and breakfast. There's a small selection of excellent entrees, which change frequently. The dining area is very small, and reservations are required, so be sure to call ahead. Non-smoking!

La Belle Vie. Probably the most expensive restaurant I've eaten at in Stillwater, but also the most exotic. If you're out for a special occasion and are willing to try some really different food (like rabbit with sweetbread), this is a great place to go. Good food, good service, and a nice atmosphere. Non-smoking!

Savories. Savories is a trifle expensive; there's no getting around that. Still, the food they offer is delicious, and the selections from the lunch menu are satisfying while not overpriced. They describe themselves as a European bistro, and offer a variety of dishes based around fresh breads, fruits and vegetables. Ask about their specials, and make sure to save room for their pastries, which are consistently delicious. This is my favorite restaurant in Stillwater, probably because of the incredibly friendly staff and the incredibly delicious pastries. Non-smoking!

I'll add more to this list as I find time (and good restaurants!).

Milpitas, California

The headquarters of Adaptec are here, so I've been out a number of times.

La Milpa. Located in a shopping center one block north of the intersection of Milpitas Boulevard and Calaveras, this restaurant serves great family-style Mexican food at a low price. The tamales are tasty, the chicken enchiladas are made with breast meat, and it's generally a good place to go. They also serve quickly, at least late at night, though it might be slower during a busy lunch hour. (The menu says that "La Milpa" means "The Cornfield," incidentally.)

Restaurants that have closed

If a restaurant I'd listed above has closed, I'll move its entry down here. (Think of it as a historical archive of dubious value.)

Maggiore's. This was Woodbury's best Italian restaurant, and probably the best one on the east side of the Cities. They had a constantly changing menu, but everything was good. They always started by serving a couple of antipasti before your main course. The location was not where you'd expect to find a great restaurant (the somewhat old-fashioned Valley Creek Mall), but the ambience was good and the food was great.

Trappers. This restaurant, with an early-Wisconsin theme, served very good, honest food. My favorite breakfast choices included blueberry pancakes and their giant pecan caramel roll; of course, real maple syrup complemented everything. When they started, they were only open for breakfast and lunch, they later added a small (but good) dinner selection as well. It was by far the best restaurant in River Falls; the main drawback was their small dining room, which was very crowded on some days.

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