Christmas Eve Specials - 2013

If you're joining us for Christmas Eve, your dinner just got that much better. Today, Executive Chef Peter Christensen unveiled our Christmas Eve Dinner Specials.

From Land to Sea and everything in between, these perfectly paired entrees will have you feeling merry and bright!

Join us on Tuesday, December 24, as we will be open regular dinner hours with service running from 4:30 to 10pm. We're also bringing back the famous Kevin G. group to serenade your Christmas Eve meal with live jazz music.

In addition to the Specials, our full regular dinner menu will be available. Plus, toast the occasion with a special Christmas Eve Wine Lovers' Night and take half off any bottle of champagne or sparkling wine in our collection.

Make your party's reservation online via Open Table or by calling Woolley's at 952-854-1010.

And don't forget, it's still Customer Appreciation Month as well. (Throughout December, receive 50% (that's right, HALF) of what you spend on food and beverage back to you in the form of a gift certificate for use in 2014)!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve 2013 at Woolley's Steakhouse

Once again, we've got a relaxing evening of celebration planned for Christmas Eve. Join us for a festive dinner on Tuesday, December 24, and kick-off your holiday in style!

Twas the Night Before Christmas
(Woolley's style)

'Twas the Night Before Christmas, when all through the room

Jazz music was playing, and conversations bloomed.

The steaks were all plated, prepared with such care, 

In hopes that our guests like them medium-rare;

Families and friends all merry and fine, 

Enjoying their meals and half-off sparkling wine!

Bring your loved ones and friends, as we will be open for regular dinner hours with service running from 4:30 to 10pm. We're bringing back the famous Kevin G. group to serenade your Christmas Eve meal with live jazz music.

In addition to the full regular dinner menu, take advantage of a special Christmas Eve Wine Lovers' Night as well with half off any bottle of champagne or sparkling wine in our collection.

Make your party's reservation online via Open Table or by calling Woolley's at 952-854-1010.

Don't forget, it's still Customer Appreciation Month as well. (Throughout December, receive 50% (that's right, HALF) of what you spend on food and beverage back to you in the form of a gift certificate for use in 2014)!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good steak!

Woolley's Wins Best Dinner, Romantic and Wine Bar Restaurant in Bloomington

As you may know, we along with our sister restaurant, Chez Daniel, were both voted "BEST" in Bloomington for the Sun Current Newspaper's third annual Reader's Choice Awards. For two months, Sun Current Newspapers asked readers to nominate and vote for "the BEST of" in certain categories.

While Chez Daniel won "BEST" Brunch and Romantic Restaurant in Bloomington, Woolley's is thrilled to have been chosen as the "BEST" Dinner, Romantic and Wine Bar Restaurant. To have both restaurants win and against such tough competition is such an honor.

Thank you, readers, for choosing Woolley's, as we look forward to remaining your favorite dinner, romantic and wine bar restaurant in Bloomington for years to come. This week, be sure to look for our ad (above) in the Sun Current's January 24th Special Reader's Choice Awards Section. 

Additionally, Secure your Valentine's Day reservation at such a romantic restaurant, by calling Woolley's at 952-854-1010 or book online at OpenTable.

We'll see you soon!

Christmas Eve Specials at Woolley's - 2012

Once again, we've got a relaxing evening of celebration planned for Christmas Eve. We invite you to join us for a festive dinner on Monday, December 24, and kick-off your holiday in style!

Twas the Night Before Christmas
(Woolley's style)

'Twas the Night Before Christmas, when all through the room

Jazz music was playing, and conversations bloomed.

The steaks were all plated, prepared with such care, 

In hopes that our guests like them medium-rare;

Families and friends all merry and fine, 

Enjoying their meals and half-off sparkling wine!

Bring your loved ones and friends, as we will be open for regular dinner hours with service running from 4:30 to 10pm. We're bringing back the famous Kevin G. Trio to serenade your Christmas Eve meal with live jazz music.

In addition to the full regular dinner menu, Chef Peter has been very busy planning the perfect Christmas Eve Dinner specials for you to enjoy. Take advantage of a special Christmas Eve Wine Lovers' Night as well when you take half off any bottle of champagne or sparkling wine in our collection.

Make your party's reservation online via Open Table or by calling Woolley's at 952-854-1010.

Don't forget, if you're booking for a party of five or more, you get to take advantage of our special Customer Appreciation Month offer as well. (Throughout December, book any party of five or more and 50% (that's right, HALF) of what you spend on food purchases will be given back to you in the form of a gift certificate that you can use in 2013! )

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good steak!

Thanksgiving at Woolley's - 2012

We're getting quite excited for Thanksgiving and our bountiful Thanksgiving Day Champagne Brunch. A great reason for Woolley's to put on a feast, we are just so thankful for all of our guests on Thanksgiving and the rest of the year as well.

All week, we've had Thanksgiving on the brain with our Thanksgiving-themed lunch specials. Featured through Friday, we're offering a Thanksgiving Salad: Mixed Greens, Chicken Breast, Bleu Cheese, and Sweet & Spicy Pecans all tossed in our Pumpkin Spice Vinaigrette, as well as an Open-Faced Ham Sandwich: Thick-sliced Pit Ham, Apple Maple Chutney, and Fresh Arugula on Grilled Sourdough with Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes on the Side.

As our lunch specials warm up our appetites, our excitement for Thursday is building. If you missed it, the menu and additional details may be found in our blog post, Thanksgiving Brunch, from earlier this month. We're so pleased to offer our Thanksgiving guests such a huge brunch menu that includes all of their breakfast, lunch, and Thanksgiving favorites.

We're also excited to announce that the Kenny G. Trio will once again be serenading our Thanksgiving Brunch guests with some lovely live music.

If you can't make it to brunch, Woolley's will also be open for regular dinner service from 4:30 to 10pm on Thanksgiving. In addition to the full dinner menu, we'll be featuring some great Thanksgiving Dinner Specials as well. Perfect for pairing with the Thanksgiving bird, all bottles of Riesling and Pinot Noir wines will be HALF OFF the entire night as an extra way for us to show our diners that we're thankful for them.

Thanksgiving Dinner Specials

Turkey Dinner

Classic thanksgiving dinner. Sliced turkey, mash potatoes, sausage and corn bread stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce. 

Roasted Pit Ham 

Slow roasted ham, Thanksgiving sweet potatoes, and grilled asparagus. 

Lamb Shank 

Braised lamb shank, local squash hash with brussel sprouts and apple, apple cider reduction and demi glace. 

Prime Rib Dinner 

Slow roasted prime rib served with mash potatoes, glazed carrots and mushroom au jus.

Reservations are recommended and can be made by visiting Open Table online or calling Woolley's at 952.854.1010.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Italian Wine Specials - Available Now!

Through the end of the year, we're pleased to celebrate the joys of the season with the following Italian wine specials. Perfect for an evening spent soaking in the warmth of the holidays, each wine was meticulously selected with your enjoyment in mind.

Since antiquity, Italy has been praised for its remarkable range of indigenous grapes and wide

variety of winemaking styles. No other country in the world produces as many wines as Italy and

no other country can claim such a wonderfully varied range of local cuisines and wine pairings.

We welcome you to join us in exploring these gems. We have sourced these rare and

exceptional wines that we are sure you will love as much as we do!

“L’acqua fa male e il vina fa catare” -- Italian proverb

(Water is bad for you and wine makes you sing).

Tenute di Nozzole Le Bruniche Chardonnay (Tuscany) 9 / 34

Malolactically fermented with no oak. Wonderful acidity and ripe tropical fruit flavors.

Tenute di Salviano Turlo, Red Blend (Umbria) 10 / 38

Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot. Intense ripe fruit with soft subtle tannin. A delicious international style red wine.

Fattoria dei Graciano Svetoni Torcalvano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 13 / 50

A true small production winery, this wine is a beautiful expression of sangiovese. Bright and lively the fruit notes include strawberry and blackberry with background notes of coffee, toasted oak and vanilla.

Agricola Punica Montessu, Isola dei Nuraghi (Sardinia) 15 / 58

A blend of Carignono (Carignan) Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, don’t miss an opportunity to try this rare Sardinian gem. And if you like this don’t miss its big brother Barrua!

Tenute del Cabreo La Pietra Chardonnay (Tuscany) 52

Single vineyard old vine chardonnay. This wine spends a year in oak followed by a six month rest in bottle. A beautiful expression of chardonnay.

Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto (Bolgheri) 85

Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from the famed producers of Sassicaia. Very limited cases were sent to Minnesota, so enjoy!

Agricola Punica Barrua, Isola dei Nuraghi (Sardinia) 85

85% Carignan from Sardinia, this world class wine delivers in a big way. Dark fruit notes complement an herbal spice flavor with hints of red pepper and licorice.

Setti Ponti Oreno, Arrezo (Tuscany) 120

A famous super-tuscan made of Merlot, Cabernet and Petite Verdot, this wine is a monster, a big, tannic monster. It may eat your steak for you if you don’t finish it!

Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato di Asti (Piedmont) 8 / 24

A delicate expression of moscato this is a great way to end the evening!

We can't wait for you to taste these amazing Italian wines and hear what you think. As we stated previously, we only have these wines on special and available through the end of the year, so make plans to join us before it's too late. Reservations online at Open Table or at 952-854-1010. 

And remember, every Wednesday and Sunday evening is set apart for wine lovers! On those special Wine Lovers Nights, guests receive half off any bottle in our collection with their dinner entree purchase. 

Cheers to good wine, better company, and a joyous holiday season! 

Happy National Cabernet Day - Thursday, August 30, 2012

Here at Woolley's, we love wine! So much so, that we have two entire evenings every week dedicated to Wine Lovers. (Every Sunday and Wednesday night you get half off any bottle in our extensive collection with your dinner).

Additionally, we take meticulous pride in our list and were awarded Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence and Wine Enthusiast's Award of Distinction as well.

And if that wasn't enough, we get to celebrate National Cabernet Day this week too. On Thursday, August 30, we'll be celebrating all things Cabernet by offering guests half off bottles of any Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc on our list ALL day!

So, come on in tomorrow and enjoy half off any bottle of Cabernet in our award winning collection.

Happy Cabernet Day & Happy Thursday, friends!

Woolley's Receives Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence (Again!)

We are pleased to report that once again, Woolley's has received Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence! 

 

Wine Spectator issues the Award of Excellence to restaurants, "for [wine] lists that offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Typically, these lists offer at least 100 selections."

The 2012 Award of Excellence was only awarded to 2,842 restaurants nationwide. Given the total number of restaurants in this country, this means that less than 1% of all restaurants in the U.S. receive this award.

We're pretty proud of our wine list. Hand-selected by our own director of restaurants and sommelier, Ben Berry, our list offers the perfect varietals to complement our menu and our guests' unique preferences and palettes.

Stop in on Wine Lovers Night, which occurs every Sunday and Wednesday from 5:30 to 10pm, and take half off any bottle in our entire collection with your dinner. A great way to sample a bottle you might not necessarily try otherwise.

Cheers!

RESTAURANT WEEK July 8 - 13, 2012

Mpls St Paul Magazine's Restaurant Week is back for Summer 2012. Join us once again for three-course lunches and dinners at a special price!

Lunch — $20

LUNCH ONLY: Free glass of house wine to start or non-alcoholic beverage

Appetizer (Choose one):

Soup & Salad Bar - Prepared fresh daily, featuring two house-made soups.

Entrée (Choose one):

Chicken Salad Sandwich - Grapes, pepper bacon, smoked cheddar.

Pastrami Sandwich - Hot pastrami on a Russian rye bun with horseradish mustard, Swiss cheese, spicy house-made pickles and an over easy egg. Served with pasta salad.

Tuna Salad Sandwich - Tuna salad with red onion marmalade, harvarti dill and seven grain bread. Served with chips.

Pasta Vodka - Ground spicy Italian sausage, roasted red peppers and Prosciutto ham, simmered in a creamy vodka tomato sauce, tossed with penne pasta and topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Petite Martini Steak - A flat iron steak grilled and seasoned with all the makings of a martini (shaken not stirred) and garnished with St. Peter’s bleu cheese crumbles and green olives. Served with vegetable du jour and scalloped potatoes.

Black and Bleu Pasta - Spicy beef tips sautéed with red onion, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and bacon all tossed in linguine noodles with a Southwest sauce and topped with bleu cheese crumbles.

Dessert (Choose one):

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

Carrot Cake

New York Style Cheesecake

Dinner — $30

Bottles of wine from our award winning wine list are available all week at ½ price!

Appetizer (Choose one):

French Onion Soup

Caesar Salad

Classic Wedge

Entrée (Choose one):

Black and Bleu Pasta - Spicy beef tips sautéed with red onion, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and bacon all tossed in linguine noodles with a Southwest sauce and topped with bleu cheese crumbles.

Grilled Caprese - Grilled chicken breast, heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil polenta cake and sherry vinaigrette.

Panko Crusted Walleye - Minnesota’s state fish hand breaded with parmesan-seasoned Japanese bread crumbs, pan-seared and served with lemon aioli sauce, vegetable du jour and rice pilaf.

Grilled Walleye - Walleye grilled with lemon over sautéed spinach and cherry tomatoes. Served with rice pilaf and lemon buerre-blanc.

Top Sirloin - 8-oz top sirloin on a bed of sautéed mushrooms and onions. Served with vegetable du jour and scalloped potatoes.

Martini Steak - A flat iron steak grilled and seasoned with all the makings of a martini (shaken not stirred) and garnished with St. Peter’s bleu cheese crumbles and green olives. Served with vegetable du jour and scalloped potatoes.

Dessert (Choose one):

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

Carrot Cake

New York Style Cheesecake

Sounds great, right?! Well, we hope you'll join us beginning this Sunday for Restaurant Week. Secure your reservations by calling Woolley's at 952.854.1010 or online at Open Table. 

September 29 - Robert Hall Wine Dinner

Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 29! Woolley’s will be hosting a seven-course Robert Hall Wine Dinner in a culinary celebration of Paso Robles’ most renowned winery. Adding to the excitement of the occasion, Robert Hall himself will be presenting for the evening.

The event will kick off at 6:30pm with a social reception and butler passed hors d’oeuvres. Dinner service will follow at 7:00pm. Each featured wine will be complemented with an expertly prepared menu course from our own Executive Chef Peter Christensen.

Robert Hall Wine Dinner

$55 per person

2010 Viognier

Social

Butler Passed Hors d'Oeuvres

2010 Chardonnay

First Course

Fresh Diver Scallops

Heirloom Tomatoes, Candied Bacon

2009 Sauvignon Blanc

Second Course

Foie Gras

Crab Apples, Fresh and Candied Cranberry and Arugula

2008 Syrah

Third Course

Maple Glazed Quail

Pumpkin “Spiced” Risotto

Sorbet

Concorde Grape

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

Main Entrée

Certified Angus Beef (two ways)

Braised Short Ribs with Sweet Potato

Seared Tenderloin with Root Vegetables

2010 Orange Muscat 

(Margaret's Vineyard)

Dessert

Buttermilk Pannacotta

White chocolate, Blackberry

Reservations are required, as space is limited. To make reservations or for more information, please contact Woolley's at 952.854.1010. 

The definition of an Oenophile...

Do you know the definition of Oenophile? It’s a lover of wine. Not just someone who is fond of wine; but a person who relishes each glass.

As the director of Woolley’s Wine Program, I would call myself an Oenophile. After participating in the International Sommelier program, I put my expertise to work for Woolley’s Steakhouse and built up our wine program to over 200 selections. I love helping guests pick out the perfect bottle of wine for their meal. I know ordering wine in a restaurant with many selections can be a little overwhelming.

So how, you may ask, do Oenophiles order wine? Let me tell you:

First, Oenophiles consider their budget. Most wine lists have multiple price points. An Oenophile with a small budget will locate a good producer on the list and look for a bottle in a less expensive category.

Second, they consider the people at their table. If there are beginning wine drinkers present they might opt to purchase a white wine or lighter red. (Personally, I suggest a French Riesling, Italian Pinot Grigio or French Beajulais for beginners).

Third, an Oenophile will not be afraid to ask the server for suggestions. If the server does recommend a bottle, they will always ask if the server has actually tried the wine.
When the selected bottle arrives at their table, Oenophiles will always verify it is the right vintage and year. When the server presents the cork they will inspect it for contamination. (If the wine has seeped through the cork, the bottle may be bad. This is not always the case, but a warning sign). When server pours a small sample, Oenophiles swirl the wine in the glass around and take a deep sniff. They watch out for smells like vinegar, rotten cork or cooked cabbage. If it smells alright they take a taste, swishing the wine in their mouths so it hits all their taste buds. If that satisfies the Oenophile they’ll have the server continue pouring for the rest of the table.

Finally, if the Oenophile has ordered a nicer Cabernet or Cabernet blend, they’ll ask the server to decant the bottle. Pouring a Cabernet into a decanter will help the wine breathe, softening the tannins and bringing out more of the subtle flavors in the wine.

The next time you are a bit nervous in selecting wine for your table, start thinking like an Oenophile. Who knows? You just might become one!

That’s all for now, but don’t forget to join us every Wednesday and Sunday as we celebrate Oenophiles by featuring every bottle on our list as half-off! I look forward to sharing the best of our wine program with you.

Cheers,



Ben Berry
Wine Program Director

Evenings for Wine Lovers

Woolley’s Steakhouse, an independent restaurant located inside Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport, is offering half-price bottles of wine to guests every Sunday and Wednesday night through the end of the summer.
Long been considered a hidden gem in the dining world, Woolley’s Steakhouse is known for pairing the best of American cuisine with some of the world’s finest wines. “Since 2004 we have built our wine program up to over 200 selections,” says Ben Berry, Restaurant Manager at Woolley’s. “By introducing half price bottle night, I believe we are giving discerning guests the opportunity to enjoy some of the most celebrated wines in the world without compromising their budgets.”
Woolley’s wine program has been honored by the Wine Enthusiast with the Award of Distinction and by the Wine Spectator with the Award of Excellence. Patrons are invited to visit Woolley’s Steakhouse every Wednesday and Sunday from 5:00pm to 10:00pm for the opportunity to purchase any bottle of wine at half price with the purchase of any entrée.