My aunt Pammy, or "Queen Lulu" as she prefers to be called, was in town this weekend from Colorado so the family decided to go out to lunch. The choice was left up to me so I selected Stellas in Uptown, mainly for its rooftop which has the best view of the Minneapolis skyline in town. There was a group of 7 of us who arrived around 12:30 on the hottest day of the year so far. The temperature was about 95 degrees and it was humid. But, since we don't get much time in the hot sun in Minnesota we elected to get underneath the umbrellas and gut it out. I was very excited when I first walked in as there was a sign that read it was Happy Hour from 11am til 6pm on Saturdays, which meant 2 for 1 beers and $1 oysters. However, once I got to the roof I was informed that the special was only available in the air conditioned bar area on the first floor. I must say the sign was not so specific and some would argue this could be considered false advertising.Anyways, I ordered the Buffalo Wings, which were OK, and I ordered a Bloody Mary. I love Bloody Marys, it's one of the things I look most forward to on Saturday afternoons. When it comes to establishments that serve Bloody Marys there are 2 things I hate, (1) boring mixes, and (2) overpricing. It appeared Stella's at least has its own mixture, but I had to put a considerable amount of Tabasco into the drink just to get the slightest hint of heat. This bloody was served with a lime, pickle, one olive and the snit was a 6 oz. bottle of Miller High Life. It was good, but certainly not great. I enjoyed the bloody and didn't think much of it until I got the bill, $8.00 for a Bloody Mary. $8.00??????? Hello????
Then I considered the tax (which is more than 10% in Minneapolis) plus tip and I estimated I paid approximately $10.00 for that drink. This absolutely ruined my whole experience. I do not mind paying a little extra for a Bloody Mary that has some extra fixins or extra love, but this bloody was less than special.
After we were done on the roof, we walked downstairs and I wanted to take advantage of the Happy Hour that I was cheated out of on the roof. By this time it was almost 2pm and the oyster bar had not even opened yet. Just an empty stainless steel bar waiting to be filled with crushed ice and several fresh oysters. Myspace and I sat by the bar with the rest of our entourage waiting for someone to serve us. A young waitress finally ordered us the oysters and we were able to get a beer for our time.
After about 20 minutes waiting we were forced to ask ourselves, what the hell takes so long for oysters? The waitress had made a mistake and she made up for it by giving Myspace a free beer. We finally got the oysters and I must say they were not as good as I have had here previously. But what do you expect for oysters you can get cheaper than in the grocery store?Stella's has a lot going for it, location, view, good deals, however if it really wants to be known for something other than its rooftop, it needs to work on its menu, and the ridiculous prices it charges for Bloody Marys.
Pictured above: Me, the Queen & Myspace
Pictured below: Me, Jayme, Myspace & Sara
http://www.stellasfishcafe.com/
