Dive Night - Miller's On Main

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.

Apparently Ruthie was running around the metro area not too long ago, far away from where she lives or works.  I didn't ask why she was gallivanting around because, well, Ray was sitting right there and I didn't want to put Ruthie on the spot.  Who knows?  She might have been on the hunt for a pair of $400 shoes or something.  It doesn't really matter, because during her little road trip she saw this...

She figured Miller's on Main in Lino Lakes, MN would be a good spot to share for Dive Night.  She was right.  Divey?  Yeah, kind of. 

This is the skinny bar area.  It had a lot of character, compared to the eating area...

They tried to make it homey with some country-flavored prints on the walls, but basically we were surrounded by walls of beige with big TVs propped up at the ceiling at each of the four corners of the room.  TVs in restaurants are just uncouth.

No matter, here come the appetizers!

These appetizers were fabulous!  First were the stuffed mushrooms.  Mushroom Poppers, to be exact.  They were stuffed with beef and pork, had a marvelous texture and were seasoned to perfection.  Also delicious was the Artichoke Spinach Dip.  Roasted artichoke hearts, pepper cheese and spinach in a very zippy, spicy sauce.  Really cheesy and really good.  I was sad to have to share with the others.

Our entrees were delicious too.  We ordered quite a variety at our table ~ bison burger (Ray), walleye sandwich with BIG onion rings (Ruthie), spaghetti sandwich (me), and taco salad (Husby). 

Husby would have preferred a corn tortilla bowl instead of flour for his salad, but that's just a matter of taste.  Both Ruthie and Ray had nothing but good to say about their meals.  I ordered a spaghetti sandwich just to try something different.  The spaghetti and sauce were good, the meatballs were good, the bread was good, but for my taste they should not all be combined in a sandwich.  A) You can't pick it up and eat it, and B) I've got a weird thing against bread with sauce on it.  But my it was good, when eaten in its little subsets.  Plus, fries with spaghetti?  Well, they came with the meal and were delicious, so I couldn't turn them down. 

Despite my quirky preferences I'd have to say the food at Miller's on Main is superb, the service was wonderful and I'd definitely go there again.  The menu is very extensive, and if everything on it is as good as our meals were, then this place is definitely a winner.