Here’s another article from a Minneapolis 'zine (formerly print and online, now only available online). http://www.rakemag.com/blogs/breaking-bread/2008/03/faking-it

I am the chef of a mid-level upscale restaurant in Minneapolis. Our sales in October were 30% below the previous October, it has rebounded a bit since then but not by much. Almost everyone else seems to be in the same boat. Most...

. Why should I expect it to be different from someone in this line of work? Full disclosure: my wife works part time as a server in a restaurant in NE Minneapolis that typically has customers that arrive at close and stay...

argue that that success is based in a quality product. Conversely unsuccessful restaurants do not fail because they serve bad food (see Auriga, Jp’s and a ton of other Minneapolis/St Paul restaurants that have gone under in...

, and often the best price on milk). Only then do I brave Stater Bros., where I buy my meat. In Chicago it’s probably not worth it to shop TJ’s. In Minneapolis or Des Moines or Phoenix, it might be.

The Greenway doesn’t go to NE, but there are a number of on-street bike lanes that run into/through downtown Minneapolis that link to the Greenway. You can do a whole lot of chowhounding by bike and groceries at MGM...

that don’t like like they are old or half sugar, cucumber salad, packaged salads with inoffensive dressings. I can’t remember the name, unfortunately. The Minneapolis-StPaul airport also has some good options....

Of the two hottest I’ve had (and I do love hot food), the first was the Sri Lankan Curry House in Minneapolis. The meal started with assorted roti and other breads. The chutneys were basically coconut with green chiles,...

that kind of irks me. I can’t put my finger on it! The wine bar seemed really hopping, so I’d like to go back and try that one night. - Great Wall @ 44th and France. We have been desperately trying to find good Chinese...

. Crepes filled with strawberries, kiwi, mango and whip cream. It was a fantastic summer meal! The corn is good eatin' up here in Minneapolis.

Back to the original question: I live alternatively in Minneapolis and Atlanta, so don’t know what’s available SF-wise, but here are some chains/franchises that seem to be consistently adequate or even good: Cuervo...

about it in Minneapolis and maybe St. Louis. Edit – I see you are in MSP - http://www.chowhound.com/topics/433677 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/395303

Okay, I’ve had my own shopping trip (The Wedge in Minneapolis for you Twin Citieans who might be curious)... Some success. I found ~brown pearl rice (according to Tapas, pearl rice is the only kind of rice used in Spanish...

, having done the research even before Jane and Michael Stern, Chowhound or others emerged in the market. One of my primary interests over this time has been grocery stores. From Byerly’s in Minneapolis to Larry’s...

I have the same reaction to Olive Garden, though I can’t actually remember if I’ve ever been there (comes from hearing about food poisoning there when I was growing up). I went to a wedding in Minneapolis years ago &...