Review: Dixie's Southern Style Restaurant in St. Paul

In order for you to fully appreciate my review of this restaurant you will need some background information. First of all, I am from the South, Florida to be exact. I've lived in North Dakota for the last three years because I find it easier to obtain my educational goals without a lot of distraction. It also helps that the cost of living here is far less expensive. Living up here isn't really so bad...yes, the weather is treacherous, but the people here are genuinely friendly. However, there is one thing that I'm finding extremely hard to bear: the food. In the South, we take our food very seriously and we live to eat, up here food seems to be just for sustenance and they eat only for survival. So, I basically made amends with the fact that I was doomed to a few years of epicurean misery...that is, until I discovered the great cultural mecca known as the Twin Cities. Minneapolis/St. Paul is a nice little day trip away from Grand Forks, ND, and they have some AWESOME restaurant choices. A little while ago I visited a friend who took me out to dinner to a place directly across the street from her home, it was a nice little spot called Dixie's Southern Style. I didn't know what I was in for when she brought me there, but boy was I ever glad that she did! Here are some of my memories of that visit:

The ambiance was mellow, subdued, and very sexy. There was a pretty good live band playing salsa music and people were dancing and having a wonderful time. We sat very near the dance floor and we could feel the pulse of the music, and the rhythm of the dancers, but yet for some reason it still wasn't hard to enjoy our conversation. Our server was prompt, courteous, informative, and well kempt. Now, let me warn you before you read any further; I have a huge appetite, and this was just before I made the life changing epiphany to make healthier food choices. Brace yourselves because here it goes: I chose to have the Baby Back St. Louis Style Ribs for an appetizer, the New York Strip Steak with Southern Style Green Beans for an entree, and an extra side of Skin on Mashed Potatoes with Cream Gravy. The ribs were succulent, the sauce was perfect, and they fell off of the bone. My steak arrived just as I had ordered it; well done with a heaping side of mushrooms, a massive mound of onions, and a healthy serving of blue cheese crumbles. It was seasoned to absolute perfection and my regular butter knife simply glided through it's striated layers with ease, I never even unsheathed my steak knife. I was never so impressed by any other single piece of meat that I had come across in my entire life, and when it comes to food...I do not impress easily. The potatoes were to die for, and I'm not usually a potato person...it just seemed obligatory to me to order potatoes with steak...but I'm glad I did because these potatoes were heavenly. The real surprise came when I tasted the green beans; they had an authentic southern taste, my own great-grandmother just might have been outdone...you have no idea how monumental this statement is. Julie, my dinner companion chose to have an appetizer of Spicy Dixie Wings and an order of fries, after that... she was down for the count. She couldn't even eat all of her wings, so of course I polished them off for her (great friend that I am); she's a wimp. By then, I wasn't surprised to find that even the wings were exceptional here; wings are so easy to make, you wouldn't believe how easily other place totally screw them up...not here though, they were great. I'm not a dessert person, my idea of the perfect dessert is always a second helping of meat, but since I was stuffed...my culinary experience came to a conclusion.

All in all, Dixie's is a great place with awesome food and a great atmosphere. If you're ever in the Twin Cities area and you're looking for a place to grab a bite, I'd highly recommend it in a heartbeat. One other thing, I left my debit card at the restaurant. I remembered it maybe ten minutes later and I went back over to retrieve it. As soon as I got there, I found that it was already in the manager's hands waiting for my return. It's always comforting to know that there are honest people in the world.