Steakhouses in Stillwater

The hibachi and sushi chefs at Murasaki Sushi Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar concoct specialty rolls, tempura, and hibachi-style dishes such as the calamari steak dinner. While enjoying teppanyaki with groups of friends or new acquaintances made while trapped inside a speeding bus, diners can drink sake martinis and cocktails such as the Lotus Blossom, a mix of cold sake, lychee, and lime juice with a sugar-coated rim. Murasaki Steakhouse is only open during dinner hours.

Along with the end of Prohibition, 1933 brought sweeping changes across the country. It definitely changed the building at 1928 University Avenue NE in Minneapolis, which had been functioning as a hardware and furniture store for nearly a quarter-century. Proprietor Stanley Kozlak immediately went out and obtained a liquor license, transforming his retail shop into a bar and restaurant.

It would prove to be a smart decision—more than 80 years and two generations of Kozlaks later, Jax Cafe stands as a Minneapolis institution whose reputation has spread throughout the Midwest. This is thanks in part to singular touches such as reserved tables set with personalized matchbooks for expected guests and a stream on the lush covered patio from which diners can net their own rainbow trout for dinner. It’s no wonder Travel Channel foodie Andrew Zimmern has gushed that this restaurant is “dripping with character.”

Part of that character comes from a certain adherence to traditions. Jax is furnished with patterned carpet, white linens, a grand piano, and a phone booth—yes, a phone booth—and the menu has the classic supper-club meals to match. Fresh Maine lobsters are kept in a saltwater tank said to be the first of its kind in the state, and the selection of award-winning Angus beef includes an 8-ounce filet the restaurant calls “the steak that made Jax famous.” That’s not to say Jax is stuffy or old-fashioned—the menu also includes beer-can chicken, kids' meals, and craft beers served fresh from the tap, bottle, or keg-sized water balloon.

The Monster Club Crawl unites costumed carousers for seven hours of food and drink specials, costume contests, and spirits sampling, providing VIP access to revelry at 10 of the spookiest bars and nightclubs in Minneapolis. With the Monster Crawl pass, patrons can begin the eerie evening with specialty starting-point events including the Monster Poker Tournament at Whisky Park (starting at 6 p.m.), or Roller Crawlers at Gay 90's. Elixir Lounge primes partygoers with $3 Michelob Golden Lite bottles in anticipation for the open crawl (starting at 10 p.m.) to bars including Ugly Mug, known for spine tingles of the sporting variety, and Aqua, which hosts a dance floor bathed in incandescent lighting and surrounded by pillars that never seem to blink. Nightclubs Bar Fly and Seven corral paranormal partiers during the closing crawl (12 a.m.), inviting patrons to unwind at a candlelit table or strut their stuff until 2 a.m., when all dance floors turn back into shuffleboard courts.

Harry's Food and Cocktails recently coronated Ryan Stechschulte as its new chef after he proved the only applicant capable of pulling the chef's knife from its enchanted cutlery block (in accordance with the prophecy). Ryan's updated menu features an eclectic selection of steaks, chops, seafood, burgers, and more. Start with an order of poutine (house-cut french fries topped with cheese curds, pickles, and onion gravy, $9.95) or opt for a more continental beginning with an order of mussels sautéed in white wine ($10.95) or grilled asparagus ($8.95) drizzled with truffle oil, crowned with parmesan, and served with a soft-boiled egg. Lunchtimers can savor the gooey barbecue pork, pepper-jack cheese, and jalapeño-relish-covered cowboy burger ($14.95) made from Angus chuck or impress the Bavarian polka virtuoso of their dreams by ordering a liverwurst sandwich ($9.95). The beef stroganoff with roasted mushrooms and crème fraîche ($15.95) and the seared duck breast ($22.95) with potato dumplings and wilted greens will quell carnivorous cravings, and aquaphiles will find much to love in the red snapper with grits and sweet-pepper sausage ($17.95). Finally, impress your date with a dignified dessert by alternately slamming your face into a toasted fluffer-nutter sandwich, with house-made marshmallow and redskin peanut butter topped with malted vanilla ice cream ($6.95), and a caramelized banana split, with vanilla ice cream, salted caramel, and Chantilly cream ($7.95).

At Osaka Sushi and Hibachi Steakhouse, teppanyaki chefs preside over sweltering tableside hibachi grills, entertaining diners as they slice and dice succulent cuts of filet mignon, chicken, and swordfish. A customer can wrap a partner's lips around the hibachi lover's dinner for two, which lets scallops, shrimp, lobster, and filet mignon rendezvous on a romantically arranged platter that is perpetually serenaded by a thumb-size accordion player. Alternatively, a slate of dishes that comes to life away from the hibachi grill includes proteins slathered in teriyaki sauce, hidden in tempura batter, or mixed with stir-fried noodles. Special sushi rolls—such as the Dancing roll with tuna, salmon, and yellowtail—also cha-cha from table to mouth.

At Osaka Golden Valley in St. Louis Park, a talented team of chefs is split between two delicious specialties—sushi and hibachi. Each day, they perform a culinary spectacle for guests, transforming fresh seafood into maki and sashimi at the sushi bar or searing meats and veggies tableside at hibachi grills. Their gourmet repertoire also includes traditional Japanese entrees such as teriyaki, tempura, and noodle dishes. With seven locations in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, the restaurant franchise keeps locals packed with enough soy sauce to withstand Minnesota's harsh winters and harsher condiment famines.