• Carr Valley Cheese Curds - dipped in a scallion and caper butter with house-made ketchup $6.50 (shared)
• Zelnicki crackers $2.50 (shared)
• Kitchen Sink Burger - with cheese, lettuce, tomato, bacon, and kitchen sink sauce $10.75
• Chocolate Bomb $6.50 (shared)

As we walked in if you would have asked me if I thought I was going to end up giving this an excellent rating, I would have said no. In fact, if it had been up to me, I would have turned around and left. Let me explain, they do not take reservations, which clearly they do not need to do, since people are more than happy to wait for a table. The space is an old diner, with an attached seating area. So as we walked in there were probably about 30 people waiting for a table in an area the size of train car, with a diner bar area taking up over 1/2 of that. So everyone was pressed up against the wall waiting, and you could barely get the door open to get in. It was Steve's birthday he decided he wanted to wait, so we did. The nice thing is they have a full bar (with champagne cocktails!) so they get a drink in your hand as quickly as they can which is nice and to make things even better they hand out free samples of some of their grown up malts, which are pretty amazing.

We actually only ended up waiting about 20 minutes which was shocking, but we were a table of two and one opened up, so lucky us. There was a party of six next to us who had to wait an 1 1/2, they did not seem as happy when they were finally seated.

Once seated, things got even better. The food was outstanding. I have never been a fan on cheese curds (I know how dare I call myself a Minnesotan), however if all cheese curds were this light and greaseless, I would have them at every chance. The burger I had was one of the best I have had ever. Again not a big burger fan, but I have had my share and this was about as good as it gets. If I went back and ordered a burger I don't think I would get the kitchen sink one as I don't think the sauce helped that much, as the burger was so good on it's own.

The dessert was interesting, all the ingredients were high quality so it didn't turn out to be a disaster, but it was cake and mousse, both chocolate covered in a chocolate shell. The shell was very thick and almost impossible to break maintaining any kind of normal eating procedures. But once you got a piece it was very good chocolate. Steve also had a malt for dessert (it was his birthday after all) and that was very good.

If I went back, I would try to go really early or maybe later in the evening to avoid the crowd. But I could see why it has gotten lots of buzz, they are definitely doing many things right.

• Three Scallops on green onion reduction with diced sweet potatoes $22.00

We're asked from time to time about the difference between good and excellent restaurants. Town Talk Diner is one example where it could go either way, but the great outweighs the good.

The bad: the Wait. No reservations are taken. Our wait for a table of two was 25 minutes on a Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. A table of six seated by us said they had waited 1 ½ hours.

Also bad: Questionable Pricing. Like the Miller High Life commercial, you have to wonder if the Kitchen Sink Burger is worth over $10. Renee thought so, and I would agree. I was a little disappointed when the charge for a handful of homemade zelnicki crackers was $2.50, even if they were not on the menu.

The good: the Chocolate Bomb, while it was great chocolate, was a problem to eat. After confounding us for a few minutes, we finally tipped it upside down, scooped out the soft middle, and pounded mercilessly until the rock-hard shell relented.

The great: Adult Malts. Awesome. Tasty ice cream malts spiked with liqueurs. Brilliant!

More great: the Scallops were perfectly done, soft on the inside, and seared on the top and bottom. The green onion reduction was like no other I've ever had (in a good way). The diced sweet potatoes and the sauce melded with the scallops to produce a superior combination.

More great: the Cheese Curds. They were hot and fresh like they should be, but with higher grade cheese and they avoided the punch-to-the-gut sick feeling you get at the State Fair.

The pièce de résistance: the Service and Hospitality. There is a difference. Service means that everything is delivered appropriately and on time. Hospitality is when you feel welcome. It is confident, but not fake. The best example on the night we were at Town Talk Diner was when the staff made complimentary Monkey Business malts for everyone who wanted one in the waiting area. Many people had already had a drink or two, but the gesture mattered. It gave me the opportunity to share a delightful malt with my sweetheart.