“I want to go to a place that serves bland food out of sealed plastic bags!” says your beloved spouse.
“Well, I want to go to a place where the waitstaff is discourteous, and the ambiance leaves much to be desired!” says your beloved child.
“Forget about that!” says your beloved parent. “Where we ought to go is somewhere without a full bar, or a happy hour.”
The rabble instantly falls silent under the resonant voice of reason. “No,” you say. “We’ll go to none of those places. This family shall dine in a warm and personable modern grillhouse on the shore of Lake Idlewild … where the scratch kitchen serves delightful things, and the bar is full to a point where it is nearly bursting at the seams with upscale cocktails. This family shall dine at Redstone American Grill, which I recently read about in Eden Prairie Lifestyle.”
Your family realizes you are right, as they always do. They barely have time to compliment your invariably good choices in restaurants before arriving at your best choice to date: a cozy hideaway one would be surprised to discover only half a mile from the bustle of Eden Prairie Center.
Cheery hosts greet you on your arrival. They hold the door open for your beloved parent as you all channel in to the calm. You note the large, inviting fireplace, and, just farther down, rotisserie chickens precision dancing over apple and cherrywood coals. “These are heartening sights,” you say to your host, whose expression divulges total agreement. “But it is summer, and we should prefer to enjoy this gorgeous evening outdoors. Your high-ceilinged dining room’s many large windows reveal an intimate patio, replete with its own bar. May we please have one of its 42 tables? A fireside one, if it is available?”
Thus seated, you decide it is time for a restorative. “I noticed an enormous glass jar filled with sliced pineapple and clear liquid on the bar,” you say to your server, whose graciousness is no less superlative than your host’s. “That liquid wouldn’t per chance be top-shelf vodka, would it?”
“It is,” says your server. “Might I interest you in a cool, refreshing Redstone Doli?”
“I think you just have,” you answer. “And my beloved spouse will join me. But I believe my beloved parent would much prefer a Woodford Reserve Manhattan, made with Angostura and black walnut bitters, muddled with orange and served over a single large ice cube with brandy cherries.”
“Ah!” your server lights up. “Here we just call that a ‘Redstone Manhattan.’ I’ll bring one right out. And for your beloved child?”
They politely order milk without further prompting. You raised them well.
Suddenly, you sense a managerial presence. It is Lisa Oler, general manager of Eden Prairie’s own Redstone American Grill, who has come to your table to delicately investigate for any ways she might make your evening more remarkable.
“Good evening everyone!” says Lisa. Having made proper introductions and pleasantries, she asks if she can possibly be of assistance to you.
“Indeed you can,” you remark upon taking a sip of your newly manifested Redstone Doli. “Your menu. It’s wonderful! We regret that we haven’t yet come for lunch or Saturday brunch, or for short rib sliders and cheesesteak wontons during happy hour. But this being dinner, what would you most recommend? The lobster bisque? The filet mignon Cobb salad? The Cajun ribeye? The chicken pesto Bellagio? The classic Redstone burger? Pray, tell us your favorites – and please, do take your time.”
“Oh my goodness!” says Lisa. “That’s so hard to say. Chef Carlos Urzua, who has been with Redstone American Grill for over 20 years, has perfected a truly special menu. I’m never unamazed by the cool, collected, almost fatherly demeanor he always maintains while he runs our large and busy kitchen. Chef Carlos’ staid resolve to serve Eden Prairie’s greatest cuisine only becomes more impressive when you consider the attention to detail a scratch kitchen like ours requires. With the exception of our bread and our ice cream, everything is made in-house. Uncoincidentally, that seems to be the only way our food can live up to Chef Carlos’ preternaturally high standards for freshness and flavor.”
“Marvelous!” you exclaim. “But suppose you were pressed to pick four favorite entrées. What would you say?”
Lisa proceeds to recite poetry. She sings of sea bass, pan-seared in a brandy garlic crust, served under Asian vinaigrette and toasted sesame seeds and with sides of basmati rice and fresh vegetables; baby back ribs, slow-roasted overnight and finished on the grill until the meat can just barely stay on its bones; the very same rotisserie chicken you admired earlier, served classic or barbecue style alongside buttery garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus; and finally, that most Minnesotan of all delicacies.
“It’s a generous eight-ounce portion of walleye, lightly crusted in parmesan bread crumbs – crispy, and never oily – served with mashed potatoes and asparagus,” Lisa explains. “We welcome a lot of guests from foreign countries to Redstone American Grill, so serving awe-inspiring walleye is a special point of pride to us. We recently served some lovely folks from Japan who said it was the best cooked fish they’d ever eaten. High praise!”
“We’ll have all four,” you say. “And for dessert, you wouldn’t happen to serve a banana cream pie unlike any I’ve ever tasted before, would you?”
“We do,” Lisa answers as if she’d anticipated that very question, “and it’s brilliant: homemade banana custard in a toasted almond and walnut crust, buried under freshly sliced bananas, whipped cream, and caramel.”
The entire meal is divine. Your only regret is that you can’t enjoy it again that very evening. But you’re full now, and your favorite TV show comes on in 15 minutes. You only have time to pass along one final compliment to Lisa before leaving.
“I’m so glad you loved the service!” Lisa beams. “You know, I’ve worked at Redstone American Grill since becoming a server here in 2009, and I’ve always appreciated the lengths the restaurant goes through to create a fantastic guest experience. It begins with hiring staff who genuinely enjoy catering to others. It extends to fulfilling any and all special wishes our guests might have. If there is a way we can make your day brighter, come on in and let us know!”
Redstone American Grill’s Eden Prairie location is 8000 Town Center Place. Visit RedstoneGrill.com to learn more and make a reservation for this evening, which will go more or less as described.