Twin Cities Food Writers Unload Their Biggest Dining Bummers of 2017

Every year Eater reaches out to friends who cover the food scene and ask what their best —and worst — meals of the past year have been. Today food critics, bloggers, and seriously culinary fans are weighing in on which restaurants they found themselves returning to time and again. Today we ask, what was the biggest dining grievance of 2017?

Mecca Bos, GoMn.com

We still don't have enough black leadership in Twin Cities restaurants, breweries, and distilleries. For all of our talk of our robust dining scene, new and trendy restaurants in the Twin Cities are still overwhelmingly white. If we want to be the distinct and nationally-notable dining scene we think we are, we will have to alter some of the homogeny.

Jason DeRusha,WCCO and Minnesota Monthly

Not enough coverage of pizza and burgers in the food media. Ha! I kid! My biggest dining grievance? Honestly there’s never been a better time to be eating in the Twin Cities. Innovative flavors are available at all price points, the cocktail culture continues to get more and more exciting, even service is getting good. My biggest complaint is the blame game when restaurants close: right now the boogey-man is the minimum wage hike. Restaurants close for a combination of reasons, and government regulations like requiring health care, sick time and raising the minimum wage are part of the calculus. But I don’t know of any restaurants that are successfully serving full rooms night in and night out that are closing – it’s always places that are having other issues that close. It’s hard to be honest and say: we didn’t change to stay relevant, or we weren’t getting it done.

Jess Fleming, Pioneer Press

Too much fast casual.

Nancy Ngo, Pioneer Press

Places that call themselves food halls but are not. Should be a mix of specialty food shops, food stalls/restaurants from different restaurateurs and purveyors.

Amelia Rayno, Star Tribune

Lackluster service at otherwise good restaurants.

Joy Summers, Eater Twin Cities

Going to restaurants in my neighborhood and being treated like complete garbage. It’s particularly heartbreaking when you really, really want to love something and they really, really don’t care.