Doolittles: Casual Dining, Meet Upscale

Where do you want to go to eat tonight? It’s a common question heard around most households, and with so many choices, it can be difficult to decide! Each week, Golden Valley Patch picks a great restaurant either in town or nearby that is worth checking out. Here's this week's choice:

Doolittles

Overview: Doolittles has quickly become the Twin Cities’ go-to rotisserie. If you’re looking for a real woodfire grill experience, you’ve come to the right place. Boasting juicy chicken, steaks and pork chops grilled on top of a massive woodburning fire right in front of your eyes, this upscale hot spot gets it spot on. The Golden Valley location is just one of four locally owned and operated locations of this one-of-a-kind restaurant. The others can be found in Eagan, Alexandria and Fargo, ND.

Décor: With its focal points as the wood burning fire (and logs to feed it) sitting in the back of the restaurant in front of the large, open kitchen along with the large rectangle mahogany bar, Doolittles invites both large and intimate groups. The open floorplan with separate rooms, rustic wood feeling, perfectly placed stones and walls of wine bottles mixed with only a fragment of the aviation theme from this restaurant’s past, Doolittles does a great job to make customers welcome for both a casual lunch or romantic dinner.  

Food: Doolittles offers a lighter fare of gourmet soups, salads, burgers and sandwiches as well as comfort food at its finest with appetizers, steaks, seafood and pasta dishes that could compete with any of downtown’s famous food fare. Watching your waistline? Doolittles offers a nutritional menu on their website and offers special preparation for most dietary needs.

Experience: On this negative degree February day, I could already smell the enticing scent of the wood burning grill and rods of succulent, rotisserie chicken turning about before I even hit the front door. My friend and I were able to snag the last available table for two on this completely packed lunch hour. After one of the two hostesses took me to my seat, she asked what my other party’s name would be, so she could be escorted when she arrived. The upscale, rustic interior and energetic atmosphere already made me feel welcome as large groups sat dining, businessmen ordered iced tea and slow-roasted sandwiches at the bar and old friends caught up over their scrumptious salads and decadent desserts. With a very attentive waiter, our casual lunch felt anything but as we sipped on smooth butternut squash soup, complete with spiced seed garnish and munched on two of the restaurant’s most popular salads: Roasted Pear & Chicken Salad and Chopped Thai Chicken Salad, both made with spit-roasted chicken and fresh ingredients. We each finished off our big-enough-for-two salads along with the complimentary and rosemary encrusted bread and iced tea. It was a very filling, satisfying meal that left me with a taste in my mouth that I’d be happy to try again.

Service: Very attentive staff; quick to seat, quick to bring out drinks and bread and to ask how we were enjoying our experience. The manager also came around to ask the same. Reservations are available.

Signature Dishes: Wood-fire buffalo wings, grilled tenderloin skewers and spit-roasted chicken.

Address: 550 Winnetka Ave. N

Hours: 11am – 11pm

Chef: Bryan Lea

Price: $$