Thursday, April 2, 2009

Psycho Suzi Won me Over

Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge
2519 Marshall Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
612-788-9069
http://www.psychosuzis.com/

Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge on Urbanspoon

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me...

And Happy Birthday to the Sister as well.

A Birthday is a good excuse to try something a little different; to go out and have a good time and maybe even splurge a bit. Psycho Suzi's met that criteria...the menu is actually very reasonable, but when your goal is to try as many of their tiki drinks as possible you may end up splurging a bit. I have to admit that when my sister suggested Psycho Suzi's I wasn't totally sold. It's a tiki/motor lounge/pizza joint in NE Minneapolis...Interesting? Yes. Also scary? Maybe. I had also been warned that it gets busy so I was worried we wouldn't get a table (they do not take reservations). To my surprise this place was awesome and I will definitely be back and/or name drop and suggest this place to friends.

I didn't get a full look around, but the inside is small. Good for ambiance, not so great if you go on a weekend and don't get a table in time. A grass hut surrounds a big grey steel entrance door which reads something like 'kids not allowed after 9'. No kids? This is not your family Perkins which to me equals awesome. It's not that I don't like kids, but excessive amount of rum + kids = __________ (insert adjective here). There is also a large patio out back which is open year round. Seriously.

The inside is dimly lit with large black leather booths and bamboo curtain dividers. My mom got a kick out of the 'Chicks' and 'Dicks' sign on the bathroom doors as well as the very nostalgic 50s era lamps. It was noisy, but a good noisy like everyone was having a good time. I also saw the best mullet I've seen in a long time. It literally could have been Billy Ray Cyrus himself. (ps, don't correct me if I misspelled his name. I often look up words or people's names if I'm unsure, but Billy does not warrant me wasting that sort of time).

Back to the tiki. You get two menus, a food one and another dedicated strictly to booze, CHA-CHING! The booze menu is also bigger than the food menu which caused my mom to look repeatedly through the beer and cocktail list before saying 'I can't find the food!'. Good work Suzi. The food menu is simple with sandwiches (some hot and some cold), pizza, a few salads and an interesting assortment of appetizers or as they call them 'pu-pu'.

THE ORDER
Red Rockets $6.45
Had to order these: 1. because I love all things hot dog, 2. because they have a horrible name. If you do not know what this means go ask an adult. These are 'fresh' (because, com'on, what about a deep fried hot dog is fresh), maybe homemade is a better word, mini weenies dipped in batter. Not that thick corn batter, beer batter like you find on cheese curds. Served with mustard and a pamphlet about heart disease. Kidding about the last part.

Beer-battered cheese curds $6.95
If you're from Minnesota these need no explanation. Just like the Fair. Golden. Served with marinara sauce because you need a little veggie with your fried cheese.

Pepperoni Pizza Packages $6.95
If an asian person tried to interpret pizza rolls. These were my least favorite, but still decent. They were actually wonton skins folder in half, filled with pepperoni and sauce, deep fried. Craziness. You like wonton? You like pizza? Problem solved.

Suzi Supreme $15.85
Pepperoni, sausage, onion, green pepper, black olive, mushroom and cheese pizza. Nuff said. Fifteen bucks is for the medium, which was still 8 slices of plenty big pizza...ness. The crust here is also spectacular. Not too much sauce and tons of toppings and cheese. Who wants a pizza swimming in sauce? You do? You're gross.

Suzi Quattro $15.85
Apparently our method was to order everything with the name 'Suzi' in it. It has to be good, right? Well, actually it was. So good for us. The Suzi Quattro is topped with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped pieces of roasted garlic, mozzarella and their white-wine sauce. This is one of the best pizzas I have probably ever had and I'll be safe from vampires for weeks. Also medium sized.

They also have make your own pizzas where you can choose from 4 different types of sauces, traditional or deep dish, and over 30 different toppings (some of their toppings include: rum-soaked raisins, goat cheese, pine nuts and soy). However, my very frugal boyfriend pointed out that it's a better deal to go with one of their specialty zas.

Spinach Tornado $7.65
If you enjoy tornados, you'll love this salad! If you do not love tornados, you'll love this salad! I felt like Chris Rock there for a moment...no sex in the champagne room. This salad was all spinach tossed in a herb vinaigrette topped with warm roasted vegetables (peppers, onions, some zuchinni maybe?) and baked goat cheese.

Pontiac $7.45
A spicy bbq pulled pork topped with lettuce and crispy onion strings. Served on toasted ciabatta bread with chips or tater tots for a little extra. Huge sandwich, looked good, but what do I know. Dave seemed to enjoy it. He couldn't finish it, but he enjoyed the part he ate.

I would tell you all about the drinks, but I think you should go experience them yourself. The ones we had were good, but there is a lot of rum going on. All regular sized tiki drinks are $7.95, each comes in a different mug that you can keep for $5 extra. The One Eyed Willy is probably not one you want to start out with...I made that mistake. In addition, they have a large selection of bottled beers, plus a few on tap, wines, liquors and even champagne and a couple ciders.

THE VITALS
# of People: 6
Reservations: They do not take...get there early.
Day/Time of Visit: Wednesday, April 1st @ 6:30pm
Will I be back: Definitely! Gotta try some more tikis!
YAYs!: Good quality food, reasonable prices, patio (which I will have to partake of soon), lots of fun drinks to choose from, interesting decor, mullets. They serve food and drinks until 2am everyday!
Nays: Our waiter forgot our water a couple times before we finally gave up. Oh well. Depending on how busy you may wait/not get in. For families: this place turns into a bar after 9, so no kiddies!
Notes: Happy Hour from 4-6 (I think) and daily drink specials after 10pm.

-B.W.

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