A twin cities review: Their website
www.greaseforpeace.com
Seems to be down right now
A great hamburger.
Dimitri
http://www.citypages.com/bestof2004/restaurants/bestof2185.asp
BEST DINER
Band Box Diner
729 S. 10th St.
Minneapolis
612.332.0850
American as apple pie? Hey, how American is that? Even the French have tarte
Tatin. You want American, try this: In the shadow of downtown sits the Band Box,
a rail-car-diner made by a grain-bin manufacturer--the place is so significantly
Americana, it's a registered historic landmark. More American than that, though,
is the crew that cooks and runs it, with their punk-rock hearts, communitarian
spirit, and fancy restaurant training (the chef and co-owner, Brad Ptacek, led
the kitchen at fondly remembered Caffe Solo.) And even more American still is
the menu--a strawberry short stack, for instance, with buttermilk pancakes as
fluffy as clouds topped with fresh strawberries and real whipped cream, or the
famous baby burger, griddled to crisp perfection and served with real lettuce,
tomato, red onion, and a sweet grilled bun--and it all still costs less than $3!
What we like most about the Band Box Diner is that it's American and Americana
in the best ways--in addition to the great grub, the place showcases true
neighborliness and friendly, functioning multiculturalism--the coffee is brought
in from a neighbor's family farm, back in Africa, and the diner has been a
cornerstone of this sometimes-down, sometimes-up urban neighborhood for
generations. Is that why families from all over the metro have been making
pilgrimages to the Band Box lately, setting the little ones on stools by the
counter, or rolling carriages up to the outdoor tables? Got to clue in the next
generation about what it means to be American, before the television beats you
to it.