Gold Nugget Tavern & Grille — Restaurant in Minnetonka

I went yesterday (Saturday afternoon) with my buddy for a late lunch. We sat at the bar, and Annie (according to the receipt) was the bartender/server. It was easily the worst service I've experienced in the last 5+ years while dining in at a restaurant. That is not hyperbole.

The bar was pretty empty. There were maybe eight people at the bar total, including us. Evidently one of the couples at the bar were good friends with Annie. Her focus during our stay (approximately an hour and a half) was chatting up her friends and completely ignoring every other person at the bar. In between stories, the bartender just stood playing on her phone instead of checking in with the other patrons.

My first cocktail sat empty for easily 20 minutes before Annie refilled my water and didn't bother asking if I wanted another adult beverage (which I did). After my meal finally arrived, Annie swung by ~10-15 minutes later to ask if we needed anything. I asked for mustard (which didn't come with a club sandwich) and my buddy asked for an extra salsa for his nachos. Annie never brought either item back out and returned to chatting with her friends instead.

After my buddy and I decided to throw in the the towel due to the poor service, it took another solid 15-20 minutes to flag Annie down to ask for the tab and a box for my food. At that point there were maybe six people at the bar. So the issue wasn't due to a bartender being swamped.

I would chalk up the bad experience to the bartender possibly having a bad day. However, I went on a Saturday afternoon about a month ago with my buddy when the same woman was bartending, and the service was bad then too...although not to this level.

Yesterday was the first time I have not tipped at least 20-25% at a restaurant in probably a decade. I couldn't bring up the issue with the shift manager because he went AWOL after dropping off our food (without asking if we needed anything else) and I never saw him again.

The only reason I didn't give my review a one star is because my buddy and I have had decent service there in the past. The issue seems to reside with the Saturday dayshift folks.

Avoid this place by all means on a...

Expensive for what you get. 77.00 two people incl a 20 percent tip.

Our server was nice. She was friendly and seemed fairly genuine, like she's been doing this for a long time. We each ordered a burger and fries, one Manhattan $13 and one beer. $11. Really expensive beer and the entire Manhattan was no more than 3 oz all together with an enormous ice cube in a little glass. That seems like not very much for the price.

The interesting, and a little presumptive, thing was it was a busy Friday, fairly early around 6:00 p.m., and while our server came back to check on us once, the second time she didn't come back to ask if we wanted another beer or drink or any dessert, instead she just walked over and put our check on the table like they were in a hurry to get it out of there so they could turn the table.

The food was okay. I wouldn't run back there for the burgers.

The sweet potato fries were done really nicely and those were my favorite thing in the entire night. The regular fries are coated with something like cornstarch. Super crispy but really salty and a little greasy.

Burgers were not as I've been hoping after reading reviews. They seemed a dry, even chewy, though they were pink in the middle. Probably using super lean inexpensive beef. Flavor was okay but toppings were overdone. I like decent amount of toppings on my burger but not to the point that you can't pick it up without losing everything. My pretzel bun was actually cold on the top, like it had probably been taken out of a freezer a few hours prior to using them and not adequately warmed. It was also a little dry. The other bun was fresh and soft like a burger bun should be.

At 3:00 a.m. I woke up with such heartburn and spent the next day feeling the same way and I had nothing else to eat but what we had there.

It was okay. It's nothing I would run back to get again and the burgers can't ever compare to those that I get at my favorite dumpy dive bar in crystal at...

It's true, this dish was THAT good. Don't call me no Jamba-laya... ;)

I'm not lyin!--No pants on fire over here, just burnin' taste buds

Here's the lineup from a fine local tavern: Jambalaya with Chicken, Andouille Sausage, Shrimp, Spicy tomato stew, and Creole dirty rice

The People's Burger with Smoked brisket blended patty, Cheddar cheese, Tomato jam, Roasted poblano, and Garlic aioli on Brioche

Chicken Enchiladas with Shredded lettuce, Pico de gallo, Sour cream & Guajillo rice Call it The Golden Nugget or a hidden gem, this Minnetonka eatery knows can cook several kinds of cuisine in cravable fashion

The Jambalaya was my jam! Just enough heat from the meat and stew, accompanied by a textural contrast of classic dirty rice and cravable crustaceans made this a delish take on a Cajun Classic

The enchiladas were ever so elevated by the slightly spicy guajillo chili served in no small portion--and that includes the holy-buckets-worth of cheese! My foodie friend had this pipin' hot order surpass his expectations

And finally, a burger made with brisket--How could that be bad! No beef with this menu chief, which continues to win TGN's monthly burger battle between two new beef creations where the victor remains on the menu I loved the sweetness of the tomato jam, the bite of the poblanos, the addition of creamy garlic aioli...And of course, such a hefty handled requires a robust brioche bun for consumption

The Golden Nugget is certainly a valuable find--and I promise, it's no fools gold! With options for every appetite, you'll probably have to go back and find more favorites. I recommend trying mine... or mine to find your own supreme selections!

Many thanks to Annette and Kos for joining me on two unique foodie expeditions full of...