Vinai

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Restaurants

Vinai

Date: Sept 26, 2025

1300 NE 2nd St.
Minneapolis, MN 55413

Phone: (612) 749-6051

www.vinaimn.com

E&I go to fifty new restaurants a year. And in those 50 we probably find 3-4 bad ones. And actually, RARELY do we find bad food we can’t eat. We went to a new restaurant a few weeks ago with some friends. The husband was a bit taken back that I barely looked at the menu other than photographing it for you.

He said, “aren’t you going to decide what you want to order?” I said E my lady would take care of that. He said but YOU are the food/restaurant critic. I said BOY, do YOU have that wrong.

Ever read memoirs from a well-known person? Isn’t it amazing how many people can do a great job and write too? That’s because there is MUCH more to the process than what you see. They ALWAYS have a Ghost writer to takes their thoughts and put them to paper.

The way our reviews work is simple. Well, kinda. First, we (E) find a great or unusual restaurant then we, E, books it, then we show up. In one sentence I just glossed over an hour plus of work.

I married well. E has class, knows class, can cook and knows food. Besides that, she is forever learning about local restaurants and cuisine. E is my ghost writer. Wait I write so I must be E’s ghost writer… well you understand I think… if not never mind.

Back to our friend questioning why I don’t order. It seems I am borderline diabetic. How could someone whose favorite meal is Lays potato chips and pop be borderline diabetic? Escapes me. Any way I’m all of 200 lbs. I need to watch what I eat but can splurge once a week. That would be Friday night.

I look at a menu and have NO idea what I’m looking at, E does. Further she knows what I can eat. Beyond that I have yet to have been to a great restaurant that has BAD FOOD. You just won’t stay open if you serve bad food. So, no matter what is on the menu it is probably good. At least edible. Based on that why would I spend much time looking at menu’s, that’s E’s job, the ghost writer. And I don’t remember the last time E ordered a bad meal for me.

The other day I casually asked E where we were going Friday night? She said Vinai. To me it could have just as well Europa a moon of Jupiter where the latest NASA probe I worked on is headed for.

Ok I said tell me about Vinai. She said it is a Hmong restaurant. I don’t do Hmong, but E said I’d be fine. It is also the TC James Beardsley award winner. Which meant Vinai was one of the best restaurants in the Twin Cities. And we waited six weeks, the limit, to sneak in for an 8:30PM Friday night reservation. E worked on getting us reservations for a month. Of course I LOVE Hmong. THIS will be an experience. And we absolutely NEVER tell anyone we are reviewing their restaurant to get in. We want you to get the same experience we did.

So, to explain to my friend about why I don’t order is an entire volume. If you trust the person ordering to be educated and know your taste, why should you care? Let’s go with trying a new experience for once.

So, Friday night came, and we went to our wine tasting after the evening news then showed up at Vinai about 8 PM thirty minutes before our reservation. The hostess was very nice, as were ALL the people at Vinai which is common at great places we go. From the people parking the cars to the cleanup staff. Like going into Chick Fila everyone looks & acts like the person you’d love to introduce as your relative.

Since we were thirty minutes early, we knew our table would not be ready but back to the nice comment we knew we’d be treated fine. Beardsley award winner remember. That award doesn’t go to bad places. We were offered seats and sat at the bar. Next to a couple from Milwaukee, Jim & Joyce who were in town for a Urology convention. We get around, we party with the best!

We ordered wine. E had a Pinot from France for $17 and I had a Cab from North Coast California for $16. Mine was better than E’s. Until E’s Noir took some air and THEN it was incredible.

So, after the wine we looked at what the Milwaukee couple were eating as they said OMG as their first dish was being presented. It was Crabby Fried Rice, and it was beautiful, an incredible presentation. I don’t think I have ever eaten beautiful food that did not taste great. And this was no exception. And that is why I love Hmong food!

The Crabby Fried Rice cost $25 and it could have been a complete meal for E&I. Going out you should not need to rob a bank or your penny jar. Choose well, as E did, you can eat incredible food for not much coin. Just go to the places we write about and like.

The Crabby Rice looked like Mexican Sun Art. It was a round platter with thin sliced meat pieces like baloney sized pieces with a center of a rice dish and great colorful stuff sprinkled inside. See how great I am at knowing food. But god it was good. Both us and Jim & Joyce, the Milwaukee couple, agreed. The Crabby Rice was phenomenal.

Lately we have been in an “Order As We Go” mode keeps us from getting five plates of food at a time. So, for our second course we ordered Laab Carpaccio for $22, one of my favorites… I had NO idea, but I had E to know!

Laab Carpaccio: toasted rice, pickled red onion, thai chili aioli, purple sticky rice, fried shallots, herbs

It was not as pretty but it was good. You know what, this Beardsley guy knows great restaurants. And all for under $100 including THREE glasses of wine… I saw a California Barbera E&I would share for $14, again great choice. So, we had three of the five Red wines on the menu and all were great.

So, after an award-winning meal, what do you do… no that’s later… you eat dessert. We rarely have desert, but we were celebrating, no idea what, other than finding another great restaurant. We had desert, which after our meal we KNEW had to be great. Chocolate Lava cake and roasted Milk Ice Cream for $14. Incredible. Our final bill $118.89 after Mayor Frey added some shillings for the city.

Will we be back, let’s see, six weeks for reservations… of course put it on our calendar! Besides I LOVE Hmong food remember?