Dive Night - Sal's Angus Grill

Dive Night is a once monthly adventure undertaken by me and Husby, along with our friends Ruthie and Ray. Each couple alternates choosing a restaurant, one which must come under the category of "dive." Our definition of dive: a neighborhood gathering spot hiding under the radar. Casual atmosphere and good food. We're out to find the best food in the Minneapolis/St Paul area without having to pay a fortune or dress up. A sip of beer or wine doesn't hurt either.  See a list and links to the previous dive night posts here.

Ruthie and Ray's pick. I really had no idea where we were going as this place is out in the wilderness. There's nothing around but horses and farm fields. OK, I might be exaggerating just a little, but it took us forever to get to where we were going, and as the location is to remain a surprise to the couple who doesn't choose the place, I thought we were going clear to Utah.


Wow, the place is pretty big, and the giant cow head on the front of the building let us know we were in for some meat and potatoes. Bull head? Steer head? Whatever kind of bovine it is, it is almost frightening in its size.

And what signifies a great dive better than a line of Harleys in the parking lot? Meat. And Beer. Yum.

My camera was running low on batteries that night so I didn't get very good or very many pictures. Sal's is a place that will take the casual and the dressed. It isn't dressy by any means, but dropping by after an evening out to the theater wouldn't make you uncomfortable. We saw a really interesting group of diners when we were there - they all seemed to have attire that was from the '80s. It was a weird mix of people too. We couldn't figure out if it was an extended family or what. But there were girls in the group with asymmetrical hairdos and off-the-shoulder sweaters and leggings. Trust me, it was bizarre. Ray had a theory of who they were, being a group of mostly women (of all ages) and only two men, but I better not speculate along those lines. No matter who they were, they chose the right place to eat.


The menu was varied and large. They served everything from walleye to hot dagos. But the most interesting thing on the menu were the Cock Bites. How could you not order them with a name like that? Funny thing was, the men didn't want to order Cock Bites from the pretty young waitress, so Ruthie had to do it. They were really, really good. Very cocky. Very bitey.

One of the best things about this place was the Cosmo. Ruthie and I saw one being served to another diner and decided to have one after dinner. We were pretty full and had already had some drinks throughout dinner, so we decided we would share one. An unusual practice, I admit, but we didn't mind sharing a few girl germs.

The drink came in a glass that was shaped like a martini glass but without the stem. This little pointed cup, as it were, was placed on top of what looked like a small fish bowl filled with ice. The best part about the Cosmo - they served it like a malt in a malt shop. You know, when they pour your malt into the tall glass and leave you with the leftovers in the mixer? That's what they did with this Cosmo. They left the shaker at the table. There was enough Cosmo in the glass and the shaker to make two Cosmos. Ruthie and I had our fill.

So if you like big booze and Cock Bites, you'll love Sal's Angus Grill. And if you want, you can even go out horseback riding after dinner!