• Breaded Mushrooms $7.00 (shared)
• Walleye Sandwich $11.00

OK, so this was a bit of a challenge, since we had lunch that day at the Bulldog NE after running/walking the James Page Blubber Run, so it was going to be hard for the Imperial Room to really compare.

When we arrived we noticed a table full of people who had run the Blubber Run earlier in the day as assumed from their shirts anyhow and the fact that they looked like they may have been drinking all day. It was 7:30 in the evening when we arrived at the Imperial Room.

The mushrooms were some of the best breaded mushrooms I have had. Granted I don't get to order them often as it is hard to find someone to order them with, but if you at all like breaded mushrooms I would check these out. The walleye sandwich was good, but it was served with sweet potato fries so that brought it up a notch.

I think the Imperial Room may make a better bar than grill, but if you are out drinking in downtown Minneapolis and get that sudden craving from breaded mushrooms, I would stop at the Imperial Room next.

• Tortellini $12.00

The Vegetarian is a small 30-50 seat restaurant on Central Avenue in Columbia Heights. Like many Indian restaurants, the prices are very reasonable. An average entree in the $5-$10 range really stretches the dollar. On the night we visited, an Indian couple and their son sat in a table next to us. The matriarch of the family was very particular in her tastes and the food did not meet her standards, or maybe it just wasn't what she was accoustomed to tasting in some fo their standadr dishes.

I was happy withthe vegetable pakora and would order it again. However, there was some unidentified problem because the menu says we should have received potatoes, cauliflower and peppers. When we clearly received eggplants and onions, but not potatoes and cauliflower.

The dumm aloo or potatoes in tomato sauce came out okay, not great, and not nearly as good as Renee's Malai Kofta. Both dishes were ordered hot, but were ont he weak side of medium. The garlic naan was excellent.

The Vegetarian is not worth a drive across town, but its okay Indian if you live within a few miles. Overall, I still miss the departure of the Udupi Cafe.