• Pop! Fritters Shrimp and black bean fritters, chipotle sour cream and guasaca (Venezuelan avocado condiment) dipping sauces (shared) $6.25
• Thai Chicken Satay Salad Marinated grilled chicken skewers, mixed greens, wontons, cucumbers, honey-lime vinaigrette and Thai peanut sauce $10.50
• Sweet potato fries $5.25

Pop!! is like the bigger sibling to of Pop! in NE. They are very similar in design, but the space is much larger and they are right in the heart of downtown St. Paul so it feels much more urbane somehow. With that said, I think I like Pop!! better, I am glad to know I have a new great kid destination when we go to the museums and such in St. Paul.

The fritters were very good, unusual and tasty. I think they were better without the dipping sauces, but I did enjoy the guac dipping sauce anyhow by itself. My salad was really good, I did not need the order of sweet potato fries, but I was having a salad so I felt I could somehow. The salad comes with corn bread so really it was over kill. However, the sweet potato fries were killer and I really liked the dipping sauce. So much so that I left with a takeout container of my salad and corn bread, but not a sweet potato fry remained.

Our son's kid meal was $5 and it was quite a good value, it included fish sticks, fries, veggies, cookie and a drink. He could not finish it all so dad got some of the fries.

If you are downtown with kids this is a great place, which was evident because when we arrived at 5 pm the place was really pretty busy and most tables had at least one child. So if you are planning on going kid free, you might want to go a little later, which, who are we kidding, you would anyhow.

• Jerk chicken pasta Blackened chicken with jerk spices, mushrooms, asparagus, and radiatore pasta in cream sauce $13.50

When we walked into Pop!! (The original Pop! with one ! is in NE Mpls, Pop!! with two !! is in downtown St. Paul ), I thought I was dreaming. It was just after 5:00 p.m. in downtown St. Paul , in the former Fhima location, and the place was full, mostly with families with young children. I imagine that Pop!! had more kids than any other independent restaurant I can remember (pizza joints excluded). I normally think we’re fine without a reservation at 5-ish, but here I would still recommend a reservation. Note that their web site says “We love kids,” and it shows in their quick service and menu.

Pop!! should succeed because it is wholesome, nicely priced, and fancy but not-too-fancy. It’s perfect for downtown St. Paul – before an event at the Xcel or Ordway, it fits a niche that’s not-too-expensive. This is perfect for when you want quality food and you’re already spending plenty on tickets to a game or a show. It’s also low-key, good for a first date. That is, it’s hip enough to impress a first date, but you don’t drop a ton of cash if you don’t connect on your first date. Then again, it’s probably not a special occasion destination. Why am I obsessing over this? Probably because Pop!! has struck a chord with downtown St. Paul , and I wonder if, given the right location and rent in downtown Minneapolis , if their might be a Pop!!! in the future.

The shrimp fritters were delicious. Five golf-ball sized fritters were plenty for Renee and me to share. It’s a simple, yet popular appetizer. The sweet potato fries were great and also good for you. Renee and I were discussing how we thought sweet potato fries would be a fad, but they’re still here. They’ll never overtake French fries, but it looks as though they have staying power. Finally the jerk chicken pasta special was good; it was a standard, well-conceived and executed dish. It was nothing extraordinary, original, or altogether inventive. The chicken, sauce, and other ingredients were all good, and it was a generous portion. It’s one of those entrees that I say is good, but would order something else if I went back.

Service was helpful, patient, and attentive. Pop!! is a place I could say, try it, see if you like it, and see if it becomes a habit.