Cedar + Stone, Urban Table — Restaurant in Bloomington

Cedar + Stone Cold Believer

Everyone knows that I speak my mind, I don't hold back, it's just how I am, I lay it on the line... When it comes to food, let's face it, that's how it should be! Our next exceptional restaurant made me a, "Stone Cold Believer" and I think the fellas of 38 Special would agree. They even sang about it!

The newest addition to the Twin Cities food scene is indeed exceptional and providing a fine dining experience like none other. Cedar + Stone Urban Table, located inside the all new J.W. Marriott at the Mall of America is priding themselves in providing the very best to its consumers. That means that all the ingredients come from local farms right here in Minnesota and the hand crafted dishes are "inspired by Minnesota's natural roots & local culture."

My wife and I joined neighbors of ours for a New Year's dinner, away from the kiddos and just enjoyed each-others company and some wonderful food and adult beverages. This place is so new that a website doesn't even exist yet to provide you with a menu or the names of our dishes. Do not fear the Food Gnawledge master is here to help! Our dishes consisted of the following and I will, of course, break them down for you; Fresh Scallops and Pork Belly, Halibut Steak, Braised Short Rib and Skirt Steak.

For once, I'll start with my meal. I went with the Scallops and Pork Belly. Four large and perfectly prepared scallops served with some very tender pork belly and served over a delicious cappers and couscous medley, fresh corn and lemon grass. These scallops were seriously cooked perfectly and the entire dish together was something I've really never experienced, but very delicious and worth a consideration.

My wife decided to go with the Halibut Steak and I'm glad she did. A large halibut steak served over a fresh sweet cabbage, fresh spinach, carrot puree and olive oil. After just one bite, I wanted to trade dishes! While I have seen a bit larger halibut steaks on some of my other favorite restaurants, theirs was still cooked to perfection and very delicious. What made this dish so amazing was actually the carrot puree. Whatever they did to doctor this up should never be changed and will most likely never be duplicated. The sight of spinach and cabbage makes me gag (not completely), but this was something "Special". See what I did there?

Ok, back to the good stuff... Our neighbor Dave decided to go with the Braised Short Rib served atop mashed Yukon Gold Fingerlings and Au Jus. Slow cooked for 12 hours, sounds like the type of meat I want to enjoy! Again, while we didn't have an opportunity to test out the plate ourselves, there wasn't a morsel left on his plate and he had nothing but positive things to say about it. I'd say he made the right decision.

His wife Jennifer made a very smart decision and going with the Skirt Steak. Most butchers my wife and I have chatted with, say they serve this cut of meat for their own families and secret in the industry. It's rarely found at restaurants and it's one of the most tender and delicious cuts off the animal. It came served with the same delicious mashed Yukon Gold Fingerlings and some leafy greens. The only thing I would say Jennifer did wrong with this dish...... Ordering it well done! So we all gave her a little razzing, but again, nothing was left on her plate. Yet another, great choice!

Wait, wait, wait, wait... "Didn't you get any appetizers?" Why yes, yes we did! In fact, we have a first for this foodie. I absolutely refuse to eat Brussels sprouts and no matter how they're prepared, they always taste like cardboard. However, I would have to agree with Jennifer when she said, "I would come here for lunch while shopping, just for these!" Yes, they were that damn good! Prepared with an enjoyable amount of pancetta chunks and a sweet glaze, I would indeed go back for these in...

If you read no more... plug " Perfect" into your head and go today. I just arrived in Minnesota from Washington and couldn't wait to taste my beloved Walleye. I had been thinking about it for months. We went to the mall and asked who had good Walleye. A cheery, helpful CSR at the info desk suggested Cedar and Stone. The menu looked good so we bit. It was happy hour and traffic was light. We were treated well, especially for a couple of travel worn old ladies. They seated us in the front window and the fun begins! My friend ordered the hanger steak. It was beautifully presented and she said very tasty. She was confused about the big pile of watercress. There wasn't dressing so what? It was.lovely though..and just harvested fresh. I ordered my long awaited Walleye. Once again beautifully plated. It was a generous portion...perfectly prepared, pan fried with broken up Phyllo for an extremely light breading. Fried fish never was healthier. Oddly, the highlight wasn't the fish. Though the fish was perfect as it could be, the star was the tomato sauce. They should make soup out of that sauce. It was sweet, tart, acidic, Rich in color, generous in portion and crazy in taste. Add a little creama and I doubt anyone could make a better tomato soup. But all of that paled to the Brussels sprouts.( from the happy hour menu) . WoW! I'm going to guess they were deep fried but they could have been in a super hot oven because they were not at all greasy . anyway.. they were quartered, many leaves fell away and became dark and crispy.. the leaves were crisp as could be yet tender.. almost like Dee fried fairy wings. he pancetta was almost an afterthought.. and then they drizzled this dark, roasted brusslely confection ( yes confection) with a local honey that once again had a lightness and tartness to it unfamiliar to my NW honey-ized pallet. It brought this already perfect side around to...mesmerizing.

Honestly.. it's 6:00 AM...3 AM my time and I'm wondering if they serve Brussels sprouts for breakfast.

Service was perfect and not meant to take second seat to sprouts. Our original server went on break so we were treated by several servers each seemed happy to help their co worker. I think we saw 5 different faces and each was delightful and would appear to truly like serving people.

If there was a legit negative aspect to our dinner it would be the booth seating. I sit up straighter than most but this booth forced me to sit even straighter. It was pretty uncomfortable. Once the food arrived it wasn't even an afterthought.

I only write reviews if something is terrible or wonderful. The last review I wrote was last year for a Marriot stay in DC for the same annual event We are at now. It was consistently the worst (and inordinately expensive) food and service ever. " Ever! " Meal after meal.. ( the catering portion was perfect.. the restaurant was horrible). Unprecedented in 66 years, I refused to pay for two meals and cornered the manager to ask how it was possible for good and willing people to be so poorly managed. I should mention we were isolated and eating away from the hotel was more inconvenient than awful food and service.

Had you told me Cedar and Stone was a Marriot property I would not have even considered it. So...if you are not a Marriot fan.. take heart. Cedar and Stone, at the MOA is extraordinary. I'll be back tonight..

And gee. I didn't even mention the chocolate creams brûlée was the best ever.. Perfect! ...every aspect of this dinner was perfectly layered. And they made it seem...

My fiancee and I came into Cedar + Stone on the evening that we drove into Minneapolis for a trip. I had originally chosen Cedar + Stone as a place to dine at while we were preparing for our trip, but ultimately decided against based on the brevity of the menu. However, we got into Minneapolis late that evening, hadn't eaten dinner yet, and so figured we might as well give it a shot and see if they had any tables available.

Fortunately they did! It's a nice restaurant nestled inside the Marriot JW, and one can access it by both the Mall of America and the hotel itself. The interior is classically laid out, with a direct line of view to the pass. There also is a patio so one can die al fresco if so desired. Cannot comment on it however, as we dined inside.

Our server also doubled as the bartender that evening, and if I recall, his name is Alex. He was one of the most personable servers that we have encountered - the level of service and attention we received was comparable to restaurants that we would spend 200+ dollars as a couple. When we were making our choices with respect to our drinks, I made a choice at random based on what I was familiar with, and he instantly recommended that I drink something else on the menu, OR that he would make something similar not on the menu if I was particularly leaning towards that alcohol. I went with his suggestion on the other drink, and his recommendation was greatly appreciated.

My partner is both gluten and lactose free, and their menu was very helpful on that front. We were able to get the crispy chicken wings, as well as the Comfrey Farm Pork Chops, given that we were not especially hungry that late in the evening. It is hard to get crispy chicken wings as a gluten free individual, and they did a fantastic job. My partner enjoyed the wings very, very much. It's been years since she's been able to have crispy chicken wings, and she raved about it. As someone who does eat chicken wings on a regular basis, I can confirm that they are fantastic as well. If you are gluten free, can-not-miss. The pork chop was done beautifully as well, and the black cherry mustard sauce was a very nice addition to the dish. I believe that we got the pork chop medium, and I feel like perhaps I would have enjoyed them a tad bit rarer, but it is only a very small note. The food also came out at a relatively quick pace, but that might be due to the fact that it was a late Thursday evening right before closing.

The dessert menu sounded amazing by our server's description, and it is to my regret that I was honestly too full to take a stab at it. Likewise to my regret that I didn't find a good opportunity during the next few days in Minneapolis to drop by for dessert.

I would return in a heartbeat if we were ever in a pinch as to where to have a bite to eat in Minneapolis in the Bloomington area. It was a very pleasant experience, and the chicken wings alone were worth the visit, not to mention all the other food and drinks we had. Yes, it is a bit of a brief menu, but if they execute everything on that menu to the same level of the two dishes that we had, then I would not worry about it at all - there is return appeal with the same dishes in my opinion. The price seems to be comparable to other restaurants of a similar ilk in my experience. Definitely worth...