Filipino fare may not yet be available all day every day, so I’d suggest you call first, ask for Ramon 612-338-4238

There is another one on Eat Street that is good, but I can’t remember the name of it. You could always go to the Somali Mall on Pillsbury and Lake. In the newer section of the mall in the left corner there is a great restaurant…and the best Somali tea in the world is in the mall. It is also a great experience…we should go get henna done when we get back.

The Black Sea restaurant on Snelling in St. Paul has the best Turkish food we have had in the Cities and it is dirt cheap…just run by a turkish man and his wife. 737 Snelling Ave N
St Paul, MN 55104
(651) 917-8832
http://www.blacksearestaurant.com
Seriously, it is so good.

There is also a good Ethiopian restaurant on Snelling, but I don’t remember the name of it…it is on the opposite side of the street as the Black sea. Beware, some of the food is HOT!

Holy Land Restaurant and Deli on Central Ave is also good…food is authentic, Andy used to play pool with one of the cooks – the market is also fun to look around. Holy Land 2513 Central Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418

Babanis is an AMAZING restaurant in St.Paul that is in a beautiful setting. It has a lot of middle eastern/kurdish food. So good. Babanis 544 Saint Peter Street, Saint Paul, MN

So, those are the suggestions I can think of for now. I know of a few good mexican places too, but can’t think of names or locations right now. But, gotta love the middle eastern food. Man, my mouth is just drooling thinking about it!

My disclaimer is that I haven’t been to any of these places for a while…so they could have gone to pot and I would have no idea. Also, I live in the third world, so as far as decor/ambiance goes, I am not always the best judge. Babanis is probably the nicest in regards to ambiance, the turkish restaurant is small but nice. The Somali Places are nice (Safari is nice, others basic), holy land is basic.
These may not be the nicest places in the world in regards to that, but they do have good food.

Good luck and I hope you have a GREAT birthday! Definately let us know where you went and how it was!

Thai – if you want a little bit upscale there is Chang Mai Thai in uptown (http://www.chiangmaithai.com/).
if you are not quite so interested in atmosphere then Bangkok Thai in Dinkytown – it is not fancy but good food (http://www.buzz.mn/?q=node/5473).
also there is Sawatdee ( a few locations ). It has never been my favorite but it is good and always wins a bunch of awards (http://www.sawatdee.com/).

Ethiopian – There is a good place on the West Bank (http://www.redseaclub.com/)

If you like the idea of Brasa they just opened a spot on Grand so you could still do Grand Ole Creamery then. I haven’t been to that Brasa but the one in Minneapolis is a nice spot – the building is an old garage or something so when it is nice they open up the garage doors and the whole place is an outdoor seat.

If you ever need any suggestions just ask me – I have eaten at a lot of places – especially ethnic places.

Amanda, I’m so bummed to hear that it already closed down. I hope someone decides to open a new one up that has awesome food. The Thai place sounds delicious if not just because the Grand Ole Creamery is right there. We used to live two blocks from there and never ate at that Thai place. We just might have to do that.

There’s a great Thai place (Taste of Thailand) on Selby near Snelling. Which would, of course, need to be followed-up by a trip to Grand Ole Creamery on Grand Ave.