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The luxurious Hotel Ivy is home to an equally pampering restaurant.

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Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner daily

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Dining room at Porter & Frye, Minneapolis, MN

Porter & Frye Restaurant Review

: The Ivy Tower, a 1930 Art Deco curiosity, sat empty and forlorn for years until it was brought back to life as part of a luxury hotel-condominium project. The planners wisely left the base of the dainty six-story tower to Porter & Frye, and the restaurant makes the most of its host, using the street level as a bar and café and the level below it---accessed by a glamorous glass staircase---for a see-and-be-seen dining room. Chef Steven Brown, one of the city's top culinary practitioners, spins been-there, done-that ingredients into exciting must-haves: ahi gets charred and dressed with hot Asian peppers and cool preserved lemon; celery is the star ingredient in a Green Goddess-tinted bisque topped with smoky pork belly and crisply puffed wild rice; surf ‘n’ turf becomes grilled lobster paired with a sizzling New York strip. Breakfast is a bit of an overpriced disappointment, but lunch draws a prosperous-looking crowd that heartily enjoys the cleverly repackaged Reuben and lobster roll sandwiches, the Caesars built with charred romaine, and the grilled pizzas topped with first-rate ingredients. Service is observant and accommodating, and the wine list pours more than 40 well-chosen options by the glass, short pour and bottle.

User Ratings & Reviews for Porter & Frye
Average rating    2
Reviews 1 - 1 of 11
Not good...
by nnmsgst on Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:14 pm
 
We eat out frequently (3-4 times per month) and like to try new restaurants. I can honestly say, without a doubt, that this was the single worst dining experience I have ever had in Minneapolis.

- I was given the wrong beer before dinner… when I questioned it the waiter assured me that he “pushed the button” himself and that it was what I ordered… it wasn’t.

- Over the course of the night our group (5) ordered 3 “dirty” martinis. None had the appearance or taste of having olive brine in them. When we questioned the waiter he assured us that they were what we ordered…. They weren’t

- A server came to the table with an appetizer and my soup and proclaimed “Ok, help me out with where these go, I’M IN A REALLY BIG HURRY.”

- My soup was barely lukewarm.

- I had the “double” order of mussels as an entrée – the double order contained 17 mussels.

- My wife ordered the pork tenderloin and was brought beef tenderloin instead.

- One in our party was drinking a glass of chardonnay at the bar prior to dinner – it was around $10. When we were seated she asked for another glass… but was unsure the name. The waiter took a guess at what it was, and another glass was served. We were surprised to find out that he switched her to a wine that was $25 per glass… and then sold her 3 glasses of it. When quizzed, he informed us that it cost $75 per bottle. Great service.

- Upon realizing that we were not fully pleased with our experience, the waiter basically threw our check at us, and didn’t even offer as much as a “Thank you for dining.”

All of the above for the low, low price of $400.
 
Reviews 1 - 1 of 11



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