Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant - Minneapolis, MN

At long last, I come to the most exciting part of my recent trip to Minnesota. An evening out at the Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant which is located in downtown Minneapolis on the Nicollet Mall. I have not been to the Dakota in quite a number of years, and this was my first time being there since they moved to downtown Minneapolis. For those of you not familiar with the Dakota, they used to be located in St Paul in Bandana Square, which is a historic railroad building. I used to go there all the time when I was in the mood to listen to live jazz. I have to say, that although the new location is beautiful, I miss the old location because I thought it was a smaller and more intimate venue. Oh well, I guess all things cannot stay the same.

Upon arrival at the Dakota, my family and I checked in to receive our table number because we were there to see Katie Melua, which was a ticketed show. We arrived two hours prior to the show because we wanted to eat before Katie's performance, so that we would not have any distractions. After all, this show was the entire reason for our trip to Minnesota. We were happy to find out that our table was right next to the stage. Our server was very helpful in pointing out the two optional menus to dine from and the specials that were on the wall. There was a bar menu and a full dinner menu. The bar menu looked really good, but we decided to go all out and went for the dinner menu.

For drinks, we decided to go with the Angeline Pinot Noir by the glass. This was a nice, deep red that went well with our meal. My husband ordered the Stuffed Breast of Amish Chicken that was stuffed with a chestnut mousse and chanterelle mushrooms. This had awesome flavor and the chicken was juicy and cooked to perfection. For myself, I ordered the Meyers Farm Natural Angus Beef pairing. For the pairing, there was a beef tenderloin & short rib with porcini mushrooms, cipollini onion, and a semolina pudding. The beef was wonderful and so tender that I didn't really need more than my fork to cut it and I loved the savory semolina pudding that came with it. For dessert, I had a glass of Corvoisier VS Cognac, which went very well with the chocolate orange flavored mousse cake. This was an absolutely fabulous meal from beginning to end and I really have to compliment the chef.

Now, for Katie Melua. I was so happy because I got the chance to meet her before the show and we all got to take our pictures with her. I am happy to say that her singing was just as beautiful in person as it is on audio. She has a mighty voice for such a little person and she is very soft spoken when not singing. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to see her show live. She sang my favorite song, Spider's Web, as well as The Closet Thing to Crazy, my second favorite song. Check out her link above and listen to some of her songs.

So, if ever in town and you are looking for something to do, check out the Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant and see who is playing.

Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant
1010 Nicollet Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-332-1010