Friday 5 - 10.8

Today's Friday 5 holds a very special spot in my heart...or should I say stomach! I based the below list on the following criteria - Food quality, food appearance, atmosphere & value (i.e. price for what you get) - values out of 10.

My 5 (current) favorite restaurants:

1 - The Cheesecake Factory (American/Misc). Yes...TCF is a chain restaurant, but I can honestly say that this is my favorite restaurant! TCF's menu truly caters to all tastes. Whether you are in the mood for pizza, a burger, pasta, fish/seafood, salad, Mexican, etc. there is always something on the menu worth trying! I am a person that likes to try new menu items and I can honestly say that I have never disliked anything at TCF! Not only is the regular food great, but their dessert cannot be beat! The Mrs. & I consider it a disrespect to leave TCF without a piece of cheesecake - even if this means having it later that evening or the next day; it is delicious!

Food Quality: 9

Food Appearance: 8

Atmosphere: 8

Value: 9
 
2 - Broder's Pasta Bar (Italian). The Mrs. and I experienced Broder's Pasta Bar this past Valentine's Day and I fell in love with the place! This small south Minneapolis restaurant was a great find! The restaurant name describes exactly what is on the menu - pasta! What I really enjoyed about this place was the atmosphere - we were seated in a bar-style section where we were able to observe the chef's cook right in front of us. Though the food was a little pricey the quality and flavor was great! This was a great find for a romantic evening!

Food Quality: 9

Food Appearance: 8

Atmosphere: 7

Value: 7 

3 - Big Bowl (Asian). Big Bowl is not your most fancy restaurant by any stretch of the word, but it is a great place to eat nonetheless! By far my favorite aspect of Big Bowl is the customization you have for your meal. At BB you can either have a standard menu item with all the ingredients already chosen for you, etc....like at a normal restaurant, but what makes BB stand out from the rest is the make your own stir fry bar! I love the fact that the make your own stir fry literally lets you choose everything you want in your mean from the meat and vegetables down to the sauce type. It truly is a unique experience!

Food Quality: 8

Food Appearance: 8

Atmosphere: 8

Value: 9

4 - Benihana's (Japanese). Another Asian restaurant dear to my stomach is Benihana's! Similar to other hibachi-style Japanese steakhouses, Benihana's food preparation and atmosphere are truly unique! Not only does the food taste great, but the manner in which it is prepared and served is amazing! Each table has their own personal chef preparing food right in front of them - check out the onion volcano! Bad chicken! Meow! 

Food Quality: 9

Food Appearance: 8

Atmosphere: 10

Value: 7 

5 - Taco Viá (Mexican). Those of you in Minnesota have probably not heard of Taco Viá, but I assure you it is a great place! Taco Viá is a small family-owned restaurant in Kansas City, MO. It is by no means fancy nor does it have high quality food like the restaurants listed above, but for some reason I love going there! The portion size is perfect, the people are great and I just really enjoy going when I am in Kansas City visiting my wife's family! 

Food Quality: 7

Food Appearance: 7

Atmosphere: 5 
Value: 9 


If price and location were not issues, what restaurant would you most like to visit and why?