Want to extend the holiday splendor while keeping that New Year's resolution to go easier on the wallet? Having champagne tastes on a beer budget is easy — if you know where and when to look.
It all comes down to planning, whether grocery shopping or heading to a restaurant during specific hours or days of the week. Here are some of the latest decadent deals around town that will give you sticker shock, but in a good way.
Duck three ways at Peking Garden
In some Asian cultures, duck is considered a special treat. When traveling in Beijing some 20 years ago, among the most popular spots we found were places where you can order a whole Peking duck prepared multiple ways. I still remember trying duck soup for the first time, as well as sliced crispy duck and other dishes that followed.
Locally, the long-running Peking Garden, now located in the former Mai Village in St. Paul, satisfies that craving. In addition to a la carte options, you can order a "3 Taste" special. Here, a whole duck is served three ways: a duck broth soup with greens, a stir-fry with a side of rice, and crispy duck with a side of Asian pancakes and accompaniments, in which you smear a pancake with hoisin sauce before piling it with cucumbers, scallions and sliced crispy duck before rolling it up.
With each savory and sweet bite, it brought back memories of that last special evening in Beijing, gathered around a table with friends. And at $60 for this family-style spread that feeds four, it's a great way to spoil oneself at $15 a pop. Oh, and an order of anything comes with complimentary tea, so it truly is easy to stick to the budget without add-ons. Available daily.
394 University Av. W., St. Paul, pekinggardenmn.com
Snow crab legs at Coastal Seafoods
Every Wednesday, the Twin Cities' premier fish and seafood market has a special in which all crab is 20% off. The best deal of the bunch is the snow crab legs, which come in 5-pound boxes available in the freezer section ($56, regular price $70). We can attest that the ones we tried are a great balance of mild sweetness and brininess. A box feeds four or more (if you're adhering to the 1 to 1 ½ pounds per person rule), so it's a great excuse to get cracking on that special dinner party you've been thinking about hosting.
2007 E. 24th St., Mpls., and 286 Snelling Av. S., St. Paul, coastalseafoods.com
Steak burger sliders at Murray's
In addition to the regular bar menu of steak sandwiches, oysters, escargot and more, happy hour (4-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.) at this third-generation steakhouse ups the ante with cheap, quality eats. Our favorite is the 3-ounce steak burger slider with housemade sauce on a brioche roll that provides a quality hunk of beef in casual, affordable form. While here, split an order of the truffle fries with béarnaise sauce. It's a sizable side and a steal at $6, especially if you're sharing. As far as drink specials, $6 wines are the top bargains. Choose right, and you and your dining mate can split a bill having had a burger slider, fries and glass of wine for $15 each before taxes.
If you want to splurge, the happy hour menu also features more luxury items such as a crabcake slider ($10) or a tenderloin medallion slider ($12) with béarnaise on brioche, among other things.
26 S. Sixth St., Mpls., murraysrestaurant.com
Chirashi or sushi combo at Kyatchi
Going out for raw fish is a treat, and there's no better place than the Twin Cities' first sustainable sushi restaurant. During happy hour (4-6 p.m. daily, 9-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.) in both the bar and main dining room, choose from a special menu of more than a dozen items, such as tonkatsu pork sandwiches, chicken cutlets and veggie curry ($6.50 to $10). We found the best splurges on the raw fish section of the menu ($7 to $13), which features six sushi and combo options. Top picks were the chef's choice sushi combo that comes with a sushi roll and three nigiri.
But our favorite was the chirashi, meaning scattered in Japanese, consisting of sashimi and more over a bed of sushi rice ($14). On the day we visited, the restaurant featured slices of buttery salmon, yellowtail and tuna along with a dollop of red fish roe and crab salad. It's then piled with tofu and pickled, raw veggies, proving that variety in every bite is the spice of life. Also on the happy hour menu: select cocktails starting at $8 as well as $7 sake specials.
3758 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., kyatchi.com
Bubbly and oysters at Barbette
In France, the eating style is quality over quantity, and this Uptown French bistro features a happy hour menu with first-class noshes on the cheap. What's more ooh la la than oysters with sparkles? The combo is available Mon.-Fri. from 2-5 p.m., when a dozen oysters work as slurpy small bites while a bottle of bubbly is popped open ($42). It's ideal for a party of two or four (if a bottle is too much, like it was for our two-person crew, you can cork the rest to take home). While you're at happy hour, we also recommend the indulgent pâté with baguette slices, mussels and/or skinny pommes frites to further your French tendencies ($6-$8). Drink specials include house wines, rail cocktails and select beer. It's also great that the specials are available in both the bar area and main dining room.
1600 W. Lake St., Mpls., barbette.com
Casual surf-n-turf at 801 Chophouse
With this downtown Minneapolis chophouse across the street on the next corner to its seafood restaurant 801 Fish, it's no wonder the specials would have quality surf and turf options, albeit casual. But the kicker is the cheffy touches that bring dishes to a whole new level. Mon.-Fri. from 4-6 p.m., the happy hour menu at the bar includes prime filet sliders ($10 for 2) with a red onion marmalade and creamy horseradish sauce and tuna tartare tacos ($13 for two), in which triangle-shaped house-fried wonton wrappers act as the perfect taco shell for diced sushi-grade tuna tossed in an orange-soy glaze and wasabi emulsion.
We added a side of truffle Parmesan fries ($7), forming the perfect food trifecta for a total cost of $15 each. Drinks could beyond double that bill, however happy hour specials are available that include wines by the glass in the $13 to $25 range ($5 off regular prices) and $11 select cocktails, including a Manhattan.
801 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 801chophouse.com
Oysters at Whole Foods
Amazon Prime members have long been getting additional deals when shopping at sister company Whole Foods by scanning the shopping app at the register. And every Friday with your membership, oysters are $1 each when ordering a dozen.
The oysters are the same quality you'd find at the raw bar of a restaurant, only these you take home to grill or eat on the spot. On a recent visit to the seafood counter at the Whole Foods along Excelsior Boulevard in Minneapolis, five varieties (originally $2 apiece) were available, including the popular Atlantic Blue Point, to mix and match. And if you don't want to shuck the oysters yourself, staff here will do it upon request before putting it on a tray of ice for you to tote home.
According to a corporate spokesperson, the Friday deal applies to all U.S. Whole Foods and is available until sold out. The shucking service varies from store to store.
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