Betty Danger’s Country Club

The other night I had a bridesmaid dress fitting at Flutter Boutique in Uptown with my college roommates Ashley & Danielle. We decided to go out afterwards for some drinks and maybe a bite to eat. We knew we didn’t want to try and find somewhere in uptown since parking is always such a hassle. Ashley suggested we go to Betty Danger’s Country Club in North East Minneapolis. I had never been, Ashley had told me about it in the past and it seemed to be right up my alley. There are always tons of postings about Betty Danger’s on the website and I have heard nothing but wonderful things so we couldn’t wait to give it a try.

As we approached the restaurant you could see the neon Ferris Wheel or as they call it at Betty Danger’s the Mechanical Tree (aka the vertical revolving patio). They have their own parking lot which made life very easy but even at six o’clock on a Monday the lot was packed. Their outdoor area looks like every sugar fueled childhood dream. Bright colors, mini golf and a fiberglass gorilla. After finding a spot in the lot we walked through the pink cotton candy explosion that is their covered patio and over to the bar. The room gave a fifties polo/country club feel that seemed to have escaped from the mind of Tim Burton. There is so much to look at and discuss it is hard to stay focused on any one thing for more than a minute or two.

We decided to sit at the bar since the dinning area was full. After a minute we were greeted by a uninterested bartender and handed the strangest menus I’ve seen in a long time. The menus at Betty Danger’s appear to be a tattered hardcover book. When you flip it open to the bookmarked pages you find little inserts with a menu printed on it. After skimming the menu a few times I noticed that most of the food is pepper heavy (not my favorite…) Later I found out that Betty Danger’s is known for their “Mexampton” style food which is a blend of Mexican, Minnesotan & Hampton style dishes.

We ordered our drinks, Ashley said that they always have wonderful new ciders on tap and that is what both Ashley and Dani ordered. Cider isn’t really my thing so I went with my go to Jameson Seven. Our drinks were delivered almost instantly (perks of sitting at the bar). When dining at the bar a card is required to start a tab which can be divided later without a problem. It took us a while to decide what we wanted and it was easy to tell that the bartender was getting irritated with us, in her defense we weren’t being very prompt making a decision. We finally settled on tacos, each getting a different kind. Ashley ordered the Parker Tacos-Beer Braised Chicken with Aged Cheddar and Fontina topped with Cilantro Cream in a Crispy Corn Shell. Danielle got the Winthrop Tacos-Top Sirloin with Peppers and Onions topped with Jalapeno Mayo on a Flour Tortilla. I ordered the Edith Wharton’s Tacos- Seasoned Ground Beef Served in Crispy Corn Shells.

Our food was brought out fairly quickly and delivered without a word, the bartender still looking irritated (she must have been tired…?) A few minutes later she brought some extra plates and silverware and two different hot sauces (one green and one red) which she actually seemed excited about saying that they were fantastic. I tried some of the red sauce on my tacos after Ashley told me it was very mild. My food was amazing, although very simple the kitchen staff absolutely crushed it. There was so much flavor in each shell and I was surprised how quickly they disappeared. Ashley and Dani must have loved their meals just as much as I did because within minutes we had all cleared our plates.

After about 15 minutes the bartender eventually came over and cleared our plates. We asked for our tab but had to wait a while to receive it and it took equally as long for her to run our cards. Although the service wasn’t the most friendly the overall experience was very pleasant. I loved the overall atmosphere and the food would keep me coming back for more. I can’t wait to go back and try some of the amazing pink slush drinks that I saw being delivered to almost every table throughout the restaurant.

I plan on going back for their Kentucky Derby Party on June 6th it sounds like a blast and will give me the opportunity to try some more of their delicious food and fun drinks on their amazing patio. Hopefully I can convince someone to take a turn on the Mechanical Tree with me!

For more information about Betty Danger’s Country Club you can check their website or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.