The Sample Room

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Bre McGee

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In the 1890s there was a saloon in the old Thies Hotel up on Marshall Avenue Northeast called the Sample Room, and as of 2002, there is a saloon of the same name in the same place again. Visit this 19th-century-feeling saloon to sample the restaurant's two slightly incongruous kitchen specialties: on the one hand, contemporary American haute dishes like roasted asparagus, and baked goat cheese; on the other hand, American diner classics done from scratchlike meatloaf. This cacophony of options makes for a perfect neighborhood saloon: Half the party can sup upon a platter of various roasted vegetables and artisanal cheeses paired with a glass of wine, while the other half can opt for a Grain Belt on tap and meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Cuisine(s): American, Health

Hours: Sun 10am-11pm, Mon 11:30am-11pm, Tue-Fri 11:30am-1am, Sat 10am-1am

Price: $$, $$$
Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards

Features: Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Catering

Serving: Brunch, Dinner, Late Night, Lunch
Alcohol: Full bar

Reservations: Accepted, Not Accepted, Call-Ahead Seating Available

Parking: Free, Lot Available, Street

Daily Happy Hours

Daily

The Sample Room is known for its impressive list of flights and tapas-sized plates ideal for sharing. And while it's highly recommended to indulge ...

City Pages Reviews and News

The Sample Room: A happy hour photo tour

By Kate N.G. Sommers | Fri, September 10, 2010

As fall approaches, the days of sitting in the back yard while enjoying a cold beer are dwindling. To escape these end of summer blues, I can't think of anything better than a good happy hour. More >
Vintage Bargains

By | Wed, July 14, 2004

By Jessica Armbruster and Lindsey Thomas Some like their wine light and fruity, others like it ruby red and peppery. Some have been dying to try that one syrah that keeps popping up on wine lists, but just haven't been able to afford it, while o... More >
Sample Sale

By Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl | Wed, September 18, 2002

The Sample Room 2124 NE Marshall St. Minneapolis 612.789.0333 How do you make ketchup from scratch? Overripe roma tomatoes, garlic, onions, cinnamon sticks, some secret stuff, stewing, melding, pureeing, straining--it's a hassle. Why d... More >

User Reviews

1 User review

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BBrockman76

| Sat, December 19, 2009

The theme was date night. The atmosphere was perfect. The flights of wine were fun. The food was beyond delicious. I am a fussy eater. If it sounds grose; I haven't eaten it; or it is an animal I couldn't fathem eating; it must taste nasty to eat. WRONG! For the first time tonight, I ate three items that I have never eaten before or ever considered eating. First was the goat cheese. I tried it. It's not my favorite. It's on the sour side for me. It was still a first. Their brie was much more enjoyable for me. Second was the meat selection. There was a few items that I am not ready for, so I opted for something I knew I could crew to make a decision on if I like it or not. Do I get the Bison w/ mashed potatoes, the bbq pork ribs (i have difficulty eating meat from a bone), or the shrimp (i only like coconut battered shrimp)? The Bison meatloaf was already selected by my date. I guess I'm eating Bison for the first time. Out of my three choices, I went for the Bison w/ mashed potatoes. I figured if I hate the Bison, at least i have mashed potatoes. Lets just say the Bison was the most light/lean & delicious meat I have ever eaten. The meatloaf sauce was amazing! Seriously, I said to my date, next time, we skip the cheese and order double the Bison. The question is, will I like Bison outside of The Sample Room? If you are still reading this, you may be wondering what the third item I never eaten was? What i thought was brussle sprouts and carrotts ended up being brussle sprouts and squash. Squash mashed always looked nasty. Cut like carrotts and tasting a lot like cooked carrotts to me, they were delicious. No wonder my date thought I was weird when I ranted about cooked carrotts. We shared a laugh over my discovery. Overall, this small hidden gem in NE Mpls became a new found favorite of mine. I hope it does for you too. Plus, from my experience, the patrons are honest. I dropped a $100 bill on the floor to the men's room and a patron seen me do it and gate it to my date to give to me. That alone would have wrecked my evening, but instead made it that much better.

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Main Menu

Salads
Dressings: Herb Vinaigrette, Red Wine Vinaigrette, Caesar, Bleu Cheese, Russian

Cup $4.00
Bowl $6.00

Soup Of The Day

$5.00
$9.00

House Salad
mississippi greens, aged ricotta, red onion, radish, pepitas, red wine vinaigrette

$5.00
$9.00

Caesar
romaine tossed with our creamy caesar dressing, shredded parmesan, thick-cut croutons, topped with anchovy

$11.00

Warm Seasonal Vegetables Over Wilted Spinach
asparagus, carrots, english peas, red onion, oyster mushrooms, dandelion, with stickney hill goat cheese and black pepper almonds drizzled with red wine vinaigrette

Sandwiches

$12.00

Bottineau Burger
one-half pound of house cut and ground grass-fed beef, topped with pork belly and smoked gouda. topped with caramelized onions and mustard aioli on a toasted bun

$12.00

Chicken Cordon Bleu Burger
house-cut and ground amish chicken stuffed with ham, swiss, and a touch of horseradish aioli on a toasted bun

$10.00

Classic Reuben
grilled saurkraut pumpernickel stuffed with corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss and homemade russian dressing

Pasta + Plates

$9.00
$17.00

Fresh Fettuccine With Wild Mushrooms, Kale And Mustard Greens
chive crème fraîche, butter and white wine sauce, shaved parmesan, cracked black pepper

$10.00
$18.00

Straccetti
braised beef, balsamic tomato sauce

$12.00
$20.00

Shrimp Ravioli
fresh pasta, citron vinegar, butter, crème fraîche, chives

$7.00

Wild Mushroom Ragout On polenta
pumpkin seed, truffle dust

Vegetable Plates

$7.00

Fire Roasted Artichoke Gratin

$5.00

Roasted Seasonal Veggies
asparagus, carrots, english peas, red onion, oyster mushrooms, dandelion

$6.00

Roasted Veggie Torte
goat cheese, parmesan, roasted red pepper sour cream

$4.00

Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes
rosemary

$6.00

Roasted Asparagus
white balsamic reduction

Seafood Plates

$9.00

Salmon Lox
on micro greens with mustard vinaigrette, served with lavash

$10.00

Peppercorn Seared Tuna
ponzu sauce, wakame salad, pickled ginger, wasabi

Seared Scallops
red pepper coulis, fava beans, oyster mushrooms, bacon, asparagus

$7.00

Seared Steelhead Trout
capers, olives, pea tendrils

Lobster And Shrimp Cakes
tarter sauce

Meat Plates

Stonebridge Beef
cut of the day

$9.00

Red Curry Pork Shanks
cilantro gremolata

$6.00

Bison-pork-beef Three Meatloaf
with smoked tomato ketchup

$7.00

Pistachio Chicken Sausage
violette mustard

$8.00

Lamb Crostata
flaky crust, green olives, fontina

Cheese Plates

$6.00

Warm Camembert
with caramelized onions

$6.00

Hooks Farm Little Boy Blue
fig-orange compote

$6.00

Beecher’s No Woman
fulton ipa and balsamic reduction, almonds

Chef’s Select

$6.00

Zingermann’s Manchester
poached plums, apricots, apple gastrique, pistachio

$6.00

Herbed Stickney Hill Goat
oven dried tomatoes and basil oil

$6.00

Morbier
truffled dwarf peaches, radish

Charcuterie Plates

$5.00

Pâté
pork liver with castle rock smoked bleu cheese, bacon wrapped and served with beer mustard and cornichons

$5.00

Mortadella
fischer farms pork, apricot mostarda

$5.00

Caramel Apple Pork Belly Confit

$6.00

Curried Chicken Galantine
pickled daikon and carrot

$6.00

Huspenina
pulled pork terrine, mustard, pickled peppers

$8.00

Pork Rillette
apple butter, cornichons

$16.00

Charcuterie Platter
pâté, huspenina, mortadella, chicken galentine and pork belly confit, served with cornichons, apricot mostarda and beer mustard

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2124 Marshall St. NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418

612-789-0333 | Website

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