Tin Fish

Given my allergy to cold weather and Minnesota's tendency to have a lot of it, I tend to embrace the warmer months by spending as little time as possible indoors.  This means I eat as many meals as possible outside, and the Tin Fish has been a favorite outdoor eatery for as long as I've lived here.

This restaurant is nobody's well-kept secret.  The smell of fried walleye and french fries permeates its corner of Lake Calhoun and there are too many kids wandering around with dripping ice cream cones to allow for anyone in the vicinity to wonder whether there's a good lunch/dinner/snack place nearby.  But as I visited this well-loved establishment after my trip to the Bakken, I thought I'd write a few lines on what I like about the place.

One taco (pictured above) is enough for dinner and at $7 a pop (give or take a dollar), it's a steal.  The salsa and cheese mixture is simple and tasty with your pick of grilled or fried fish (I tend to lean towards the grilled mahi mahi, as pictured) and if you add a few dashes of Tabasco and a squirt of lemon, you're set.  I recommend skipping the table seating and instead nabbing a stool overlooking the water. Grab a beer, steal a few of your neighbor's waffle fries, and watch the ducks pass beneath your feet as you look out over a Lake Calhoun sunset.  The fish would be good anywhere.  But the fish are perfect when your view looks something like this: