Bites Grill and Bar

Reviews & Tips

• 0

  I agree with the other reviewers. The food is delicious! I had the walleye sandwich and cole slaw. The fish was very fresh and I loved the pecan coating. The cole slaw was delicious (all great cole slaw has celery seed in it!). My husband had the crab cakes, pot roast bites and fried bread pudding bites. All yummy! We went on a Friday mid-afternoon and the dining room was about half full. The waitress greeted us and took our order promptly. The food was slow getting to the table... we  didn't order anything too complex so  not sure why it took so long. The dining room could use a little more light. I appreciate that they did a little landscaping out back so you're looking  at something  out the window. I was impressed that the owner came around to each table to  make sure everybody was being taken care of (he must be paying attention to the previous reviews). Although this restaurant is a  little off the beaten path,  it is worth the drive. Great food!!

  Review Source:

  Posted on 08.09.13 K P.

  • Report
• 0

  Food = 5 stars; awesome.
  
  Service = 1 star (I'd give 0 if possible)  If we didn't already know how good the food is, we'd have left after 10 minutes.
  
  We went on the Saturday after July 4th for lunch; it was a rainy day.  We sat at a table in the bar and waited and waited...no acknowledge from anyone, although at least two waitresses walked through and the bartender was behind the bar. After 15 minutes I walked around the restaurant until I found menus.  I stood at the bar to ask for service but was ignored by the bartender, who waited on other people who showed up after I did.  (There were folks sitting at the bar, along with people who came from the dining room to get drinks.)  Finally, I wrote out our order (cup of Hungarian mushroom soup, 2 walleye sandwiches, two waters) and handed it to the bartender.  He seemed overwhelmed and said he'd give it to the kitchen.
  
  After 15 minutes I went to ask about my soup.  "You want it now???"  Why, yes, I do.  So it appeared.  After another 30 minutes or so our sandwiches arrived.  While we waited, we watched tables not being cleared (at least three by this time), and new groups coming into the bar and discovering they weren't going to get much service, if any at all.
  
  The food was amazing.  I loved the soup, and walleye sandwiches were amazing as always.  So the problem isn't in the kitchen.
  
  As we ate, a group of four stopped by our table, wistfully looking at our food, and said they were leaving after realizing what was (or was not) happening.  They were in  the area for a week, so we suggested they come back later in the week when they might not be so busy, since the food is so very good.
  
  Before we finished, the bartender came over to talk to us. Turns out he just bought the restaurant a few weeks below as a retirement project.  He had only worked behind the bar four times and believe me, it showed.
  
  We said we realized they must be shorthanded; no, they had extra staff (???).  Because of the rain more people came in than usual, and they didn't realize they should have closed one of the dining rooms.  If they had, they could have told folks, "It will be a 45 minute wait." rather than seating them and letting them sit that long before anything really happened.  So sad.
  
  That night we ate at a place in St. Cloud, and the manager started talking to us about menu options, the design of the menu, etc.  He wants new food items, so we told him to get to Bites Grill & Bar and copy their food.  But he needs to go soon, since we're not sure how long they'll be in business.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 07.10.13 Barbara W.

  • Report
• 0

  My hubby and I went for my post birthday dinner.  They posted they were open on Facebook on my actual birthday but weren't!  
  We decided to try it out anyway for dinner.  We had been there for lunch a couple of months earlier.  I had the meatloaf bites which had good flavor but were barely warm when they arrived.  My husband enjoyed the sandwich he ordered.
  Our dinner experience was fun.  They have weekly whiteboard specials Thursday through Sunday.  For a restaurant "in the woods", it's pretty amazing the items on their menu!  We started with the spinach arancini, rice balls.  They were actually good!  I was skeptical to order something Italian but it was actually good.  My husband had the half chicken (he's quite a chicken guy) and he loved it.  I had the chicken whiteboard special that had a mushroom cream sauce.  I had the mashed potatoes instead of the rice offered.  Everything about our entrees were great minus the veggies!  They actually used the baby carrots and cooked them to death!  They were mushy and NOT flavorful at all.  If they are trying to be a little more upscale, they need to evaluate the veggies with their entrees.  I also would recommend a more extensive wine selection by the glass.  It is limited but was okay.  
  Overall, our experience was good.  I would rate it a 4.5 if the veggies were better.  
  Thanks Bites!  I hope you continue to do well!

  Review Source:

  Posted on 01.31.13 Anita H.

  • Report
• 0

  Tapas: are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine.
  Bites: are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Minnesota cuisine.
  
  You can order off the traditional menu but the magic is in the "Bites" or "Shareables" which are appetizers to pass and share with a Minnesota flare (walleye cakes, mini pot roasts, italian meatloaf bruschetta, buffalo chicken crisps, etc..)
  
  If I am going out with 3 or more people this is hands down, no doubt, my #1 choice when dining in the Brainerd Lakes area. The food, menu, decor, and staff will make you come back for another bite.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 01.09.13 Shaun R.

  • Report
• 0

  It was tough for me to give a four star rating for 1 meal that was very good (purchased on a earlier visit) and one  that was tasteless that this reviewer ordered. However we were a group of eight and seven of the group were extremely pleased just like I was the first time visiting this restaurant. Service was excellent, menu extensive, weekly special (Octoberfest german theme), minimal wine list and good prices. However the Seafood Stuffed Portabella mushroom was inedible due to what I think was freezer burnt crab and shrimp that come from a can. As a "Bite" appetizer (for one), on the German Menu was a pretzel, sausage and Muenster cheese Bite fired under the broiler for $2.95. Five (5) minature pretzels covered by a1/8 inch slice of  sausage topped with the cheese (nicely browned) each being the size of a nickle. Well live and learn.
  Will I go back, yes I don't feel my bad meal was the norm for "Bites"
  Trust me on the Crab as being bad as the reviewer is from the Florida Keys and we trap our own!

  Review Source:

  Posted on 10.01.12 Andrew M.

  • Report
• 0

  We aren't people who were expecting much, and we don't have the highest standards, so please don't overlook this review thinking that we were looking to criticize. As a family of four going out to dinner, we hope to be relatively pleased with our dining experience because we know it will likely be expensive.
  
  We decided to order the signature bites. The tuna bites were just tuna, mayo and some olives on pita bread and the reuben bites were extremely tough and had grizzle. We ordered our meals and when I requested the pork brisket, I was asked "how would you like that cooked". Ah........well? When our meals came, my husband enjoyed his chicken and the walleye was pretty good, but the other meals were very disappointing.
  
  The Cajun Pasta had shrimp, but it was popcorn shrimp. These were the smallest shrimp I think I've ever seen. Certainly not worth the price. My Pork Brisket tasted like it was frozen once, thawed and then served with spices on it to conceal that process. I am rarely so disappointed by a meal, so for me to stop eating it because a was a little worried to finish my whole meal, was very telling. Lastly, the fresh vegetable of the day was carrots. Just carrots. Carrots for everyone and a lot of them. More than any of us could eat.
  
  We had fine service, but we could never recommend this restaurant to anyone.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 08.01.12 Jack M.

  • Report
• 0

  I'm always so happy when I find a little restaurant like this while traveling. It's got a comfortable north-woods vibe, with log beams and a fireplace, and a menu that is heavy on the standards necessary for a restaurant to survive outside the big city -- ribeye, walleye, pot roast -- but still is interesting.
  We started with a crisp glass of sauvignon blanc, $3.95, then shared a couple of the tapas-inspired "bites'' for which the restaurant is named. No olives or octopus here, but the little $3 dishes were generous; we got four pulled-pork tostadas topped by avocado and queso blanco. There are larger "sharables,'' too, $8-$9, including seafood-stuffed portabella and walleye and wild-rice cakes.
  For an entree, I had a fantastic penne pasta with tons of shiitake mushrooms in a ginger cream sauce and a huge hunk of grilled mahi-mahi. It was so rich that even after I finished, and my husband ate some, I still had enough left over for two lunches.
  For dessert, we split a caramel-stuffed brownie with a dollop of whipped cream drizzled with caramel. My husband loved it; I thought it was just okay.
  There's a little bar, too, with a decent selection of beer on tap.
  Bites is right on the Paul Bunyan State Trail on the south edge of Pine River, so it makes a good stop if you're bicycling or snowmobiling. In fact, I think it's probably the BEST restaurant along the trail -- there's a cafe, pizza place and coffeehouse in Nisswa, and a couple of other bar-cafe type places, but nothing as nice as Bites.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 02.08.12 Beth G.

  • Report